"Smile, Herr Snape!" the photographer called for the third time.
I did what Hermione Granger called "grin number three." The photographer mournfully closed his eyes and took a picture. And what can I do about it? You can't please everyone.
In the "invisible" hall of the University of Cologne, there were almost more reporters than potioneers. Both the first and the second wanted to talk to me. Slughorn, who held my elbow in a friendly manner, got rid of my colleagues, but at the same time greatly increased the chances of a collision with the press.
"What a Wizard Magazine!" rumbled another version of Rita Skeeter. "Mr. Snape, how did you feel when you received a place in the Potions Guild and honorary membership in the Strictly Extraordinary Potions Society?"
"Satisfaction," I responded, habitually. Questions wandered from one interview to another. It would be naive to expect diversity in the questions.
"How will your discovery affect the lives of ordinary wizards?"
"It won't. Memory charms are forbidden and dangerous magic. I see no reason why an ordinary wizard would have to use them. As well as the developed antidote".
"Thank you for your reply! Mr. Snape, the famous writer and traveler Gilderoy Lockhart, who lost his memory in an accident, is in St. Mungo's Hospital. Maybe your potion..."
"Unfortunately no. Healers have conducted a number of studies and believe that its use may be fatal for Lockhart".
Slughorn nodded vigorously, as if he had personally participated in the consultation of Healers, and even let go of my elbow. I took a moment:
"Professor Slughorn can explain more to you. Please!"
The journalist could not hide her annoyance, but Horace beamed, offered the lady his hand and walked with her to the buffet table.
No, the local scribblers are far from Rita Skeeter. I was about to leave the hall when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a familiar figure in full Auror robes. Was I surprised? Not at all.
"Good afternoon, Herr Potter. What on God's green earth brought you here?" I asked as kindly as possible.
"Hello, Professor! I ensure the safety of the participants of the congress," the always polite Potter enlightened me. "Our Auror office provided six staff. Only MACUSA has more".
"And you volunteered first, of course?"
"Such a big job, sir, such a big job!" Potter shook his head, dutifully covering himself with Occlumency. - "By the way, smile, you are being photographed from the gallery, see over there?"
"Don't play dumb. I asked you not to interfere".
"I'm interfering. You wanted to go to the convention and you went to it. You didn't want to tell Hermione - please, she doesn't know that someone is interested in you again" - Potter still failed to keep calm and was now frankly angry. - Five! Five signals from different sources! And these are only those that were tracked in the Auror office. The wildest semi-official and unofficial requests that were united exclusively by your person! Would you ignore them if you were me?"
His brilliant monologue was interrupted by another flash from a camera. Potter frowned and waved his Auror ID at the photographer, who instantly vanished.
"If I were you, I would try to think why an unknown person would show such an obvious and obsessive interest that even the Aurors could track," I prompted.
Potter didn't buy into my use of "even", but immediately reacted to the "unknown face":
"Do you know who it is?"
"I guess".
"And you think it's safe?"
"Tell me, how safe is the work of an Auror? Why don't your friends run after you in droves and put mattresses in the places of your alleged falls on every shift?"
"That's different," Potter objected passionately, and fell silent. To think it over? However, being angry that Harry Potter was acting like Harry Potter was pointless.
"Listen, Potter. I'm not going to do rash things. But I plan to use this time during this congress very fruitfully. And I hope that you will show in this matter not so much kindred guardianship and participation as friendly tact. At least try".
The words worked. Rejoice, Albus - everything is according to your precepts. Potter blossomed and prepared to say something sublime, but I reacted faster:
"By the way, the reporter in green approaching here asked about you a quarter of an hour ago. Would you like to give him an interview?"
"No way," Potter muttered. — "A sense of tact advises me to retire".
And the next moment he disappeared into the crowd.
I was less fortunate, and as I was walking away from the green, I came face to face with a woman in a Muggle pantsuit.
"I'm from the Magazine "In Plain Words"! Snape, are you flattered by this flattery?" she asked cheerfully.
"Of course it's flattering," I agreed. "And if someone crossed half the Earth to meet my person, that is not only flattering, but also intriguing".
She chuckled.
"It's nice to deal with a smart person. What if I steal you away for an hour or two?"
"As you say," I agreed.
"And your young friend won't be upset?"
The provocation was deliberate, and the Legilimency's touch was light and shallow. Or so it seemed. Occlumency was different too: white noise combined with a few surface images. Simple but reliable protection. Unless there's someone like the Dark Lord trying to get in your head.
"I agree, my level is not high," Jane Holly agreed calmly. "But usually I have some protection. So how about going to some local eatery? I shout!"
After the strict and dark decoration of the university, the city dazzled the eyes with bright sun and fresh greenery. The blissful picture was not disturbed even by the students who were scattered in abundance around the university park.
"You look great in Muggle clothes," Holly said approvingly. - "And now - the most important question of the day: do you consider yourself a connoisseur of beer?"
"No".
"I'm sorry. Here, even if you order brandy, they will still bring you Kölsch. But since subtle shades won't surprise you, let's just take a look at Frueh: it's authentic, clean and satisfying. I know a shortcut".
For a while we continued to walk slowly through the park, and suddenly its lawns and trees gave way to a dull street, the houses of which were painted with graffiti. On one of the walls was an inscription: "Long live the Invisible House!".
Holly laughed approvingly, muttering something about Pratchett unknown to me, and ran up a flight of stairs outside. Climbing up next, I saw that the terrain had changed again. The whole street here seemed to consist entirely of shops, and the crowd - all tourists.
"Schildergasse!" Holly commented sideways. - "Now do not miss the turn to Am Hof. Seems to be right over here. Keep up!"
She walked through a gateway, slipped through a hole in the boarded-up gate, emerged into a square with a strange fountain, and snapped her fingers:
"I still remember! That's it, we've arrived".
"For a visitor to the city, you are familiar with the local magic nooks and crannies," I remarked.
"A quarter of a century ago, little Jenny was a proud student of the Cologne Invisible for three whole years," Holly broke into a pleased smile, "and there it was considered indecent to spend more than five minutes walking to your favorite pub. I wonder if any of today's wizards still use our illegal minks?"
I chose not to comment on the information received about local student traditions, but Holly was not going to remain silent:
"By the way, this fountain would have made an impression on Hermione Granger." "The woman who ruined everything". A fabulous version of the story of how gnomes were expelled from Cologne. Of course, in reality, everything is much sadder and more instructive, but the topic deserves to be studied, agree?"
Again I refrained from replying, and Holly fell silent for a moment.
Frueh turned out to be a brasserie. There were many tourists, but there was enough room for us to sit. Before Holly ordered, the bartender silently held out two glasses of beer in front of us.
"So, a mysterious wizard, for acquaintance?"
I brought the glass to my lips, simulating a sip. I did not want to check the quality of the local alcohol at all. Holly, meanwhile, made another mental attempt, but I didn't plan to play with an opponent of an unknown level. She smiled knowingly.
"So how did you feel, Mr. Snape, when you received a place in the Potions Guild and an honorary membership in the Strictly Extraordinary Potions Society?"
"You'll read my feelings in the newspaper." I covered part of the bar with a silencing charm, although I hardly needed it. "Now to the point: what do you want?"
Holly nodded happily.
"Smart, accurate, sharp. Yes! In that case, my proposal is this: you help me and set a fee. I decide if the rates are right for me or not. We discuss, we find a compromise, I fulfill my part of the deal, you keep yours".
"Why do you think I'm interested in this?"
"Because you meekly went with me to God knows where, and now you are sitting here, pretending to drink beer, and waiting for me to start threatening you".
" Will you start threatening me now or?" I clarified.
"I didn't even think about it." Holly shook her head. "It's stupid to threaten a person you're going to trust with your life. I wonder what you've been waiting for. If you develop the topic, you can understand a lot ... A lot. But let's talk about something else. So, you can help me. It is illegal, and I am not Hermione Granger, so that your risk comes solely from the sublime impulses of the soul. So I ask: is there something tempting that I can offer in return?"
"In return for what?"
Holly squinted at the bartender and added another defensive spell.
"I want to forgive a man because he died".
"That's pathetic. Explain?"
"Okay, here are the facts. A woman. Forty-two years old. Irreversible Memory Charm. Cast illegally, in October 1981. The goal was to treat persistent depression. The content of the changes: replacement of the event "death of a significant person" with another event - "treason and departure"; replacement of the initial reaction "sorrow" with another reaction - "resentment, removal". The peculiarity of the operation is to obtain information about real facts a year after the procedure. The goal has been reached. No relapses of depression were observed".
Holly was silent.
"What is the problem? Perceptual distortion? Double memories? Dreams?"
"The problem is that damn Jane Holly wasn't adequate when she made her decision in 1981. In the end, she so firmly believed that betrayal would not allow anyone else that she betrayed herself".
"And how do you determine your adequacy today?"
"Listen." She swung her empty glass down onto the bar and stared at me. - "If you were given the opportunity to correct the biggest mistake of your life, would you do it?"
"I appreciate the work you've done gathering a dossier on me, but leave my past alone. Now it's about you".
The silent bartender poured another glass of beer and moved to the corner of the bar.
"What are you, what kind of dossier should I have collected?" Holly suddenly cheered up. "By the way, it's good that you reminded me. Will you give me an autograph?"
She fished an opus Skeeter dedicated to me out of her bag.
"Do you know where I got this? From an Auror office, in lieu of a response to an inquiry from the Singapore Chamber about Dark Mark bearers left without the Trace. Nice, huh? And it was so nice to understand that I guessed right".
"What a great sense of humor," I agreed. "Mr. Potter is an entertainer. Like you. Why were these strange requests from intersecting sets? "
"I think it's fun," said Holly. "Ron and Hermione said very little, and my Legilimency skills, as you already understand, are very mediocre. What did I know about you? A cynical Occlumens, almost certainly a Potions Master, a misanthrope and possibly a teacher. Not enough. But I have many friends around the world, and they were happy to participate in my game. And then there was a list of participants in this convention with the topics of their speeches, and I guessed to order a binder of all Potions Herald editions. You were there, and Granger, and all the details. It's even insulting ... But you knew for sure that I was looking for you, and you could choose whether you needed it or not. I was hoping that Granger would talk about my problem, and you'd get scientific interest. I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd suspect blackmail".
A waiter in a blue apron brought our order, and we moved to a table.
"Help me," Holly finished simply. — "I carefully studied everything you posted. The essence does not fit - I have long known what really happened. But I really need to say goodbye to Steve properly and mourn him. Him - and not my own tragedy, as it happened twenty years ago. And these nuances are given by herbal distillate, which will never be freely available, since you - according to the results of a single test - recognized it as poisonous".
"Suppose you believe that you need exactly that," I shrugged, "but in practice you will get lost in your fantasies and die. Not too much to pay for an evening of delayed mourning?"
"You didn't die".
"My experience won't help. The memory recovery effect occurs at the peak of the multisensory hallucination. If you stop early, nothing will come of it. But at the right time, you don't want to stop".
"Then you will stop me," Holly waved her hand again. "Track my hallucination, intervene, and provide an antidote when needed. Just like breaking a coconut".
"Hacking a hallucinating occlusion? You get hurt, and our deal is no longer a secret. Why take such a risk?"
"If you weren't ready to agree, you wouldn't be arguing with me right now, but drinking wine with Potter," Holly reminded gently. - "Offer your price, specify the conditions - and the risk will be justified".
Heading to Cologne, I was sure that Jane Holly would make herself felt, but I assumed that she would build our dialogue from a position of strength - she would remember Hermione's parents, demonstrate her abilities, dictate the conditions herself ... And now it was possible for me to stand up, thank her for the interesting conversation and reply that her proposal does not seem acceptable to me. It's funny.
I took out a notepad, wrote a few points in it and pushed it towards her.
Holly skimmed through the text and whistled.
"Come on! Do you understand that I can't support a vendetta?"
"This is not a vendetta".
"No murders, kidnappings, threats, blackmail or identity manipulation?"
"None of it".
"Violation of the Statute?"
"Hardly possible".
"The source of this information?"
"Albus Dumbledore. Is that a familiar name?"
Holly suddenly flashed me a sharp look.
"If that's the case, then it's too easy. What's the trick?"
"No trick. Consider it a little bonus from me after welcoming my former students to Australia. Two months of excursions, activities, outdoor lessons, Mr. Weasley even mastered Occlumency! How do you not want to help in return? For a small favor that only you can provide".
Holly chuckled and rubbed her temples with her fingers.
"What a long interesting thought. I won't sleep tonight - I'll wonder what Ronnie did".
"You won't have to sleep," I assured her. "We are in for an exciting night. If we agree on terms".
"Today?" Holly asked, and for the first time I felt her doubts.
"Yes," I confirmed. "And a session of diagnostic Legilimency. Now. I need at least a rough idea of what I'm dealing with".
She winced.
"Here's another. I was just about to eat".
"Bon appetit." I stood up. "Sign up to a good psychotherapist. They will make you take much more poisonous, generic and unresearched potions - and without any risk".
Holly speared a slice of French fries on her fork and grunted.
"What's wrong with the world? This British wizard advises me to visit a psychotherapist. Sit down. And do not waste time on well-known facts and advice that you yourself have never followed".
"Then we'll run diagnostics," I repeated.
"Okay," Holly sighed. "Now let's go. At mine or at yours?"
"Here".
"Are you out of your mind?!"
"Because I'm in my mind. You won't have a duel here if you think I've seen something superfluous".
Holly mockingly drawled:
"Are you afraid?"
"No. Decide if you want to do this".
"Okay," she agreed reluctantly. - "How much time do you need?
"If you behave adequately, three minutes".
She nodded silently. Her occlusion shield melted, revealing consciousness.
Jane Holly's actions lived in peace with her convictions. An active life position that even Mrs. Potter would envy. It had its own cemetery. I didn't look there. Friends? Yes. Many... Too many. Ron Weasley? Suddenly. Not interested. Just a superficial resemblance that irritated an old sore. And here she is - many years old, aching, with nightmares, obsessive thoughts, but within the framework that allows her to seem like a sane person ... Framework. Rules. Rules to break the rules. Rules for making rules that break rules. Responsibilities. A responsibility. Guilt… From the last one? Studying the processes of the Eaters, the Karkaroff case. My person. It was clear.
Holly took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Respiration is normal, pupils are not dilated. Strong healthy mind.
"It helps a lot to insult the Legilimens," I suggested.
"You'll get over it," she snapped. "You've heard been worse".
"In Singapore?"
Holly quickly clenched and unclenched the fingers of her right hand. I wonder where she keeps her wand?
"Are you stress-testing? Safety is alright. But don't pedal about Singapore anymore".
"Okay," I agreed. "There is another question: why didn't you get information about me from Weasley? Did it mean so much to you that he looks like Steve?"
"You're just adorable," Holly grimaced. "No, that's not why. The boy was intensely worried that you planted some kind of behaviour-correcting program in his brain. It was impossible to exclude this, and I was not going to bear the blame for his broken psyche through life".
"But on the last day, you confidently told Granger that there was no program".
"Observation, Snape, observation. All circumstantial evidence denied it." Holly recovered completely, her self-confident smile returning to her face. "Do you want to tell me what else I came up with the help of observation?"
"No".
"That's a pity. But did I pass your test? Will this deal go through?"
"Yes. Now eat. And don't drink anymore today".
... When we left the Frueh, the sun was already touching the tops of the houses.
"Let's drop in for a minute to Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar?" Holly suggested.
"To whom?"
"To the three wise men. Kings. Stargazers. Have you ever thought that the worlds of Muggles and wizards are closest to each other right here in Cologne Cathedral?" Holly was either improvising or quoting an article from a guide book. "The relics of the most revered wizards of all time lie here! Yes. The most revered, and, mind you, not one of them is Merlin! You can't be in Cologne and not see Kölner Dom. Come on, it's very close".
This time there were no magical transitions. The cathedral was found around the nearest bend. Powerful. Light. Predatory. Aspiring to the sky and frozen on the ground.
Holly walked over to the wall, touched it with her hand. She slowly ran her fingers over the stonework, as if stroking it.
"You're lucky," she said softly. - "Now it's lit by the sun. Everyone I know describes Kölner Dom as they saw it for the first time. And most of the poor souls remember only the gloomy spiers".
"What do you see?"
"Wow?" Holly turned around. - "Are you really interested? Well, suppose I knew right away that the cathedral is more complicated than it seems. And it was ready not only to look, but also to see. It's ridiculous. In the sense that it does not fit any era. Stylish. Archaic… Sometimes it seems to me that then, in the sixteenth century, when they stopped building it, it died. And then, in the nineteenth, they resurrected it against their will. Do you know why it was not destroyed in World War II? The spires were an excellent guide for British bombers ... The city was bombed, but the cathedral survived. Only the scars from the repairs remained ... Looks like you".
"Decided to return to insulting me?" I asked, involuntarily checking my mental defenses. Jane Holly knew how to unbalance me.