Loss

by Breninblack

Disclaimer: All belongs to the ever-wonderful JKR.

Chapter Notes: I'm sorry to say that I have bad news for you all. After this chapter, there won't be another one for probably at least a week. L This is because summer is evil in Minnesota. Let me explain: it's been getting up to the higher 90s (degrees, that is) and it's been VERY humid. Because my house is older and well…slow, the power goes out a lot in the summer. Well, it's been going off on and off (if that makes sense) for a while now and it finally went kaput on Sunday. Meaning nothing electronic in my house is useable (except for a light in the kitchen, the bathroom and the fridge). I don't know when we're getting it fixed, but hopefully it'll be soon. Until then, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Fifteen: Shades of Gloria

Oh Evil Angel, tear down the monuments
Evil Angel, bury the coat of arms
And rebuild for me these memories
For to see my depth of sorrow

There was no choice but to go forward. There was, quite literally, nothing for eternity in every direction.

Pearly gates could only mean one thing. It meant they were . . .

'Dead,' Harry said. 'It was all for nothing. We're dead.'

'It's not official until I see it in writing,' Draco said sharply.

Draco walked forward, not bothering to see if Harry was following. He didn't bother to see if Harry had caught up or to wait for him. He just kept moving forward.

Beyond the gates were more white clouds. Eventually they came to a lone desk in the middle of . . . well, nowhere. Seated at the desk was a plump little lady with black curls and pink glasses. Her hair and glasses stuck out in the vast sea of white oblivion.

Like dog piss in the snow, Draco thought.

'Welcome to Heaven. I'll be with you in a moment,' the woman said. She was wearing a headset that was connected to a muggle phone. She pressed a button and began speaking to someone on the other line. 'Thank you for holding, Mrs. Bernstein. There's an opening for --'

Draco pressed the receiver down and sneered at the woman.

'I don't have the bloody patience to wait around all day,' he hissed, 'so I'd appreciate it if you would kindly direct me toward the exit.'

'There is no exit,' the woman said simply.

'Then someone's got some fucking explaining to do.'

The woman ruffled herself in a way that was reminiscent of a budgie. 'We can't just stop everything for you, young man. A certain order has to be kept.'

'I've never cared much for order,' Draco said dismissively. He sighed. There was no need to take his frustration out on this poor woman. Trying a more polite approach, he continued. 'We're on a tight schedule here and we need to be on our way as soon as possible.'

'Sorry, kiddo,' the woman said, with a cruel chuckle. 'Once you end up here, you don't ever leave.'

'Surely there's an exception.'

'Nope.'

'Would it help if you heard our situation?'

'Afraid not. But something tells me I don't really have choice.'

'My friend and I are here because we're trying to get to the place where they store the bodies of the victims of veils. By some mistake, we've end up here and we need to get going as soon as possible.'

'You're tying to save someone from the veil?' the plump woman asked, smacking her gum loudly. 'Hold on a second.'

The woman picked up the phone and dialed a very long string of numbers. 'Hello, Blanche. This is Rita. We've got two young gents here who claim to be trying to get to the VEST. What should I do with them?'

The woman said a few more words and then hung up the phone. 'You're supposed to wait. You can sit over there.' She pointed over to a couple of bland looking couches that most certainly had not been there before.

'Oh, and you're gonna need to fill out these forms.' She handed him a large stack of papers that must have been an inch thick. At least.

Dragging his feet, Draco begrudgingly took the proffered clip board and took a seat. Harry followed and sat down beside him.

'What's all that for?' Harry asked.

'I'm trying to get us out of here. Do you mind? This paperwork isn't going to get itself done.'

Draco continued to fill out the forms, checking boxes and signing pages, making sure to read everything twice. It kept asking him about the nature of his death; why he had died; when he had died; what he had done, in detail, what he had been doing for 24 hours before his death. It seemed rather pointless, really, considering he wasn't dead. This was merely a bureaucratic mistake and nothing more.

He finished the paperwork and brought it over to the woman at the desk. She began going over each page individually, reading his answers while Draco stood there impatiently. About half way through, she looked up at him, smiled, held a finger up and began making a call.

'Reggie, hello. This is Rita. Yes, the kids are fine. Caitlin is going to play Dorothy in her school production of th Wizard of Oz, and Donnie is starting soccer in a few weeks.'

Draco cleared his throat and the lady snapped back to reality. 'Well, anyway, Reggie, I was calling to ask you about something. We've got a young man here filling out an intake form and he's insisting that he's not supposed to be dead. Funny thing is, he's also insisting he's trying to get to the VEST.

'Uh-huh. Alright. Yes. Sounds good. Thanks, Reggie. Say hi to Thelma for me.' The woman hung up the phone and picked up again and dialed another number.

'Hello, Daisy? This is Rita from Intake. I'm in a bit of a spot here and Reggie from Logistics told me I should speak with you.

'Yes, we have two young men here who are trying to get to the VEST. I don't know how they know about it, but they're quite eager to get there.

'You're sending someone down? Thanks so much. Goodbye.'

The woman looked up at Draco and smiled again. 'They'll be sending someone down momentarily. Please take a seat. There are some magazines you can look at, if you'd like.'

Draco sat down again, this time in a huff. Trying to get anything done in Heaven, it turned out, was just like trying to get anything done at the Ministry; it involved reams of paper work and endless waiting. At the rate they were going, they would never get out of here and Voldemort would strike and there would be nothing for them to go home to. He was loathe to admit it, but Harry was right. It was all for nothing. They might as well be dead.

After sometime a tall strawberry blonde woman in a flowing white robe approached them. She was carrying a file of papers and when she reached them she held out her hand. 'Welcome, gentlemen, to Heaven. My name is Gloria and I am Head Ombudsman for the Ministry of Heaven.'

'You're what?' Harry asked.

'Ombudsman,' she repeated. 'It means I've been appointed by the Ministry to investigate any complaints lodged against the Ministry or the Council by our patrons. I hear you're trying to get to the VEST.'

'We're trying to get to where they store the victims of veils, if that's what you mean,' Harry said.

The woman gave them the kind of smile that's meant to make people feel inferior for not knowing something. 'Certainly. If you'll just come this way.'

Draco and Harry followed the woman past the desk and to a plain door that had also not been there before. They entered it and both Harry and Draco gasped at what lay behind it.

Before them was a sprawling crystal city. They appeared to be in a building, looking out and down at a magnificent maze of crystal skyscrapers and coliseums. The woman led them down a marble corridor to a large glass elevator and pressed the up button. The elevator arrived and she led the boys in.

'What is this place?' Harry asked in awe. He had never even imagined anything like this. It was breathtaking.

'This, gentlemen, is Heaven. Population Infinity. Right now we're in Central Station, the place where all new residents come and have their Intakes done. It's also home to the offices of all the Council and Ministry members. Out there is where the rest of the residents work and live. It's your new home.'

'This is all really great, but you're wrong. This is not our new home. We don't have any intention of staying here.'

'Of course you don't,' Gloria said, smiling condescendingly again. 'Can I get you something to eat?'

'I'm starving!' Harry exclaimed. 'What about you, Draco?'

'I'm not hungry,' Draco muttered, turning to look out across the city.

'Of course you're not. We'll order in from the Bowl & Cup for your friend once we get to my office. Ah, here we are.' The elevator doors opened and Gloria led them out. She walked down a series of corridors and finally to a large oak door. Opening it, she led them into a spacious office, decorated in the style of 1920's movie theaters, complete with Art Deco murals on the wall and sculptures lining the shelves.

'Have a seat,' she offered. The boys sat down and Gloria took a seat behind her large desk. 'What would you like to eat?'

'What's being served?' Harry asked politely.

Gloria laughed. 'Served. My, my. You certainly have quite a sense of humor. In Heaven, there are no menus. You can have whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. No limitations, no consequences. You could spend eternity eating and you'd never gain a pound.'

'Really?' Harry asked, excitedly. 'Are you sure you don't want anything, Draco?'

Draco nodded.

'I'll have a slice of cheesecake, I think. And a glass of lemonade.'

'Of course you will.' The woman pressed a button on her desk and immediately there was a knock on the door. She opened the door from her desk and a young man came in, carrying a whole cheesecake and a pitcher of lemonade. 'Thank you, Rodrigo.'

The young man nodded and left the room. Harry cut himself a piece of the cheesecake and dished it onto a small plate. Immediately, he began to dig in.

'While this is all very nice of you, ma'am,' Draco began, 'it's like I said. We don't intend on staying here. We came here on a mission and we aren't going to stop until we complete it.'

'Of course you won't,' Gloria said. She flipped open the file she had been carrying and browsed some of the papers. 'It says here that you don't think you were supposed to die. That you're here because of a mistake.'

'Exactly,' Draco said.

'Forgive me. I haven't even asked your names.'

'I'm Draco Malfoy.' He looked over at Harry, who was still gorging himself on cheesecake, and rolled his eyes. 'He's Harry Potter.'

'Of course he is. Well, Draco, it is not uncommon for newly arrived residents to think they weren't meant to die. But the fact of the matter is, if you're here, it's your time and nothing can change that.'

'That's where I think you're wrong, Gloria. If that were really the case, that woman downstairs wouldn't have had to make a dozen calls to figure out what to do with us.'

'Rita is notorious for her lack of common sense. She is always making calls so she can be told what to do.'

'I also think that they wouldn't have called you all the way down from your spiffy little office up here just to talk to us. Unless, of course, we had unusual circumstances. I think that you know we're not supposed to be here.'

'Of course you do.' Gloria took off her glasses and set them down. 'Pardon me for being frank, Mr Malfoy, but you can't just waltz in here and expect to get right into the VEST. There are certain rules and regulations that must be abided by.'

'Well, if you'll pardon me for being frank, I don't know what we're doing sitting here and eating. If there are things that need to be done in order to get to us out of here, we should be doing them.'

'Your insolence will get you no where, young man. There is something that still exists in Heaven that has long since been lost to most of the earthly realm and that is respect. I have many years of experience and status and I will not help a young brat who doesn't even know how to respect his elders.'

'Look,' Harry said, setting down his fork. 'I'm sorry about his attitude. He's been having a bit of a bad day today. He's normally much better behaved.'

'Of course he is, but that is no excuse to regard other people with such an ungrateful appearance.'

'The thing is, we're not just trying to go to the . . . vest, as you call it, for a joy ride. My godfather is stuck there. He got pushed through a veil during a fight against some Death Eaters at the British Ministry of Magic last spring. And his brother is stuck there, too. His own father, a known supporter of Voldemort - he's this powerful dark wizard who's hell bent on purifying the wizarding race–'

'I know who Voldemort is, thank you.'

'Anyway, Draco's brother got pushed into a veil by his own father. On purpose. We're trying to save them and some other people. We have to get over to the vest and get back.'

'Of course you do, but you don't realize what you'd be missing out on. No one who has ever come into heaven has ever wanted to leave. It's perfect here. It's heaven. It doesn't get any better than this.'

'Do you know who I am?' Harry asked. Gloria looked a little offended by this statement, but Harry quickly amended his statement. 'I mean no disrespect, ma'am. I ask completely out of pure curiosity. I am Harry Potter. It's written in a prophecy that I'm supposed to save the entire wizarding world from the Dark Lord. If I don't do it, no one else will be able to. I don't want to go back for selfish reasons. I can't stay here because the rest of the world depends on me.'

'Why are you so insistent on returning these VEST residents to their bodies?' Gloria asked skeptically.

'My parents were killed by the Dark Lord when I was a baby. My godfather is the closest thing I have left to family. And Draco's parents are homicidal psycho maniacs and his brother is the only family he has. The other people we want to save are those who we believe can help us fight the war against Voldemort.'

'Of course they are.' Gloria said, put her fingers in a steeple. She appeared to be thinking it over and Draco was begrudgingly amazed at Harry's persuasiveness. 'Well, gentlemen. You've made a very convincing argument. Lord Voldemort is not only a threat to the earthly realm, but a threat to Heaven as well. He and his followers have increased the incoming residents tenfold and it is messing up the cosmic balance of the universe. I'm afraid I have no choice but to send you on your way to the VEST.'

Harry stood up to shake Gloria's hand. 'Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me.'

'Of course I don't. You're very welcome. If you'll just wait in the corridor for a moment, I have to make a quick phone call.'

'Sure, sure. Thanks again,' Harry said. He elbowed Draco in the waist and Draco muttered a quick thanks, as well. Then they quickly went out into the hall.

€€€€€

The two young men shut the door behind them and Gloria, Head Ombudsman for the Ministry of Heaven, pressed a button on her desk. A man materialized in front of her, a wispy hologram hovering in the air.

'Namaste, Miss Gloria. How can I assist you this afternoon?'

'Hello, Raju. I need you to locate two of our residents for me and have them wait in the rotunda of Central Station.'

'Of course, madam. Are we looking for criminals today? Law breakers?'

'No, no. Nothing of the sort. Two quite ordinary residents. I believe they arrived around 15 or 16 years ago.'

'May I ask what for, madam?'

'I need their persuasive personalities.'

'Sure thing, madam. What are their names?'

'Lily and James Potter.'

A/N: Cue dramatic music. Cut to credits.

If this were a movie and I was in charge of casting, I'd want Meryl Streep to play Gloria. She's quite skilled at being evil that way. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I really enjoyed writing it! Don't forget to review!

Oh, by the way, I keep forgetting to credit when I use songs at the beginning of chapters. The song from this chapter is called Evil Angel by Rufus Wainwright (there are no words for how awesome Rufus is…). The title is the title of a song by Maura O'Connell (though I must confess I've never heard it…bless the powers of Google) that I found online.

I would like to thank the academy and all my wonderful fans. This ones for you:

Peaceful Angel: Glad you liked the chapter. And their white clothes. J

Lilylikeslimes: Ah, Lil. I'm glad you decided to finally read my story. J I will go to college for some sort of writing thing, at least as a minor (that's assuming I'm going to be majoring in something artistic…). We should collaborate. In fact, I should put that as an Author's Note…

Fifespice: Hopefully this chapter will have answered some of your questions. Although, if it didn't, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to answer your questions anyway (but I will say that you're on to something with the harry-scooting-away-from-draco bit…). Thanks again for the review!

JitsaruJakara: Oh no! Now that you've valiantly killed yourself to protect your honor, you won't be able to review my story! Ah! The horror! I can't bare to think of it! I shall go mourn and weep to myself in a corner now. ;)

GoldilocksIsBack: I'm super glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you enjoy this one, too!

Next Chapter: Gloria