When the sword collided with the chains, it must have triggered some sort of portkey. It was the only explanation Severus could come up with. It took his eyes a few moments to completely adjust, but he knew these tunnels almost as well as he knew the castle. Severus glanced down the tunnel in both directions. It was empty, but a dim glow was coming from the direction of the shack. Considering the nature of the first two trials, this didn't surprise Severus at all. Of course, Morpheus would choose the place Severus had almost died. What better way was there to decide whether he had improved at all since then?

Severus slowly made his way towards the shrieking shack and lifted the trap door. He quickly scanned the room before pushing himself the rest of the way up. Whatever waited for him here, Severus didn't want to be caught off guard by it. He slowly made his way through the shack, looking for any indication of what Morpheus's next trial would be. Dust coated everything, and more than once, Severus wished he had his wand back to light up the darker corners. He felt naked without it.

Severus hesitated when he reached the room where the Dark Lord had turned on him at the Battle of Hogwarts. There was still a large blood stain on the floor where he'd fallen when Nagini had attacked him. Severus could still feel the ache in his throat. He lifted his hand to the scar that had never truly faded. He still had night terrors about that night, when he forgot to take his dreamless sleep potion.

"Traumatic, isn't it?" Morpheus said, suddenly appearing in the door way behind him.

Severus quickly turned to face him. "Why am I here?"

"This was the moment that changed everything for you, was it not? In more ways than one." Morpheus explained, walking around the room. He made a face at the dusty furniture before continuing. "This was the moment your debt was finally paid. The moment you gave Potter the secret to defeating your Dark Lord. The moment you first owed Freya a life debt, because she was the only person decent enough to try to save you. I wonder...if she hadn't come for you...would you still be fighting for her now?"

"What do you want, Morpheus?" Severus demanded impatiently.

Morpheus laughed, turning back to him, "Oh, I will get what I want in my own time. This moment is all about you. I have a gift for you, Severus."

"A gift?" Severus repeated in disbelief. "All I want from you is the return of my wife."

"This is a much better gift." Morpheus promised, "Come with me." He turned and left the room without waiting to see whether Severus would follow. Severus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The man's ego was infuriating. Severus stepped out of the room. Morpheus had already disappeared, but he'd left footprints in the dust. It wasn't hard for Severus to follow them down the hall and into the bedroom. Morpheus towered over a familiar figure kneeling before them on the floor, his hands bound behind his back.

Severus froze. The man was staring down at the floor, his face hidden by a mess of dark hair, but Severus would have known him anywhere. This man had done everything in his power to turn Severus's time at Hogwarts into a living hell. "What is this?" Severus demanded. His instincts told him this had to be a trap. This couldn't be who he thought it was. That man was dead. This was a kid.

"Your gift of course," Morpheus answered, taking the man by his hair and forcing him to look up. "James Potter. The bane of your existence, at your mercy. You're welcome."

"What sort of fool do you take me for? James Potter is dead. Even if he weren't, he would be in his thirties at this point. Whoever this is, he is only a child." Severus objected.

"Take a closer look," Morpheus encouraged him, letting the boys hair go and crouching down next to him. The boy looked terrified, but didn't move. His eyes were glued to Morpheus. "Do you know who this is, boy?" Morpheus asked him, motioning towards Severus.

"Let me go and maybe I won't hex you to bits when I get out of this." James snapped at him.

Morpheus only smiled. Before either of them could react, a black leather rope suddenly appeared out of no where and wrapped itself tightly around James's throat. James's eyes widened in horror as he gasped for breath. The more he struggled the tighter the rope got, until his face turned a bright red.

"Stop," Severus objected, taking a step closer. He didn't know what he intended to do, or what he even could do, but he couldn't just stand there and watch Morpheus strangle the boy.

Morpheus tilted his head towards the boy and the rope loosened, just enough to enable him to gasp for breath. "Let's try again, shall we? Look at my friend."

For a moment the boy didn't move. Severus stepped forward and took the boy by his hair, jerking his head back to force him to look at him. The idiot was going to get himself killed.

"Much better." Morpheus nodded at Severus in approval, "Now James, what do you think my friend's name is?"

Terror flashed in his eyes as James looked up at him, and truly saw him for the first time since Severus stepped into the room. "Snivellus!" James gasped.

Severus jerked his hand back as though the word had burned him. "It can't be..."

"But.." James stuttered, "But...you're old!"

"But it is," Morpheus answered, standing back up to face Severus. Morpheus spread his arms, a smirk firmly on his face, "I'm a God, remember?"

"Why?" Severus demanded.

Morpheus frowned, "I don't know, really. I suppose when I was born all of this brilliance was just too much for a mortal body to handle, so I ascended into the heavens to take my rightful place."

"No," Severus snapped, jerking his head towards James. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Oh, that." Morpheus smiled, "This is all, truly, my gift for you, Severus. Think of the possibilities."

"Possibilities?" Severus repeated.

"You, as a teenager, are safely in the castle. No one would ever suspect you. I am giving you the ability to change your entire life." Morpheus pointed in the direction of the room where Severus had nearly died, "That moment, that traumatic tragedy, never has to happen, Severus. This boy destroyed your life. He dedicated years to making you miserable, and then his brat spent years continuing his fathers work." Morpheus stepped closer to Severus, lowering his voice and meeting Severus's gaze so that there could be no mistaking what he was suggesting. "You could end all of that here, before it ever gets out of hand. Without James Potter, you will never have to play double agent out of guilt, no Harry Potter to sacrifice your life for. Lily Evans, will never become Lily Potter. Incredible, unfathomable possibilities. You're welcome."

Severus looked at James, trying to imagine what his life would have been like without him. His chest felt tight, as though he couldn't take a deep enough breath. As though every nerve in his body was on high alert, waiting for him to decide the boy's fate.

It was true, what Morpheus said, James had gone out of his way to make Severus miserable when they were in school together. It was so long ago now, but the memories still felt fresh and new. Severus was capable of murder. Dumbledore showed him that..."What would change in my life, if, after this moment, you were no longer in it." Severus murmurs, grabbing James's chin and forcing him to look at him again.

"Lily," Morpheus smiled, "Lily would change."

"Lily," Severus repeated. Lily wouldn't be tempted to marry James, if James was dead. Harry Potter would have never been born, and Lily would have been safe, no longer associated with the prophecy that made them targets for the Dark Lord. He wanted that. Lily safe. That's what Morpheus was offering him.

Morpheus stepped up next to him and offered Severus his wand. "This bit, you can use magic for."

Severus reached for it, his fingers wrapping around it. Severus knew exactly what spell he wanted to use to end Potter's life. He'd had plenty of time to consider it, after all.

"Please," Jame whispered, pleading now. It brought a smirk to Severus's face, but when he turned back to James, Severus hesitated. Despite how much he thought he wanted it, something about this felt wrong. There was more to it than Lily being safe. It hadn't been James that had made her hate him. Lily had often stood up for him against James. It was his own choices that turned her against him, and there was nothing stopping him from making those choices again. As a teenager, he hadn't understood the consequences of his decisions the way he did now. Lily was a strong supporter of the Order of the Phoenix. Even without the prophecy, the Dark Lord would have wanted her dead, and Severus would still have been a deatheater. Without the Potters, the Dark Lord would have won the war. Nothing would change for the better. Nothing that Severus wanted to happen. Severus's gaze shot back towards Morpheus as a sudden realization hit him. This wasn't a gift for him at all. This only served Morpheus.

"If I do this, the Dark Lord will never turn against me?" Severus asked, studying him.

"He would never have reason to." Morpheus agreed.

"What happened here in this shack never would have happened?" Severus continued.

"You're welcome." Morpheus answered, a smug look on his face that Severus was itching to hex right off of him.

"Including what happened with Freya," Severus finished. Anger flashed through him as Morpheus's eyes narrowed, and that was enough for Severus to know he was right. Morpheus had said this was the moment that changed everything. Freya had saved his life that night. She had advocated for him while he was in St. Mungos. She had fought for him. Killing James Potter would change all of that.

"You would have never have owed her a life debt." Morpheus pointed out.

"I didn't marry her because of a life debt." Severus snarled.

"Don't be a fool, Severus," Morpheus objected, "Think of Lily."

"Lily?" Severus repeated furiously, "Think of Lily as I murder the man she's fated to spend the rest of her life with? Think of Lily, while I ensure her son, who ended the biggest threat the wizarding world has ever known, is never born? It wasn't Lily who was at my side when my allies turned against me. Freya chose that. It was Freya who pulled my body from this house after the Dark Lord attempted to kill me. Freya chose me, and was so certain of her choice that married me."

"Severus, think about this," Morpheus objected his eyes flashing angrily, "A gift like this only comes once in lifetime."

Severus was barely able to contain his rage. He waved his wand at James, sending him flying across the room. His body hit the wall with a sickening thud, but he was still alive when he hit the floor. "I don't want your gift. Let him go, and give me my wife!"

"She's not even your wife!" Morpheus snarled, finally losing his temper.