AN: Thank you all for the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
Somehow, Black had managed to return to the room before Metatron's wrath could be ignited. For once, Severus was pleased nothing had happened to the dog. Sirius needed to be as clearheaded as possible when discussing potential strategies, not ranting about the afterlife's alleged latest injustice.
"You seem happy," Black noted before sitting on the floor.
"I am not happy so much as I am refreshed." Severus sat on the couch.
"Where were you anyway?"
"Strolling along the clouds and enjoying the view."
"Getting out really does help. I was going stir crazy until I went to France." Sirius' eyes gleamed. "I forgot how beautiful the beaches of Marseilles were."
"I didn't know you'd ever been."
"I went there when I was a child with my family. They spent most of the time complaining about how many muggle were around, but I had fun."
"I'd imagine those are fond memories."
"Yes," Sirius drawled as he eyed Severus with suspicion. "They are."
"Did you learn anything during your latest French excursion?" Severus asked.
"I learned that Ron misses Hermione."
"Did he specifically say he missed her?"
Sirius twisted his lips. "Not necessarily."
Severus frowned.
"But he's gotten into a fight with a woman. He's devastated over it, but he's too stubborn to apologize."
"Did he ever say her name?"
"The only name I got was 'poopsiekins.'"
Severus smirked.
Sirius let out a small chuckle. "I thought it was silly too."
"I cannot imagine Ms. Granger consenting to using that pet name."
"Here we go again." Sirius rolled his eyes.
"We need to rethink our strategy."
"Of course we do." Sirius threw up his hands. "If it's not your idea then it's automatically wrong. I'm getting a little tired of…"
Severus held up a hand. Sirius closed his mouth as his glow grew red.
"I am only going to say this once, so I want you to listen very carefully."
Sirius nodded.
Severus lowered his hand. "You are right that Ms. Granger needs a friend who can help her grow in virtue."
"What?"
"You are correct in saying she needs someone else in her life."
Black's glow returned to its usual hue.
"I am not certain that Ron is that person. In fact, I am quite certain he is not given she doesn't have a single picture of him in her house."
"She doesn't have any pictures of Ron?"
"Not one."
"Wow," Sirius shook his head. "It must've been a bad fight."
"I cannot say what transpired between Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, but what I can tell you is that she needs a special kind of friend in her life, one who can assist her once we depart."
"I still think she needs a true love."
"Perhaps that person is her true love. I cannot say for certain if they would be a potential lover or not."
"I'm positive we can find a woman such as Hermione a soulmate."
"Soulmate may be too lofty of a goal, but the idea of finding a certain person to make her life easier is not a bad one. I would even venture to say it's great."
"Of course it's great." Sirius groaned. "You thought of it, so it must be the most amazing plan in existence."
"Technically, you thought of it," Severus noted.
"I said that she needed Ron in her life."
"I'm taking your decent idea and modifying it. Still, the original idea was yours, and it is worth trying."
"You actually mean that, don't you?" Sirius' voice was soft.
"I see no reason to be dishonest with you," Severus admitted.
"In other words," Sirius' eyes glistened. "I finally did something right in your eyes."
"Don't be too proud of yourself." Severus scowled. "Even Neville Longbottom could go a few class periods without exploding his cauldron."
"You thought I had a good idea!"
"I thought we established that."
Sirius' glow brightened.
"That being said, if you continue to pursue this true love angle, you should at least be aware of what that entails."
Sirius burst out laughing.
Severus scowled.
"I'm sorry." Sirius settled himself. "But the idea of you knowing anything about true love is laughable."
"You should be thankful you aren't taking lessons from me then. Instead, you will read Plato's Symposium."
"Great." Sirius' glow dimmed. "More homework."
"You may actually enjoy this piece. It discusses the ideal version of love."
"What does love look like?"
"It's difficult to explain, but after reading The Symposium you should have a clear enough idea."
"Something tells me I don't have any choice but to read it."
"You always have a choice, but if you want to be taken seriously I'd suggest educating yourself. At least then we can have an informed conversation about our next course of action."
"Fine."
Severus took a thin white book from the middle of the pile and handed it to him. Sirius opened the book and thumbed through it. "There are a lot of characters."
"Yes."
"I don't like it when I can't keep track of people."
"Given that most of them make uninterrupted speeches, it should be easy enough to keep track of them."
"It's short anyway."
"You should be able to get through it in a couple days at most."
"Let's hope so." From Sirius' expression it was clear his expectations were low.
"Don't look at it like I'm torturing you. I quite enjoyed it."
"Which means it'll be so dry I'll wish I could fall asleep."
"Either that, or you'll enjoy it because it's about a drinking party."
There was a spark in Sirius' eyes. "Really?"
"Yes, there is much drinking, and much talk of sex. You should be warned though, it is sex between an adolescent boy and a grown man."
"And the Trinity is fine with us reading this?"
"Apparently."
Sirius looked at the book with renewed interest.
"For context, the Greeks believed the best way for a youth to learn how to be a citizen was to be mentored by an older man. This often involved carnal relations."
"Ooh."
"By today's standards, their methods of educating the youth were questionable. Still, that is the context for the play."
"Sex, drugs…if only they had rock and roll."
"There are a few musicians in there if I recall correctly."
"So it does have rock and roll?"
"The Ancient Greek equivalent anyway."
Sirius' smile grew.
"Anyway, if you want to implement your idea, you should know what kind of goal you are striving for," Severus replied. "If you have any questions, I remember reading this. I am more than happy to answer them."
"Thanks." Sirius replied.
"Indeed."
Sirius opened the book while Severus picked up Metaphysics.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
Sirius locked eyes with him. "Why are you suddenly treating me like a person?"
"Would you rather I treat you like a dog?"
"No," He answered. "But I appreciate getting some credit for my intelligence. It's been awhile since anyone has treated me like I'm anything more than an overgrown adolescent."
"They had good reason for doing so," Severus muttered.
"I knew the insults would come back."
"You set yourself up for that one."
"True. Still, it's nice to be taken seriously."
Severus was silent.
"So, what changed?"
He scratched the couch.
"If you don't want to tell me…"
"Let's just say that I was told not to dismiss any idea which has the potential to procure my eternal salvation."
"Whoever said that was very wise."
"Indeed."
Sirius' glow was a deep yellow before he turned to the first page. Severus stared at his book title, trying to dispel the image of Hermione in another man's arms from his mind.
It never occurred to her that Severus would be doing this all for Lily.
Hermione stroked Crookshanks as she stared out into at the starless night. Bedtime had long since passed, but her eyes refused to close. After a half hour of tossing and turning, she sat upright in her bed and allowed Crookshanks to claim her lap. His purring did nothing to quell her gnawing insecurities.
Severus was working not only for his own salvation, but for the chance to see Lily again. She was the Beatrice to his Dante, whereas Hermione was an obstacle to be overcome. It must frustrate him to no end that he spent his time interacting with her and not his beloved fellow spirit.
Hermione shifted position. Crookshanks opened one sleepy eye to glare at her before falling asleep.
She should find it romantic that he would go such lengths to be with the woman he loved. There was a pang of envy too great to ignore though. Nobody would ever be as passionate about her. Merlin knew Hermione was a terrible cook, too absorbed in her work to eat lunch, had a man who was borderline stalking her, and spent all her free time in a lab searching for a cure which may prove impossible. Her own deficiencies may thwart Severus' mission, and prevent anyone from ever having any type of romantic sentiment towards her.
Was it such a bad thing if he spent years trying to achieve his mission? His company was more enjoyable than she'd ever expected. Didn't she deserve a chance to be happy for a few evenings?
She shuddered. No, she shouldn't have such thoughts. Her goal was to help him become a saint, not keep him on earth. He only saw her as a client, a fact she needed to respect.
It did not prevent her from wishing he would see her as more though.