*sneeze* Sorry, I have a cold...
Anyway, this is an attempt at an Easter fic, contains spoilers for book 7, yadda, yadda...
Disclaimer!: Spectre does not own Harry Potter, or The Tale of the Three Brothers! But I DO own a Harry Potter box collection! :D
Warning: Boring stuff...the italics (which is The Tale of the Three Brothers) are taken from harrypotter(dot)wikia(dot)com and I take absolutely NO credit for them...ahem.
Easter, oh how wonderful!
"The Easter Bunny, mummy, the Easter Bunny!" A little, black-haired, green-eyed boy squealed excitedly.
"Yes, sweetie. But you have to go to sleep now, otherwise the Easter Bunny won't come and bring you any chocolates!" A woman with long red hair replied, smiling as she tucked her son into his bed.
A horrified gasp reached her ears. "No chocolates?" The little boy cried. "But the Easter Bunny will always bring me chocolates, won't he?" He asked worriedly.
"How do you know the Easter Bunny isn't female?" His mother questioned.
The little boy thought hard for a moment, a scowl settling on his face. He gave up after a minute or two and picked up a book, holding it out to his mother. "Story, please!" He begged.
Her mother smiled and took the book from him. "Which one?"
"The Tale of the Three Brothers!" The boy said, grinning.
His mother grinned too and opened the small book to a page that was well-worn.
"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. 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 it was Death. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travellers 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 being clever enough to evade him.
"So, the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. A wand that must always win battles for its owner. A wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death. So, Death had crossed to an Elder Tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that had hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.
"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. So, Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.
"Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would enable 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.
"In due course, the brothers separated, each for his own destination. The first brother travelled for a week or more, and, reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard, with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted of the powerful wand which he had snatched from Death himself and of how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay wine-sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand, and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so, Death took the first brother for his own.
"Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here, he took out the stone which had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as though 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 by hopeless longing, killed himself, so as to truly join her. And so, Death took the second brother for his own.
"But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility, and gave it to his son. And then, he greeted Death as an old friend, went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life."
"How was that?"
"Again!" came the excited reply.
"No, it is time for bed."
"Please, mummy?"
"You heard your mother, you little rascal." The boy turned to see his father, smiling at him, standing in the doorway.
"Daddy!" He launched himself at his father, who had obviously just gotten home from work.
"Hello, son." He said, laughing. "But your mother is right, it's time for bed."
"Your mother is always right." The red-haired woman replied, smiling at her husband and her son, who was the splitting image of his father.
The little boy pouted as his father but obediently climbed into his bed. "You know the story your mother just told you?"
"Yes?"
"You want to know something fascinating?"
"Yes!"
"I have the Invisibility Cloak talked about in the story."
"Really?"
"Yep. And I know someone who has the Elder Wand. And I've even seen the Stone of Ressurection."
His son looked at him with wide, sleepy eyes. "Really?"
He grinned. "Really. Now bed." He kissed his son's forehead as the little boy yawned and tucked the covers over him. "You'll have plenty of sugar from the Easter Bunny in the morning." The little boy smiled sleepily and was soon asleep.
"How do you do it?" The woman asked her husband, bemused.
"I just know kids, that's all." He smiled at her. "Right now, though, I could really use some tea." She smiled at his pleading look and went to make him some tea.
"Just don't expect me to stop him from jumping on you in the morning when he's full of chocolate." She retorted. He laughed.
"He wouldn't do that! That's something James would do!"
"I was talking about James." She grinned over her shoulder at him.
"Oh."
"Albus is too soft-hearted to hurt you, even in a sugar rush. Lily will be too busy eating chocolate to try anything."
"You're right."
"As always."
"Remind me why we had kids again?"
"Because you wanted someone that looked like you."
"That's right." With that, Harry downed the tea and smiled at Ginny. "Coming to bed?"
"Maybe." She wrinkled her nose. "If you have a shower!"
"Hey!" He protested. "I don't stink that much!" She just laughed at him.
See, boring, right? Anyway, I had originally planned this to be Fruits Basket, but somehow it ended up being Harry Potter instead...O.o
Again: I do not own the Harry Potter series, claim no money from writing this and I sooo wish my cold would go away!...TT_TT
REVIEW PLEASE! Hidan-sama said he won't sacrifice people just because I ask him to...I'm now going with Gaara's method of Sand Coffin...