AN: Thank you for all the support! It is deeply appreciated!

The second Severus shook Sirius' hand, he was transported to a room with stark bleached walls. The carpet was scarlet, but the suede couch to his right was a deep emerald. Clearly there were no favorite houses in the afterlife, nor was house rivalry tolerated. It forced Severus to wonder why anyone ever cared about winning the house cup.

"So, I guess I'm supposed to go down and spy on Hermione now," Sirius began.

"Do you even know how to spy?"

"If you could do it so could anyone." Sirius laughed at his own joke.

Severus scowled. "Spying is far more involved than simply watching someone from afar."

"I know, you're supposed to stay hidden while you do it. Don't worry! Being noticed isn't a concern given our rules."

"Spying is much more complicated than sneaking around unnoticed. It involves careful observation."

"I can observe things carefully."

"You can?"

"Sure. Again, I'll just watch what's happening and that'll be enough."

"Are you so dense you cannot grasp the simplest concept? Spying is not just about watching people. You need to take into account what is said as well as what is unsaid. You need to take into account your surroundings as well as the context of conversations. Most importantly, you need to keep your mission in mind without becoming distracted."

"Our goal is clear in my mind. The second we give Hermione euro…eurapa…domia…"

"Eudaimonia."

"Right, eudaimonia. The second we give her that is the second we can be free of each other." Sirius lowered his voice. "Which is exactly what both of us wants."

Severus shook his head. "It will probably take you a century for you to collect any intelligence that's worth acting upon."

"Sorry I'm not a super spy like you were."

"In the name of staying out of Purgatory, I will forgive you for that fault."

Sirius glow became neon red. "If you're so smart why don't you do this mission alone? Just ask Hermione what she needs, give it to her, and then we both go our separate ways."

"Because it's doubtful Hermione will be completely upfront with me."

"I wonder why Hermione isn't eager to tell you everything. You were such a nice, supportive professor who never insulted her. It just doesn't make sense why she wouldn't confide her deepest desires to you."

Severus glared at Sirius. "I had my reasons for acting as I did."

"So did I, but nobody up here will give me a bloody break. In the meantime Death Eaters apparently only get one century in Purgatory while people who fought for the light are lucky if anyone listens to their appeals."

"Aw, are you hurt because nobody is bowing to your greatness?"

"It would be nice to have my good deeds taken into account every once in a while! Do you have any idea what it's like for everyone to focus on the things you did wrong and never look at the things you got right?"

"It's tragic, isn't it?"

"It is. I'm still trying to figure out what I did that was so wrong compared to you. I was as nice as I could be to those who deserved my kindness…."

"Are you planning on spending our entire mission whining about how the Trinity is not catering to your every whim, or are you actually going to do some spying?"

"So now you trust me to spy?"

"No, a three year old could collect more valuable information than you could. Still, if I had a body you would be giving me a migraine."

"If I had a body I would be on the verge of vomiting."

"That would be rather unfortunate given that I see no entrance to a bathroom or trash can."

Sirius glanced around the room. "Yes, I guess those don't exist here."

"Why would they? We have no use of them."

"No, we don't but," Sirius scratched his chin. "You'd think the afterlife would have more to look at."

"Perhaps all the scenic areas are in heaven or hell," Severus replied.

"I'd prefer not to know about the landscape of hell," Sirius answered. "Anyway, I have some spying to do. Have fun staring at the wall thinking about how wonderful a professor you were. Everyone's kissing your arse around here. Might as well enjoy it! "

With that Sirius disappeared.

After a few moments, Severus strolled towards the couch. Under most circumstances, he would search for a book, yet none could be found. Taking a nap had already proven to be futile, so all he could do was wait for Sirius to return and hopefully provide anything useful.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Severus startled.

"Sorry," Dismas gave him a small grin. "I'm so used to dropping in on people without knocking that I forget the newer souls aren't used to it yet."

"I suppose I will get used to it." Severus moved to his right.

"You will." The Good Thief sat beside him. "In time, you'll adjust."

"I will have all the time in the universe to do so."

Dismas' glow brightened. "Now you're understanding how things work."

"Indeed."

Silence fell between them.

"May I ask you a few questions?" Severus asked.

"Ask away."

Severus' glow turned blue. In a voice barely above a whisper, he asked, "What happened to Lily?"

"She's in heaven now."

"Now?"

"Yep. She finished her decade long stint in Purgatory about fifteen years ago."

"She spent time in Purgatory?"

"Yes."

"For what?"

"Wrath."

"Wrath?"

Dismas nodded. "Don't get me wrong, the sacrifice for her son left a wonderful impression on the Trinity. Still, in life she refused to forgive you, something she made all too clear during her trial."

Severus' glow was almost extinguished.

"We sent her to a smoky room for a decade. Then we let her ascend to heaven. I don't think she was fully done being purified until she watched your final years though. It hurt her to see the consequences of her uncharity. By the time you died, she was more than repentant."

"I forgave her for being upset with me. I deserved to be discarded."

"No, you did not. Deep down inside, she knew it too."

"She was too good for me."

"If she was here right now, I'm sure she'd disagree."

"Will I get to see her once I arrive in heaven?"

"I'm sure she'd love the company. Remus and Nymphadora are great companions, but I'm sure she would not mind speaking with another person."

"So Remus made it to heaven?"

"He and his wife were what we call straight shots. The Trinity had no reservations about sending them to heaven immediately after their deaths."

"What about James?"

"Let's just say the Trinity agreed with your assertion that James was lazy and petty."

Severus smirked.

"He is working Purgatory's intake for the next half millennium. His duties include filling out massive amounts of paperwork and listening to complaints, despite the fact that he has no power to resolve anything. There will be endless work, no breaks, and nobody who thinks his pranks are the least bit entertaining."

"That sounds like hell for him."

"Nobody said Purgatory was supposed to be fun."

"Assuming this program is successful though, won't it decrease his workload?"

"Trust me, there's always a bit of paperwork to do."

"And here I thought God was above bureaucracy."

"The Trinity is above meaningless paperwork, but some of the angels and saints feel the need to justify their positions."

"So the afterlife is not all that different from earth?"

"Let's just say old habits die hard, and some bad ones are picked up through observation."

"I can believe that." Severus eyes became distant.

"Do you have another question?"

"Yes, what happened to Albus?"

Dismas furrowed his eyebrows. "Let's just say when he realized the Trinity were more concerned with how he used people like puppets than the magic tricks he could perform, things went downhill for him…quite literally."

"But Albus was supposed to be one of the greatest wizards of all time."

"The first shall become the last."

"Still, he fought for the light."

"No, he fought for himself."

"But so many people looked up to him."

"Then they looked down on you for allegedly murdering him."

"True."

A reflective silence fell between them.

"May I ask one favor?"

"Go ahead."

Severus ran his hands along his black robe, "Could I please have some reading material? There is little to do in this room other than sit and think."

"The goal of Purgatory is to make people sit and think."

"I know, but would you not agree that I have been alone with my thoughts enough?"

"I'll see what I can arrange."

"Thank you."

"In fact," there was a spark in Dismas' eyes. "I think some Plato and Aristotle would be great to have on hand. It would help Sirius understand better what the mission is."

"It would be better than explaining everything to him."

"I will obtain some Aristotle, and perhaps some Plato so he can educate himself while he isn't working."

"Thank you."

"No thanks are necessary." The Good Thief stood.

"Also," Severus' voice softened. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to avoid a century of Purgatory. I do appreciate the opportunity to reduce my sentence."

"Don't thank me yet. By the time you're finished you may wish you had never heard of this program"

The saint disappeared, leaving Severus to contemplate his words.