"He saw only that he was climbing higher and higher, never noticing that he was also drawing closer to the cliff. He looked only at the sky and ignored the ground beneath his feet. In the end, he could only miss his footing and fall into the abyss of death."
That was Dumbledore's view of the eldest of the three brothers.
But Manus suddenly fell into a brief daze.
Conquering death through power... wasn't that exactly what Voldemort was doing?
Then could he send Voldemort down the eldest brother's old path and lead him into the abyss of death?
But that might mean letting Voldemort obtain the Elder Wand, which would mean letting him defeat Dumbledore once... never mind. If that really happened, Dumbledore's chances of surviving would be slim.
Voldemort's relationship with Dumbledore was nothing like the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Though these thoughts ran through his mind, Manus showed no sign of them on his face.
"Those who pursue supremacy will ultimately fall at the hands of others pursuing the same thing. The eldest brother's dramatic death not only demonstrated that point, but also exposed the Elder Wand's limitations."
Antioch, the eldest brother in The Tale of the Three Brothers, had died in his sleep, murdered by someone who ambushed him and took the Elder Wand.
"The Elder Wand can only help you in a direct confrontation. It can neither protect you nor grant you additional abilities."
Dumbledore paused, then nodded.
Manus's assessment of the Elder Wand did not seem to focus entirely on the deeper symbolism of the Deathly Hallows. He had also considered its properties as a magical object... that surprised Dumbledore somewhat.
But how did Manus know the Elder Wand's precise effects?
Dumbledore did not remember telling Manus about that. He had only mentioned