Hmm. Truebridge had a point, obviously. Manipulation wasn't good if you sucked at it. And Evangeline did. She was rubbish at it, in her opinion. Bleh. Raising her hand once more, she pushed all thoughts regarding manipulation off her mind. "That'd be the Tale of the Three Brothers, Sir."

Hand in the air, Juniper beamed. "The Tale of the Three Brothers," she said happily. It was one of her favorites.

Iliana purred and stretched her long kitty neck up to him, closing her eyes. Maybe this was why she couldn't seem to stay away. What class full of students??? She was in her own little world.

"Alright, sir," mused the girl simply with a nod, as she stood up and headed to the board. It was very clear, in Willow's mind, that the reason why Truebridge had asked her to share her notes with the rest of the class was because he thought that she was an exceptionally clever student. And she could not agreed more with him.

No wonder why her siblings often told the girl that her ego was two times her size.

Once she reached the board, Willow began to write the lessons that they could all learn from the story:

Quote:

Willow's notes


-Witches are really clever
-Lying is not advisable, because really, there's no point. The truth always comes out in the end to haunt you.
-Don't be too greedy, and don't try to be someone you are not; Had the king being content with himself, he would have saved himself a lot of trouble
-Do NOT try to mess with people you don't know; the charlatan, thinking that he could manipulate everyone, thought that Babbity would do anything he wanted. Sadly for him, though, this was not the case at all. He completely underestimated her.

"And, that's it, sir." Said the girl, once she was done. "Oh, and the story we have yet to cover is the Tale of The Three Brothers."

Whit excitedly raised her hand. "That would be 'The Tale of the Three Brothers', professor." That had been her favorite story just because she'd heard it so many times and loved what it was about.

Tobi had missed answering the last question because he had been quite busy beating his head against his desk, which he had long since returned to. But he was now paying attention again, if only with a slight headache. As the Professor proposed another question, he focused again.

Note to self: Dear Self, listening is GOOD! And the desks are HARD! Oh! I know this one! His hand shot back into the air.

“Sir, last remaining story The Tale of the Three Brothers,” he said only slightly dazedly.

Kayla rose from her chair and made her way up to the front and began to write on the board.

Kayla made her way back to her seat after she had finished writing and raised her hand, "The Tale of the Three Brothers."

"Thats the one. The one. The big one. Very important story. Maaaaaany Lessons."

Alright, so cats were actually kind of cool. Specially this one, Allie's cat... or Lupa's cat or... Zan's cat? No. Not his cat, but still.

"Thank you, Willow." Truebridge nodded.

"Biiiiiingo."

"Thank you for your notes.... everyone needs to copy Willow and Kayla's notes down." He scratched behind the kitty's ears and spoke to the class, "Alright. If you would all share an overview of the story if you know it."

Juniper raised her hand. "Basically what happens is these three brothers cross a bridge without dying, and Death offers them each a reward for passing a bridge which most people die when they cross. One brother gets Death's Resurrection Stone so he can bring his girlfriend back to life. Another gets an unbeatable wand so he will never lose a duel, and the smartest brother gets an Invisibility cloak to hide from Death. The brother with the wand brags about its invincibility and gets the wand stolen, and he dies. The brother with the stone brings his girlfriend back, but she's supposed to be dead, so she's unnatural and he kills himself. And the brother with the Cloak hid from Death until he was old, then he gave it to his son and welcomed death," Juniper stated. Hopefully that was neither too concise nor too detailed of an overview.

Maddox raised his hand and replied, "It is the tale of three brothers travling together and get to a river that they cannot pass so they make a bridge. Upon crossing that bridge the meet Death who is angry for losing three potential victims. Sp he pretends to be extremely impressed with them and grants them all one wish. The oldest brother wishes for an unbeatable duelling wand, also known as the elder wand that defeated Lord Voldemort. The middle brother wished for the ability to resurrect the dead, so death gave him the resurrection stone. Finally the youngest brother just wanted to be undectable by Death, so Death gives his cloak of invisibility to the youngest brother. The oldest brother died because he was bragging about his undefetable wand and was murdered in his sleep and the wand was taken. The middle brother brought back the woman that he loved, only to find that she wasnt fully alive, and killed himself. youngest brother, Death never manages to find him, as he stays hidden under his cloak. Many years later, the brother removes his cloak and gives it to his son."

What the heck is an overview? Blah! Just go with the flow, Jakers... Ohhhhmmmmm...

Raising his hand after copying down moooooore notes, Jake tilted his head at the professor. "The Tale of Three Brothers..." Right... let's do this thing without turning it into a freaking speech. Yeah! "Basically about three brothers walking along and trying to cross a bridge, all innocent, like, and Death shows up... pretty dang creepy if you ask me..."

Siiiiiigh... this is not what I wanted to happen...

"And he... no wait... they conjure a bridge and cheated death, and he offered them stuff, and they asked for different things. The Elder Wand, The Resurrection stone and The Cloak of Invisibility... erm... I think that's it... oh yeah! They died... but the one with the cloak died later... yup," Jake gave a firm nod of his head and finished off. Had he made a fool of himself?

Raiden bounced in his seat and raised his arm in the air, flailing it around excitedly. "Sir, this story was about three brothers who managed to cheat death... they came to a river, and the water was all 'whoooooosh' and scary, and they magicked a bridge so they could cross it. And Death met them halfway across the bridge, and he wasn't happy, because they'd cheated him, so he decided to be sneaky and give them gifts that would eventually lead them right back to him. The first brother asked for a wand that could never lose, so Death made him an unbeatable wand. The second brother wanted to humiliate Death, so he asked for the ability to bring back the dead, and Death gave him a stone that could recall those who had died. The third brother though, he was smart. He wanted to be able to walk away from that place without Death being able to follow him, so Death gave him his own Invisibility Cloak..." he paused, took a deep breath, and plunged on. "The first brother got himself killed because he bragged about his all-powerful wand, and then got a little drunkie and someone killed him for it. The second brother used his stone to call back a girl he'd been in love with, but she was so sad because she didn't belong here that eventually he went crazy and killed himself so he could be with her for reals... So Death had two of the three brothers, but he couldn't find the third one because he'd been smart and gotten the invisibility cloak. He lived a long life and when it was time for him to die, he took off the cloak and greeted Death like an old friend." He grinned. "The lesson in this story is a good one, because it shows that really, you can't avoid death... all you can do is live. It also shows that you shouldn't be a braggy britches, because that gets you in trouble, and even if we could recall people from death, they surely wouldn't be happy here because they wouldn't belong here. It tries to profess that it's better to be intelligent than to have all the power in the world, because if you have all that power but you know nothing, what will you do with it?"

After murmuring a quick 'you're welcome', the young Ravenclaw returned to hear seat, and copied Winter's notes about Babbity Rabbity.

Done with that, she raised her hand, "The story is about three brothers that are travelling together, in which they have to cross this river, and since they couldn't just cross a river, they had tu build a bridge. And then they met the personification of Death who is upset for losing some victims, I think." Shuddering for a second, the girl wen on, "Death pretends to be impressed by them and gives them each a wish as a gift. The eldest brother asks for a really powerful wand--one that cannot be defeated, while the one of the middle asks for the ability to bring people back to life. The youngest brother, on the other hand, didn't trust Death, so he asks for a way to make Death stop following him, so Death gives him his cloak of invisibility. After that, the brothers go in separate ways."

In Willow's opinion, this story was clearly, yet another reason WHY people should not be greedy. "The eldest brother wasn't smart enough to keep his mouth shut about the special wand he had, so someone came and stole his wand, and then killed him." What an idiot. "The one of the middle, on the other hand, uses his rock to resurrect the woman he loved. However, the woman wasn't really alive anymore -she was sort of in between, I guess?- so he kills himself so they can be really together.As for the little brother, Death never found him, for he stayed hidden under his cloak. Years later, the brother took off his cloak, and gave it to his son, because he was quite happy with the life he had, so embraced death happily, you can say."

Kayla raised her hand once again, "The Tale of the Three Brothers, is about three men who of course happened to be brothers and they were out travelling together and came upon a river that was too dangerous to cross. So they waved their wands and conjured a bridge and when they were halfway across the bridge a hooded figure approached them. Apparently death spoke to them of this we are unsure but it sounds good in the book and he congratulated them for being so clever as to evade death and decided to award them a prize. The first brother wanted a wand that could not be beaten, so that he would be most feared and most powerful and so death created a wand for him from an elder tree. The second brother who had lost the love of his life wanted the power to be able to raise the dead. So the death picked up a stone and gave it to the second brother giving him the power to call the dead back from the grave The third brother was a little smarter than the other two and he asked for something that would let him evade death until he was ready to go himself and so death gave him a cloak of invisibility. The brothers parted ways and the first brother sought out an old foe and challeneged him to a duel which of course he won and then he went and boasted about it to others and so later that night he was murdered and the wand stolen from him. so death took the first brother. The second brother used to the stone to bring back his beloved but she was not happy at being brought back and so the second brother driven mad with grief at not being able to be with his love totally, took his own life and death claimed the second brother. But the third brother lived a full and happy life because he was shielded from death by the cloak and only when he was ready to die did he take off the cloak." Phew!

Anna raised her hand. "This tale is of three brothers---Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverall. While out traveling the world together, they came upon a river that had been known to have taken many lives. The Peverell brothers used their magic to conjur a bridge which would allow them to cross the river. When they step foot on the bridge, though, a hooded figure---Death---blocks their path in the middle of the bridge. Death was outraged that he'd been cheated out of three new victims, but because he was cunning and clever, he congratulated them and provided them with a false sense of security. Death offered the three brothers a prize for their skill," she explained.

"Antioch, who desired to be more powerful than all others, asked for a wand that would always win a duel for its owner. Death snapped a twig from and Elder tree and created a wand, 15 inches in length, with the core of a Thestral hair. Antioch was promised that this Elder Wand would be the most powerful wand ever. Cadmus, who aimed to humiliate Death, asked for the power to bring back the dead. Death picked up a black stone from the riverbed, promising Cadmus that when turned over three times, the Resurrection Stone would bring back the dead. Ignotus, a young, wise, humble man, did not trust Death. He asked not for something to benefit himself, but for Death to release him without following him. Death knew he stood a chance of being outsmarted by Ignotus, but he didn't want to reveal his true intentions to the first two brothers. He took off the Invisibility Cloak he used to sneak up on others and gave it to Ignotus. Death then stepped aside and allowed all three brothers to pass," she continued.

"As soon as the brothers separated, they began to test the items they'd received from Death. Antioch found a wizard he'd been fighting with, challenged him to a duel, and ended up killing him. He bragged of this victory, eventually letting word of his wand reach the ears of someone who would betray him. A greedy wizard snuck into his room late that night, killed him, and stole the wand. In that manner, Death had taken Antioch. Meanwhile, Cadmus was at home and turning the Resurrection Stone over and over in his hand. He brought back the image of his former lover, however, she was cold and distant, almost as if she were being seen through a veil. She was also suffering, since she no longer belonged in the world of the living. She wished to return to the world of the dead. Cadmus grew so upset that he took his own life, and Death had claimed its second victim. As for Ignatus, he was able to live a long and happy live with the Invisibility Cloak. When he reached a certain age, he finally took it off and passed it on to his son. Death and Ignotus eventually departed the world as equals," she finished.

Tobi raised his hand, took a deep breath, and began to ramble in his usual way, "It begins with three brothers, wizards who set out traveling, and soon reach a river, which poses them no problem for all the magic they know. They build a bridge to cross it. Half way across, they meet Death, who is none too happy about the brothers’ clever solution to the problem of the river. The river up to this point had been bringing him quite a lot of business, if you will. But cunning as Death was, he merely congratulated them and said they had each earned a prize for their resourcefulness.

"The oldest asked for a wand that would always ensure he was the victor in any duel. So Death fashioned him one out of a branch from a nearby Elder Tree, and the oldest was pleased.

"The second brother wanted to take more from Death than merely saving his own skin, so he asked for the power to revive the dead. Death took a stone from the riverbed and gave it to the second brother, promising that it was henceforth imbued with the power to bring back the dead.

"The youngest bother didn’t trust Death, and he would have been perfectly content with merely postponing their first meeting, so he asked for a way to hide from Death. Death did not like this request because the youngest brother alone seemed to understand his intensions; all the same, he couldn’t refuse lest he betray them to the other brothers, so he took of his Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to him.

"The brothers soon parted ways and all met with their end though some sooner than others. The oldest met with his nearly immediately. After winning a few duels, he began bragging about the power of his wand. This drew attention and soon he was dead in his sleep because someone slit his throat to gain it from him.

"The second brother used his gift to bring back a dead former love, but she wasn’t meant for the world of the living any longer, and she didn’t seem to really be there anyway. Eventually the second brother killed himself to be with her properly.

The third brother lived for a very long time, had a simple but long life. One day, when he was very old, he took off the Cloak to give to his son, and Death took him, quite willingly and without regret."

Okay, so it was long, but it was a good story. And he could have made it WAY longer, going into description of the characters personalities and why thay did what they did. But he was supposed to summarise. It had never been one of his strongest skills.

Chris raised his ahnd with a response "In the tale of the three brothers the three wizards come across a river in which many people are killed trying to cross. They make a bridge and cross it and meet Death on the way. He congradulated them and decided to give them each a prize.

The first brother asked for a wand that he could win at every duel.

The second brother asked for a power to revive the dead

The youngest and smartest of the brothers asks for an invisibility cloak.

So later on the brothers leave death and live their lives, The first brother becomes arrogant about his wand and tells everyone about it and he is killed and the wand stolen. The second brother brought back his love but she was unhappy so he killed himself And the third brother lived along time hiding from death until he went with him willingly."

"Thank you Juniper." Truebridge nodded encouragingly at the Ravenclaw girl.

"Good. Maddox, thank you."

"You got it." Truebridge winked.

"Knowledge is power and all that jazz. Thank you Raiden."

"Thank you Willow and Kayla, good answers." Ethan nodded.

"Anna! To the board, take some chalk! Summarise!" Ethan tossed a piece of chalk at her, so she could write up the notes in bullet form for the class.


"Good, Tobi." On the ball again after a short lapse.

"Thats the tale alright."

Ethan stood up, taking the cat with him as he moved to perch on his desk.

"So, theres more than just a few lessons hidden in this story, its actually brimming with symbolism. I'd like each of you give me one lesson we can learn from the story and one example of symbolism in the story."

Copernicus raised his hand. "One lesson I take from this story is that death is inevitable. You can try all sorts of tricks and traps, but in the end, death is going to be the victor. I think that was rather neatly symbolized by Death being portrayed as wily and clever. The brothers thought they were outsmarting him, but Death merely handed them the means to their own demise."

Juniper's hand flew into the air. "Well, the story teaches us that bragging is bad. The brother with the wand bragged about it far too much, and he was killed," she said bluntly. She paused for a moment, trying to remember what exactly symbolism was and what an example from The Tale of the Three Brothers might be. "Oh, and an example of symbolism might be. . . the Invisibility Cloak. It hid Ignotus from everybody, but Ignotus could still see out from underneath the Cloak. It symbolises Ignotus's wisdom, for he could see knowledge where others could not."

Abby raises her hand. "I think the invisibility cloak sympolizes the long life all of us hope we will live. The third brother hid from death until he had reached the age that he was no longer afraid to die. He knew it was his time to pass on. I think one of the lessons I learned from the story is to not fear death or try to avoid it. It is better that we embrass him, and accept that sooner or later we are all going to die."

Raiden sunk back down into his seat, brow furrowed as he thought a bit. More lessons in this story... Well, there were the obvious ones, the ones already put forth by the class...he thought for a moment before raising his hand.

"I wonder if the stone that was given to the second brother would possibly stand for... a gravestone? Because he had to turn it over, and a tombstone is a symbol that people often associate with death... so by turning it over, he was overturning death..." He tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully. Overturning death... why had he had to turn it three times though? He couldn't figure everything out! "The lesson is... that you really can't bring people back from the dead, as much as you might want to. The story's meant to show you that not even Death can bring back the ones you've lost... no matter how much you wish for it."

Plymouth raised his hand. "This one is wicked easy too, Professor." He cleared his throat, "The Brothers themselves are symbol enough for me. Lesson learned: Brothers, step or ex or real, are a source of mistrust and probably you're better off without them. Or I was. Should have retold this story to my mum before she married a dude with a son. A son with a big head, at that."

And after class, it was on. Plymouth would NOT be told to NOT nuzzle his girlfriend by the delinquent who had taken her up a tree, let her fall out of said tree, and then kissed her, got her electrocuted, and embarrassed her in front of the entire House. Sooo on. And he was telling his mum what Perni had done. Yep.


He raised his hand again, "And you know what else, Professor? In this story, it ALSO says not to covet what you can't have. Don't covet immortality and don't be kissing on Cela. Man. Good story. GREAT story, in fact." Plymouth applauded it.

Once again,Whit raised her hand,happy to be able to answer. "Well....I'd have to say the same thing the other students have said. No matter how much you try,and while it's not wise at all to try and do this,beating death is impossible. As the story shows us,there are ways you can avoid death for quite a while but in the end,you'll have seen so much that living is just too much and you'll go when you feel you are ready." At this she paused and thought a bit more. That was pretty much the theme of the story,death is inevitable. Seeing as that was all she could think of for the time being,she put her hand down and listened to the other students.

"Of course, sir," Anna said, standing up and catching the chalk. As she headed to the board, she passed by the professor, and smiled sweetly. Thank Merlin he seemed to have forgiven her for her little stunt she pulled earlier in the year. Upon reaching the board, Anna began her summarization.

When she was done, Anna passed back by Professor Truebridge, grabbed his hand, dumped the chalk into it, smiled sweetly again, and then headed to her seat. When she was seated, she raised her hand and said, "The tale warns us of the risks we take each and every time we seek opportunities to benefit ourselves and not try and balance our lives accordingly. The first two brothers wished only for items that would help them succeed in the world, and they ended up meeting a horrible end. The last brother, the one who seemed to have his senses about him, simply chose to walk away from what he saw as a dangerous situation. In my opinion, he was the only one Death ended up rewarding. Ignotus was able to live his life to its fullest, and he deserved such due to his unselfish nature," she said. "I also think, once again, this story teaches us to not try and step in the way of how life should normally exist. As magical people, we can only conjur, transfigure, and cast spells upon so much, but when we twist fate and cheat death, we are changing a part of life that was never meant to be changed."