A/N Final chapter for year two. Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed the story.

Ch. 16

The portkey deposited the group in a heap on the floor of the Hospital Wing. "My God, what happened?" Headmaster Foote asked.

"It's a long story Headmaster and first I need to get Harry settled and people looking at him." Amelia floated Harry over to a Hospital bed where she laid him down with Madam Pomfrey immediately going to work waving her wand over him running diagnostics. Susan sat in a chair by his bed and watched the Healer run through her spells. Amelia stood behind her with a reassuring hand on Susan's shoulder.

"He is beyond my skills Amelia; I need to call in some specialists from Saint Mungos. He isn't in any immediate danger though and all vital signs are strong. He seems to be in some sort of a comma but something is wrong in his mind." She moved over to the fireplace and after a pinch of floo turned the flames green she stuck her head in. After a few minutes she removed it and walked back to the waiting crowd. "They will be here soon."

"Perhaps while we wait, you can tell us what happened?" asked Headmaster Foote. Susan looked at her aunt worried that Harry would be blamed for the attacks and trying to kill her and Amelia including casting an unforgivable. Her Auntie must have seen her fear in her eyes as she gave a small nod and smile.

"Like I mentioned earlier Headmaster, The culprit took both Susan and Harry into the Chamber of Secrets. The person behind the attacks was Lord Voldemort. He was also responsible for opening the attacks fifty years ago using a Basilisk to attack students. His plan was to draw Susan, Harry and myself down to the chamber to perform a ritual that would allow him to regain a body. Together, we were able to kill the basilisk and banish Voldemort again but something happened to Harry and he collapsed. We quickly made our way out of the chamber and found my Aurors who gave us the portkey here."

Susan looked at her aunt in amazement. Not once had she lied about what happened down in the chamber. She just made it so they came to the wrong conclusion and leave Harry free from blame. The Professors seemed satisfied with the explanations and moved away to let the newly arrived Healers in to treat Harry.

"Poppy, can I use your Floo?" Amelia asked and received a nod in reply. Susan remained in her seat holding Harry's hand as her aunt moved to the fireplace and the healers moved around Harry. Amelia came back a few minutes later and conjured a seat besides Susan's. She bent over to whisper in her ear. "Don't mention the diary to anyone. I will take care of everything with some people who I am working with." Susan nodded in understanding and returned to her quite vigil over Harry. As she sat there the tears she had been holding back finally broke free and Amelia gathered her in her arms.

"Auntie, what have I done? It's is all my fault, I gave him that damn diary, and did you hear his scream when I stabbed it. What if I caused him to never wake up or if he has permanent brain damage."

"Shsh my child," Amelia whispered. "None of this is your fault. You had no way of knowing this would happen. And as for destroying the diary, well there was nothing else to be done, I could only last a few more minutes and it was the only option." Susan continued to cry in her Aunties arms. She knew she was right. It was the only option available. She just hoped that her friend was going to be alright. "Besides, I suspect when Harry wakes up he will thank you for destroying the diary. I also suspect that he will also feel pretty guilty and will need a lot of help from both of us."

"Madam Bones," the Lead Healer started getting her aunt's attention. "I have good news, some slightly bad news and some questionable news. The good news is that we don't think there will be any permanent damage." The Healer took out his wand and waved it over Harry's head where a 3D projection of a brain appeared. Susan leaned in closer to it to get a better look. It looked like the inside of a thunder storm with white lighting coursing through it intermixed with black tendrils "This is Harry's brain. The white light that you see flashing is his normal synaptic pathways firing sending signals to other parts of his brain. That is normal. The problem though is the black lines that are intermixed throughout his brain. We believe those are the residual traces of dark magic that was infesting his mind. The best we can surmise is that whatever was in his head was forcibly ripped from his mind. The good news is that his magic is healing the damage on its own. His core is severely depleted though and combined with the damage to his mind his body shutdown to conserve strength. We are unsure of how long he will take to wake up but rest assured he will wake up and be as good as new."

Both Susan and Amelia let out relieved breaths at this news. "So that is the good and the somewhat bad news Healer, what is the questionable news?" Amelia asked.

"Well as too that, when running our diagnostics we found something else. It seems that there was a large concentration of the same dark residue in his head that was localized in his scar. It looks like the dark pathways running through his mind were connected to it and when they were for lack of a better term 'ripped' from his mind, it also pulled out whatever was lurking behind his scar. We have no idea what this was or what it was doing in his head, nor what the effects of removing it will be. I'm sorry we can't be any more help with this but I suspect that this is a result of his surviving the Killing Curse as a baby and with him being the only one to do that the information is a little spotty."

Susan sat their stunned. She remember Tom saying something about a piece of himself already lodged in Harry and it helping him poses Harry, could this be what was pulled out and if so, what could this mean for Harry?

"Thank you, for your help. Do you think it would be ok if I took him home to recover?"

"Of course Madam Bones, that would probably be the best place for him. I will need to pop in once a week to monitor his progress and me or one of my colleagues will be just a short floo call away."

After a quick bow the healers packed up their supplies and headed out of the Hospital wing. Seeing the healers leave, the professors returned to Harry's bedside. "Headmaster, the healers say that Harry will recover in time, and I would like to take him home," Amelia declared.

"Of course Amelia, did they give a time frame for his recovery?" the Headmaster asked.

"No, and that brings up another problem. If he is unconscious too long he will not be able to take the end of term exams. If he is out too long, we will have to discuss options, possibly tutoring over summer so he is ready for third year to start."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Miss Granger will be in the same situation. The mandrakes won't be ready for harvest until the end of May and we have been unable to locate a batch that will be ready sooner. Last night, I paid a visit to Miss Granger's parents who are non-magical to inform them about their daughter's condition. Needless to say they were quite worried and after I assured them that there would be no lasting effects and arranging for a time for them to come and visit we discussed the effects on her education. We decided that we will offer private tutoring to her during the summer. On Monday I was going to file for a waiver for Underage Magic Use for her. I think we can work something similar out for Harry."

Susan was relieved that the Headmaster and the Professors were so willing to help both Harry and Hermione catch up. She could imagine Dumbledore just letting the matter drop not even informing the parents that something had happened to their child. "Thank you Headmaster. That would be greatly appreciated. I know Harry will be devastated when he wakes up to find he missed a few months' worth of classes. Poppy if you could also stop by to talk to him, I'm sure this episode is going to cause a remission."

"Of course Amelia," Poppy quickly agreed. "And if it's all right, I'd like to be included in those weekly checks with the Mind Specialists."

"I'm going to take Harry home now and get him settled in his room." Amelia turned to Susan. "Susan can you go and gather Harry's stuff and put them in his trunk. Don't forget to put his journal in his trunk also." Amelia said giving her a significant look.

"Ok Auntie. I will call Puck when his trunk is all ready to go." Susan rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around her unconscious friend using the action to hide giving him a small kiss on his cheek and whispering in his ear to come back to her quickly. She left the hospital wing oblivious to the knowing smiles on the faces of the adults. Susan hurried down to the Hufflepuff Common room feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulder. Harry was going to be ok. It might take a few months but he will be fine. Also her actions seemed to have had the added benefit of ripping out what ever piece of Voldemort was left in him. It was a much happier Susan who entered the common room then who left it.

HC

The rest of the school year passed in a blur for Susan. The weeks following the attack on Hermione were the most chaotic. Word quickly spread that Harry was also unconscious and would not be awake until the end of the term. People automatically assumed that Harry was petrified the same as Hermione and was awaiting the mandrakes to mature enough for the potion. Hannah quickly cornered Susan and asked what the heck happened and if Harry was okay. Susan placated her friend by telling her the same story that her Auntie had told the teachers but quietly promising to tell her the full story over the Easter Holiday when they were back at Bones Manor.

The Hufflepuff Quidditch team was understandably disappointed. Their leading scorer was out for the rest of the year and the reserve chaser just wasn't at the same level as Harry. In the final game of the year they lost by only 10 points as Cedric managed to catch the snitch. Because of this they came in second for the Quidditch Cup

Susan received letters weekly from her Auntie giving her updates on Harry's condition. Two weeks after the attack Susan received a letter letting her know that Amelia's contact in the Department of Mysteries was going to be able to come over to the manor over Easter Break to discuss Harry's condition. The Easter Holidays finally arrived and Hannah was spending the whole break with her at the Manor as her parents were away on a fact finding trip for something for the Wizengamot. The first day of the break found Susan and Hannah anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mr. Croaker. The fireplace roared to life with emerald flames and an older gentleman stepped out and greeted Amelia.

"Amelia, so nice to see you again, I hope you are well. I'm sorry that it has taken so long for us to have this meeting but we have been a little busy lately."

"That's fine Algae, would you like some tea?"

"Yes that would be lovely." Susan and Hannah followed the two adults as they made their way into the sitting room. Susan took her favorite seat as Puck served tea. "Now why don't we start from the beginning," he turned to Susan. "Miss Bones, I believe that this whole thing started with the purchase of a diary correct."

"Yes and no sir. I think the proper place to start would be with Dobby." Susan began to tell the tale starting with the house elf and his warning. She then told about buying the diary. At this, Croaker asked if they could view the memory of her buying the diary. After viewing the memory Amelia turned to Croaker with grimace.

"Did you also see Malfoy in the store watching Susan buy the diary?" at Croaker's nod Amelia continued. "Dobby is owned by the Malfoy family and we were able to determine that whatever was going to happen was going to be caused by Malfoy. The only problem is that this memory alone or the word of a house elf is not going to be enough to do anything. We might know that that basted is responsible for this but as long as Fudge is protecting him I can't touch him without rock solid proof." Susan couldn't help the scowl that formed on her face. The slimy git was going to get away with this and even if they knew he was responsible they couldn't do anything to him.

"Unfortunately you are correct Madam Bones. But at least we know and can keep a closer eye on him. Please continue with the story Miss Bones."

Susan nodded and continued with her tale. When she got to the end she just volunteered to show the memory of what happened in the Chamber this time Hannah joined them in the Pensive. When they all returned Croaker had a large smile on his face.

"This is the final piece of the puzzle. We have been working for almost a year to figure out why Voldemort didn't die on Halloween. Now we know he has made what are called Horcruxes. They are soul containers that when the body dies the soul remains. The wizard can then perform a Dark ritual that will return his soul to a body or poses others such as he did with Quirrell. Do you have the diary still?" Susan nodded and handed Croaker the diary. He set it on the table and waved his wand over it in complicated patterns. Numerous runes appeared over them and his smile broadened. "With this diary we will be able to not only determine how many he has made but also track the rest of them down. I am unsure though if we will be able to banish him fully in his current state. Now as too Harry's scar, after watching the memory and reading the reports from the healers, I think that there was a small piece of Voldemort's soul in Harry. The Dark Lord was most likely intending to use Harry's death to make another of these vile creations. The ritual is a two part process and the first part prepares the soul to be split and second infuses it into something. It is my guess that Voldemort performed the first half of the ritual before attacking the Potters and with his soul so far damaged when the curse rebounded at his soul split and latched on to the only living thing in the room. Voldemort was unable to complete the ritual sealing the soul fragment so it remained separate from Harry. This saved Harry from the soul fragment from taking over Harry, but it did leach off his magic. I'm not sure what the effects will be on his magic until he wakes up though."

When the explanations were complete Susan and Hannah left leaving Croaker and Amelia to plan the best way to take care of the remaining Horcruxes and what they would tell the public. They decided on a joint operation consisting of a few Unspeakables and a small group of highly trusted Aurors along with Remus and Sirius.

HC

A lone owl flew into a small cabin in the Scottish Highlands clutching the Daily Prophet in its talons. After depositing its payload and receiving its payment it took off and flew away. Albus Dumbledore unfurled the paper hoping that this held the news he was waiting for. The Easter Holidays should just be ending and events should be coming to a head by now and people would be calling for his help. He was a little surprised that he had not received any news from Severus about the attacks at the school but he had not seen the Potion Master since the summer.

There also didn't seem to be any mention of students having been attacked in the paper. This didn't concern him too much though. If he was still in his rightful place at the school no one would ever know that something was happening. Smiling to himself that soon they would be calling for his help he unrolled the newspaper and sat down to read it while sucking on a lemon drop. His shock at reading the headline on the front page nearly made him choke on his lemon drop if not for a firm thump on his chest.

Students Attacked at Hogwarts: Suspect Stopped

Dumbledore quickly read through the article telling the readers that the attack happened a few weeks ago but at the request of the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement and the Headmaster of the School that the Prophet hold off on reporting until the families of the students attacked could be notified and ensured of their children's safety. The article went on to report that the suspect had been stopped and inspections of the school would be continuing for the remainder of the year to ensure that the attacks had truly been stopped. The headmaster was even quoted as inviting concerned parents to make an appointment with him if they felt the need to discuss the safety of their children. Lucius Malfoy was also quoted trying to place the blame on Headmaster Foote but the rest of the Governors praised his openness and his quick response to the situation.

Dumbledore threw the paper on the table and drew his wand. A quick flick and the paper erupted in flames. His plan was ruined, no mention of the Bones girl or any mention at all of who was the one attacking. Not only had he not been able to get Bones's claws out of the boy, the problem was solved without his involvement. Albus fumed for a few more minutes at the injustice of it all. He was Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard since Merlin himself. Why couldn't people just do what they were supposed to do for the Greater Good? After his rant had run out of steam he sat down with a new lemon drop to plan out what to do. There were three things that needed to happen. He needed Voldemort to regain his body. He then needed Voldemort to kill the Potter boy. Then he could stop Tom and once again be regarded as the greatest wizard in the world again, but to do that he needed a plan. Albus remembered that just before he was forced to flee there was talk of starting up an old completion, yes that could be used to draw Tom out of hiding again. He just needed someone to help him. Rising from his chair he started to pace the room planning for Harry Potter's demise and his return to glory.

A/N and so ends year two. In the next book we will be moving away from Hogwarts and the story will follow Amelia and Croakers work to find the Horcruxes with few side stories at Hogwarts.