AN: No...don't own it. Thanks for all your support in this story. It's helped me decide to step back into continuing to produce more stories. As far as those who do not like this story, no one is forcing you to read it so flaming every chapter does you no good. I mean when I don't like a story...I leave it behind and don't read any more so evidently you like something about the story if you continue to read.
In my experience, continuing to flame writers only leads to less material to read as when our feelings are hurt by a review...we tend to not get in any hurry to put out another chapter or story and is probably why I don't post as much as I used to. Now I know I'm no JK or any other published and polished author since I only do this for fun so if you take away my fun...I'll find something else to do.
So to finish my rant...LOL...I'll paraphrase one of my favorite authors in here. You know him as Sinyk. When I get a particularly bothersome review...imagine a gray-haired 55 year old man giving that reviewer the double bird.
Now on with the story. This one is probably another filler chapter with a little more information coming out.
Chapter 9
The thwarting of the three raids crushed Tom's momentum before it ever really got started and as a result, he had all his minions and creatures camped out at Malfoy Manor until he could figure out a way to go on the offensive again. The problem with this was the Lord and Lady of the house were disillusioned with their master. It started on his revival with the way his insanity ruled his actions now but it grew worse after the Malfoy line was effectively ended in the raid on Amelia Bones. On taking up residence, Tom demanded the Lord's suite of the manor and pushed Lucius and Narcissa into one of the guest suites. While still luxurious, it was still the height of disrespect to treat hosts as such. Along with that, the healing of their son was taking much longer than expected as the wounds were resistant to magical treatment. In fact, until the additional curses that accompanied the initial cutting curses were broken, Draco would remain in his current state which was in his bed in a diaper having to be fed much like he was when he was an infant.
The reality to them was the Malfoy line may be at an end as Narcissa could no longer bear children. It was only luck that Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were not in the blast zone and were able to portkey their wounded comrades back to the manor otherwise, Draco, Greg, Vince, and Pansy would have bled out as Marcus Flint and several others had. For their actions in trying to save their friends, both boys were punished severely by Voldemort for running like cowards and not helping in the fight.
It would take both of them until school started back to recover from Tom's curses and that was only due to the quick thinking of Narcissa. As a thank you for saving her son, the other five teens were whisked away to another Malfoy property so that their mothers could care for them away from Tom's clutches. When they returned to Hogwarts, it would be doing so without most of their comrades. The excitement of being part of the organization their fathers joined died a quick and painful death that night. The lies they'd been led to believe about the superiority of the pure-bloods and their invincibility were exposed and left them feeling numb and disillusioned. If that hadn't killed the fantasy of the glory they would get by being members of the organization, then Tom's torture session surely did.
Most of the parents of Draco's comrades met an end at the house of Amelia Bones. Mr. Parkinson, Crabbe Sr, Goyle Sr, and Blaise's current step-father were all killed in the sitting room at her house as they were the inner circle members surrounding Tom. The raid also saw to the elimination of Peter Pettigrew and Severus Snape. In the previous raids on the mud-bloods, Avery and Mulciber were taken down at the Creevey house. At the Granger raid, Rookwood and Rowle were lost. It was another blow to the younger generation of DE's as their protector at school was now gone.
Of Tom's once feared and powerful inner circle, he had but six members left which included Lucius, Bellatrix, the Lestrange brothers, Nott Sr, and Walden MacNair. There wouldn't be another secret escape from Azkaban as these missing members were dead and not incarcerated. To make it worse, it was all done by two people.
**ALM**
The response from Fudge and Dumbledore was exactly as expected. With three Aurors killed as DE's along with so many upstanding citizens, the Wizengamot was in a uproar primarily stirred up by the two leaders of the government. Even with all the evidence provided, they still tried to make things difficult for Amelia who refused to see reason (in their opinion). She calmly stated that they were all there to kill Susan and herself and they only acted in self defense. She also refused to bring any charges against Moody and his companion for defending them. The neutral faction, led by Jonathan Greengrass, stood in support of the Head of the DMLE and quashed any further action.
The two leaders were upset for different reasons. For Fudge, it was the loss of the gold he was getting for supporting their moves in the legislature. For Albus, well he lost his 'bad' boy and was none too happy about it. He was so upset about Snape's loss that he didn't even send Moody a reprimand for eliminating his spy. Not that it would do any good anyway since they felt Albus and the Order were suitably warned by the last letter Moody sent saying anyone crossing wands with him and his partner would be taken down...hard. It was probably why Severus was trying so hard to get out of there along with the possible confrontation with the off duty Aurors.
**ALM**
Tom took a month to heal and recover. The whole time, he was planning as he had to find a way to get some momentum going in this war if he wanted to realize his dreams of conquest. He debated sending Lucius out on a recruiting mission but held back as the wards would be stronger as long as the Lord of the Manor was present and alive within them. These three failed raids left him feeling extremely vulnerable which was why he was holed up in Malfoy Manor. He was being beaten for the first time and he didn't know how to react. The death of Nagini caused him to question whether she just a casualty of the battle or was his secret out and his special trinkets were being eliminated. He thought he had them all hidden well but when Lucius sacrificed one for one of his schemes, they may have deduced his secret. He gripped his wand tightly as his anger rose once again. Lucius would be getting a special session again for possibly letting his secret out.
Once again, Tom turned his thoughts to his biggest threats. Moody and his partner. Just who was the young wizard who used muggle and magical means to kill his forces? If he didn't know he was dead, Tom would have thought it was Harry Potter with the amount of luck and sheer nerve he had to stand against Tom that way. Even Moody avoided going head to head with him and only did when in the presence of the young man. Amelia Bones and the Greengrasses were on the top of his hit list as well but with them safely behind old family wards, they were currently out of his reach as he no longer had the manpower to mount an attack on them. Even ordering Amelia's assassination in the Ministry would not work as all his agents there were either dead or in prison.
The ward sapper would have helped him achieve his goals but when he sent someone back for it, they found it had been destroyed and there was no way anyone would let him have one as they were too precious to allow another to be destroyed. The sappers were ancient artifacts of which very few remained and those who had them wouldn't part with them as the knowledge to create one was lost to time.
He only had that one because he found out about it through the boasting of his minions. Cormac McLaggen felt he had a leg up on the other new recruits when the Dark Lord personally greeted him and asked to be introduced to his family. The Dark Lord bound Cormac stood in the parlor of his home as he killed Cormac's entire family. Once the deed was done, Tom battered his way past the rudimentary occlumency shields the young man had and found where the sapper was located. After using the Imperio Curse to have Cormac retrieve it, the young man joined his family on the floor of the parlor. Yet another pure-blood line ended at the hands of the Dark Lord.
Tom sat back to consider his options. He knew he didn't have a lot of time to act as his remaining forces would abandon him. The few creatures he did have at his disposal were already taxing his forces abilities at keeping them under control. At best, he thought he had a short window to come up with a plan or he might have to abandon his quest.
**ALM**
A month had passed since Susan went off to Hogwarts and Harry was bouncing off the walls. It didn't help that no word came to them about a meeting of Tom's inner circle as the two warriors were as ready as they could be and growing tired of the waiting. Harry only trained enough now to keep his edge as he didn't want to tire himself out and then have to fight for his life that evening so his magic was feeling like it would burst forth from him. With no word of a meeting, Harry went to help Dobby with the house in Hogsmeade as the progress was slow going with Dobby spending so much time spying on events in Malfoy Manor. The elves at the manor made it a little easier for Dobby as they too wanted the monster out of their master's home.
By October 1st, the outside of the house in Hogsmeade was repaired and restored but it was the inside that needed the most work. The magical concentration of Hogsmeade was enough for Harry to magically work on the house and remain undetected much like he did at Amelia's house. They took it room by room and cleaned, stripped everything down to the bare floors and walls, and then started restoring and redecorating. As most of the woodwork in the house was walnut, they remained true to it and stained, varnished, and shined the wood to give the house a warm yet elegant look. The walls were painted a neutral color for the time being until Susan could give her opinion. Each room offered its own challenges as the house sat empty for so long and all manner of unwanted magical creatures had taken up residence. By the time all that was left of the first floor was the kitchen, Dobby sent Harry away saying he would take care of it as it was in far worse shape than the rest of the first level. Harry would return two days later to find an almost brand new kitchen with a ragged and tired looking Dobby standing in the middle of it.
Harry snickered at Dobby's appearance. "Excellent job Dobby. Why don't you take a day or two off and rest. We can do the upstairs then."
Knowing his master would not relent on his 'order', Dobby popped away secretly glad he could rest some as there had been a fierce battle in the kitchen to reclaim it from several groups of unwanted guests. The battle resulted in most of the kitchen being destroyed which was why it looked almost completely new. Dobby had to replace just about everything in the kitchen including the walls and had just finished putting the final touches on it.
Harry just chuckled as Dobby popped away and moved to the stairwell. Once he crossed the top threshold, all their hard work truly showed as it looked as if he had walked into a different place. The three rooms and a bath were still in their derelict condition. Harry moved forward and began opening one door at a time to see what they had before them. In each case, he shook his head and closed the door quickly. The darkness of the shadows crept him out a little as he heard scurrying in each room. After looking at each room and being revolted at the things growing in the bathroom, he made his way back down the stairs and then back to Moody's place. He could face Tom alone and without fear but that bathroom actually scared him and he wasn't about to tackle any of that without backup.
**ALM**
During this time, the letters continues back and forth between Susan and Harry. Dobby usually carried them so that Hedwig wouldn't see him sending off letters by another owl as she was still not happy about being kept close to Moody's place again now that Susan had returned the Hogwarts. The letters grew more personal and intimate as they continued and both felt they knew the other very well at this point. They still hated being apart but Harry kept Susan pacified by saying he had a surprise for her. Despite her guesses, he wouldn't relent and tell her. Only saying that it was a surprise. The progress of the war was never brought up and Susan couldn't even get a response from her Aunt Amelia about it even though she did deduce that they were working together in some capacity now.
**ALM**
The past month was littered with frustration for Harry as his group encountered setbacks to his plans. The first was Lefty and his team could not find a way to put up a ward over the existing Malfoy wards that would have any effect on environment, time, or personnel including creatures. The Malfoy wards just wouldn't allow anything like that to happen so Tom and his gang were effectively in their own little protective bubble. The only thing they could do was place temporary wards over the existing ones that would block anyone from coming or going out but they would know they were under attack once they went up. The next problem was that no one agreed to Harry's plan as they all saw it as suicide. Amelia was especially vocal as she knew her niece would be infuriated if they allowed Harry to go on this foolhardy quest.
As the meeting continued, Harry quit arguing with his older allies and got quiet. He didn't say much else the rest of the night and once the meeting broke up, Harry excused himself and went to his room. His thoughts were going back to one main point and that was it wouldn't be the first time when he had to act on his own as adults had been hindering him his whole life. The main breaking point was when Amelia refused to release anyone with the Dark Mark to him so that he could get through the wards around Malfoy Manor.
As he thought more about it, he convinced himself that the only way through this obstacle was to capture his own Death Eater and use him as passage through the wards. Under pretense of working on the house, Harry took to ghosting around Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley looking for an opportunity. It was two weeks before one presented itself as he found a low level Death Eater was extorting 'protection' money from several shop owners in the Alley. He wasn't doing it under orders of his master but as a way to obtain drinking money for a night out. So that he wouldn't be caught in the act, Harry waited for the crime to be committed before he took on the Death Eater. He justified not stopping the crime by thinking that it would reduce collateral damage and what was a few galleons compared to ending the threat once and for all. With a pretty good idea of where the Death Eater was heading, Harry made his way to Knockturn Alley and slipped in unnoticed. He moved down the alley just a little until he found a suitable place to wait for his prey.
It took about half an hour before the thug made his way into Knockturn. Once he passed Harry's hiding spot at the beginning of the alley, the thug was disillusioned, stunned, and summoned in the blink of an eye. When the disillusionment was lifted, Harry wasted no time to find out if he had what he needed and ripped his shirt sleeve to find no Dark Mark. With a huff of disappointment, Harry set about covering his tracks. Knowing the seedy nature of the alley, Harry set about making it look like a mugging and took all the coins the man had on him. He conjured a bag for the coins and would banish it into the shop the man hit earlier when he left for the evening.
Leaving the man behind, he moved deeper in to the alley to try and locate another suspect. As had been happening for the last week, he came up empty and moved back out into Diagon Alley and then made his way home. Once he appeared in Moody's house, he was confronted by two adults who sat at the kitchen table.
"Just where have you been laddie?"
Harry walked over to the cold cabinet and pulled out a soda before going and sitting with Lefty and his pops. Once he sat down, he took a deep breath. "Out working on a new plan since the last one was a bust."
Moody asked. "All week?"
"If that's what it takes. Yeah."
Moody and Lefty glanced at each other until Lefty spoke. "Anything you want to share?"
"Not really."
Moody growled out. "I know you're frustrated junior. Hell we all are but we need to work out a plan together."
Harry snorted. "Yeah just like the last one. You know it's always going to have to be me that does it. Despite what I think about prophecies, Tom and Albus forced this one into play. There is NOT going to be a plan we can come up with where any of you will feel like my risk is acceptable."
Lefty could only nod and a few minutes of silence took effect. It was finally broken by Moody. "Amelia contacted me. She says your little Missy is getting worried since she hasn't heard from you in a week. Care to explain?"
"Been busy"
"With what?"
"Plans"
"Are you gonna let us in on these plans?"
Harry sat back in thought. "Only when the time is right."
"And when will that be?"
"Just like I said...when the time is right. So for now, let me get on with what I have to do." With that said, Harry tossed his soda into the trash bin and left the room. The two older men heard him climb the stairs and enter his room before closing the door.
Lefty sat there for a second before picking up his tumbler of firewhiskey and downing it on one go. Once the glass hit the table, Lefty stood. "Thanks for the drink old friend. Just remember...the apple didn't fall far from the tree."
Moody drained his glass and nodded. "I know and that's what worries me."
**ALM**
Harry walked into the room and saw the letters from Susan stacked up on his nightstand. For the last week, he was so wrapped up in figuring out a way to make his plan work that he totally ignored them. After taking off his boots, he sat back against the headboard and began reading. As the letters progressed, he grew more disgusted with himself for ignoring the person who was becoming the most important to him. At first they asked if he was alright and if he had been injured. When he didn't respond, she grew more nervous and even asked Dobby about his well being. When told that Harry was healthy and uninjured, Susan began thinking that he was breaking up with her so that by the time he got to the last letter, he was loathing himself for ignoring her.
He grabbed a piece of parchment and began to write furiously. By the time he was done, he called for Dobby and asked him to take the letter to Susan and make sure it was in her hand before leaving.
When Dobby silently popped in her dorm, Susan was half dressed as she was getting ready for bed. He could see the tear tracks on her face and despite his devotion, was actually angry at Harry for ignoring her and at himself for allowing Harry to do so.
He quietly said. "Mistress"
With an 'eeep' she turned to look at the intruder. Once she saw Dobby, the tears began to fall again. Dobby finally bowed low. "Mistress, Master sends a letter. Dobby blames himself for allowing Master to get lost in his head. Dobby submits himself to Mistress for punishment for allowing this to happen."
Susan huffed. "Like I'm going to let you punish yourself. So in return, you will sit and tell me everything you are allowed to about what's going on and why my boyfriend has been ignoring me. He is still my boyfriend isn't he?"
Dobby nodded. "Dobby suggest Mistress read Master's letter and Dobby will wait and talk with Mistress when she finishes,"
Susan sat on the bed and unfolded the letter and then began to read.
Sue,
I am such a prat and can only apologize for not replying to your letters. In fact, I'm an ass as I didn't even read them until tonight. I have no excuse...not really.
To answer your very last question, NO. I do not want to break up. You've become a big part of my life and I hope that lasts for many years to come. I guess that's mostly the reason for you not hearing from me. I want this to be over so that I can get on with my life. Hopefully with you in it.
Now that I've apologized and calmed your fears, and yes I know this isn't the end of it, I'll try to explain.
I know we know each other pretty well now and you are probably more in tune to my moods than anyone else except maybe Moody. I came up with a plan to end the threat of Tom and his merry men. The adults didn't like it and thought it too risky. Maybe it is...but the fact of the matter is that no matter how it ends, I will be at risk as you and I both know. The way I see it, it is my risk to take if I ever want to have a life.
In the mean time, as my earlier plan was shot down, I came up with a modified version and have been working to put it in place. Yes my plan is risky but I know it will work.
I'm going to ask that you trust me in this and not say anything to anyone. You know I don't have a choice thanks to Tom and Albus.
Please don't read anything into it if you don't hear from me right away. You are always in my thoughts and I guess I'm just pushing so hard for the end so that we can be together and see where this thing between us is going.
I'm starting to ramble so I'll end it here before you realize that I'm an idiot and change your mind
All My Love,
H
She managed a small smile. At least she knew it wasn't over before it could really get started and they could get to the good stuff. His letter was short and direct along with weak in details. What she did glean from it was he had a plan that he thought would work and asked for help. The adults, which probably included her aunt, wouldn't commit to or help him with it because they thought it was too dangerous. She gave a sigh. She wouldn't foolishly think it wasn't but she knew he'd faced some pretty horrendous things in his life and would do as he asked of her and trust him to see it through. The smile returned as she knew nothing would change Harry's mind or his plans. His determination and dedication was one of the things she liked so much about him She also knew that he had faith in his plan and was going to do it anyway with or without help.
She turned to Dobby."What can you tell me?"
"Mistress knows Dobby always watches Master Harry. Master was...consumed by his plan and did not mean to ignore Mistress. Dobby will make sure Master Harry does not do it again. Dobby thinks Master's plan will work and Dobby will be there to make sure Master is safe and escapes. Dobby will not tell even Mistress or Master Whizzy-Eye what Master is planning. Dobby will not take chance that Master's enemies find out."
Susan nodded. "Just keep him safe and bring him back to me."
"Dobby will Mistress. Master Harry only wants to be able to spend time with his lady like everyone else his age."
**ALM**
Another week passed by and Harry was still frustrated and anxious. If Tom followed form, he would once again strike on Halloween and that was coming up fast. Harry's forays into Knockturn Alley and every other place where the darker members of society hung out produced no results. He desperately needed a marked Death Eater to get through those wards and it was evident Tom was keeping them close.
He did learn from his mistakes and made sure Susan had a note from him every day just to let her know he was thinking about her even though he was focusing on the endgame.
The Saturday of that week was a Hogsmeade weekend for the students and Harry was not going to break his promise to Susan that they would spend time together.
When she woke that Saturday morning, there was a note lying on her nightstand. In it, she was asked on date for that day and given an address. She was assured she would be watched over until she was safely inside meaning Dobby would be looking out for her.
She was nervous since she hadn't seen Harry since September 1st and was fretting over what she should wear. She knew Harry preferred her in casual clothes so she chose a pair of tight jeans topped by a form fitting sweater. She kept her hair down because he seemed to be entranced by it at times and wanted all the advantages she could get.
The house was still not complete as Harry's focus was on ending the war or at least part of it. Dobby managed to get part of the upstairs done when he wasn't shadowing Harry and that was usually while he was asleep so it was a good thing that house elves didn't need much sleep. The remaining rooms were sealed off so none of the infestations could escape.
The upstairs hall was cleaned and redecorated along with the bathroom. The bathroom was so bad that he called in some of his elf friends so they could share in the fun. In their exuberance after the battle of the bathroom, the master bedroom was cleaned and stripped down but was not yet decorated. The elves left tired but extremely happy that night.
He fretted for a bit over that but then realized that his Master and Mistress did not need to rush things so the bare bedroom would act as a deterrent he hoped. He would make sure all was ready before Christmas as he was sure the first part of the conflict would be resolved by then. It also helped that his elf friends begged him to let them help with the rest of the house. One of these elves was named Spunky and he was trained as a grounds keeping elf. One look at the overgrown backyard had him begging Dobby to allow him to play out there. With so much going on at the moment, Dobby agreed so that he could focus on protecting Harry, He also knew he couldn't over do it too much if he was to be any help to Harry in stopping Tom.
**ALM**
Neville was waiting a the doors to the Great Hall when they arrived for breakfast. After a quick kiss to Hannah, he made a questioning look towards Susan that only Hannah could see and she just shrugged her shoulders. While it wasn't unusual to dress casually for the trip to Hogsmeade, Susan had taken it further than ever before as she radiated an attractiveness that took the girl next door image to a fantasy inducing state. Many boys were taking a long look at the radiant young woman as she walked to the table with Neville and Hannah. It would cause some problems for them as their dates for the day were rather put out that they were giving another girl their attention.
As they sat down, Neville spoke. "Um Sue...you seem to have over dressed for our walk around the village today."
Susan blushed and looked down while mumbling something. Hannah asked. "What was that?"
"I have a date. He's coming to see me."
Hannah grew excited. "So we'll finally get to meet Mr. Right?"
Susan blushed again. "No. Not today. Maybe soon. He wanted to spend the day with only me. He's got a lot going on and I...wanted him to have a reason to...well for us to stay together."
Hannah gasped. "You sound as if you're going to seduce him."
Susan blushed again. "Geez Hannah. While the thought is tempting...we...I'm not ready for that just yet. We've only been seeing each other for a few months. Plus...I don't want him running away."
Neville snorted. "Looking like that...he won't run."
Hannah was thinking deeply and spoke her thoughts unknowingly. "Running away? Evidently hot...and has Susie all tied up. Only one person ever got that kind of reaction from her...but he's..."
Susan's eyes went wide and she snapped out. "Not funny Hannah Lynn. I don't need to be reminded of that today of all days. I'll make my own way to the village."
She stood abruptly and left a gaping Neville and Hannah. She moved to the end of the Ravenclaw table and sat with Luna. As she plopped down, Luna looked at her with her dreamy look and Susan spoke. "Not you too Luna."
Luna tilted her head the other way and leaned forward. "What's the matter Suuuusie? Hannah hit too close to home? You won't have to hide him much longer and then you'll be the envy of every girl here. I was even thinking of asking you to consider me as a mistress or concubine once you were married. I imagine all the training he's been doing has given him quite a bit of stamina."
Susan blushed bright red. "Stop Luna...please?"
Luna giggled. "I'm sorry Susan. It was just too easy."
They finished their breakfast in silence and when she was done, Susan got up from her seat and headed for the castle doors so she could be prodded by Filch before making her way to the carriages. She still didn't understand why they were searched on the way out of the castle.
**ALM**
Once in Hogsmeade, Susan began walking towards the address she was given. She was heading to a part of the village she never explored before as a student and even though she knew the DE's were less active at the moment, it still made her feel nervous. She quietly whispered "Dobby" before feeling a hand take hers and giving it a little squeeze. She whispered again. "Thank you for watching over me."
She felt another squeeze of her hand before barely hearing, "Dobby always do Miss Susan."
With renewed courage, Susan made her way to the house and was shocked when she saw it looking almost new compared to the houses surrounding it. She made it to the door as it opened and she was pulled into a hug followed by a passionate kiss. She never saw who was kissing her but knew from the lips that were attached to her that it was Harry. With her eyes still closed, she said. "Mmmm...that was some kiss but my boyfriend is supposed to be around here somewhere and I don't think he'd appreciate someone else ravaging my lips like that."
With humor in his voice, Harry replied. "Well...I guess I'll just have to see if I can steal you away from him. After a kiss like that, I don't think I'll be able to resist."
She opened her eyes and saw the object of her fantasies and daydreams standing in front of her with a grin on his face. She looked over his shoulder into the room and then placed a hand on his chest and began pushing him backwards. With his legs against a couch, Susan gave a final shove to place him on it and then straddled his lap. Before either knew it, a half hour had passed by while they were engaged in a needy snog where both tried to show how much they missed the other.
Mid morning found them snuggled together on the same couch as they talked and caught up face to face. They started off by Susan telling him all about life and rumors from school. How much more peaceful it was with Snape gone along with Draco and his butt boys. The only two Slytherin boys left in their year was Nott and Zabini who both looked like they had a massive wake up call over the summer and pretty much stayed to themselves. No one was talking about why the rest of the group were not at school even though Susan knew through Harry.
Harry snorted at her comment. "I imagine being at your Aunt's house that night was an education in the real world for them. Seeing Draco and crew being emasculated was sure to have an effect as they saw they weren't the kings of the world after all. Our intel said both were punished by Tom for trying to help their friends and then they stayed hidden the rest of the summer."
She nodded and then finished with the three girls that were left in their year from Slytherin who were not saying much either even though Susan knew Daphne and Tracey were from neutral houses. In Daphne's case, she was trying to avoid attention from either faction after her father's leap in power in the Wizengamot. Millicent was always a follower and without Pansy, she began following Daphne and Tracey so was no longer an antagonist in the school. Once she was done with Slytherin, she spoke of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and some of the members there along with her suspicions of where they fell in the power struggle within magical England. As she finished with those two houses, she asked. "Do you want to hear about the Lions?"
Harry just shrugged. Susan just smiled sweetly at him. "Well...Neville started seeing Hannah last year. With you being gone and all that went on, he didn't want to spend much time around his housemates anymore."
Harry nodded. "Neville was always the best of us. I know everyone liked to pick on him but I always respected him for his quiet nobility."
Susan kissed his cheek. "He'd be thrilled to hear that. He always thought of you as one of his best friends. He didn't have many and you were always kind to him and took time to listen to what he had to say."
Harry smiled. "Looking back...he was probably the truest friend I had as well. He's probably the only one of the lot of them that I'll have anything to do with when I go back."
Susan smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Good! It'll make things easier since he is dating my best friend."
Harry made a frown at that comment. Susan saw it and rolled her eyes. "She knows she was being an idiot in our fourth year. The first thing she'll probably do is apologize for it. She really is a good person. She was just hung up on Ernie at that point and was following his lead. She at least realized how big of an idiot he was and saw the error of her ways."
Harry held up his hands. "Hey...I promise to treat her as she treats me."
Susan smiled. "That's all I can ask besides...you'll see I'm right."
Harry only nodded. She then thought about what she was talking about. "Let's see...Thomas and Finnegan still think they are God's gift to women and spend most of their time chasing witches. Neville said that when they found out what happened, they started avoiding the Weasleys. Lav and Parvarti are pretty much the same."
Harry shrugged. "So they are just staying out of it like always. Can't say as I blame them."
Susan agreed. "Let's see...Colin still supports you. Especially now. He won't hear a bad word about you and threatened to hex Weasley next time he said something in his presence. His little brother is the same way. Colin lost his crush on Weasellette when she started prancing around trying to get some of the more affluent pure-bloods to notice her but that was only because you weren't there for her to pursue."
Harry shuddered and Susan grinned. "I'll protect you from the little redhead Harry."
Harry laughed. "Yeah but who'll protect me from you?"
She mock pouted at him as he started tickling her which led to more wrestling and then another snog session. When they recovered somewhat, Harry said. "So...you've avoided the other two. Might as well get it over with."
Susan nodded. "She-who-I-will-not-name is on a downward spiral. Her grades are dropping and she seems to be towing the party line."
Harry nodded. "It fits with what I have read about that type of binding. What about the red-headed idiot?"
"Well...with you and Malfoy gone...he seems to think he's the king of the school. Of course it's only in his mind as the rest of the school basically ignores him and treats him like the idiot he is. It's probably why the Weasellette can't secure a long-term relationship as no one wants to deal with him."
Harry sat there quietly for a moment. When he met her eyes, she could see the coldness and determination in them. "You know he's going to pay for what he did to her. All of them will pay for what they did to her."
Susan grabbed his hand. "And I'll be there by your side the whole time. I hope you don't think any less of me and this will probably sound very wrong but in a way I'm kinda grateful for what they did since it gave us a chance."
Harry really didn't know what to say to that. He didn't think any less of her for saying it but he knew that it was true despite the lives that were hurt by those actions. "That's the only good to come out of that whole thing. So...are you ready to get off this couch and take a look around?"
"Sure...so what is this place?"
"Bearclaw bought it for us...I mean me. It's listed as an investment. Dobby and I have been restoring the house as it was in pretty bad shape...well more Dobby than me. I can put it back on the market, use it as rental property, or keep it for personal use...for a few years. At the moment, it's a way for us to see each other and not be seen...if you know what I mean."
"When and why did you buy it?"
Harry chuckled. "The when was the day after you went to Hogwarts and I was feeling pretty raw about not seeing you...not to mention your letter that next morning. The why is because I wanted to have a place for us to see each other."
Susan smirked and poked him in the side making him jump. "So...you bought it because you couldn't stand being away from me? Sounds like you are already whipped?"
Harry could only respond in the most mature manner he could think of. He stuck his tongue out at her and then took her on a tour making sure to avoid the rooms that were not completed yet. He as also grateful that the one clean bedroom was not furnished as with how forward Susan was being, he'd be afraid she'd try to push their relationship forward and while he wanted the same thing, he just didn't think it was a good idea to do that this soon in their relationship. Little did he know that those same thoughts were going through Susan's head.
**ALM**
After a filling lunch served by Dobby, they moved to the secluded backyard and continued their conversations out in the sunshine. For most of the afternoon, they talked about whatever subject came up and just relaxed in each others company while occasionally sharing sweet kisses. As the afternoon approached evening and they both knew Susan would have to get back soon, the kisses became a little more desperate and heated as neither wanted the day to end.
When it became time that Susan would have to leave or miss the carriages, Harry threw on his invisibility cloak and took her hand as they ran for the pick up point. Just as they were about to round the last corner, he abruptly stopped and pulled Susan in his arms where they shared one last kiss.
As they parted, she called back, "Don't get yourself killed but hurry up and finish the bastard. I'd like you here in January."
The only answer she got was the sound of a soft pop as he apparated away from where he was seeing her off. As she climbed in the carriage, she wiped a lone tear from her eye. She hated that they couldn't be together regularly like they had this past summer but appreciated the effort he went through so that they could spend time together. The tears finally stopped when it finally truly dawned on her that he bought a house just so they could spend some time together. If he felt strongly enough about her that he bought a house, she knew that things just may work out. The thought even crossed her mind that if he completed his task, she might have to move things forward a bit and give him a proper reward.
When she made it back to the castle, she went into the Great Hall and proceeded to eat dinner. She let out a sigh as it would have been nice to have dinner together as well. Her mind kept replaying the whole afternoon and it kept a slight smile on her face for the rest of the evening. With a little trepidation, Neville and Hannah joined her when she was about half-way finished.
Hannah quietly said. "Sue...I'm sorry about this morning. It was thoughtless of me."
Neville added. "Yeah Susan...I'm sorry too. I would like to meet this mystery guy one day if he makes you this happy. So...did you have a good day?"
Susan looked up at both of them with her eyes dancing and a broad smile on her face. "The best."
Hannah asked. "Is it serious?"
Susan nodded. "I'm really starting to think so. He did something that showed me how much he likes me. It really took me by surprise."
"Can you tell us about it?"
Susan shook her head. "Not yet...maybe by Christmas but that depends on a lot of things."
Neville asked. "Like what?"
Susan looked away for a second as she thought about how to answer. Finally she just sighed. "I can't really say. He's a really good man so don't worry about me. If it's any consolation...he has my aunt's blessing to date me and you know how protective she is."
Hannah placed her hand on Neville's arm and gave him a slight glare which caused him to back off. Susan knew they were just worried about her as they had been friends since they were little.
**ALM**
When Harry got back to Moody's, he ghosted through the house and headed to his room. He knew it was futile if Moody was in the house as that damned eye would always catch him.
"So Junior...had a good day did you?"
"Yeah pops...it was great."
Moody chuckled. "Just make sure it isn't too great. You'd hate to have Ami coming after you with half her force."
"Sure pops...wouldn't want the Moody reputation with women to land on me. They'd have me categorized like my godfather."
Harry continued his way to his room and as soon as he closed the door, Dobby popped in.
"Master Harry...Spanky and Slappy bes telling Dobby that there's a marked one out of the wards."
"Who?"
"Dobby not know but does know it's not a member of the circle."
"Is the room ready?"
"Yes Master Harry. Dobby prepared it with help of other elves."
"Okay...let me get ready and we'll go grab him."
"Master Harry should rest. Dobby, Spanky, and Slappy can bes taking care of it. Master needs to start preparing for the last fight."
"Are you sure?"
Dobby just nodded. "Okay then...you guys bag the DE and keep your ears open for the meeting."
Dobby just stood there looking at Harry. When Harry noticed, he asked. "Is there something else?"
"Yes Master Harry. Slappy and Spanky bes not wanting to bes paid for helping Master. Theys be wanting Master to bond them like Master did Dobby."
Harry sighed. "I guess Winky as well?"
Dobby nodded.
"Okay...tell them I'll do it but not until this is done. Then you guys can start repairing my family homes."
Dobby gave a large grin. "Theys will all be very happy Master Harry. I promise you theys be good elves just like Dobby."
As Harry undressed and then climbed into bed, he shuddered to think what the basement of the house had been like if the upstairs and kitchen were any indication. He chuckled as he thought that Dobby and his buddies were having the time of their lives battling evil dust bunnies and infestations. If they were having this much fun, maybe he would open a business that restored magical manors and let them have their fun while they made money for the family. He could see the possibilities as a win/win for him as well as the elves. He was sure Bearclaw could put him in contact with the right people.