Author's Note: I do not own A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, or the Harry Potter characters, I merely borrowed them for a little holiday fun! Also, there are spoilers for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in this story.

-Foodie

Chapter 3

When Snape woke up, he felt completely refreshed, but still emotionally raw from the time he'd spend with Albus. He rolled over in his bed to look at the clock. One o'clock, it read. How had he managed to sleep almost twenty four hours? He sat up in bed to wait for the next ghost, who was due. He just wanted to get it all over with and return to his life as normal again.

Almost ten minutes passed with no ghost arriving. Maybe it had forgotten? Maybe he'd misunderstood Lucius and it was all over now. He was rather uncertain of anything at the moment.

As Snape continued looking around the room, he thought he could see a golden glowing light coming through the bottom of the door. Perhaps the ghost was on the other side. With a deep sigh of resignation, he stood up and walked over to the door. The knob felt warm to the touch as he turned it. When he walked down the hallway and into the next room, he was stunned and horrified at what he saw.

Sirius Black sat on Snape's kitchen table. He was wearing a red velvet garment lined with white fur that draped from one shoulder down across to the opposite hip, giving him the very air and look of a younger Father Christmas, had he originated from Ancient Rome. He was surrounded by piles of food. Every food a person could possibly want seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the room.

Platters of whole turkey and goose were on the table next to Sirius, as well as a crown roast of pork, a steaming rack of lamb, and an entire saddle of venison. The smells blended together in a most delicious combination. Mounds of fluffy white mashed potatoes smothered in gravy were piled in bowls next to the meat. On the kitchen counter were stacks of fruits and vegetables of all sorts. And on Sirius's lap was a cheese platter, with a very large wedge of Roquefort perched in the middle, surrounded by crackers and grapes.

Sirius took a huge mouthful of cheese and grinned. "Took you long enough," he said through a full mouth.

Snape shook his head. "No, absolutely not," he snapped angrily. "This is not going to be happening."

Sirius stood up and set the cheese tray down. "You don't have a choice in this. I was the one who volunteered for this, and so here I am, and that's all there is to it," he replied with a shrug.

"What sort of cruel trick is this?" Snape growled.

"It's not a trick at all," Sirius assured him. "What's happening is all real, and you're really experiencing it. Look, I know you don't like being out of control, I get that, I really do, but you just have to put your trust in us for now. You'll see by the end that it was all worth it."

Snape was silent as he tried to control his emotions. Of all the people to send back to him, Sirius Black? He was the last person Snape ever wanted to see again. "Who is doing this to me?" he finally asked.

Sirius grinned. "Well now, that is an interesting question. There's definitely magic involved. An old, ancient magic; the sort of magic that existed before the world began. That's where I've been all these years. Just being, in all that magic. It's brilliant," he replied cryptically.

"So you're saying there's a greater power involved somehow?" Snape asked.

"Well, it would really be quite weird if all this was just happening on its own some how, don't you think?" Sirius said.

Snape was quiet as he considered this. "Point taken," he finally conceded.

"Now then, shall we be off? We have a lot to do today," Sirius said while stuffing an orange and an entire turkey drumstick into his robe pocket.

Snape frowned and rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with," he said tersely. Together, they walked to the front door of the house, and out onto the porch.

"Just hold onto the edge of my robe," Sirius instructed. After Snape grabbed onto the silver lining, they jumped off the ground, and took off into the air.

They didn't have to fly too long before landing in Hogsmeade. It was daytime now, somehow, and the streets were dotted with happy folks hurrying off to visit their friends and families. Most of them carried large armfuls of gifts that were wrapped in festive-coloured paper. From somewhere, Severus couldn't tell where, there was the sound of somebody singing beautifully:

I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day in the morning.

"What a beautiful day," Sirius said with a grin, taking a deep breath. "It almost makes me wish I was still alive to enjoy it properly." When Snape looked at him curiously, he waved his hands nonchalantly. "It's OK, we're having our own celebration later on." With that, he walked off towards a house at the edge of town.

It was a small, two-level blue house with crimson trim and a matching front door. A lazy wisp of smoke floated out of the chimney into the sky.Sirius walked to a frost-laced window, and peered inside.

Three young children ran around the front room, chasing one another around the Christmas tree. An older gentleman sat on a chair, laughing at them and clapping his hands. Every once in a while, one of the kids would run over to him and throw their arms around him, or kiss his cheek. "I love you, grandfather," the youngest child, a red-headed girl who was no more than five years old, cried cheerfully.

The older man seemed to have something not quite right about him. He moved with difficulty, and his ability to speak was greatly impaired. "Love you," he said slowly. "Happy day."

"Who are these people?" Snape asked as he looked at the scene.

"You don't recognize that man? You should," Sirius replied. "You really don't know whose house this is? You've been working with him for what, ten years now? And you still don't know what his father or kids look like? Some employer you are," he scoffed.

Snape's eyes widened as he realized who he was looking at. Frank Longbottom…no wonder his speech was so muddled. Snape knew Neville had taken both his parents out of St. Mungo's years ago, and kept them in his house, but he'd never made an effort to see them. He didn't need that reminder of his past sins.

Frank was watching his grandchildren play, when he glanced up and looked at the front window. He smiled and waved at Sirius and Snape. Snape gasped and moved out of view. "I thought we couldn't be seen," he hissed.

Sirius grinned and waved at Frank in return. "We can't, not by ordinary folks, anyway," he replied. "People like Frank, well, while some parts of his head have shut down, others have opened up. He can see things that you can't. That makes him rather special, don't you think?"

Snape didn't respond, but moved back to peer in the window. Frank had stood up, and was walking towards the front door. They watched as he opened the door, and set two small mandarin oranges on the porch before shutting the door and returning to his chair.

Before Sirius could get the oranges, Neville and an older woman, who was no doubt his mother Alice, walked through the gate and up the walkway to the porch. Neville noticed the oranges and smiled. "Dad must have seen us coming," he said with a chuckle while stooping to pick up the fruit.

When they were inside, Neville's wife, Ginny, came to kiss him in greeting. "How was your walk with Alice?" she asked while hanging up his robes.

"Wonderful," Neville replied. "Mum and I walked all through town, and even stopped up at the school to say hello to the kids. You know how much she likes to be around children."

"I'm glad she had fun, and I'm glad you're home. Dinner will be ready in less than a half hour," Ginny said.

"You should sit down and let me finish the meal. You must be exhausted," he said, while brushing his hand over her slightly protruding belly. He led Ginny to the sofa and helped her sit down on it. "Where's Robin? She can help me."

Ginny pursed her lips. "Oh…well…Robin decided to go back to the school to be with her friends for Christmas," she said carefully. "I'm surprised you didn't see her up there."

Neville's face fell upon hearing this. "What? She's not going to be here for Christmas?" he cried. "She can't do that! This is horrible."

Ginny bit her lip and patted his arm sympathetically while a blonde girl ran out of the kitchen, and stopped next to him. "Here I am, dad!" she cried while throwing herself into Neville's arms. "I tricked you, didn't I?"

Neville breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her. "Yes, you sure did," he replied. "And if you ever do that again, you'll love the trick I do I return-it's called 'grounding you'. You may be a first year already, but I can still ground you!" He spoke facetiously, though, and smiled while standing up. "All right, let's go finish the meal so we can eat!" With that, he and Robin walked off to the kitchen.

Ginny remained on the sofa, looking exhausted as she watched her in-laws and children playing.

"They seem well-off," Snape replied approvingly.

"Well enough, I suppose," Sirius said. "Although Ginny is very tired. Four kids and another one on the way, and two elderly people with very special needs is a lot to handle every day. She could use some help."

They watched in silence as Alice sat down next to Ginny and began to brush her hair with a comb she produced from her pocket. Ginny leaned back, closed her eyes, and allowed the older woman to run the comb through her auburn hair.

"Then Neville ought to hire somebody to help," Snape finally said.

"He makes enough money to keep his family comfortable, as you can see, but not enough for anything else."

Snape scowled and folded his arms. "Then he should take his parents back to St. Mungo's."

"Families should be together," Sirius replied. "And Frank and Alice have thrived since coming here. It would be a shame to return them to the isolation of that hospital."

Snape didn't respond, but walked to the other side of the porch, to look into the dining room. The family had moved there to eat dinner. A respectable-sized turkey was perched on a tray, surrounded by roasted potatoes and parsnips. The usual Christmas dinner trimmings filled out the rest of the table.

When everybody was seated, Neville began carving the turkey. The meal proceeded happily, with Ginny, Neville, and Robin cutting the turkey into smaller pieces for Frank, Alice, and the children. They laughed, talked, and ate until there was nothing left on the table. Sirius frowned. "No leftovers?" he murmured mournfully. "That's the best part, too."

"What do you see happening to them in the future?" Snape asked quietly.

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "Ginny is more exhausted than she realizes. If she's not careful…she will lose the baby. Neville will be devastated, blaming himself for it. He'll start spending more and more time at your shop or at the pub to escape those feelings. Ginny will turn to whoever will listen to her, for comfort, which will of course grow into more than comfort, and that will be the end of their marriage. It's all rather predicable, really."

"And there's no way to stop that from happening?" Snape asked, not sure he liked hearing the future of this family.

"Of course there's a way to stop that from happening. Every time a person takes action in their life, it alters the course of their future, or the future of others," Sirius replied.

Snape looked at the family and realized that he actually cared about them. Frank and Alice had been his classmates, and Neville and Ginny, his students. None of them had had an easy life, and it was all because of people like him. He owed it to them to help, if he could. He didn't voice any of this, though. It was none of Black's business.

Sirius looked at him and tilted his head. "It's time to go now. We have other people to see still." Snape gazed into the window one last time before turning to follow Sirius's ghost.

They walked in silence through Hogsmeade, and up to Hogwarts. It was odd, having only been there the night before, and recalling such bitter and sweet memories. What awaited them this time?

They walked inside, and over to the Great Hall, where a group of students and professors were gathered for a Christmas celebration. If he hadn't just walked in on his younger self in a similar scenario the day before, Snape would have sworn it was the exact same scene. Children laughed and sang songs while professors talked and drank wassail. Headmistress McGonagall sat back and watched it all with a smile on her face.

Snape looked around and spotted Draco, who was laughing in his seat. He was sitting next to a pretty woman, who seemed to be glued to every word he said. Snape walked over to them, to listen in on their conversation.

"So he still wouldn't come?" the woman asked.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Nope. He just won't allow himself to enjoy life. I wish he would come and see how great it is here. I just want to get to know him better, and I want him to get to know us better. I mean, he's my godfather, so that means he'll be your godfather-in-law in just a few months."

Snape gave a start upon hearing this revelation. Draco was finally getting married? Why hadn't he ever said anything before?

"We'll just have to make sure he's invited to the wedding at least. He'll show up to that, I'm sure," the bride-to-be replied.

"I hope you're right, Annice," Draco said.

After a while, he stood up and led the children in a game of "Pin the Tail on the Hippogriff." Annice sat with a smile on her face as she watched her fiancé. Snape gazed at her. She had strawberry blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and appeared to be in her early to mid thirties. Draco would still have plenty of time to have children with her. She looked kind, the sort of woman Draco deserved. This would be a good union. He would make sure to attend their wedding.

Soon, the games had ended, and the dancing began. Draco and Annice shared a few lively ones together before Sirius signaled to Snape that they needed to depart.

Snape frowned as he looked at Sirius. He seemed to have the opposite condition that Albus had. He was growing older; wrinkled and stooped. "Where are we going now?" Snape asked.

"One last stop, for me this time," Sirius replied. Snape didn't want to leave, but knew he had no choice. They left the school, and flew away, towards the south.

The sun shone down on them as they traveled. It took them only a short time to arrive at their final destination. Snape noticed a sign that read "Welcome to Godric's Hollow," and felt his stomach give a lurch as they walked towards a lone red-brick house at the end of a peaceful cul-de-sac.

Sirius approached the house slowly, Snape following close behind. Together, they watched as a shivering, coatless gray-haired man hurried towards the house. Both Snape and Sirius knew this man, and were silent as he knocked on the door.

The door opened, and a man appeared on the other side. "Remus, I'm so glad you could make it this year," a black-haired, green-eyed man said as he let Remus walk inside.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," Remus said. "I'm glad you invited me over. I would hate to spend Christmas alone."

Snape observed how shabbily clothed Remus was. He'd always been poorly clothed, but it seemed to have gotten even worse since the last time he'd seen him. There were patches sewn on top of patches, and even a hole in one shoe, which couldn't be comfortable in the snow. "Still as poor as ever," he said with a shake of his head. "It's pathetic, really, in this day and age, that a man walks around in our world with holes in his shoes."

Sirius was now wheezing and hunched over. "Yes, he really should have put himself in Azkaban or St. Mungo's to get himself out of sight," he struggled to say. "Or better yet, he should just end his life and rid you of having to witness his misery."

Snape opened his mouth to respond, but found he had no words to say. Just two days ago, he'd said that very thing, and had truly believed it. Now, looking at Remus's plight, he couldn't help but feel bad for him. Their past was so long ago; it was an odd realization that he saw he no longer hated the man.

"My time is coming to an end here, Snape," Sirius said, turning to him. He was now ancient, his hair white and thinned. "I can no longer help Harry, or Remus, but you can. You can care about them. It isn't much to ask. Not anymore, at least."

"What am I to do?" Snape asked.

"So many…so many people in need," Sirius gasped as he clutched his chest and fell to the ground.

Snape knelt down to take his pulse. There was none, whether because he was a ghost, or because he had come to the end of his use on this journey, Snape could not say. As he touched Sirius's wrist, the world around him faded to black, and suddenly, he was back in his bedroom at Spinner's End.

There was too much to think about, and too much he'd seen, for Snape to take it all in at once. As had happened the night before, he was suddenly overcome with weariness, and promptly fell asleep as soon as he'd gotten into bed.