"My parents and the headmaster of some British school tried to force me back to England." Hadrian stated succinctly as he settled down and began pouring the fragrant red currant tea into the cups. He stated this so simply it was as if he was speaking about the weather.

Death stared at him for several moments before bursting out laughing in loud guffaws that actually shook the shrine. He laughed heartily for several minutes as Harry finished pouring the tea and piling two plates high with the snacks he had prepared. One with sandwiches and one with cakes for death to enjoy. He finished laughing just as Hadrian slid the full plates in front of him along with his tea.

"Only you little butterfly could make that sound like a fate worse than myself." He chortled while beginning to sip at his tea while eyeing the plates of goodies happily.

"But I know that wouldn't be why you'd call me for tea. What is it that you need from me little one?" He questioned all traces of his previous mirth gone as he removed his sunglasses for the first time and pierced Hadrian with fiery red eyes.

"No that isn't why I asked you to visit." Hadrian admitted while looking into the cup cradled in is hands. "I fought with the old headmaster and it appears I've won something of his quite on accident. A wand that radiates your magic." He said as he finally looked up to meet the eyes of a man that most were terrified of yet to Harry he had always been caring and kind. Funny as well, like a favorite uncle almost.

Death stilled at the mention of a wand for there was only one wand that he had ever created. One wand along with a stone of resurrection and his own cloak of invisibility that he gifted to three brothers a thousand years ago. If Hadrian had actually procured one they could finally be returned to him and no longer be a thorn in his side.

"Let me see the wand please little dove." with a seriousness in his voice that was rarely present though he did use Harry's favorite endearment so he wouldn't be too alarmed by it. He was pleased to see it worked as the concern in his eyes lessened and he smiled brightly at the use of it.

"Of course. If it is yours then you may of course have it back. I have no use for it after all." Hadrian chirped happily. He never liked it when death became serious in any way for he knew that he used humor and sarcastic teasing to bear the burden of seeing so much sadness and pain on a daily basis. He held out his right palm and then hovered his right over it before pulling his hands apart and watching the wand materialize between them. It took only a moment or two for the wand to appear before Harry grasped it gently and passed it over to death.

He took the wand from Harry gently despite the fact that he wanted to snatch the cursed thing from his hands and throw it into the hottest hell fire he could conjure even though he knew that it wouldn't have any effect at all as it was made by him. He hadn't even needed to touch it to know it was the wand that Antioch, the bloodthirsty bastard, had asked for. He couldn't for the life of him remember why he though pretending to congratulate them for passing over that river and presenting them gifts would be a good idea.

"It is indeed something of mine dear one. Something I created many centuries ago for one of three brothers whom hadn't died when I expected them to." He admitted freely to the young god even though he rarely ever liked to speak of it as it was something of an embarrassment to him now.

"Why would you create a wand for a wizard?" Hadrian asked curiously as he bit into a sandwich at Tomoes urging. He wished Tomoe wasn't so silent before Death as Harry loved the older deity but he understood how Tomoe would be very formal around him as it was Death who created and had formerly commanded all youkai. Tomoe would never dream of disrespecting him in any way, even by talking in his presence he thought with a smile as he stared expectantly at Death.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the three brothers dear?" Death questioned. "It is a very popular fairy tale now in Britain. You may have heard it when you were still a babe." He received a simple shake of Harry's head indicating that, no, he hadn't heard of the tale. So Death wove him the tale of the three brothers and how the 'Hollows' as they had come to be called were created...

"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.

It was death. And he felt cheated. Cheated because travelers would normally drown 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 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 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 truly to 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, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life." (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 21)

Harry stared at Death with a look of shock on his face. For the decade he had known the older god he had never appeared so cruel as the story made him out to be. These thoughts in mind Harry asked him plainly. "Why would you do that?"

"There are many things I've done that I am not proud of dear one. Those times were called the dark ages for a good reason. I'm not saying that what I did was right but I was more affected by those times than any other deity. There was so much pain. Not just the pain of death but also disease, famine, war and anything else that can hurt someone in any way was running rampant across the globe itself. During that time my sanity was chipped away little by little as more and more power hungry people pledged sacrifice after sacrifice to me. I pray the world never slips back into that kind of depravity. I do not think I would be able to bear it a second time." He said all of this with his voice hollow and his eyes haunted and full of shadows and horrors that no one, God or mortal should have to see.

Hadrian stared at him for several minutes with tears in his eyes. He knew that Death had seen more and suffered more than any other god just because of what he ruled over but he had never imagined that anything would be able to affect him this way. He had always seemed so strong and nothing had ever let on that anything in his past had been so terrible that it had stolen his sanity. Harry was up and around the table in moments allowing his body to grow so as to match the other gods size. He wrapped him in a hug the tears he was trying to hold in falling down his cheeks and onto Deaths shoulder.

"Do not cry for me dear one." Death said gently as he pushed Hadrian back to be able to see his face. "That time in my life has long since passed and I have no doubt that the world will not descend into chaos like it did before. So please don't cry as you've done me a great service by returning the elder wand to me. It has been an irritant to me since it's creation. Now there are only the stone and cloak left and those are much less troublesome than the wand." He explained hoping to stop Hadrian from crying for his sake. To his relief it did as the tears slowed before finally stopping.

The tears had indeed stopped but Deaths words had also struck a chord within Harry. He had all of his memories from his time as a baby with his parents. It was both a blessing and a curse that he could perfectly recall every moment of his life ever since he became the god of Mikage shrine and Deaths words had reminded him of something that he had seen several times as a baby. A beautiful silvery cloak that shimmered with runes that had been lost to the world for thousands of years and had radiated power that looking back on his memories he could now see.

"Death.." Harry began slowly almost as if not believing his own memories. "... did the cloak happen to be made of silvery cloth that moved almost like water and covered in the runes of the olde magyk?" He questioned. Death looked surprised for a moment before his eyes sharpened and he nodded his head firmly causing a smile to blossom on his face.

"I know where the cloak is then. It's in my father's possession and from my understanding has been passed down through the family for a very long time." He stated happily as he shrank back to his normal size. " Would you be amenable to me fetching it for you? I don't want to be forced back to England for an indefinite amount of time but I'd be delighted to visit and Mizuki is there right now as well."

Death smiled fiercely at Harry before responding in kind. "I think I'd like to go as well. I don't trust anyone who has wielded the elder wand and I don't take kindly to anyone trying to rough house you either little one. I think it's past time for me to visit England again anyway."