Author's Note:

So this is just a little idea that I had the other day and it expanded into this fic. I was reading a fanfic where James discovers that Peter has a Dark Mark before he makes him Secret Keeper and everyone is saved. It got me wondering what James would say to the man who betrayed him all those years later once he's had the chance to contemplate it. The whole Heaven/afterlife/limbo/King's Cross concept confuses me slightly so I've written this as I think it works in the Wizarding World and hopefully it won't annoy anyone (or cause hysterical laughter). Most of the places I've described can be symbolic or physically real so as you're reading, just imagine what you want in your own mind.

This is set just after Wormtail's death in Deathly Hallows and relays the conversation between James and Peter when they finally meet again.

Also, I was considering doing another chapter where Sirius and/or Lily speak to (or shout at) Peter too. Any comments?

Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback!

/

He had been expecting to die for a long time, Peter realised and now that the moment had passed, he honestly didn't regret his death. There was a slight annoyance that the Dark Lord had beaten him in the end but then again, Peter knew he'd been tired of life for a while. The fight was becoming endless, cruel and he'd long since lost sight of what he was supposed to be fighting for anyway. It seemed like Bellatrix and the others didn't even need something to fight for because the thrill of death and destruction were enough for them. It wasn't the same for Peter, he knew that much.

What was this place? Was this purgatory? He'd never paid much attention to the theories about the afterlife, preferring to concentrate on reality, a reality that didn't scare him half as much as the thought of what came after death. The room was empty, aside from a few benches and the warm jumper and trousers that he'd dressed himself in immediately upon arrival. The shining brilliance of the room made Peter feel ashamed because the walls and floors were all pure white and sparkling clean. He suddenly noticed that there was also a fireplace at the end of the room and he wondered if he was expecting a visitor. God perhaps? An angel? Peter racked his brains to remember anything from his grandmother's old book of prayers. Perhaps he could try to present himself as a lost soul, someone who'd only just seen the light, if that was what God would want him to say. Would God even be able to tell if he lied? Peter stood opposite the fireplace, fiddling with his hands and staring as the flames flashed a brilliant red.

/

James Potter was having the time of his life, playing five-a-side Quidditch with Sirius and a group of friends from the original Order of the Phoenix. Lily was sitting in a deck chair beside the magnificent pitch, reading a book and glancing up occasionally to watch the game. James was just about to score with the Quaffle from a particularly difficult angle when everything vanished and he was standing in a reception area.

James blinked. He hadn't been here since his own death, sixteen years ago. The beautiful woman at the desk smiled at him.

"How can I help you?" James shrugged. He'd heard of people being transported around Heaven randomly. Sirius had been away for a few days when his mother had tried to seek him out. Unfortunately, she hadn't been in the same section of Heaven as him and apparently, their meeting had required quite a lot of paperwork. James was slightly confused. He'd already spoken to everyone he knew who was already dead.

"I was hoping that you could tell me. I'm James Potter." The woman smiled again.

"I'll just check the records." She opened a huge, heavy-looking golden book that was in front of her on the desk and ran her finger down the page.

"Lily, Harry… James!" She beamed up at him. "You're in for a treat, Mr Potter. We've got you scheduled for an encounter today." James was even more confused.

"An encounter? What's that?"

"An encounter," she explained. "Is the process in which you can travel to the limbo between life and death to communicate with people who have very recently passed away." She paused and frowned slightly at James. "It's strange that you wouldn't remember. Didn't you put in a request for the encounter?" James shook his head.

"No. I didn't even know that we could do that." The woman shook her head.

"No, you can't normally. I've got a note here. Something regarding your special circumstances." She handed James a sheet of parchment and he gazed down at the strangely familiar loopy handwriting."

"I don't understand what this means," James shrugged, after having studied the message for a few moments. The woman glanced down at the note.

"It appears that someone named Albus Dumbledore has arranged this encounter for you." James felt a rush of excitement. It couldn't go wrong if Dumbledore had organised it. Then, his stomach gave a terrible lurch.

"Oh Merlin, Harry hasn't died, has he?" Fear gripped James's insides. Patting his hand gently, the woman shook her head.

"Definitely not. You'd have been notified immediately, along with Mrs Lily Potter, if that had occurred." James let out a sigh of relief which was almost instantly replaced with a wave of curiosity.

"So, who am I…encountering, then?" he asked. The woman smiled sweetly.

"I'm afraid Mr Dumbledore has chosen not to make that information available." She pointed at an ornate fireplace that James hadn't noticed before. "Step through there dear, if you would."

Summoning up his Gryffindor courage and the knowledge that he was already dead and so couldn't be killed or physically hurt, James stepped into the flames which quickly engulfed him.