Summary: After Voldemort's defeat, Harry receives a letter from Dumbledore which has some shocking revelations. With help from an unlikely source, Harry sets out on yet another adventure. An adventure which has some revelations of its own. With a newfound friendship and romance, Harry's life is set to turn upside down. Mainly canon but with a few twists and certain characters still alive.

Other Pairings: Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Pansy, mentions of Seamus/Dean, past Harry/Ginny, past Severus/OFC, past James/Lily, Severus/Regulus, past Remus/Tonks, Sirius/Remus

Warnings: swearing, OCs, not epilogue compliant

Disclaimer: Everything recognisable belongs to J. K Rowling. I only own the plot and any OCs which may appear. The bit in italics at the beginning is taken directly out of Chapter Thirty-Six of the seventh book, which means that I don't own it.

Prologue

All around the walls, the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were giving him a standing ovation; they waved their hats and in some cases their wigs, they reached through their frames to grip each other's hands; they danced up and down on the chairs in which they had been painted; Dilys Derwent sobbed unashamedly, Dexter Fortescue was waving his ear-trumpet; and Phineas Nigellus called, in his high, reedy voice, 'And let it be noted that Slytherin house played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!' But Harry had eyes only for the man who stood in the largest portrait directly behind the Headmaster's chair. Tears were sliding down from behind the half-moon spectacles into the long silver beard, and the pride and the gratitude emanating from him filled Harry with the same balm as phoenix song.

At last, Harry held up his hands, and the portraits fell respectfully silent, beaming and mopping their eyes and waiting eagerly for him to speak. He directed his words at Dumbledore, however, and chose them with enormous care. Exhausted and bleary-eyed though he was, he must make one last effort, seeking one last piece of advice.

'The thing that was hidden in the Snitch,' he began, 'I dropped it in the Forest. I don't know exactly where, but I'm not going to go looking for it again. Do you agree?'

'My dear boy, I do,' said Dumbledore, while his fellow pictures looked confused and curious. 'A wise and courageous decision, but no less than I would have expected of you. Does anyone else know where it fell?'

'No one,' said Harry, and Dumbledore nodded his satisfaction.

'I'm going to keep Ignotus's present, though,' said Harry, and Dumbledore beamed.

'But of course, Harry, it is yours forever, until you pass it on!'

'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 had said that they could not be repaired, that the damage was too severe. All 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 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 Harry headed towards the exit, Dumbledore's voice stopped him, 'Harry, there's one more thing before you go.'

'Professor?' Harry wearily turned back to face Dumbledore's portrait.

'Go to the bottom drawer of the Headmaster's desk. In it there is a letter,' Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling like they always did when he knew something others did not.

Harry, curious, went over to the desk and opened the bottom drawer, only to see an envelope addressed to him. He reached in and pulled it out, closing the drawer again. He made to open it, only to be stopped by Dumbledore's voice, 'Not now, Harry. Wait until you are alone."

Harry, exhausted, chose not to argue with the former Headmaster and just accepted his words, wondering what the letter could possibly be about. He noticed that the emerald writing on the envelope belonged to Dumbledore, and wondered what was inside that Dumbledore could not tell him now.

He nodded slightly, and pocketed the letter, before going up to his four-poster bed for a well-earned sleep.

Harry woke up in the early hours of the next morning. Remembering the letter from the previous night, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and the letter, and headed out through the common room, looking for a quiet place to read it.

About a quarter of an hour later, Harry found himself in the Astronomy Tower. Throwing off the cloak, he went to sit on the ledge, resting his back against the wall and bringing his legs up onto the ledge in front of him.

He gently slid the envelope open and took the letter out, unfolding it. The words on the parchment he held shocked him to his core, and he had to re-read it several times before it finally sunk in. Even then he hardly believed it.

They were alive.

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