The Wizarding Afterlife

Want Some Tea?

*J.K. Rowling owns all of the characters*

SIRIUS BLACK DISAPPROVINGLY ROLLED his eyes upon seeing Severus Snape settle himself quite comfortably on the couch, his pale hands clasped together in a professor-like manner, his mouth forming a small smirk as he watched the other Marauders fume with quite obvious anger before him. The wizard had his curious, unreadable orbs set on a particularly confused Lily Potter, who was now being held captive by a paranoid James somewhere between the lounge and the dining area. The atmosphere was already too awkward, actually. Merlin, if he could only crack a joke or two to ease the mood, Sirius would've without hesitation!

Albus Dumbledore chuckled at James's undeniably weird, albeit a little funny, antic, and was now unwrapping a candy from Honeydukes, which he had probably kept inside his robes all along. The Headmaster must've had a large stock of sweets from Hogsmeade, then, the wizard thought, impressed. He watched the latter ask for a Chocolate Frog from Remus, who was more than willing to give him some of his share inside the large glass jar. After all, this was the Dumbledore he was talking about, for Merlin's sake! Every wizard and witch acknowledged his presence and contributions to the entire Wizarding World, even if he did keep a mountain of his own, mysterious secrets up until one final duel with Death. Giving the bloke a Chocolate Frog wouldn't hurt, of course.

"Thank you, Remus." Albus smiled warmly, munching the treat with equal contentment. The wizard inspected the well-known card that was placed inside the packaging curiously, an amused expression gracing his face. "I got another one." he chuckled, finally showing everyone the card which apparently contained his own image.

"You're famous even in the afterlife, Professor." James commented, grinning. "They still produce Chocolate Frogs here, eh?"

"You've never changed, Headmaster." Sirius added and produced a smile of his own. "We know that much."

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded, his cheerful robes giving additional effect to his already joyous mood. "But as I have stated before, I would like all of you to drop the formalities. I'm just plain old Albus in this part of the world."

"Old habits die hard, too." Lily chimed in, revealing herself behind James. "We can't afford to call you that, Professor Dumbledore. It's too informal."

"I see." Albus's eyes twinkled, studying the faces of the 6 grown adults before him with amazement as he reminisced on the time when they were still 11 year olds, unsuspecting and a little bit clueless in the face of danger. Time had apparently passed quickly---too quickly. "Well, I am sure that you'll get used to it."

Timid (and rather awkward) smiles were viewed from the lounge, their forms a little bit unsure and full of doubt, showing confusion and a small, almost unnoticeable, drop of uncertainty. Sirius stole glances at Snape's direction once again, his disapproving gaze enough to melt the poor bloke on the spot. The wizard didn't know why his blood seemed to boil at the mere sight of Severus, as if his own existence could pretty much match that of a Dementor's. I mean, yeah, the man did make up for most of his major offenses in the living world, but the fact that he treated Harry quite horribly for 6 to 7 years just couldn't leave Sirius Black's system. He was his godfather. It was natural.

"Sirius, mate, it's rude to stare." James commented, snapping the wizard out of his reverie.

Grinning quite goofily, Sirius Black plopped himself elegantly on one of the wooden chairs, his legs and arms crossed in a questioning manner. Eyebrows raised, he pointed at Severus Snape himself, rolling his eyes when the latter pretended to be silent or had seemed to be avoiding his questions. Fred looked particularly amused by this, and took the seat on Remus's right, which was [obviously] unoccupied.

"What are you talking about, Prongs?" he asked innocently, trying to hide another grin. "I'm just sitting quietly here, mate."

"Define 'sitting quietly', Sirius." Remus cut in, amused, as he flipped through another page of an old, dusty Transfiguration book, which apparently belonged to James. "I think my definition and yours do not match."

"O-Oi!" the wizard immediately protested. "I was absolutely not staring. That's preposterous!"

"Yeah, and I somehow morphed into a butterfly and a kangaroo at the same time." Lily commented sarcastically, shaking her head. "Seriously, what is your problem with...Snape?"

The wizards noticed the slight, whisper-like crack in Lily Potter's voice being unexpectedly blurted out, as if she was really having a hard time to breathe. She eyed Severus Snape with her round, pure green orbs, disappointment and sadness etched in her rosy, albeit slightly pale, cheeks. When the latter tried to approach her, however, Albus Dumbledore raised his right hand and motioned for the wizard to stop and sit back on the couch, saying that now was not the right time to react. Grunting, Snape obliged, but his eyes never ceased to leave Lily, for he wanted to explain how and why he had become a strict, powerful, and harsh man throughout the years. He yearned to tell her that he wasn't entirely bad, that he still had some good left inside him all along.

"Lily, I---" he began, pleading.

"Okay, let's settle this matter elsewhere." Remus finally proposed, standing up to approach Severus ('Snivellus') and pat him on the shoulder, earning an unceremonious gawk from Sirius himself. "Let's have a cup of hot choco or tea, shall we? What do you say, James, Lily, and Sirius? Up for the challenge?"

"We're in!" James, Sirius, and Lily chorused, lifting their fists up in the air to show determination.

"Oh, you're included too, Severus." Albus added. "We need to discuss certain things seriously."

"Blimey!" James exclaimed, disappointed. "I thought this was a game!"

"A confession game, dear." Lily replied, staying by her husband's side. Severus's eyes suddenly turned into slits, though she didn't notice.

"Yeah, yeah." James waved off. "So, where are we going to do this anyway?"

"That part's a secret." Remus chuckled. "The five of us have to join hands now though, for the sake of knowing and being in the location at once. On three....One, two, three!"

A hand was clasped by another, creating a sort of unexplainable pattern throughout the entire circle. When everyone was done, Remus brought out his wand and smiled, which made the others thoroughly confused...again. Heaving a huge breath, Moony concentrated hard, saying,

"Apparate!"

There was a loud poof after that. James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Severus disappeared without a trace, leaving the former wizard students and the previous Hogwarts Headmaster to wonder where they possibly went.