Chapter 37: The Afterlife Neighbourhood
Severus and Lily continued to visit Remus every day in his absence from classes and were growing increasingly worried. If he carried on like this, he would never regain his memory and also have to miss out on his Hogwarts education. Severus prayed to the Higher Ones each day that his friend would not turn out like Frank and Alice, only trapped permanently in the mind of a werewolf all day, every day.
"I never expected such thoughts to spread around in Severus Snape's mind," said Remus Lupin from Heaven, as he and his friends, Lily and James, and his wife, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin looked down on his new life.
"Told you he had changed for the better in this new world," said Lily proudly.
"Don't get carried away, Lily," said James. "He's better cos he's got something to be happy about. He still hates Remus, Sirius and I up here."
"Maybe, but can we blame him?" asked Lily. "Besides, he has his whole life to let his new joys in life fill and mend those wounds that 'ran too deep for the healing' and then by the time he returns here, he might be able to reconcile with the Marauders."
"Just don't rely on it, is all I'm saying," said James doubtfully.
They all watched as Severus enjoyed some time with Lily after leaving Remus at his bedside. They had some tea at Hagrid's with Mary and Quincey, had a pleasant dinner with the Union and went to bed after playing tag team Wizard's Chess with Nora and Elizabeth, with Quincey as his partner.
"He may seem happier, but you can tell how worried he is about the future," said Tonks sympathetically.
"What has Snivellus got to be worried about?"
Sirius had just come in with Marlene Black, formerly McKinnon, whom stomped on his foot for his cruel nickname.
"Severus is worried that the Remus of that world won't get better, he's worried about asking that version of me out, he's worried that he'll lose the battle against Voldemort, and he's worried that he'll lose his friends and family along the way!" fumed Lily.
"Mellow out, Lily!" snapped Sirius. "He should be so lucky. He has had the luckiest escape any Death Eater has ever had!"
"HE HASN'T BEEN A DEATH EATER FOR A LONG TIME!"
"But the fact remains that he was!"
"Only because we all left him with nowhere else to go!" sobbed Lily, thinking of how if they had remained friends, Severus may have had something to resist the Death Eaters for.
James hugged her gently and frowned at Sirius.
"Could you not go one day without insulting Snape?" he asked. "Or rather, Severus Prince."
"Nope," said Sirius honestly.
"Why not? I let go of what you did to Severus and Remus, albeit sooner than I should have done, Lily let go of all he had done to us and Harry, I've let go of it too, Harry thinks of him as a hero and Lily also let go of the lies I told her! Why can't you let go of that grudge too?"
"One: Snape wouldn't let go of all those things we did to him and you know it, and two: he treated Harry, Neville and many other children like dirt, and all cos he couldn't have his beloved Lily, cos he turned her into a target against Voldemort. We haven't forgiven Wormtail, why the hell would I, or any of you, forgive that greasy tosser?"
"Because unlike Peter, Sev did the right thing in the end!" snapped Lily.
"Excuses, excuses. You just feel guilty cos you chose the right man, and Snivelly messed up your feelings cos you saw how he cried his pathetic eyes out over you, and you wanted to make it up to him, well, face facts, Lily! That was his own fault and you did nothing wrong! You just knew Prongs was the better man, and you made sure that waste of space knew it!"
Before Lily could smack Sirius, or before Marlene could drag him home for being such a prat, there was a shimmer in front of them.
They all looked and knew they were about to witness the death of someone that they knew.
The mirror showed Harry standing at a distance, and between two bedsides sat Neville Longbottom and his wife, Hannah, formerly Hannah Abbott. They were sitting at the sides of Neville's insane parents, Frank and Alice.
"They're dying…today," said Lily sadly.
"At least their suffering is ending," said Sirius, acting maturely for the first time that day.
"And they're dying together…that's so romantic," said Tonks softly.
Remus held her to his side.
Neville was sobbing and trembling, as Hannah caressed his shoulder affectionately, a few tears silently falling down her rosy cheeks at the tragic sight before her. Harry respectfully kept his distance and stood near the door, in case he was asked to leave.
Within another hour of watching through the shimmer between life and death, the Marauders and their wives witnessed the deaths of Frank and Alice Longbottom, dead five minutes between one another.
Neville was comforted as he cried, but also had a vacant look of someone who had been liberated from a heavy weight on his shoulders. His parents were finally at peace.
And they were.
Another hour or two later, the Longbottoms arrived in their own piece of Heaven, in Frank's parents' mansion, in their company: Augusta Longbottom and her husband, Wendell, the former having died not long after Neville's marriage to Hannah. Neville's Great-Uncle Algie was also there, looking proudly at them.
Augusta was over the moon to see her son and daughter-in-law again, fully healed upon arrival in Heaven.
"Oh, my boy! My darling boy, I am so sorry!" she cried, kissing his cheeks consistently.
"Mum…where's Neville? What happened to him? I remember nothing!"
"Where's my son?" cried Alice, almost instantly.
"He-"
"I'll explain from here, Mrs Longbottom."
The speaker was one of the Higher Ones, this one was wearing red robes, their visage hidden beneath the hood.
"Y-yes, sir," replied Augusta nervously and almost in worship.
Frank had never seen his mother act this way to anyone before and realized fully that this robed stranger was clearly of high importance, beyond even Dumbledore, for even he didn't make Augusta quiver in awe.
The newly deceased husband and wife followed the Higher One and disappeared.
"You wish to know how life turned out for you and for your family, in particular, your son, Neville," said the Higher One, after he brought them into a special limbo, that all souls come to, including Lily, when she learned the truth about herself, James and Severus.
"Y-yes. Is he safe?" asked Alice nervously, fit to tears.
The Higher One told them everything…of how the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr had tortured them into insanity and how they spent their lives in St Mungo's until now, the time of their deaths. Then they were told of how Neville had been raised by Augusta, of his trials in and out of Hogwarts, his friendship with the Chosen One, Harry Potter and his alliance and co-leadership of Dumbledore's Army during the Second Wizarding War.
"Did he survive?"
"Remarkably so," said the Higher One approvingly. "In fact, your son personally stood up to Lord Voldemort himself. Perhaps you would like to see his greatest triumph…though I warn you, what you see may give you a fright, but rest assured, he comes out on top, unscathed."
Frank and Alice tentatively nodded. They wanted to see their son.
The Higher One instantly brought the denouement of the Battle of Hogwarts into their memories. They saw Voldemort claim Harry Potter was dead, and then a young man rushed out angrily, only to be struck down, and they heard their as-good-as killer, Bellatrix Lestrange name him.
"Neville Longbottom!"
They both gasped. This young man, this brave, noble young man, trying to fight Voldemort himself was their son, their baby boy!
They then heard him being propositioned by Voldemort.
"I'll join you when Hell freezes over!"
Alice clasped her hands to her mouth, and Frank looked on in shock.
Voldemort then proceeded to set Neville's head and the Sorting Hat on fire, and Alice screamed, and Frank bellowed, "NO!"
But then, Neville was free, unburnt and clutching the most splendid sword they had ever seen, pulled out of the Hat.
Then they saw him behead a giant, malicious serpent, which for some reason made Voldemort scream in terror and fury.
A moment later, the scene shifted to just after Harry's victory over Voldemort and the latter's death.
Everyone had cheered for Harry, and Neville was happily joining the celebration.
Then after that, Neville was revealed by Harry that he was the one to destroy the last thing holding Voldemort to immortality, the snake. Neville had helped Harry ensure that Voldemort died and fully avenged the fate of both their parents.
The scene ended, with both Frank and Alice crying with joy and pride.
"Our boy did that?"
"And more!" confirmed the Higher One. "After that, he had a brief stint as an Auror, rounded up several on-the-run Death Eaters, then became a professor of Herbology at Hogwarts and currently owns the Leaky Cauldron...with his wife, Hannah."
The two parents cuddled each other happily but held some remorse and sorrow that they never knew him properly.
"Fear not, my children. Neville has lived and is living a contented happy life, though diminished by your conditions, but always loved you and appreciated the minor gestures you showed him of your love for him, despite your illnesses. He's feeling some relief as well as grief that you have died, but when his time comes, you will all be reunited again, as a whole family."
Frank and Alice felt reassured and were happily returned to their family at the Heaven version of Longbottom Manor.
A week after settling into Heaven, Frank and Alice were given an official welcome party by the Order of the Phoenix members who were also dead. These included Albus Dumbledore, the Marauders and their wives, Mad Eye Moody and many others. They were given pleasantries, happy hugs of reunion, condolences for how their lives turned out and gifts to go with their new surroundings.
"I'm so happy our sons became friends," said Alice to Lily.
"Me too," added Lily.
"Albus tells me that your old school friend redeemed himself and is now living a new life in another universe."
"Yeah, weird how things turn out," confirmed Lily.
"I'm glad you two have reconciled. I found it a bit hasty on your part, but since I was just passing my NEWTs and graduating, there wasn't much I could do to dissuade you. I hope you don't fully regret it."
"No, I don't. I hate how Sev's life turned out, but he has a new life now, I'm helping him through it, and I wouldn't give up my son and husband for anything."
"Good," smiled Alice, kissing Lily's cheek and embraced her happily.
The Order soon joined together at a long table and Dumbledore toasted Frank and Alice.
"For all you had given in the First War, for the terrible price you had to pay, and for bearing the son that helped us to rid the world of Lord Voldemort once and for all!"
"Hear, hear!" came a chorus.
"And to Neville," added Frank.
"To Neville!"
Later, Lily invited Alice to join her, Tonks, Mary, Marlene, Ariana and even Helena Ravenclaw to a girls' day, while Frank was invited to join the Marauders, Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey and several others to a lads' day. Sirius suggested that they have their day at his Heaven home, while Lily hosted the girls' day.
A few days later, the girls and the boys split up for their neighbourly comrades' day together. Lily and the ladies settled and relaxed in the Potters' 'garden' hot tub.
"This is the afterlife!" sighed Alice.
"You said it," replied Tonks and Ariana in unison.
"I can't stay for too long, Lily," said Helena.
"Busy with the Baron and your mother?" asked the hostess.
"Yeah." Helena smiled faintly at the thought of the two most important people in her life and beyond.
Alice was filled in on all of her friends', old and new, lives and afterlives. She showed deep concern and sympathy for Tonks' ongoing plight of not being able to live the life of a mother she had wanted with Teddy, much like Lily and Alice hadn't. She was in awe of Ariana and Helena's respective histories and was disgusted at how Harry had been treated by people such as Dumbledore, Severus (though this was all explained by Lily before) and Lily's sister, Petunia Dursley.
"How is your sister doing, anyway?" asked Tonks. "You said she was low after her husband died last month."
"She's still low," said Lily. "She's been staying with her son and grandchildren, but she seems to be getting worse, despite spending more time with the kids."
"Did she and Harry ever…reconcile?" asked Alice.
"Alas, not really, any formal visits were civil, but awkward and quiet," said Lily. "But she gave him that blanket he came to her doorstep in. She said it was all he had from home left, and it made him hug her, much to her disgust, but she kept quiet, which was odd enough."
"With age comes wisdom. She gained just enough wisdom to keep her mouth shut," said Marlene disdainfully.
Lily didn't retort in her sister's defence. She hated that Petunia wasted her life hating a world that she couldn't be a true part of. She had never been able to let it go, nor her hatred and bitter resentment of Lily, and by default, her nephew, Harry. But at least she made some minor amends by giving Harry the blanket. It was likely the best thing she could expect Petunia to do. Like Severus, she had held her bitterness for too long to let it go easily, if at all.
But Lily knew for sure that when Petunia's time came, she would be getting some stern words from not just Lily, but her friends too.
She smiled with fondness when she remembered what she and James did to Vernon Dursley upon his arrival in Heaven, and she partly had Severus to thank for it.
They had chastised him severely for how he treated Harry during his childhood, before and during his Hogwarts years.
"The bloody freakshow had a roof over his head out of the goodness of our hearts!" snapped Vernon.
"You never wanted him! It was Petunia mostly! And even she ruined Harry's childhood!" shrieked Lily.
"He was bringing oddities and freakiness into our home and neighbourhood! Poor Dudley had the scares of his life with that brat around!"
"YOUR POOR BRAT WAS SPOILED ROTTEN AND WHEN HE BULLIED HARRY, YOU DID NOTHING! YOU THOUGHT THE SUN SHONE OUT OF HIS ARSE!" bellowed James.
"Yeah, like you were never like that!" sneered Vernon.
And that did it.
James was so appalled at the truth in that statement and Vernon's lack of regret and remorse that he snapped.
"LEVICORPUS!"
Lily didn't stop James, but watched smugly as Vernon was hoisted into the air and hung upside down by Severus' spell that James had just used.
Lily used another spell to make Vernon twirl around in circles like a ballerina in his uncomfortable position.
"GET ME DOWN!" roared Vernon.
"…Nah!"
And with that, James and Lily left him to it. The spell would wear off within…three to four hours, maybe longer.
Lily giggled at the fond memory and wondered just how she should punish Petunia when her time came, though she didn't necessarily think Vernon had been punished severely enough, but she had all of eternity to make the Dursleys pay for what they did to her only son.
Besides, she had more important things to do, like reconcile with those who did love her in life, and to help Severus take down his new world's version of Lord Voldemort.
And there's Chapter 37! Sorry it's much shorter than the other chapters, but it will be compensated with a Christmas/New Year update! Hopefully it'll be longer, and you will all enjoy it! Thanks for reading, please review!