Hermione lifted her chin and looked defiantly at Sirius, who was still pressing his wand against her jugular. Trying to scare the Auror with Avada, are we now? Black, however, pressed on.

"Tell me, come on, who are you and why did you interfere in my family!"

Hermione shoved him aside.

"Easy, Sirius, neither of us needs a squad of Aurors that will rush in here and undoubtedly put you in Azkaban. Let's talk calmly."

"In the middle of the field?"

"Oh, you finally remembered that we were standing in the middle of a village," Granger pursed her lips, fumbling for her own wand in her pocket. Non-verbal and wandless spell, she was fine without the wand, but the words about constant vigilance hammered into her head by Moody made themselves felt. Sirius was a fool, but a suspicious fool. It also poured from the sky like the Great Flood! And she could not even conjure a shield over her head!

"So?" Black ceased to calm down, and the water flowed down him, like from the dog. Hermione wanted to wriggle out of his steely grip, but her hapless opponent's Auror training was also making itself felt. Sirius grabbed her by the collar and gave her a good shake.

"Are you going to answer or not?"

"Hey, take it easy, I can break your nose, Lady Walburga is unlikely to be happy if you show up to the ball covered in bruises."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Black, I've got enough of you, I swear by Merlin! Let's apparate to me and I'll tell you everything if you want, but believe me for five minutes that I'm not your enemy!"

"Prove it!"

"Why would bother to save your brother?"

"To ingratiate myself with my parents, and then achieve your own selfish goals!"

"You're confusing me with Snape! Sirius, really, it's cold and it's raining. Let's go under the roof."

"Is Auror afraid of water? Or are you not an Auror? Do you have any truth in you? Granger, or what-is-your-name?"

Hermione spread her legs wider, ducked under the arm that held her by the collar, and with a sharp movement threw Sirius over her. He was so taken aback that he did not immediately realize that he was already lying on the ground and the wand was now pressing at his neck.

"Padfood, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail. Does that mean anything to you, I hope?"

Sirius swallowed and accepted her outstretched hand.

"Fine, let's go to your place."

"That would be the right choice, stop throwing Unforgivables at me, will you? And just what do they teach you in your DMLEs?"

"The same things as you," Sirius grumbled and prepared to Apparate. Hermione smiled sadly and followed.

After pouring tea into cups, she flopped wearily into the chair across from Sirius: what a crazy day today was. Most of all she wanted to lie face down on her pillow and sleep until noon tomorrow, least of all to get a new pile of memories and answer the endless questions of this annoying dog. And she would have to. Sirius, with his irrepressible curiosity, could easily ruin all her plans to save the world. Snape glanced furtively at his wife from the portrait, but she brushed it off: watch over me, but do not interfere.

Sirius sipped his tea with pleasure and glared at the formation of bubbles, in which the grayish-white threads of someone else's life snaked, and was preparing to dive into the pool with his head literally. In the pool of memories. Hermione watched his actions with the resignation of a doomed man. No, of course, Obliviate was always a good option, but with this spell, she had her own scores, and then, sooner or later, he would find out anyway. One less, one more. Be it all damned! If her husband were a little less stubborn and a little more accommodating; she would now be writing her dissertation for the Mistress of Arithmancy, Severus would cook stew on Sundays and there would be no timeline madness in their lives! The aforementioned Severus hung his head. Hermione shook her fist at the portrait and waved at Sirius.

"Did you come to sit here or do business?"

Black spilled the tea.

"Listen, where did you grow up in general?"

"If you look into my memories, you will find out," Hermione smiled sweetly and pointed her finger at the Pensieve.

Black was so relaxed and warm in the warmth that he very reluctantly got up from his chair and trudged to the table, took the first vial, and stuck his head into the murky liquid.

And it was unlikely, of course, that Hermione would have seen something new for herself there, but in anticipation of the return of Sirius from the "past life", she remembered Walburga's words about the butterfly effect. If she had managed to appear in their lives, much could have gone differently. Regulus, who was always looking for his brother, like that lost wolf cub, lagging behind the pack, would be alive and certainly would not fall into the trap with the Horcruxes. An alliance of pure-blooded wizards would have figured out how to kill Voldemort without compromising their own children and comfort. Granger was sure of that. The Potters would not have listened to the honorable Dumbledore and spent a year under Fidelius when it was safer and wiser to leave the country and save Harry. Harry would have had a normal childhood, and not dragged out a miserable existence in a closet under the stairs. Perhaps the same Draco, having Severus as a godfather, and not a tradition-obsessed father, would grow up to be something like Regulus and met Harry first instead of Ron. And the Golden Trio would have been completely different ... Hermione Granger would never have been born, but instead of her there would have been a world-wise and happy witch who has gone through water and fire, Maya Prince.

Remus would have taught Defense at Hogwarts, as he always dreamed of, or he would have written a dissertation or two and found himself in Muggle Oxford. Because Hermione and Severus would definitely patent the Wolfsbane, which they would have perfected, and heal thousands of werewolves in Britain and beyond. Wormtail... Despite her wild desire to suffocate the vile rat, Hermione nevertheless understood his reasons. He had always been in the shadow of the flamboyant Marauders, always put up with their taunts, which were kind of friendly, but anything was to be expected from teenage idiots. Not surprisingly, he joined Voldemort out of a desire to find his place in the sun, which later turned into a desire for revenge. And so he got his revenge. What else?

Alice and Frank would have remained healthy and Neville would have known his parents. Her own parents would still be alive, after all! And even if they had another girl or a boy, they would be all right.

A serious task Hermione took on her shoulders, but when did difficulties frighten the smartest witch of several generations? She locked eyes with the portrait of Severus and told him: "Don't you dare ask me what I think of you now!" Of course, she never forgave him, but that was a completely different story.

Twilight was falling on the world, the rain had stopped and the setting sun cast a scarlet glare on Granger's white curtains. Beautiful and bloody. Sirius, meanwhile, emerged from the Pensieve and approached her. Shock and confusion were clearly visible on his face. Disbelief, sadness, fear, doom, longing - what did he expect? Fair show?

"Hermione..."

"Maya," Granger snapped.

"Maya," Sirius agreed, barely on his feet. "I… If all this is true, then I don't know how you survived it."

"I am stronger than it seems at first glance," the witch chuckled.

"I have to think of everything.

"Naturally. I didn't expect anything else."

"And I…sorry. I'm on your side..."

"Come on, get out of here and sleep it through! We'll talk tomorrow."

And he was gone, and Hermione was left staring into space.

By dawn, she had a wild fever. Walking in the rain did not lead her to good.