Ginny sat on a podium holding the triwizarding tournament trophy with both hands, while smiling for the cameras. Fleur was triumphantly looking at Eric while the boy himself looked deep in thought while ignoring everything around him. Krum looked sullen, not smiling as the reporters took photo after photo of them as they stood on the awards podium.

Ginny was feeling good. If Eric had been returned to the maze, then that meant that Balthazar must have won the fight. Fate would have just killed Eric. Ginny had known that she didn’t have to worry about Balthazar, he was fine.

She kept holding up the trophy and smiling as the crowd cheered some more. Alexa and Jack were cheering wildly and waving their own flags, which made a warm fuzzy feeling rise in Ginny’s chest.

Eventually the awards ceremony ended and the crowd slowly dispersed after seemingly every single person in the crowd came up to Ginny to congratulate her on her victory. She was exhausted after it was over. She was sure she’d never shook so many hands in her whole life as she had in the last hour or so.

Eventually she rejoined Alexa and Jack and told them all about the different sorts of challenges that she’d faced in the maze. She avoided talking about what had happened with Fleur or at the graveyard though. She would tell them later, no need to ruin the mood like that right now.

After chatting for a while they went back up to the castle and joined a party that the older years had set up in Ginny’s honor. Well, it was in the winner’s honor but it was in Ginny’s honor now. She talked to more people in a neverending blur, people asking questions all about the maze over and over again and telling them the story of that and the other tasks again.

By the end of the night, Ginny was exhausted but happy. Her former anger at what Eric had done was nearly forgotten in the glow of her victory. It was late at night by the time she made it back to the Ravenclaw dorm, the teachers not enforcing the curfew for once. In her bedroom, she carefully put the large triwizarding tournament trophy on her bedside table and stared at it for a moment with a smile. She changed into her nightclothes quickly and then tucked herself under the covers, her roommates already asleep, having come in earlier. Ginny lay under the covers in the dark room and with a satisfied smile drifted off into an easy sleep.

She had won the whole tournament.

She had won.

— — —

“Students and Staff!” Dumbledore announced from the Headmaster’s chair at the end of the great hall. It had been a few days since Ginny’s victory, and Beauxbaton and Durmstrang would be leaving the next day to return to their own schools.

“I have a very important announcement to make,” He said as the hall quieted, “But first I would like a round of applause for all of our four champions. All displayed the wit, power, and bravery that show them as exemplary young witches and wizards of their generation.”

There was heavy applause across the hall as the four champions sat and took in the crowd around them. The applause died down.

“And especially for our youngest champion and winner in Ravenclaw house, Ginny Weasley!” Dumbledore said, “A girl only in her second year of school but who was able to push to the finish and triumph over peers older than her. To our very own reigning grand champion of the Triwizarding tournament!”

There was resounding applause across the room as everyone cheered for Ginny. She blushed slightly but smiled at seeing that even the Slytherins looked excited for her victory. Fleur was cheering along with Beauxbatons as well, just as loud as the rest, even if Durmstrang and Krum were a bit more reserved. Eric also clapped politely from the Gryffindor table.

“What many of you might not know,” Dumbledore said, “Was that I won my own Triwizarding tournament back during my own time at Hogwarts so many years ago. I’m sure that all of our champions are destined for great things.”

The room was in shock. Dumbledore had won his own Triwizarding tournament?

“Ah, but that was not my announcement,” Dumbledore continued, “It has been my privilege and honor to serve as headmaster to this storied school and guide the young minds of the next generation for so many years. It has brought me great joy to see the students of this school flourish as they came into their own and left to make their own way in the world. Many of you may be aware of my recent absences from our school. My time spent learning from the mysterious Balthazar in the techniques to cure the curse of Lycanthropy and transform them into the wolf-kin. To make what is a horrible and frightening curse that leads them to be ostracized and hated by our society, into something new and exciting. The chance for a new life as part of our people for those that only faced hate and scorn before.”

The whole room began muttering. Where was this leading?

“So, after all of these long years of serving as your Headmaster,” Dumbledore said, “I will be stepping down and leaving you in the care of my vice-headmistress and dear friend Minerva McGonagall.”

The room was shocked before there was some scattered clapping as McGonagall stood and inclined her head to the room before sitting in her seat again.

“Now that Balthazar has proclaimed me skilled enough in the technique to perform it on my own,” Dumbledore said, “I will be taking over the treatment of the patients at the wolf-kin clinic full time. Balthazar was always working tirelessly to help those werewolves by not only pioneering the technique but also working at the clinic to cure as many as he could over the last year. An act of generosity for which he asked for nothing in return. I will do my best to follow in his example and attempt to fill his shoes now that he is stepping back from the clinic. So, I leave you in Headmistress McGonagall’s hands for this upcoming year and the ones following. May she guide you all to your best selves as she has for many long years as your teacher. Let us give another hand to your new Headmistress. Minerva McGonagall!”

Everyone clapped as McGonagall stood again, much more enthusiastic from the Gryffindor table and less from the Slytherins.

“The full announcement will be in the papers tomorrow,” Dumbledore said in a light tone, “But I wished to inform my dear students and staff at this school of the news first. Now let the feast…”

Dumbledore clapped his hands and food appeared on the table.

“Begin!”

Everyone started eating and gossiping excitedly about the news. Dumbledore had been a fixture of Hogwarts for decades. What would it be like now that he was gone?

— — —

“I have created several devices,” Balthazar said, “Should you wish to teach a successor, they should allow them to learn the procedure much quicker. And use the devices rather than their own magic. They will still need some understanding, but little enough that you should be able to teach someone decently talented how to operate them.”

“Thank you, Balthazar,” Dumbledore said, “I had worried about teaching the next generation about this. I am an old man after all.”

“Ah, speaking of,” Balthazar said, “I have a potion here…”

He reached into his robes and withdrew a golden flask. “Drink this.”

Dumbledore accepted it gingerly and stared at it, “And this is…?”

“A potion of rejuvenation,” Balthazar said, “It will make you feel like you are twenty again. While you will appear the same outwardly, your lifespan will be doubled or even tripled after you take this.”

Dumbledore looked at the potion in shock. “I can’t accept this. This potion is priceless!”

“I don’t want you to rush choosing a successor,” Balthazar said, “That potion should give you enough time to choose carefully and not rush due to your old age. Consider it a parting gift from me as a reward for coming so far.”

Dumbledore hesitated, “Very well. Should I drink it now?”

“May as well.”

Dumbledore unstoppered the potion and drank from the golden flask until there was not a drop of liquid left inside. His eyes widened as the potion did its work. Dumbledore’s wrinkles faded away slightly, but after the potion’s work was done he appeared nearly mostly identical. Still an old man with a long beard. But…

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“Marvelous,” Dumbledore breathed, “All my aches and weakness from old age are gone. I truly feel as if the clock has turned back. I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me and this clinic. I look forward to continuing your good work.”

“I’m glad that the work will continue even without me,” Balthazar said, genuinely meaning it. He had no idea when Fate’s champion would arrive, and even the last few days of wrapping things up at the clinic had been a nerve wracking experience for him.

“Would you like to celebrate at the headmaster’s office in Hogwarts?” Dumbledore asked, “I don’t believe you’ve ever been there. I have some fine aged wines that I have saved up. I’d like to open them up and share them with you.”

Balthazar hesitated, before deciding that there was no need to refuse. Originally he had not wanted to go to Hogwarts because it might alert Fate to his presence. But she was already well aware of him, so it would do no further harm to go there now.

“I think I will,” Balthazar said, “It has been quite some time since I’ve had alcohol.”

They apparated to the headmaster’s office, a single tap by Dumbledore giving them both permission to apparate directly inside. Balthazar looked around to the cluttered room filled with all sorts of miscellaneous objects.

“I see you are a bit of a collector,” Balthazar said, amused, “Quite the variety of objects you have here.”

“Oh, yes indeed,” Dumbledore agreed as he floated a bottle of wine and some drinking glasses out of a nearby cabinet, “I’ve accumulated quite a bit over my lifetime. I have even more kick knacks at my home that I stay at over the summers. I suppose it will be my full time residence from now on now that I won’t be headmaster any longer.”

Balthazar grabbed a floating glass filled with wine as Dumbledore began pouring his own. Balthazar took a sip.

“Hmmm. This is a good wine,” He complimented as he took another sip, “What year and vineyard was it?”

“Oh yes, it is quite the subtle taste. I bought it at…”

Dumbledore went to describe the wine as they both sipped it and engaged in some pleasant small talk. In the middle of one of Balthazar’s sentences, his eyes strayed onto a pile of silky cloth sitting on a nearby table. Balthazar froze and almost dropped the glass that he was holding. His gaze remained fixed on the object as Dumbledore curiously followed his gaze.

“Ah, the cloak of invisibility,” The old man said, “Did you ever hear the tale of the three brothers and the deathly hallows?”

“No, no I have not,” Balthazar said while his gaze remained fixed on the cloak, his mind racing.

“The legend speaks of three brothers. They traveled together, working wonders of magic as they traveled across the land. Works of complexity and power that all were amazed when they witnessed what they had created. One day on their travels they reached a raging river. Instead of fording the river and risk being swept away, they formed a bridge weaved from their magic. One sturdy enough to last for years and allow passing travelers to pass the river safely and without worry."

Dumbledore took a deep breath as the both of them stared at the cloak.

“This however, displeased Death. He was used to the travelers passing by to attempt to cross only to be swept away and drown. But he was cunning. So as the three brothers went to cross the bridge, Death appeared to them. He congratulated them for their cunning and power, and offered each of them a single object of power to be granted to each of them as their rewards for impressing Death himself. The older brother, confident and brash, stepped forward and asked for a wand that would allow him to win any battle. Death took a stick from the ground, a stick of elder wood, and weaved it into a wand with power like no other. The Elder wand. The first brother felt the wand's power and was satisfied. He thanked Death for the gift and stepped back to admire the gift.

“The second brother stepped forward, and seeing the success of his elder, dared to push even further. He asked for a method to return his loved ones from even after they had already fallen into Death's embrace. Despite Death’s rage at the audacity of the second brother, he bent down and picked up a stone from the side of the river and infused it with his power. He gave it to the second brother and told him that if he flipped it over three times that he could draw back those he wished back to the land of the living, even if they’d already joined with Death and moved beyond. The second brother thanked Death for the gift. The resurrection stone.

“The final brother was a humble man and more suspicious of Death and his motives. He stepped forward and asked for a way to hide even from Death himself. Death stared at him for a moment, but then reluctantly reached to his own robe and cut off a section of it and fashioned it into a cloak that could hide one from anything, even Death. The Cloak of Invisibility. The third brother also thanked Death for the gift.

“The three brothers continued on their journey and after some time parted ways to go on their own paths. The first brother went to a nearby village and boasted of him and his powerful wand’s power for all to hear. Enraged by his taunts, one of the local wizards challenged him to the duel and with the power of the elder wand, the first brother easily struck him dead with a single powerful spell. All were amazed by this feat and congratulated the first brother for his victory. Yet, that night at the inn, a jealous wizard snuck into the room and stabbed the first brother to death in his sleep and claimed the elder wand as his own.

"And so Death claimed the first brother.

“The second brother continued on his journey for many years and eventually fell in love and was betrothed. But the woman he loved had a tragic accident and died. Torn with grief, he remembered the stone that Death had given him. He turned the stone three times and called his love's name. And she appeared in front of him in the world of the living once more. But she was faded and unhappy, suffering in the world of the living after having passed on and seen what lay beyond. A half state between living and death, only staying out of the desire to comfort the second brother and help him process his grief over her death and help him move beyond it. Only kept anchored to our world through the power of the stone and nothing more. The second brother, seeing the suffering he was causing his love, could bear it no longer. So to join his love in death he took his own life, tormented by the idea that only in death could they truly be together once more.

"And so Death claimed the second brother as his own.

“Yet, despite how much Death searched, he could not find the third brother. The third brother had lived his own life humbly and started his own family while using the cloak of invisibility as protection against Death. When the third brother was an old man, he passed the cloak to his son and welcomed death with open arms. And so the third brother greeted death not in fear, but as an old friend and as equals.

“These are the three deathly hallows,” Dumbledore finished as if finished reciting a tale that he had heard a thousand times, “The Elder Wand, The Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. It is thought that these three artifacts, if under the control of one person, would make them a master of death.”

“Indeed…” Balthazar while staring at the cloak, “How did you acquire the cloak of invisibility? I’ve only seen artifacts this powerful a few times in my long life.”

Dumbledore looked rather startled at Balthazar’s question. “It is genuine? I had thought it was a possibility, but could never confirm it. How are you so sure after I have only just told you the tale?”

Balthazar nodded, “You can not sense it, but that cloak does exactly what is claimed in the legend. It hides those under it from the view of Death, Fate, War, Life, all conceptual entities. Such artifacts exist but against entities of such power they can generally only distract. Make them not notice the ones they protect if the concepts are looking through weaker proxies. But this… I believe that Fate could be directly looking at the person wearing this cloak and see nothing. The powers of the cloak in the tale were quite literal. It is a decent invisibility cloak against mortals, but for conceptual entities it must be near absolute protection.”

Dumbledore blinked as he stared at the cloak. “And to think I almost gave it to Eric Potter…” He murmured.

“Eric? Why would you give it to him?”

“It was a possession of his father, James Potter,” Dumbledore said while still staring at the cloak as if looking hard would reveal more of its secrets, “I meant to give it to Harry Potter after he came here to Hogwarts. But given what he’s like, I thought it best to hold back and keep it out of his hands.”

“Hm. A wise decision,” Balthazar said, “You are lucky I am here to tell you how valuable it is. You should be certain to protect it as best as you can.”

“Indeed, indeed. I have another question Balthazar. Could you focus on my wand for the moment? I have strong reason that it is the elder wand of the legend. Could you perhaps inspect it?”

“Certainly,” Balthazar replied, his curiosity peaked. Dumbledore drew his wands from his robes and after a moment's hesitation handed it over to Balthazar. He inspected it closely with his magic sense for a few minutes before handing it back.

“There is something there, but locked and buried deep,” He said, “As its owner perhaps you will have more luck investigating it closely with your own magic sense. Often magical tools with intelligence respect the personal power of the people they are bound to. So if you improve your wandless magic and prove yourself powerful without relying on the wand’s assistance then perhaps it may unlock its deeper functions.”

“Of course,” Dumbledore said in realization, “Of course the wand would only respect one whose power wasn’t reliant on it… I see, that is why it is powerful but not the world shaking wand that I expected it to be.”

“Don’t worry,” Balthazar reassured him, “With your new increased lifespan and practice with your wandless magic at the Wolf-kin clinic I’m sure that eventually you will have access to its full power.”

“Fascinating… Balthazar, how would you like the cloak of Invisibility as a gift from me?”

Balthazar blinked. “The Cloak? Did you not hear of its value? Nothing I’ve done for you is worth nearly as much as that. I could teach you my deepest techniques for a thousand years and it still wouldn’t be enough to compare to the value of that cloak. It’s probably one of the most valuable artifacts on this planet.”

Dumbledore’s eyes widened slightly before he schooled his expression again and then smiled.

“Yet, I have no use for it. You have done much for me and for the werewolves without asking for anything in return. Consider it a token of all our unending gratitude for you.”

Balthazar carefully reached out and picked up the cloak of invisibility, its shimmering silky material feeling smooth between his hands.

“Thank you, and I humbly accept your great gift,” Balthazar said formally.

“Now, we were interrupted by our tangent there!” Dumbledore said jovially, “Let our little celebration continue. From what you’ve said it will be a long time before we see one another again, so best to make it a good memory to stick with us in our time apart.”

Balthazar let out a small smile as he put the cloak of invisibility back down at the table, “Indeed. To good memories,” he said while raising his glass of wine.

“To good memories,” Dumbledore replied as they clinked their glasses and sank back into lighter conversation as they continued to drink.

After a few hours when they were finished, Balthazar left with the cloak of invisibility carried carefully in his hands. To think that Dumbledore just had something like this lying out in the open in his office…