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‘The Tale of Three Brothers’ was originally written by J.K.Rowling as a collection of short stories in the book ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’.

It begins with Death sitting in his study, playing a game of chess with an unknown player, and starts to recall an encounter with three brothers.

The brothers are travelling along a woodland path, where they come across a river to wide and deep to cross by foot. Using their magical abilities, the brothers create a bridge so they may cross. But Death blocks their path. He’s angry that he was cheated out of the three souls, and pretends to praise the brothers, offering them three gifts. The eldest, Theodore Bezoar, asks for a powerful wand so that he can be the best wizard dueler in the land, and face off against a wizard who had previously beaten him. The second, Charles Bezoar, asks for a stone to bring back the dead, so he could reunite with his dead love. Finally, the third brother, Archie Bezoar, who is much more wary of Death’s gifts and sudden kindness, asks for an invisibility cloak, so he can travel while staying hidden, but to ultimately, evade Death’s grasp for years to come.

The brothers separate, and continue their individual journeys. Theodore makes his way to a town, and into an apothecary shop, to face off against the wizard who wronged him with his new wand in tow. He’s easily able to best the wizard, and goes off to the nearest bar to celebrate. While drunk, Theodore loudly proclaims his new possession, a thief looms on the back of the bar, with clear disdain for Theodore. During the night, the thief slips into Theodore’s room, steals the wand, slits Theodore's throat and escapes undetected. Death comes to claim Theodore's soul.

The second brother is at his home, where he is reminiscing about his dead fiance, who came to an untimely end after drowning when a boat had sunken. Charlie holds the resurrection stone in his hand as he picks up a photo of the two of them. His fiance appears before him in a ghostly presence. He reaches out to her, but she is cold and distant. Charlie tries to get her to respond, by cooking for her and dancing with her to the song that was to be played at their wedding. Wracked with grief and madness from being unable to be with her, Charlie purchases a bottle of poison and takes his own life so that he may reunite with her in the afterlife. Death comes to claim Charlie's soul.

Death is unable to find the third brother for the longest time, he tells the unknown player. He tells the unknown player that it is only when Archie has reaches a great age that he reveals himself to Death. The unknown player sits forwards, showing an older Archie. Death crosses off Archie's name in his book. The two share one last drink, before Death comes to claim Archie's soul.