CHAPTER 16. The Burns.
Victoria was sitting in the Griffindor Common room and looking through the "Newest History of Apparation: Theory and Practice With No Fatal Results". When her brother found out that the Dark Lord had apparated the so- to -be Victoria to him, everything went completely mad. At first he decided to go and defeat The–Great–And–Mighty–You-Know–Who, but after a *refreshing* talk with the elderly wizard (not Snape, but Dumbledore, if somebody misunderstood), he calmed down. Well, instead of acting like a prat who wanted to commit suicide and running away to look for Voldie our hero turned up in the Ministry of Magic the same day. Eventually, he didn't go so far as the Aurors, because Victoria made a rather sensible supposition that if (or when) Voldemort finds out that there's a crowd of Aurors approaching, it'll be even easier for him to murder the girl: any negotiations between the *peaceful* part and the *evil* won't lead to anything good, because actually the Ministry bothered more 'bout getting rid of Voldemort than saving the life of the girl, noone gave a damn whether she was The- Boy- Who- Lived sister or not. Besides, hell knows how long it would take the Aurors to find Voldemort, and the word *long* was frightening – they all hardly had any time to save her.
After the useless journey to the Ministry the hyperactive young man, commonly known as Harry Potter, decided to make up his own Plan of Rescue. The only thing that bothered him was… a complete lack of ideas… Not a slightest *bright* idea of what the plan should be…
Right at that hard time Snape interfered, he had been wandering about the school deep in his thoughts, gazing at everyone… strangely… (Well, it was SNAPE after all). So the potions master offered them to read "proper literature" instead of "sneaking around Hogwarts all the time". At first Victoria began to suspect that her beloved stepfather figured the whole affair out, but after a couple of remarks and looks he had obviously awarded Hermione (like: " you'd better bother yourself with fighting your way through the depths of science – your *prominent* teeth may help you, Miss Granger") she relaxed and started to work out the Harry- thing. She should gain control over him and lead him right into the trap Voldemort had prepared.
Victoria almost began to feel pity for the boy, but a sudden alien, strange pain struck her. It didn't belong to her, it was kind of somebody else's, but at the same time so vivid, so hurtful! It seemed like one could squeeze this pain into one pulsating lump. Yes, maybe squeeze, but not destroy. Victoria fell on the floor, covering the huge book with her body. She didn't suffer any convulsions. Her entire body was hit and twisted by a terrible spasm of pain. And when Victoria was half –killed by the wave of unbearable, unreal feeling, a miracle happened. A blessed marvelous numbness of all limbs began to spread very smoothly, slowly over Victoria. The pain disappeared, but it had also taken away the girl's ability to breathe: her lungs didn't belong to her any more. But Victoria was glad. It was better to die from suffocation, than because of that horrible beyond any imagination pain.
***
(Victoria's thoughts in italics)
When Victoria came back to conscience she felt a strange gig in her mouth, like a skein of yarn. Her lungs were still dead, but she was somehow able to breathe. She was alive…
A warm hand patted her on her shoulder.
- Hermione. Everything will be fine. You are in the infirmary wing now. You are breathing through the … er…um… er…the…apparatus of artificial respiration… Yes, arti… - the voice of the speaker broke and Victoria heard this person whisper quickly: - I can't remember the Muggle word for that…Hermione might understand it… I only once saw Uncle Vernon watch the " Head Hospital", a Muggle movie.
Another voice answered too low for Victoria to hear. Then the same hand slightly squeezed her shoulder. Why does my brother have such hot hands!!?? He's burning me!
- Hermione, you are unable to move now, but we're sure it's temporary.
ARGH!! Sod off, Harry!! I'm paralyzed, I can't breathe! I have burns where you touch me! Will somebody tell me what the fuck is going on?!
Obviously, The - Boy – With – Burning – Hands wasn't a telepath, so he couldn't answer Victoria. And, anyway, he didn't have a clue. AND he wanted to cheer his friend "Hermione" up. So he simply hugged her…
… Victoria fainted from the pain her awful burns gave…