First of all, a Bard (or THE BARD) is the title of an accomplished poet.

The following is a synopsis of "information" that has been supplied by Amazon.com regarding the copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" which they acquired in auction this week. Regarding "The Fountain of Fair Fortune": This tale takes place on the longest day of the year.

In response to the following questions: Is there any reference to "The Mirror of Erised"? Is any prophesy mentioned in any of the tales? Anything of a Pensieve? What about Legilimency and Occlumency? Are any "seers" or "visiers" mentioned in any of the tales?

Amazon replied: Mostly no, although in "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" one of the characters uses her (emphasis mine) wand to draw out the happy memories from her own mind, similar to what's used in the Pensieve described in the Harry Potter series, so she can drop them in a rushing stream.

Amazon elsewhere states that none of the stories are set on a train (sad for me). Also, the stories do not appear to take place in any particular identifiable place, fictional or non-fictional, except perhaps (emphasis mine) "The Fountain of Fair Fortune." Like most fairy tales, they are timeless and universal.

Further, Amazon states that "The stories do not contain any discernible references to the characters in the Harry Potter series. . . . There are definitely morals to each story, but they are not heavy handed. They are the same sorts of themes that Rowling emphasizes in the series, from learning from your mistakes, to sharing and helping others, to accepting yourself and the differences in others. It's all in there."