I hope you enjoy, I know it's been a while since the last update. I can't make any definite promises, but I'd definitely like to make updating this more than a yearly thing.

Chapter Six: Waiting

Cameron's eyes shot open and in an instant, he sat up, breathing heavily. His heart raced as if he had just run a marathon. Along his arms were the imprints of the devil's snare that had nearly taken the life from him. Cameron's once proud Slytherin robes were disheveled and even had a few tears in it. Despite his messy clothes and wild hair, he was alive.

The teen ran a hand through his hair, patting it down in the process. While he nervously messed with his locks, he tried his best to recall what had happened. He remembered the devils snare, a light, and then a man. Who that man was, Cameron had no idea. Somehow, he had ended up in what seemed like an abandoned part of the castle. There were no portraits or statues to be seen. In all his years at the school, he had never seen an area this dull. Letting out a sigh, Cameron curled his knees into his chest and closed his eyes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," a girl's voice said from behind him.

Cameron turned to see Amber standing behind him. She wore a beautiful pink dress and had her hair curled to perfection. He gulped upon seeing her. She never dressed like this. For the first time he didn't see her just as a friend….she was beautiful! Cameron stood slowly and cleared his throat. He found himself wearing dress robes that were green and black.

"It's….it's no problem at all," Cameron stammered, finding himself nervous around his friend.

"You didn't think I wasn't going to come, did you?" Amber asked. "I know I'm late, but the Yule Ball isn't exactly a yearly thing."

"I never thought that," Cameron replied with a laugh.

The two teens walked side by side with each other. The next part of the night went by in a blur in Cameron's mind. All he could remember was walking around awkwardly staring at people that were more open about being a couple. Not only were he and Amber friends, they were also from two completely different houses. It was nearly impossible to break the ice over how he truly felt about her. As the night went on, a clear memory stuck out in Cameron's mind.

He and Amber sat at a table with a white table cloth. In front of them rested two plates with half eaten pieces of cake. All around the awkward couple, others made their way across the dance floor. Hagrid and Maxime, Hermonie and Victor, even Angus Filch and his cat were having a great time. Cameron leaned to Amber and nudged her, pointing at the scene.

"I never knew Filch was such a good dancer," Cameron laughed.

"Well he does have a good partner," Amber replied, laughing as well.

"There's a joke here somewhere, but I don't know if it's Hogwarts appropriate."

"You're terrible," Amber laughed again, giving Cameron a light shove.

The girl let out a sigh and stood. She stuck her hand out to Cameron, prompting him to return with a confused look.

"What are you doing?" Cameron asked.

"I'm not about to let a cat dance more than I do at the Yule Ball," Amber snapped.

"I…I can't dance."

"Well then just follow me."

Biting his lip, Cameron stood and held her hand. They made their way to the dance floor. He gulped as multiple eyes seemed to lock on them. Every house in the school was just as surprised to see the couple together. Most look pleased, including Dumbledore, who was watching as he danced with McGonagall. The only people who seemed against it were the Slytherins, led by Draco, who was giving his cousin a sharp glare.

"Just ignore them," Amber said, noticing the looks as well. "Just dance with me."

Doing his best to ignore the looks, Cameron puts his arms around Amber and glided across the floor with her. As time went on, he forgot about the watchful eyes. He forgot that his mother and father were Death Eaters sentenced to life in Azkaban. Everything seemed to melt away as he spent time with Amber. His thoughts cleared and out of nowhere, four words came from his mouth.

"I love you Amber," Cameron whispered, his eyes widening as he said the words.

Amber seemed taken off guard at first. After a brief paused she smiled back.

"I love you too," she replied.

They stared at each other's eyes and before either knew what was happening, their lips had pressed against each other's. Cameron and Amber closed their eyes, continuing to dance slowly as they kissed. After a few moments, they parted and continued to stare at each other, happiness filling their hearts.

Tears welled in Cameron's eyes as he continued to remember one of the happiest moments he had ever experienced in his life. Now he was alone in this empty chamber. It pained him to think about that time when he and Amber were an actual couple. Joining the Death Eaters had ended that. It was the worst mistake he had ever made in his life.

"I'm sorry Amber," Cameron cried. "I should have never been a part of any of this. I'm so stupid!"

Cameron looked down at his arm and saw the dark mark. Out of frustration, he started to pound it with his fist. It brought him pain, but the mark remained. It didn't take long for him to break down and for the tears to stream from his eyes. He was born to be a Death Eater, but now that was gone. The one thing he had achieved on his own was being with Amber. Now that would never happen.

The chamber was completely silent, the only sound coming from Cameron's crying. In the empty space, Cameron felt safe to be as loud as he wanted. As he wept, the wall in front of him started to contort into a different shape. Eventually it formed into a large door. It creaked as it opened. A girl stepped out. She moved in front of Cameron and kneeled. To Cameron's surprise, it was Amber, who had tears in her eyes as well.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she whispered.

They stared at each other for a moment. At first it didn't feel real. It felt like just another memory. After a moment, Cameron wrapped his arms around her and cried into her shoulder. Thoughts of his near-death experience, the terrible things he had done to other students, and almost losing Amber bombarded his mind. Amber moved her hand to his back and rubbed it. Just by his appearance, she could tell that plenty had happened since they last saw each other.

"I'm sorry….I'm sorry," Cameron continued to repeat.

Amber pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes again, seeing them red with tears. She let out a sigh and ran her hand through his hair.

"It's okay. Come inside, I have some people that will want to talk to you."