The Princess, The Peasant and the Painting

In a realm beyond ours, where time seems to pass slower, lived a wizard princess with hair of gold that fell in ringlets to her shoulders. Her eyes were the blue of the sky after a summer’s storm and her lips were the crimson of the rose, kissed by the morning dew. The princess had everything she ever wanted, but cherished only one thing. The friendship she shared with a muggle peasant girl from the nearby village.

The princess and the peasant would be equals when they’d play. They would meet in the courtyard of the castle grounds, and with the princess’ nanny nearby, they’d play all sort of games… but neither of them lost, and neither of them won. They both had fun.

Seasons changed and both girls grew up. The peasant girl was sent to work away in a far away village, while the princess was made to learn languages, magic, and literature, but through it all they continued to correspond and be best friends.

Nearing her 17th birthday, the princess was asked what she wanted for her turning of age party. “The only thing I wish for, is for my friend to join me in celebrating.” As usual, the princess’ wish was granted and the peasant girl was brought back to the castle grounds.

When the princess found out the muggle peasant girl had arrived, she left her party to greet her. As she ran to her friend, her pace slowed and she saw a boy standing beside the peasant girl. He was handsome, tall and muscular but his featured were refined. He must have been 18 or 19 years of age. He was not a boy. He was a man.

“This,” the muggle girl said, “Is my betrothed. My future husband.” She said introducing the man to her friend.

The princess stood and watched. Her friend seemed to have only eyes for the man beside her. A feeling of loathing and resentment started to take over the Princess’ body, as the man took a bow before her.

“The party is inside… let us away.” The princess said without any emotion.

She watched the muggle girl and her betrothed sit together, eat together, hold hands and dance. She stood and angrily left her own party.

As she made her way down a corridor, she stopped and punched a wall.

“Your Majesssssty?” a voice hissed behind her.

The princess turned to see a painting. In it a green, blinded basilisk twirling around a vine. On the frame of the painting, a faucet was affixed. “Were you speaking with me?” she asked.

“Yesssss. What isss wrong, on thissss the anniversssary of your birth?” The esses danced on the basilisk’s tongue.

The princess told the painting, of the girl and the man…

“Why are you angry, your Majessssty?” The basilisk asked. “You are twice as pretty as her, twice as rich-”

“I’m jealous…" she said cutting the sepert off in mid sentence, "Of him and of her. She hasn’t paid a bit of attention to me, he only has eyes for her and she for him. They are in love, and I want that.” The princess said.

“Then I ssssuggessssst you retrieve a few dropssss of thissss.” He said pointing to the faucet. “A few dropssss in hisssss pumpkin juice and he will only have eyessss for you... for eternity.”

The princess quickly conjured a cup and opened the faucet, taking 3 drops of the potion from the frame. She returned to the party and filled the cup with pumpkin juice and then she sat and waited for the right moment.

But before that could happen though, the peasant girl came skipping to her friend. “What’s wrong?” she asked her.

“Leave him, and return to live here.” The princess ordered.

“Why?” The girl asked confused and upset.

“You have happiness and love with this man, and I do not.” The princess said. “Leave him, or I will take him from you.”

“You’ve had everything your heart desired at your will.” The peasant girl said indignantly. “I was never jealous of you… Why must you ruin our friendship?” She asked.

The princess turned to look into the girl's eyes “A princess could never be friends with a peasant.” She replied.

The peasant girl began to cry and ran to her betrothed. Once he calmed her, the man lifted the peasant girl’s hand to his lips and kissed it. The princess would wait no longer.

“You there!” The princess called.

“Yes your majesty?” the man answered, hoping she was going to make amends with his beloved.

“I have something for you.” She said as she extended her hand to him with the cup in it. “Drink.” She ordered

“Thank you your majesty.” He said pulling away from his beloved. He made his way to her, took the cup in his hands and drank from it.

Both the princess and the peasant girl screamed as the man began to change form. He grew till he was fifty feet long. His hair fell from his now green skin and his arms and legs melted into one. He grew long, thin, saber-like fangs and his eyes were bulbous and yellow. He morphed into the creature from the painting and when he stopped, he looked straight into the Princess' eyes and she in its. She fell lifeless to the floor.

She got what she wanted. He only had eyes for her. For Eternity.

The End


Translated by Droo

The Magical, Constantly Changing Animal

There once was a small village, not too far from where we are right now, where there lived a wonderful, magical animal, one that could become anything the person who owned it wanted, but only as long as that person were pure of heart.

In this village there lived a young wizard by the name of Thaddeus Buford. It wasn’t that Thaddeus was evil, but he wanted to find a way to achieve easy riches without having to really do anything. So naturally when he came upon this magical animal and realized its power, he decided he could change his whole life for the better by stealing it and making it his.

Thaddeus took the animal, which was at that point a beautiful golden fox, home and set it up inside a gilded cage. “You are going to do wonderful things for me,” he told it.

The next morning Thaddeus went to bring food for the animal and clean its cage, eagerly anticipating what sweet surprise it might have in store for him this time. He was shocked to see that the golden fox had somehow turned into a plump angry goose, loudly honking and continually pecking at him as he tried to clean the cage. Well, there must be a reason for this, perhaps the goose was going to lay golden eggs or something.

Thaddeus returned later in the day, eagerly anticipating the fortune he was about to receive. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he realized that the animal had now turned into what appeared to be a very ordinary skunk! “I bet this skunk emits a rare and unique perfume, one I can sell across the land and get lots of money for,” Thaddeus thought to himself. But as he reached his hand out to pet the skunk, he was sprayed with the usual foul odor that skunks are best known for. He shook his head in disgust and walked away, surely his great fortune would be there tomorrow.

Thaddeus couldn’t believe it when he returned to the cage the next day only to find a snake coiled up inside, a snake which began to hiss as if ready to strike as soon as he tried to approach it. Ah, but he had heard that snake venom could be used for medical purposes, he would just have to find someone to milk the snake so that he could sell the venom for a huge profit. There was no way he was touching the creature himself.

Later that day Thaddeus returned to the cage, checking to see if his animal was still in the form of a snake. This time he found not a snake but a large lion, roaring loudly and advancing towards him, not letting him get anywhere near the cage. “What’s wrong with you?”, Thaddeus cried, wringing his hands in frustration and completely unable to think of anything he could do with this animal.

Thaddeus went back into his cottage and sat the whole night thinking about what had gone wrong with the animal which was supposed to bring such great fame and fortune for its owner. At last he realized that the reason the animal was taking such disagreeable forms for him was because he had stolen the animal with the intention of making himself rich, not caring about anyone else.

Thaddeus knew that he could no longer keep this animal, he had to return it to its rightful owner.

Bright and early the next morning Thaddeus took the animal, which thankfully was now only an oinking pig, out of the cage and began the long journey back to the place where he had found it originally.

Once he had returned the animal safely, he looked down and saw that it had now changed into a shining, golden phoenix, too splendid almost to look at. Just as he turned to leave he looked back and saw that the majestic bird had shed one single, solid golden tear, which he suddenly realized was his reward for returning the animal to the place it belonged.

Having finally learned his lesson, Thaddeus took the tear and made his way back home. He kept the golden phoenix tear all the years of his life as a reminder never to resort to means of greed again, and passed it on to his children as a reminder never to allow the quest for material goods to consume their lives.

Translated by Slytherin Fox

The Tale of Lying Lolly and the Verse Curse

Once upon a time in a village much like this one, there lived a girl called Lolly. She was not a particularly big girl or a particularly gifted witch, but she was very good at one thing. Lolly was a storyteller. No, more than just an innocent entertainer, Lolly was a liar. She loved to spin a tale, to have everyone paying attention only to her, and to have the admiration of all the villagers. In fact, she told so many lies so often, Lolly stopped being able to tell the truth from her own lies.

One day, much to Lolly’s glee, there was a strange old witch hanging around the village green. It was the perfect opportunity for Lolly to impress somebody new with tales of her daring and cleverness. She marched into the green with her hands on her hips and posed dramatically in front of the old woman.

She opened her mouth, but the little old witch beat her to it. She smiled a gap-toothed grin. “Hello, dearie. Can you get this old lady a cold drink of water from the well?” Well! Lolly was certainly disappointed that her ability to tell a good story had been taken from her, and she jumped at the chance to make up a new one.

“Don’t you know where you are, Madame? This is the richest village in all the world. We absolutely never drink water here. No, no… we drink liquid gold out of golden goblets. Do you not feel lucky?” Her face was alight with pride at such a very good story.

“Lying Lolly, do you know the truth?” The woman cackled, and Lolly felt nervous. How did she know her name? Why did she ask about the truth? The woman continued. “A liar you are and a liar you’ll be, but your words are rhymed ‘til truth set you free.” She giggled madly and disappeared in a flash of smoke.

Lolly didn’t really understand what that crazy old witch had been talking about, but she was already trying to figure out how to make her disappearance into the best story of all time. It was a pretty good story without any lies, but Lolly was sure she could make it even better. “The truth is fine. The truth is fair. But the truth won’t get you anywhere,” Lolly muttered to herself. That was odd. Her words had made a little rhyme without her meaning it.

From that day forward, every word Lolly spoke came out as part of a verse. Limericks, couplets, and even a ballad or two, Lolly was now known for more than just her lies. She was known for her rhyming lies.

At first, Lolly loved her new fame. The villagers gathered around her and clapped after she announced, “I tell you the truth, I’ll tell you no lie. A flock full of owls flew out of the sky. They started to squeal, they started to squawk, and all of a sudden they started to talk! They told me a story of gold to be found, all we need do is dig up the ground.”

But soon enough, Lolly was tired of all the rhyming, and the villagers found it more tiresome than amusing. They went out of their way to avoid her whenever she was spotted coming down the path from her cottage. After all, no one wanted to hear a rhyme about taking out the garbage or watering the garden, and Lolly had to rhyme everything she said.

“I wish that I could come out and play, but I have to practice my spelling today,” Lolly frowned as her friends skipped off to the green, leaving her behind. They were leaving her behind all the time lately, and she thought that it probably had to do with all her rhyming.

Finally, she was ready to start thinking about what the old hag had meant. The truth would set her free? What kind of truth? She practiced telling the truth, standing in front of her looking glass and staring very hard at herself.

“You are a nice girl, and don’t need to lie…” She grinned and struck a pose, putting her chest out and her chin in the air. “Everyone loves you, no need to cry.” Her grin turned into a sulk. Even by herself, she was lying.

It seemed to be a hopeless case. Lolly couldn’t stop lying, and the more she rhymed, the more people avoided both her and her stories. What good was a story if no one would listen? And really, what good was a story if no one could tell whether it was a story or just a lie?

One day, several months after the visit of the old woman, Lolly returned to the village green and found another stranger there, this time a pale wizard with a long beard and a bald head. He had sad eyes, and at the sight of Lolly, he patted the bench he sat on. “Come sit with a miserable old man, child, and help cheer me up. Are you happy?”

“No,” Lolly admitted, sitting next to him. Her head drooped almost to her knees, but she perked back up. That wasn’t a lie, and it wasn’t a rhyme.

“What’s your name?” the man asked.

Lolly considered his question, running through a delightful list of made up names before admitting, “Lolly. Just Lolly, sir.” And just like that, she knew the curse was broken. All it had taken was a little bit of truth and a whole lot of being happy as just Lolly.

“Just Lolly?” the man’s eyes sparkled in a way that was oddly familiar. “Do you know any good stories, Just Lolly? Someone told me that the best storyteller in the kingdom lived in this village.”

“Well, yes, sir,” Lolly climbed on her knees and prepared to tell him a fantastic tale of dragons and princesses and maybe a hero named Lolly. “I know just the one.”

Translated by Cassirin

The Three Daughters

There once was a king named Tobias IV who had three daughters, Sophie, Tatiana, and Marie, but no sons. There were no problems at first. The laws said girls could inherit the crown as well as boys, but the Council of Elders decides the change the laws. The new Salic Law says only males can inherit royal titles in Europe. A crown can now only pass through a female line by that female producing a male heir first. She would then abdicate the crown in favor of her son.

For King Tobias’s family to maintain their claim to the crown, his daughters would have to marry and produce a male heir. His daughters are of age to marry, so Tobias decides to hire a marriage negotiator. Marriages within royal houses are important things. Royals marry for political reasons and for territorial gain. If the two people involved love each other as well, then so much the better. King Tobias needs son-in-laws who can produce male heirs. He hires Hermitage Woodsmith, and important marriage broker. She arranges a marriage contract between Sophie and Crown Prince Dimitry of Hesse. He is the eldest son of King Wilhelm of Hesse. As part of the marriage contract, King Tobias will have to pay a dowry of one thousand gold galleons. The dowry is high, but Dimitry is the eldest of six healthy sons. He should produce many healthy sons. King Tobias is a wealthy sovereign, but his treasury is not limitless. A thousand galleons will greatly deplete it, but if his daughter cannot produce a male heir, his family will loose everything. Sophie and Dimitry are married and move to an estate in Hesse. On the surface it is a fairy tale marriage, but they have no children.


King Tobias hides his disappointment as best as he can. He turns his attention to arranging marriages for his other two daughters. Princess Tatiana scoffs at the idea of an arranged marriage. She informs her father she will marry for love alone. King Tobias informs her she will die an old maid before he allows such a thing. Princess Marie, the prettiest of King Tobiass’s three daughters, welcomes marriage. Provided she has a say in whom she marries. Madame Woodsmith shows Marie all the available rich princes in Europe. Marie turns then all down. Madame Woodsmith introduces Marie to Prince Andre of Aragon. He is the most handsome prince in Europe and the poorest too. Marie takes one look at him and falls instantly in love.

King Ferdinand needs a rich princess to marry his heir, so he insists on a large dowry. He also insists that the first-born son must be heir to his kingdom. King Tobias agrees to this term. A marriage contract is drawn up and Marie and Andre are married. They set up house keeping in Aragon. Marie and Andre have a happy life. Marie has five daughters, but only one son. Once again Tobias does not have a male heir to inherit his crown.


In the meantime his second daughter, Tatiana, falls in love with one of her father’s knights. Sir Lancelot is young, handsome, and brave. He is also a man of honor. Lancelot insists on asking Tatiana’s father for her hand in marriage. King Tobias refuses to give his blessing. Princess Tatiana isn’t a cleaver as Princess Sophie or as beautiful as Princess Marie, but she is stubborn. When her father refuses to allow her to marry Lancelot, Tatiana refuses any attempt to marry her to anyone else. With his treasury almost depleted because of dowries for his other two daughters, King Tobias gives in and allows Tatiana to marry her knight in shining armor. Princess Tatiana could marry Sir Lancelot, but she would do so without receiving any dowry. They agree to the king’s terms and are married.

Tatiana and Lancelot are happy together. Through the years they have seven sons and three beautiful daughters. King Tobias finally has a male heir to secure his throne. As he grows older, the king comes to depend on Lancelot more and more. Under Lancelots’s guidance, Tobias’s kingdom grows in wealth and prosperity. As the king nears death, Tobias starts to ponder the decisions he has made. He calls his daughters and son-in-laws to his deathbed.

“My beloved daughters, I have made many mistakes in my lifetime, but I made my biggest ones where you’ll were concerned. I put my need for a male heir above your freedom and happiness. Sophie and Marie, I force you into arranged marriages. I put my needs before your happiness. I am to blame for your misfortune. God punished my selfishness by denying you strong sons. I hope you can forgive me,” Tobias says. “Only Tatiana defied me and married for love. Lancelot may not be of the blood royal, but he has been a good husband and son-in-law. Their love gave me the heir I needed and several more strong sons and daughter. His guidance has created a much bigger and wealthier kingdom than I ever had. It is because of Lancelot’s efforts that I am able to leave you, Sophie and Marie, a third of my kingdom to divide among yourselves. I leave my crown to Lancelot’s son, Daniel, but I leave the remainder of my kingdom to Tatiana and Lancelot. May their descendant rule over my kingdom for generations to come.” King Tobias dies.

After King Daniel comes of age, he abolishes the Salic Law in his kingdom. He also issues a new decree concerning the marriage of his offspring and siblings. From that point on arranged marriages are banned. Prince and princess now marry for love alone.

Translated by Mrs. Weasley

The Beauty and the Greed

In a time long past there lived a wizarding family who went by the name of Enoria. Their wealthy and powerful status saw them the rulers of Larkluster, a town inhabited by witches and wizards only. The Enoria couple bore two sons, the elder named Arcius and the younger Ulfridus. The young men had everything their hearts desired. Although Ulfridus had a kind heart and knew better than to let power and wealth get to his head, Arcius rejoiced in the lavish gifts his parents could so casually buy. He became infatuated with his ascendancy and material goods, turning him into a very selfish and gluttonous man.

Eventually, the time came for Arcius to be married. Being so vain, he wanted only the most beautiful woman in the land. Gold hungry women flocked to their manor, eager to win the heart, and wealth, of Arcius. Each one he would dismiss, growing more infuriated and more desperate to find his perfect beauty. As the last few witches in Larkluster were refused by the frigid wizard, one woman caught both the eye and heart of Aricus. Her hair the most luscious blonde, her eyes the most brilliant blue, her skin the most delicate ivory.

“Fair maiden,” Aricus said as the moved towards the mysterious beauty. “What is your name?”

The girl bowed before the powerful wizard. “Gratia, my good sir,” she replied.

Immediately, Arcius knew that she was to be his mistress, a position she was most happy to accept. Ulfridus was not happy with the proposal and told his brother she wanted only their fortune – and that something was not quite right about the mystical witch. Aricus disregarded his brothers comments for he was in love with Gratia and would not be swayed by his younger brother whom he believed was acting out of pure jealousy.

Days after meeting, the couple were wed at a ceremony which everyone of importance in the wizarding world attended, including the Minister Of Magic himself. However, the bliss was short-lived. Arcius became more controlling over his new wife, his new wife demanded more and more from him. But every time he looked at her, he become enchanted by her beauty and voice, buying her the most lavish of gifts at her request.

Ulfrido began to grow more suspicious of his sister-in-law so took to spying. After finding her alone, he watched as she fumbled through a chest used only by Aricus and filled with powerful wizarding artefacts. He entered the room, having at last caught her in the act. As soon she as realised she had been discovered as a thief, she only smiled. At once, her head transformed from such beauty to that of a large beaked bird. Scaled wings began to emerge from her shoulders. Ulfrido immediately reached for his wand before a burning ball of flames hit him, blocking the attack. Gratia flew from the room to her husband, slashing at him with her large wings in the hope she could end his life before seeing the end of her own. The revealed Veela flew at once from the manor.

Shocked, Ulfrido ran to his brother who had received such a violent blew he lay on the floor, with death fast approaching. As his time drew to a close, he said to his brother, “I have been a fool, Ulfrido. I was cruel enough to judge each girl solely on their outwardly appearance, when in fact I myself held no true beauty at all.” With one final cough, Arcius was no more.

Eventually, Ulfrido went on to marry a very much non-Veela and have his own family, but the words of his brother, killed by greed an beauty, rang forever in his ears.

Translated by Moony

The Suspicious Broom Makers

Once Upon A Time, quite a long time ago, a wizard named Aiken and his wife Astra lived in a small village known merely as “that small village under the mountain.” (The mountain was actually more of an exceptionally large hill but those living at the foot of it thought of it as a mountain.) Now Aiken and Astra were known in their area as being the best broom makers around, and were always experimenting with ways of making faster or more comfortable brooms.

Once they were in their workshop, Aiken dreaming of a broom to outfly a dragon while he read an old broom making book and Astra working on a more comfortable broom, when Aiken ran across a spell that could attach a heavy load to a broom without slowing it down. He showed this to Astra and they tried it out, it worked like a dream. As they tried heavier and heavier loads on the broom Astra thought of a plan, if it could keep a broom from slowing down, why couldn’t the spell speed a broom up. Once the first tests were done they tried her idea and it worked, they were overjoyed and resolved to show it at the upcoming gathering of broom makers.

They arrived at the gathering, bursting with pride, and all ready to show off their new discovery. However, as they were looking at the displays of the other broom makers, they discovered that Basil, a broom maker from a nearby town and their rival for customers, had brought a broom to demonstrate the same idea! They left, enraged, before their turn came and resolved the next year to come up with an idea entirely new that no one else could think of.

On their way home, each thought to herself or himself that someone must have told Basil about their idea. Slowly each came to the conclusion that the other had told Basil and that was the reason they’d lost. Each also resolved silently that in the coming year any discovery would be kept to herself or himself.

The year passed slowly, with no more cheerful discoveries being announced to one another and no more experimentation sessions joyfully attended by the neighbors. Astra worked on an invisible pillow, softer than any other but thin enough not to get in the way when attached to the broom. She very often wished she could turn to Aiken and ask for his help with a difficult spell but she always firmly stopped herself when she felt like asking him.

Aiken made very slow progress in creating a broom with no wind resistance whatsoever and often wished for Astra’s help in testing. He stuck to his resolution and never said anything, but he came very near it several times.

by the time the broom maker’s gathering met again Astra and Aiken were both feeling a bit out of sorts. But they headed straight toward Basil’s stand, supremely confident that he could not have found out what they were doing this year. Behind it all though, they each felt a bit of anxiety, what if he had found another way?

When they reached his display they stopped with their mouths hanging open for a second then each turned to the other accusingly. Each stopped when they saw the other, practically mirroring each other’s looks of shock. Slowly a look of comprehension dawned over their faces as they realized how silly they had been.

They left Basil’s display, a cushioned, wind resistant broom, and gathered up their own things. On the drive home they confessed to each other how silly they had been and asked for forgiveness. They talked for a while and decided Basil had simply come up with the ideas by himself and there was no way around it. Also, after a while, they began discussing new ideas for next year, ideas which no one could ever top. But even if someone did, Astra and Aiken promised, to each other this time, that each would never again blame the other for anything without reason.

Translated by RogueTonks

I is all; All is I

In the middle of a forest sat two scared kids. Well it's not every day that you get dumped in a forest and are asked to survive for ten days with nothing but a small Swiss knife.

The day, well if you can say it is, wasn't as calm as it has been for the past eight days as rain poured down heavily and clouds hide the sun leaving nothing of its light.
Holding each other, the two brothers looked around, for even a slight sound that indicates they are followed. Assured after minutes of waiting, they started to move again, building their way back to the safety of their camp. One of the brothers suddenly asked "Big brother what are going to eat?"

"Fear not!" Replied the oldest of the brother. "I have saved some food from last day meal; you shall have it as soon as we get there"

But before the smallest of the brother could even smile, enjoying the moment he most desire, a big masked man jumped from behind the bushes.

Taking no time to think, the brothers started to ran leaving nothing but mud behind each foot step they took. Looking around them, they noticed their pursuer. They ran fast and faster breaking and making their way out, till they hit a dead end.

It took less than five minutes for a fight to break between the boys and their attacker.
He didn't seem interested in hurting them, but in the contrary, he seemed to ignore them. The eldest fainted and fell to the ground as the youngest of the brother took on the fight.

Lightning stroke the sky, tearing it in half for a split of a second before the sky magically reconstructed itself, it seemed as if the sky and the lightning were dueling as well.

The older brothers woke up suddenly as rain washed his face, he couldn't get up, he was down and scared, he could hear his brother being hit and tortured but no matter what he did, he was immobilized by his fear to confront. He turned aside trying to shut down the sound and the screaming, the lightning that now seemed to warn him, when he noticed a small ant trying to lift a bigger leaf, no matter how much it tried to lift it, it was with no hope, the ant kept on falling back. Till it finally was hit by a drop of water and fell to sleep for eternity next to what she was trying so eager to pull. Seconds later new ants came and pulled the dead ant towards their home. The boy knew that the ants where going to feast on their sister. It's then that he understood it all… All what he was asked to do, the reason he was left alone with his brother in a big forest to find food and shelter and escape the grip of a deadly man.

And with a strength that you would only witness in the stories of ancient strong man and gods and heroes, the boy got up and looked at his predator.

"I know what you meant when you asked me what it is I is all; all is I" The boy said as he looked straight in the eyes of the man. "It's a way of explaining the essence of life. According to it, if a person were to die, as such there would be no material effect on the world. Since a human body is made up of certain basic elements, when a person dies, his or her body is decomposed and these elements are returned back to nature. These elements, in turn, provide nutrients to plants which, in their turn, become food for herbivores, which are then food to carnivores. This is the cycle of life, and the death of one person is insignificant while considering the whole cycle. However, without these individual deaths, the cycle cannot be maintained and hence the individuals as a whole are significant to the continuation of the cycle. Thus, the cycle of life can never be reversed. Understanding this and working with the cycle of life in order to create new things is what life is about. In other words the world is the all, and I am the one." explained the little boy.

The man looked at the boy and smiled than he laughed and laughed, his laughter even hiding the horrible sound of lightning.

"Very well boy, you have seen correctly and for it I shall spare you're life… I have watched you for eight days now as you defended your brother and protected him as you fed him even when there was too little for both of you to share… I think you understand what I mean when I say I is all; all is I" the man said in a low bass voice and he placed the youngest of the brothers down and walked away leaving them to reunite after they both suffered greatly.

You see as we learned that life is a cycle that we should never disturb, it's important as well for us to always unite for us to stand as our old grandmother would tell us. United we stand; Apart we fall.

Translated by kami12

The Knowledgeable Griffin and the Curious Boy

There was once a small Boy who liked to wander away from others on nice days. On one such day his family was picnicking on a high cliff in the late afternoon. He began to wander towards the edge of the cliff when a shadow flew over him. He decided not to notice and wandered father away from his family and closer to the edge of the cliff. The shadow got bigger and bigger until the Boy felt something push his back and he fell down of the cliff. He fell faster and faster until suddenly he landed on a soft mound. He was unhurt, but still moving. He found himself on the back of a large Griffin.

He believed himself to be safe and soon fell asleep on the animal's back. When he woke he found himself not on the back of the Griffin anymore, but on a small stone ledge. The sides were crumbly and wearing away so if he started to move, more would fall. The small Boy began to tremble and look about for his Griffin that saved him. It came almost at once, as if called, and sat beside him, looking hungry.

The Boy thanked the Griffin soundly and asked to go back home. However, the Beast had a different idea.

"I am hungry Boy, and you are here alone with me. I will eat you."

The Boy was very scared and did not know why the Griffin had saved him if he was only going to eat him after. So he asked him.

"But Boy, I am hungry, and you were alone. So I will eat you."

He didn't know why the Griffin didn't let him fall first before eating him. So he asked him.
The Griffin puzzled for a moment before answering. "Why do you ask so many questions Boy?"

The Boy also puzzled before giving his answer. "I want answers to them."

"Well naturally," The Griffin replied. "That's why everyone asks questions. But why so many?"

"I want to know everything. That is why I explore."

The Griffin began to pace back and forth and the Boy trembled in time with the rock. It settled on its hunches and looked back at the small human. "The lives of those who are selfish enough to want to know all are certainly doomed."

The Boy looked back at the Beast with a puzzled expression on his face.

"If I had not saved you from the fall on the cliff, you would be dead, but because I saved you from falling from the cliff I will eat you and you will die."

"So because I wanted to know everything, I will die?"

"Exactly." The Griffin replied hastily. "Now, I will eat you, because I am hungry, and you are alone."

"But one moment, if people don't explore, how do they learn?"

"The key is not to not explore, but to know when to do so."

And with that, the Griffin became too hungry, and the Boy too alone, so the Beast devoured him whole so he would never know everything about how he indeed pushed him.

Translated by AccioNeville

Encountering the Wazzermajil

This is the story of something that happened a long time ago at a school, not just any school but rather a magical one. It was a school that only witches and wizards were allowed to attend, and they would learn everything there was to know about magic there.

It so happened that near this school there existed some woods where no one was allowed to venture, especially not any students, because bad things were supposed to happen in there.

Jeremy Longtooth wanted to find out what was inside those woods and he had a couple friends, Solomon and Minerva, who wanted to find out, too. “We’re going to go inside there and explore for ourselves,” he used to always say.

One of the teachers, Professor Pennyworthy, heard Jeremy saying how he wanted to go inside the forest and explore, so she tried to take Jeremy aside to explain how dangerous it was.

“Oh, I’m not afraid,” Jeremy said.

Well, you better not even think of going near that place or you’ll be in more trouble than you would know what to do with,” Professor Pennyworthy told Jeremy. “That goes for all of you,” she advised, looked at Solomon and Minerva.

Jeremy wasn’t a very good listener, and the very next day he got together with his friends and told them, “I think we should go into the forest now.”

Jeremy, Solomon and Minerva all began walking, heading straight into the woods. Other than it being a little dark and there being a lot of trees it didn’t seem especially scary, so the group continued walking rather than turning back.

All at once the children heard a loud sound like a thousand monkeys screaming at once, then a creature came crashing through the trees. This was a very large animal, nearly the size of an elephant, and the group could tell that it was very dangerous because its mouth was wide open and they could see a set of very large teeth. The creature was strange looking, its fur was a bluish gray color, rather long, and it had long, pointy ears like a rabbit and a rope like tail like an elephant.

“What is that thing?”, Solomon asked. This was the strangest creature he had ever seen. “I don’t know, but we better get out of here quick, it looks pretty hungry!”, shouted Minerva. Being a girl, she actually had the most sense of the three.

The three children ran as fast as they could back in the direction they had come from, back towards the school. They had never been so relieved when they made it back onto school grounds except for one problem. Professor Pennyworthy was there waiting for them, an accusing look on her face.

“Well, I see none of you listen very well,” she shouted at all three of them. “You could have been killed in there, all of you. I saw the Blue Wazzermajil going after all of you.”

Jeremy was still shaken up from what they had just seen, the Blue whatever it was, and he knew that Solomon and Minerva were just as affected. “We’ll never go there again,” he vowed.

“I’m glad to hear you say that but it doesn’t change anything, it’s detention for the lot of you,” Professor Pennyworthy told them, glaring at the group.

The children groaned, but they knew they deserved it. All three knew they would listen better to advice from adults the next time around.

Translated by Jason Potter Weasley

The Paranoid Prince and His Protective Bubble

There once was a regal wizarding prince. He was very protective of his kingdom and never wanted anything to happen to the town. One day, he devised a plan to put up a protective bubble full of enchantments so no one could ever get in, in case anyone tried to attack them. People tried to get the prince to see reason because no one had threatened to attack his kingdom at all, not even a little stunning spell.

But still, the prince wouldn’t listen; he was too protective. So, the following day he went out and cast the bubble charm and other incantations all around his kingdom. At first, he almost received a kind of praise. People thought he was a great prince for being so protective and caring about his kingdom. Witches, wizards, and Squibs all loved him and went to the castle to offer him praise.

But eventually, over time, people grew agitated. They had family and friends in surrounding kingdoms and they wanted to be able to see them. They begged the prince to let their family in, or to let them out. The prince said no, repeatedly, no matter how many people begged him, including his family.

People would try every day to find the counter-curses to these incantations. The prince was smarter though. He had made the magic so difficult that for years, no one could find these counter-curses. People would try flying out on broomsticks, firing curses, everything from A to Z, and no one could figure out how to break out of the protective bubble that their prince had burdened them with.

Eventually, the witches and wizards of the kingdom got so angry and violent, the king had to lock himself in the castle and not let anyone in. Everyone was so miserable until one day, a young witch named Marigola came around.

Marigola was the brightest witch of her age; however, she was amazingly shy and superbly quiet. No one even noticed how bright she was because she would never tell anyone what she made in school, and she would never brag because she was just too humble.

However, Marigola had a problem. She had only come to the kingdom for school. The school in this kingdom was one of the best around as far as wizardry and witchcraft goes. Marigola had left her family, her mother, father, two brothers, and three sisters, to attend the school.

She had completed school now, though. She was anxious to back to her homeland, get herself a great job with her fantastic education, and see her family members she hadn’t seen in seven years. The protective bubble surrounding the kingdom was the only thing stopping Marigola from going home. She decided she had to devise a plan to get rid of the bubble, or, for one, the town would go insane, and two, she would never see her family again.

Marigola brushed up on her reading and tried numerous incantations. Nothing worked; meanwhile, the prince noticed Marigola’s efforts and laughed. He was relentless; nothing was going to change his mind.

Finally one day, Marigola broke the incantations. Everyone: witches, wizards, and goblins alike, all fled the town and kingdom in less than five minutes, leaving all their possessions behind. Even the prince’s family left him alone and locked up in the castle. So, the paranoid prince spent the rest of his life alone because no one ever did come back for him. Sometimes, at random, he would cast up the bubble again when he was feeling especially paranoid. No one ever planned an attack on this prince and his nonexistent kingdom. No, the prince just lived a lonely, paranoid life. The moral of this story, you ask? Don’t cross a bridge until you’ve come to it.

Translated by BreBear

Milnius the Muggle

Milnius was looking through his window, head in hands, eyes wide. The sun was shining and everything looked green and fresh outside – he didn’t care. He seemed to be watching something beyond – something which wasn’t visible to everybody.
A few minutes passed and he sighed. He shaked his head and turned to open that heavy book again. It was large and clearly very old, its letters were faded and hard to read.
Milnius was reading it as if his life depended on it.
The young man had always lived in the small cottage, right between the village of Greenbell and the forest of Diglippy. He could had had a pleasant, calm life – feeding animals, working on the fields – but he was only interested in one thing – wizardry.
Of course, he had to keep this in secret. He had seen plenty of witch – burnings, and he knew that village people dreaded magic.
The book he was holding was his greatest treasure. He found it when he was a little boy – and couldn’t put it down since then. It had every mystery about the world of wizards. Milnius was eager to learn about them – even if he couldn’t perform a single spell. As a child, he used to cry himself to sleep – it was his biggest wish to join the wizarding society. The impossibility was unbearable to him.
’Still, there is a glimpse of hope.’ Milnius thought to himself. ’If only I could reach the Oak of Hope…’
This magical tree had a special ability. Its branches had incredible power - anyone who managed to get one, got an especially powerful wand.
The tree stood right in the middle of the forest of Diglippy.

*

Milnius gulped and sighed. He wanted his dream come true – he said goodbye to his cottage and set out to find the Oak of Hope.
The path didn’t lead him through the woods – after a few miles Milnius realised he got lost. Fortunately he knew the place very well - he kept marching. Days and nights passed. He slept in bushes, small caves, even in a den. As he got further and further from his home, the forest became denser and denser by every step he took.
On the seventh day he was more exhausted than he had ever felt in his life. There were scratches on his body, he was hungry and cold.
’Why did I think I could do this, why?’ he kept asking himself. He decided to give up and sat down on a snag to rest. Suddenly, he heard a bird chirping. And as he lifted his head, he caught sight of a light blue light. He stood up and followed it – and as he passed a group of large bushes, he stopped and gasped.
There it was. The Oak of Hope was just as big, tall and extraordinary as he had imagined. The blue light covered its stem, and it looked…
’Marvellous’ Milnius thought. He didn’t hesitate - he grabbed a thick branch and started climbing. When he reached the top, Milnius grabbed the small knife which he had been carrying in his scrip. It had never cut anything before – only untouched knives could cut a branch from the Oak.
Milnius didn’t hesitate, though his heart was beating madly and his throat was dry. He cut – and he felt that the branch let go of the tree.
He couldn’t believe it. For a long moment, he was sitting silently- then the branch he had just taken started trembling. It was getting hotter and hotter, but Milnius couldn’t leave hold of it. He was screaming with pain and felt the branch burning his palm – he saw a flash of light and everything went dark.

*

When he woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. He was holding something – it was a brand new wand!
Milnius felt tears trickling down his face. As he opened his palm, he could see a deep scar – where the branch burnt his hand.
’It doesn’t matter’ he cried happily ’I can do magic now!’
He believed that the power of the tree will help him to become a real wizard. As he was walking through the forest, he met a large wolf.
He wasn’t scared. He pulled out the wand and waved it. Sparks flew from it – but the spell wasn’t strong enough. The wolf groaned and started to chase Milnius. He was running madly, and decided to climb a tree. But the wolf managed to bite his arm. He cried with pain, but kept climbing – and, finally, he was safe. He tried to mend his arm – but the wound became even deeper.
’I just need some practice, that’s all’ Milnius thought.
When he arrived home, he went to the local bar. Plenty of men were sitting there, and one of them started to say rude things to Milnius. He became angry and pulled out his wand again…
The next day found him at a hearing. He was accused of witchcraft.
The judge was about to announce the verdict, when a young woman cried.
’No!’
Milnius turned around. It was the daughter of the milkman, Amenus.
’He’s innocent!’
She made a sudden movement, and the judge nodded.
’Innocent. Cleared of all charges.’
’Why did you save me?’ Milnius asked her later that day. ’And how?’
Amenus smiled but didn’t answer. She merely looked him in the eyes, and Milnius felt as if falling and falling…
On the day of their wedding, Milnius heard crying from his room. When he went inside, he found Amenus sitting on the bed, sobbing.
’What’s the matter?’ Milnius asked.
’I have to tell you something before we get married… But I’m sure you’ll leave me if I do.’
’I would never do that. Come on.’
Amenus sighed and said:
’I’m a witch.’
Milnius sat there like a statue. Amenus looked at him sadly.
’I understand if you decide to leave me’ she said silently.
’Leave you…’ Milnius shook his head violently. ’I need you. You see…’ he put his hand on Amenus’ ’You make my dreams come true!’
Milnius never used the wand again - he realised he didn’t have the ability to control it. But he found every magic he had ever wanted in Amenus - both literally and non – literally. He didn’t seek it anymore.
The End

Translated by BabyStag

Love Conquers All

One stormy night, the thunder clashed just beyond a home, a home of a newly born woman alone with her father. She was in the home of Rome, where the sun hadn’t gone down in a set for a while. It wasn’t the brightest of days with a cough clamped to her lungs; her father was in uproar. Her birthday had only arrived, she was ill with only a cough but yet she was ill with love. The love held within two people, the second person she met only yesterday. He was tall, dark, handsome, and typically charming. His manners were perfect, just a brilliant as his blue eyes, Ayden was his name. They had met near the fountain deep in the town, they had brushed past each other, but it was love but even more than that she couldn’t explain it.

She was worried although, her power wasn’t ‘ordinary’ by any means. Wand to a witch. That was her motto; it was everything she was, everything she was to be. Her worry grew without the night as she tossed, as she turned within her bed. Her father was still in the front room, the fire left flickering. He was asleep in his chair, his wand rested in his hand ready to attack anyone. The fact was it was all just a game of wizard chess, her father was the king on the side of blacks. She was the queen on the side of the white’s while the guy she met was truly meant to be the king. She was sure he was Gaelic too, a foreigner, a muggle.


The next day she ventured out to the market, she assumed she would not meet him as she was on the other side of town. However, she was proved wrong when she had heard a sound behind her, “I am sorry, miss, to interrupt your day. I believe maybe this is a harsh confrontation, but I love you, I swear the day we met…” She stopped him, “Sir.” She implied, “I... My father would never allow it so.” She sighed.
Later, she found herself on a field approaching her house; talking to the man she loved which filled her with joy and hope. She knocked with a pleasant manner upon the door, still ill with a cough; she was tied not to tell her love. Her father was awake, in the chair, with the wand laid in his hand, waiting. He saw the man and jumped with a fierce anger, his wand set on guard. When she had just noticed he was ready to attack she attempted to push Ayden towards the door so he couldn’t have seen, but he did, he drew out his own wand and protected the woman.


Years from then, all people, witches and wizards alike were telling this story of how this love was not allowed and conquered all that was in its path. Some go far enough even to say love was too easy, too harsh; others would say it was magic.

Translated by RiddleMeThis

The Greatest Wizard

Once upon a time lived a young man called Igor. He and his mother had no other family and no money except what the mother earned as a healer.

Igor was exceptionally gifted in magic and his passion for learning had no limits, just like his ambition: he wanted to become the greatest wizard ever known.

He heard once about Käärme the Respected, a mage who spoke the language of dragons, the wisest, the most powerful and magical beings ever known. People whispered that dragons were the source of Käärme's amazing powers.

Igor resolved to find Käärme and become his apprentice.

"Your mother is not getting younger despite her healing powers and she has nobody besides you,” reminded him the village elder, when Igor shared his plans. "It is at least selfish to follow your childish fantasies and leave her alone.”

But then the mother took his hand and firmly said:

"I love you, but I cannot teach you anything more about magic – and the lesson about the good and the evil is better learnt by living. Every mother suffers when her children leave their home, but no mother has any right to stop them. So pursue your dream. I believe you will recognize when it is time to return.”

Igor still hesitated, but the call he felt inside grew only stronger and eventually he decided to go. In the morning of his departure his mother slipped a thin golden ring on his finger.

"Your father gave it to me when you were born. It will bring you back home, should you wish. It is also a link between us. If it starts to tarnish, then you will know that I am seriously ill.”

***
When many weeks later Igor indeed met the mage, he had a speech ready - carefully drafted, revised and repeated so many times that the right words came effortlessly when required – all for one purpose: to induce the mage to take him as an apprentice.

But he hardly managed to introduce himself when Käärme interrupted. He glanced at Igor's golden ring.

"Where do you have it from?”

"My mother gave it to me.”

"And where did she get it?”

"From my father. Master – ”

Käärme raised his hand and silenced Igor.

"You have come from a distant country, you know neither our magic, nor our rites, nor our legends. Yet you have come and asked to be my apprentice, calling me Master. Then you must be talented enough to have exhausted all study possibilities to which you had access and determined to learn much more.”

"I am, Master!”

"Then I will teach you how to raise sandstorms and whirlwinds, how to tame mountain rivers and call thunderstorms. Your word will be the Might embodied. But there is one condition. You are not allowed to interrupt your apprenticeship. If you leave, there is no return.”

"I will stay, Master.” said Igor fiercely.

***
Käärme kept his promise and allowed Igor to touch the core of magic. It was not about new complex incantations, but about imposing one's will on the raw force that lay underneath them. What a month earlier belonged to the realm of myths, today was Igor's practical assignment and was expected to be his routine before the next full moon. At that pace, sometimes he almost forgot to breathe – but he was drunk with sheer joy that finally the talent he had been born with could be used to its fullest potential and he was looking forward to the years to come.

The disaster struck unexpectedly. One day Igor saw that his ring was less bright than usually. At first he ignored it but a week later even Käärme noticed the change. The ring started to tarnish. Finally also Igor had to acknowledge it, but every morning he delayed his decision to break his apprenticeship and return home.

And then the ring broke.

Igor cried as it meant that his mother, left sick and alone by her only child, had died.

***
Igor was mourning. With his powers and knowledge he might have saved his mother – if he had left Käärme early enough. And now it was too late...

Or wasn't it?

"Phoenixes are created of dragon fire and when they die, they are reborn,” said Käärme. ”Ask dragons, they understand the matters of life and death. But if you go, your apprenticeship is over.”

"It was meant to be over the day my ring lost its brightness.”

Then Käärme explained him how to find a dragon.

"Show him the broken ring.”

***
Igor followed Käärme's instructions and soon he found himself facing a marvelous emerald green creature. In broken sentences he explained what brought him to the dragon.

"If you are able to conquer death, I beg you to help me.”

"A phoenix is born when a dragon breathes fire over another dragon's dead body,” said the dragon slowly. "It takes a life to create a phoenix.”

And then Igor understood what was expected of him.

"Will my life suffice?” he whispered.

"Every life has equal worth. But are you sure? You did not break your apprenticeship when she fell ill – and now you want to offer your life?”

Igor looked straight into the dragon's amber eyes and nodded.

The last thing he saw was the dragon's head nearing his face – and then a blinding wall of fire collapsed on him, like a tornado blow carrying him away; and like against a tornado blow, he could not defend himself against the fire. He felt that he was ascending towards the sky – and surprisingly, he felt no pain at all – and then everything exploded in a mass of red and orange flames. Actually, he could feel that he was on fire – and yet it was completely, absolutely meaningless for him.

And then there was darkness.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, looked around and unfolded his featherless wings.

He noticed the dragon looking at him with admiration.

"Welcome,” said the dragon. "Your mother is healthy and well again.”

I am alive, Igor wanted to say, but only a croak came out of his... beak?

"Your ring was made of dragon gold, which means that your father was a dragon who shifted his shape to a human. Käärme and I understood it. Consequently, there was dragon blood in your veins. When my fire reached you, the human part of you died, bringing your mother back. The dragon inside you died as well, but like all dragons, you were reborn as a phoenix. Use well the eternity awaiting you.”

Translated by Flora Julysnake

The Corrupt Augurey

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful phoenix who nested on a nearby mountain. He, not being native to the area, was noticed by the other inhabitants of the mountains when its song pierced the silence. An augurey observed the bird from afar. He thought it unfair that he, also considered a phoenix, was so undervalued – his cry didn’t fill the hearts of the brave with hope and strength – in fact, his cry was considered a death omen, even when he was only attempting to inform unwary wizards of coming rain. The augurey also envied the phoenix’s beautiful scarlet and gold plumage – his plumage was often compared to a vulture’s—an ugly bird that everyone despised.


That night, the augurey decided to take action. Spreading his wings and taking off into the night sky, his form cast a shadow against the twinkling field of stars above him. The sky was barely lit by a gibbous moon, for clouds were hiding the moon covertly – but the way the little light reflected upon the augurey, those who observed from below saw him as bigger than he really was. They thought that they were being savagely hunted by some sort of dragon who was flying at high altitudes, plotting their deaths. All of a sudden, the phoenix swooped down among them; he had heard them worrying and wished to help calm them. He finished his song with a cry to hopefully scare the dragon off, hoping the beast was impure of heart –however, the augurey heard this and just was infuriated once more; the phoenix, longing for attention once more! He quickened his flight away from the mountains. Everyone on ground thought the phoenix’s song had frightened the dragon off.

The augurey landed gracefully upon a cragged rock in the midst of a shadowed valley. This was the home of a well-known Dark wizard; a wizard who surely could help him in his quest to be recognized and appreciated. The man, a middle-aged English sorcerer with salt-and-pepper hair and a slight moustache, listened carefully to the augurey’s problems with a devilish smile. He suggested somehow murdering the phoenix and taking charge of the mountain range by crying himself – with no regular phoenix to worship, they’d surely start worshipping the Irish phoenix in place. The augurey saw this as a stroke of utmost brilliance – but asked the wizard if he had ideas on how to exterminate the phoenix. He gracefully took a package from the desk inside his study and gifted the augurey with it – he said it was a cursed necklace that caused death to anyone who touched it. It, thankfully, was wrapped securely. The Irish Phoenix eagerly took the package in his beak and thanked the Dark wizard sincerely before setting off into the skies once more. After this plot was established, the augurey became much more cheerful, even around the phoenix. Its once mournful looking feathers were puffed up slightly. He decided to make his move in the evening, right after twilight.

The augurey silently soared up to the phoenix’s nesting place on the peak of the mountain, trying to contain his glee. He had the necklace clamped in its beak, the paper wrapping the cord so that the augurey himself didn’t touch it. He came upon the slumbering phoenix and, without a moment’s hesitation, slipped the cursed gemstone necklace around its neck. Instantly, the phoenix burst into flames that could even be seen from the forests surrounding the mountain. In less than a minute, he was a pile of ashes.

The Irish phoenix cackled gleefully and took off. Many a creature was watching, in awe – they all presumed it had been the phoenix’s Burning Day. However, the augurey soon came plummeting down from the mountain, holding a burning twig in its talons. He told the rest of the phoenix’s tragic demise and that he was to be ‘replacing’ him. All the creatures were grief-stricken. Then, with a flicker of brilliance, the augurey contemplated setting himself ablaze; there was a stream right below he could extinguish himself in, it would be a sign of power, and in ‘honour’ of the phoenix. So, he took the twig in his talons and caught one of his feathers ablaze; and soon it began to spread. At first, it wasn’t so bad. He spread his fiery wings proudly, being stared at by the other creatures, and releasing a loud shriek, which to him sounded much grander than a phoenix’s cry; but to others, merely was cringe-worthy. Suddenly, a wind swept through where the phoenix was perched and caused the flames to flare, blocking his view and engulfing his entire head. In a panic, he spiraled to the ground in search of the stream, but landed on the ground, crumpled in a fiery heap. None of the creatures ventured near, for fear of being caught ablaze themselves. And so was the end of the augurey; all that was left after a while of blazing was a pile of ashes. Soon a heavy rain came and extinguished the fire – after all, an augurey’s cry is considered to be foretelling of rain.

In a few days’ time, no one had seen the phoenix. It had been believed that he really was, indeed, dead. However – soon the Dark wizard who had helped the augurey came to fetch the cursed necklace back, for fear of losing a valuable item to a mere bird. As he was pulling out a thick cloth to pick the necklace up from the ashes with, a strong, beautiful cry came from right above him – and when he looked up, the phoenix was hovering there, in a fury, talons outstretched. The Dark wizard was taken by surprise and fell – right onto the necklace, no less. He instantly died, his features freezing and the light leaving his eyes. The phoenix swooped down majestically to the forests to apologize for his absence and to tell them the tale of what had actually happened; he had heard the augurey’s speech while being reborn from the ashes. The creatures rejoiced – all was well.

Translated by DeathEater24601

How the Chimaera Came to Be

Once upon a time there was a snake. He lived in the forest all alone and he liked it that way. The only thing that ever bothered him was the lion that walked through on occasion.

One morning, the snake was minding his own business when the lion came trampling through and stepped on him. He was outraged. How dare this lion step on him. He was so angry that he bit the lion. His bite was poisonous, and the lion felt the effects quite soon. He limped away and layed down under a tree. The snake smiled, thinking his problems were solved.

He hadn't counted on what happened next. A wizard walked by, with him, was his pet goat. When she saw the fallen lion, the goat laughed and spit on him and when the snake came out to see what was going on, she tried to trample him and he tried to bite her.

The wizard saw all of this happening, and seperated them. After healing the lion with a few flicks from his wand, he was hit with an idea. Turning his wand toward them he said, "You need to learn compassion for your fellow creature."

Each one of them started laughing and the wizard spoke again, "If you can't learn it on your own then I will help you." He whipped his wand around, and there was a flash of light. The creatures went blind for a moment and each felt a strange sensation in their abdoman.

When the creatures looked around, they saw they were connected. The turned to the wizard, eah one equally disgusted. "Turn us baa-ack." Pleaded the goats head.

"Not until you can respect each other." was the wizards reply.

They faught it for a while, but then they tried it. It was no use, they had different opinions on everything. So they gave up. The wizard had left them and promised to return once a month to evaluate them.

After the first month they were sick of it. The wizard came and watched them. "You are not ready yet." He said, and attempted to leave. But he had one thing against him. The one thing they agreed upon was that they wanted him to change them back. So they grabbed him and dragged him along with them, deep into the jungle.

They gave him three chances to turn them back. "Pleasssse" said the snakes head. "No." replied the wizard.

"Do it!" said the lions head. "You will have learned nothing." said the wizard.

"Turn us baa-ack" said the goats head. The wizard just stared at them.

"We warned you." They said in unison before they attacked. The snakes head bit him, the goats feet trampled him, and the lions claws slashed at him.

What they didn't realize was that in their actions, they had lost their chance of seperating from each other. To this day, they still bicker about everything, blaming each other for acting too quickly, and wishing they had thought before acting.

Translated by krazypenguin

Pleasing Everyone

Elizabeth Fontano and her two children walked through the winding streets of Italy which were basked in beautiful morning sunshine. There was happiness in the air as the children were about to attend their first year at Roma’s Scuola Di Fascino e di Bravura Eccezionale.

Alessandra and Alfredo Fontano bounded ahead knowing exactly where they were going. They were identical twins, with polar opposite personalities. Alessandra was quiet and timid, with long flowing black hair and gray eyes which stood out from her heart-shaped face. Alfredo was tall for his age, with a mass of curly black hair, with dark eyes to match. Both looked like their father, who had passed when they were five.

Their mother had promised them a familiar for their birthday which was on September 2nd, and so they needed to buy it before they left.

Turning the corner, down a long and winding back street, Elizabeth found a small dip in the stone wall that was hidden away behind some well placed wine crates by the landlord, Leonardo Galliano. Withdrawing her wand from her wicker basket that she always carried with her, she drew a large circle onto the wall and tapped the north, east, south and west of it. “Step back” She said as she gathered the children from the wall, and watched as it magically transform into an elegant walkway into Cleric Alley.

Alessandra and Alfredo gaped in amazement for only a second before running on ahead laughing and weaving through the large crowds of witches and wizards with their kids trying to get everything they needed for the new term. Elizabeth smiled at a couple of the parents she recognised and walked along the left row of shops admiring the dress robes in the window. Oh how I wish I could afford nice things, she thought, drawing her attention to the fact, she did not have much money and sending two children away to school at the same time was always going to be difficult financially. But she managed, and knew that Lessie and Alfie were to have the best time of their lives at school.

Soon enough, the twins had reached their destination, Madame Athena’s Animale Negozio. “I can’t believe mother’s getting us a pet!” Alessandro squealed at her brother, jumping up and down. Alfredo nodded, thinking about which animal he wanted.

“Now now, behave, or there will be no pet.” Their mother chided, as she approached them. “Come along, we still have other things to attend to.”
Bustling the two small children into the shop, Elizabeth greeted Madame Athena with a smile and polite conversation as Alessandra and Alfredo looked at the familiars, which were squawking, hooting, meowing and even growling at them.

After a short time, Elizabeth went to see Alessandra and see what she had found. “Lessie, which animal would you prefer?” The young girl turned around and pointed high up into the air. Following the finger, Elizabeth noticed a small barn owl, with freckled wings perched on a ledge and it hooted so softly that it could barely be heard. It was a cute little pet that would be perfect for Alessandra. Swiftly turning her attention back to her daughter, she replied, “If you so wish. Now where is your brother?” She pondered out loud, before hearing him laugh. She made her way to the back of the store, which was a lot darker and quieter than the front.

“Alfie, which animal would you prefer?” The young boy turned to his mother and pointed low to the ground. His mother followed his gaze and her eyes landed on an almighty python, bright purple in colour with a yellow tongue. It hissed loudly and curled around the table leg.

Elizabeth was worried. She knew she couldn’t afford both animals. Crouching low, she spoke to Alfredo. “If your sister wants an owl and you want a python, and I can only afford one familiar, whatever am I meant to do?”

The Moral of the story is: “You can’t please everyone.”

Translations (should be):
Roma’s Scuola Di Fascino e di Bravura Eccezionale - Rome's school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Animale Negozio - Animal Shop

Translated by lomadia

The Sister's Sacrifice

Once upon a time there were two girls, living with their mother in a little cottage in a deep, deep forest. The sisters were very much alike to their appearance, but on the inside, they were as unlike as night and day.

The older sister was brave and heedless. Her head was always full of ideas and opinions, and she rather talked than listened to others.

The younger sister was wise and thoughtful but she did not like to share her thoughts with others. She preferred to be quiet and listen to all the things others had to say instead.

Since the girls were born, they had lived with their mother in the little cottage, and since they had been small, they had begged her for permission to walk by themselves into the forest and play.

But their mother did not want to let them out in the forest alone, because she knew what dangers there might be in there, a long way from the safe cottage. She told them that they were too young to take care of themselves out there.

But one day, when both the sisters had hassled on their mother a long time, she finally said they could go, but only if they promised her some things first.

The girls were eager to get out and explore the big forest, but agreed with their mother to sit down and listen to her first.

She told them to keep away from all lakes and its demons, all underground tunnels and its dark creatures and from dark wizards transformed into animals.

The older sister barely listened to her mother; she was too excited to get away. But she promised to be careful and take care of herself and her little sister. And so the sisters left the cottage and went into the forest.

First they came to a little lake with water so deep that it seemed to be bottomless.
The older sister touched the water and felt that it was nice and warm. The surface was clear, and she suddenly felt a strong desire to jump into the water.

She dived in the lake and a second after she had touched the water, she felt a great coldness in her body. The water wasn’t warm and clear anymore and she felt as though someone tried to pull her down under the surface.

The older sister panicked, but when she finally thought she was going to drown, her sister pulled her up on land and she was safe again.

The sisters went on and soon they arrived to a glade where a great tree with a hole, big enough for a human to crawl into, stood.

The curiosity inside the older sister awoke. She had forgotten all the things her mother had said, and she did not listen to her sister calling after her not to do it.

The older sister climbed down the hole and found that she was in a tunnel under the earth. She could still hear her sister calling after her, and the daylight shined through the hole she had just come in from.

Suddenly the older sister heard voices whispering in the tunnel. They wanted her to crawl further in. The older sister started crawling in a sort of trance. Then she heard her younger sister’s voice, calling after her from the opening of the tunnel, and she realized what she was doing.

She wanted to get back to the opening of the tunnel. But found that she couldn’t because she was stuck.

But the younger sister could do a little bit of magic, and with the power she blew the hole bigger so the tunnel was suddenly filled with daylight. The younger sister pulled her sister out of the hole.

The older sister cursed herself for being so stupid. But her sister comforted her and said it probably had been a curse or hex set in that tunnel to make the curios one go down under the earth forever.

And so they went on again through the deep forest. The older sister was in a better mood and she was jumping around, picking weird flowers from the ground here and there.
Suddenly, she found herself standing in front of a big cavern with its opening right in front of her. This time, she did not let her curiosity win and she decided not to go inside the cave.

Her sister arrived at her side, just as a loud roar came out from the cavern. The sisters gave a jump.

Out of the cavern came a large bear with sharp teeth, licking his mouth. Then suddenly the bear spoke, and they understood that he wasn’t a bear at all.

The bear said that they had made intrusion on his territory and waken him up, and as a punishment, he was going to take one of them.

The sisters tried to run, but the bear was faster and they couldn’t escape.

The younger sister told her sister that she was going to sacrifice herself to save the older sister, so that she could live.

Firstly, the older sister screamed and begged the younger sister not to do it, but if they did not decide, they both would be taken, and that was a waste of human blood, the younger sister thought.

Then she made her sister do a promise; that in the future, she would always be careful and don’t trust unknown things, and always listen to warnings from people more knowledgeable then her.

And then the younger sister went in to the cavern with the bear and the older sister went home alone.

Translated by Lionella

The Tale of the Witch that Never Gave Up

It all happened so quickly. It was when Clarissa Dermott was traveling along a dark, winding road alone at midnight. Clarissa was by no stretch of any imagination classified as ordinary – in fact, being a witch in New York; she was probably the furthest thing from being normal. The 29 year-old witch was also the chief editor of the fascinating, but entirely bogus, popular NY magazine known as The Hippogriff Herald. The Herald might have actually been decent if there was just one article about hippogriffs, but other than the front cover, the word never even showed up in at least the past two years worth of issues.

Of course, all this quirky talk of some strange far off magazine and a town called ‘New York’ is quite misleading. Since actually the story has absolutely nothing to do with hippogriff magazines or even stinky dungbombs. Pig feet? Maybe. My comrades, this is the story of what happens when not-so-ordinary meets charming and mysterious.

**

Perhaps one of the rainiest nights in the history of modern NY, I – Clarissa Dermott – was driving. Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘what’s an innocent and attractive girl like you doing out in the middle of the night in this storm?’ Work, naturally. There was no way one could practice magic by daylight in the busy city of New York.

Before I even had the chance to pull my wand from the glove compartment in my car, everything stopped. I could barely hear the sirens from the pain in my splitting head. I was sure that it was the end – trapped, hopeless, never to love. There was no trace of hope to be found, as the blue eyes slowly were shied away behind the eyelids.

“Hello?” The deep voice of a man was fading in and out of my mind. “Are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard.” The pounding in my head worsened, as a large muscular hand slipped under it, cradling it gently. I was sure that it wasn’t happening; these things only happened in soap operas on that muggle television. Not in vivo … and certainly not to me.

Slowly, my eyes opened but my vision was quite blurry. As though someone had spun me around fifty times real quickly, and then stopped suddenly. The large thumbs stretched across my cheekbones, gently stroking my eyelids closed. “Who’s there? Death?” I called, more raspy than usual.

“Worse,” the man spoke again. “Your biggest fear.”

I had no clue what those words even meant because as far as I was concerned, there was only one thing I feared: losing my job as chief editor. “You’re an auditor?” I asked hesitantly, the pounding was fading.

“Not quite,” he mused. “But perhaps when you’re better, you might enjoy this…” He gently lowered my head to rest beneath a cushion and dropped a piece of paper onto my stomach. “It is Saturday night.” With those words, he was gone in a flash.

Confused, I pushed myself up into a half-lying position and realized that I was rested on the couch of the hospital waiting room. Strange. Shrugging, I unfolded the paper to read what it had to say:



Staring at the paper, it took awhile to realize this was for muggles to dress up. They knew nothing of how a real witch or wizard would dress, so naturally should be able to win easily. Sliding off the couch, I shuffled down to a deserted area of the waiting area and disapparated back to her quaint apartment.

**
Saturday at 7pm

One hour, I can’t be late; he’ll be expecting me. I thought, even though I had absolutely no idea who he was but was confident I could recognize that voice no matter what. Frantically searching my old school trunk from my days at Salem Witches Institute, I finally found them. A beautiful set of white dress robes, with purple and green small flowers. Slipping into it, the dress was perfect, after a few minor adjustments made with my wand. Finally putting on my glass slippers, and picking my handbag up, I slipped my wand into it.

**

The ball was going well, as I realized it had been ages since being on a dance floor. I danced solo, until a slow song came on, which gave my feet a brief moment to rest at a nearby chair.

“May I have this dance?” came the familiar voice that materialized from nowhere. Seeing a hand offered to me, I took it gracefully and rose from the chair to dance. Unable to peek my curiosity any longer, I stole a glance at his face. Wearing a mask; of course. So mysterious, charming, and a good dancer – a mystery that only a skilled wizard could pull off, but I was sure I was the only magical person within a 200-mile radius.

“Will you show you me your face?” I pleaded, curiously.

“Dance with me the night,” he said, a smile barely seen from beneath the mask. So I did.

Two hours later, we had made away over to the table, where we settled on talking basics of our lives, including our current careers.

Then the event organizer spoke into the microphone, “First of all, I would like to thank you all for attending and second, after observing everyone, I want to point out the winner of the best-dressed contest,” the man in the fancy tuxedo paused dramatically to hear the silence. “Miss floral dress girl and the masked man! Thank you all for coming again and hope you had a blast.”

I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment and pride at the same time, but wondered if my speculations were true. Leaning in, I whispered cautiously, “Now will you tell me what you are.”

Without words, he leaned back and kissed me in the most magical way possible. “A wizard,” he pulled away and removed the mask from his face.

“You know then?” I asked quietly. “That I’m a witch.”

“Of course, no normal muggle could have survived that accident,” he smiled at me.

And so not-so-ordinary witch lived magically ever after with charming and mysterious wizard, as perhaps the only two magical folk in the state of New York.


Moral: Good things happen to those who wait

Translated by PhoenixRising