History WMG / HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows

[[WMG:Death, from the Tale of the Three Brothers, is...]]
* Der Tod from {{Elisabeth}}. Death seems to be a {{trickster}} when he gives the deathly hallows to the Peverell brothers. He claims the lives of the older two brothers after they use their gifts foolishly. It sounds like something Der Tod would do.

[[WMG: Sirius isn't dead, but would be better off if he was. (He may also be [[TheGrimReaper Death...]] or ''a'' Death.)]]
When he fell through the curtain (in the book, anyway), he wasn't dead yet. Having passed into the land of death, he's become immortal; but he suffers constantly with an agony beyond a thousand deaths because physical bodies aren't made to cross over, just spirits. And he can never die. Ever. Like, ''ever'' ever, since the universe thinks he's already dead, and all three components of him (mind, body, and spirit/soul) are beyond the veil with all three still intact, and thus imbued with the power and eventually the attributes of death. It is for this reason that he may have become a death, or even, if he was the only one to cross the veil while no longer alive but not yet dead (going by the events of the movie), and considering that death is timeless, the Death shown in the tale of the three brothers. Aside from the total badassity of Sirius being the Death in the story, this leads to the next guess...

[[WMG: The core of the Elder Wand is a hair from the scalp of Death.]]
People assume that the Death in the tale of the three brothers was a skeleton, based on the most commonly used form in modern times as well as the skull in the drawing at the head of the chapter. This may be in error; Death is quite likely a relatively human-looking being. Wands typically have a core of something magical, typically a bit of a fantastic creature (hair, feather, heartstring). The book states that Death fashioned a wand from the branch of an elder tree; it doesn't say how, and no mention is made of the core. This not only allows any fatal spell to be blocked and fatal spells cast by the wand to have that extra "kick," but also means that the wielder carries death with him in a more literal way than the average mortal. Hence, why people with the Elder Wand tend to die gruesome
deaths even when they aren't being boastful about their super-fancy deathwand.
* {{Jossed}}. [[JKRowling JK Rowling]] said on her website that it was a Thestral hair, though if the below theory is correct, then this theory lives on to another day!

[[WMG: Death is a Thestral.]]
Or rather, all thestrals are literal personifications of Death.

** Also none of this reasoning is consistent with [[spoiler: Harry telling Dumbledore's portrait that "As long as I die a natural death, the wand's power dies with me"]]; after all the number of scenarios where the wand could possibly switch masters is endless. One of Harry's spoiler:kids could playfully disarm him, or a muggle could steal his wand, etc, without the Elder Wand ever [[spoiler: leaving Dumbledore's grave]].

Well, we already know he inherited his mothers metamorphegus abilities, despite the fact that such powers are supposed to be very rare and only show up every few generations or so. Lupin had a feeling that his son would be "like him" (a werewolf). The combination of shape-shifting genes from both parents increased his odds of having shape shifting abilities. He would up with both, due to the {{Rule of Cool}}.

[[WMG:Death, from the Tale of the Three Brothers, is Der Tod from {{Elisabeth}}.]]
Death seems to be a {{trickster}} when he gives the deathly hallows to the Peverell brothers. He claims the lives of the older two brothers after they use their gifts foolishly. It sounds like something Der Tod would do.

* ''Or'', he's been living on the run for months on end and cutting his hair hasn't really been in his top priorities. Crazy theory, I know. (Also, in response to above, [[Spoiler: Snape]] wasn't dead yet when Harry's shoulder length hair is discussed. And Harry still thinks he's an evil SOB at that point, too.

** Yes. Having hair "down to your shoulders" is not how you discribe a mullet.

Well, we already know he inherited his mothers metamorphegus abilities, despite the fact that such powers are supposed to be very rare and only show up every few generations or so. Lupin had a feeling that his son would be "like him" (a werewolf). The combination of shape-shifting genes from both parents increased his odds of having shape shifting abilities. He would up with both, due to the {{Rule of Cool}}.

* And remember, Sirius is constantly mistaken for the Grim in the early books- an omen which heralds death.

People assume that the Death in the tale of the three brothers was a skeleton, based on the most commonly used form in modern times as well as the skull in the drawing at the head of the chapter. This may be in error; Death is quite likely a relatively human-looking being. Wands typically have a core of something magical, typically a bit of a fantastic creature (hair, feather, heartstring). The book states that Death fashioned a wand from the branch of an elder tree; it doesn't say how, and no mention is made of the core. This not only allows any fatal spell to be blocked and fatal spells cast by the wand to have that extra "kick," but also means that the wielder carries death with him in a more literal way than the average mortal. Hence, why people with the Elder Wand tend to die gruesome deaths even when they aren't being boastful about their super-fancy deathwand.

**** This troper firmly believes the following- Lily ''did'' sacrifice herself, meant to die in place of harry, and so on and so on. ''But'' fate/Death/God/Saint Peter or whoever offers her soul/spirit a choice- she can watch from above/the afterlife, or she can spend a few years as, say, Crookshanks. When the cat dies, she will return to her dead human spirit state. kinda like Zee's grandma in The Shadow Thieves. alternatively, the choice giver uses a good form of the horcrux spell to allow part of her soul to remain alive, in the form of Crookshanks, and the other to go to heaven/the afterlife, until the cat dies and her soul spirit is reunited.

* Um... The book very clearly explained how the Elder Wand changes masters. [[YourMileageMayVary At least, it was pretty clear to me]]. In case it wasn't, here it is: In order for the Elder Wand to recognize a new master, its current master must be defeated, but "defeated" does ''not'' mean "killed". It could mean something as simple as Disarming, as [[spoiler: Harry]] did to the real master of the Elder Wand as of the end of HalfBloodPrince, [[spoiler: Draco Malfoy]] (also: the master doesn't have to be using the Elder Wand for it to be defeated); also, it can't be handed over or forfeited to a new master. So there's the first link in the progression broken: Snape was never the master of the Elder Wand, because [[spoiler: he killed Dumbledore as per a prior agreement; Dumbledore more or less forfeited his mastery of the wand to Draco]]. The second link in the chain has a very low probability of being able to mutter an incantation (she'd have to hold the wand in her mouth, and proper word choice and pronunciation is kind of a big deal in the Potterverse), and she never defeated any of the wand's true masters. Neville, while [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]], ''also'' never defeated any of the wand's masters, but hey, come on. He ended up being master of a big fucking sword that can only be mastered by a true Gryffindor; he's no less {{badass}} for not being a master of the Elder Wand (which, as [[spoiler: Harry]] pointed out later, is a lot more hassle than most people want to deal with).

* Um... The book very clearly explained how the Elder Wand changes masters. [[YourMileageMayVary At least, it was pretty clear to me]]. In case it wasn't, here it is: In order for the Elder Wand to recognize a new master, its current master must be defeated, but "defeated" does ''not'' mean "killed". It could mean something as simple as Disarming, as [[spoiler: Harry]] did to the real master of the Elder Wand at the end of HalfBloodPrince, [[spoiler: Draco Malfoy]] (also: the master doesn't have to be using the Elder Wand for it to be defeated); also, it can't be handed over or forfeited to a new master. So there's the first link in the progression broken: Snape was never the master of the Elder Wand, because [[spoiler: he killed Dumbledore as per a prior agreement; Dumbledore more or less forfeited his mastery of the wand to Draco]]. The second link in the chain has a very low probability of being able to mutter an incantation (she'd have to hold the wand in her mouth, and proper word choice and pronunciation is kind of a big deal in the Potterverse), and she never defeated any of the wand's true masters. Neville, while [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]], ''also'' never defeated any of the wand's masters, but hey, come on. He ended up being master of a big fucking sword that can only be mastered by a true Gryffindor; he's no less {{badass}} for not being a master of the Elder Wand (which, as [[spoiler: Harry]] pointed out later, is a lot more hassle than most people want to deal with).

** Except that Snape was never the master of the Elder Wand. The way in which it changes masters is pretty clearly defined in the book: The current master must be defeated (but not necessarily ''killed'', which is how [[spoiler: Draco and eventually Harry]] end up mastering it). Snape never defeated Dumbledore; [[spoiler: he killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's own orders, which results in the wizarding equivalent of a forefeit]].

When he fell through the curtain (in the book, anyway), he wasn't dead yet. Having passed into the land of death, he's become immortal; but he suffers constantly with an agony beyond a thousand deaths because physical bodies aren't made to cross over, just spirits. And he can never die. Ever. Like, ''ever'' ever, since the universe thinks he's already dead, and all three components of him (mind, body, and spirit/soul) are beyond the veil with it still intact, and thus imbued with the power and eventually the attributes of death. It is for this reason that he may have become a death, or even, if he was the only one to cross the veil while no longer alive but not yet dead (going by the events of the movie), and considering that death is timeless, the Death shown in the tale of the three brothers. Aside from the total badassity of Sirius being the Death in the story, this leads to the next guess...

Death seems to be a [[trickster]] when he gives the deathly hallows to the Peverell brothers. He claims the lives of the older two brothers after they use their gifts foolishly. It sounds like something Der Tod would do.

Death seems to be a [[tricksterarchetype]] when he gives the deathly hallows to the Peverell brothers. He claims the lives of the older two brothers after they use their gifts foolishly. It sounds like something Der Tod would do.

[[WMG:Death, from the Tale of the Three Brothers, is actually...]]
Der Tod from {{Elisabeth}}.

When he fell through the curtain (in the book, anyway), he wasn't dead yet. Having passed into the land of death, he's become immortal; but he suffers constantly with an agony beyond a thousand deaths because physical bodies aren't made to cross over, just spirits. And he can never die. Ever. Like, ''ever'' ever, since the universe thinks he's already dead, and all three components of him (mind, body, and spirit/soul) are beyond the veil with lt stll intact, and thus imbued with the power and eventually the attributes of death. It is for this reason that he may have become a death, or even, if he was the only one to cross the veil while no longer alive but not yet dead (going by the events of the movie), and considering that death is timeless, the Death shown in the tale of the three brothers. Aside from the total badassity of Sirius being the Death in the story, this leads to the next guess...

* But then how would the Resurrection Stone have brought him back in the end of DH?

[[WMG:The eavesdropper heard the entire prophecy, and arranged to tell only a fragment.]]
Trelawney describes the eavesdropper's "rude interruption" as having happened ''after'' she felt a bit queasy -- an inconsequential queasiness that she still remembers some seventeen years later, mark you -- and, being totally oblivious to what had occurred, she has no reason to lie. Dumbledore, however, whose version is utterly incompatible with Trelawney's, has every reason to lie. This is also his Ironclad Reason, which explains why he won't discuss ''that'' with Harry, either. His understandable guilt regarding the incident inspires his mutterings in The Cave and his oversheltering of Harry.
* [[spoiler:Given everything else we learn about Dumbledore, this theory's refutal is probably for the best.]]

Der Tod from {{Elisabeth}} and the Shinigami King from {{Death Note}}.