AN: I still do not own Harry Potter, nor anything else recognizable.

Tales Requiring Thought

Cedric was sitting at the chair at the desk in his room when Harry knocked at his door. He turned around in his chair to face the sound.

"Hey, can I come in?" asked the boy whose face was seen through the crack in the door.

"Sure."

Harry stepped fully into the room and closed the door gently behind himself.

"I have a question if you don't mind."

"I don't. Go ahead and ask."

"Thanks. There was a reference in a couple of books to stories that I hadn't heard before and tales learned from them. Can you tell me them and what the morals of the stories are?"

"Umm. Good question. We should probably do these one at a time, because some of these messages require thought. Do you have an idea which one you want to start with?"

"The first one I ran across was the tale of the three brothers."

"That's a heavy hitter for a first one. Well, sit down, and make yourself comfy. I've got to do the same," said Cedric, getting up and sitting on his bed, and gestured that Harry could sit beside him.

"Okay. Thanks."

Harry went and sat down, leaning forwards on the mattress.

"Comfy?"

"Yep."

"The Tale of Three Brothers is a cautionary tale of the issues with dealing with magic that deals with death. I'll start with the tale, and then bring the morals into it as we run across them.

"There once were three brothers. Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell were going along a road and they came to a chasm with a mighty roaring river at the bottom. The three brothers took thought, and using their magic, made a way across it. (Moral one, life has issues, and magic can be used to smooth them over.)

"Death was mad, because he had set that up in order to kill the three brothers and claim their souls for his own. He decided that the three brothers should be rewarded for escaping him once again, but Death was crafty, and tried to trap each of the three brothers with his gifts. Antioch desired a wand, so Death grace him a wand that would beat other wands. However, Antioch wished to humiliate Death and so Antioch boasted of his wand, and was killed in a duel. His wand went to the victor. (The moral about this is that Death's magic should not be used to conquer or boast, for then it is a curse to you.)

"Cadmus had recently lost his wife, and wished for a way to see her again. Death made a stone that could call the spirits of the dead and gave it to Cadmus. Cadmus used the stone regularly to call his wife back, yet she started to pine for the afterlife, because she didn't belong to the living world anymore. It broke Cadmus' heart to see his life like that, and so one night, he stabbed himself, and so he died. (The moral about this is that Death's magic should not be used to call things that do not belong to this world, for it is an illusion, and will be a curse to you.)

"Ignotus was wise to the deity's desire to kill him, and so he asked for a way to hide from everyone, even Death himself. Death grumbled about it, but gave him a cloak that he used to hide from his enemies, including Death. However, when Death came for Ignotus as an old man, Ignotus gave up the cloak to his son, and left with Death as with an old friend. (The moral about this is that Death's magic can be used to protect, and is the only way to use Death's magic without his curse.)

"That is the tale of the three brothers," finished Cedric as he shifted.

"That is rather heavy," stated Harry. After shifting around, he turned to Cedric and asked, "Could that be why Voldemort looks so wrong? He's using Death's magic for wrong reasons and it's becoming a curse to him?"

Cedric hummed.

"As much as I dislike to think about it, you are probably correct about that."

"What about the Flamels? What do you think about the Philosopher's stone?"

"I think that it probably did something like the cloak and hid the Flamels from Death by aging and providing the money to avoid going bankrupt from all the moving I am sure that they used to do to hide the fact that they didn't age."

"So, it might be a curse in it's own way?"

"Huh? Maybe all three brothers were cursed with bad luck and were used to countering Death's chase with their magic. At least I've thought so."

"Then all three brothers were cursed, just the third brother was cursed and knew Death would keep coming for him, but was able to push off the curse's end with the properties of the gift he requested."


Lucius Malfoy sat in his chair looking blankly at the fire as it snapped and crackled in front of him. He turned slightly as he heard a disturbance in the doorway to his office.

"Hello, my wife," he greeted as Narcissa sat down beside him, reaching out for her with his hand. He felt her fold her hand with his, and looked at her with a relaxed smile.

"Hello, my husband. What has you so deep in thought?"

"Just remembering something. Yet, upon remembering it, I wonder if I'm on to something."

"Oh?"

"I can't exactly put it to words at the moment."

"My husband, speechless?"

"My dear, you tease me each time it happens..."

"Yet this is the one place where I'll see you admit to being speechless. I know. I'm just glad I get to do it. You'll let me know when you know though?"

"Yes, dear. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to sit with you."

"I'm glad you are here as well."

They sat in silence, enjoying the other's closeness.