Cadmus Peverell

"Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death."

- The Tale of the Three Brothers.

Cadmus Peverell (fl. 1214) was the brother of Antioch and Ignotus Peverell. He was the initial owner, and perhaps creator, of the Resurrection Stone.

Early life
Sometime early in his life, Cadmus fell in love with a woman, and the two were engaged to be married. However, she died before this union could take place. Despite his fiancée dying, Cadmus was able to father an heir; whether it was with this woman - and she died in or after childbirth - or with another woman, is unknown.

Meeting with Death
According to The Tale of the Three Brothers, Cadmus was walking along a lonely, winding road one night with his two brothers. The trio reached a river too wide to cross under normal means, and conjured a bridge to cross it. At this, Death appeared before them, angry that they had so easily crossed a river that many usually die crossing. However, he pretended to be impressed, and offered each brother a gift. Cadmus, seeking to further humiliate Death, requested a stone that would have the power to bring the dead back to life, which Death provided for him.

An alternative and more logical version of this story proposed by Albus Dumbledore is that Cadmus was merely a very skilled wizard who had created the Resurrection Stone himself.

Using the Stone and death
However the Stone was created, Cadmus returned to his home with it and used it to revive his dead lover. However, he soon found she had not been truly revived; she appeared sad and cold, and he felt as if a veil still separated them. Driven mad with longing, Cadmus committed suicide so as to truly be reunited with his lost love.

Post-mortem
Cadmus apparently fostered an heir before his death, as the Gaunt family were direct descendants of Cadmus.

The Resurrection Stone would go on to be set into a ring, which would be passed down through the Gaunt family, and eventually be turned into a Horcrux by Tom Riddle, a distant descendant of Cadmus.

Personality and traits
According to Beedle the Bard, Cadmus was arrogant, as when offered a gift by Death, he chose an object that he believed would further humiliate Death. He was also incredibly devoted to his fiancée even after she died, as he tried to use the Resurrection Stone to bring her back to life, and eventually killed himself to be with her.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Transfiguration: Cadmus, along with his two brothers, was capable of creating a long and stable bridge out of thin air. This is Conjuration and is a very difficult branch of magic.
 * Owner of the Resurrection Stone: Cadmus was the first owner of the Resurrection Stone which would later become one of the famous Deathly Hallows. Cadmus used the stone effectively but was over dependant of it, letting its powers bring about his own death.
 * Magical manufacturer (possibly): It is uncertain if Cadmus actually obtained the Resurrection Stone from Death, although Albus Dumbledore believed it was more likely that Cadmus and his brothers created the three Hallows themselves. This theory is supported by how in The Tale of the Three Brothers, Cadmus knew to turn the stone thrice in hand for it to work despite Death never telling him how to use it.

Behind the scenes

 * The Gaunt family claimed to be descended from both the Peverell family and the Slytherin family; it is probable that the two bloodlines intermarried in a later generation.
 * The House of Gaunt are direct descendants of Cadmus Peverell, so it is certain that Cadmus had at least one child in his lifetime. It is not specified if the woman he intended to marry was the mother, or if Cadmus had fathered children from a previous or later relationship. However, as Albus Dumbledore believed that, in reality, the Deathly Hallows had not been gifts from Death but rather inventions of the Peverells themselves, it is also possible that the circumstances of Cadmus&apos; death were embellished somewhat with the passing down of the legend.
 * The name Cadmus might have been taken from the legendary ancient Greek, founder of the city of Thebes.
 * The chapter art from The Tales of Beedle the Bard shows that Cadmus committed suicide by drinking poison, whereas the scene from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 film shows that he hung himself. In the video game, he kills himself via a Killing Curse.
 * In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Cadmus is grabbed by Death along with his brothers taking place in his home but what happened to the Resurrection Stone before Tom Riddle is unknown.
 * In the famous tale, Cadmus had intended to marry a girl, but before the wedding, she died. This also occurred in the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, who was bitten on the foot by a poisonous snake. In the myth, Orpheus also attempts to bring back his bride from the dead, but sadly fails.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)