Author: Hey! It's been awhile! I was just re-reading over Believe in Redemption and realized that I would like to write something with our favorite characters in heaven, so tada! The italics is taken from my epilogue of that story, and the rest of this has been fleshed out by me. I can't wait to see the turns the story takes. Enjoy!

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

There was no white light at the end of a tunnel. No chorus of trumpets as the angels summoned him home. No burning fire as he entered into the gates of Hell. Only a blinding pain remained, pumping throughout his body, forcing him to breath until it was too much. His last glimpse of life had been within the eyes of a young boy, a boy that, on that day, had become a human sacrifice.

The voice was soft, and for a moment, he thought it just to be his imagination playing tricks on his mind. After all, he often imagined that she was right there, beside him, only to realize that seventeen years had gone by and she was dead. A cruel reality, even for a man of his caliber.

"Sev, open your eyes."

His eye lids fluttered, and he found the burning pain to be gone. Onyx eyes stared up, up into the green eyes that he had died seeing. The woman above him smiled, red hair flowing around her shoulders and almost framing her face.

"Look, he's awake."

Turning his head, he was able to see that more than one person was standing around him. Sirius Black, that damned mutt, was giving him the most stupid smile, his black hair almost hanging in his eyes. He looked younger, healthier, and for a moment, Severus allowed relief to course through his body. Standing next to the dog was the stag, as young and as gangly as he had been in his Hogwarts days, his untamable hair coming down into his eyes.

"I'm almost impressed, Severus..." the voice was soft, but he recognized it all the same. After all, he almost always spoke that way. Lily reached out her hand, helping him up into a sitting position. Remus was standing just behind Lily, amber eyes vibrant and sandy hair askew. For a moment, the ex-Death Eater was surprised to see the werewolf.

"You're dead?"

He nodded, and it was then that Severus noticed Tonks standing beside her husband. A painful note struck his heart.

"I am."

He looked around, casting his eyes about for more familiar faces. Standing off to the side was Peter Pettigrew, as timid as he was the first day at Hogwarts, but he seemed happy here. Albus was nearby, talking to a small girl and a woman who looked like she could be his mother. Severus believed she was.

Colin Creevy, a Gryffindor student, was near a bright, red-haired gangly boy. Fred Weasley was smiling down at the kid, and he felt pain for the Weasley family. Molly and Arthur would take it hard, but then again, so would the twin left behind.

"Where am I?" he asked softly, looking up into those green eyes again. She was still smiling at him, soft and gentle. He loved that smile. Sirius held his hand out, grasping his right hand, and he grinned. Severus was at peace, and his world was settled with the words the only honorable Black spoke.

"Welcome home."

"Home?" Severus asked, feeling Sirius pull him up by his arm. This was definitely a new experience for him.

"Yes home, you bloody fool." Remus interjected, stepping forward. Despite his words, a wide grin colored his face. The strain from years of horrible living and painful transformations no longer marred his features, instead, he looked young again with no cares in the world.

"You look young, you know, Severus?" James finally spoke up for the first time, stepping forward as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He wasn't really smiling, but he seemed happy all the same.

Looking over at Lily, his onyx eyes softened. She was standing at his side, looking up at him with the same look in her eyes that he had seen ever since they first became friends. If this is where God deemed to place such a horrid man after his death, Severus would not complain.

"So… this is…?"

"It's where we've been since we died," Lily answered as she moved to step around Severus and stand in front of him instead. She had her hands locked behind her back as she looked up, emerald green and onyx meeting gently.

"It's like a paradise, if you ask me." Sirius quipped, grinning wildly as he ran a hand through his disheveled black hair.

"Paradise?" this time Peter spoke up, his voice shaking. He was wringing his hands together, barely looking at the other people in front of him. To Severus, it was as though Pettigrew was the timid teenager again.

"… it is a healthier world than the one we left," Tonks commented, looking over at Remus with sad hazel eyes. Severus watched the exchange, letting his eyes drift behind the couple to catch a glimpse of Albus. The old man was watching him, although he didn't seem terribly old anymore. Young, is how he looked. Undefeatable.

"Severus, my dear boy, I'm glad to see that you have arrived… although it makes my heart heavy to say so."

His blue eyes did not twinkle at the confession as they peered over his half moon glasses. Severus had to look away from Albus. He couldn't face the man he had killed, not even in death.

"The Potter boy-"

"He got what you wanted him to have… perhaps a little more." Albus spoke up again, looking away from Severus and back to his own family.

"This is not what I expected to happen when I finally died," he stated as he looked around at them. He received nods from a few, letting him know that they felt the same way.

"I'm glad you ended up here," Lily commented, smiling at Severus. He smiled back, glad that it didn't tear at his heart anymore. He'd always wanted something more with Lily, but now it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered anymore, it seemed…

… but somehow Severus doubted that.