The Potter Twins and the Deathly Hallows {7}

22. The Three Brothers

"Keep your feet on the ground, when your head's in the clouds" - Brick By Boring Brick, Paramore 


I turn to look at Ron, Hermione, and Harry. None of them seem to have understand what Xenophilius said either.

"The Deathly Hallows?"

"That's right," says Xenophilius. "You haven't heard of them? I'm not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckle-headed young man at your brother's wedding," he nods at Ron, "who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing Dark about the Hallows -- at least, no in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the quest."

He stirs several lumps of sugar into his Gurdyroot infusion and takers a sip.

"I'm sorry," I say. "But I really don't understand."

To be polite, I take a sip from my cup too, and almost gag: it's quite disgusting, as though someone has liquidized bogey-favoured Every Flavour Beans.

"Well, you see, believers seek the Deathly Hallows," says Xenophilius, smacking his lips in apparent appreciation of the Gurdyroot infusion.

"But what are the Deathly Hallows?" asks Hermione.

Xenophilius sets aside his empty cup.

"I assume that you are all familiar with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'?"

Harry and I say, "No," but Ron and Hermione both say, "Yes." Xenophilius nods gravely.

"Well, well, Mr. and Miss Potter, the whole thing starts with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'...I have a copy somewhere..."

He glances vaguely around the room at the piles of parchment and books, but Hermione says, "I've got a copy, Mr. Lovegood, I've got it right here."

And she pulls out The Tales of Beedle the Bard from the small and beaded bag.

"The original?" inquires Xenophilius sharply, and when she nods, he says, "Well then, why don't you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand."

"Er...all right," says Hermione nervously. She opens the book, and I see that the symbol we are all investigating heads the top of the page as she gives a little cough, and begins to read.

"'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at Twilight --'"

"Midnight, our mum always told us," says Ron, who has stretched his arms out behind his head to listen. Hermione shoots him a look of annoyance.

"Sorry, I just think it's a bit spookier if it's midnight!" says Ron.

"Yeah, because we really need a bit more fear in our lives," says Harry before he can stop himself. I snort, but Xenophilius does not seem to be paying much attention; rather, he is starting out of the window at the sky. "Go on, Hermione."

"'In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them --"

"Sorry," I interject, "but Death spoke to them?"

"It's a fairytale, Haylee!"

"Right, sorry, go on."

"'And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.