It was exactly one year to the day that Voldemort was defeated. It had taken a while, but finally things were starting to go back to the way they were back when Harry was a first year at Hogwarts. Diagon Alley was safe to walk down again- Ollivander's wand shop was open for business, as was a second branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Kingsly had been named permanent Minister of Magic, almost unanimously by the council. Harry was starting to feel that the wizarding world was going to be fine.
Normally that would worry him, but after being scared for so long, the thought of not being scared anymore was too refreshing to give up. For now, he was happy, living at Grimmauld Place, with Ron and Hermione for company. Since most death eaters were dead or in jail, there was no need for him to worry about the secret of the house being broken. Besides, what could really get to him anymore?
After the battle, Harry had a lot to take care of. Fixing everything that had come undone while the death eater's had taken over had taken a lot of time. He had found time to visit Hogwarts, which had started a new year, with Professor McGonagall as the current headmistress. He had gone to the funerals of Fred, Tonks, and Lupin, and spoken at each. The one thing he hadn't done was go the grave of Ignostio and bury the Elder wand. But it was in a safe place for the time being. He didn't need to worry.
Hermione had gone to live with her parent's for a few months right after the battle. Their original memories restored, they were horrified to find out what she had done. They wouldn't let her leave their sight for ages, terrified that they might lose her. But now that they had calmed down a bit, she had been allowed to stay with Harry and Ron as a roommate, which was not approved of by any parent at first.
"What are you all complaining about, we went all over the country in a tent last year and none of you stopped us," Ron complained to his mum as he was packing.
"Last year things were different, and you know it. We had no idea where you three were going, you just left right in the middle of the wedding," she snapped back.
"It was not in the middle, the wedding part was over, and everybody was panicking. Harry, back me up here," Ron had pleaded.
In the end, the three had won, under the condition that George, who was not doing well without his twin, would stay with them as well.
"A bloody chaperone! Eighteen and we get a chaperone!" Ron had complained bitterly. He had gotten over it fast though, George was hardly ever around. The store needed constant attention, and George was all too happy for the distraction.
"Besides," George had said, "if there was ever a couple that needed to get a clue- it would be you two. A chaperone is about the last thing you need."
So Harry, Ron, and Hermione were, for the most part, on their own again. Kreacher was all to willing to come back to the Black house, and he made things even better than the last time they were there. Hermione had a job working with muggles, and Harry was training to be an Auror. Ron at first was thought about becoming an Auror as well, but backed down when he realized just how much additional schooling went into the job. He was, as he put it, "keeping his options open until the time that the right job opened up." Harry had a feeling that the 'right job' wouldn't be opening until his mother came down on him and dragged him to an interview.
Harry was dragged from his room by the doorbell ringing. He made a quick jog to the portrait of Sirius's mum, and shut the curtain. Her portrait was one of the few things that he disliked about living in the house. He walked down the rest of the hallway to the door, wondering why no one else in the house could be bothered to open the door, when Ron crashed into him from behind.
"Oy, what are you doing Ron?" he asked, now on the floor.
"I dunno, I heard the door, and I came, what are you doing on the floor?"
By this time, the portrait had started screeching again, and there was another knock on the door. The boys split up, Ron shutting the curtain, Harry running to the door.
He threw the door open, to see a wand aimed straight at his face. He pulled out his wand immediately, but before he could say anything, the visitor lowered the wand.
"Relax, Harry Potter. I will not harm you." It took Harry a couple of seconds to get over the shock of the moment- he hadn't had an adrenaline rush like this in ages.
"Kingsly," Ron said, putting his own wand away. "You gave us a scare."
"My apologies, gentlemen, but I was just showing you that just because Voldemort has gone, does not mean you should let your guard down. You never once asked to see who I was," he scolded Harry.
Harry blushed slightly, but honestly, how was he to know he was about to get attacked in his own home by the minister of magic?
"So did you have another reason for your call, or are you just going door to door attacking people?" he asked, still not quite over the moment.
"I did not attack you. I merely showed you that you need to show more caution," Kingsly said in his smooth voice. "But I do have a more important reason for my visit. Maybe we should sit down for this." Harry led them into the living room, now free of all dust, doxies, and couches that bit when sat on. Kingsly pulled out a long, thin box from a bag Harry had not noticed before.
"As you both know, we have searched every place we believed Voldemort to have been in the last three years. When we were searching Malfoy Manor, we found this." At this point, he opened up the box, revealing a wand. Ron looked thoroughly unimpressed, obviously expecting much more, but Harry recognized the wand.
"That's his wand, isn't it?" he asked, almost in a whisper.
"Yes, Ollivander recognized it the second we brought it to him. At first he wanted to examine it, but he said that the wand has done too much damage for him to want to touch."
"Well, that doesn't make any sense," Ron said. "The wand didn't do the damage, You-Know-Who did. Why would he not want to touch the wand?"
"Wands have souls, really," Harry said, thinking back to his discussion with Dumbledore about the wands. "It was able to recognize me, which was why Voldemort wasn't able to kill me with it, we shared a core. The wand knew that."
"And that is exactly why Ollivander suggested you should have the wand," Kingsly said.
"Me?" Harry said, surprised.
"Normally, something like this would be kept at the ministry, but it is up to you, Harry. You are the one who defeated him. The wand shares a core with your own. You don't have to keep it if you don't want to, but we are giving you the choice."
Harry looked down at the wand in the box Kingsly was holding. This was the wand that killed his parents, that had killed Cedric Diggory, that he had seen do so many terrible things. Why would he want something like that anywhere near him? Yet something told him he would regret it if he didn't have it.
"I'll take it," he said, holding out his hand.
"Good, I'm glad. Then I will take my leave," Kingsly said, standing up. "One last thing; be careful with it. No one has touched the wand itself since Voldemort last used it. Even Ollivander didn't want to get to near it. Don't leave it lying around where anyone," his eyes seemed to drift towards Ron, "can get to it."
"I'll be careful with it," Harry promised.
"You should, you know as well as I do, that wand is one of the most powerful in the world," and with that, Kingsly was gone.
"Please, what do you think he would say if he knew we had the Elder wand hidden under your bed?" Ron scoffed.
Later on that night, Harry was lying on his bed, looking at the case in front of him. Voldemort hadn't used his wand in the months before his death- right when he realized that the wand could not harm Harry. After that, Voldemort's wand had disappeared, at least as far as Harry knew. Judging by the fear most people had of the wand, it was very likely that it hadn't been touched in the time that it was gone from sight. He could be the first one to touch the actual wand since Voldemort in Malfoy Manor.
The thought sent chills down his spine.
He stood, and picked up the wand, and sudden warmth spread through his fingers. He was reminded of the first time he picked his own wand, and he wondered if the wand was confused of the owner, but then the warmth spread- all over. And it turned hotter. He couldn't take it, he dropped the wand to the floor, but the heat stayed in him. It became too much for him, and he screamed, and dropped to the floor.
A/N Just in case this looks familiar to anyone, I'm basing it off my favorite episode of "Teen Titans." This is my disclaimer saying I don't own either, and am only writing this in tribute to an awesome episode. So, R&R please!