Yea! Another chapter. And thanks to my reviewer. I hope you like these chapters. Now I'm gonna fast forward a bit, but there will be plenty of mention of what happened during the lost time. In all honesty, it really isn't much, outside of training and surviving. Real entertaining stuff—not. By the way, I'm bringing in two other characters I just happen to like.

Sirius Black was not having a good day. First, he finds himself battling a handful of Death Eaters bent on killing him, and then he and his best friend, werewolf Remus Lupin, end up in the Forest of Lost Souls. The forest that ends your life, regardless of how old you are, because you can't escape. The forest that had claimed his godson's life.

It was November; a couple of months after his beloved godson, Harry Potter, and his classmates had disappeared into this forest. Winter was settling in with biting cold and miserable frost and snow, and Sirius knew that even if Harry and his friends had survived the fall; they wouldn't be alive now, not in this cold.

Sirius blinked back the sudden tears the thought of his godson brought. Sirius still wasn't over Harry, and nearly killed himself in grief if it hadn't been for the Order. The irony that Sirius was to meet the same end as Harry was not lost on him. He could still remember the funerals…

Flashback

It was September 23rd, and Sirius Black was sitting in the last place he wanted to be. It seemed like more then the2 and a half weeks it had been. Only 2 and a half weeks ago, Sirius had lost his only purpose for living, Harry Potter. His godson, who he loved like a son.

Today was his funeral. Sirius was barely acknowledging anything much anymore, not since learning from Albus Dumbledore himself that Harry, his whole class and Ginny and Luna had been seen running into the Forest of Lost Souls with another girl, who turned out to be Amber the Slytherin.

Vaguely, Sirius acknowledged that Molly Weasley was sobbing uncontrollably into her husband's shoulder. Arthur wasn't doing much better. They had lost two kids, Ron and Ginny—their youngest—and they both saw Harry and Hermione as adopted children. It was hard to tell who was more devastated—Sirius or Molly.

The whole Weasley clan had shown up for the funerals, and none were happy. Bill and Charlie were holding on to each other tightly, trying not to cry and failing miserably. A pale-faced Percy sat by himself in a corner, upset and miserable, looking guilty that Ron and Ginny had died thinking that Percy was a git and that he hated the whole family. Even Fred and George looked upset, pale and wide-eyed; obviously trying not to believe what was in front of their eyes.

Augusta Longbottom sat near Neville's empty coffin, bawling like no other in mourning for her grandson. The only one to outclass her tears was Hagrid's own loud tears from where the half-giant was sitting near the back.

The other Gryffindors' families were also there, mourning the loss of their children, or sibling. The only two people who had no one there for them were Amber and Luna. Amber had nobody who remotely cared for her—which Sirius briefly acknowledged was sad in and of itself—and Luna's only living relative was her father, Apollo, who had killed himself a week ago from overworking in an attempt to forget his beloved daughter was dead, just as his beloved wife had been for several years.

Albus Dumbledore led the funeral, saying a few words on each, save Amber, and inviting several people up to talk as well. Sirius barely acknowledged any of this, instead staring blankly at Harry's empty coffin.

Sirius vaguely remembered standing in front of Harry's tombstone, located next to his parents', for a long time before Remus came and gently dragged him away. The last remaining Black had not been the same since.

End Flashback

To make things worse, two Hogwarts Professors, Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall, had been tossed in with them. Minerva was in tears, and apparently the irony of their situation was not lost on her. Snape's face was carefully blank, but he was in fact lost in a memory. The memories of Hogwarts when the group had disappeared.

Flashback

The professors had quickly reported to the station when the Hogwarts Express rolled in, and had them ordered into house groups, lined up by class. Then he and he other heads quickly made sure everything was in order.

Unfortunately for Severus, Filius Flitwick and Minerva, it wasn't. Severus was missing Amber, his most hated member of House, although he himself knew that she was not what they saw her as. He recognized abuse when he saw it, and Amber had been abused, horribly. He was thinking of approaching the girl this year and figuring out just how bad it really was, and how she came to be such.

Filius was missing a single student as well, Luna Lovegood. Luna wasn't well liked either, because of her spacey ways, but at least she had a few friends. Most of them were in Gryffindor.

And they were all missing. Minerva was distraught upon discovering Ginny, a 5th year missing, and even more so when she discovered her entire 6th year class missing too. She was nearly in hysterics, although most students were so shaken up by the attack that they made little notice.

Albus quickly talked with the Aurors to see of they had noticed anything and they had. They had seen a large group of students running from the tracks, dodging a couple of curses and throwing their own back as they went, and disappear into a nearby forest. Albus had paled drastically upon learning this, as did the teachers that heard, including Severus. They knew only one forest the Express had to pass, and that was the Forest of Lost Souls.

If their students had run into there, then they were already too late.

Severus prayed that Amber would find happiness with her parents, as she couldn't find it here. Minerva was given a calming drought to help her through the sorting, and life went on. However, it had drastically changed for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Minerva never got over her students, although neither did Severus or Filius. It was hard going to class or meals, because it reminded them so much of their missing students. A whole place at Gryffindor was empty, where the 6th years usually sat. Luna and Amber's seat were also empty.

Classes were most difficult. Severus would go into double 6th year Potions, and see his Slytherins, but Amber's shadowed corner seat in the far back was empty. So was the half the entire classroom where the Gryffindors normally sat. Severus would turn around at a explosion, ready to verbally abuse Neville or Harry, but found himself facing neither. It had been Crabbe or Goyle or Bulstrode who'd messed up. Neither Harry nor Neville was there to mess up anymore potions. Amber, who usually stayed silent and unnoticed in back, was missed.

Their beds were removed, leaving Gryffindor tower feeling mighty empty, missing a whole dormitory. Severus had stolen Amber's bed and things, and placed them in his room, wanting to remember the abused child who had been heavily misunderstood. Maybe she would've forgiven him if he gave his help. He didn't know, and now it was too late…

End flashback

Severus thought about Amber, and wondered what her final moments in this forest had been like. Had she even been afraid? Or had she simply accepted it, perhaps even welcomed it, waiting to be reunited with the parents that had loved her? The only people who had.

None of the foursome had noticed that they had company, but they did. Hidden in the bushes, staring at them in curiosity, was one of the two people they were thinking about. Amber the Slytherin exchanged glances with Ginny Weasley, and raised an eyebrow in question. Ginny nodded, and Amber made a soft whistle, heard only by they and the surrounding animals, but completely unnoticed by the 4 in the clearing.

A Sarloos and a Jobita came over and looked at Amber curiously. Their mistress made a hand gesture that they knew to understand to mean "Stay down and wait for my signal", and obeyed. Amber nodded at them and Ginny, acknowledging them before creeping up towards the adults currently in the throes of despair.

As it was, Remus heard her coming before the others and stilled. Shushing the ranting Sirius, he watched the bushes around him with wide fearful eyes, expecting an animal. What he got was something he never would have expected in a million years, not even if you had forewarned him.

The adults all gawked when their expected animal turned out to be human. A young girl, no older then the majority of the group that had gotten lost in this forest before them, slowly approached them, looking like a animal that was expecting to be attacked at any moment.

She was tall and lean, but nicely muscled, and had a tan despite the late season. Her hair was long and curly, although it seemed to be a natural thing, as the messy dirty look to it—complete with leaves and twigs stuck within the strands—told the adults that it hadn't seen a bath, at least a real one, for quite some time. Her eyes held a wild look to them that only comes with living in the forest for a long while, and in her left hand there was what appeared to be a small dagger, ready and waiting to be used for any number of purposes.

She was dressed in robes, signifying a magical heritage, although they were torn and ragged, and easily allowed her free movement among the trees and underbrush. She seemed rather part of the scenery, whereas they themselves were out of place. How long she had been living in this forest was unknown, as that look could be gained from having been here 2 months, or her whole life.

And yet, there was a haunted look to those eyes, eyes that were a beautiful ocean color that held more shadows then it should. The strawberry blond hair was not really recognizable, but those eyes were Amber the Slytherin's biggest trademark. And Severus knew it. Which is how Severus Snape found himself staring at what he knew to be Amber herself, the very girl he had been thinking of, approaching him and his companions as she would a wild animal.

"Amber? Is that you? Please say it is." he pleaded. Remus, Sirius and Minerva all looked at him funny, before the name he had called registered. As far as they knew, Severus Snape only knew one Amber, and that Amber was his former student, the one that had been lost, as the others had, to this despicable forest.

"Professor Snape. Professor McGonagall. Master Black and Master…?" the calm emotionless voice, so like Amber's usually was back in school, trailed off in askance, as she obviously did not know Remus. Remus himself answered her unasked question in a voice full of shock and disbelief.

"Remus. Remus Lupin."

"Master Lupin. Welcome to the Forest of Lost Souls. As you obviously already know, I am Amber the Slytherin. Waiting for my signal is Ginny Weasley. Would you like her to join us?" the dead voice only Amber could do so well asked. Severus wanted to murder someone, namely himself. Why didn't he recognize and treat her abuse sooner? She was obviously as healthy as she could get, living in this forest, and with the others, so the abuse had ended, but she still knew of the abuse she had suffered under them, or expected to suffer under them. This was the exact same way she had always acted when forced to interact with anybody outside of the two small stuffed animals that served as a reminder of times when Amber actually knew love and had a happy childhood.

"G-G-Ginny?" squeaked Minerva, tears of joy starting their way down her aging cheeks. Amber nodded, her pose as submissive as it would get after living in the forest had reconditioned her natural body language, and motioned with a single hand. Severus noted that her dagger still remained at ready, although Amber seemed disinclined to use it on them.

The bushes rustled again as a young red head, as lean and muscular as Amber, but a year younger then her, with brown eyes that held the exact same wild look slinked into view. Ginny Weasley had changed drastically, and all it took was a glance at the small knife she held at ready, and the natural way she held her body tense at all times. Gone was the innocent, trusting young Gryffindor bent on crushing on Harry Potter. In her place stood a young warrior that, even with the war raging in a fiery inferno, should not have come about for many more years to come.

Minerva sobbed, although Severus wasn't entirely sure if it was out of joy to see the girl, or if his former Transfiguration professor was upset at the changes wrought in the girl. He himself was seeing changes to Amber, but her abuse was such that she had already done her drastic child-into-war-veteran shift at a far younger age. Amber had never given her trust, had never known love, not since the death of her parents, and Severus knew this. And cursed himself for not helping her when he had the chance.

Sirius looked ready to cry, or fling himself at the two girls' feet as he stared at them.

"Ginny? But if you're still here, does that mean Harry…?" Sirius daren't ask if Harry was alive, as if doing so would jinx it so that he wasn't. In answer, he was proved that the old Ginny had not disappeared entirely, as the youngest Weasley gave the dog animagus a soft smile.

"We're all alive, Sirius. Harry too. We're all alive." she stated softly. Amber looked at Sirius through masked eyes, and made another hand signal. Nothing happened though, not as far as the adults knew. They did not see two creatures, one baring resemblance to some type of wolf, the other a cat, rush off into a nearby portal. Amber's pets had their orders. Fetch the Alpha and bring him here. They needed to find and lead Harry James Potter, male alpha of the pack the group of students had become, to Amber and Ginny. And they needed to do it now.

Amber and Ginny slowly sat, and stiffly put away their blades, looking like they would rather do anything else but. They seemed to settle in for a wait, although it didn't seem as if they expected the wait to be overly long. 5 minutes maybe.

About 3 minutes later, Amber and Ginny heard the approach of footsteps, and stood up, ready and waiting. They easily recognized the gait as belonging to one Harry James Potter, and knew he would be here within moments. Seconds later, Harry himself emerged from the bushes, closest to Remus. Werewolf senses told the werewolf that this was indeed Harry, but Harry had changed too.

The 4 adults eyed the newcomer, this one male. Long raven hair was just as messy as the girls', and familiar emerald green eyes stared around their surroundings with curiosity. He was only slightly taller then the two girls, and held a more muscular frame then the petite curvy forms of his female counterparts. He was still lean, although not as much so, and the trademark glasses and lightening bolt scar gave away his identity. Harry James Potter stood before them, and he had changed just as much as Ginny Weasley.

"Ha-Har-Harry?" Sirius choked out, nearly breaking into sobs right then and there. The heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black wanted to crush Harry in a hug and never let go again, while sobbing the rest of his life away in pure happiness. Had anyone glanced at Remus Lupin, they would see much the same desire in his warm amber eyes.

Amber watched, eyes showing faint amusement, as Harry whirled around at his godfather's croak, knife in hand, only to almost drop it in shock at the vision before him. Amber knew, perhaps better then the others, that Harry had missed Sirius and even Remus so desperately it was almost painful. Amber had spent many nights offering Harry silent support and comfort for something Amber herself never felt, and couldn't even begin to imagine.

Ginny was also looking heavily amused by this as she watched Harry make a similar croak using Sirius' name, before taking in the others. Amber glanced at Ginny, and silently communicated that she had served her purpose for now, and was dismissed. Perhaps she would be good enough to find at least the others in the caves and give them some forewarning?

Ginny nodded in understanding, and bolted back into the bushes, already headed back towards the caves where the group made their home. Harry, Sirius and Remus did not notice, too caught up in a happy reunion. Minerva was caught up in watching them, and Severus had been as well. He only took notice when Ginny's movement had caught his attention. As near as he could tell, Ginny had left on her own.

Amber was Alpha as much as Harry was, and calmly stood off to the side, silent and shadowed as she always had been when she had been at Hogwarts. There was a slight look of longing on her face, and Severus noticed. Harry did too. Both of them could almost read Amber's mind as the abused witch thought about if this was how having a loving family was like.

Finally though, she had to cut things short.

"Harry, I know you are happy beyond belief right about now, but perhaps it would be better suited to continue this back home? Ginny has already warned at least a couple of the others, surely they would like to greet our newest inmates too?"

Harry nodded, and none of the adults missed his wince when Amber spoke of 'home'. Standing up, he helped Remus and Sirius up, while Amber offered her two professors a hand. Both made sure they each had a hand full of another's before slowly leading the adults through the forest towards their caves with practiced ease.

A drastically different Ronald Weasley greeted them rather happily at the entrance. Most of the group had been called back when Ginny had informed them of the foursome's arrival, and Luna and Dean came in just seconds after they did. The group greeted their professors ecstatically, and Amber went unnoticed. So she thought.

Harry and Severus noted that Amber easily took being shunted aside, and headed off somewhere, Harry recognizing the path towards the smaller caves where they had made their rooms. Obviously, she was going to check out for any empty caves that the adults could be given for use. Harry thought she was probably going to see what extra weapons she had left to teach them as well.

After a happy tear-filled half hour, the group settled down around a cheerfully burning fire, and talked animatedly with one another. Amber, Harry and Severus noted, was gone a full hour and when she came back, the whole group got quiet, although it took Minerva, Remus and Sirius a minute to catch on.

With worried eyes, Luna and the Gryffindors watched Amber take her usual spot between Hermione and Seamus, and stare across the fire into the black orbs of Severus Snape.

"Would you like to tell us of the outside world first, or would you rather we tell of ourselves first?' she asked in voice that belied nothing, nor held nothing. The adults noticed that the other teenagers exchanged glances, mouthing curses to one another, although Amber didn't seem to notice. Apparently, this Amber was not a good thing.

"If you wouldn't mind, I think we would like you to go first. We all thought you dead, so we would dearly like to know how it has come to pass that you are still breathing." answered Severus neutrally. Amber nodded acquiescence, and began.

Flashback

The first night was rough on the teenagers, save Amber, and all woke groaning and cursing. Amber took no notice, as she quickly began to ration what little candy the group had combined the night before for breakfast. Amber spent the meal looking around. Once breakfast was over, and the others had mostly gotten over the rough night, Amber took command once again.

"Alright, we are going to splint into pairs. I want every pair to stay together and use these vines as ropes, so you do not get lost. We are exploring today. Dean, you and Neville explore around here, see if there are any portals that lead to small caves we can use as bedrooms. This cave makes a better common room then bedrooms. Seamus, you and Ginny can scout fishing spots, and see if you can actually catch anything. Hermione and Lavender I want scouting good hunting spots, perhaps classify some animals they see along the way. The rest of you can stay here, and I'll begin training you on street fighting, hand-to-hand. After lunch, we will dedicate several hours learning weapons, and then we'll have dinner and exchange info on what we came across today. Is this agreed?"

Everyone did in fact agree, and the groups left for their assignments. They used the vines Amber had cut down and brought with her to help them not get lost while straying too far from the cave, and managed to do some nice spotting. Seamus actually caught a couple of fish, and brought them back later that afternoon for lunch. They all looked beyond excited as Amber unpacked all her weapons, and most chose their preferred weapon. Amber's two or three swords went untouched while the group ate up her daggers and switchblades. Amber spent the afternoon teaching them the basics.

Dinner that night was more fish and a couple of candy bars, and the group exchanged information. Dean mapped it out to the best of his ability, before he and Neville led the group through several portals and showed them each some rooms. Parvarti and Lavender chose to room together, as did Seamus and Dean, but the rest of the group chose individual bedrooms out of smaller, but still rather roomy caves.

Over the course of time, things got easier for the teenagers. An earthly room was found and turned into Neville's personal greenhouse. Amber taught them everything she knew on fighting and weaponry and the group as a whole had a nice time bonding over spearing a horse-like creature with a dagger, or catching fish in a pond. It was decided that they would stay the winter months inside the cave, and in spring, perhaps try to find the way out.

So, life went on. The group became expert hunters and gathers, going back to the very basic of human living, and surviving in the only way they could. Food was brought back to the caves, were some of it was eaten, and some of it stored for the winter. When the group of Harry, Ron and Luna accidentally killed a mother Sarloos, it was decided to raise the pups, who wouldn't have survived otherwise. But Amber, who had become a sort of unofficial leader, made sure that the others understood that if things got real bad, then the animals would have to go.

Nights were spent helping Amber, just as she had originally spent them helping them. Amber had had a hellish life and it showed. The group supported her through everything, and helped her heal like nobody ever had before. They didn't mind repeating things over and over till Amber understood and accepted the concept the repeated phrases were conveying.

Sometimes, nights were the times when brooding were done. Harry would sob over the thought of Sirius, and how devastated his godfather would be, going through life thinking he was dead. The others would think of their own parents and their grief at having supposedly lost their own children, and the guilt that always followed the thought. Amber would, more often then not, be the one to silently comfort and support them. Assure them that they couldn't help it right now, and why don't you try thinking instead of how happy your family will be when we get out of here?

The group would then in turn give that comfort and support right back when Amber would stare blankly into the fire and think of her parents, and her life in general. Such moods were never any good for Amber, because then she would "relapse" in a sense, back into the shell she had been in Hogwarts. And when Amber became her shell, it was very, very difficult to get her to come back out again.

The group was haunted at night by nightmares. The Gryffindors and single Ravenclaw understood that their nightmares differed greatly from Amber's own. They dreamt about their family committing suicide, or how awful their funerals would be, with their grieving families staring into empty coffins. The guilt that they were causing their loved ones so much sorrow, and unable to do anything about it, weighed heavily upon them.

Amber, in turn, had much worse problems then guilt at causing her family sorrow. Her dreams were overflowing with Death Eaters, Dementors, cruel "owners", and hateful peers. Her parents were tortured and killed before her again and again every night, as her own tortured, pain-filled screams and passionate pleas for mercy that she would never receive echoed in her ears. Even the tears she shed within the dreams tasted salty and bitter. And she was always so alone…

End flashback

"It has taken a bit of work, but we've managed to keep Amber from placing silencing charms around her, and allow us to help her with her nightmares." concluded Parvarti.

The adults were horrified at what little insight they had gained into Amber's life. Severus had thought it bad, but this was worse. He cursed himself even more harshly then before for not helping her when he had the chance.

The adults went into what happened outside while they were stuck in the forest, ending at their current predicament of being stuck inside the forest themselves. The group of students was rather horrified that their families were in such disrepair thanks to their deaths, and Luna especially was upset that her death had been cause for her father's own.

Amber sighed, and then seemed to check her internal clock, before standing and announcing that it was bedtime. Harry, Seamus and Hermione led the 4 adults towards the rooms, allowing them to pick and choose their own, and explaining how to make beds and shelves. Remus decided to share with Sirius.

Later that night, Harry found Amber staring blankly into the dimming flames in the common room. Amber was obviously a million miles away, but Harry decided to investigate the problem anyway.

"Amber? What's up?"

"Had another nightmare. My first multi-rape. Nearly forgotten it."

"Oh? And why did you suddenly remember your first forced orgy?"

"Severus Snape had been invited to participate by Lucius. He came, but when he saw that their target was a 5 year old girl, he made a last minute decision to sit it out. "Wanted to see if she had any worth" he'd said."

"That's horrible. And wrong. They were hurting you Amber, and you did not deserve it, even though they probably said you did. What brought up this memory anyway? The fact that Snape is now going to be part of the group?"

"Nobody has ever been kind to me till you guys. What if they see me as nothing more then a slimy Slytherin, undeserving of even your kindness? I realize now that you are family, the first one I've had since my parents' murder. What if they decided I am unworthy? Will that mean that I will loose the first family I've had since I was 3?"

Harry sat down next to Amber and pulled the distraught child into his arms. Drawing her into his lap, he hugged her tightly and perhaps a bit protectively as well. Amber had become his sister, and Harry would never abandon her, not even for Sirius and Remus.

"No Ambs. Sirius and Remus may reject me, but I pick you over them. They would be wrong to assume that you are unworthy, because you are very worthy. You're my sister Amber, and you always will be. I will never abandon you, I promise. Neither will the others." Amber sobbed.

"That's right. You're one of us, whether you like it or not and nothing will tear us apart, including our own families." agreed Hermione, as she and the others came out and surrounded Amber. They all gave her hugs and gentle reassurances.

It was a late night before the teenagers finally went to bed. When they finally did, Amber was found curled up next to Luna in Luna's room, the Ravenclaw snuggled up against her, an unconscious assurance that Amber would not be abandoned, regardless of what she thought. Her family was there for her, through thick and thin, and that was all there was to it.

None of them noticed the adults eavesdropping on the conversation, or the fact that Amber the Slytherin had just become a big part of their lives as well. Amber deserved the fair chance she never got, and besides, turning against Amber would lose them the students, of whom some were family.

Amber would get her chance, and she would earn their love, because Amber wanted nothing else but. And it was about time Amber got what she wanted.

And they were just the people to give it to her.