Old kid's book?

I halfway remember a book from when I was a little one about a guy who had to complete some sort of task. Along the way, he meets up with several weird guys. One was freckled with wild red hair-he was really a fire. One was a tall slinky black guy-he was a snake. There were more but that’s all I remember. The drawings were odd but cool. What book was this?

One was freckled with wild red hair-he was really a fire – Ron Weasley
One was a tall slinky black guy-he was a snake – Severus Snape

Sorry, that’s what I got out of this, and probably not what you’re looking for.

It might help to know how old you are.

Yeah, that might help. I’m currently 28. And it wasn’t like Harry Potter, it was a fairy tale, one of those “You can marry my daughter if you slay the Invisible Pink Unicorn” dealies.

Oh and since I was unclear…those people could turn into those things…the fire guy could really become a fire. I think there was a rule he could only bring along what he found on the journey.