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gifts Death gives the brothers – an unbeatable

wanda stone that can bring back the deadand an

Invisibility Cloak that endures for ever – are

genuine objects that exist in the real world. The

legend goes further: if any person becomes the

rightful owner of all threethen he or she will

become “master of Death”which has usually been

understood to mean that they will be invulnerable

even immortal.

1 [Necromancy is the Dark Art of raising the dead. It is a branch of magic

that has never workedas this story makes clear. JKR]

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

96

We may smilea little sadlyat what this tells us

about human nature. The kindest interpretation

would be: “Hope springs eternal”.

2 In spite of the

fact thataccording to Beedletwo of the three

objects are highly dangerousin spite of the clear

message that Death comes for us all in the enda

tiny minority of the wizarding community persists

in believing that Beedle was sending them a coded

messagewhich is the exact reverse of the one set

down in inkand that they alone are clever enough

to understand it.

Their theory (or perhaps “desperate hope” might

be a more accurate term) is supported by little

actual evidence. True Invisibility Cloaksthough

rareexist in this world of ours; howeverthe story

makes it clear that Death’s Cloak is of a uniquely

2 [This quotation demonstrates that Albus Dumbledore was not only

exceptionally well read in wizarding termsbut also that he was familiar

with the writings of Muggle poet Alexander Pope. JKR]

Professor Dumbledore’s Notes

97

durable nature.

3 Through all the centuries that

have intervened between Beedle’s day and our

ownnobody has ever claimed to have found

Death’s Cloak. This is explained away by true

believers thus: either the third brother’s descen-

dants do not know where their Cloak came from

or they know and are determined to show their

ancestor’s wisdom by not trumpeting the fact.

Naturally enoughthe stone has never been

foundeither. As I have already noted in the

commentary for “Babbitty Rabbitty and her

Cackling Stump”we remain incapable of raising

the deadand there is every reason to suppose

that this will never happen. Vile substitutions

3 [Invisibility Cloaks are notgenerallyinfallible. They may rip or grow

opaque with ageof the charms placed upon them may wear offor be

countered by charms of revealment. This is why witches and wizards

usually turnin the first instanceto Disillusionment Charms for

self-camouflage or concealment. Albus Dumbledore was known to be able

to perform a Disillusionment Charm so powerful as to render himself

invisible without the need for a Cloak. JKR]

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

98

haveof coursebeen attempted by Dark wizards

who have created Inferi

4 but these are ghastly

puppetsnot truly reawoken humans. What is

moreBeedle’s story is quite explicit about the fact

that the second brother’s lost love has not really

returned from the dead. She has been sent by

Death to lure the second brother into Death’s

clutchesand is therefore coldremotetantalis-

ingly both present and absent.

5

This leaves us with the wandand here the

obstinate believers in Beedle’s hidden message

have at least some historical evidence to back up

their wild claims. For it is the case – whether

because they liked to glorify themselvesor to

intimidate possible attackersor because they truly

believed what they were saying – that wizards

4 [Inferi are corpses reanimated by Dark Magic. JKR]

5 Many critics believe that Beedle was inspired by the Philosopher’s Stone

which makes the immortality-inducing Elixir of Lifewhen creating this

stone that can raise the dead.

Professor Dumbledore’s Notes

99

down the ages have claimed to possess a wand

more powerful than the ordinaryeven an “unbeat-

able” wand. Some of these wizards have gone so far

as to claim that their wand is made of elderlike

the wand supposedly made by Death. Such wands

have been given many namesamong them “the

Wand of Destiny” and “the Deathstick”.

It is hardly surprising that old superstitions

have grown up around our wandswhich areafter

allour most important magical tools and

weapons. Certain wands (and therefore their

owners) are supposed to be incompatible:

When his wand’s oak and hers is holly

Then to marry would be folly

or to denote flaws in the owner’s character:

Rowan gossipschestnut drones

Ash is stubbornhazel moans.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

100

And sure enoughwithin this category of unproven

sayings we find:

Wand of eldernever prosper.

Whether because of the fact that Death makes the

fictional wand out of elder in Beedle’s storyor

because power-hungry or violent wizards have per-

sistently claimed that their own wands are made of

elderit is not a wood that is much favoured

among wandmakers.

The first well-documented mention of a wand

made of elder that had particularly strong and dan-

gerous powers was owned by Emericcommonly

called “the Evil”a short-lived but exceptionally

aggressive wizard who terrorised the South of

England in the early Middle Ages. He died as he

had livedin a ferocious duel with a wizard known

as Egbert. What became of Egbert is unknown

although the life expectancy of medieval duellers

Professor Dumbledore’s Notes

101

was generally short. In the days before there was a

Ministry of Magic to regulate the use of Dark

Magicduelling was usually fatal.

A full century lateranother unpleasant charac-

terthis time named Godelotadvanced the study

of Dark Magic by writing a collection of danger-

ous spells with the help of a wand he described in

his notebook as “my moste wicked and subtle

friendwith bodie of Ellhorn

6 who knowes ways of

magick moste evile”. (Magick Moste Evile became

the title of Godelot’s masterwork.)

As can be seenGodelot considers his wand to

be a helpmeetalmost an instructor. Those who are

knowledgeable about wandlore

7 will agree that

wands do indeed absorb the expertise of those who

use themthough this is an unpredictable and

imperfect business; one must consider all kinds of

6 An old name for “elder”.

7 Such as myself.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

102

additional factorssuch as the relationship between

the wand and the userto understand how well it

is likely to perform with any particular individual.

Neverthelessa hypothetical wand that had passed

through the hands of many Dark wizards would be

likely to haveat the very leasta marked affinity

for the most dangerous kinds of magic.

Most witches and wizards prefer a wand that has

“chosen” them to any kind of second-hand wand

precisely because the latter is likely to have learned

habits from its previous owner that might not be

compatible with the new user’s style of magic. The

general practice of burying (or burning) the wand

with its owneronce he or she has diedalso tends

to prevent any individual wand learning from too

many masters. Believers in the Elder Wand

howeverhold that because of the way in which it

has always passed allegiance between owners – the

next master overcoming the firstusually by

killing him – the Elder Wand has never been

Professor Dumbledore’s Notes

103

destroyed or buriedbut has survived to accumu-

late wisdomstrength and power far beyond the

ordinary.

Godelot is known to have perished in his own

cellarwhere he was locked by his mad son

Hereward. We must assume that Hereward took

his father’s wandor the latter would have been

able to escapebut what Hereward did with the

wand after that we cannot be sure. All that is

certain is that a wand called “the Eldrun

8 Wand” by

its ownerBarnabas Deverillappeared in the early

eighteenth centuryand that Deverill used it to

carve himself out a reputation as a fearsome

warlockuntil his reign of terror was ended by the

equally notorious Loxiaswho took the wand

rechristened it “the Deathstick”and used it to lay

waste to anyone who displeased him. It is difficult

to trace the subsequent history of Loxias’s wandas

8 Also an old name for “elder”.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

104

many claimed to have finished him offincluding

his own mother.

What must strike any intelligent witch or

wizard on studying the so-called history of the

Elder Wand is that every man who claims to have

owned it

9 has insisted that it is “unbeatable”when

the known facts of its passage through many

owners’ hands demonstrate that not only has it

been beaten hundreds of timesbut that it also

attracts trouble as Grumble the Grubby Goat

attracted flies. Ultimatelythe quest for the Elder

Wand merely supports an observation I have

had occasion to make many times over the course

of my long life: that humans have a knack of

choosing precisely those things that are worst for

them.

But which of us would have shown the wisdom

9 No witch has ever claimed to own the Elder Wand. Make of that what

you will.

Professor Dumbledore’s Notes

105

of the third brotherif offered the pick of Death’s

gifts? Wizards and Muggles alike are imbued with

a lust for power; how many would resist “the Wand

of Destiny”? Which human beinghaving lost

someone they lovedcould withstand the tempta-

tion of the Resurrection Stone? Even IAlbus

Dumbledorewould find it easiest to refuse the

Invisibility Cloak; which only goes to show that

clever as I amI remain just as big a fool as anyone

else.

HIGH LEVEL GROUP

healtheducationwelfare.

107

Dear Reader

Thank you very much for buying this unique and

special book. I wanted to take this opportunity to

explain just how your support will help us to make a

real difference to the lives of so many vulnerable chil-

dren.

More than 1 million children live in large residential

institutions across Europe. Contrary to popular belief

most of them are not orphansbut are in care because

their families are poordisabled or from ethnic minori-

ties. Many of these children have disabilities and

handicapsbut often remain without any health or

educational interventions. In some cases they do not

receive life’s basicssuch as adequate food. Almost

always they are without human or emotional contact

and stimulation.

To change the lives of institutionalised and margin-

alised childrenand try to make sure that no future

generation suffers in this wayJ K Rowling and I set up

the Children’s High Level Group (CHLG) charity in

2005. We wanted to give these abandoned children a

voice: to allow their stories to be heard.

CHLG aims to bring an end to the use of large institu-

tions and promote ways that allow children to live with

108

families – their ownfoster or national adoptive parents

– or in small group homes.

The campaign helps around a quarter of a million chil-

dren each year. We fund a dedicatedindependent child

helpline that provides support and information to hun-

dreds of thousands of children annually. We also run

education activitiesincluding the “Community Action”

projectin which young people from mainstream edu-

cation work with special needs children in institutions;

and “Edelweiss”which allows young people who are

marginalised and institutionalised to express them-

selves through their creativity and talents. And in

RomaniaCHLG has created a national children’s

council to represent the rights of childrenand which

allows them to speak out about their own experiences.

But our reach goes only so far. We need funds to

scale up and replicate our workto reach out into more

countries and help even more children who are in such

desperate need.

CHLG has a unique character amongst non-

governmental organisations in this fieldnamely

working with governments and state institutionscivil

societyprofessionals and voluntary organisationsas

well as practical providers of services on the ground.

109

CHLG aims to achieve full implementation of the

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

across Europe andultimatelyaround the world. In

only two yearswe have already assisted governments to

develop strategies to prevent the abandonment of

babies in hospitals and to improve the care of children

with disabilities and handicapsand have developed a

manual of best practice in de-institutionalisation.

We are truly grateful for your support in buying this

book. These vital funds will allow CHLG to continue

our activitiesgiving hundreds of thousands more chil-

dren the chance of a decent and healthy life.

To find out more about usand how you can get further

involvedplease visit: www.chlg.org.

Thank you

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP

Co-Chair of CHLG

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