Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - POTENTIAL SPOILERS

[Mistwell]

I dunno, the only one that had "mastery" was the Wand, the Ring certainly wasn't mastered in any meaningful way, and anyone could use the cloak.

The ring was mastered. He was the first to be able to use it. Dumbledore told him he had mastered it, in the dream. As for the cloak, he was the master of it as well, and Dumbledore told him it was his until he handed it down to his next ancestor, as it had been handed down to him.

I wasn't speculating, Dumbledore even says Harry was able to master them, where Dumbledore had not been able to.

 

[Vocenoctum]

The ring was mastered. He was the first to be able to use it. Dumbledore told him he had mastered it, in the dream. As for the cloak, he was the master of it as well, and Dumbledore told him it was his until he handed it down to his next ancestor, as it had been handed down to him.

I wasn't speculating, Dumbledore even says Harry was able to master them, where Dumbledore had not been able to.

Assuming you buy the whole thing, then you buy it. If you don't, then you don't. The Wand had an obvious effect for the master, the other items didn't. Not sure how the ring "passes" ownership, it was never taken or given consistently and most of the folks that had it didn't even know what it was or did. The fact that the ring probably wasn't a Hallow until the idea was created for Book7 also handily explains why no one ever used it.

In addition, "mastering" the three had no additional benefit or importance to the story. Heck, the ring's effect seemed added just to justify that it did something. The invisibility cloak worked the same regardless of it being mastered or not.

 

[billd91]

In addition, "mastering" the three had no additional benefit or importance to the story. Heck, the ring's effect seemed added just to justify that it did something. The invisibility cloak worked the same regardless of it being mastered or not.

Perhaps no major importance to the story, but importance to Harry's intellectual development, yes. Harry's use of the ring, in essence to summon the shades of his dear departed as comforting and strengthening company rather than for blatantly selfish or dangerous reasons, indicated his intellectual maturity (as well as his 'mastery' of the item's true and safe utility) and his mastery over himself. It's a step in his journey to conquering Voldemort by conquering his fear and instinct to avoid death.

 

[Mistwell]

Assuming you buy the whole thing, then you buy it. If you don't, then you don't. The Wand had an obvious effect for the master, the other items didn't. Not sure how the ring "passes" ownership, it was never taken or given consistently and most of the folks that had it didn't even know what it was or did. The fact that the ring probably wasn't a Hallow until the idea was created for Book7 also handily explains why no one ever used it.

In addition, "mastering" the three had no additional benefit or importance to the story. Heck, the ring's effect seemed added just to justify that it did something. The invisibility cloak worked the same regardless of it being mastered or not.

The ring summoned the ghosts that were able to hold off the dementors without the need for Harry to call a Patronus, which would have given away his position too early. The ghosts also gave Harry the will to carry on with the task of knowingly walking into death. It seemed pretty critical to me.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Perhaps no major importance to the story, but importance to Harry's intellectual development, yes. Harry's use of the ring, in essence to summon the shades of his dear departed as comforting and strengthening company rather than for blatantly selfish or dangerous reasons, indicated his intellectual maturity (as well as his 'mastery' of the item's true and safe utility) and his mastery over himself. It's a step in his journey to conquering Voldemort by conquering his fear and instinct to avoid death.

True, as literary elements they served a purpose, but their addition at the end of the story and sudden added importance detracted a bit from it, IMO. It would have better served the story to have used older elements than to add new stuff, or rather reveal new properties to previously mentioned stuff.

 

[Vocenoctum]

The ring summoned the ghosts that were able to hold off the dementors without the need for Harry to call a Patronus, which would have given away his position too early. The ghosts also gave Harry the will to carry on with the task of knowingly walking into death. It seemed pretty critical to me.

Was he afraid of revealing his position? Sure they gave him a morale boost, even if all they were doing was sending him to his death, but then he'd already accepted what had to be done, and adding an item to augment his own will in the process isn't exactly reinforcing the journey that Harry took, relying on props to win doesn't really add much.

Again though, there was no mastering the cloak, and the ring's "mastering" wasn't much of anything. No one else apparently even tried to use it. Only the Wand was given a real, direct method of determining mastery, the rest were never really called out.

 

[Ilium]

Was he afraid of revealing his position? Sure they gave him a morale boost, even if all they were doing was sending him to his death, but then he'd already accepted what had to be done, and adding an item to augment his own will in the process isn't exactly reinforcing the journey that Harry took, relying on props to win doesn't really add much.

Again though, there was no mastering the cloak, and the ring's "mastering" wasn't much of anything. No one else apparently even tried to use it. Only the Wand was given a real, direct method of determining mastery, the rest were never really called out.

The thing about the stone is that previous users had tried to bring back their dead loved ones. To defeat death. Harry was able to understand that that wasn't possible. He just wanted a reminder of their presence to help him make the journey himself. That's what made him the stone's master.

As far as the cloak, I think it's just a matter of him getting it legitimately (as the heir to the line that had been handing it down).

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Again though, there was no mastering the cloak, and the ring's "mastering" wasn't much of anything. No one else apparently even tried to use it. Only the Wand was given a real, direct method of determining mastery, the rest were never really called out.

Well, the only person we really see using the cloak in the books is it's rightful owner, Harry. He loans it out a few times to his friends, but I think it was kinda like Hermoine letting Harry borrow her wand after his was broken; the cloak probably worked for the borrowers, but not as well as it would work for Harry.

The stone is a bit tricker, but it could very well be that it's true nature was unknown when it was placed in the ring. Grandpa Gaunt thought it was a coat of arms, so it's likely that in the centuries between when the stone was created and modern times, its magical properties were lost or forgotten to all but a select few. Maybe it was just the fact of using it that made one master of the stone. Or how it was used. From the story Hermoine read and Dumbledore's words, most people wanted to use the stone to selfishly bring people back from the dead. Harry used it to asking for some moral support at the time when he needed it most. As he viewed, it wasn't so much fetching the dead as the dead fetching him. Maybe intent made all the difference?

Could very well be that we're a bunch of adults over-rationalizing a book aimed at a teenage audience, looking for patterns and reasons that simply don't exist.

 

[Ilium]

Could very well be that we're a bunch of adults over-rationalizing a book aimed at a teenage audience, looking for patterns and reasons that simply don't exist.

Hmm. I think we have it!

One other point, though: Harry did drop the stone. He left it behind, realizing it had no value for him. Maybe that's what made him its master in the end.

Very zen.

 

[Vocenoctum]

the cloak probably worked for the borrowers, but not as well as it would work for Harry.

I'm reasonably sure others used it without his permission also, but it's not a big deal. The cloaks "unique" power seemed to simply be that it didn't wear out/ degrade.

Maybe it was just the fact of using it that made one master of the stone. Or how it was used.

I think "mastering" was just a bad choice of words, since I'm not sure of the intended purpose. For example, it's possible that he mastered death in some fashion that let him not die, but I'm pretty sure the not-dying was a function of him being Vold's Horcrux-lite, so that's out...

I can see them as literary items to show his growth as a character, but then needing to rely on the stone to do what needed doing seems to diminish it somewhat...

Could very well be that we're a bunch of adults over-rationalizing a book aimed at a teenage audience, looking for patterns and reasons that simply don't exist.

That's a given.
Like I said before, Book7 worked fine as a cap to the series, but as a stand alone book I think it was sub-par. Still good enough, but missing something.