Harry's brow tightened into a deep frown as countless thoughts raced through his mind like a flock of startled birds.
He paced back and forth twice, his heels striking the floor in a rapid rhythm, then abruptly stopped and looked at Dumbledore with a thoughtful expression.
"Besides Voldemort, who else would want to gather all three Hallows? Could it be Grindelwald?"
Hearing Harry suspect Grindelwald, Dumbledore hurriedly replied, "Harry, it cannot be Gellert. Like me, he has grown old and abandoned the ambitions of his youth. He would not begin searching for the Deathly Hallows again."
Harry nodded. He agreed with Dumbledore's assessment. Then he remembered the goblin magic he had studied in class, and his eyes briefly lit up.
"Could it have been goblins? They've always been skilled at forging magical artifacts, and their knowledge of ancient magic is no less extensive than ours. It wouldn't be impossible for a goblin who coveted the Hallows to bypass your defenses with some kind of secret magic. But... what would they want with the Deathly Hallows?
"Then there are the fanatical pure-blood supremacists who followed Voldemort. Maybe they learned about the Hallows' power and want to steal them as an offering to their master, hoping he can use them to eliminate every Muggle-born witch and wizard and secure the rule of so-called pure blood.
"But you said Voldemort isn't skilled in this kind of stealth. His followers probably wouldn't be either..."
Dumbledore nodded, confirming Harry's suspicions. "Yes, the goblins are certainly a possibility. Ever since the Goblin Rebellions, there has always been a faction among them that refused to accept defeat and continued fighting witches and wizards from the shadows.
"Of course, we cannot rule out Voldemort's remaining Death Eaters. They have most likely discovered that the other Death Eaters have betrayed him, so they have now erased every trace of themselves. Even with the Ministry of Magic conducting a full investigation, finding them will be difficult in the near future.
"As for their purpose, that is quite simple. According to legend, anyone who unites the three Deathly Hallows becomes the Master of Death and, in theory, gains the power to transcend death itself.
"The witch or wizard who becomes the Master of Death would supposedly obtain power comparable to that of a god. They could control the cycle of life and death at will and cross freely between the worlds of the living and the dead.
"If Voldemort or the goblins seek the power of Death, they would naturally begin gathering the Deathly Hallows.
"After all, because of your existence, they will soon lose any ability to resist unless they take drastic action."
"I see." Harry picked up a Chocolate Frog, put it in his mouth, and began chewing. "Is there any way to find whoever is behind this? We can't let them remain hidden forever."
Dumbledore considered the question for a moment before quickly proposing a plan.
"Perhaps we could use your Invisibility Cloak as bait. If they learn its exact location, they will undoubtedly attempt to steal it."
Harry agreed without hesitation. "Let's do it."
Before long, thanks to Harry's deliberate efforts, a rumor began circulating throughout Hogwarts.
Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak had recently gone missing.
When the news first spread, no one believed it. After all, they could not imagine anyone capable of stealing the Invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter.
Soon, however, another story emerged. Harry Potter had supposedly discovered the ruins of an ancient magical site in the Forbidden Forest. While battling the guardian constructs within the ruins, he had accidentally lost the Invisibility Cloak.
That convinced many people that Harry Potter really had lost it.
Not long afterward, Harry Potter issued a public reward. Anyone who found and returned the Invisibility Cloak would receive five hundred thousand Galleons.
The entire wizarding world erupted into a frenzy.
Even an ancient magical family might accumulate only a few million Galleons over several centuries. Receiving a five-hundred-thousand-Galleon reward would make someone wealthy overnight.
Naturally, a few people began whispering that the Invisibility Cloak was one of the three Deathly Hallows. Why return it instead of selling it privately? Surely its price on the black market would be even higher.
Those suggestions were immediately met with ridicule from other witches and wizards.
The Invisibility Cloak was a Potter family heirloom. Who would dare sell it behind Harry Potter's back?
Harry's reputation in the wizarding world was now at its peak. No one wanted to offend him merely for the sake of earning a few more Galleons.
After all, who could say whether the terrifying young wizard who had defeated Voldemort several times possessed some unusual spell capable of locating the cloak?
If Harry Potter discovered that someone had secretly sold his Invisibility Cloak, that person would undoubtedly suffer a miserable fate.
...
Inside a dark underground passage, the cold light of glowstone lamps stretched the goblins' shadows into long, narrow shapes.
The mechanical city, once controlled by goblins, had long since lost its former prosperity. Rust-covered bronze gears hung from the vaulted ceiling, occasionally swaying in the air currents and releasing mournful creaks. Solidified magical magma still clung to the insides of shattered crystal conduits, but it could no longer provide power to the machinery.
"Have you heard? Potter lost his Invisibility Cloak!"
An elderly goblin holding a brass wrench was the first to speak. His voice was hoarse and rough, like metal parts scraping together.
As he looked around at the companions seated nearby, his knuckles unconsciously tapped against the scratched metal table beside him.
Half of a goblin-made hard candy lay unfinished on the tabletop, its wrapper reflecting the faint light of the glowstone lamps.
"Lost it? Where did you hear that nonsense?" another goblin immediately asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "That is one of the three Deathly Hallows. It can supposedly hide its wearer even from Death's gaze. How could such a treasure simply disappear?"
The old goblin calmly reached into his clothing and pulled out a curled piece of parchment covered in ink.
"My distant nephew sent this from the area around Hogwarts. He was repairing damaged magical machinery for some wizards when he overheard several of them discussing it.
"They also said Harry Potter has issued a reward throughout the wizarding world. Whoever finds the Invisibility Cloak will receive five hundred thousand Galleons!"
The surrounding discussion immediately fell silent.
One goblin put down the gear in his hand and gently ran his fingertips over a groove carved into the corner of the table. It was a scar left behind during the goblins' rebellion against wizardkind.
Faced with the old goblin's absolute confidence, he began to waver.
"But we only just stole the other two Deathly Hallows, and now the Invisibility Cloak has suddenly gone missing. Don't you think this could be a trap?"
"Nonsense!" The old goblin slammed his palm against the table, sending the hard candy rolling onto the floor. "This is definitely not a trap. I would stake my life on it. And even if it is, what difference does that make? This is our only chance to obtain the Invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter.
"If we allow this opportunity to pass, we may never have another chance to seize it.
"How else are the scattered remnants of our people supposed to restore the glory of goblinkind?
"Ranrok, the former leader of the goblin rebellion, obtained the power of ancient magic, yet he was still defeated by a fifth-year witch. Harry Potter is far more powerful than that young witch. We are no match for him.
"What matters now is that we seize the Invisibility Cloak while it remains separated from Harry Potter and obtain the power of Death.
"Only then will we have a chance to defeat wizardkind and restore the glory of the goblins!"
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