AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
The Trinity could sense the status of the universe.
Hovering in their separate yet connected circles, they felt the cosmic balance shift. The mortal realm was raising to the level of heaven. Earth and heaven were unified in a way they had not been in centuries. To say it was unexpected would be an inaccuracy given that the Trinity knew all possibilities. The ramifications were foreseen, yet never determined. Some room needed to be left for free will and the wild, uncontrollable nature of love.
As the universe sought a new balance, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier stared into each other's eyes. Their circles drew closer, illuminating the night sky until every star shimmered more brightly in the night sky.
"I'm just worried about Severus." The green eyed woman was the only person in heaven frowning. "This mission shouldn't take as long as it has."
"Now Lily," Dismas began. "We cannot rush eudaemonia."
"You've said that before," she replied, feeling no need to shield her eyes from the brightening sky. "Four months is a long time though."
"Actually it isn't long at all."
"Perhaps not for someone who's been dead for two thousand years," Lily admitted.
"But to someone missing a friend," he put a hand on her shoulder. "It seems like an eternity."
She turned a light blue.
"This separation won't last forever. When Severus has completed his Purgatory program, I am certain he will seek you out."
"I hope so." She bowed her head. "I was so awful to him though. If I had known the consequences of my actions, I would have reconsidered them."
"We cannot change the past, only move into the future."
The golden light reflected off the cumulus clouds.
"I won't lie, you may not be the first person he wants to see. In fact, that is highly unlikely," Dismas continued. "But I'm sure he will find you when he's ready."
"I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to see me again." She glanced up at the saint. "I hurt him so deeply. If I had any idea of the damage my wrath would cause, I would have forgiven him immediately."
In the distance, soft voices sang, "Glory to God in the highest. Sing glory to God…"
"There's no sense in dwelling on the past, especially once you've atoned for your sins." The saint continued. "All you can do is forgive yourself and accept Severus' forgiveness when he is ready to extend it."
"Do you think he can forgive me?"
"I think he already has."
"Has he said that?"
"No, but I can sense that he's made peace with his life," the saint replied.
"I hope he has," Lily turned green. "It disgusts me to think of the role I played in his miserable life and death."
"Yet you also made his life better."
"Did I?"
"Yes, he has told me as much."
"Perhaps, but I still influenced some of the awful decisions he made..."
"You cannot focus on the choices he made. There is no chance to undo them. All you can is extend your friendship when the time comes." Dismas released her.
"Do you think he's forgiven me?"
"I think he has had more trouble forgiving himself."
The hymn grew louder as the light intensified. "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth!"
"He should have forgiven himself decades ago," Lily raised her voice above the choir.
"There is nothing anyone can do about that now. All you can do is continue to pray for him and watch over him when you feel strong enough to do so."
"I've been so scared to look down, for fear of watching him further suffer."
"I don't think he's suffering."
"He isn't?" The light surrounding them was pure white.
"No." Dismas grinned. "In fact, he is happy."
Pure love radiated throughout heaven as a pure white light overtook them.
"Glory to God in the highest! Sing glory to God!"
Lily and Dismas turned to their right. Radiating light was a blue fire in the midst of a spinning seven-spoked golden wheel. Cherubim and seraphim took to the sky and surrounded it, their wings covering their bodies.
"Glory to God in the highest!"
"I've never seen the Trinity fuse together so brightly," Lily marveled.
"It's rare that they emit a white light, but it happens," Dismas replied.
"When?"
"When heaven and earth draw close."
"How does that happen?"
"It can happen in various ways, but this glow is more intense than I've ever seen."
"What do you think this all means?"
"There has been intimate contact between heaven and earth. It is as if a spirit has fused with a mortal and created love."
"And peace to his people on earth!"
"Do you think Severus is okay?" Lily asked above the choir.
"He's more than fine," Dismas replied, his smile widening.
She did not know what to make of the twinkle in the Good Thief's eyes. Best not to meditate on it too much. There were some things she'd never understand that came quite easily for the upper echelon of saints.
Sirius dropped his mirror as a sense of pure energy overtook him. The room around him was the brightest yellow he had ever seen. Before his head could spin or he could become too disoriented, a sense of calm overtook him. For the first time, he felt peace, an overall sense of well-being. It was as if he had accomplished something unique, created something beautiful.
Within what seemed like moments, the sensation was gone. Still, he had captured it. He had grasped eudaimonia in his hands, and understood it.
He leaned back into his couch and laughed. Somehow, Severus had managed to show a woman he loved her. After death, he had found love, and it was in part thanks to him.
Sirius' glow was soft as candlelight as he gazed up at the ceiling.
He'd be out of Purgatory in no time.
Hermione caught her breath as Severus floated beside her. In that moment, she swore she was glowing as brightly as he was, but the thought was dispelled from her mind. No mortal could glow, even if they had undergone an experience such as Hermione had, correct? Perhaps she should ask Luna, or read a book on the matter.
"Are you well?" He purred as he gazed into her eyes.
"I've never felt more well in my life." She breathed. "For the first time in years, perhaps in my life, I feel as if my life is complete."
"I am relieved to hear it," he whispered. "I didn't know how you would fare given our different planes of existence."
"I feel as if I finally understand true ecstasy."
"Good." He slid closer to her.
"What about you?" She rolled over to face him. "How do you feel?"
"Like I am in heaven, although that sounds too much like uninspired poetry."
She giggled.
"Saying something feels like heaven sounds so cliched, until you've been there and seen it for yourself and understand its beauty. Mortals truly abuse the word 'heaven,' but when you seen it, you'll understand my sentiments towards you."
She frowned. "You don't think you've given it up by being with me, have you?"
"If I have then you were worth it."
"Severus." Her heart was racing. "Don't be so cavalier about this! If you are damned because you fused with a mortal then you will be in eternal pain. You'll never find the peace you've spent your entire existence fighting for."
His glow dimmed.
"I have been so reckless." Her body shook. "I could have cost you everything, and I did not know it until now!"
"You cost me nothing."
"How do you know?"
"I cannot say for certain, but you'll need to trust me on this."
She took a shaky breath.
"If the Trinity is as loving as everyone claims they are, then they understand love. They are supposed to be pure love. If they cannot understand what has developed between us, then perhaps they are not who they've led everyone to believe they are."
"You shouldn't have to give up heaven for me. You should find peace, not jeopardize it for me."
"How could I have jeopardize my sense of peace for you when you are my sense of peace?"
She sniffed.
"I love you. I love everything about you. I love you enough to need, to spend eternity with you. Unless," his voice was barely above a whisper. "Do you regret this?"
"No," she replied. "I don't, not at all."
"Then neither do I."
She relaxed.
"Let Dismas, St. Peter, and the Trinity worry about my fate in the afterlife. Right now, you are the only person I want to focus upon."
"I only want to focus on you too." She brushed her lips against his essence. "I love you, Severus. I love you, and I never want to leave your side."
"Then somehow, we will spend eternity together." He promised.
She hummed before tapping his hand. His glow intensified as pure love was sensed between them.
"I told you a spirit and a mortal would fuse together one day!"
A nun in a habit glowed bright yellow as she glanced up from her cloud and clapped her hands together.
"Technically Theresa," the angel in a red suit smirked as he pressed his wings close to his body. "You said an angel would touch a mortal, not a spirit in Purgatory."
"That's a technicality." She waved her hand. "The truth is I won the bet."
The archangel raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you think I forgot that bet we made three hundred years ago?"
"I was distracted when I made that bet."
"You're always distracted when you aren't getting your way."
He pressed his lips together.
"Pay up." She held out her hand. "I want a bottle of tequila."
"Why? You aren't going to physically be able to drink it."
"I'll find a way."
He suppressed a chuckle. There were very few mortals he deigned to spend time with, but Theresa had grown on him, sometimes too much for his liking.
Theresa resumed looking at the couple. The angel could see the wheels turning in her mind. It was pointless to ask for her thoughts. She would tell him in tres…dos…uno…
"They sure do look comfortable," she mused. "At least more comfortable than someone who's just been stabbed in the heart several times by a golden spear."
"If I recall," the angel drawled as they looked at each other. "You made a very lucrative career off of getting speared by me."
"Can I call it lucrative when I didn't make a real off of it?"
"It gained you fame, which in its own right is lucrative."
"I could've gone without the fame."
"Yes, but if you weren't famous would anyone have believed you could levitate?"
"Maybe." She shrugged.
The archangel folded back his wings and frowned.
"What's wrong now?" Theresa asked.
"It looks like they're goofing off."
"Oh leave them alone. They're in love. They're allowed to have a moment of peace."
"They're taking advantage of the Trinity's kindness and patience."
"They're enjoying their existence."
"At the expense of the Trinity's kindness."
Theresa rolled her eyes. Did he ever take a break from being a prosecutor?
"Somebody needs to remind Black and Snape that they are in Purgatory, not on a tropical island picking up dates." His voice was louder.
"That's for the Trinity to handle, not you." She lowered her voice.
"Well," the angel's smirk returned. "I am the voice of the Trinity. From that angle I should get some type of say in what occurs."
"Here we go again." She shook her head.
He spread out his wings.
"Don't you dare!" She grabbed his left wing. "You stay right here and let them enjoy tonight."
He opened his mouth.
"I mean it! If you go down there so help me I will follow you and hound you until you wish you'd never seen a mortal!"
He scowled before folding his wings again.
"There you go." Theresa patted him on the back. "Now, let's conjure me up a glass to drink some tequila. We can look at some recipes as well. I want to make sure the experience as enjoyable as possible."
"It's going to go right through you. You'll never be able to drink it."
"Oh trust me, I'll find a way to drink it," She gave him a sly grin. "Metatron."
AN: A real was a type of coin used in the time of Theresa of Avila. I'll get more into her later, but if you get a chance to read up on her do so! She's a fascinating woman!