A/N Thank you all for sticking with me. Sorry for the long delay in updating. I will try to make updates more frequent for later chapters.

Ch. 4

Susan and Harry were sitting in the library with Amelia. She had just finished reading the letter from Harry's parents with a frown marring her face. "I don't understand why James and Lily didn't force Dumbledore to tell them the prophecy. They were usually so level headed and Lily was never one to not get all the information before making a decision." Amelia sat back and appeared to be thinking for a few minutes rubbing her temples. "I guess when you learn your family is in danger you to tend to panic and make rash decisions. Besides both of them were part of Dumbledore's little bird club and had no reason not to take him on faith. I can't say that given the same situation I wouldn't do the same thing."

"What do you think Auntie?" Susan asked. "Could there really be a prophecy about Harry or do you think Dumbledore lied about that also?"

"I think there is one. Dumbledore seemed to have a good reason in his mind to doing all that he was doing." Amelia got up from her chair and moved to the fireplace. Taking a pinch of floo powder and throwing it into the flames she poked her head in. Susan couldn't hear who Auntie was talking to so the kids just waited. After a few minutes later Amelia pulled her head out of the fire and returned to her seat. "I was just talking to my friend in the Department of Mysteries. He wasn't able to tell me much only confirm that there is a prophecy that applies to Harry and that we can come by tomorrow to hear it. He will also take the opportunity to talk to you about what happened at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded at this and Susan could tell that he was not looking forward to what this prophecy had in store for him. She reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze in support. He looked over at her and gave her a slight appreciative smile. "Whatever it says Harry we will get through it together."

"Thanks you two. I don't know what I would do without you two." Together they sat in the library a few more minutes enjoying each other's company each lost in their own thoughts. A slight pop broke them out of their thoughts as Puck appeared in the library.

"Mistress Amelia, something is wrong with the wards. I can feel a foreign magic laced through the wards. Not wizard magic, I think it is another House Elf magic." Amelia shot to her feet and walked over to the large window. She pulled out her wand and did a complicated wave and muttered a spell. To Susan's eyes nothing seemed to happen but Amelia seemed to be studying something outside with a thoughtful look.

"Your right Puck, there is some sort of overlay on the wards. I can't tell what its purpose is but it is definitely not wizard magic." A few more waves of her wand and she nodded in satisfaction. "Their, that should take care of it." She turned back to Puck. "Puck, keep an eye out for any sign of another house elf coming anywhere near the Manor. If he turns up, bring him to me but do not hurt him." The little house elf nodded her understanding and popped away.

"Auntie what was that all about, what was that spell you used?" Harry asked curiously.

"I cast a spell that allowed me to see the wards that are on the Manor. Since I am the one who controls the wards, I am able to see them easily, if you are examining any other wards, you will still be able to see them, just not as clearly or as detailed. It takes practice and experience to be able to work on wards placed and controlled by other people. Come over here and I will show you. I can cast the spell on you and you will be able to see them."

Harry got up eagerly and joined Amelia at the window followed quickly by Susan. "Ok, watch carefully. This is the basic ward reviling spell. Protector Revelio." She waved her wand in front of Harry and then repeated it on Susan. With the spell cast Susan looked out the window and was amazed to see a dome of light interlaced with multiple colors that seemed to crisscross each other creating a net of sorts. "Ok you two should now be able to see the wards that protect the Manor. They are quite bright laced with many different colors. This is an indicator of the strength of the wards. The different color lines are different protections." She pointed towards a purple line. "That one is an anti-portkey ward that only allows portkeys that I make to pass through the wards." She pointed to a florescent orange line. "And that one makes this place unplotable."

Amelia spent another few minutes pointing out the different protections the manor had until she noticed Susan trying to stifle a yawn. "Ok you two. Off to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." The two kids marched up to their rooms and went to sleep.

SH

The next morning the little family took the floo to the Ministry of Magic. Harry again was wearing a hat and walking between Susan and Amelia. Amelia was able to use her credentials to get them through security quickly and they entered an elevator. When they reached the lowest level a man that Susan had only seen a few times was waiting for them.

"Amelia, I'm glad you were able to come this morning." He turned to Susan and Harry, "And Miss Bones and Mr. Potter, allow me to introduce myself. Algie Crocker, Head Unspeakable." He shook both the kids' hands. "Now if you would just follow me we have much to discuss today." He led them down the hall and through a plain door into a circular room with doors along the edge. They stopped in the middle and the doors rotated around. When they stopped Croaker took them though another door. Susan felt her eyes go wide as they walked through a room full of time turners. She stopped to watch an hour glass that held a bird that would hatch from an egg and transform into bird then back to the egg. Croaker cleared his throat to get her attention and they moved and into a dark room full of shelves with what looked like snow globes sitting on them.

"This is the Hall of Prophecies. This room holds all the prophecies that are made in the U.K." They walked down long rows of shelves coming to a stop in front of a dusty globe. The label underneath the globe read

SPT to APWBD

Dark Lord

And (?) Harry Potter

"This is the prophecy that was made about you Mr. Potter; only people who the prophecy is about can remove it. If you could just reach up and take it." Harry took the small globe off the shelf and held it in his hand. The small ball looked like spun glass and had a slight glow to it as he held it in his hand. "Excellent. If you can follow me we have a room prepared for you to listen to it." Again Croaker led the group out of the room and led them into a small conference room with a small pedestal on the table. "Place the orb onto the pedestal here and the record will play."

When Harry took his hand off the orb a ghost like image rose up. It was the image of a women draped in many shawls and necklaces with large glasses that magnified her eyes. In an eerie harsh voice she intoned,

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."

After the image of the women sank down into the orb the group sat in silence. Susan couldn't help but stare at the Orb with an incredulous look on her face. "That was it? That's what Dumbledore has based all his plans on? That was rather vague. What does she mean by 'vanquish', or what is the 'Power he knows not'? I can't believe that Dumbledore did all he did because of this."

"Divination is a tricky subject Miss Bones and you have hit on exactly why. It is so subjective that you can never be sure what the prophecy means if or until it is fulfilled. If I might venture a guess, Dumbledore was interpreting this to mean that only Mr. Potter here is the only one that can kill Voldemort, or that Voldemort cannot be killed for good until Mr. Potter dies. That would explain why Dumbledore was planning on having Mr. Potter die at the hands of the Dark Lord."

"So it's my fault that my parents are dead" Harry said in a quiet voice. "Voldemort must have learned about this prophecy and come after me. Neither of them needed to die."

"Now you just stop that train of thought right there young man." Amelia said in a no nonsense voice. "It is not your fault that that evil bastard came after you and I don't want to hear you saying that." Amelia pulled Harry into a tight hug. "You are in no way at fault for anything that psycho does."

Harry only nodded into Amelia's shoulder to show he understood. Susan brought them back to the matter at hand. "So does that mean that Harry has to fight Voldemort? Or maybe the prophecy was already fulfilled when he survived the first time."

"I don't think so," Said Croaker. "I think the attack on Halloween only revealed who the prophecy pertains too. If you would recall the label had a question mark before Mr. Potter's name. That is because there were two boys would fit the description in the prophecy. But when Voldemort attacked Mr. Potter he left his scar which could be interpreted as 'marked'"

Susan saw Harry's shoulders sag again. "Harry, just because this prophecy says you have to 'vanquish' Voldemort does not mean you have to do it alone."

"She's right Harry; you have a lot of people who can help you. Now with my larger budget I will be able to adequately staff the Auror department. Even if we have to capture Voldemort and let you throw him through the vale that still fulfills the prophecy." Finally Susan saw Harry smile knowing that he was not alone in this fight. "That being said, I still will have Kingsley come over and give you kids some extra defenses lessons." Amelia added.

"I would also like to add," Said Croaker, "that this prophecy does not mean you have to do anything. There are many prophecies in the hall that are never fulfilled. Unfortunately, it seems that the Dark Lord does take this as fact and will probably come after you again. I think Amelia is already taking steps to help prepare you and your friends for this. I would also like to come over and teach you Occlumency Mr. Potter. Watching your memory of your encounter with Voldemort, I saw how you pushed him out of you mind rather forcefully with no training at all. I think that with a little training you can become a master Occlumens. Have you read the book that I gave to Amelia?"
"Yes" replied Harry. "It was fascinating. We have already been practicing some of the meditation techniques that the book recommended."

"Excellent. I will come over Monday evenings if that is agreeable to everyone."

"I think that will work just fine." Amelia said. "Kingsley said he would come over on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the morning."

"Wonderful, now the last thing that I wanted to do while I have you here is get a look at your scar. Amelia said that it was hurting while you were near Voldemort correct?" Harry nodded "Well if you don't mind, I will just use some diagnostic spells to get a reading on it, then my team will study the results and see what we can figure out the reason why that happened and if there is anything that can be done. Amelia says you are learning healing so pay close attention as these are some rather interesting diagnostic spells."

Croaker pulled out his wand and waved it in front of Harry's face mumbling incantations. As he was working, a black glow appeared over Harry's scar. Harry's scar was outlined in the deepest of blacks that seemed to suck all light around it in deepening the blackness. Susan could see the worry on Croakers face and new something wasn't right.

"I have never seen or heard of any curse scar acting like that. There is something black and evil lodged into it that hasn't diminished at all in the last 11 years. This will take some time to research and figure out what can be done about it."

Croaker seemed to be lost in thought as he contemplated Harry's scar. "Well, I think that is all for today Algie, I will take these two home. They have had a long day and I think a little swimming is in order for both of them." Amelia said shooting a smile to Susan who smiled at the idea of spending the afternoon around the pool.

"Yes of course Amelia. Thank you very much for coming by this morning. Mr. Potter, Miss Bones, it was a pleasure to meet you and I will see you on Monday." The two kids bid Croaker goodbye and left the Department of Mysteries and returned to Bones Manor. For the rest of the day, Susan made it her mission to keep Harry distracted and from brooding. They swam together and just lounged around the pool. When she would see him start to dwell on the prophecy she would come up with a new game or topic of conversation to help distract him. That night before going to bed Harry stopped Susan at her door.

"Suzy, I just wanted to thank you for keeping my mind of the prophecy." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug. "I just want you to know how much I appreciate it and I don't know what I would do without you."

Susan returned the hug with just as much force. "No problem Harry, what are best friends for." Then summing up all her courage she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Quickly before he could react she released the hug and ducked into her room shutting the door. She leaned against the door trying to get her heart under control. She listened as Harry stood at the door for a few minutes and then seemed to shuffle off to his bedroom. She crawled in bed that night with a bright smile on her lips dreaming of a black headed boy with vivid green eyes.

SH

The summer started to fall into a sort of routine. Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays would be spent training with Kingsley in the morning. Hannah and Neville would floo over and the four kids would go through physical conditioning followed by spell practice. Due to their young age, they were not able to start on any of the advance magic that they were hoping for. Instead they focused on avoiding spells, disarming, stunning, and shielding. Kingsley explained that because their cores were not stabilized yet they were limited in the spells they could learn. Kingsley would also have them try to think on their feet using spells that they already know to help them in a fight.

"I want you kids to remember that just because a spell is not a jinx or a curse does not mean it can't be used in a fight." Kingsley explained in his calm tone.

Remembering the troll instance from their first year Susan piped up, "That's how we beet that troll remember? I used a levitation spell on his club to knock him out."

"That's precisely what I'm talking about Susan that is a prime example of a creative use of spells during a fight. Both charms and Transfiguration are widely used in dueling. Harry, your father was brilliant at transfiguration. I saw him in a fight one time take out three Death Eaters by transfiguring things around him. It can also be useful in defending. Transfiguring objects into things that can block unfriendly spells. This, plus dodging the only defense against the killing curse. For the rest of the day, I want you four to practice transfiguring objects into larger solid objects." Kingsley pulled out a bag of pebbles and spread them around the room. "It is easier if we start with stone to stone." He demonstrated the wand movement and incantation. The four kids practiced it together for the rest of the day.

As the summer progressed so did their training. Susan seemed to be the best at using transfiguration in their dueling practice while Harry was the best in adapting charms to the fight. On Monday evenings, Croaker would come over and work on their Occlumency. It started slow with meditation but as they got the hang of that they started to work on their barriers. Amelia would help out with the practice and in no time both children had the beginnings of mental shields. On weekends, Amelia, Susan and Harry would go on outings sometimes accompanied by Hannah or Neville. They hit the major tourist spots in London and other hot spots around the U.K. Sometimes, Kingsley would come over and spend some time with Harry taking him to Quidditch matches or football matches. Harry always came back with a smile on his face and would give Susan a play by play of the games. She was more interested in sitting with her friend and seeing the happy smile on his face then what actually happened at the games.

Kingsley also gave the kids flying lessons on some of the old brooms at the Manor. Harry was a natural on a broom and Susan would watch him as he would pull death-defying stunts and dives that seemed so easy for him to pull off. He seemed so natural on the broom that it looked like an extension of his own body. The three of them would also play catch with a Quaffle. Harry seemed to be rather good at handling the large red ball. He had quick hands and good hand eye coordination. Harry confided in Susan one day that he was hoping to make the Quidditch team this year as a chaser. He explained that after watching the games that he would have more fun being a chaser then a seeker.

"The Seeker is an important role, but I think I would get bored just circling the pitch for the majority of the game."

Susan smiled at her friend and promised to help him practice over the summer whenever they had the time.

The other days of the week were spent playing around in the pool at Bones Manor or sunbathing on the beach at the Abbott's summer beach house. Harry would also go over to Neville's house to help his friend in the greenhouse leaving the girls to have some girl time. It was on one of these days in late July that found Hannah and Susan sitting on beach towels soaking up the sun.

Susan turned to her other best friend. "Hannah, can I talk to you about something and keep it between us girls?"

"Of course you can Suzy."

"Well," Susan continued nervously. She was having a hard time putting words to how she was feeling. In the last few months her feelings for her other best friend were changing and she wasn't sure what to do about it. "I think I might like Harry."

"Well of course you do. I like him too. He is our best friend after all."

"No, I mean I like like him." Susan's face turned scarlet at finally admitting it. "I dream about him all the time. Nice dreams like out of one of Auntie's romance novels she reads when she thinks no one is looking." The flood gates burst open and all the things that Susan had been thinking came out. "I find myself finding any excuse to hold his hand or give him a hug. I even gave him a kiss on the cheek a few days ago. But what if he doesn't like me back, or what if he sees me as only a sister?"

Hannah smiled at her friend. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised, especially after what you told me you saw in that mirror we found last year. I don't think you have to worry about him not liking you like that. I have seen him glancing at you and I've seen his face when you hug him or hold his hand. My mum says that boys take longer to realize these things then girls. Add that to what his relatives put him through, it might be a little while before he realizes what he feels for you." Both girls scowled at the mention of Harry's relatives. "I would recommend just keep doing what you're doing and see what happens."

Susan nodded deep in thought. 'Auntie had said that boys do mature slower than girls and with Harry's upbringing his emotions are a little bit stunted.' Turning back to her friend, "So what about you Hannah, any boy's out there that have captured your eye?"

Hannah laughed. "No not yet Suzy, we all can't be as lucky to be living with a very fanciable boy." Susan just stuck her tong out at her friend in response.

"Oh another thing, I talked to Auntie, and she agreed to let us have Harry's surprise birthday party at the Manor on the 31st. I thought that since Neville's birthday is the day before, we can have a double party."

"Sounds good, we can use my owl to send out all the invitation and let everyone know it is a surprise for both of them. That way Harry won't get suspicious."

Susan let out a sad sigh. "I doubt he would think anything of it. I don't think he is expecting any kind of celebration for his birthday. His relatives never celebrated his birthday and always gave him more chores and I think a beating but he won't say anything about it."

"Well it's a good thing that he has us now and we will make sure that this is the best birthday he has ever had." The two girls got down to party planning for their two best male friends.

A/N Thanks for reading. Next chapter a certain elf makes his appearance as well as a diary.