The Lost Tales of Beedle the Bard
Adah & Zillah
There once was a pair of twins named Adah and Zillah Hawthorn. They were so alike in looks and actions that few could tell them apart. By the time they received their acceptance letters from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry they had grown into beautiful young witches with dazzling blue eyes, willowy bodies and long, straight, gingery hair.
As was the case with many sets of twins, the sorting hat put into different Hogwarts houses. Adah went into Ravenclaw while Zillah went into Slytherin. This was notice of the fact that while their physical looks and mannerisms were nearly indistinguishable to the eye the inner workings of their minds had differences.
Being in different houses did not bother them. They spent most of their free time together. They both studied hard and won praise and points for their houses from their professors. They had many mutual friends among their peers.
One particular friend was a Hufflepuff boy named Arcturus Furze. He was a handsome boy in their same year. He was tall with golden hair, blue eyes and an athletic body that found its way onto the house quidditch team as a chaser.
As they grew closer over the years, many of their classmates assumed Arcturus would eventually marry one of them. Many of them had bets on which of them he would pick.
When the end of their seventh year and graduation approached, their discussions became more and more serious. They talked about their futures and what they wanted to do as they moved into the adult world.
Adah talked about loving to write and sing. She thought she would pursue it and also try to become a professor at a school, hopefully, Hogwarts. Zillah had a more political mind. She said she would like to work for the Wizard's Council. Arcturus enjoyed cooking and creating new recipes. His hope was to open a restaurant or inn where he could make the finest of foods.
Zillah was the first to broach the subject of marriage and family. She asked Arcturus is he wanted a build a family. He said he did. She then asked if he was considering her or her sister as possible wives.
Arcturus pondered the question for several moments before answering. He told Zillah he had thought about that possibility a few times but did not know how he could decide. He loved both of them as dear friends. He feared that no matter how he chose it would hurt their friendship. He said he could not do anything that would damage it.
The conversation passed and a few days went by. While they were eating lunch the girls said they had an offer for consideration. They proposed that Arcturus marry both of them. They could live together as friends, husband and wives in the best of all worlds.
Arcturus thought about it and told them he must give it more serious scrutiny, which he did. When he finally returned to the subject a couple days later he brought them a proposal. He said he would like to marry both of them, but they would have to first develop a plan of shared responsibilities and duties to prevent issues after they were married. If they could do that, then the marriage could go forward.
The girls talked and talked but could not develop a plan acceptable to both of them. Each plan favored the creator too much according to the other. When Arcturus asked if they had sorted things out after two days they confessed their failure at finding a solution to the task.
Arcturus said he would offer them a way to decide. He said one of you will develop the plan for their marriage. It would detail the duties into two sets of choices. Then, the other would decide on which of the two choices they wanted to fill. They only needed to decide on who would write the plan and who would make the choice.
The girls agreed to the plan. They decided Adah would write the plan because of her writing skills. Zillah would select from them.
Zillah had used her political mind to take on the role of selector. She felt confident that no matter how well Adah thought it out, one role would prove ultimately superior. It was going to be like dividing the last slice of pie. No matter how evenly it was cut, she could surely find a more succulent piece of fruit or perfect stretch of crust exposed in one of them. When Adah presented the plan a day later, Zillah did not get the choice she expected.
Adah had developed a fine plan. One of them would shop for food and help Arcturus cook. The other would tend to the house cleaning and laundry. One of them would tend the garden and gather firewood. One of them would attend to sewing and mending. The other would share the master's bed with Arcturus. Then, after seven days, they would reverse the roles for the next seven. The only thing for Zillah to choose was which set of duties she wanted to assume for the first week.
Zillah realized the plan was ultimately fair and none better would ever be found agreeable by both of them. She agreed to it and selected the set of duties that included the sharing of the bed with Arcturus. Arcturus also agreed to their plan and the marriage was planned for in the summer after graduation.
Polygamy, albeit rare, was legal. Since they were all from pureblood families of reasonable means, it was agreed to by both families. Many of their friends thought it was a cursed idea, but it did not matter. The three of were married and they settled into a fine house in the countryside.
Things went along well over the rest of the summer and into the fall. Arcturus started cooking at a local inn. Adah and Zillah cared for the house and garden. Zillah used family contacts to start finding her way into the Council. Adah wrote songs and performed on occasion at the inn.
One evening in the late fall Adah made an announcement at the dinner table. She told Arcturus and Zillah that she was pregnant. This was exciting news. It would be the beginning of their family.
Secretly, Zillah was concerned and jealous. She worried that Adah's child would lower her status. She felt Arcturus would care too much for his first born and elevate the mother of the child to a higher position than her. She would suddenly become the second wife, no longer an equal.
A few nights later she snuck out of the bedroom with Arcturus and into the bedroom where Adah was sleeping. She killed Adah like a thief in the night and returned to Arcturus' bed.
When she awoke in the morning Arcturus was already awake and out of the house. She went downstairs like nothing had happened. As she made breakfast, Arcturus returned home.
"Where have you been so early, darling?" she inquired.
"I had business to attend to. Where is Adah?" he asked. "Is she awake."
"I suspect she is still sleeping," said Zillah as she brought him a cup of tea. "I think her condition makes it so she requires more sleep."
As Arcturus put butter and honey onto some bread there came a knock at the door. He rose and answered it, having found two men there.
"Who are these visitors?" asked Zillah as Arcturus let them in.
"They are here for you," said Arcturus.
"For me," she said, looking at them. "What business can they have with me that brings them here so early?"
"I saw you go into Adah's room last night," said Arcturus, starting to cry. "I heard her muffled cries through the door. After you returned to bed and were asleep, I got up and found her still warm body bleeding from where you slit her throat. These men are from the Council. They are here to take you away for her murder."
Zillah tried to flee, but they stunned her before she could reach her wand. They took her away. After a trial by the Council, she was reunited in death with her sister.