A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Once again, it was the same river, the three brothers, and Death cloaked in his ever-present hood.

"You have evaded me through cleverness. Choose your reward," Death said.

The eldest brother, a brilliant alchemist, requested a book that contained all the world's knowledge of alchemy.

With such a book, he could create powerful weapons to protect himself, forge a Philosopher's Stone, turn base metals into gold, and attain both wealth and immortality!

Death walked to the riverside and stripped a layer of bark from an elder tree. From this bark, he crafted a tome and presented it to the eldest brother.

The second brother, a Parselmouth, was fascinated by snakes, especially the most powerful ones.

He told Death he desired the strongest snake in existence.

Death dug into a muddy hole on the riverbank and pulled out a giant serpent, handing it to the second brother.

"This serpent is the most powerful in the world," Death declared.

Finally, Death turned to the youngest brother, who was the most honest and pragmatic. 

Hungry and thirsty, he knew his journey ahead would be long. He requested something that would keep him fed and hydrated.

Reluctantly, Death handed over his own cup, a rough, wooden goblet which was crudely carved.

After giving his gifts, Death stepped aside, allowing the brothers to continue their journey.

As they walked, they marveled at their strange encounter and admired Death's gifts.

Later, the brothers parted ways, each heading toward his own destination.

…

The eldest brother traveled for more than a week before reaching home. Eagerly, he opened the alchemy book and began following its instructions to create a Philosopher's Stone.

After a few days of effort, he succeeded.

However, while the book described how to craft the stone, it contained no instructions for brewing the Elixir of Life.

The eldest brother, being an alchemist and not a potion master, tried countless methods but failed to produce the elixir. Frustrated, he swallowed the stone in a fit of rage.

The stone granted him immortality and the ability to turn objects into gold with a mere touch.

But he quickly realized this gift was a curse. He couldn't control the power—everything he touched turned to gold.

His wife and children became statues of gold. Starving, he tried to eat, but every morsel turned to gold. Thirsty, he sought water, only for it to transform into gold as well.

In the end, he died of thirst, and Death claimed his life.

…

Meanwhile, the second brother arrived at a small village, where he quarreled with a fellow wizard.

Hot-tempered, he brandished his wand and commanded the giant serpent in Parseltongue to kill the wizard.

But, for the first time, the obedient serpent defied him. It lunged at the wand, attempting to swallow it instead.

Unbeknownst to the second brother, his wand was made of snakewood with a Basilisk horn core, properties which attracted the serpent.

Without his wand, the second brother was defenseless and was killed by the wizard.

Thus, Death claimed the second brother's life.

…

Far away, the youngest brother had gathered a large group of followers.

As he journeyed, he discovered villages stricken by famine.

Using the wooden goblet Death had given him, the youngest brother conjured an endless supply of blood-red wine and abundant food, which he distributed freely to the starving.

He led these people out of their hardships, helping them rebuild and cultivate their lands.

They became his devoted followers, and together, they saved many more lives.

Among them, however, was one man who refused to return to a life of toil and yearned for endless comfort. He betrayed the youngest brother, killing him and stealing the goblet.

But Death could not claim the youngest brother's life.

Because he had consumed Death's food, the youngest brother resurrected three days after his death.

Though he no longer had the goblet, he continued to use his own abilities to aid his followers.

Many years later, when the youngest brother had grown old and his followers had spread across the world, he welcomed Death as an old friend.

Together, as equals, they left the mortal realm.

…

Nicolas Flamel finished his tale.

"Isn't it fascinating? The same Death, the same river, the same three brothers...yet completely different gifts."

"It is," William said, frowning deeply.

If this were true, William couldn't help but imagine that there might be a "Death Wholesale System" somewhere, dedicated to supplying wizards with legendary magical items.

'Could it be that this Death System was originally mine, but due to a temporal anomaly during my journey here, the binding of the system failed?'

William furrowed his brow, looking as though he'd just lost a fortune.

Seeing William deep in thought, Nicolas smiled. "William, have you heard of the term 'Deathly Hallows'?"

William snapped out of his thoughts and slowly shook his head. He hadn't.

"These are the Deathly Hallows." Nicolas spread a piece of parchment on the table.

He drew a vertical line. "The Elder Wand from the Tale of the Three Brothers."

He added a circle on top of the line. "The Resurrection Stone."

Finally, he enclosed the line and circle within a triangle. "The Cloak of Invisibility."

"Together, they form the Deathly Hallows."

"But isn't that Grindelwald's symbol?" William asked, shocked.

In any book about the first Dark Lord, this symbol was as iconic as Voldemort's Dark Mark.

"No," Nicolas shook his head, propping his chin on his hand with a smile. "This symbol predates Grindelwald by centuries. It wasn't his creation. Do you know what that means?"

"What?"

"I knew Grindelwald. He was far more terrifying than Voldemort. A wizard of his stature wouldn't choose this symbol simply because it looked appealing. He wasn't that shallow.

"This means that even our fearsome first Dark Lord sought the Deathly Hallows.

"If I put it that way...do you still think these items are mere myths?"

William frowned.

"All right, enough about Grindelwald. Let's look at Mercury's story—the Bone of Death." Nicolas drew another vertical line on the parchment.

"The Wreath of Infinite Wisdom." He added a circle on top.

"And the strangely shaped cauldron." He enclosed the line and circle within a triangle.

"Together, they form the Deathly Hallows."

"In my story—the giant serpent." He drew another line.

"Death's Goblet." He added a circle.

"The Alchemy Book." He completed the triangle.

"Once again, the Deathly Hallows."

"In each tale, there are three items. Combined, they form the Deathly Hallows.

"And possessing all three makes you the Master of Death."

William could only stare blankly at the three identical symbols before him.

Walking around the desk, Nicolas resumed pacing.

"William, I know you're skeptical. But don't doubt it too much—I hold something that fits perfectly with these stories."

"You've probably guessed it. Yes—the Alchemy Book from the eldest brother in my tale."

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