Authors Note: This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fanfic. It will be a Harry/Hermione story with some Weasley bashing. Taking place after the final battle of Hogwarts. Please be kind or constructive in your reviews. No flamers please. I am also looking for a Beta so please let me know if you're interested. Enjoy

Disclaimer: I own nothing; all work belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Prologue:

*"And then there's this."

Harry held up the Elder Wand, and Ron and Hermione looked at it with a reverence that, even in his befuddled and sleep-deprived state, Harry did not like to see.

"I don't want it," said Harry

"What?" said Ron loudly, "Are you mental?"

"I know it's powerful," said Harry wearily. "But I was happier with mine. So…"

He rummaged in the pouch hung around his neck, and pulled out the two halves of holly still just connected by the finest thread of phoenix feather. Hermione said that they could not be repaired, that the damage was too severe. All that he knew was that if this did not work, nothing would.

He laid the broken wand upon the headmaster's desk, touched it with the very tip of the Elder Wand, and said, "Reparo."

As his wand resealed, red sparks flew out of its end. Harry knew that he had succeeded. He picked up the holly and phoenix wand and felt a sudden warmth in his fingers, as though wand and hand were rejoicing at their reunion..

"I'm putting the Elder Wand," he told Dumbledore, who was watching him with enormous affection and admiration, "back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus it's power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it."

Dumbledore nodded. They smiled at each other.

"Are you sure?" said Ron. There was the faintest trace of longing in his voice as he looked at the Elder Wand.

"I think Harry's right," said Hermione quietly.

"That wand's more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower, and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."*

As Ron and Hermione left the office ahead of Harry, he walked out of the office and stared at the two wands in his hand. He thought back to everything that had happened to him since he was born, and everything that had happened with Dumbledore. Dumbledore defeats Grindlewald, Voldemort rises to power. Harry defeats Voldemort when he was born, Voldemort returns to power later. Harry has defeated Voldemort again…what was next? Who would step into the new Dark Lord slot?

Could Harry really afford to take that risk? He needs to protect his loved ones doesn't he? Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the rest of the Weasley's, not to mention his new godson Teddy. In thinking of everything he needed to do, he made the decision. He took the Elder Wand and placed it inside his mokeskin pouch. He slipped the pouch into his shirt and kept it hidden there.

Harry proceeded into the Great Hall and knew that this would be the first of many hours that he would feel in his heart forever. He moved from group to group, listening to what they needed. Helping to mourn those who fell in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hour after hour passed and as the sunset Harry found himself sitting in the library. Miraculously it had remained unscathed, Hermione would be ecstatic. The quiet pressed in on him as he tried to focus on forcing the images of those he lost from his mind.

As he sat there an owl flew into the window holding an envelope in his beak. He dropped it on Harry's lap and flew out the other window. He saw a seal on the back of it signaling that it was from Gringott's Bank. With a sense of foreboding Harry picked it up, he wasn't sure what to expect after breaking out of Gringott's on a dragon…after breaking into the Lestrange's vault. He slit it open and read,

Lord Harry Potter-Black,

We at Gringott's must be the first to congratulate you on your defeat of the dark wizard styling himself Lord Voldemort. According to ancient laws all of his possessions have been transferred to you under Right of Conquest. This includes quite a bit of monetary liquid assets and artifacts. We request your presence at the bank in order to sign these items under your ownership or figure out another method to handle them.

Another item we need to discuss with you are the Last Will and Testaments of Remus Lupin and his wife Nymphadora Tonks, as a beneficiary in their will you must be present at the will reading in one weeks time at 10:00 am. You have our condolences for the loss you have suffered.

The final item we have to discuss with you is a notification that you have been fined 10,000 galleons for damages rendered to the bank, and another 100,000 galleons for the purchase of a new dragon to guard the high security vaults. Understand that should you attempt another feat that you will be banned from doing business with Gringott's bank.

Sincerely,

Ragnok

Director of Gringotts

Harry sat there stunned. Questions were swarming around his head, "Lord Potter-Black? What does that mean? Only a fine after everything that happened? 110,000 galleons!? That probably has wiped out my vault. This could be bad." He couldn't believe everything had happened. It finally all came crashing down on him and he dropped his head into his hands and began sobbing. All of his grief, terror, rage, and every other built up emotion came flowing out as he cried. He didn't even hear the library doors open but was vaguely aware of slim hands pulling him into a hug, and the scent of vanilla told him it was Hermione. He didn't know how long he sobbed for, or how long Hermione held him, but after a while sleep claimed him and he drifted off into her arms.

*This passage was taken verbatim from J.K. Rowlings book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.