Author's Note:
It's been a long time! I've been working on both in-progress and one-shots, as part of a weeklong of uploading chapters to get me motivated to write. :3
This is a companion story to The Princess and the Pea. You'll see here that instead of criticizing his version, he has to combat the children's new tactic. It's not necessary to read the other story, but I allude to it frequently. Ron can't catch a break!
Other things I should mention:
*I also allude to James and the story 'he's' writing here, see if you can spot the easter egg of sorts!
*I also added lines from the Harry Potter movies, specifically Deathly Hallows Part One and Sorcerer's Stone. See if you can spot them as well!
*Rose makes an astute conclusion based on a footnote J.K. Rowling made in Tales of Beedle the Bard. It's an interesting and ambiguous thought. I've also included the full version of The Tale of Three Brothers.
*In here Ron mentions 'the story', meaning the story of the Battle of Hogwarts, from their parent's points of view. This is obviously my head canon: I believe they would not tell them until they were older, at least when they are old enough to attend Hogwarts. Then again, when they would tell James, he would just tell the younger children to appease their curiosity; they would all tell them as a big group. This series of stories would take place during winter/summer and they would tell the unabridged version before James took off for school later that year (as I imagine them being ten, eight, and six respectively).
That's it! I'd pay attention to Ron at the end, though. He does a bit of foreshadowing. c;
~Lucy
Author's Note (8/30/12):
Story Cover added and was edited in Photoshop.
~Lucy
The Tale of Three Brothers
"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at midnight—"
"Twilight," Rose interjected, leaning on Albus' shoulder atop her bed. "Mum always says twilight."
"Well, your grandmother always said midnight," Ron replied, narrowing his eyebrows. "I swear, you are exactly like her, your Mum."
"I say that about Lily all the time," James remarked, causing Lily to shoot him a dirty look.
"And besides, who's telling the story?" Ron continued, trying to prove his point.
"You are," they said in unison, heaving long sighs as they gave their attention back to their father/uncle.
"Precisely, thank you," he said. "There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at midnight," – here he paused to put emphasis on midnight –"In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were skilled 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—"
"The Elder Wand is real, isn't it?" James interrupted, straightening against the bed frame.
Ron looked confused. "Haven't you heard the story yet?" he asked.
Albus spoke up. "The abridged version. We're not allowed to hear the full version until we're older."
"Oh, right."
"All we know is that Voldemort was killed by his own rebounding curse because the Elder Wand would not kill its master, Uncle Harry," Rose recited, much like a history textbook.
"Correct, Rose," Ron replied. "It is very real. I saw it with my own eyes! Harry even let me hold it for a minute."
"Cool! If I disarm Harry, could I master the Elder Wand?" James asked, his features brightening considerably.
"Nice try, James, but he gave Dumbledore his wand back. I tried talking him out of it, but he was adamant. Shame."
"Oh well. 'Spose it's better that's it back in Dumbledore's tomb anyway."
Ron chuckled. "So we've digressed. Back to the story… 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—"
"What about that one?" Hugo asked, timidly. Hugo and Lily sat on the floor next to James, though it invited the siblings to annoy each other.
"They all exist, though you'd have to ask Harry about that one for a first-hand account."
"Well, that's lame," James imputed.
"Pardon me! This is supposed to be a "fairytale" story too, even a legend! You're not supposed to question it! Take it at face value instead!"
To his dismay, they all giggled and urged him to continue. "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—"
"Where's my dad's cloak?" Lily asked.
"Are you going to interrupt me after every single paragraph? For Merlin's bloody sake, it's an extremely short story!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'd like to know where it is too. I want to nick it for my own personal use," James added.
"It's invisible, you git," Albus pointed out.
"Nuh-uh, Al! How could you see it in the first place?"
"Don't be stupid, James," Rose said, ganging up on him. James was infamous for teasing Albus mercilessly, so Albus and Rose often teamed up to give him some of his own medicine.
"Hey!" Ron shouted to catch their short attention spans. "I don't know where it is either! Calm down, children."
"What's wrong with questions?" Lily asked.
"Your endless amounts of them take away from the story."
"We are just curious, Dad," Rose pointed out. "Just continue."
"Glad I have your permission," Ron said sarcastically. "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."
Ron was again quite pleased with his classic retelling of the famous tale, especially without any more interruptions. However, when he formally ended it with a 'the end', the children looked about to burst with various questions. Maybe all the questions were actually a form of flattery.
"Let me ask first, did you like this story?" he asked.
All nods. "Of course, it was a classic. Better than last night's story," Rose began to say. "This story had morals and wonderful life lessons."
"Yeah, I love morals," James said sarcastically.
"For example?"
"Nobody can live forever!" Lily cried out.
"Messing with the dead is a bad idea," Albus chipped in.
"Violence and power go hand in hand," offered Rose. "And the Elder Wand is either sexist or women aren't as easily seduced by power."
Ron gawked at her momentarily. She really is like her mother. "Very good, all very true," Ron replied, not sure if he could disprove Rose's conclusions. "But it's thought that combining all three would grant immortality."
"Immortality?" James said, fascinated.
"It means you'll never die," Rose said.
"I know what it means!" James snapped.
"So my dad could have been immortal twice!" Albus exclaimed. Rose and Albus said in unison the same thought: Nicolas Flamel.
"But he was kind of, I mean, he survived the Killing Curse twice," James remarked.
"True!"
Ron coughed. "Plus the Invisibility Cloak is wicked, you know," he said.
"Tell us!" Hugo cried out. A chorus of 'Yeah' followed.
"It was really quite useful for all of us when we needed to sneak out to restricted areas after curfew. Good times. I even took the cloak a few times without asking."
"That's why Harry should pass it down to me as part of my inheritance," James exclaimed.
"One-third, James," Albus pointed out.
"You're going to have to fight me for it, Al," James retorted.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Settle down," Ron interjected. "And is there any particular reason for all the questions?"
They broke out into laughter. "Your reactions, Dad," Rose answered. "You are hilarious!"
"Hermione!" Ron shouted.
Hermione appeared momentarily and entered the room to sit on Ron's lap. "What was tonight's story?" she asked, her curiosity piqued when Rose answered. "A classic tale! I bet your uncle told you everything about the Hallows!"
They all nodded. "There were even morals," Lily remarked happily.
"An improvement from last night, I see," Hermione mused. "No complaints?"
"No, just questions," Ron said, groaning.
"And he says midnight, not twilight," Rose added.
"Plus he won't tell us where the Invisibility Cloak is," James said.
"See what I have to deal with?" Ron said, exasperated.
"Oh really?" Hermione replied, trying to suppress a smile. "Be gentle, children."
"It's all in good fun," Albus said.
"That may be so, but so isn't bed time! Off you go," Hermione said. They moaned and whined until James and Albus led the way by chasing each other out of Rose's room.
"You can stay with us," Lily told Hugo. "They can be completely obnoxious."
Hermione was peering around the door frame at James and Albus when Ron got up from his seat. "Don't stay up too late," he said softly, adding a wink for good measure. Rose and Lily giggled.
"What are you telling them now?" Hermione mused, eying her husband as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Nothing," he said at once, kissing her on the lips.
"Ewwww!" James exclaimed from the hallway. "They're kissing!"
The girls giggled again. "That's what adults do," Hugo remarked.
"They do a lot more than that," James added.
"Alright, get going," Ron said, herding James and Albus toward Hugo's room.
Hermione shook her head. "Third time's the charm," she said, suppressing a grin.
Again? Just great. Ron would wow them tomorrow. He'd make sure of it.