The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

During almost the entire length of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione Granger carried with her an old book titled The Tales of Beedle the Bard that was bequeathed to her by Professor Dumbledore in his will. It was not until much later that the full significance of the book, (particularly the final story) became clear in helping Harry achieve his quest of defeating Lord Voldemort.

There have been little allusions to "wizard fairytales" throughout the series, namely through Ron who had grown up with them and expressed disbelief that Harry and Hermione had never heard of the familiar stories:
"You've never heard of the Tales of Beedle the Bard?" said Ron incredulously. "You're kidding right?"

"No, I'm not," said Hermione in surprise. "Do you know them, then?"

"Well, of course I do! Oh, come... Read More