Chapter 287: Who is the true owner of the Elder Wand?

    "I never thought this ridiculous plan could succeed, Lucius."

    Voldemort laughed. Even when he hadn''t yet completed his soul, Voldemort would never have been foolish enough to believe Draco could accomplish anything significant.

    Whether it was assassinating Dumbledore or assassinating Cyrus, Voldemort never expected success.

    The former was merely a form of punishment. But now, both Draco and Lucius had demonstrated their loyalty, making punishment unnecessary. It was all just groundwork for his plans.

    "Let me explain it to you, Lucius," Voldemort, appearing to be in a good mood, generously began explaining to Lucius and Draco.

    Of course, this had much to do with the fact that Lucius hadn''t crossed the fire to betray him when Cyrus defeated Voldemort, and with Voldemort''s impression from seeing Draco''s recent memories, which convinced him of Draco''s loyalty.

    In short, Voldemort now trusted the Malfoy father and son more than he had before.

    In the past, they wouldn''t have been afforded such treatment. However, now that Cyrus had taken away more than half of Voldemort''s Death Eaters, and several of the trustworthy and capable Lestranges had been killed by Cassandra, Voldemort had little choice.

    "Where should I begin?" Voldemort lowered his head, pondering for a moment.

    Then, as if struck by inspiration, he thought of a fitting starting point. "Let''s start with the secret to Dumbledore''s strength."

    "The secret to Dumbledore''s strength?"

    This topic indeed piqued Lucius and Draco''s curiosity.

    Albus Dumbledore is still regarded as the greatest wizard of the twentieth century.

    Everyone knew of his immense power, but where that power came from, what made his magical strength unparalleled, remained a mystery to this day.

    Now, the Dark Lord himself claimed to know the secret behind Dumbledore''s power. How could that not spark curiosity?

    "All great power stems from a legend—" Voldemort''s gaze lingered on their faces as he spoke slowly, "a wand, an invincible wand!"

    Both Lucius and Draco, being pure-blood wizards, immediately connected Voldemort''s opening statement to the tale of the Deathly Hallows and the three brothers.

    "Are you talking about the Elder Wand?" Draco couldn''t help but ask.

    Voldemort wasn''t angered by the interruption. On the contrary, he seemed pleased that someone had "broken the rules" and responded.

    "You''ve heard the story, haven''t you, Draco?"

    "I have, but..." Draco hesitated, cautiously glancing at Voldemort, as though fearing an outburst of anger.

    "But it''s just a fairy tale, isn''t it?" Voldemort finished Draco''s sentence for him. Then he laughed, shaking his head. "It''s not just a story. The Elder Wand is real."

    Voldemort stood up from his chair under Draco and Lucius''s astonished gazes and began pacing the room. They dared not look directly into Voldemort''s eyes or at his face, keeping their gaze fixed on his moving footsteps instead.

    "When I traversed time to resurrect myself, seeking to restore the power that was originally mine, I couldn''t help but wonder—why, despite my immense strength, could Albus Dumbledore''s magic always rival mine?" he said.

    "I followed the threads of time, sifting through every grain of sand in its endless stream, until I finally uncovered the truth—" Voldemort paused, spreading his arms as if presenting his grand discovery, "—the Wand of Destiny itself. The Elder Wand!"

    In his outstretched hands, a wand shaped like finger bones appeared out of thin air.

    "This is Dumbledore''s wand..."

    Lucius immediately recognized the wand''s appearance.

    "Indeed, you recognize it, don''t you, Lucius?" Voldemort said, his tone drawn out. "For decades, he used this wand to oppose us time and time again. How many of our friends did it defeat? Even I was powerless against it—"

    Voldemort seemed to be reminiscing about the past, a sorrowful expression momentarily gracing his face. Yet, this expression was entirely feigned; he felt no grief for the so-called "friends" who had fallen.

    Lucius, however, was perceptive. He knew precisely what to say to please Voldemort at this moment.

    And by now, even Lucius found it hard to believe Voldemort was lying.

    "But now you''ve obtained it! Dumbledore is no longer your equal!"

    "You''re right, Lucius—I''ve conquered it!" Voldemort grasped the wand by its base with his long, slender fingers and held it upright. In his hand, the Elder Wand resembled a towering spire.

    Voldemort no longer hesitated to speak openly about the Elder Wand.

    He had no fear of others coveting it. Any powerful wizard already knew the legend of the Elder Wand was more than mere myth. Moreover, the wand represented not just power but also influence.

    There were many possibilities.

    Even Barty Jr. hadn''t considered things this deeply.

    He thought it was all a ruse. The Elder Wand, such a powerful artifact, couldn''t possibly have been handed over to someone as incompetent as Harry by Cyrus and Dumbledore.

    In the past, Voldemort might have thought the same. After all, he himself would never have let go of such a divine artifact like the Elder Wand.

    His own greed led him to believe others were just as greedy.

    But now, Voldemort wasn''t so sure.

    For something as unpredictable and temperamental as the Elder Wand, Dumbledore would likely not place all his hopes on it—at least not unless there was no other choice. If Cyrus were to fight Voldemort as the master of the Elder Wand, it would be far from a secure strategy.

    The Elder Wand might have accepted Cyrus as its master, but it could just as easily abandon him.

    In the heat of battle, where situations change in an instant, a single small mistake on Cyrus''s part could result in the Elder Wand changing hands once again.

    Let''s not forget, regardless of who the true master of the Elder Wand is, the wand itself was currently in Voldemort''s possession.

    Rather than allowing Cyrus to retain ownership of the Elder Wand, it was far more effective to transfer its true master elsewhere—someone far from the center of the conflict. In doing so, Voldemort would never be able to fully harness the power of the Elder Wand again.

    And with Dumbledore and Cyrus working together, their chances of success would be even greater.

    "So, Master, what you''re saying is, Harry Potter truly has become the master of this wand?" Barty Jr. asked.

    Initially, he thought Harry was merely bait set by Cyrus or Dumbledore. But then Voldemort claimed the memories were false. Instinctively, Barty believed Harry couldn''t be the Elder Wand''s master, thinking Cyrus still controlled it. After all, if Cyrus and Dumbledore each held the allegiance of one Elder Wand, their combined power would be unstoppable.

    But once again, Voldemort corrected him.

    The title of the Elder Wand''s master was not only useless to Cyrus, but it was a ticking time bomb. Regardless of who the true master was, the wand itself was still in Voldemort''s possession.

    And so, the question circled back to where it began.

    —Was Harry Potter truly the master of the Elder Wand?

    If Dumbledore and Cyrus were more ruthless, they might have allowed some obscure wizard to inherit the title of master. That way, who could ever know the wand''s true master?

    "Of course he is!" Voldemort said with absolute certainty, nodding firmly.

    "It is destined!"

    "I thought you no longer cared about that prophecy," Barty Jr. said instinctively.

    Thanks to his loyalty and achievements, Barty now held a position of considerable esteem among the Death Eaters, even surpassing Snape in favor. Voldemort tolerated many of his careless remarks, including this one, where Barty once again brought up the prophecy.

    That ridiculous prophecy had caused Voldemort so many failures, and the truth had proven that Harry Potter was nothing more than an ordinary boy.

    All of his so-called extraordinariness came from the great Voldemort himself.

    "I don''t believe in it anymore, but someone else does," Voldemort said with a grin.

    He reflected on the past.

    It finally dawned on him.

    It wasn''t that he foolishly believed in an absurd, far-fetched prophecy—it was that Dumbledore had chosen to believe in it.

    Think about it: if the greatest wizard of the twentieth century believed the prophecy to be true, then no matter how ridiculous or absurd it seemed, it would be difficult for Voldemort to completely ignore it.

    "Well then, let''s once again turn our attention to that little boy," Voldemort said.

    "Perhaps this is destiny, Harry Potter. There can only be one of us alive in the end..." Voldemort said with a cold smile. "I wanted to ignore the prophecy, but..."

    "Someone wants you dead!"

    ________

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