Author’s Notes:

Oh-kay! Now, this story, I really love :) I love how everything flowed and I think it’s one of my better writing pieces as a whole. It's definitely an AU fic, though. The song I used in this story is Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold and I got the title of this story from another Avenged song, called A Little Piece of Heaven. My first time incorporating lyrics into speech. Also, if you want a better picture of the city of Heaven, you could actually picture Minas Tirith from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, except flattened. That’s how I imagined it to be anyway. Okay, I shall stop blabbing now ;) Enjoy the story and don’t forget to review if you have anything to say! :D

A Little Piece of Heaven

The lights and sounds that filled Hogwarts was like fine rockets blasting into the sky, illuminating the night sky during an evening of festivity. However, that night was anything but celebratory. The darkness was filled with murder, rape, rampage and wavering resilience. Stars of blue, green, red and orange burst from wand tips as spells were cast, curses fired and hexes released. People fell to the ground, some not ever getting up. It was hellfire; pandemonium and hysteria.

The ancient school – once hailed to be the most protected fortress in all of Britain – was now at the mercy of Lord Voldemort and his minions. Ever since the death of the great headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, things had gotten tenser than was manageable. It was like the safeness of Hogwarts had disappeared once Dumbledore perished. Nothing was ever brushed off as “all right” or “solvable” anymore. Everything took a turn for the worse as Death Eaters were able to infiltrate this stronghold that the anti-Voldemort forces had long-held intact.

Twisting through snakes of spells, Fred Weasley avoided a close call of being sent to his demise by Pius Thicknesse, the corrupt Minister for Magic. Fred’s brother, Percy, was furiously throwing incantation upon incantation at his boss. No one in the Weasley clan had ever seen Percy so lustful for blood before, but at the time, nobody cared.

“Dear oh dear, Minister, you truly are magical virtuoso!” Percy shouted satirically through the mess of spells being shot at him by the Imperiused Minister. Percy’s eyes widened in shock as he dodged complicated hex after intricate jinx. The astonishment soon dissipated into a look of pure cheek as he responded by throwing a Transfiguration spell towards Thicknesse. It hit him squarely in the chest and turned him into a rather undignified sea urchin.

“Oh and by the way, Minister, you’ll be receiving my letter of resignation on your front desk by Monday,” Percy jokingly added as Fred laughed uncontrollably at his brother’s handiwork. The latter had had no prior knowledge of his older brother’s wit. Fred had always thought of Percy as the type who could never have any fun in his life.

It all just happened too soon for it to be comprehended right away, though. Nobody realised when the flash of bright light lead to an explosion; it just occurred too quickly. By the time everything had sunk into Percy’s mind, Fred was already lying motionless by his side, killed by the massive detonation…

Fred landed with a thump on soft, green grass. The fall did not injure him in the least. In fact, the ground beneath him felt like a lovely mattress, the grass being the most comfortable bed spreads known to mankind. The sky above him was pure white; cloudless and intense. But where was he? One moment he was fighting wizards…Thicknesse to be precise…and the next, here he was. It was so surreal that he did not know what to do. Fred sat up and noticed two figures walking towards him.

In actuality, it did not look like they were walking at all. They practically glided over to where he had landed. One of them, Fred noticed as they neared, was a very beautiful lady with shiny honey-coloured hair and smooth, pale skin. Her eyes were a glittering brown with the warmth of the shades of honeysuckles and her lips were spread into a heavenly smile. The six small wings spread across her face from the middle did nothing to mar her perfect image. If anything, it enhanced her appearance flawlessly.

Her companion, a buff-looking man in a flowing golden robe, looked on from behind her, surveying their newest guest. His short hair was the colour of chocolate and his golden dressing gown was lined on the inner side with crimson, Fred observed as the perfect wind played over the two strangers, swishing their robes to and fro. It was only when they were standing right before him did he realise that both had wings sprouting from their backs.

“Wh-who are you? Wh-wh-where a-am I?” Fred stammered as the two figures stood before him. He subconsciously moved away from them, feeling slightly fearful. There was something about these people – were they even people? – that scared him slightly.

“It’s like walking into a dream, isn’t it? So unlike what you've seen,” the lady spoke first, her voice – as Fred could only have imagined – was as beautiful as she was. “You’re so unsure but it seems, because we've been waiting for you. Oh yes, all day in fact, haven’t we, Gabriel?” she laughed a perfect laugh and Fred could not help but smile at her.

“Ah, yes, Ariadne, indeed! Fred, you’ve fallen into this place and it’s just giving you a small taste,” the man called Gabriel heartily agreed, “of your afterlife here. So stay! You'll be back here soon anyway.”

He chuckled once more. His uncanny ability to rhyme stumped Fred for a moment until the message sunk into him. His afterlife?

“Come, Fred, we must get you up to the palace. You need rest. No point staying out here. It’s almost nightfall and the air is always far too chilly then!” Ariadne spoke as she reached down and pulled the red-haired Weasley to his feet. Her hand was as smooth as ice, yet warm as a ideal hearth. Fred could hold onto it forever…

I see a distant light, but girl this can't be right

“Wait, hold on a minute!” he suddenly said, snapping out of his daydream of the woman standing before him. “How do you know who I am? Where the hell am I? Who are you?”

His voice seemed to have steadied itself as Ariadne shook her head at him, beaming, “Now, now, mind your language! You mustn’t speak of the fiery chasm of doom so freely around here. There will be consequences. Oh all right. Seeing as you refuse to move if we don’t tell you anything–” indeed, Fred had practically rooted himself to the ground, his expression adamant to stay until he was given satisfactory answers. It was not unlike a child who had just had candy taken from him and he wanted it back, “– you’re in Heaven. My name is Ariadne and this is Gabriel.”

She gestured to her companion as he nodded to Fred in acknowledgement. They both turned around and began walking off in the direction they had come from. Looking around him at the vast pasture of perfect grass and in the distance, the white peaks of mountains, Fred decided that the only way to find out more about this strange duo was to follow them. The experience seemed far too dreamlike. From the bizarrely perfect world to its mirroring inhabitants…it just did not seem right.

Such a surreal place to see so how did this come to be
Arrived too early

Fred was at a loss for words. Heaven? His afterlife? What on earth was going on? Had he died? That seemed a bit too far-fetched for his belief. Of course, it explained where he was and why he was no longer fighting the fiery battle at Hogwarts. But it still seemed to do his head in the more he thought about it. One thing was for certain however. If he was in Heaven, that would mean…

“You two are angels?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. He had to run a little to keep up with Gabriel’s and Ariadne’s long strides.

“I am,” Gabriel’s deep voice resounded as he turned to face Fred, slightly amused by the fact that he could not keep up. “An archangel, to be more precise. I normally guard the High Court from the demons Hell decide to try to send up here, but today I was tasked to wait for you with Ariadne.”

“And I’m a seraph,” the woman smiled warmly at Fred. “Part of the angels’ choir, usually to welcome new residents to Heaven. Some travel through fire, water, earth and air – and other much more unsavoury things – just to get here and we all think they deserve some kind of token for arriving. It’s because they’re willing to keep going in order to reach a better place, even if it meant killing their souls in the process. You were a lucky one, Fred. You pretty much dropped just outside of Heaven without having to go through any of those hardships!”

And when I think of all the places I just don't belong
I've come to grips with life and realise this is going too far

Fred shook his head a bit. He was starting to get a slight migraine from all the information. But it was he who had asked for it and therefore silently withstood the pain.

But it was all so confusing. It was like a car moving at two hundred kilometres per hour, as much of an exaggeration that was. How could anybody make sense of all of this? So his friends and family were somewhere else, fighting a war that he could be helping end? Mum, Dad, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Ginny…Harry, Hermione, Lee…all those people were in grave danger. Yet here he was, in a place that was seemingly perfect? Fred felt as though he did not deserve to be up here yet, wherever Heaven was geographically.

“I don't belong here,” he suddenly exclaimed as he past the chorus of angels that greeted him through heaven’s gates and he stepped on concrete ground. The company passed shops (‘There are shops in Heaven?’ Fred wondered, astonished) and even healing centres. They kept passing through gate after gate, until at least, they came to the heart – a brilliant, glittering palace stood before them. The trio made their way up the stone steps to a side entrance into the citadel, entering a vast hall.

“I’ve got to move on. I’ve got to escape from this afterlife.”

The party stopped in their tracks and Gabriel and Ariadne stared at him for a moment. Their eyes did not pass cold judgement. They were unreadable.

“I really think you should get some rest, Fred,” Ariadne said hastily as she motioned towards a room at the far end of the hall. She opened the door for Fred and he entered without hesitation. But as soon as he did, the door shut and locked behind him and he was trapped. “We’ll see you in the morning!” her voice called from outside the door. It sounded cheerful, but there was still a sense of foreboding hidden beneath all that joy.

'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on

Fred sighed as he sat on his feather bed, feeling the softness of the mattress coax him on his back. Sleep beckoned him but even as he dozed off, his mind wandered back to his purpose. He knew he had to leave. It just did not seem fair that his relatives and friends had to fight a gruelling war against a monster while he could rest so peacefully up in a perfect place…

Far away from here

Fred awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window, bright light shining on his face. He opened his eyes to the glare of the sun and breathed in the morning air. His window had been left open the night before and thus, the scent from flowers wafted in from the gardens outside. For a minute, he had forgotten where he truly was. For a slight moment, it was as though he was back in his bed at Hogwarts and that he should be getting ready for first period Potions.

Then it occurred to him how wrong he was as someone rapped the door from outside. It turned out to be Ariadne, who walked in with a hearty “Good morning!” and a tray of food in hand.

“Did you sleep well, Fred?” she asked softly as he sat up and she placed the tray in front of him. She pulled up a chair next to his bed and gracefully parked herself there.

“Yes, I did, thanks. The best bed I’ll probably ever sleep on,” Fred smiled lightly as he helped himself to eggs on toast. There was silence for a moment sans his quiet chewing and the birds’ happy tune from nature. It was not awkward, just peaceful.

Fred finished his breakfast quickly and Ariadne stood to take his tray.

“Oh no, don’t. I can…”

“But you won’t,” she said firmly, a hint of a sweet sparkle in her eye. “Gabriel would like to see you. He’s in the Great Hall; I’ll take you there.”

She said everything in a tone of voice that spoke “Do not argue” and therefore, Fred resigned to his task. He had not bothered to change the night before, but Ariadne had insisted that he wore one of his new robes that were in the closet. They were of the softest, finest silk and Fred felt another pang of guilt in his heart.

As they neared the Great Hall, Ariadne abruptly stopped and said to Fred, “You’ll be meeting with some of the angels of the highest order. I suggest you only speak when spoken to. For the wrath of God’s army when angered is not one to be dealt with on simple manpower. Yes–” she had noticed his baffled look at her mention of manpower, “– you’re still a man. Notice you don’t have wings? It’s because you will have to gain favour with God before you’ve proven yourself worthy to be held up as one of God’s most praised.”

It did not seem to answer what his question was, but she did not wait. Ariadne pushed the door to the Great Hall open and called out, “He’s here.”

“Ah yes, Fred Weasley,” Gabriel smiled slightly as Fred awkwardly strolled to the banquet table at which the company of angels sat. Gabriel was practically flanked by his companions, both of which looked quite similar to him in terms of size.

‘They’re archangels,’ he thought to himself, noticing that all three angels were dressed in red-lined golden robes and the same air of heightened dignity.

“This is Michael and Raphael, Fred. They’re my fellow archangels who will be discussing a few issues with you today.”

“Hello, Fred,” the man to Gabriel’s right, whom Fred remembered to be Raphael, spoke up. “Please take a seat. I’m not surprised if you’re baffled at why you’re here today. The truth is…”

“Gabriel told us of your…um…request, shall we say, yesterday. About leaving the afterlife?” Michael’s sharper tone interrupted Raphael. “Now I’m quite understanding, despite how my voice may portray me to be–” he seemed to have read Fred’s mind, “– I mean, a place of hope and no pain, perfect skies with no rain? I’m sure it all perplexes you, now doesn’t it? It’s because you’re new to Heaven. I do not discourage you from your choice. You can leave this place. But refrain, because we've been waiting for you.”

“You’ve been waiting? For me? But why?” Fred’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he stared from archangel to archangel. Suddenly remembering Ariadne’s words about not speaking unless spoken to, however, he quickly shut his mouth and apologised for his rudeness.

“You do not have to apologise, for it’s a question that, I am sure, has been bothering you for quite some time,” Raphael replied, smiling softly at Fred’s embarrassment. “You see, the Lord our God has a plan for everyone. He chooses when they live or when they die, but there have been requests by many to have their lives prolonged. They feel they do not deserve to die yet. I’m sure you feel the same way. But you, my boy, have been fortunate enough to have fallen into this place and it’s just giving you a small taste of your afterlife here. Not everyone is as fortunate as you. You were a good person in your past life, Fred, which was your one-way ticket up here. We recommend you to stay! You’ll be back here soon anyway.”

Those were the same words Gabriel had told Fred just the day before and they held just as much meaning to him as they did back then – which was absolutely none.

“I will be?”

“Yes. That is, if you continue on the right path should you be set free. There’s a rule that needs to be abided by. Your heart must be right before you enter Heaven’s Gates and if you choose to leave and then return, you must make sure you live your second chance as fruitfully as you can.”

“So it means you can let me go back to earth to fight the war again?” Fred excitedly asked, jumping to his feet.

“That decision, Fred, is not up to us,” Gabriel spoke up. “God makes all the decisions about who lives and who dies, remember that. Once here, you are considered dead to the Earth. It takes time before He decides. You cannot talk to Him directly, Fred, for He only corresponds with his right-hand men. You can pray and ask Him to let you go, but that is all you can do. He will relay us the message should He come to his verdict. And nobody defies His verdict, is that understood?”

Gabriel’s voice had suddenly grown grave and Fred immediately understood what he meant. He had to implore God to let him go, but if God were to say no, he’d have no choice but to stay.

“It’s just…” Fred said, a little helplessly. “…This peace on earth's not right. There’s no pain or sign of time and I’m just much too young to fall. I feel so out of place and I don't want to stay. I feel wrong and that's my sign. I've made up my mind.”

Michael smiled lightly at Fred’s little speech, as though considering his words before saying, “We know that. But it isn’t for us to decide. Tell your concerns to God by prayer. He is an understanding Father. He will give it to you should he feel you’re fit to accept the responsibility.”

With that, the three archangels stood up and moved to exit the Hall. They had said their piece, but as Fred sat there, alone at the banquet table, he felt less than enlightened.

Three weeks later…

“So is it true you’ll be leaving?” Ariadne asked Fred quietly that night as they took a walk in the palace gardens. “I heard Gabriel and Raphael talking about it on my way to choir practice.”

“Well, I don’t know yet, do I?” Fred asked gently. “No news from Gabriel yet – he said he’d tell me when he knew. It’s been weeks now. I have no idea if it’s ever going to happen at all, to be honest, Aria. But I do know I really want to see Mum and Dad again. And George. And Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron and Ginny. I mean, even if they think I’m dead and all… It really blows not being able to see them again. I think about that and it feels way too unreal. Like, I still wake up thinking I’ll have to listen to Mum’s inane babble about dangerous store products and U-No-Poo and…”

Ariadne chuckled all of a sudden and he turned to look at her, a little surprised and embarrassed at what he had just told her. She took his hand with one of her angelic smiles and said, “I really think you deserve to have your second chance since you’re so willing. But you know, you have to watch yourself – your character.”

“That is, if I ever do leave,” Fred sighed, sitting on a low wall, subconsciously still holding her hand.

Give me your hand but realise I just want to say goodbye
Please understand, I have to leave and carry on my own life

I don’t belong here, I’ve got to move on, dear
Escape from this afterlife
‘Cause this time I’m right to move on and on
Far away from here

Later that night, Fred knelt at his bedside and clasped his hands together. He had been doing this same thing every night for the past three weeks, praying. Just praying for one thing and that was for his release. Fred had never been religious, so he had no idea if he was defiling God’s name by converting now. He did not even think that he would be religious once out of the afterlife. But he had to give it a shot. It was Gabriel’s instruction and Fred had somehow grown to trust that instruction’s credibility.

“I’ve got nothing against you and sure I’ll miss you,” he whispered into the night. “With this place full of peace and light. I mean, yeah, I love it here. Everyone’s been really great and amazingly nice and all. But I’ve just got to go back,” he tried to make emphasis. “I hope you might take me back inside when the time’s right, but until then, I’ve just got to go home.”

Fred had never taken his prayer any longer than he had that night. He cried, complained, whined and basically poured himself inside out. He truly missed George, he missed his family and he missed having life that could have been fulfilled. He was much too young to have passed so he pleaded and prayed and asked. It was only until he wore himself down did he stop out of fatigue.

Loved ones back home all crying 'cause they're already missing me
I pray by the grace of God that there's somebody listening
Give me a chance to be that person I want to be
(I am unbroken; I'm choking on this ecstasy)
Oh Lord I'll try so hard but you’ve got to let go of me
(Break me, unchain me, I need another chance to live)

Fred awoke the next day out on a field. The rough grass poked at his sides and his head was resting upon a stone, as though it was a pillow to him. He opened his eyes to a cloudy sky and he could hear sweet chirping from nearby trees. Rustling of leaves stirred him from his place on the ground as he sat up and looked around him. Fred’s face creased in a wide grin. He knew this place far too well.

In the distance, he could smell the aroma of his mother’s cooking drifting to where he lay and he heard the sounds of his father’s voice filtering through the open windows.