Severus ignored the biting cold, as his worn cloak was not able to keep his body warm. It was dark, and time had passed long past curfew. Finally, he would find out what the Marauders were up to. "Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered. He levitated a small oak branch that started floating to the whomping willow. Severus heart skipped a beat as the whomping willow indeed stopped moving. Severus pushed the fear he felt away, which for a minute froze him up. Nothing good can come from this, he thought. Nothing good can come from listening to Black. Still, he felt compelled to go. To see where it would lead him.
"Severus," whispered a voice behind him. Severus froze in his tracks. Severus felt his heart twinge painfully. It had sounded like his mother's voice. Only less tired, as she had always seemed to be the last few years. It could not be her voice. She had died this summer. He had been at home. He had taken care of her. He felt his throat close up. A tear struck his face. The tearline on his face stung from the cold. He abruptly turned. He turned, his heart pounding, to see a shimmering figure materialize before him.
"Mother?" he breathed, barely believing his eyes. It was undeniably his mother who floated in front of him. She was a ghost. He suddenly felt the urge to puke. Would Potter, Black, and the Marauders have done this? Was this a trick to keep him in front of the whomping willow? His mother stretched her hand out to him and transfixed him; he took it and felt himself floating away with her. Severus kept looking at his mom. She looked younger. At peace. Less worried. Less worn.
Eileen Snape looked at him with eyes filled with both sorrow and love. She nodded, her expression gentle. "Yes, Severus, I have come to visit you."
"Fuck!" It sounded far away. As Severus looked in the direction of the sound, he saw Potter. Potter looked frantic. Severus recognized fear and worry in his eyes. Potter started running towards the whomping willow while changing into a deer.
All the hate he felt for Potter was far away in that moment. Just as the determination to show everyone that the Marauders were nothing but bad news and that he was the good guy. To show that he was someone worthy. His eyes were drawn to his mother and the haunted look in her eyes. He shivered. "Why are you here?" he asked, his voice trembling despite himself.
Eileen's spectral form seemed to waver, as if the effort of staying here was a strain. "I have come to warn you, my son. You stand at a crossroads tonight, one that will shape your future and the futures of many others."
Severus clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "A crossroads? What do you mean?"
She floated closer, her presence somehow calming him. "Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts—spirits of your past, your present, and your future. You must listen to them, Severus. They will show you the truths that you need to see and the lessons that you need to learn. You only have one chance to save yourself from a terrible faith of bitterness, sorrow, and regret."
He shook his head, confusion and frustration etched on his face. "I don't understand. Why now? Why tonight?"
Eileen's gaze softened even more. "Because tonight, you are about to make an important decision. One that will have far-reaching consequences. You are filled with anger and a desire for vengeance, but these feelings will lead you down a dark path. You must understand the weight of your choices, Severus."
Before he could respond, a gust of wind seemed to blow through her, and her form began to fade. "Remember, my son, my little half-blood prince," she said, her voice growing fainter. "Listen to them. They will guide you."
He started to fall down. His stomach tugged. And then she was gone, as Severus hit the snow. His mother's words echo in his mind. He felt a strange mixture of emotions—sorrow, confusion, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding. He felt himself shaking, but not from the snow chilling his body. He quickly scrambled up. He no longer felt compelled to find out what the marauders were up to. He had never felt this shaken before. Had it really been his mom? Had it been a really sick prank? But how would they know about his mom?