I witnessed a little bit of what happened without any of them noticing me. My protectors didn't do such a great job in fighting back. Within minutes they were tied up and against the wall. Way to go, I thought. Alecto was the only one down there. She took care of them by herself. Amazing. I thought, but then went against it. Wait, I'm not supposed to think that's amazing. They're my friends not my enemies. I shook my head in disapproval of what I thought.

Alecto was just about to hit them all with a spell until I yelled, "Stop!" giving away where I was. I ran down the steps, skipping a couple on my way down. I ended up in front of them with my arms stretched out. "Don't hurt them." I warned

"You wish to defend these people, when they can't even defend you."

"Yes I do. If you want to hurt them, then you'll have to go through me."

I took a glance at my friends behind me. They all looked up at me with wide eyes,

as I looked at them with confused ones.

"Fine then. You'll be the first to die!"

I tried to grab my wand that was in my pocket, but it was too late.

"Levicorpus." Alecto said. I flew up in the air. My wand fell out of my pocket and landed on the ground below me. Alecto laughed menacingly as she whipped her wand from side to side. I was thrown against walls hard. So hard that some pictures hanging fell and shattered as they hit the ground. I was bleeding almost everywhere, but I didn't give up. I took the pain that was given to me, with no sign of weakness or giving up.

Everyone kept calling out for her to stop. They all saw me bleeding and giving out gasps of pain. I was being thrown onto tables even harder than I was thrown against the walls. The tables were breaking in half as I dropped onto them. One time I was close to my wand, but I couldn't quite reach it. I felt completely hopeless.

I closed my eyes and waited for the end to come. Though it seemed like it would take forever, I let my mind drift away. Apparently I looked like I was dead or unconscious, coming from the yells of everyone telling me to wake up. To open my eyes. But no matter what I didn't open them. Even when I felt he pain. I cringed a little bit, but that's all. I was thinking about what my parents were doing. Probably watching hopelessly. Father would be thinking that I was crazy for going their. Mother would be crying her eyes out seeing me go through so much pain. The rest of the parents would worry about their children's safety. Minutes had passed and I was still being thrown around like a doll. Bleeding uncontrollably. The end couldn't come fast enough.

The only thing that made broke me away from my thoughts was the excruciating pain that surged through me when Alecto threw me out the window and then pulled me back in. Glass shattered and stabbed into my back and front. Everyone was yelling my name and screaming for Alecto to stop. They told me to fight back, but what could I do. I had no wand and I couldn't grab anything. There was nothing for me to do but wait for this all to be over.

I looked over to all of my friends. Tears were in their eyes as they watched me hopelessly. But then somehow, Daphne and Pansy broke free from the ropes and aimed their wands directly at Alecto. She saw them and pulled me over a sharp piece of wood that was sticking up from the table that I broke.

"Put your wands down. Or else I let her go and she dies."

"Put her down safely and we'll put our wands down." Daphne replied.

They stayed facing each other for a couple of seconds. I just looked shocked to see that if they didn't put their wands down, I would fall to my death. And that's when I realized that I didn't want to die. Maybe for them but not like this. I meant quickly and pain free, and without them watching right by me.

Daphne and Pansy put their wands down. Alecto pulled me over to the side of the stake and dropped me, ungentle. I looked to my side and saw that she was tying them up again. Then I got a glimpse of what Pansy did. She stepped on my wand as she headed back and kicked it closer to me. I grabbed it and put it in my pocket. Just by doing that pain struck through me from being thrown around.

Alecto, with her back still toward me pointed her wand at Daphne and Pansy and hit them with the Cruciatis Curse. I saw them writher in pain. They cried for mercy. I couldn't take this anymore. I thought for a moment and came up with something. I had to go and get the bracelet from Amycus's office. That's where he kept it. Then run back down here and save them all. From what I read in the book that I found, the bracelet would have to come first if I wanted to save them and innocent people around here.

I slowly got up. It wasn't easy though. Pain was everywhere on my body. When I finally stood up, I ran for it. Alecto saw me and tried to hit me with spells but I dodged them. I almost made it out of the room when Alecto shouted.

"Come back here! Levicorpus."That was the only one that got me. She tried pulling me back but I held onto the railing tightly. I was up against the railing trying to hold on. I reached for my pocket and grabbed my wand.

Pointing it at her I said, "Expelliarmus."

Her wand flew from her hand. But since this railing was old and wooden, from all the force that was against it, it broke and I fell forward. My arms were stretched in front of me. As I hit the ground my left arm twisted and I heard a crack from my fore arm. I screamed from the pain that surged through me. Like I didn't get hurt enough! I thought. Then I pushed everything else that I thought about behind me. I had to keep moving. I needed to end this now.

I turned over on my right side and made sure my left arm didn't move anywhere.

Pointing my wand at Alecto's, I casted a spell. "Accio wand." Alecto's wand came flying towards me. I quickly got up not thinking about the pain and caught it with my good arm. Then I took it with both hands and snapped it in half. She wouldn't be hurting me or the ones I love anymore.

"NOO!" She screamed.

"Levicorpus!" I said. She flew up into the air. I started throwing her around like she did to me. Crashing into walls, the railing and onto other objects, she pleaded for her mercy, but I gave her none. I was angered by her, more than I thought I was.

When I finally set her down, hard, I tied her up. It was time to explain everything.

"Well," I started. "Now that you've received pain like I did, I guess you should know everything, right? It's not like you're not going anywhere but Azkaban. You see, when I came here all I was going to do was give you the information you wanted, and then take down the both of you. I wasn't expecting that you wanted anything from me. Especially me being your servant. But being here was really just nothing. You wanted me as a servant, yet you didn't want me to do anything. Now that's not the good part. I'm getting to that."

Everyone stared at me with confusion.

"Last night, I went to your little library and came across a book about Ramiel. Now I didn't think you looked at it. It's not like you people read, right? Well when I read it nothing seemed to be pieced together. So when I was done I simply just put the book back. But on my way back I found your family tree on the wall. One face stuck out to me the most and that was Apollo Carrow. One of your ancestors. He looked familiar to me somehow, but at that moment I didn't know from where. When I got back to my room, things started to make sense. I knew where I saw him from, and I knew how you could touch Ramiel's bracelet when no one else could but me."

"You see, many years ago, when Ramiel was alive, Apollo was alive as well. They were the same age, were both purebloods, and they had a lot in common. Like how they thought that purebloods were more superior and frowned upon mudbloods. But the one thing that they didn't have in common was that Apollo thought dark magic was a great thing to have. And Ramiel thought that dark magic should not be used because it could danger everyone. That was what the war that killed Ramiel was about."

"She fought for her right, and died protecting it. At that time she knew already who the next Dark Lord would be after the other one had fallen. And she thought that if she could defeat anyone who wasn't against dark magic, that she would defeat the chance of one of her descendents becoming that next Dark Lord. Of course she told Apollo about her idea, and she told him who it was, but she didn't know that he wasn't against dark magic. Ramiel thought he was on her side. But that one night changed her mind about him. You see, Apollo was the one that killed Ramiel. She saw him coming at her during the battle. Since he betrayed her, she thought one of his descendents didn't deserve to have high power. The bracelet didn't fall off her wrist. Ramiel took it off. But she didn't have enough time to change the name because she was hit with the killing curse. So instead, she threw into the water, so that no one could get at it."

"But that's not the only reason she threw it in the lake. No, it wasn't only to hide it. The bracelet was unstable with all the spells in the charms to make them sparkle. Without her presence it would explode and create massive destruction. The only thing, other than her presence, that made it completely stable, was if it was in deep waters. The pressure from being so deep, kept the bracelet held together. Pressing it, so that it couldn't pull apart."

"Now, the last thing didn't make sense until I read the book. The bracelet was protected so that only Ramiel could touch it. Unless, she said otherwise. By that I mean, if she loved someone, and trusted someone that much, she would allow them to hold onto the bracelet if she were gone. Ramiel allowed Apollo, and his sister Azmana touch the bracelet. Apollo was allowed because, he was her husband. And Azmana was allowed because she was Ramiel's best friend."

"And little did I know that you and Amycus, were the reincarnation of Azmana and Apollo. Until I got a closer look at both of them yesterday, after I figured the whole Ramiel thing out. That's why you could touch it. Because you and Amycus are Apollo and Azmana, the only people Ramiel let touch her bracelet."

"You figured that all out in one night?" Alecto asked.

"Yes, because unlike you I'm smart. And I had some time to myself since you didn't want me to go anywhere after I was done serving you for the day."

"Foul child. You don't listen do you? If only you had obedience so that you would've stayed in that room and you wouldn't have figured anything out. Me and my brother would still have the chance to rule the magical world, if you wouldn't have interfered."

"Yes, well, good concurs all I suppose. Now I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to do one last thing. And that is to take back what's mine."

"Good luck getting passed Amycus. He's even stronger than I am."

"I think I can handle him."

I ran up the stairs once more. Pain ran through me as I went, but I couldn't think about it. Before I ran out of the room, I remembered, that I had to untie everyone. I turned around and said, "Sorry." Then I pointed my wand at them all and the ropes untied. Someone was calling after me but I didn't pay any attention. I needed to get that bracelet back before it destroyed itself and everyone here.

I ran towards Amycus's office and got my wand out and ready. I turned the handle, pushed the door as fast as I could and then said a spell right away. Stupify. I immediately hit him. Nice shot. I thought to myself proudly. Then I ran towards him and tied him up before he could get out his wand. Petrificus Totalus. He won't be moving for a while.

I looked through his whole desk and found nothing. I checked everywhere in his office and still found nothing. But then I thought that maybe he was wearing it. Silly idea but it was a possibility. I checked his right hand and found nothing. I checked his left hand and there it was. Right around his wrist. Weird for him to be wearing it. Sounds like Alecto should've worn it to be safe. It would have been more natural. Then I heard footsteps coming from behind the door. The door opened and Draco was standing right there.

"Looking for me?" I asked.

"Well of course. Are you alright. You took quite a beating."

"Yes. I'm fine. Just in a little pain, but it'll heal. Ow." I had forgotten my arm was broken and I had moved it a little down to my side.

"Here let me fix that."

"No I can do it. It's just a broken arm it's nothing serious."

"Just let me. Okay. You've done enough."

"Fine. Go ahead. But first go and put Amycus next to Alecto and have everyone watch them."

"Alright. I'll be right back." Draco picked up Amycus who was out of the spell I cast on him. He looked quite mad. But I didn't care. I had won. He's going to be locked up forever and I don't have to worry about him chasing my anymore. I took a seat in a chair. Feeling a little weak, I thought it was the best thing to do.

Within the minute Draco came back.

"Now let's fix that arm." He said.

I stretched out my arm as far as it could go without hurting it. He whispered a spell and I could hear the bones cracking back into place. It hurt even more than when I moved it, but I didn't show the pain.

"Thanks." I murmured when he was done.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes I'm fine. Stop asking."

"You don't sound fine."

"I don't, do I?"

"Not even close. What's wrong?"

"You didn't listen to me, that's what. I told you specifically not to come and you did anyways."

"Well what were we supposed to do? Sit there in your home and watch you?"

"Yes! That's what I expected you to do. I probably wouldn't have been hurt his much if you all would've just backed off."

"No you wouldn't have been hurt this much. You probably would've been dead. We saved you Astoria, why can't you just thank us?"

"Saved me. You barely helped me. All you did was get yourselves caught and I had to jump in and protect you all. Some save."

"You're really arrogant you know that."

"Yes I know. But really when you think about it, you didn't save me. You all just got me hurt. I probably wouldn't be bleeding this much, or in this much pain if you would've listened to me and stayed out of it."

"That's…true. We didn't think of that. But honestly this wasn't my idea. It was Daphne's. When she saw you yesterday being tortured she lost it. She almost came here by yourself if your father didn't intervene."

"Well of course. My father knows what would've happened. He's that wise. So how did you all manage to escape the parents?"

"All of us planned this last night when everyone else was asleep. Daphne kept telling us that we had to do something. At first we didn't want to but then we gave in. All of us woke up early in the morning to leave the house before any of the parents woke up. We left and stayed somewhere for a little bit then came in."

"Oh. Thanks for caring then."

"It was easy. Since you know I've cared since the beginning. And now I feel embarrassed because the parents probably heard that."

"No. They didn't. The watch was taken away when I took down Amycus."

"Thank goodness."

I only laughed at that.

"Well, since they aren't watching you anymore, I guess they won't see me do this."

He leaned forward and kissed me. Just like the other time, I felt a warm feeling and saw lights. But he seemed to end it too early again.

"Good work today, Astoria."

"Thanks, Draco."

"Since this is all over do you think we could start that relationship?"

"I'll think about it." I smiled. It was an obvious yes. "I think we should head back down. I really think I need to go home. And take Amycus and Alecto to Azkaban."

"Good idea."

We headed back down to where everyone else was. I flicked my wand at Alecto and Amycus and they headed toward the fireplace. I quickly wrote a note and stuck it on one of the ropes that tied them. Then Draco grabbed Floo Powder and said, "Azkaban". They disappeared from sight. Then, I got a big hug from Daphne, but it was only a second because I had screamed from all the pain. Of course she apologized and I said it was okay, but she just kept saying sorry all the way back home. Well, at least until I finally screamed for her to shut up and that I was okay.

When we arrived home I got more hugs. They were gentle-er than Daphne's. except for my mother. She squeezed the life out of me and I couldn't help but cry from the pain. My father gave me the most gentle hug of all. But even with the gentleness I still cried from how much it hurt.

My mother asked me what was wrong. "What's the matter sweetheart?"

"Mother, you hugged me too hard. I'm in so much pain, and you kind of made it worse." I sobbed.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"That's what Daphne said too when she hugged me too tightly." I laughed while crying at the same time. Everyone else laughed too.

"Good job on taking down the Carrows." My father complimented.

I was rubbing my eyes to get rid of the tears. "Thanks father." He smiled at me.

"As for all of you. We need to have a talk." He pointed to everyone else.

"Astoria, dear. Let me take you up to your room and I'll heal you okay?" My mother said soothingly.

"Okay. That sounds good."

My mother took me upstairs while my father and the rest of the parents talked to everyone else. My mother sat me on the bed gently. But even that hurt and I gave out a gasp of pain.

"You've been through a lot."

"I know. Even one little movement hurts."

"Well at least you're alive."

"That's the only up point I can think of."

"Same here." We laughed. "I can't believe you took down the Carrows by yourself. And you figured all of that out with Ramiel."

"That's one of the perks of being smart. You figure things out fast and easily."

"Yeah, I guess. Now lie down so I can heal you."

I nodded and did as she said. She healed me quite fast. When she was done I felt completely relieved.

"Thank you mother."

"You're welcome, Astoria."

She left the room and I was just lying there. I could hear that all the parents were still yelling at their children. I could hear everything that was said. Father was yelling at them. Saying how stupid they were for going there. Dangering their lives but mostly mine. I felt bad for them taking all the blame so I decided to go down there.

"Astoria," My father started just as he saw me. "You shouldn't be down here. You should be resting."

"I'm fine father. I'm all healed. And I should be down here. It's not all they're fault. It's somewhat mine for getting stuck there in the first place. They were just trying to help. Look father can't we just forget it for now. Yell at them another time but not tonight. We should be celebrating ending this whole charade."

He sighed. For the first time my father listened to me right away. "You're right. This can wait until tomorrow. Right now we should be celebrating and resting."

"Yes. That's exactly right."

That night we all went out to eat at a very fancy restaurant. Everyone still made sure to be gentle with me even though I was completely healed. Then I kissed Draco in front of everyone. Surprisingly neither of us were embarrassed, and no one seemed to mind. Everyone except Pansy who let out a grunt of anger. And I told Draco that we could start that relationship we both wanted. That night, no, that day was great. One of the best days ever, not counting me getting terribly hurt. But all the other stuff was just great.

The next day my father continued yelling at everyone. When he was done, everyone went home after months of staying at our household. Amycus and Alecto were in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. The Ministry gave them no mercy, thanks to my father telling everyone what happened to his youngest daughter. I was happy with Draco, my sister wasn't as jealous as I thought. But that was mostly because she liked someone else now. Theodore Nott. Staying in the same house made it clear that she liked him more than Draco. Things were looking bright from now on. It seemed that no harm was to come to me or anyone I cared about again. And it all started because of a bracelet, which I wear everyday. It was a new beginning, that started bad, but ended good, and will stay good for always and forever.