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

No matter how long Severus was in the afterlife, he would not get used to people popping into his quarters without so much as a Pop!

"I didn't mean to startle you again," Dismas' glow lessened. "I should find a way to warn you when I'm about to appear."

"Do not worry about it," Severus replied, relieved it wasn't Sirius returning with some theory on Hermione's new true love. "I just appreciate that I don't need to wait hours for you to appear after I've requested your presence."

"Spiritual travel does work faster than horseback."

"It works faster than sending a Patronus and waiting for the person to apparate too."

"What's a Patronus?" He cocked his head.

"It is an animal that you create out of mist," Severus explained.

"Does it look like a cloud?"

"No, it is more like a magical mist."

"Oh." The saint drawled. "How does one make a Patronus?"

"It requires magic."

"I figured as much."

"You must conjure up your happiest memory, or what you believe would make you happy. Then you pull out your wand and say, 'expecto patronum.'" His expression became dreamy, as if he was casting it in that moment. "If performed correctly, an animal made of mist appears from your wand. Of course very few wizards could perform it correctly."

"Was it a secret spell?"

"Far from it. You just needed to be a powerful wizard in order to perform it correctly."

"Can the person casting the spell make any animal?"

"No, the animal reflects your personality, or something you hold dear."

"I see." Dismas' glow brightened. "Did you have a Patronus?"

"I did." Severus turned blue. "It was a doe."

"Why is that a problem?"

"My Patronus was a doe because of my love for Lily." Severus' glow dimmed. "At least the love I thought I had for Lily."

"What do you mean, 'the love I thought I had for Lily?'"

"It means I have been reevaluating things, and I am uncertain whether I loved Lily or the person I wanted Lily to be."

Dismas hummed.

"All of my happiest memories revolved around her, but looking back, I don't remember them as fondly."

"Why not?"

"At times she seemed to humor me, or was rather annoyed with me. Looking back, I seemed to be an embarrassment to her at times."

"That must be depressing."

"It is, which makes me wonder if I was ever in love with her at all, or if I loved a figment of my imagination." Severus shook his head. "It sounds a bit odd saying it aloud. I thought I would know if I was in love with a real person or not. Perhaps I overestimated by ability to judge people."

"Do you want to know what I think?"

Severus kept his gaze on the saint.

"I think you are making terrific progress in Purgatory."

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Purgatory is all about reevaluating one's life," Dismas explained. "Situations are often not as we perceived them in life when we look back upon them."

"I know, but I thought I loved Lily. The longer I'm here though the less I cherish my memories with her though. She seems like another friend I had a natural falling out with, not my potential soulmate."

"Sometimes the things we held dear in life we no longer hold as valuable in the afterlife."

"I suppose you would know about that." Severus slumped onto the couch.

"I do." Dismas sat beside him.

"That being said," Severus' glow returned to its usual hue. "I came to ask a favor, not muse on my previous life."

"Okay, what's the favor?"

"Hermione is attending a potions conference next week."

"You must have found a potential cure for her father's heart condition," Dismas' eyes twinkled.

"We did, or rather she did." Severus' glow brightened.

"That is wonderful!"

"Yes, but she is nervous. I would like to be with her in some way, even if it is only seeing her in the hotel room when she finishes."

"What are you saying?"

"I would like to modify the terms of the program. I want to visit her in her hotel room, or if possible, be with her when she presents."

"I'm sorry." Dismas' glow lessened. "You can only visit her in her apartment."

"I know, but this is a special occasion," Severus argued. "Surely we can modify the terms of the agreement."

"I can't modify the terms of the agreement. Only the Trinity can do that."

"Then ask them if I can visit Hermione while she gives her presentation."

"I don't know if they will, or even if it would be advisable for them to do so."

"Why?"

"Because the goal is to help Hermione achieve eudaimonia. This means she needs to face certain situations alone."

"She's faced the last four years alone," Severus argued. "She needs someone beside her."

"You can be beside her in spirit."

"I cannot do that from here."

Dismas bit his lower lip.

"My godson visited Hermione a few days ago. He said he searched for a sign from me, to no avail."

The saint folded his hands.

"I didn't know he was looking for me, in large part because I spent the last seven year sitting in either a conference table and a waiting room. He needed me, yet I could not be with him because I was in Purgatory."

"Yes," Dismas smoothed his robe. "Souls in Purgatory are usually unable to communicate with their loved ones."

"So you see my problem."

"Indeed I do." Dismas scratched his chin.

"The last thing I ever want is for Hermione to feel abandoned. I know in heaven you hear prayers." His glow was white. "They do hear prayers, correct?"

"We do hear prayers. In fact, some of us hear so many prayers we can barely sort through them."

"Right, but in Purgatory I will have no idea if she needs me."

"Technically you aren't in Purgatory." The saint smiled as his glow strengthened. "Which may give us a loophole."

"Loophole?"

"Yes," Dismas replied. "You may be able to obtain a prayer line, at least for a limited time."

Severus' glow intensified. "You could do that for me?"

"No," Dismas admitted. "But I am more than happy to put in a word for you with the Trinity. Given the unusual circumstances of your situation, they may agree to give you one, at least for a time."

"I would like that."

"Again, no promises. The Trinity must make the final decision. Still, I think we can make a good case for a temporary prayer line."

"Thank you."

"I am more than happy to help."

Severus' glow turned a warm shade of yellow.

"You seem to be very close to Hermione," Dismas noted.

"She is my closest companion."

"At the moment, or throughout the course of your life?"

"I suppose over the course of my life," Severus admitted. "I have been close to very few people, Hermione being an exception."

"So she is teaching you how to be a friend?"

"You could say that."

"I am saying that."

"Then you would be correct." Severus bowed his head.

"Is being her friend problematic?"

"No, but," Severus looked into his eyes. "We have already had one fight in which we reconciled afterwards."

"Wonderful!" Dismas grinned. "You're learning how to resolve conflicts without cutting the other person out of your life."

"Yes, but I feel there's little reason to celebrate."

"Why not? This is great progress."

"I have a nasty habit of ruining every good thing in my life. I do not believe I will be able to sustain this relationship."

"First of all, this is the afterlife, not earthly life. This is a time for second chances."

"She has already given me one."

"Then learn from the mistakes you made in the past and seize the present."

"What if I screw up?" Severus was white again. "What if Hermione ends up hating me when all is said and done?"

"You cannot control what Hermione does and how she feels about you. All you can do is admit that you sometimes make mistakes and forgive yourself."

"Forgiveness is something I have rarely experienced." His glow was a dull blue. "I do not know how well I can forgive myself."

"It's a good thing you have an eternity to learn how." Dismas' glow was bright as the morning star.

"I suppose so." Severus' glow returned to its normal hue.

"As you interact with Hermione, remember this." Dismas looked into his eyes. "Heaven is about giving and accepting love. Whether it is with someone on earth or in the afterlife, all we want to do is love them."

"I can love Hermione," Severus' glow turned pink.

"Yes," Dismas smiled. "I think you are already quite good at loving Hermione."