Summary: AU as of OOtP and HBP. Harry has learned of the prophecy, and knows what he must do, if not how to do it. However, what he, and everyone else, does not realize is that he will have help. For, deeper within the Hall of Prophecy, where his was smashed, is another, longer one, which speaks of the war brewing within the confines of Wizarding Kind. And it speaks of a Child of Battle coming to help that side which she sees fit…..

Disclaimer: I'm a fangirl. I'm a hobby writer. I'm a High School Senior who should probably doing her homework right about now. If this doesn't tell youI have no affliation with anything even remotely resembling a copyright, then your more worse off then I thought.(In short order, NO I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!)

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It was a hectic night for the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius Black had been saved ultimate death at the hands of his Death Eater cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, nee Black, and the mysterious fluttering veil. But how had he been saved? Not by his godson, Harry Potter, Boy-who-lived. Not by his godson's friends, Ronald and Ginerva Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom, who'd followed Harry. Not by any member of the Order of the Phoenix who'd been there.

No. He'd been saved by a Slytherin orphan named Amber. Amber, who everyone thought Dark and some even believed the heir to the feared Dark Lord Voldemort, had gotten behind Sirius in a flash, had shoved him to the side, and watched him fall…..next to the veil. Amber had gone through herself, and her dog, a mixed breed that went wherever the witch went, jumped through, following her master.

At this, everything froze. Harry's eyes widened as he realized just what occurred. Remus Lupin, werewolf, and Sirius' only remaining best friend, had cursed Bellatrix and moved to Sirius' side before anyone had a chance to blink. The rest of the Order, assembled Death Eaters, and Aurors couldn't move. They were in shock.

Fudge arrived at the exact same moment Voldemort did. Albus Dumbledore came right behind them, and all stared as their individual followers continued to gawk, as Remus continued to fuss over a now recovering Sirius, and Harry finally found it in his system to move and ran towards his only father figure in life.

No one was sure as to what really happened that night. Amber of Slytherin had given herself up for Sirius Black, that much was certain fact. Sirius was arrested upon the Aurors' recovery of leg muscles, but Dumbledore procured, with help from Harry, a trial. Harry and his friends were taken back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry was told the Prophecy. Then he was allowed to join his friends in the Hospital Wing, where Poppy Phomprey looked after them all with sharp eyes and a caring heart.

Sirius Black was declared innocent of all charges and given back his possessions and compensated for the 12 years of wrongful imprisonment. Peter Pettigrew was declared a murderer and a loyal Death Eater, and was proclaimed at large. Anyone with information regarding the traitor was to come to the Ministry immediately. He was an illegal animagus in the shape of a brown rat, with a claw missing from one forepaw.

Harry was allowed to live with Sirius for the rest of his life, and would never have to go back to his magic-hating relatives, the Dursleys. Something he was especially ecstatic about. But then…..

Amber was mourned on the last day of school. Very few really cared, not even her own house. Harry and his friends, however, bowed their heads and mourned for the girl. She had been in Harry's year, and they realized that, without her and her dog being at the Ministry that night, Sirius would be dead. They might not be sitting in the Great Hall, or at least, they would be severally disabled. Maybe blind, maybe deaf. Maybe unable to walk.

Dumbledore, of course, noticed that lack of feeling about this. So, he decided to say a few words on the child they had all overlooked, neglected, and, on some cases, abused.

"Today should, by all means, be a very happy day. The end of another school year. The end of the reign of Delores Umbridge, and the Hogwarts High Inquisitor. The fact that our 5th and 7th years managed to survive their NEWTs and OWLs. Another summer of fun and goofing off."

"A man was freed today, after being 12 years wrongly imprisoned. A plot by the Dark side was foiled. You all survived another year, and more importantly, you have survived Voldemort for another year. There are, among your number, people who you counted as friends, who sit there today, that maybe shouldn't be."

Several people had gasped at the Dark Lord's name, but this little statement got everyone's attention, if the muttering were any indication.

"Yes. There are among your number, 6 students who went to the Ministry to save a man from what they believed was cruel torture. You have all read the papers, and therefore know that the 6 I speak of are Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood."

Everyone turned to look at the 6 witches and wizards, who blushed slightly under the scrutiny.

"You see them before you, eating their meals and chatting about exams with you, no worse for the wear, even though they went up against a dozen of the Dark Lord's followers. What you may not know is that they may have been in a more worse shape then what you see before you if it hadn't been for another student and her devoted pet."

"For you see, Amber of Slytherin and her beloved Stardancer were also at the ministry. They, too, followed Harry and his friends, although they took a more direct route, rather then fly thestrals. It is thanks to Amber and Stardancer's help, given from the shadows the girl so enjoyed, that Mr. Potter and his friends aren't too worse for the wear after going up against a dozen Death Eaters."

"Where one may have killed Ms. Granger with a Dark cutting curse, it only gave her her first battle scar. It should've killed her, and it was intended to, but Stardancer had leapt at the Death Eater responsible, which knocked off his aim, allowing Ms. Granger to escape with her life."

Several people glanced at Hermione, most with questioning glances. Hermione nodded fiercely in agreement with the Headmaster's words. It was true, the Death Eater would've killed her had the mixed breed dog not attacked first.

"Ronald Weasley was attacked by unidentified brains in the Department of Mysteries. They too gave Ron scarring, perhaps even a bit deeper then Ms. Granger's, but it didn't leave him too terribly damaged. Why? Because while the others were too busy with Death Eaters to try and get the brains off, Amber allowed the others to provide distraction while she cursed the brains off herself."

Again, everyone looked at Ron, who also nodded fiercely.

"However these acts are noteworthy, it was the last act that Amber would ever commit that was the real boldness and kindness of the night. Amber of Slytherin saved Sirius Black from certain death by his unfortunate falling through the Veil of the Dept. of Mysteries—only to fall through herself."

Several people gasped at that. Others' eyes widened, and even more people found their jaws on the floor. Amber sacrificed herself for a man who, at the time, was a wanted murderer? A supposed Death Eater?

"Yes, it is true. Stardancer, devoted pet that she had always been to Amber, followed her master before anyone could think of grabbing her. It is because of her that Sirius Black was captured, and because of her that we, that is Harry and I, were allowed to convince that Minister to give him his rightful trail." Dumbledore continued.

"We were allowed to free an innocent man and give him what he truly desires, and give a young boy his own. Harry Potter is now free to live with the only father figure he had ever known in his life, and Sirius Black is now free to raise his godson, whom he sees as a true son, as was his wont. Something that wouldn't have happened had the sacrifice of one overlooked little girl not taken place."

Dumbledore sighed. "Amber was a very mysterious child, I will not deny it. However, perhaps if we had gotten to know her instead of making her feel unwanted, it wouldn't have been so. But no, we labeled her Dark the instant she stepped foot inside these walls and made her life miserable ever since. That was a mistake on all our parts, mine included, and I now truly regret not ever taking Amber in." And indeed, the Headmaster did look like he was very sorry for never making life easier for the girl.

"We know very little about Amber of Slytherin. We know she is 15, an orphan and her parents murdered. We know not about her life before Hogwarts. With this information, we decided it was enough to condemn her as Dark. That was our mistake. The fact that one is an orphan, regardless of House, does not make Dark or Light. It makes one an Orphan, perhaps in need of a family. Amber didn't seem to have any family outside of her beloved dog. Had we not been so blinded by our misplaced prejudice, we might have been willing to offer her what it was that her heart truly desires."

"There was a mirror here at Hogwarts once, the Mirror of Erised, that showed the person in front of it their heart's true desire. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley found it once. Ron saw himself outclassing all his brothers. Harry saw his parents for the first time, not to mention many others in his family tree. I was asked once what I see and I told them I see myself with a pair of socks."

Several people sniggered at this. Dumbledore really was zany at times.

"One has to wonder, if they had come across the mirror themselves, what they would've seen. Would they have seen anything? Or do they believe themselves the happiest person on the planet already, even in their deepest of hearts? Would their heart's desire be to see their family, like Harry? To be better then a sibling or parent, like Ron? Would they have seen themselves content with just a simple object like myself?"

"One may never know what they would see if confronted with the likes of the Mirror of Erised. But one may guess. However, we will never know the secret desires of Amber of Slytherin. Had she found the Mirror of Erised, what was it that she would've seen? Her parents and her, the happy family they undoubtedly were before their murders? To have somebody love her like her parents once had? Or at least to have a friend? Or did Amber see herself a successful career woman, alone save Stardancer?"

"We cared very little for Amber of Slytherin and her dog. Truthfully, we did not care for either or at all. We will never know just what it was Amber would've seen had she found the Mirror of Erised. We will never know just what kind of person she was, because we hated her. And now its too late."

"It's a sad fact that hindsight often takes a jarring event to kick into high gear, so to speak. Sadder still is the fact that we are willing to overlook everything and just be content hating someone till we realize how wrong we were. But the saddest thing is that we never realize how wrong we are till the person has passed on, and it's too late to make amends. So I ask of you now, please remember Amber of Slytherin and her dog. We severely misjudged a young girl, and it took her own sacrifice to set us straight. Do not let a potential friend, ally, die either at your hands or the hands of another, simply because you judged before you got to know them."

"I ask you to not judge a book by it's cover, as the saying goes, and prevent another like Amber from happening. No doubt she saved Sirius, whom she had no reason to believe was innocent of the crimes he was charged for, simply because she noticed that somebody in the crowd cared. Somebody cared for a supposed Death Eater, but not for her, and this is most likely what motivated her to give her own life in return for Sirius'. Please do not let another kill themselves because they noticed that they aren't cared for, and yet another is."

"Please, lift your goblets now in a toast for a wrongfully misjudged young woman and her faithful companion, and please remember Amber of Slytherin and Stardancer whenever you face another individual in much the same predicament as she was. And let us mourn for a young girl who gave her life, for another, simply because the other had people who cared, and she did not."

With these words, Dumbledore lifted his own goblet in toast for Amber, and everyone, even the Slytherins, followed. What the Headmaster said rang with truth, cruel and horrible though it may have been. They had no reason to believe Amber Dark, for nothing made her such. Nothing they knew of, anyway. And the fact that she had sacrificed herself for a supposed Dark Wizard showed that she wasn't what they believed her to be. Nobody Dark ever gave their lives for another, regardless of who it was.

And Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry mourned a young girl who was more then she seemed, more that they never got to know till it was too late.

Camp Pendleton, North Carolina, 1937:

"Alright! Line up!" yelled the sergeant. A young girl with short cropped hair calmly walked to her place in line, solider outfit giving off a sense of belonging, a leather leash held loosely in one hand. Following the leash allowed one to find themselves staring at a mixed breed dog that held the same sense of belonging as the girl, and held the same look. If one dared, one could've gotten close enough to the glinting dog tag on the canine's collar and found the creature was named "Stardancer".

"Troops, allow me to introduce you to your new Veterinary unit. This is First Sergeant Wolvar. Wolvar, this is the 2nd and 3rd dog platoons. Going down the line we have…"

Everyone stood at attention as the sergeant had everybody introduce themselves to the new guy. As well as their assigned dogs, most of them German Shepherds or Doberman Pinschers.

"And here we have our very own solo solider." sneered the sergeant as he and the vet came upon the girl and her dog.

"Solo, sir?" he asked.

"This here is the only female we have in the troops, and she prefers solitude to being with the team. She makes exceptions where she needs to, of course, but it's still there." the other man sneered in response. "Introduce yourself and your charge solider!" he yelled at the young girl.

In response, the child did as commanded.

"Private Amber and Stardancer, Sir!" she yelled back with all military protocol. If one didn't know any better, one would've thought she'd been in the military before….

The vet did not blink, but asked the same couple of questions he'd asked all the others.

"And where are you from? How long you've been in service?" The vet couldn't help noticing that the girl seemed to have a slight accent.

"Originally from Britain, Sir! I've been in the US military for 3 years, bordering 4, Sir!"

"And what kind of dog is Stardancer, if you don't mind my asking?" the other man asked, kneeling down to examine the canine from afar. He wasn't stupid and noticed the deadly gleam in the dog's eyes. He knew he was in for it if he tried for any closer. Even with Amber there.

"She's a mix, Sir!"

"Mix of what exactly?"

"German Shepherd, Grey Wolf, Husky, Collie, and Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Sir!"

"You know the amounts of each ancestry? That's an impressive sheet, by the way."

"Thank you, Sir! Stardancer if Half Wolf and Half Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, with mixes of the rest in-between, Sir!"

"Of course, thank you for informing me of your dog's fascinating bloodlines."

"Just doing my duty, Sir!" Amber answered.

The Vet moved on, still thinking about the strange mix that was Stardancer, and the oddity that was her owner. The all of a sudden the rest of that conversation caught up with him.

"Wait, did she say she was in the US military for 3 years? But she can't be older then 16! And what other militaries has she served under if she felt the need to clarify that she'd been working the US military?"

"What did I tell ya? The oddest of the whole bunch, that one. I've caught her waving a staff/spear-like thing she always carries and saying stuff in different languages on occasion, too. The strange thing is that every time she does, stuff happens. Like magic or something. I don't know about her sometimes, I really don't." answered the sergeant in response to the veterinarian's outburst.

"Very strange indeed…." Agreed the vet thoughtfully.

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There. 7 pages, AND I managed to wait till the end to put an author's note. I had a different version of this written up somewhere on notebook paper, and I decided, eh, why not? Of course, the grammar and spelling thing on Word had to go haywire at all the Harry Potter spellings, which was annoying, and it didn't like my grammar, apparently, but still. And in case your wondering, the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a actual breed, but it's only recognized by the Belgian equivalent of the AKC, (FCI, it's called. Look it up on Wikipedia. In fact, while your there, look up the Czech. Wolfdog too!) so it's little known outside of it's country of origin. Well, I suppose that's all there is for now save for one last thing! Guys….?

Dumbledore: Why did you kill yourself in the first chapter? That's not a very good way to start the story!

Remus /Groans/ Have you gotten to the 2nd part yet? Notice that fact that there was a YOUNG GIRL, and a DOG named AMBER and STARDANCER, respectively? Get a clue Albus, really.

McGonagall: Did Harry and Ron really find the Mirror of Erised their first year and look in it?

Tonks: Do you REALLY yourself holding socks when you look into that mirror Headmaster?

Tom: Socks. Of course. Only Albus Dumbledore would look into a mirror that shows you your heart's desires and see himself holding socks. The man's insane.

Me: Uh, guys, this is getting rather long, WOULD YOU JUST DO YOUR JOB ALREADY!

Cast /Cringes/ Sorry

Fred: Review! Review! And get this psychotic child away from us!

Ginny: Reviews will at least distract her, and if you give her enough, it might distract her long enough for us to get away….

Me: And they make me happy! Very, very happy…..

Cast /sweatdrops/

Please?

Werewolf of Suburbia