Happy Halloween! This is one of my favourite stories ever, and it’s a perfect short story for learning English. Read along, then try all the activities!
In the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows game, Harry visits Mr Lovegood and hears The Tale of the Three Brothers: three brothers, three gifts from Death, and three very different endings. 🧙 It’s a short story full of rich vocabulary (grant, quarrel, elated, brag, untimely death) and some beautiful grammar, like “Only when he got old did the younger brother take off the cloak”.
Tap any line of the interactive script to jump to that moment. The whole video is under four and a half minutes, so watch it twice! Then work through the cards and the seven exercises: vocabulary, who got what, what happened, listening, prepositions, grammar and comprehension.
▶️ Watch and read along
A visit to Mr Lovegood
- Harry: Excuse me, Mr Lovegood.
- Mr Lovegood: What? Who are you? What do you want?
- Harry: I’m Harry Potter. We met at the wedding.
- Mr Lovegood: Of course. Of course. Come inside.
- Harry: Is Luna at home?
- Mr Lovegood: Luna? Oh, she’ll <mark>be along</mark>.
- Harry: Mr Lovegood, I want to ask you about the <mark>symbol</mark> you’re wearing.
- Mr Lovegood: This? It’s the sign of the <mark>Deathly Hallows</mark>. You have heard the tale of the three brothers?
- It’s in <i>The Tales of Beedle the Bard</i>, the book Dumbledore left me.
Three brothers, three wishes
- Well, if I remember correctly, there were once three brothers who Death <mark>granted</mark> wishes.
- The oldest brother asked for the most powerful wand <mark>in existence</mark>.
- The second, for the power to <mark>recall</mark> someone from death.
- The third, for the power to disappear.
- So Death gave the first brother a wand <mark>made from elder</mark>, the second a magical stone, and the third a cloak of invisibility.
The first brother
- The first brother took his wand and killed a wizard he had been <mark>quarrelling with</mark>.
- <mark>Elated</mark>, the brother <mark>bragged of</mark> his wand and his <mark>invincibility</mark>.
- But that night, a wizard killed the brother while he slept and took the wand.
- So Death <mark>claimed</mark> the first brother.
The second brother
- The second brother took his stone home and was <mark>delighted</mark> that the girl he had hoped to marry before her <mark>untimely death</mark> appeared to him.
- She no longer belonged in the <mark>mortal world</mark>.
- <mark>Driven mad</mark> by seeing her again, the second brother killed himself to join her in death.
- And so Death claimed the second brother.
The third brother
- As for the third brother, Death searched for him but could never find him.
- <mark>Only when he got old did</mark> the younger brother take off the cloak of invisibility and <mark>greet</mark> Death.
The Deathly Hallows
- Mr Lovegood: The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, the Cloak of Invisibility. Together they make the Deathly Hallows. Together they make one <mark>master of Death</mark>.
- We saw that mark on a grave in Godric’s Hollow. The grave of Ignotus Peverell.
- Mr Lovegood: Of course. Ignotus and his brothers <mark>are thought to be</mark> the three brothers, the owners of the Hallows.
- Harry: Thank you, Mr Lovegood. That’s what we needed to know.
Trapped!
- Mr Lovegood: You can’t go.
- Mr Lovegood: They were angry about what I’ve been writing, you see. So, they took my Luna.
- Harry: Who took Luna?
- Mr Lovegood: It’s you he really wants. It’s the only way I’ll see her again. I have to get her back.
- No, the Taboo! They’ll know we’re here.
- There are people outside.
- Trapped, and for nothing. It’s <mark>rubbish</mark>, <mark>isn’t it</mark>? There’s no such thing as Deathly Hallows.
- But it <mark>makes sense</mark>. The Hallows are what Voldemort is searching for. The final thing he wants before he takes power.
- Get down!
- We’ve got to get out of here.
Short excerpts are quoted for teaching purposes; all rights belong to their owners.
Want to watch it on YouTube? Here it is: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1 PC game: The Tale of the Three Brothers.
🃏 Words from this episode
- grant (a wish): to give someone what they ask for
- in existence: that exists; in the whole world
- recall: to bring back (here: from death). Usually it means to remember.
- elder: a kind of small tree. (As an adjective, elder also means older, like an elder brother!)
- quarrel (with): to argue angrily with someone. US spelling: quarreling; UK: quarrelling.
- elated: extremely happy and excited
- brag (of / about): to talk proudly about yourself or what you have, in an annoying way
- invincibility: being impossible to defeat. Adjective: invincible.
- claim: (of death, an accident, etc.) to kill someone
- untimely death: a death that happens too early, when someone is young
- mortal world: the world of living people, who will die one day
- driven mad: made crazy by something
- greet: to say hello to someone or welcome them
- It’s rubbish: it’s nonsense / it’s not true
🔗 Exercise 1: Match the word to its meaning
- grant
- quarrel
- elated
- brag
- untimely
- greet
🔗 Exercise 2: Who got what?
- the oldest brother
- the second brother
- the third brother
- Mr Lovegood
- Ignotus Peverell
🔗 Exercise 3: What happened to each brother?
- the first brother
- the second brother
- the third brother
✍️ Exercise 4: Listen and fill the gap
- “…there were once three brothers who Death ___ wishes.”
- “The oldest brother asked for the most powerful wand in ___.”
- “The second, for the power to ___ someone from death.”
- “So Death gave the first brother a wand made from ___…”
- “…killed a wizard he had been ___ with.”
- “___, the brother bragged of his wand and his invincibility.”
- “So Death ___ the first brother.”
- “…the girl he had hoped to marry before her ___ death…”
- “She no longer belonged in the ___ world.”
- “…take off the cloak of invisibility and ___ Death.”
🔽 Exercise 5: Pick the right preposition
- “I want to ask you ___ the symbol you’re wearing.”
- “…a wand made ___ elder.”
- “…a wizard he had been quarrelling ___.”
- “…the brother bragged ___ his wand.”
- “…killed himself to join her ___ death.”
- “Death searched ___ him but could never find him.”
📘 Grammar box: three structures from the story
1. Inversion after “Only when…” When a sentence starts with Only when, the main clause uses question word order: “Only when he got old did the younger brother take off the cloak.” = The younger brother took off the cloak only when he got old. It sounds dramatic, perfect for stories! My own example: Only when I got home did I realise I’d lost my keys.
2. Past perfect continuous for an action that continued up to a moment in the past: “a wizard he had been quarrelling with”. They argued for some time before the killing.
3. Participle clauses to start a sentence: “Driven mad by seeing her again, the second brother…” = Because he was driven mad… And with an adjective: “Elated, the brother bragged…” = He was elated, so he bragged.
🔽 Exercise 6: Grammar challenge
- “Only when he got old ___ the younger brother take off the cloak.”
- Only when I got home ___ I realise I’d lost my keys.
- “…a wizard he had ___ quarrelling with.”
- “___ mad by seeing her again, the second brother…”
- “Ignotus and his brothers are ___ to be the three brothers.”
🧠 Exercise 7: Comprehension quiz
- Why does Harry visit Mr Lovegood?
- Who gives the brothers their gifts?
- Why was the first brother killed?
- Why was the girl unhappy when she came back?
- Why couldn’t Death find the third brother?
- What do the three Hallows make together?
- Why are Mr Lovegood’s visitors in danger at the end?
Which gift would you choose: the wand, the stone or the cloak? I’d take the cloak, like the wise younger brother! Tell me in the comments on YouTube, and happy Halloween! 🎃
Alex