The Tales Of Beedle The Bard

I have to admit…this book was bought purely for sentimental reasons. I was at the tail-end of July’ 11 (unofficially termed as *Harry Potter Month*) and had exhausted all my available resources of Potter memorabilia. I had desisted for long and now, I ordered it with the sole intention of treating it as a cherished keepsake.

I still get a smile on my face when I remember Hermione being handed over the book as per Dumbledore’s will and Ron piping in excitedly “Babbity Rabbity And Her Cackling Stump!”, only to be greeted by vacant stares from both Harry and (surprisingly enough) Hermione. The book was basically popular bedtime reading for young witches and wizards, which explains why the usually gormless Ron was so familiar with it.

The Tales of Beedle The Bard is a fairly thin volume that contains five fairy tales from the Wizarding World. Accompanying them are the tongue-in-cheek notes of Prof.Dumbledore. Having a slightly more morbid edge when compared to normal (read:muggle) fairy tales, the stories still weave in wise homilies. My favourite tale has always been “The Tale of The Three Brothers” (especially after watching the brilliant bit of goose-bump inducing animation in the movie) and I’m embarrassed to say that I read it out loud for the sheer pleasure of doing so.

This is purely an indulgence for Potter fans and must be read in the same spirit.