The World's Most Epic Chess Game Ever

Author's Note: While this story is probably NOT what J. K. Rowling intended, The Elder Wand plot point to be, it's funnier than her ending. I'm just saying.

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. If I were J. K. Rowling, I would have answered all of these questions in this story. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter.

"Check," Ron Weasley said grinning. It had been exactly 38 hours since The Battle of Hogwarts and what were two of the wizarding world's most famous seventeen-year-olds (Harry Potter and Ron Weasley) doing at the current moment in time? Playing Wizard's Chess in the Gryffindor Common Room. Because that's what Ron Weasley does. He defeats people at chess.

Harry growled. He moved a pawn hoping that his move had worked. It had succeeded in blocking Ron's queen from getting to his king, but it had only made it possible for Ron's knight to take his king.

"Checkmate," Ron said grinning at Harry. Harry scowled. "What to play again?" Ron asked.

"Not really," Harry said as he put away the chess set. He pushed his glasses up on his nose a little further and they snapped in half. "You've got to be kidding me," he said examining the two pieces (he had to hold them up really close to his face). He shrugged. "Well, I've had these for a while now." He picked up one of his wands that was sitting on the table (he had yet to return the Elder Wand and was keeping it with him at all times). Oddly enough, he didn't feel the usual warmth that he felt when he picked up his wand. Harry held up closer his wand to his face and realized that he'd picked up The Elder Wand by mistake. This didn't bother him as he was the master of The Elder Wand. He tapped his glasses with the wand. The pieces came together and immediately fell apart. He looked up at Hermione who was lounging on the couch, read Hogwarts, A History. "Um, Hermione?"

"What?" she asked not looking up from her book.

"The Elder Wand's not working for me."

She looked up, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I tried to fix my glasses and it didn't work." This statement reminded him that the world was still blurry. He picked up his Holly wand, tapped his glasses, and immediately they were as good as new. "The other ones work for me," he said.

"Well, think, has anyone defeated you in the last 38 hours?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

Harry grinned. "Just Ron at Wizard's Chess, but I don't think….Ron!" Harry said suddenly.

Harry and Hermione turned to stare at Ron who was looking oblivious. "What?"

"Try using this wand," he said, handing The Elder Wand to a very confused looking Ron.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked sounding nervous.

"I don't know, Lumos, Wingardium Leviosa , anything!"

"Um, okay. Lumos!" Ron said loud and clear. To everyone in the room's great shock, his wand lit up brighter than the fireplace and every candle in the room put together. "Um, does that mean that….?"

"You're the new master of The Elder Wand?" Hermione finished for him. "Yeah, I think it does."

Ron was speechless. He stared at the wand in his hand. He almost forgot to feel proud of himself. Almost.

"Well, now I guess that means that I don't have to worry about it," Harry said breaking the silence. He leaned back against an armchair (he and Ron had been sitting on the floor) and folded his hands behind his head.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked never removing his eyes from the wand.

"Well, in order for the wand to lose its powers, I would have to die a natural death. Now, it doesn't matter how I die. It's not my problem anymore," Harry grinned.

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I always wandered about that."

"What?" Harry asked as Ron continued to stare at his wand with his mouth open.

"Well, what is considered a natural death? If you were say, mauled by a bear, would the wand then lose its powers?" she asked.

"Mauled by a bear?" he repeated blankly.

"I'm not saying I hope it happens!" Hermione said quickly. "It's just, the bear would have killed you, so would that make it the new master of the wand?"

Harry wasn't sure how to respond so he just let Hermione continue.

"Or if a muggle killed you. Would the muggle become the new master of the wand?"

"I think I understand where you're getting at," Harry said slowly. "If I died from a disease, would that make the germs that caused in the new master? And if so, would the doctor or Healer who found the cure become the new master?"

"Exactly!" Hermione said just before she thought what Ron was about to voice.

"You realize that all you did was find more questions that will remain unanswered because Dumbledore didn't feel the need to bother telling Harry this information that we might just have been interested in knowing?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Oh, well. Who really cares anyway? It's not my problem anymore."

XXX

"I'm going to sign up for Auror training," Harry said at the end of summer. He, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were all sitting in the living room of the Burrow discussing their plans for the future.

"So am I," Ron said.

"Ron, you can't!" Hermione shouted.

"Why not?" Ron asked.

"You're the master of The Elder Wand, and you're going to pick the most dangerous job possible for your career?" she asked him with her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, good point," Ron said, his shoulders slumping. "That is sort of a stupid idea."

"I still don't get how you became the master of The Elder Wand," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"I already told you," he snapped. "I beat Harry at a chess game!"

"It's really that easy to defeat the master of the wand?" Ginny asked, disbelieving.

"Apparently so," Harry said, grinning.

"You know, if it's that easy, I'm sure Harry could become the master of The Elder Wand again," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked slightly hurt at the same time as Harry, "I don't want to have to deal with that!"

"Well, if you two didn't work together, I'm sure that you could just trade off the wand and so when one of you was on an Auror mission, the other could be the master of the Elder Wand," she said slowly.

"That's a good idea," Ginny jumped in. "Ron could just beat Harry at chess and Harry could….beat him at quidditch? They could just both play seeker, I guess."

"That's a good idea," Harry said catching on.

This is why, no matter what time of year it is, Harry and Ron beat each other at quidditch (outside) and chess just so that the other can go to work.

Author's Note: While, yes, I came up with the majority of this story, my sister is the one who came up with the idea of Harry and Ron switching off The Elder Wand.