The portrait of Severus and Severus himself furrowed their brows in unison, staring point-blank at the witch, who was unaware of her delirium. Having gathered enough wits about themselves, the portrait Snape hurried to get lost in the rural landscape, and the second Severus carefully returned Hermione to the sofa and scratched the bridge of his nose in puzzlement. Not that he wasn't flattered by Granger's unexpected attention, but Snape's self-esteem, which he already had lifelong and very serious problems with, hastened to inform him that most likely the witch had confused him with someone else. Someone more pleasant and much more handsome, for sure.

"Of course, with another wizard, who, by an amazing coincidence, is also called Severus," Snape informed his inner voice with sarcasm and consulted the runes fishing all over Hermione's form. She still had a fever and looked worse for wear. Potions or not, everything took time. Severus summoned a chair from the kitchen and settled down by the sofa to look after his unexpected patient.

The deceased Snape carefully looked out from behind a haystack and cursed colorfully in a whisper - after all, from the very beginning, he knew that this unhealthy love of his wife would not lead to good! He knew the doomed outcome of their relations, and yet he did not want to leave her to the mercy of fate in a strange world! And now her unconscious reaction to the young Severus could bring everyone into trouble. Although, what could be worse than this mess of twisted fate that had already happened? However, the portrait was in no hurry to leave his post, watching from afar both heroes of the occasion.

Severus, meanwhile, thought hard. No, he actually liked her. Sirius's jokes, Regulus's too-attentive gaze, but he couldn't lie to himself - Severus had always been attracted to women who were too confident with themselves and had bright leadership qualities. Lily, Minerva, Poppy, Narcissa Malfoy, now here was Maya. He didn't want to think why someone like her would choose someone like him, a ragamuffin with ambitions, who, apart from the dream of a brighter future, had nothing else to offer. Although he could praise himself for having the sense to change his mind in time and avoid the Dark Mark.

And all thanks to the same Maya... Severus didn't know her at all, but he already felt a strange attraction toward her. So much like the subtle call of magic he always felt when he experimented with potions. With some innate instinct, he caught the light and darkness coming from herbs and artifacts. And as it turned out, from people. Maya beckoned him like an ancient book, a treatise on the dark arts, which he wanted to know.

Severus took her hand and narrowed his eyes, studying her face carefully. What if…

"Legillimens!"

The moral code could go to hell, Severus felt that if he did not find out here and now what secrets Maya was hiding, then he would not get such a chance again. And yes, he knew perfectly well that reading thoughts without consent was akin to violence, yet, the Slytherin in him loved to follow his own ambitions, so curiosity overpowered. And then, what pushed her into his arms?

Snape's portrait, he hadn't been a spy for twenty years for nothing, so he knew how to read lips perfectly and he naively believed that his wife's shields would not let an intruder through. But…

Hermione's feverishly delirious magic had become too accustomed to Severus's constant presence, having established a kind of telepathic connection between them, and therefore did not react to the impostor's intrusion. And it takes time to take control of the mental charms. The portrait swore under his breath, rushing after Severus, and his young version was already wandering with might and main through the labyrinths of someone else's life. Tomorrow, or when Hermione decided to come to her senses there, she wouldn't thank anyone for a wild headache...

Severus meanwhile walked through the mental labyrinth, marveling at its clear structure, and tried to isolate the most important thoughts from a pile of complex emotions. He was self-taught, having learned the science of Legillimency and Occlumency, rather, on a whim, while Maya was clearly taught by someone, someone very talented, she knew how to confuse paths! Severus felt despair, doubt, irritation, and pain. Not just physical, which was also present somewhere in the subcortex, no. It was a deafening melancholy, such as when you stand on the ruins of your native city and instead of a house you see only ashes; or when you carry flowers to the graves of your parents and curse those who did this to them, or when you stare into the void and there is no strength left even for tears. Maya was fettered by hatred and grief. There was no fear.

Severus was surprised that all living things felt fear in one way or another, but not this witch. Only cold determination moved her. Determination and irritation, as if she had not forgiven someone for something. Feeling his presence, her magic surged with joy in recognition but faded just as quickly. A picture came to mind; when you see someone very dear to you in a dream, and when you wake up, you understand that this would never happen in reality.

Snape saw a five-year-old girl with a huge bow and slightly protruding front teeth, laughingly blowing illusory butterflies from her palm, and saw the shock in her parents' eyes. Then the same girl spent days and nights in the library, hiding from the whole world in books. School, so similar and not similar to Hogwarts, teachers, who were proud of the success of the best student, and peers who despised too smart upstarts. Snape saw the tears behind her determination to prove to everyone that she wanted to be the best for nothing.

Then there was a whole bunch of achievements, certificates, diplomas, research projects, the Auror badge, and ... emptiness. Emptiness and loneliness reigned in her soul. As if everything she so desperately longed for turned out to be short-lived, like a soap bubble.

Snape felt that a man had been invisibly present in Maya's life all this time, but he could not see his face or the memories associated with him. He always ran into a blind turn. Where pray tell, where did she learn to hide her thoughts like that? She longed for him, for this man from her unfulfilled dreams. She wanted to be back to that life and in his arms.

Severus envied those crumbs from someone else's happiness pie. He wanted a woman like Maya to love someone like him. But what could he offer her? Ambition? Potions Talent? Pictures that he loved to draw so much? Attention? The pennies he worked so hard to earn? He didn't just believe Voldemort's promises. Snape wanted to be successful, he wanted to have true friends, like the Marauders, who, although they were fools, stood up for each other, he wanted a decent job, He wanted to love, and he wanted to find his place in the sun, after all! The Dark Lord promised him an education, and Severus believed him! And almost lost his own life in the process.

Now he could not be afraid to die stupidly in a ditch or under torture, and Master Orion promised to put in a good word for Severus from the same mentor with whom he was still studying. The Blacks were indebted to Snape for saving Regulus, and among the purebloods, it was customary to repay debts.

As for friendship, Lily returned to him so unexpectedly ... Like the same bright butterfly from his childhood. Remus, again, had always struck Snape as far less of a fool than everyone else, and Sirius... To his horror, Severus realized that he and Black were alike. More than he would like to admit. Once he hated him with every fiber of his soul. It was him - the unofficial leader of the Marauders, too smart and insidious in his tricks, too dodgy to get caught. James Potter was an annoying fool who was in love with Lily and dreamed of Quidditch. No one considered snotty Pettigrew a human, not even the Marauders, it seemed that they liked to push the blame onto Peter whatever trouble happened thanks to their pranks. Remus, when he remembered that he, too, could voice his opinion, usually urged his friends to come to their senses. But Black... Oh, Snape fought him with everything he could get his hands on; with magic, stick, and fists. Both were equally strong and equally stubborn. Both wanted to be significant, both tried to prove something to each other in this senseless struggle of temperaments. And now they had to unite, and Snape's head was spinning. He definitely wouldn't be bored.

Deciding that he had had enough of digging into someone else's life and head, Snape tried to pull away, but Maya rolled over on her other side and pressed her cheek into his palm.

"Don't go, Severus..."

Having received a solid fog in thoughts and even more mess, Snape, nevertheless, obeyed. He wanted to know her better. What difference would it make if it happened now?

Through whose efforts the young Severus had never really learned anything, the portrait caught himself thinking that he wanted to bang his head against the wall. But if he and his wife had already spoiled everything so enchantingly, then what's the difference if Hermione wakes up and finds an intruder next to her?

To hell with everything. Snape sat down in the grass next to the haystack and closed his eyes.