The Afterlife
Chapter 1


"Time to go, Severus."

Severus Snape heard the voice calling him. Where was he going? What time was it? Where was he, anyway? He opened his eyes and saw only bright light.

"Come on, Severus. It's time to go home."

Home? How could he go home? Wasn't he dead? That was the only thing that could explain the bright light. He tried to remember what the last thing was he had done. He remembered being with Lord Voldemort in the Shrieking Shack. He remembered that damned snake coming towards him at the Dark Lord's command. Then he remembered pain, burning pain. Potter was there. He gave the boy his memories. He had done his job and his life was finally finished.

The voice sighed. "You were never this lazy in life," it muttered.

He blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the light. He looked up into sky blue eyes. Long golden locks framed a heart shaped face. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Where am I?" he asked, running a hand through his hair and scrubbing his scalp. He was staring at his body. He saw no marks on him from the snake.

"Home." The woman sat back on her heels looking at him. "You've never been this thick before, either," she said as she stood and held out a hand towards him. "Now come on, we have to get you to your new quarters."

He raised his head to look at her and saw a pair of white wings with silver streaks coming from her back. "Merlin's beard, you're an angel."

She smiled. "Thank you, though my mother doesn't agree."

He shook his head. "No, I mean you're a real angel." He pushed himself to his feet, not allowing her to help him. He dusted off his robes out of habit. "I'm sorry. I just never expected to be here."

"You made the ultimate sacrifice, Severus. Of course He would allow you to come here." She reached out and touched his arm. She had wanted to do that for so long, but she hadn't been allowed to do anything but watch.

He looked down at her hand. No woman dared to touch him. He was not the best looking man, he knew. He looked back up into her eyes and saw only tenderness. She cared for him. But of course she did, she was an angel, she was supposed to care. He snarled, shrugging off her hand and scowling. "Yes, I was killed by a snake. That was an ultimate sacrifice."

She stood still for a moment and then turned to walk off. "Come on, I'll show you your new home." Inside, she was furious. Why had he just brushed her off? If she had been allowed to save him as she had asked, he wouldn't be here now.

Flabbergasted by her sudden change, he followed her. "You know my name, but you haven't told me yours," he said as he caught up to her in two quick, long strides.

"That's because you haven't asked," she replied, staring straight ahead.

He crossed his arms. Impertinent woman, how dare she… Well, she had every right to dare, he thought. He was acting like a fool. He was dead now; there was no reason to act like a git. "May I ask your name?"

That was more like it. "Lucian," she replied. "Lucian, the Guardian Angel."

He nodded. "Light bringer. Quite appropriate." He looked ahead and saw a quaint little cottage that looked very familiar. "Is that…?"

"Spinner's End," she replied. "Yes, I wanted you to be comfortable here. I made it as close to your home as possible. The library is a bit larger; it has all the books you did, but a few more that I thought you might enjoy. And your potions lab is completely stocked."

He was in awe. Did everyone get treated this way?

She led him to the door and stopped. "Welcome home, Severus. This is the beginning of your afterlife." Her voice was soft, but she was looking at the floor, not at him.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked, reaching out to touch her bare arm. He finally took note that she was wearing a long, white dress.

Her shoulders rose and fell. "I just thought you might like it, and it would ease you into the afterlife. And you deserve it."

He looked at her from head to toe. The dress was sleeveless and fell a few inches above her ankles and bare feet. Her blonde hair was long and straight. Her wings… they were actual feathers with silver streaks in them. She had no halo, as he had expected. He wondered why.

Then he remembered what she had said when he had awoken. "Why did you say I wasn't so lazy in life? How do you know what I was like?"

"Because I watched you," she said, raising her eyes to his. "My task, as Guardian, was to watch you, to make sure your life went in the way the Fates wanted. When they told me your time was almost up, I begged them to let me save you, to change your path. You didn't deserve to die, especially in that way."

He looked into those blue eyes and saw so many emotions pass over them. He saw caring and fear, along with anger. "How long were you watching me?"

Her face flushed a brilliant red. That was not a question she wanted to answer. She reached out and turned the door handle. "Here, let me show you around."

He reached out and grasped her arm gently. "How long?" he questioned a bit more forcefully than he'd meant.

She didn't turn; she hardly reacted at all. Honestly, she was trying hard not to shake. She was afraid that if he knew how long she'd been watching him, he'd ask questions or just turn her away immediately. "A while," she answered vaguely. Maybe that would be enough to satisfy him for now, but she knew, because she knew him so well, that wouldn't last for long.

They stood like that, Lucian opening the door and Severus with his hand on her arm, for a few moments. He finally released his grip and let her enter his home. He followed, his robes bellowing out behind him as they always did. His mouth fell open as he gaped. Even his most prized possessions were here. "How did…?" He was shocked beyond belief.

"Like I said, I wanted you to feel comfortable in Elysium." She led him into the library, the one room she was certain he would love.

Severus moved to the book shelves. Yes, all of his books were here, as well as some he'd never seen. There were books about dark magic, new ideas in potion making, as well as some novels with intriguing titles. "This is… this is stunning," he said turning to look at her, a smile on his face. "Thank you."

She returned his smile. "You're welcome. I’m glad you like it." She was so happy that he liked it. And to see a smile on his face made her feel even better. Maybe he would learn to like her.

He pulled one of the potion books down and went to sit in his favorite chair. It was identical to the one in his home. His smile grew wider and he opened the book.

Lucian's shoulders dropped and her face fell. She had wanted him to feel comfortable, but hadn't expected him to just jump right in. It was probably for the better. She sighed and moved towards the door. "Good bye, Severus," she said softly. She wouldn't be able to come back unless he invited her.

Severus looked up and was embarrassed. He was being extremely rude, not a good host at all. "Lucian, will you visit again?" he asked.

"I would like to," she replied.

"Would you, please?" He looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. Perhaps he needed to explain himself. "I… I find your taste in books refreshing. Perhaps we could discuss the ones you chose for me."

Well, it was a start. She smiled at him. "I would love to discuss the books with you. Tomorrow? In the morning?"

He sighed in relief. She would come back. "Tomorrow morning would be wonderful." He watched her leave, her beautiful wings disappearing behind the closing door. Perhaps eternity wouldn't be so boring after all.