They landed hard on a cold stone floor, dust billowing out from under them. They all looked up to look for Dumbledore, but he wasn't coming.
'He's not coming. He wants us to see this for ourselves.' Amber said.
'He can't just leave us! We don't know how to get out!' Ron said, almost on the edge of panicking.
'It's a pensieve Ron, we won't stay here forever. When Hermione and my memories are combined, we will see all ends of the story, like a movie.' Amber said, waiting for something.
'What's a moovy?' Ron asked.
Harry, Amber and Hermione just laughed at Ron. He didn't know anything about the muggle world. Amber was tapping her foot impatiently, still waiting for something.
'What are you waiting for?' Harry asked Amber.
'Waiting for sound…' Amber said like that was the answer to all their questions.
'Why?' Hermione asked.
'We have to wait for our memories to combine, like two sides of coin. When I was little, my mom would use a pensieve to see if my sister or me was telling the truth. We'll see all my and your memories at the same time.' Amber explained.
It made a lot of sense, considering how long it was taking for anything to happen. Then they heard a door squeak.
'Come, we must go look for us.' Amber said to the others.
The walked through the house, checking every door and passage. Harry thought that this house looked familiar, so familiar it was like he had almost been there before. They carried on further, up the stairs and towards the top floor. The stairs seemed familiar; he knew he had seen these stairs before. The heard a shrill voice speaking at the top of the stairs, and all of them stopped excluding Ron, who walked into them in front of him.
'Why did you stop?' Ron asked.
They all recognised that voice, the way it was cold and vile to every syllable.
'Voldemort…the last day we were here…' Amber whispered, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.
It was Voldemort, speaking to his captives.
'You will do as I say, or Harry Potter will pay for your insolence.' That shrill voice said again from the armchair.
They inched closer to the door, seeing Amber and Hermione shackled around the legs and arms and chained to the wall. They could barely move, and too afraid to speak. Hermione and Amber were standing in the doorway, looking at their memory-selves. They knew what was going to happen next, and started flinching at the though of it.
'Crucio!' The shrill voice shouted.
Amber and Hermione were writhing on floor, as far as their chains and shackles would let them. They yelled out as loud as they could, with a white-hot pain moving through their bodies. They were cringing and tears were running down their cheeks. The real Amber and Hermione were standing in the doorway, flinching with every movement of their other selves.
'Will you agree now?' Voldemort said, his voice dripping with malevolence.
'Never! I won't hurt Harry!' Amber shouted at him.
Wormtail came and unshackled Amber, leading her to the armchair where Voldemort was. Amber stood in front of the chair, a picture of defiance. She pulled her shoulders out of Wormtail's hands, throwing herself sideways and forward. A skeletal, white hand reached up for Amber's head. She wouldn't let him touch her, pulling her head up and away, all the while also trying to get away from Wormtail.
'Now now. Can't put up such a big fight without your wand can you?' Voldemort said cruelly.
'You're forgetting about one thing…' Amber said boldly.
'I'll take that away from you if you even try. Don't test me, you'll lose those Elemental powers before you even mastered them.' Voldemort said.
Ron and Harry looked at the real Amber, Hermione knew already because she was there, but she also looked surprised.
'Well he just kind of ruined everything the ministry was working for.' Amber shook her head.
Harry would talk about this later with Amber.
'Not so tough now, are you?' Voldemort teased.
Wormtail held Amber tightly with her arms behind her back, and let Voldemort touch Amber on the head.
'You won't hurt Harry, but he has done enough to hurt you.' Voldemort said, knowing this would make Amber upset.
Amber tried to say something, but she couldn't do anything. Wormtail took her again and shackled her next to Hermione. Harry put his arm around the real Amber and kissed her on the side of her forehead.
'I'm really sorry.' Harry whispered.
Amber smiled back at him; she knew he knew what she was feeling in her memory.
'Now, let's see if the mudblood will convert…' Voldemort said.
Both Hermione's sneered at him, but didn't say anything.
'Convert? What does he mean?' Ron asked.
'You'll see…' Hermione said putting her finger to her lips.
Wormtail unshackled Hermione, picking her up off the ground. Hermione was possibly more defiant than Amber, throwing her legs in every which way. Wormtail tried to hold Hermione still, but it was near impossible.
'A mudblood with a bit of fight in her. She'll do well as a Deatheater.' Voldemort laughed.
Ron and Harry almost fell over from the shock, Voldemort wanted them to join his Deatheaters and kill Harry.
'Why do you need us? You have enough Deatheaters to do it for you!' Hermione shouted, still kicking up a fuss.
'Ah, but you see, I have no Deatheaters in Gryffindor, which is where Harry Potter likes to call home.'
Hermione wouldn't stop kicking, hoping she could get a kick somewhere on Wormtail. She did, and Wormtail fell to the ground. Hermione grabbed his wand and set Amber free. They started running for the doorway, but they didn't reach it. Voldemort put the Crucio curse on them a few steps from the doorway. Amber and Hermione were writhing right in front of them; their eyes were closed in pain. Real Amber and Hermione weren't even watching, their faces were buried into Ron and Harry's jackets. The screaming was so loud none of them could even think anymore.
'When you have realised you were wrong to choose Dumbledore's side, you'll come crawling back.' Voldemort said harshly and cast a memory charm on them.
There was a loud pop then Amber and Hermione were gone. He had apparated them to the owl tower, where they were found. Then stone floor started disappearing, and the whole house stared fading. They were going back out the pensieve, leaving these memories behind. They landed back on the floor, in Amber and Hermione's room.
'Holy hell! Was that what happened?' Ron asked.
Amber and Hermione nodded. That was one of the few memories that they were willing to forget forever.
'Voldemort wanted you two to join the Deatheaters?' Harry asked.
'Yes, but we couldn't Harry.' Amber replied.
'What was he threatening you with? Was he going to kill you?' Ron asked.
'No. He was going to turn us into muggles, in every sense of the word. No magic, no memory of Hogwarts or Diagon alley, or the memory of who we met.' Hermione said sadly, rethinking about it.
Amber put her arm around Hermione's shoulders; she knew how she was feeling.
'I couldn't imagine being a muggle. Not after all the things I've learnt about magic. I always knew this, it's in my blood. I didn't want it to be taken away.' Amber said, Hermione agreeing with her silently.
Harry knew what they meant. After living with the Dursleys and the way they treated him, he always wanted a different life. When he got it, he would've done anything to keep it, and still would.
'I think they need more rest, they look a little shaky around the knees.' Dumbledore said, taking the pensieve off of Amber's bed.
They didn't say anything more. Amber and Hermione climbed into their beds, getting ready to take a long nap. Harry and Ron were following Dumbledore through the door when he turned around, stopping them in their tracks. They walked straight into the pensieve, shaking the fog in it.
'Please stay with them until they fall asleep. You are their friends and I'll make exception for you by Professor McGonagall.' Dumbledore carried on walking; Ron and Harry stood where they were for a while and turned to go back to Amber and Hermione's room. They were already lying down, they even looked asleep already.
'You two still awake?' Harry whispered.
Hermione didn't answer or even move; Hermione was really tired so she was asleep already. Ron walked away in the direction of his room; there was no reason to stay if Hermione was asleep already. Amber picked her head up off her pillow, and looked at Harry.
'He didn't tell you to watch us again, did he?' Amber asked softly.
'Afraid so. I got the feeling he was really worried about you two.' Harry said, coming closer to Amber's bedside.
'Thank Merlin its all over. He was so…so…' Amber shook all over.
'Thank Merlin you're both alright.' Harry said softly, sitting on the edge of Amber's bed. Amber reached for Harry's hand that was on the bed.
'The whole time I was there, I thought only of you and that stupid fight we had. I never had a chance to tell you…' Amber stopped midway through her sentence.
'Tell me what?' Harry asked again.
'That I love you.'
She said it. It felt like forever that Harry had been waiting for her to say that. Amber looked up at him with her wide eyes. He dropped down and kissed her gently on the lips.
'I love you too.' Harry smiled.
Amber held his hand tighter, and her eyes started closing sleepily. It wasn't long until she was asleep. Harry didn't have anywhere to go, and Ron was probably dragged into a prank with Fred and George. Harry left his hand in Amber hand, and lay down next to her. She looked so different, so worn out. Her face was thinner, and her skin more pale. She was so beautiful, inside and out, how could anyone ever want to do this to someone willingly? Harry couldn't think of doing that to anyone, except maybe Draco. Amber looked at peace, not like in the pensieve, she looked so scared and always on alert. Harry took a strand of Amber's hair and twirled it in his fingers. Soon he was also asleep, right next to Amber.