The Elder Wand, or more appropriately, as we shall see, the Wand of Destiny, first appears when Antioch Peverell and his brothers tricked Death. Each asked for a special gift.
Antioch asked for the most powerful wand in existence. Cadmus asked for something to resurrect the dead and was given the Resurrection Stone, and Ignotus, who asked for something that would hide him from Death, received the Invisibility Cloak.
Both the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak were passed down through family lines over the years. The Elder Wand, however, because of its very nature, was subject to change hands frequently. Many assumed it rendered the master of it invincible.
It was also believed that one had to kill the current owner in order to gain the wand’s allegiance. Both assumptions were incorrect. Let’s explore this more.
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Who Had the Elder Wand Before Gregorovitch?
There were several large blocks of time when the location of the Elder Wand was not known. What we do know is that at least eight wizards possessed the wand before it came into the possession of Mykew Gregorovitch. Those known to definitely possess the Elder Wand were:
- Antioch Peverell
- Emeric the Evil
- Egbert the Egregious
- Godelot
- Hereward
- Barnabas Deverill
- Loxias
- Either Arcus or Livius. Neither of these ever made it known publicly, so we are unsure which one killed Loxias to obtain the wand.
The next person known to have possession of the Elder Wand was Gregorovitch.
How Did Gregorovitch Get the Elder Wand?
There is no history indicating how Gregorovitch came to possess the Elder Wand. We can assume it was something that happened accidentally for several reasons. The Elder Wand was attracted to power. As a wandmaker, Gregorovitch gave no indication of either being powerful or seeking power. In fact, he was considered to be somewhat foolish.
We know he did not deliberately seek out the wand because it was only after it was in his possession that he realized what he had. At that point, his goal was to try and duplicate the wand in hopes of expanding his wand-making business.
His bragging about having the wand is what became his downfall. Hearing someone break into his shop one night, he ran to see what was going on. Being unarmed, we are again reminded that he was by nature foolish. It is then that he was stunned by Grindelwald, who then took possession of the Elder Wand.
Was Gregorovitch the True Owner of the Elder Wand?
Here is where we get into a gray area. We must take into account both the overall nature of wands and the particular nature of the Elder Wand. It is made clear from the start that wizards do not choose the wand but “The wand chooses the wizard.”
This can be illustrated by the fact that while this was supposed to be the most powerful wand in existence, the previous owners had all been defeated. The Elder Wand then appeared to change its allegiance to the next wizard. But, did the allegiance actually change, or was it a means to an end?
Remember, the other two hallows were passed down through bloodlines, so it only makes sense that the third of the Hallows should also have done the same.
The Elder Wand had at its core Threstral hair. We aren’t given much detail about threstrals, but we do know that they possess an uncanny ability to find their destination.
It is highly possible that the Elder Wand itself found the path that would return it to the intended owner. As it gets closer to its end destination, we see it becoming easier and easier for it to change hands. Dumbledore, Draco, and Harry all managed to gain possession without killing.
In fact, with Draco and Harry, neither knew they had gained possession at first. The Elder Wand seemed to exert its own influence as to where it needed to be.
Conclusion
With the previous things in mind, it is definite that Gregorovitch was intended to have possession of the Elder Wand on its journey, but the only true owner was Harry Potter, who was able to break the wand.
It is in this way we see the allegiance of the Elder Wand was actually to Harry.