Chapter 10 - Nowhere Near Water

"Too easy?" Ron said.
"You do remember what happened last time…" Hermione trailed off.
"Let's just think about this for a minute." Harry said. "How can it be destroyed without actually touching it?"
"Well…" Hermione launched a spell at the cup. It didn't so much as move. "I guess not."

They all stared at the cup, each of them appearing to be deep in thought. Every few minutes Hermione would send a spell at the cup, each no more successful than the prior attempts. The last thing Harry wanted to do was physically touch it, but with the more time that lapsed it seemed imminent.
"Let me try something." Brooklyn spoke up.

Everyone stared at her, wondering what she could possibly do that they couldn't. She made her way in front of Harry and pointed her wand at the cup. With an intake of breath, a vivid purple light came from her wand. The cup began spinning around. Harry felt a shock of electricity run through his scar. Suddenly, Brooklyn dropped her wand and her hair was standing on end. He would have asked if she was okay, but he was the one that had ended up on the floor while she was still standing.

"Let's not do that again." Harry said, still feeling the electricity running through him as he stood up. "Just what exactly was that anyway?"
"Dark Arts." Hermione said. "Except it's not meant to be used in that manner…at least not on inanimate objects."
"I know, but I figured it was worth a try." Brooklyn said.
"How did you even learn that?" Ron asked.
"Ron, we have a Horcrux to destroy, do you really think that's relevant right now?" Harry said.
"My dad." Brooklyn said simply as she picked up her wand. "Maybe if I hold it for longer…"
"I really don't feel like getting electrocuted again."
"Well, I don't either, but if it works…"
"Let's not waste our time." Hermione interjected.
"Yeah, let's just smash it and get it over with." Ron said.
"There's probably an unbreakable charm on it."
"We could at least try, go on Harry."
"You've got to be joking…" Harry said, glaring at Ron.
"It's just too risky, Ron." Hermione said.
"So was coming here in the first place." Ron retorted, making a valid point.
"This is ridiculous…" Brooklyn said.

Brooklyn pushed everyone out of the way. Before Harry even had a chance to protest, she picked up the golden cup.

Nothing seemed to be happening.

"Uh, guys…" Brooklyn started. "I can't put it down."

She held up her hand and shook it. Sure enough the cup seemed to have attached itself to her skin.

The expression of her face grew grim. Something was not right.

Suddenly she started coughing and gasping for air. She fell to her hand and knees. She appeared to be coughing up water while she banged the cup on the ground in an attempt to break it.

"She's…she's drowning!" Hermione exclaimed. "Do something!"

Harry did the only thing he could think of...

He grabbed the cup from her hand, which easily detached itself from her. Sure enough, now it was stuck on him.

"Oh brilliant…" Harry muttered.

Brooklyn was still on the floor coughing up water, Hermione by her side trying to keep her calm. Harry tried a few spells in an attempt to not drown.
Nothing was working.

It was when he began to feel the unwelcome sensation in his lungs that he began to panic.

It happened so fast. One second he could breath, but then he couldn't. For every desperate intake of air he searched for was replaced with water. Somehow he was converting air into water as it entered his body…

A body that was not going to last long without oxygen.

He vaguely heard Hermione tell him to hold still as she once again attempted to destroy the cup.

Time was almost out. He could feel it.

His eyes darted around. Brooklyn was still trying to get all water out of her lungs, Hermione was still sending spells at his limp hand that lay beside him, Ron was kneeling next to him…

It was all going out of focus.

Never once had it occurred to him that he would die by drowning…nowhere near water.

He finally allowed his body to go limp and the black abyss to consume him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Harry began coughing violently, his vision returning to him. Large amounts of water were now attempting to escape his lungs with each forceful cough he made. He tried to stand up, only to have a hand grab a hold of his wrist.

"It goes by easier if you don't stand." Brooklyn said, her face still quite reddened from her own struggling.

Harry's only way to acknowledge her advice was to remain on the ground in a hunched over position while he continued to cough, attempting to get the oxygen to his lungs while the water continued to expel against it.

"Give me that damn cup, Ron!" Hermione yelled.

Harry turned his attention to the now drowning Ron, who seemed to be refusing to let Hermione take on the burden of the Horcrux.

"I will not let you die!" She said, trying to grab the cup from him.

Ron was able to dodge her first few attempts, but he too grew powerless under the curse that had been placed upon the Horcrux. In what must have been panic-induced, Ron drove his hand hard against a beam.

The cup did not shatter, but the cracking sounds that were heard made apparent that the force had broken his hand.

Still struggling to gain his normal breathing function back, Harry could merely watch as Hermione took the cup from Ron's disfigured hand. He fell to the floor in a coughing fit.

Brooklyn went to Hermione's side. "I can try that spell again."
"You might send electricity to me…and that won't mix well with water." Hermione said gravely. "Any other Dark Arts you happen to know?"
"Nothing more than the Unforgiveables, some stealth and some choice memory erasers."

Hermione merely nodded, looking over in the direction of Ron who was struggling to get water out of his lungs. A brief exchange of words was held so Harry was unable to hear. With a nod from Hermione, he watched still on his hands and knees as she held the cup out and turned her head away. The same purple light came from Brooklyn's wand and hit the Horcrux.

Harry let out a groan of pain as the same unpleasant sensation of static in his scar quickly escalated to a voltage number he didn't want to know. From his strained vision he could tell Brooklyn was in pain as well, but was still holding the spell.

"Stop!" Hermione yelled.

Brooklyn immediately lifted the spell, her hair standing on end worse than before. Harry fell forward the rest of the way between two beams, coming to rest on the unstable ceiling board. Ron's coughing fit could still be heard in the background.

"What's wrong?" Brooklyn asked.
"I…" Hermione started. "…don't feel well."

Harry pushed his body off of the ground using the two beams on either side of him for support. He looked just time to see Brooklyn catch Hermione before she fell to the ground.

"Her…my…ne!" Ron said through coughs, crawling his way towards her.

Harry was halfway to them when the cup began to shake violently in Hermione's limp hand, startling Brooklyn who had been checking for her pulse. It stopped after a few seconds.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked apprehensively.
"She has a pulse, but I think I knocked her out." Brooklyn said. "Maybe I held the spell too long."
"Why…is she…blue!" Ron yelled.

Harry and Brooklyn both turned their attention to the now very pale Hermione. Her lips were turning a shade of blue. Brooklyn's breathing became rapid as she searched for a pulse along Hermione's neck.

"You …killed her?" Ron said in disbelief.
"No…" Brooklyn's voice was barely audible. "I…"

Water began to trickle out of Hermione's mouth.

"Oh no…" Brooklyn's whisper was laced with panic. She took her wand and aimed it at Hermione. "Please work again…Anapneo!"

Hermione's lifeless form was unchanged.

Brooklyn repeated the spell. Again. Again. Nothing.

She threw her wand aside and took to the muggle way of reviving people. As she pushed down on her chest and alternately gave her breaths of life, Ron voice could be heard saying indecipherable words.

As the minutes passed by, Harry came to the painful realization that there was nothing more that could be done. Her body had been deprived of oxygen for too long. With the onset of grief threatening to break, he immediately put up his barrier that would allow him to remain inordinately detached…the same barrier he knew that caused him nothing but further anguish.

Brooklyn was still vehemently trying to revive Hermione while tears silently left trails down her face.

Harry stopped her hands from pushing down again. "It's over."
Brooklyn looked up at him, more tears threatening to fall. She shook her head. "I can do this." She brushed his hands off of hers and went to tilt Hermione's head back.
"Do not touch her!" Ron said furiously while pushing Brooklyn away.

Ron leaned over Hermione's lifeless form. Harry turned away. He couldn't bare the sight of his best mate's emotional turmoil. In his new line of sight he saw Brooklyn, who was staring helplessly at the situation in front of her. Harry remained stoic, not allowing the true impact of everything overcome him.

"I didn't mean to…" Brooklyn whispered as more tears fell from her eyes.

He turned to her. She couldn't possibly think this was her fault. If there was one thing he knew for sure about the situation, it was that the protection on that Horcrux was meant to kill someone…Hermione, unfortunately, just happened to be that someone.

It wasn't helping matters that Ron kept mumbling about Brooklyn. In particular the phrase, 'you killed my girlfriend' was uttered a few times.

By now Brooklyn had turned her back toward Ron and the lifeless form of Hermione. Harry decided to try and talk to Ron. They needed to get out of there even though he was fairly certain the Horcrux was not destroyed.

He apprehensively touched Ron's shoulder. "Ron…"
"Leave me…alone." Ron said through tears.
"We can't stay here."
"I'm not going anywhere with her!" Ron said pointing at Brooklyn.
"She didn't do anything."
"She used dark magic on her when Hermione told her not to! You saw it, Harry! Now she's dead!"

Harry's attention was drawn from Ron's yells to Brooklyn's sobs. She was hitting herself in the head while berating herself for being so daft.

This was just not a good situation.

"H-hermione?" Ron's hopeful voice said.

Both Harry and Brooklyn turned around. Hermione's hand twitched loose from the cup and her eyes began to flutter open. Ron face was overcome with joy as she clumsily tried to sit up. Her expressionless face looked at Ron, but then quickly turned in Harry's direction. She quite briskly stood up and stumbled over towards him. She stopped and stared at him with the same expressionless face. Ron's confusion laced voice could be heard calling her name. Hermione turned her gaze toward Brooklyn next and stumbled over the beams towards her. Her expressionless face still did not falter, but her actions did.

In one quick movement, Hermione had pushed Brooklyn to the ground and was on top of her, strangling her. Brooklyn's hands were attached to Hermione's wrist trying to pry her off so she could get air. Harry immediately went for his wand and was about to send a spell right at Hermione.

Harry found the end of another wand pointed at his head.

"I won't let you hurt her." Ron said.
"Ron…this is not Hermione. Hermione is dead." Harry said.
"SHE IS NOT!"
"That's an inferi Ron! Hermione is gone!"
"Shut it, Harry! Don't make me do this!"

Brooklyn had managed to get away from the grasps of the inferi, but was still being pursued by it. Harry couldn't wait any longer and only hoped that Ron wouldn't do something to hurt him in return.

"Circulus Incendo!"

No sooner did the ring of fire surround the inferi did Harry hear the word Crucio said. The sheer surprise that Ron would have used an Unforgivable on him knocked him to the ground.

Pain however, was next to none.

Harry stood up while still being held under the curse, causing Ron to lift it.

Harry started laughing. "You've never used that before, have you Ron?"

He reminded himself of Bellatrix Lestrange at that moment and an internal shudder went through his body.

"Harry…" Brooklyn's voice called out to him.

He turned his attention towards her. She was pointing at the now twitching inferi body of Hermione that lay burning on the ground. However, that was not what she was pointing at.

The quickly spreading fire was now in need of their attention and he wasted no time in putting it out. Harry turned to where Ron had been standing, but he was no longer there. He rolled his eyes, wishing Ron would actually think before acting for once.

Harry approached Brooklyn, who was now sitting alongside the lifeless inferi body.

"We need to get out of here." He said. "The Ministry will be here soon since Ron cast an Unforgivable."
Brooklyn nodded. "What about…" She pointed to Hermione.
"We'll…have to take her with us."

Harry knelt down to pick up Hermione's body, but something else caught his eye.

The cup was still sitting on the ground a few feet away.

He turned back to Brooklyn. She had already gotten in a position to apparate herself and Hermione out of there. She was just waiting for the okay to leave. Harry nodded and they were gone a second later.

He knelt down next to the golden cup and cautiously reached out his hand. If he were to start drowning again, there would be no help this time. With a deep breath, he grabbed its handle and released it just as fast.

It was no longer adhering itself to his skin.

He picked it up and examined it closer. There was now a crack going down the center of the carefully engraved badger.

The Horcrux had been destroyed.

A dull ache began resonating in his scar. He had a feeling that Voldemort was able to feel the destruction of another bit of his soul and was not exactly pleased about it.

While rubbing his head with one hand, he heard a crack come from below, quickly followed by another one.

"Well, everything looks good to me, let's go." One of the voice's said.
"Just because you were arguing with your wife when you got called away does not mean that you can investigate this carelessly!" The other said.
"You don't know my wife…"

Deciding his was probably a good time to leave, Harry took one last look around to make sure no evidence was left that could be traced back to any of them.

With a sigh, he disapparated, not wanting to confront what was about to greet him when he returned to Grimmauld Place.