In Which Sasha Makes the Landing

Sasha Berg fell with a silent thump onto something soft. Looking around herself, she saw… whiteness. Pure whiteness. In fact, there was a whole city made of what looked like large, fluffy, white clouds. Staring off into the distance, Sasha saw buildings- as small as cottages to as large as skyscrapers- sitting on an island that floated in the middle of a clear blue expanse. Frowning in confusion and curiosity, Sasha stood up and looked down. Aside from the cloud she was on, which was drifting towards the island, there was… nothing. Nothing but blue.

"Oh, no," Sasha muttered to herself. "No, no, no, no, no!"

She knew this place; she had never been here before, thank Merlin, but she knew exactly where she was. It was a little place called Heaven.

"Great," she scowled sarcastically, crossing her arms with a huff. "I'm dead. That's just wonderful. Let's see, how did I die again…?"

She sat back down on her cloud and thought hard until, finally, the memory came back to her. I was fighting with the Order of the Phoenix, she thought. I was in my wolf Animagus form, distracting the Death Eaters… then, Wilkes showed up, that rotten bastard Wilkes, the one who killed Daddy. The one who killed Pom-Pom. That… sent me over the edge. My powers went out of control; I killed Wilkes, but… I died, too.

Suddenly, a face came rushing into her head, concerned, worried, and tearful. Sirius Black looked worse than he ever had before in the time Sasha had known him; she knew that this was what her boyfriend's face had looked like when she had died.

Sasha felt a sudden jolt, and realized that her cloud had finally reached the city. In person, it was much larger than it was when you saw it from a distance. The houses stretched on and on for an endless expanse; there were too many marketplaces and shopping areas to count; Quidditch stadiums dotted the land; and so, so much more.

Out of the blue, Sasha heard her name screamed with a voice that was a cross of elation and horror, and then felt someone run into her, squeezing her tight, tears dampening her shoulder.

"Pom-Pom!" Sasha exclaimed, gleefully returning the hug of one of her best friends, for once in her life.

"Oh, Sasha, this is terrible!" Mary Macdonald- nicknamed Pom-Pom thanks to her hair, which she kept in a puffy ponytail- let go of her friend, her face pale and tear streaked. "I didn't even know it happened! One minute, I was perfectly alright; next thing I know, I'm here! In Heaven! Because I'm dead! I can't believe it, Sasha, I just can't! What're they going to tell my parents- I'm an only child! Mum and Dad will be heartbroken! And Remus- oh, Sasha, how could I just leave him behind like that? I need to go back- so do you, for that matter! What do you think Sirius is gonna do without you? Come on, we've got to find a way out of here-"

"It's no use, Pom-Pom," Sasha cut off her friend, shaking her head. "We're dead. Magic can do a lot of things, but it can't bring back the dead, as Dumbledore always likes to say. We're stuck here. Eternally. On the bright side, though," a wry grin made its way onto her face, "that might just have been the most I've ever heard you speak at once! What happened to my quiet, timid little Pom-Pom?"

"She died," Mary deadpanned. "It changes a person, you know."

Sasha laughed. That was the Mary she knew and loved. She grew somber again, though, at the thoughts of her friends. Three of her friends- the three left- were pregnant: Lily, Alice, and Delilah. James Potter had finally tied the knot with Lily six months ago, just a month before Lily got pregnant; Alice and Frank had gotten married just months after graduations from Hogwarts, and the new Mrs. Longbottom was five months pregnant with her first child; and Delilah, engaged to Dexter Corner, was seven months pregnant.

Then, of course, there were the boys. Peter Pettigrew, she hadn't really ever been close to; throughout all the time when Sasha hung out with the Marauders as friends, rather than as enemies, he had hung out with his Slytherin girlfriend, Mallory Goyle. James Potter was, without a doubt, one of the kindest people Sasha had ever met when he showed his true colors; not to mention he was funny, determined- as proved by his lengthy pursuit of Lily- brave, and loyal. Sasha's father had been the Healer than Mr. and Mrs. Lupin took their son to when he was bitten by a werewolf, and ever since that time, Sasha and Remus had been close enough to be siblings.

And then there was Sirius. Sirius Black.

At one time, he had been Sasha's least favorite person in the world, simply because he bullied her, exploited her weaknesses. But then, they got to know each other, and she fell for him. Hard. Luckily, he felt the same way- he realized it sooner, in fact- so it didn't take long at all for them to become a couple, as sickeningly in love as the annoying duos in Muggle movies.

Sasha gulped back a flood of tears that threatened to overflow. She only cried under the most drastic of situations, when she simply couldn't hold it in; and even though dying was certainly one of them, Mary was already sobbing, and Sasha knew that she had to be strong for her friend's sake.

Wrapping her friend in a hug, Sasha said, "I know, Mary, it does change people. After all, right now, I'm hugging you. Do you think that ever would have happened while we were alive?"

"No," Mary sniffled. "Sasha… how did I die?"

"The Killing Curse," Sasha replied softly. "From Jeremy Wilkes; he had just arrived at the battle."

"Did you get him for me?"

"Yeah," Sasha smiled, "I sure did."

"How did you die?"

Sasha paused, thinking over her words carefully. "When you died… my rage sort of… boiled over. I lost control of my powers- you know, the ones I have from being Gryffindor's Heir and all- and they went crazy. I killed Wilkes and the majority of the other Death Eaters, but I was so drained that I just didn't have the energy to live anymore."

There was a pause. "Well, that stinks," Mary said bluntly. "I'm so sorry, Sasha, it's all my fault!"

"Don't blame yourself, Pom-Pom; I probably would've done it anyways. After all, Wilkes is- was- the one who killed my father."

"Speaking of your father…" Mary trailed off, looking behind Sasha. The dark-haired former Gryffindor turned around to see a man with curly black hair and brown eyes that exactly matched his daughter's, looking years younger than he had the last time anyone had seen him on earth, running towards her as fast as he could, his emerald green robes flying behind him.

"DADDY!" Sasha dashed to her father as fast as her legs could carry her and the two flung their arms around each other. Tears rolled down both of their cheeks as they hugged one another after what had been far too long.

"I missed you so much, Sashi," Harry Berg spoke, his voice choked up. "So, so much. You can't imagine how sorry I am that I had to leave you- I never wanted to, I promise you that. But I hoped I never would have to see you again, not for at least a few decades, at least. It would mean you're dead.I love you, I've been watching you every day."

"I know, Daddy. I missed you, too," Sasha responded. "Wait, what do you mean you watched me?"

Mr. Berg let go of his daughter and explained, "Here in Heaven, in your houses, you have televisions- like the Muggle invention. Except they're called Watchervisions. But instead of watching shows on them, you watch the lives of the people you care about who are still down on earth."

"That's fantastic!" Sasha exclaimed, and then whipping her head around to face Mary. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's news to me, too," Mary answered. "I haven't exactly been here for awhile."

"Fair enough," Sasha shrugged, and then turned back to her father. "Where's your house?"

"I'll take you to it," Sasha's dad grinned, holding out his arm for his daughter to take. He turned around to face Mary, who was looking at the two shyly. "You can come too, Mary. Take my other arm."

Mary did this, and then Mr. Berg Apparated the two women to his house.

XxxxX

"It's so… cozy!" Sasha said, gazing around at her father's house. It was much smaller than what she was used to, seeing as she lived in the immense Berg Manor, but it was a quaint, charming little place, nonetheless. There was a sizeable living room with a long, plush-looking couch that was placed in front of a giant, flat-screen TV that took up the majority of the wall. Next to the couch was a small coffee table with a lamp on it- though Sasha really didn't understand why it was necessary, seeing as it was so bright in Heaven anyways- and a few picture frames hung on the blank walls, showcasing photos of Mr. Berg with Sasha and Sasha's mother, Olivia Greene. Like the rest of the city, everything was made of clouds.

"It's the same size as your own house, so you'd best get used to it," Mr. Berg said, guessing his daughter's thoughts. "Believe it or not, it's actually nice to have a small house; it makes you forget that other people should be there. They expand as people move in with you."

"Understandable enough," Sasha spoke. "Where is my house? And Mary's, for that matter?"

"I can't tell you that," Harry responded. "It's your choice."

"What do you mean, my choice?" Sasha asked.

"Walk around the neighborhood and take a look at the houses. Pick the one you like best. If it's empty, then you can have it."

"That makes sense," Sasha nodded slowly. "Want to go house hunting, Pom-Pom?"

"Sure!" Mary agreed with a smile, and then with a wave to Mr. Berg, the two set out to go shop for their new homes.

It didn't take long for the two girls to find their new houses- or, rather, house. Directly across from Sasha's father's home was a house that was slightly bigger than the ones that surrounded it, with a good sized front yard. There were four windows, each with its own flower box.

"This is the one," Sasha grinned, just as Mary commented, "I call it!"

The two friends turned to stare at each other. "I want it!" They exclaimed in unison. "I saw it first!" Their eyes narrowed. "It's mine!"

"Wait, why are we fighting about this?" Mary asked suddenly. "We can just move in together! That is, if it's okay with you, of course."

Sasha beamed. "That's a brilliant idea, Mary! Come on, let's go tell my dad!"

"No need," Harry Berg called from the door of his house as he strode towards the two girls. "I thought I would come to investigate why you two are still standing here. I have to say, I do like the location of your new house."

"Oh, Daddy," Sasha rolled her eyes laughingly, hugging her father. "Come on, let's go in!"

XxxxX

Sasha and Mary's living room was set up basically the same way as her father's, except that theirs was far busier. There were a number of chairs around the couch, as well as more photos- and a few classic paintings- on the walls that weren't taken up by the television. The carpet, when Sasha stared at it closely, seemed to show a scene that played over and over again. She squinted, trying to see who was there. They looked so, so familiar…

All of the sudden, it hit her: The people on the carpet were her and Sirius.

They were running through the Forbidden Forest, laughing happily, hands entwined. A glance was exchanged, and the two changed into their Animagus forms: Sasha into a sleek wolf covered by black fur with just a little brick red, and Sirius into a large, black, shaggy dog. The pair continued running aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the nature until, finally, they changed back into their human forms and shared a long, passionate kiss.

Sasha sniffed and wiped her eyes. That was her favorite memory; it had happened just after she had revealed that she was an Animagus to her friends, and that Sirius, James, and Peter had revealed the same. She closed her eyes and felt her father place a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Only the house's owner can see the scene on the carpet," Harry Berg said solemnly. "If there are two owners, then it shows a different scene for each one. It shows the time when the owner was happiest."

Sasha nodded. "I can definitely believe that," she choked out, forcing a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mary's head bobbing in agreement, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. To save her friend from crying again, she quickly changed the topic. "So, how about the television?"

"Watchervision," her father corrected. "It's simple. Now, first, you have to understand that in Heaven, there are no remotes."

"Why?" Mary frowned.

"Because people lose them too easily, which frustrates people. And Heaven is supposed to be a paradise, not a place of frustration. Though I could do with a little more color…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "Anyways, all you do is sit down in front of the television and say the name of the person you want to see. Then, it'll show you that person and whatever they're up to at the moment."

"Cool." Sasha sat down on the couch, and Mary sat down next to her. "Who should we look at first?"

"You died because of me," Mary said reasonably, but sadly. "It's your choice."

"I didn't die because of you, I already told you. You sure I can choose, though?"

"Positive."

"Okay, then." Sasha faced the Watchervision. "Sirius Orion Black."

Instantly, the television screen flickered to life to reveal a body with pale skin, glassy brown eyes, and waist length curls of black hair that turned brick red at the ends.

"That's so weird," Sasha muttered. "Seeing myself dead, I mean. Because I'm here, but really, I'm there; and I feel alive, but I know I'm not. It's like I'm time traveling or something-"

"Sasha," Mary cut her friend off, the hand over her mouth muffling her already soft voice. "Look at Sirius."

Sasha did as her friend said and gasped. Her boyfriend looked nothing like the Sirius she knew. That shiny, flawless black hair that she so loved to run her fingers through was a mess, covering the sides of his wet face. His stormy grey eyes were red from the tears that flooded his cheeks, matching his nose. He grabbed the arm of Sasha's body and shook her. "No! No! Sasha! Come back, Sasha! No! No! Come back! Sasha!"

"Sirius, stop." A tear trailed down Mary's cheek at the sound of her own boyfriend's voice, choked up yet firm at the same time. Remus Lupin placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "There's no use. She's gone." The werewolf looked as broken as Sirius- after all, he had not only lost his girlfriend, but also his almost-sister. But he seemed to be controlling his emotions better than his longtime friend, because though tears trailed down his cheeks, he wasn't going mad with grief. Not on the outside, at least.

"She's not gone, Remus, she's not!" Sirius shouted back. "She can't be!"

"Put your fingers on her neck, Sirius. Do you feel a pulse? No! She's dead, Sirius, and there's nothing we can do about it, nothing!" Remus yelled. "You think I don't want to bring her back? You think I don't want to bring Mary, my girlfriend, back? Sirius, I'd do anything for them to come back to us, but there's nothing anyone can do!"

"Moony's right, Padfoot." James Potter said gravely, his arms wrapped around a sobbing Lily. "We all want them back. But you can't reverse death."

"How do you know that?" Delilah, always stubborn, screamed. For once in her life, her cheeks were damp from tears. "Have you ever tried? My dad always said, 'Don't knock it 'till you tried it'; who says that just has to apply to foods?" Her golden eyes flashed. "We can bring them back. We will bring them back."

"Have you ever listened to Dumbledore, Delilah?" Alice glared at her friend with wet eyes, Frank smoothing down her hair comfortingly. "He must've said at least a million times that death is permanent. Besides, that's just common knowledge anyways! Everyone knows that death is irreversible! There's nothing we can do, Delilah! Nothing!"

"I thought they were your friends!"

"Of course they were, Sirius! They were my best friends!" Alice told him, her bottom lip trembling as she forced herself not to shout.

"If they were really your best friends, then you'd be trying to bring them back, not just letting them stay dead!" Delilah exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

"Stop it!" Lily shouted, her head coming up from James' shoulder. Silent tears trailed down her cheeks, and her husband's arm was wrapped around her protectively. "Both of you, stop it! This isn't the time to be fighting! Do you think that Mary and Sasha really would've wanted two of their best friends to be bickering because of them? No! Of course not! So both of you, just shut up!"

Delilah and Alice were both silent, though their faces said everything. Lily, shaking, glared at them both.

"Thank you," she said finally, her gaze softening as she wiped her eyes. "We- We should go tell Dumbledore, you guys. He needs to know."

"Yeah," Frank nodded. "Who should take the bodies?" Everyone stared at him. "Well, we can't just leave them here, can we? They deserve the proper burial of a hero."

"Frank's right," James agreed, his face solemn. "Like he said, who should take the bodies? We can just Apparate with them to the Order headquarters."

"I'll take her," Remus and Sirius said in unison, pointing to Mary and Sasha's bodies, respectively. The others nodded consent- it was only right, after all- and Remus knelt down to gently scoop up Mary. He smoothed down her puff of hair, in its usual ponytail.

"Even in death," he choked out, fresh tears littering his eyes, "she still looks like she's wearing a pom-pom on the back of her head." With a barely suppressed sob, he forced himself to Apparate away.

Sirius seemed to steel his nerves, and then he bent to pick up Sasha's body. When he stood up, she was lying bridal-style in his arms. Silently, he stroked his thumb across her cheek; and then, before his friends could see him cry again, he Apparated.

With a loud, unanimous crack, James, Lily, Frank, Alice, and Delilah followed them.

"Turn off," Sasha ordered softly. The Watchervision screen immediately darkened. "I don't want to see anymore of that."

"Delilah and Sirius are both so determined," Mary murmured, her face wet and her eyes red. "It's- It's touching that they want us back so much, but we both know that it's impossible."

"You two were obviously essential components in your friendship," Mr. Berg said grimly. He sat down besides Sasha and put his arm around her. "Don't worry. I'm sure that Delilah and Sirius, as well as your other friends, will recover eventually."

"We know they will," Sasha sniffed. "I just hope they don't do anything rash. If one of them landed themselves up here, just because of us…" A stray tear slipped down her cheek, and as more of its kind followed, Sasha's father wrapped her in his arms.

"Funny. The last time I saw you, Sasha, you were crying and your dad was holding you, too."

All heads turned to gape at the redheaded woman who had, without a sound, appeared in the room. Her brick red hair fell in long waves down her back, and her eyes, the same shade of green as a cat's, sparkled.

"Mum?" Sasha gasped, her mouth agape in shock.

"Yes," Olivia Greene answered simply, and then spread her arms wide. Sasha rushed into her embrace. "My daughter, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too, Mum," Sasha replied, more tears trickling down her face. "You really would've been helpful for bra shopping."

"I'm afraid I wasn't much help with that," Mr. Berg chuckled, walking over to his family. He kissed his wife on the cheek. "Hello, dear. What took you so long?"

"I was meeting with the Council," Olivia explained with a smile. "I would've left sooner, but they wouldn't let me. I came as soon as it was over."

"Wait, what's the Council?" Mary inquired, standing up and walking over to Sasha's mother. "I'm Mary Macdonald, by the way. Sasha's friend."

"Oh, I know!" Olivia beamed. "I've seen you with Sasha on the Watchervision! It's so nice to meet you, dear. Now, then, the Council is the organization that keeps Heaven in order. It's harder than you'd think. There are so many riots from those poor people that are in denial about their deaths, not to mention the number of people who want to go back down to earth, you'd be astounded! Oh, and we have to make sure that we don't ever get more people than houses, and provide an occupation for everyone who wants one. Then there's the stillbirths, don't get me started on those babies-"

"Mum," Sasha interjected, "we get it."

"I'm sure you do," Olivia grinned. "You're a smart girl. Both of you," she added, with a wide grin to Mary.

"So, girls, do you have any questions about Heaven?" Mr. Berg asked Sasha and Mary. "Because Olivia is the prime person to answer them."

"Yeah. What was that about the stillbirths?" Mary wondered.

"When babies die at birth, they're completely innocent, so of course, they come to Heaven. When they get here, they become Angels."

"Why's that?" Sasha frowned.

"As I said, babies are completely innocent. They're the only people in the world who are. So, when they die, they turn into Angels."

"They don't age or anything?" Mary asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh, they do," Olivia assured her, "but they age much slower than they would on earth. One year on earth is five years here. So instead of one year of nonstop crying, you get five."

Sasha winced at the mere idea, but Mary seemed to still be curious. "What's so bad about the babies being Angels?"

"Well, even though they're completely helpless when it comes to taking care of themselves, they can communicate, and they're convinced that they know everything and they're always right," Olivia explained, her expression darkening. "And they're constantly trying to give everyone advice, whether wanted or not."

"So, then, you have to spend more years waking up in the middle of the night to a screaming kid, and this same kid tries to tell you how to do everything?" Sasha clarified. Her mother nodded. "I can see why people wouldn't want to adopt a baby, then," Sasha mumbled under her breath.

"Most people can. That's why we have so many orphanages, and need more people to work there. Hey- would you two like to volunteer? Of course, you don't have to. After all this is Heaven, and you don't have to work, but there's really not much to do here besides working. It gets quite boring, honestly. And we really could use the help."

Mary nodded immediately, to no one's surprise. Nurturing was just in her nature, no matter the person. Sasha, however, scowled.

"Oh, come on, Sasha!" Mary pleaded, catching sight of her friend's expression. "It'll be fun! We can work together!"

"But they're miniature know-it-alls that scream every three seconds!"

"They can't help it, they're babies! Please, Sasha? For me?" Mary requested. Her bottom lip trembled just a bit, and her hazel eyes grew wider and rounder.

It was the puppy face, the most deadly of all expressions when it came to willpower. Sasha sighed.

"Oh, fine, I'll go too," she agreed reluctantly, sullenly crossing her arms over her chest.

"Excellent!" Olivia exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. "You two can start on Monday! Now, I'm hungry, so I'm going home to make dinner. Would you two like to join Harry and me?"

"Yes, thank you," Mary smiled, polite as usual.

"Sure," Sasha followed, a soft smile on her face. At least one good thing was happening today. "After all, Mum, we have some family dinners to catch up on."

Olivia beamed. "That's right, Sasha, we most definitely do."

Yes, here it is! The sequel to "Everyone Was Wrong"! I have a few things to clear up...

1. Yes, I am fully aware that the title sucks. If anyone can come up with a better one, PLEASE tell me. If I like it, and choose it, I will dedicated my next chapter to you.

2. The updates for this story won't be nearly as quick as they were for "Everyone Was Wrong". For that story, I already had everything written; I just had to edit. But I don't have anything besides this chapter written so far for this story, not to mention that I'm starting a new, more difficult school this year, in a brand new country, so I'll be a lot busier than last year. I just wanted to let you all know that. I'm so, so, so sorry if I take forever to update; I'll try to do it as frequently as possible.

3. As I have not yet written this whole story, ALL IDEAS ARE WELCOME. If you have an idea for part of a plot, or an opinion on what you think should happen, PLEASE tell me! I'm begging you!

4. If you're wondering why the characters and genres for this story are different than they were for "Everyone Was Wrong", it's because this story isn't as much Sirius/Sasha romance as it is Mary/Sasha friendship. Don't worry, though, there will be PLENTY of romance to come!

5. This chapter was read over by my friends Leah and Delilah (a.k.a. VoldieLovesMe), the latter of whom edited for me! Let's give them a round of applause! *clapping* Thank you both SO much! And you should be grateful to them too, readers; they're the ones who nagged me to post this!

Well, that's it for the notes, I think. PLEASE REVIEW! Or else Sasha will get nagged to ANOTHER death by baby angels!

Thanks a bundle!

-Joelle8