I know it's been several months, but…
I don't have any excuse :)
I'd love to thank Airy for translation – without you there wouldn't be any new chapters. Thank you, thank you, thank you :)
Oh, and I wrote chapters 15-18 already, we just have to translate them :)
CHAPTER 14. The Mirror of One's Soul.
Last thing Hermione remembered was a bright mixture of blue and yellow light. Then – nothing. An absolute nothing.
Surprisingly enough, she didn't feel any pain. Moreover, it seemed like her body was in some kind of vacuum. She tried to move her hand, but the only thing she actually managed to do was to think about moving it. Hermione strained herself and again imagined her hand move, but this impulse didn't reach her limbs. Somewhere in the back of her head a hot lump of panic began to pulsate, but the rational part of Hermione was still in power, still stronger.
That's why for the third time the girl thought that slowly, atom-by-atom, cell-by-cell, joint-by-joint, her hand should start moving… A paralyzing silence was the answer to her. Hermione tried to see what was wrong with the arm, but something prevented her from doing it, and it wasn't the darkness, which surrounded her, but the suddenly unfamiliar, like somebody else's neck. A motionless, useless neck. The only moving part of Hermione were her eyes, bewildered, unfocused and slightly trembling. Eyes, from which hot tears began to spill in a moment. If the girl was able to move, she would be shaking in sobbing. But she was crying because her body was unable not only to shake, but also even to stir slightly. It was paralyzed.
***
- Hey, Hermione, wake up! Hermione, it's us! - quiet, but insistent voices awoke her.
Trying to analyze what was happening, she slowly rose on her elbows. There were at least five people standing beside her bed. In a few seconds she could distinguish Harry, Ron, Malfoy, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfry. Everything started to move as soon as she opened her eyes and when she moved slightly, a soft pillow was immediately placed with care under her back and someone put a cup with a hot pink boiling liquid in her hand.
The kind elderly voice of Dumbledore was soothing, almost like a lullaby:
- Hermione, drink this. You will feel better at once.
The potion turned out to be quite tasty, reminding of mint chocolate.
When the girl was making her last drop and was about to place the cup on the table, suddenly Snape appeared in the doorway, he was completely out of breath and didn't even try to conceal it. Moving very fast he approached the bed.
- How can you … - he stopped, his gaze fixed on her eyes. For a moment it looked as if the great and severe potions master choked with the words he was going to say, but then everything turned back to normal and Snape continued - … be so careless about yourself, Miss Granger! Your useless unworthy heroism again!!!
He saw that Hermione was not only surprised, but also ready to burst into tears, and continued:
- Drink this potion 7 times a day, in half an hour before eating. It's of vital importance to drink it at night. Ask some of your friends – a despising glance at Potter – to mind the time of taking this medicine.
With these words he turned, looked at Dumbledore, and disappeared in the doorway.
- What's wrong with him? – Ron burst out in rage. – Hermione' d hardly survived, and he's still behaving THIS way!
A week girl's hand slightly touched Ron.
- It's ok, Ron. Just don't bother your head with it. Honestly, he's just as always. Tell me what has happened and where Victoria is?
Harry and Ron stepped aside and let Malfoy reach the bed. Draco cast a questioning look at Dumbledore and after the Headmaster nodded approvingly, Draco said in a very low voice:
- The Dark Lord kidnapped her.
But when he saw that the weak girl's face twitched, he hurriedly added:
- She's surely alive. I followed you secretly to that room… You were talking to Victoria. Then I saw kinda whirlwind. Then a flash. A very bright flash. When I ran to you, you were unconscious. There was nobody else in the room, except for the Dark Mark dying out in the top.
The girl sat still all the time Draco was speaking. Her eyes were blank and expressionless. Then is seemed like the veil fell from her eyes and she forced herself to concentrate on the people in front of her.
- I…
…This was the only word she uttered before fainting again.
***
A quartz light penetrated through the eyelids, blinding the conscience.
- Oh, you did think it'll be dark in the dungeons, didn't you?
A mocking voice chimed around, filling the pulsing space with distracting annoying sounds.
Hermione half opened her eyes. At least she was able to do that. Her eyes remained the only moving part of her body.
- Come on, sweetheart. Open your eyes wide in happiness and joy – your savior has come!
Hermione suddenly wished to tense up into a small point and never feel this heating light, reaching from everywhere, never hear this irritating voice.
- I know, I know. You can't answer me. But we'll work on that. I'll make you sing and dance…
Hermione felt a wave of pity for herself and deep contempt towards this invisible man. Some other time she would have cried, but not in this situation. She had to find out where she was and who was with her. That's why she, overcoming the defence reaction of her organism, opened her eyes. At first the light seemed pale-blue to her. Then she saw shades of white and yellow. But nothing else.
- Oh, my honey decided to look around the place. How sweet. Well, you certainly want to see your new friend, don't you?
After these words Hermione thought that the last thing she wanted was seeing this new "friend", that's why she firmly closed her eyes.
- We are too delicate, I think. But sooner or later you'll have to face the truth. Merlin that sounded pathetic!
She could hear the man tut.
- Well, noone will judge me for a couple of unintelligible oh-so-clever phrases…will they?
Strong fingers seized Hermione's chin and turned her face abruptly to the right – where the voice came from. Hermione opened her eyes bravely and immediately regretted it. In a few seconds, when she was able to distinguish the features of the face, which seemed a shapeless shade in several cm from her face before, she felt sick. If she only could, she would utter in horror the name of this person. But in her condition she simply blinked in panic.
- Darling, I suppose you didn't expect to see me. Did you, Victoria?
Hermione felt her heart freeze when she heard this name. Like dragon flames a guess burnt inside her. A terrible guess, which Hermione's mind hurriedly proved with her memories. She recollected everything that happened before the flash: she was talking to Harry's sister in the disused classroom. Then Victoria suddenly whispered strange meaningless words and took some powder from the pocket of her elegant skirt. And, the next minute - a terribly painful flash. Last thing Hermione saw was Victoria's smile.
A smile of the girl whom she had exchanged bodies with.
P.S.: for those who are a bit "slow" – the girl in the infirmary wing with Potter and Co is Victoria in Hermione's body. Hermione is hell knows where with hell knows whom, and her body's paralyzed. (Of course I know where she is and who that mysterious MisterX is, but I'm not telling you this. Not yet.)