My eyes opened to a partly dark room. I was laying on something soft, so I knew I wasn't on the floor of where I fell. It'd be rude if they left me there, though. My eyes were still adjusting to where I was. By how the sun was down and it was dark outside with a little light, I thought it was about sunset. I had only been unconscious for a couple of hours. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. And it wasn't nighttime. It was early in the morning. But I didn't know if it was the same day or a couple of days. But how refreshed I felt from sleep I could say I slept a long time.

Surprisingly I wasn't in my own room, but one of the guest rooms on the 2nd floor. Why am I in here? I thought. This guest room was the biggest one in the whole house. It was for when Daphne or I had a sleepover with a bunch of friends. I wouldn't need to be in this room. My room was closer, and I didn't need this much space. I was sore from laying down for however long I was out so I sat up. As I looked around the room I knew why I was here.

When I looked down onto the carpet, everyone, the parents and my protectors, were sleeping around the bed. It was heartwarming. They all cared and wanted to make sure I'd be safe. When they wake up I'll be sure to thank them. But for now, since I'm tired of lying on this bed, I think I'll get up and walk around for a bit.

I quietly slid off the blanket and took a step down. Since I wasn't used to walking or standing, I almost lost my balance and fell on Daphne. Luckily I grabbed onto something before that happened. I was relieved to see that I wasn't in my swimming suit anymore. It would be bad to get the bed all wet. Instead I was in lavender silk night gown. Very comfortable and flowing. Walking very carefully over everyone, I made it to the door. I tried very carefully to open the door without it making a noise, but it squeaked anyways. A couple of people turned, but didn't wake up. That was a relief.

As I quietly closed the door I had a thought that it might be cold when I went outside to the balcony, so I quickly and quietly ran to my room to grab my robe. When I entered my room I passed my mirror and got a glimpse of how bad my hair was. So I quickly brushed it and tied it to the side. Then I grabbed my robe and ran to the balcony.

The balcony was calming and the fresh air filled my lungs. It felt great to be out here. The wind was a bit chilling but not that much. It was still a good idea to grab my robe. As I leaned over the railing I heard something jingle on my wrist. I had forgotten that I still had the bracelet on. For some reason it felt, right, wearing it. The bracelet was beautiful and it still looked brand new even though it's centuries old. For some reason, the bracelet felt alive. As if it held something more important than the truth. As if it held someone in it. What am I think? I think I'm going a little crazy since I just woke up. Must be imagining things. I thought that, but didn't believe it. I was looking up at the now fading stars, and the rising sun. It was a beautiful scene. The birds were chirping as well. This is just bad timing for this stuff to be happening. But it's happening anyways. A click from behind me made broke me away from my thoughts. I thought it was my mother, father or Daphne, but it wasn't either of them. It was Draco.

"I see you're finally awake."

"Yeah. I did a couple of minutes ago."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Much better. I don't feel like I'm burning anymore."

"That's good." He said as he walked towards me. My heart started racing a bit. I didn't know exactly why, but I had thought that my feelings toward him changed after he kissed me when he found me at Hogwarts. So I just looked away and started playing with the bracelet. Looking at all the little charms on it. There was a locket on it. He looked down as well and examined the bracelet as well.

"This must be where she put the secret in." I said pointing to the locket.

"Must be. When are you going to open it?"

"Most likely today when everyone is awake. Everyone is so excited to see who it is. So might as well do it right away." I shrugged.

"Oh. Well I bet they'd understand if you didn't want to open it. I mean it's your decision now. No one else can touch it, so they can't do anything about it."

"You're right, but I want to open it. I want to see who it is. I want to end this as soon as possible."

"I think everyone does."

"That's pretty easy to tell." I paused for a second, and then asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Do you think I'm stupid for jumping in the water and getting this bracelet?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes. Honestly."

"Well, yes I do think you're stupid, but not for jumping in the water to get this bracelet." He said holding my wrist. "I think you're stupid for making us all worry when you jumped in. We all would've understood that you wanted to get it if you would have told us, but you didn't. Instead you just went and jumped right in."

"Ah. I'm sorry. I thought that you all would've just kept arguing with me and try to keep me away."

"We might have. But then we'd realize that it was your decision and let you go."

"That's highly unlikely. Daphne might have not given in."

"That's true."

"Yeah. Well I guess I should go back inside. And you should go back to bed. If someone wakes up and sees that both of us are gone, they might think something is going on between us." I laughed at that. He gave a little laugh in sarcasm. But something in his laugh gave it away that he didn't care and as if he was a little hurt that I didn't think there was something between us. But the truth was that I did know. I just didn't want to believe it because I was scared. Scared that if I showed it, I'd only hurt him if something bad were to happen to me.

I took a step to the side to leave the balcony, but I stumbled and fell forward. I was still a little wobbly from not walking for how long. And if I looked down I felt a bit dizzy. But when I fell forward he caught me by the hands and steadied my.

"Are you alright?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just I'm not used to walking quite yet. Merlin knows how long I've been unconscious." I still wasn't looking at him, but if I looked down I'd probably fall sideways. Instead I looked to the side.

"Well, okay then. Do you need help walking?"

"No, no. I'm quite capable of walking. I just can't look down at the ground or stand in one place without something to hold on to…" My voice faded because somehow I had changed my gaze and I was looking directly at him. Straight in the eyes. A warm feeling just came over me suddenly and I shuddered a bit. He was smirking down at me. Without thinking I leaned forward. So did he. We closed the gap that was between us, and our lips met. Once again I saw lights and my heart raced. After a couple of seconds I pulled back. As if the kiss was an accident. Trying not to show it, I smiled at him. But the smile faded quickly.

"What?" Draco asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. It's not you. It's just; we have to keep this a secret."

"Why?"

"Because, well, now is not the time to be starting a relationship. We have more important things to think about than us. And I don't want Pansy to kill me before the Carrows even get the chance."

"You're right. We probably shouldn't be doing this now of all times."

"Yes, that's right. Anyways, thanks for helping me steady myself. I'll be going in now."

"And I will be going back to sleep for a little bit longer."

"Right. But before you go back into the room you might want to watch me go down the stairs. I might just fall if I forget that I shouldn't look down."

"No problem." He laughed a little bit.

We headed back into the Estate. Draco stood beside me with his hands partly out to make sure that if I fall, he would certainly catch me. I made it down the stairs easily making sure that I didn't look down. Draco stood at the top watching me and when I made it to the couch I waved to him. A sign that he could now leave me be.

I sat in the living room for quite sometime. I did eat breakfast and I was really hungry. I really wondered how long I was out. My best guess was a couple of hours, but it seemed much longer then that. I let it go after a couple of minutes thinking about it. Instead I lied on the couch thinking about the bracelet. Thinking who it might be. I hoped that it wasn't me. Wouldn't be able to live with myself if it were me. I seemed to have drifted off into sleep once more, until I was rudely awakened by yelling. But it was a bit funny listening to it, because it was about me.

"WHERE IS SHE!?!" Someone yelled.

"What? Who???" Someone else said.

"Astoria! Where is she?"

I heard a smack.

"Ow! Millicent, you hit me in the face!" That I could tell was Pansy.

"Sorry!"

"We don't have time for that. Where's Astoria!?"

I heard things being knocked over, and a bunch of crashes.

Then I heard Draco's voice.

"It's alright. She's downstairs."

Then the door being thrown open and feet were rushing towards the stairs.

I looked up to see everyone, waved, and said, "Good Morning."

Sighs of relief echoed the room.

"I see you've finally awakened." My father said.

"For a while now."

"Well why didn't you wake us up?"

"Because I bet you've all been watching me for however long I was out. And you all needed your sleep. I didn't want to bother you."

"That's very thoughtful."

"Oh, which brings me to my next question. How long exactly was I unconscious?"

"About two days." My father explained.

"Wow. I only thought it was a couple of hours. What exactly happened to me?"

"Well, what do you remember?" My father asked.

I sat and thought for a second.

"I came out of the water, and everyone congratulated me. Then everyone's expression turned into shock. I turned around to see the Carrows. You threw a chain at us saying it was a port key. The Carrows pointed their wands at me and a red light escaped the tip of their wands. I fell forward, almost letting go of the chain, but someone grabbed my hand and caught me. We came home. I saw that Draco was the one to catch me. His hand flew from my back and he said it was burning. I felt the burning. I walked backwards, kicked something, fell backwards, and then everything went black."

"That's all?"

"Yes. What spell did they use?"

"A Jinx. It heats up your body to a very high temperature. If we didn't know what it was and didn't heal it right away. You would've died within an hour."

"Oh. Well the Carrows must be stupid. If they would've killed me they wouldn't have been able to figure out who the next Dark Lord would be."

"That is very true. I guess they aren't that smart."

I laughed a little bit.

"I forgot to tell you all something. When I was at Hogwarts I found this book about Ramiel. It didn't say much about the bracelet, but it did tell me how she knows who it is. Ramiel was a psychic. She must have had a vision about this time period and found out who it was. And I guess she wanted to warn us about it. She wasn't evil or anything like that. She was completely against dark magic, and she fought against it. That was what the war was about. Dark magic being started in the wizarding world."

"That's amazing." Daphne commented. "She is just like you."

"No. I'm just like her. Not even that, I am her."

"True."

"Now on a different note. How about after you all eat breakfast, I'll open the locket on the bracelet and we'll find out who the next Dark Lord is."

"That's a great plan." My mother said.

"Then go and eat if you want to find out."

They all hurried over to the kitchen and I could hear all of the dishes being handed out. Within a half hour they were all done and crowded around me. Daphne was on my left side, while me parents were on my right. All eyes were on me, eager to see who it was.

I found the little locket on the bracelet and started to open it. My hands were shaky and I felt a little nervous. When I opened it all the way a little white light appeared in it. But I was the only one to see it because Daphne said, "I don't see anything."

"I do." I responded. She looked puzzled.

Suddenly the white light lurched forward and my eyes closed. I could see words in my mind being placed together in a small paragraph. I read it out loud.

"When the last Dark Lord has fallen by the chosen one, another shall be reborn. The name should be well known, but not in a good way. A man who lived through the dark times, and served the Dark Lord himself. The new generation will have the leader by the name of…" I stopped right there because I couldn't believe who it was. My eyes fluttered open and my head lay back on the couch.

"What? Who is it?" Someone asked.

I lifted my head up as I said, "Amycus Carrow…"

Gasps were spread around the room.

"Amycus?"

"Yes. Him. He's the next Dark Lord, unless we stop him. Well until I stop him."

"What do you mean by you stopping him?"

I closed my eyes and reread the ending.

"When I am reincarnated, I will be the only one to stop him. I must be the only one to stop him. No matter who helped me through the tough times, they cannot fight alongside me. Because in this battle, I am the only sacrifice that will be made. The only one that will risk their life, to end this fight for now."

My mother made loud gasping noise, as she started to tear up.

"No," she started. "This can't be right. It can't be true."

"That's what it said, mother. I'm not making this up. I have no choice now."

"Well that's just rubbish." Daphne said. "We are going to help you. Who cares what the bracelet said. We're your protectors and we're going to fight alongside you."

"No, you're not. I have to do this by myself. You've all done enough and I thank you for that. But I am not risking all of your lives just to save mine. Not anymore. Because this time, I'm going to save all of you."

"Astoria, you don't have to."

"Yes, Daphne. I do. You've all done enough for me. These past months it seems as if I'm taking you all for granted. As if I don't need to try anymore, because you've all fought for me. And I'm done with that. I want to fight, and I am going to."

"Are you sure you can do this on your own?"

I paused for a second thinking about it.

"Yes. Yes, I am. I can do this. I have to do this. For all of you. Now we need to plan what I'm going to do. That, I need all of your help in."

We sat in the living room for hours discussing on what I needed to do. Everyone gave their ideas, and we all considered them. By the time we were done it was around the middle of the afternoon, and everything was settled and ready.

I was to go the Carrows and tell them who it was. Hoping that they will appreciate me telling them right away, they may leave us alone. But if they don't then I'd have to fight them until they agreed or were killed. It was a risky thing to do. Almost everyone did think that they wouldn't do the first part. So I've been practicing my magic for the rest of the day. I'd have to leave tomorrow all alone.

It was like a couple of months ago when I had to sleep in the same room as my protectors, and tonight I had to do the same thing again. The only thing different was that, I barely fell asleep since I was unconscious for two days straight. I bet it was around one in the morning when Draco, who had slept right next to me, turned and opened his eyes. The look on his face was questioning. He looked at me as if I were crazy.

Then he asked in a whispered tone so that no one else would wake up, "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

"Yes. I've said it so many times before. I'm ready. I can do this."

"You don't sound positive."

"I don't, do I?" I confessed. "Honestly, I'm scared. But who isn't? I am not just

doing this for everyone, I am doing this for myself. I need to prove to myself that I can fight when the ones that I love are in danger."

"I think you already have. Just by saying that you'd protect us, you've proven that you are willing to do anything. Even risk your life for others."

"But it doesn't feel like enough. It just feels like it's all talk and no action. Like there's no proof that I would do anything. Just words."

"Well, that's your opinion."

"I know. Look, Draco, about earlier. You know, about us. I only said that because I don't want you to get hurt. If we were to be together and I was to die, I wouldn't want you to suffer. We need to wait until this is over and take it from there."

"I understand that. I get it. You want to wait until this is over and it's alright with me."

"Right."

"Now I think you should go to sleep. You'll need all of your energy, and your mind straight if you want to fight them.

"I will now that everything is cleared up a bit. Just promise me one thing. Tomorrow, you'll all be watching me. And if something doesn't look or feel right, don't save me. I know that's a lot to ask, but I don't want to be saved anymore. I want to be the savior. No matter what goes wrong, don't come and help me because I don't want any of you in danger."

"…okay."

"Tell everyone that tomorrow."

"I will."

"Good-night." I turned to my side so that my back was to him.

"Good-night." He whispered.

He seemed a bit choked after I said all that. I could feel myself tear up a bit. Because I was telling him that if I was dying to let me be. And to just watch.

I fell into a deep sleep after that. Tomorrow was the day that I either die to protect, or live in triumph. But either way, all of the ones that I love and are protecting will watch the whole thing. And wait to see what the outcome will be in the end.