The Saviour | A Harry Potter story

chapter 48

We approach the Lovegood house and Hermione knocks on the door.

"'Keep off the dirigible plums'" Ron reads and sighs, chuckling lightly.

A moment later, Xenophilius opens the door.

"What is this? Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, not seeing Harry.

"Hello, Mr Lovegood. I'm Harry Potter. We- we met a few months ago" Harry said, walking up to the door "Can we come in?" Harry asked.

He let us inside and put out chairs for all of us to sit, making a pot of tea and giving us a cup each.

"Where's Luna?" Hermione asked.

"Luna. She'll be along" Xenophilius said. There was a small pause before all of us took a sip of our drinks at the same time "So, how can I help you, Mr Potter?"

"Well, actually... it was about something you were wearing around you neck at the wedding. A symbol" Harry said.

"You mean this?" he asks, holding up the necklace.

"Yes. That exactly" Harry said, touching the necklace "What we wondered is... what is it?" Harry asked.

"What is it?" Xenophilius asked. Harry nodded his head "Oh, well it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course" Xenophilius replied.

"The what?" Hermione asked.

"The what?" Harry asked right after.

"The Deathly Hallows. I assume you're all familiar with the Tale of the 3 Brothers"

"Yes" all of us said together, except Harry.

"No" Harry said. He looked around the room at all of us.

"I have it in here" Hermione said, getting her book out "'There were once 3 brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight.'"

"Midnight. Mum always said midnight" Ron said and looked at all of us, then Hermione. She was giving him a look "But twilight's fine. Better, actually" Ron said.

"Do you want to read it?" Hermione asked.

"No" Ron said and Hermione continued.

"'There were once 3 brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river, too treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts, the 3 brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. Before they could cross, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death, and he felt cheated. Cheated because travellers would normally drown in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the 3 brothers on their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him. The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in exsistance. So Death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby. The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the 3rd brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility. The first brother traveled to a distant village where, with the Elder Wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarreled. Drunk with the power that the Elder Wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility. But that night, another wizard stole the wand and slit the brothers throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother for his own. The second brother journeyed to his home where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he'd once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet, soon she turned sad and cold for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her. And so Death took the second brother. As for the third brother, Death search for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals.'"