Harry's brow knotted into a tight frown as countless thoughts raced wildly through his mind like a flock of startled birds.
He paced back and forth twice, his heels tapping urgently against the floor. Then he suddenly stopped and looked at Dumbledore, his gaze full of contemplation.
"Besides Voldemort, who else would want to gather the Deathly Hallows? Could it be Grindelwald?"
Hearing Harry mention Grindelwald, Dumbledore quickly said,
"Harry, it can't be Gellert. He is old now, just like me. He no longer has the ambitions of his youth and would not collect the Deathly Hallows again."
Harry nodded. He agreed with Dumbledore's view, but then he remembered the goblin magic he had learned about in class, and his eyes lit up for a moment.
"Could it be the goblins? They have always been skilled at crafting magical artifacts, and they know no less than we do about Ancient Magic. If some goblins coveted the Hallows and used some concealed magic to break through the defenses, it wouldn't be impossible. But... what would they want the Deathly Hallows for?
"And then there are those fanatical Pure-blood supremacists. They follow Voldemort. If they learned of the Hallows' power, they might want to steal them and offer them to their master, hoping to use them to wipe out all Muggle-born wizards and consolidate so-called Pure-blood rule.
"But you said Voldemort wasn't skilled at this kind of covert method. His followers probably wouldn't be either..."
Dumbledore nodded, confirming Harry's suspicions.
"That's right. It is indeed possible that goblins were responsible. Ever since the Goblin Wars, one Goblin faction has never given up and has continued clashing with wizards in secret.
"Of course, we cannot rule out Voldemort's remaining Death Eaters. By now, they should have noticed the betrayal of the other Death