Chapter 14
Rotten

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"I think this bridge is just like those boats when I was with Dumbledore. More than one person can't get across."
"Then, what do we do?" Ron asked.
"I think we can get across. Dumbledore said the enchantment measures magical ability, not wait. We're all barely of age, and nowhere near as powerful as Dumbledore. The bridge will probably measure the three of us as one powerful wizard." Harry approached the bridge. It was a long rickety thin, hanging across a wide bottomless crevice. Harry gingerly put one foot on it, then the other. He took a couple steps. The bridge swayed and creaked, but didn't give away.
"Come on," Harry motioned.
The two of them looked uncertainly toward the bridge. Ron took a deep breath and stepped on. He let out a high-pitched scream as the bridge swayed threateningly. Nervously, Hermione followed, her knuckles whitening against the ropes as the bridge wobbled.
"See?" said Harry, sounding unsure. "I told you we'd be fine. Now lets get across."
They slowly made there way along the bridge, wincing as it wobbled and biting back their fear. Hermione tried very hard on to look down, her eyes squeezed shut tight.
After what seemed like ages they arrived on solid ground. Hermione collapsed on the hard packed dirt, and considered kissing it, but decided not to. Harry looked at her bemusedly.
"Good ground. Nice ground," Ron gasped.
Hermione stumbled up. "What's that?" She pointed to the object glinting in the distance.
"Hopefully the Horcrux," Harry said.
"I love you, ground…"
"Come on, Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
They made their way cautiously toward the Horcrux. Hermione found she was slightly unsteady. Must have been because of all she'd been through today. She was achy too. As soon as this was over, she was going to collapse. They got closer and closer to the object. Finally, Hermione could make out what it was.
"Whoa," Ron whispered.
"Finally," Harry said.
"The gauntlets," Hermione finished for them. "Or gauntlet."
Now they were directly level with the Horcrux. Only one gauntlet stood gleaming and silver, the fingertips a brilliant red though, and the wrist. They were adorned with the unmistakable mark of Gryffindor.
"Wonder what he did with the other one," Harry murmured.
After a long moment of silence, Ron finally asked, "What do we do?"
"I guess…we pick it up…" Harry said.
"Harry, no!" Hermione cried, grabbing his wrist. "It could be a trap!"
"Well, how else are we supposed to find out?" Harry said reasonably.
Hermione could not answer this. Harry jerked his hand free from her grip and slowly, carefully, moved his hand toward the gauntlet, while Ron and Hermione watched in trepidation. Finally, looking fearful, Harry gave the metal a quick poke. Nothing happened.
Harry then placed both his hands on the gauntlet and tried to pick it up. It refused to budge. Harry pulled harder, using his foot for leverage, but the gauntlet remained stuck to the table. Hermione watched in a bored sort of way as Ron added his strength to the mix. When they finally gave up, Hermione said, "It must be some kind of spell. Stand back, you two."
They scrambled back fearfully and Hermione tried every spell she knew on the metallic glove. None of them worked. Hermione looked at it, mystified. "That's all I know."
Harry leaned over the gauntlets obviously thinking very hard. "Of course…" he muttered.
"Of course what?" Ron and Hermione said together.
"This is just like before…I have to put my hand in the gauntlet."
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"What." Ron finally said.
"Voldemort does stuff like this. There's no way we can pry the stupid thing off the table, or do anything to it, without putting our hands in them. And when I put my hand in it, something reaaaaallly bad will probably happen to me," he explained calmly.
"There must be another way," Hermione said.
"There probably isn't," Harry replied. "I better do it."
"Mate, if you put your hand in there, something bad will happen to you. We're not letting you do it. Remember Dumbledore?"
Harry stared at Ron for a second, apparently mulling over what he had just said. Then, without warning, he shoved his right hand into the gauntlet.
"HARRY!" Hermione screamed, and she and Ron pulled him away from the table, and the gauntlets came with him.
"It worked!" Harry cried, looking at his hands. Then he suddenly went very, very white. "Oh no…"
The gauntlet, which was several sizes too big for Harry, suddenly shrank and clapped around his arm like chains. Harry fell to his knees.
"HARRY!" Ron and Hermione screamed at the same time, dropping down beside him.
"What's happening to you?" Ron said frantically.
Harry didn't answer but looked down in horror and his skin became so pale Hermione could see every vein and artery, Then from the end of his gauntlet up, his skin became a chapped brown, snaking up slowly to consume his arm. Harry cried out in pain, his hands vibrating like a spoon in an earthquake.
"It's killing him! Get the glove off him!" Ron cried. They both clawed at the glove desperately, but it refused to budge. Once again, Hermione tried spells and Ron did the same, but no results. The chapped brown veins were close to disappearing under Harry's shirtsleeve, it was as if his skin was rotting.
"What'll we do? What'll we do?" Hermione screamed hysterically.
Harry managed to speak, sounding extremely pained.
"Cut…hand…off…" he gasped.
"WHAT?"
"Only…way…you…can…put…back…"
" Harry's right, Hermione. Voldemort expected only one person to be here, and that when they got the gauntlet on, they'd be in too much pain to cut their own hand off, so they'd die. It's the only way. We can use magic to put them back on, later."
"But…but…" Hermione said, revolted.
"He's DYING, Hermione! We have to do it!"
"DO IT!" Harry screamed, and his glasses shattered. "NOW!"
"I'll do it," Ron said.
"Wait, Stun him first!" Hermione cried. "Stupefy!"
Harry fell unconscious.
"Good, now he won't feel it," Ron said. He held out his wand, looking horrified and guilt torn with what he had to do. "Close your eyes."
Hermione turned around and squeezed her eyes shut, her hands over her ears. Tears leaked from closed lids.
She heard a slicing sound.
"Done," Ron said, sounding like he was about to faint. "Look, he's all right now."
Hermione glimpsed at the unconscious Harry. She tried not to look at his arm, which was cut below the elbow, but she saw his skin was back to normal, even his arm. His arm was however bleeding freely. Hermione knew that a very large vein in his arm had probably been sliced.
"I'll have to cauterize it," Hermione said, shaking her head to clear it.
"What?"
"Stop the bleeding."
"Oh. You do that, I'm prying his arm out."
Hermione did a comlicated spell to stop the bleeding, and just after a few seconds after she had done so, and the bleeding had stopped, Ron said, "Dooooneee…" in an ultra queasy voice.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake.
"Oh no…" Ron cried. "Let's get out of here!"
Ron kept the gauntlet and Harry's arm, Hermione scooped up Harry, who was incredibly heavy, but thanks to his skinniness, not too much for Hermione. Ron's hands were drenched in blood and now Hermione's shirt was smeared with it too. They ran full pelt across the bridge, not even paying attention to its heinous swaying as rocks and boulders fell behind them. At the end of the bridge, Hermione tripped under Harry's weight and her ankle gave a sickening crack, as well as a flash of pain. Ron groaned and carefully places Harry's arm and the gauntlet in Hermione's bag, which Hermione hardly had time to be disgusted by, helped Hermione up and they both carried Harry. They went through the maze, and then came to the hall, then to an empty room, where Hermione could see a shaft of light coming through the trap door in the ceiling.
"Accio brooms!" Ron cried. Two brooms cam zooming down and Ron got on one, propping Harry with him, while Hermione got on the other, and they zoomed up to Borgin and Burkes, slamming the trapdoor behind them. Immediately, Hermione's knees gave out, and Ron's as well, so Harry thumped to the floor.
"We need…to get…his arm back on…" Hermione said, as the room spun.
Rom stumbled up and looked out the window. "Oh…My God. Death Eaters."
"What?"
"Outside. Quick, get to the room where the trapdoor was! Hardly anyone knows about it, it took us ages to find it, and only because I fell into it!" They dragged themselves back to the room, Hermione closing the door that blended in perfectly with the wall and muttered "Colloportus!"
"What are Death Eaters doing here?" she gasped.
"I dunno, but we can't take Harry to St. Mungo's now."
"We'll have to do it ourselves. I have medical book in my bag…get it…and Harry's arm."
Dizzily, Hermione flipped to the chapter on how to reattach an arm so the bones and arteries still worked perfectly using magic.
It took two hours for Hermione and Ron to do it, following the books instructions to the letter. Finally, they looked blearily down at the unconscious Harry. The only evidence that remained of the damage was a pink scar just under the elbow wrapping around the arm.
"Sure we did it right?" Ron asked.
"Of course we did, I triple checked everything. He won't be able to use it for a few days…wouldn't be that way if it were a professional job, nor would it scar, but his hand will work perfectly within four days. We'll check it out at St. Mungo's…when…the…Death Eaters…go…"
"So he's okay then?"
"As he'll ever be, I suppose."
"Well, if that's done…" Ron eyes rolled up in his head and he passed out on the floor.
Hermione managed to shove a pillow under her head before she did the same.

"If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room," -Lorraine Teel