☽☽☽
THE WORLD AROUND HER was weirdly white. Athena couldn't adjust her eyes to the brightness as she sat up and looked around. She didn't know where she was and for a moment she had no idea what had happened.
However there was no mistaking that her sister was sat in front of her looking concerned and annoyed. Considering that Athena had just been crying over her sisters body, it felt disconcerting seeing her again. Alive.
Athena was starting to realise that this was an afterlife, a place to go after death. She'd never believed life would go on. Athena had always assumed life was all there was in the world, that at the end she would simply meet a dead end. Maybe it would have been better that way. Eternity scared her and the idea she now had endless time to think about what she had done. The regrets were already slipping in.
"Rory" Athena sighed eventually, getting to her feet and throwing her arms around her sister. It felt better than any hug ever had before since Athena had been under the impression that she would never get to experience this again.
"You're not supposed to be here" Aurora muttered under her breath as she hugged her sister back.
"Neither are you" Athena frowned.
"I'm dead, of course I'm supposed to be here" Aurora replied. She was obviously upset that her sister was there. That was no surprise. It seemed she was in denial too. They were both dead, otherwise they wouldn't be here.
"I'm dead Rory" Athena sighed, "I... made a sacrifice to save Harry"
Athena raised her hand but now looking at her palm she noticed that her brand was gone. She supposed this was the same with all small injuries and blemishes. She'd already noted that Aurora was missing the small scar on the side of her face she'd had for years.
"There's more to this" Aurora shook her head, "there's a lot to explain Rena... but there's some people here who want to see you"
Athena looked up in surprise. Her heart had started beating faster now. Aurora had turned and was starting to walk across the ridiculously polished floor. Looking around, Aurora couldn't help but think that this looked a lot like a train station. There were lower parts in the floor where a train could have easily rushed past. The columns reaching to the sky seemed as though they would be made of stone if this world hadn't replaced them with shining marble.
"Who's here?" Athena asked instinctively as she hurried to catch up with her sister, still staring around in amazement.
"Who do you want to be here?" Aurora replied simply.
She pondered the question. There were so many people she wanted to be here. So many people that she had lost. Athena didn't want to get her hopes up. Years ago she'd dreamt about seeing her friends again but now the possibility seemed crazy.
They rounded a corner, facing a place in this weird station where seats were sat out. Even the benches were bright white however that's not what Athena had focused on.
There were five people sat around these benches laughing jovially. As Athena saw them she felt tears collect in her eyes, a warmth spread through her. Athena's mind couldn't keep up with her heart. She couldn't accept that this was happening, that this was real.
However, sat in front of her were five people she never thought she'd see again.
Sirius Black, looking as youthful as he had done when he was nineteen. His shining hair falling perfectly over his shoulders, a smile as bright as the walls around him, eyes with a twinkle that had been lost years ago.
Marlene McKinnon with a laugh that could make anyone smile. Her blonde curls as bouncy as ever, her freckles ever more prominent than they had been years ago.
Dorcas Meadows still elegant as ever. Her legs crossed properly and her skin glowing in the light illuminating from all around them. The smirk she wore was one Athena had seen many times but she'd almost forgotten how much she'd loved it.
James Potter with that same boyish smile. His curly hair lying perfectly around his grinning face. He'd been telling a joke. Athena could tell because there was pride in his eyes. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed him. It caused a knot in her stomach, a plea in her mind.
Finally, Lily Evans. Her long auburn hair that swayed over her shoulders. Those green eyes that she'd seen mirrored in Harry. She was staring at James in loving exasperation. A blush creeping over her face.
"Well, here she is" Aurora stated simply.
At once, five faces turned to stare at her. Athena couldn't say anything, she stood rooted staring at them all. This must be a dream. Maybe the afterlife was simply an eternal dream. This is all she had wanted for years. She'd just wanted to talk to her friends again, to hug them again, to see them again.
"You ok love?" Sirius asked with a small smile, "you look like you've seen a ghost"
Athena couldn't help but laugh, she let the smile wash over her, the warmth spread through her. It was all she could do to not cry.
"It's good to see you Rena" Marlene murmured as she got to her feet.
"We've been watching over you of course" James grinned, "making sure you're alright"
"You can do that?" Athena asked lightly, "see into... the living world"
"Well that's one way to put it" Dorcas laughed, "we're not stalking you or anything... time works differently here so we often miss a lot"
"How does it work differently?" Athena frowned in interest.
"Well in this part, time in the living world stops" Lily explained.
"This part?" Athena asked in wonder, "there's more than one part?"
"This is the gateway" said Marlene, "it's where people arrive when... they die. You can come back here although most people don't. You can come here to see the living world again or to greet people coming in"
"Through that door" James pointed, "it's the real afterlife. You're irreversibly dead once you enter there if you weren't already. It's... kind of like a dream. But time in there goes faster. So a month in your reality would be more like a day in ours"
"That's confusing" Athena muttered, "why does the gateway look like Kings Cross?"
"I always wondered that" Dorcas frowned, "there's not really an answer"
"You said once you go through that door, you're irreversibly dead" said Athena, "but aren't you already dead before you reach the gateway?"
"In most situations yes" Lily smiled lightly, "but yours is different"
"How?" Athena asked wildly, looking to her sister, "I died. I died for Harry. It had to have worked"
"Harry's here too" said Lily softly, "in another station... he went to meet his fate and before he did, he conjured us. Me, James and Sirius"
"He conjured you?" Athena asked in confusion, "how did he manage that? There's no spell to reawaken the dead"
"The resurrection stone" James answered, "I don't know how he has it but he does"
"I thought that was a myth"
"We can't really go back" said Sirius, "it's more a projection of our souls. But we could talk to him"
"We could see him... speak with him" Lily whispered sadly, "sometimes that's all we need"
"So is Harry alive?" Athena asked quickly, "did the sacrifice work?"
"Harry's in the same position as you. Well slightly different. He will get the choice whether to live or die. The horcrux within him has been destroyed and thanks to you there's still a part of him left"
"So it worked?" Athena sighed in relief, "which means I'm dead"
"No it doesn't" Sirius shook his head. "We've been watching the fight... we were in the other place when we heard news that people were dying due to a battle. Percy Weasley told us that it was the final battle and we knew we had to see it"
"We went to watch over" James continued, "we saw the battle happen... we saw your reaction when you thought Remus had died... you absorbed the power of seven killing curses"
"When I arrived they told me what had happened and that's when I understood" said Aurora, "that wasn't supposed to happen because you saw the vision, you saw the end of the war"
"Exactly, which means I'm not immortal anymore" continued Athena reasonably.
"But your power was connected to self preservation, connected to the fact you couldn't die" Marlene added.
"I don't understand" Athena shook her head, "if you're telling me this isn't the end of the war, you're wrong. This is the end, I know it is, I can feel it"
"That's not what we're saying" James shook his head.
"Athena, it was always clear that you'd lose your power after you saw the end of the war"
"Exactly"
"And we assumed that meant when you saw the end of the war in the form of the vision"
"So what are you saying?"
"Rena you can't die until you've seen the end of the war. Not through a crystal ball but through your own eyes. You can't die until the war actually ends... and you have to be there to see it"
Athena didn't have anything else to say. Yet again she felt she'd been tricked out of an end. Yet again she was linked to the war, connected to it. She felt she'd never escape. For a moment when she'd seen her friends she'd accepted that this was how it was supposed to end. She'd accepted that she could rest now.
"Will this affect the sacrifice?" Athena asked softly, "does this mean what I did was worth less"
"Not at all" said Lily as she jumped to her feet, "what you did was extraordinary, it was brave and... I wanted to thank you Rena"
"We both did" said James.
"Everything you've done for Harry... we couldn't have wished for someone better to look over him"
"I could have done more, I let him go to the Dursley's"
"Don't be ridiculous, that was Dumbledore's fault" Sirius barked in laughter, "Athena you've been an excellent godmother. The best... and you'll be a great mother too. You already are"
"Hope Lily Lupin" Lily smiled, "I cried when I heard"
"I couldn't think of a better name" Athena replied gently, "I have to go back don't I?"
"You're supposed to" Marlene nodded.
"What if I don't want to?" Athena said suddenly, "what if I want to stay here? What if I want to stay with you?"
Dorcas sighed, James and Sirius looked at each other knowingly. Athena didn't feel like going back. She knew it was only because she was standing here living a dream she'd imagined for years but she didn't want to say goodbye again.
"Think of Remus and Hope" said Aurora, "we'll still be here when it is time... but right now he's alone. He doesn't have to be"
"You're right" Athena sighed, running her hands over her face, "I should have known this was all too simple"
"You don't have to leave just yet" Dorcas pointed out, "time stops remember"
"We have all the time in the world" Sirius grinned.
"Enough about war talk then" Athena sighed as she walked forwards and pulled Sirius into a hug.
Sirius seemed surprised but he hugged her back immediately. She rested her chin on his shoulder as she held him tight to her. It felt as if always had done. They were real, this was really them and they'd been waiting all these years, watching over her all these years.
Athena moved from Sirius and hugged Dorcas. It had been so many years since she'd seen her friend but the hug seemed so familiar that she almost forgot how much time had passed.
Next she moved to Marlene. The friend who had been gone for the longest. Yet again she'd forgotten how much she'd missed Marlene. She'd always been a sense of happiness through everting.
Then she turned to James. Someone who had been like a brother to her.
This hug felt the most needed. James had always given the best hugs.
"I'm proud of you Rena" he murmured, "I don't think you realise how amazing you are, how much you've done"
"I miss you" Athena replied, tears filling in her eyes, "and every time I see Harry, I have to stop myself from thinking of you because it hurts... it really hurts"
"But you're so strong" Lily continued as Athena moved away from James and went to hug Lily instead, "you've accomplished so much"
"Thank you" Athena whispered, "for everything... I love you"
"We love you too" said Sirius, "but don't rush back. We'll be here for you whenever you need. We'll be watching over and one day... we'll be back together again"
"I wanted to apologise" added Athena as she stepped back, "to all of you. I couldn't save you"
"Don't do that" Marlene said immediately, "you did everything Rena, you always did everything for everyone else... always putting us first. You have no reason to apologise"
Athena smiled gently, looking at her friends all standing around her. She never wanted to forget this moment. She wanted to hold onto it forever. There was no rush in getting back however, Athena knew that she had to finish this. She would love to sit around and ignore what was going on, what was going to happen. She was never one to wait around. She had to get back to them, back to Remus.
"This isn't goodbye" said Athena as she looked up, "I'm not saying goodbye because this isn't the end, I'll see you again. I know that now"
They all nodded back at her gently.
"I love you all so much" Athena murmured, "life hasn't been easy without you but... I have to go back. I can't stay here...I should have known I couldn't die in this war. I should have expected that"
Finally she turned to her sister. Half of her had forgotten that her sister couldn't come back with her. That she couldn't bring Rory back.
"How am I supposed to go on without you?" Athena asked, her voice breaking.
"You'll be fine" Aurora smiled sadly, "I know it's not easy but you're incredibly brave. Braver than me. You'll go on to do great things, greater than you've already done if that's possible. You'll be fine because you're Athena Sinistra and you've been through so much... if anyone could do this, it's you"
"I'll miss you" Athena cried as she hugged her sister again, "I'll miss you so much"
"I'll always be with you" Aurora sighed, "I'll be watching over you, of course I will"
"I love you"
"I love you too, endlessly" Aurora smiled as they let go of each other, "tell Dominique I love her won't you... she already knows but... I want her to hear it one last time"
"Of course I will" Athena nodded, looking around over her group of friends again. She wanted to hug them again, she wanted to stay with them forever. She wanted to recount everything they'd ever missed since they had gone. However now everything seemed like a blur, she couldn't think of a single detail worth telling them but then something hit her which made her laugh.
"What is it?" Dorcas asked.
"I can't leave without telling you this" Athena smirked, "Snape's nickname for himself in school was the half-blood prince"
James' jaw dropped and Sirius looked as though he'd just learnt a piece of information that had saved his life. The two of them looked slowly at each other with looks of glee. Athena could see their teenage shine breaking out again.
"When he gets here" James began slowly.
"He's already here" Aurora said simply, "he's dead, I heard one of the death eaters talking about it before they killed me"
Athena frowned at this. She didn't know how to feel. She wasn't upset, Snape had never been a good person nor had he ever been kind to those he should have been kind to. She hadn't wanted him to die but it didn't leave her feeling anything at all.
"Oh" James muttered, "well now I feel back about taking the piss out of him"
"You're not supposed to speak ill of the dead" Marlene said wisely.
"Yeah but we're dead too so I think it cancels out" said Sirius reasonably.
"That's true" James nodded, "so the half-blood Prince"
James and Sirius broke out into laughter and soon everyone joined. Even Athena felt some of the weight slip off her shoulders as she laughed. She'd missed times like this. Where she could laugh freely without thinking about what she had lost.
"How do I leave?" Athena asked finally when the laugher had faded out and the silence had retuned.
"I'm not sure" Aurora frowned, "maybe you just... board a train"
As she said it there was the loud sound of a steam engine. She turned to see a bright white train pulling into the station.
"This is it" said Athena, "I have to go"
"No goodbye, remember?" Said Lily, "this isn't the end"
"You're right, it isn't" Athena nodded, "til next time"
"Til next time" they all repeated.
Walking away was the hardest thing that Athena had ever remembered doing. When she turned, she could still feel their eyes on her as she walked to the train. It was easy to step onto it, more simple than she had expected. She gripped hold of the railing as she turned and stared at them again.
All of them smiled at her, standing together. James had his arm around Lily. Marlene and Dorcas were holding hands. Sirius was waving madly over his head and Aurora was staring at her with a knowing and loving smile. Nothing had changed and for once this came as a comfort.
The train pulled into action and soon they'd faded into the brightness. Athena looked out the side of the train and saw only a light rushing at her. She had to close her eyes because of the light. It was painful to look at.
Soon the light above her eyelids faded and she opened them again. Athena was sat in Dumbledore's office. No time had past. Everything was the same and everything was about to come to an end.
☽☽☽
A/n
Words -3097
Published - 26th August 2021
You didn't think
I would really kill
Rena did you?