146. Three Brothers and The Deathly Hallows
**Ron's POV**
I wonder where Luna is.
"Well, Mr. Lovegood, it's about something you were wearing round your neck at the wedding. A symbol" Harry said.
Mr. Lovegood reached down his shirt and got out the symbol Harry was talking about.
Mark Hermione showed us.
"You mean this?" Mr. Lovegood held it up.
"Yes" Harry observed it and touched the symbol. "That exactly."
"What we've wondered is, what is it?" I asked. "What does it mean?"
"Well, it
s the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course" Mr. Lovegood smiled slightly.
"The what?" Fred, George, Harry, Hermione, and I all asked
"The Deathly Hallows" Mr. Lovegood said. "I assume you're all familiar with 'The Tales of the Three Brothers.'
"Yes" Fred, George, Hermione, and I said together as Harry shook his head. "No.
"I have it here" Hermione said getting out the book Hermione got from Dumbledore
"Read it please" Harry said with a smile
Hermione smiled with amusement and read
"There were once three brothers, who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight-" Hermione read
"Midnight. Mum always said 'Midnight'" I mentioned with a small smile
"Ron" George hit my arm lightly
"Sorry. Just making a point. Continue Hermione" I said
"There were once three brothers who were traveling 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 Death spoke to them.
He was angry that he had been cheated out of the three new victims, for travelers 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 having been 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 duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that 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.
And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.
Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so talking with wonder of the adventure they had had and admiring Death's gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.
The first brother traveled on for a week 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 loudly of the powerful wand 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 that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his 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 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, killed himself so as to truly join her.
And so Death took the second brother from 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, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life."
As soon she was done reading, Fred, George, and I were almost asleep
"Guys" Harry said to us
"Huh?" I sat up startled
"What?" Fred asked shaking his head fast to wake up
"So there you are. Those are the Deathly Hallows" Mr. Lovegood nodded
"I'm sorry, sir. I still don't quite understand" Harry said
Mr. Lovegood turned his head away from the window mumbling and walking trying to find something I believe
"Where's that pen I had?" He asked himself looking through a pile
We got up and circled around him
Mr. Lovegood flipped a paper and drew a straight line
"The Elder Wand" Mr. Lovegood said. "The most powerful wand ever made.
He then drew a circle at the bottom of the line
"The Resurrection Stone" He continued
And finally, he drew a triangle around the two other shapes with the top of the triangle at the top of the line, and the other points at the circle
"The Cloak of Invisibility" He ended
"Together they make the Deathly Hallows" He said. "Together, they make one Master of Death."
"That mark was on a grave in Godric's Hollow 'Mione and I found" Fred said
"Um- Mr. Lovegood does the Peverell Family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?" Hermione asked
"Um- Uh" Mr. Lovegood said hesitantly walking around. "Ignotus- Excuse me. -And his brothers, Cadmus and Antioch, are thought to be the original owners of the Hollows and therefore, the inspiration for the story. Um-
He looked into the teapot and said "But your tea's gone cold. I'll be right back.
He then went downstairs
"Let's get out of here," George suggested. "I'm not drinking any more of that stuff, hot or cold.
We then got our bags and went downstairs
"Thank you, Mr. Lovegood" I said
"You've forgotten the water" Fred told him
"Water?" Mr. Lovegood looked at us
"For the tea" Fred said
"Did I?" Mr. Lovegood then started to laugh
"This bloke's freaking me out" George whispered
"How silly of me" Mr. Lovegood laughed
"It's no matter. We really should get going" Harry said
"NO YOU CAN'T!" Mr. Lovegood yelled
He then headed to the door and blocked it breathing heavily
"Mr. Lovegood, is something wrong?" I asked
He then turned to us and said "You're my only hope.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked
"They were angry, you see, about what I've been writing. So, they took her" Mr. Lovegood said
He doesn't mean-
"Mr. Lovegood" I said
"They took my Luna..." Mr. Lovegood said slowly
I stood there frozen
"Ron" Hermione touched my shoulder
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
"My Luna" Mr. Lovegood said walking up to Harry
He then removed Harry's hair from his forehead to see his scar
"But it's really you they want" Mr. Lovegood said.
"Who took her, Mr. Lovegood?" I asked not to look at anyone. "Who took Luna."
"Ron, I'm just as upset as you are," Mr. Lovegood said.
"Who took her?" I asked again.
"Please tell us, sir. We can get her back" Hermione said.
Mr. Lovegood paused, but then said "Voldemort."
NO!
I then fell.
"Ron" Fred and George helped me up.
"Please tell me he didn't-" I said.
"He did," Fred said.
Then, a sudden black fog appeared. Two of them. Just like the Burrow last year...
We then hit the floor.
"Stop! I've got him!" Mr. Lovegood rushed outside.
We then got to the center and joined hands and Apparated.
