The Tale of Three Brothers

One cold night, Harry approached Hermione who was reading on the couch.

"'Mione, I think we might need to transfer to another site again. We've been here for almost three weeks now," he voiced his concern.

Hermione folded the page she was reading and closed it to look at her best friend of more than six years.

"Yeah... I've been thinking about that, too, actually," she agreed.

Harry nodded and sat beside her.

"Brilliant. That settles it, then. When do you want to leave?" he asked.

"I guess we could stay for one more day. I just need to grab a couple of things from the village and then we'll be on our way. I was thinking we could go to the Forest of Dean," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

Hermione nodded and opened the book again to the page she marked.

"What are you reading?" Harry asked.

Hermione showed her the page which had an odd symbol of a triangle with a circle in the middle and a line running down in the middle.

"Wait, that symbol looks familiar," he said.

"I don't think I've seen it before," Hermione replied, confused.

"I have. It was on a chain, wrapped around Mr. Lovegood's neck when I first saw him at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Do you reckon it means something?"

"Well, I was just beginning to read the story behind it so let's read it together."

Harry nodded, leaning closer to her to read the page.

...

The Tale of Three Brothers

Three brothers, known as Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell, traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight reached a deep treacherous river where anyone who attempted to swim or wade would drown. Learned in the magical arts, the brothers conjured a bridge with their wands and proceed to cross.

Halfway though the bridge, a hooded figure stood before them. The figure was the enraged spirit of , cheated of his due. Death cunningly pretended to congratulate them and proceeds to award them with gifts of their own choosing.

The eldest brother, Antioch, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. Death granted his wish by fashioning the Elder Wand from a branch of a nearby elder tree standing on the banks of the river. The second brother, Cadmus, an arrogant man, chose to further humiliate death, and asked for the power to recall the deceased from the grave. Death granted his wish by crafting the Resurrection Stone from a stone picked from the riverbank. The third and youngest brother, Ignotus, who was the most humble and wise, did not trust Death and asked for something to enable him to go forth without Death being able to follow. A reluctant Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Invisibility Cloak.

The three brothers took their prizes and soon went on their separate ways.

The eldest brother traveled to a village where a wizard whom he had quarreled lived. He sought out a duel and fought the wizard using the wand, instantly killing the latter.

Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the eldest brother walked to an inn not far from the dueling site and spent the night there. Taken by his conscience and lust of the Elder Wand's power, the eldest brother boasted of this wand gifted by Death and his own invincibility.

That very night, Death transfigured to a murderous wizard. The unknown murderous wizard crept to the inn as the eldest brother slept, drunk from wine. The wizard slit the oldest brother's throat for good measure and stole the wand. That was when Death took the first brother.

The second brother returned to his home where he lived alone. Turning the stone thrice in his hand the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him, much to his delight. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, committed suicide by hanging from his house' balcony so as truly to join her. That was when Death took the second brother for his own.

Death searched for the youngest brother as years passed but never succeeded. It was only when the third brother reached a great age, he took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. Greeting Death as an old friend, they departed this life as equals.

...

"Well... that was interesting," Harry said.

"Yes, it might have been but I don't think this story is real."

Rereading the second paragraph again, Harry came to a revelation.

"Youngest brother... Invisibility Cloak..." he murmured before his eyes widened.

Hermione stared at him, alarmed.

"What? What is it, Harry?" she demanded.

"Hermione, is it possible that I am a descendant of Ignotus Peverell?" Harry gaped.

Hermione gasped.

"B-But it's only a story! I didn't think it could be related to anything!" she protested.

Harry shook his head.

"Don't you see, Hermione? I have an Invisibility Cloak, he has an Invisibility Cloak, there is only one known Invisibility Cloak and it's from a children's story book. It could be real! I mean... it was passed down to my family for generations as an heirloom. What if I am a descendant of Ignotus Peverell?" Harry rationalized.

Hermione thought for a moment before sighing.

"I suppose... what about the other two, though?" she asked.

"I-I don't know... I believe a visit to Mr. Lovegood's is in order."

[DISCLAIMER: The story belongs to JK Rowling]