Severus Snape shivered as he lay in the snow, his consciousness slipping away. He had encountered the ghosts of the past, present, and future, their warnings echoing in his mind. The cold bit into his bones, and darkness claimed him.
He woke up in the warm confines of the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey was bustling around, her expression a mix of concern and exasperation.
"You're lucky someone found you, Severus," she said, her voice stern yet caring. "Another hour in that snow, and you might not have made it."
Severus blinked, his vision clearing. His body ached, but the warmth of the blankets and the soothing potions had brought him back from the brink.
The door creaked open. Severus's heart sank as Rabastan and Andrew entered, followed by Dan and Regulus.
"Severus, you look dreadful," Rabastan remarked. "But we've got just the thing to cheer you up."
"We've come up with a brilliant prank," Andrew gloated.
Severus looked up, his dark eyes narrowing with suspicion. "What sort of prank?"
Rabastan's smirk widened. "We're going to force Mary Macdonald to pick up a broom and fly high into the air. Imagine the look on her face as she realizes she's stuck up there! It'll be priceless, and it'll impress the Dark Lord."
Severus felt a cold lump of dread settle in his stomach. Mary Macdonald was a quiet Gryffindor girl, known for her fear of heights. The idea of exploiting that fear for amusement made his skin crawl. Especially thinking back to what the ghost had shown him. Yet, he knew better than to show his discomfort. Andrew and Rabastan were not the kind to appreciate dissent.
"Impressing the Dark Lord, you say?" Severus drawled, masking his unease. "How do you plan to get her to cooperate?"
Rabastan's smirk widened. "We're going to put Mary Macdonald under the Imperius Curse."
"That's the beauty of it," Andrew replied, his eyes shining with excitement. "She won't have a choice. She'll do exactly as we say."
Dan, who had been listening, finally spoke up, his voice hesitant. "I don't know, guys. If we get caught, we could be expelled. I want to be an Unspeakable, and I need good grades for that."
"Don't be such a coward, Dan," Andrew snapped. "This is our chance to prove ourselves. To show that we're worthy."
Severus glanced at Dan, noting the flicker of uncertainty in his friend's eyes. It was clear that Dan was uncomfortable with the plan, but the pressure to conform was strong. As was often the case in Slytherin, ambition and the desire for power overrode moral qualms.
Severus's mind was still reeling from his encounters. The thought of causing Mary terror filled him with a sense of revulsion. He couldn't help but replay in his mind what the three ghosts had shown him.
"What about you, Severus?" Andrew prodded. "You're in, right? We need your skill with curses to make this work."
Severus hesitated, his mind racing. He didn't want to participate in such a cruel prank, but refusing outright could make him a target. He decided to stall for time.
"Of course, Andrew," he said smoothly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. What about the curses?"
"Good, you will be the one doing the Imperius curse. It is only logical that you, more than any of us, need to prove the most yourself to Him," Andrew said. Next, Andrew launched into elaborate instructions, clearly relishing the attention. Severus nodded along, his thoughts drifting to the visions the ghosts had shown him. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled over him. Severus could not help but feel horror at the idea of it. He kept replaying a single scene in his mind over and over. Starting with Mary soaring in the air with her face relaxed. Next, he would lift the Imperius Curse off her; immediately, she would start to panic. He remembered how pale her face had been, how jerky and unsteady her movements on the broom were in the memory. Her begging: "Please, stop this." How scared she had been as she lost control of her broom! How she had hit the ground hard. She screamed and cried as she lay on the ground, shivering. Even worse, he laughed at her pain.
Severus felt a lump in his throat. His mind was spinning, the memories of the future blending into his present reality. He wanted to stop this, to say no, but fear had paralyzed him. "I am still a bit tired," Severus blurted out. "We can revise the curse later on, right?"
"Sure," Andrew said with a shrug. "Glad you're in on it." With that, Andrew and Rabastan left the hospital wing.
Regulus, having noticed Severus's hesitation, frowned. "Severus, what's gotten into you? You used to be so eager." Severus looked at his two friends, Regulus, who looked uncertain, and Dan, who looked a little relieved. "You are still coming to Hogsmead, right? Please don't tell me you are too tired for that as well. We are supposed to meet Lucius and Cissy!"