Somewhere in the immortal plane, there was a place called Shrine, home of the Almighty.

Despite the name, the whole of the Shrine was reminiscent of ancient Greek constructs, with three main areas. The first section was the entryway, called the Citadel, and the whole of it was polished gray marble. The entrance led to a pair of french doors made of pure diamond, cascading rainbows across the entire Citadel.

Beyond the diamond french doors was the Temple. Tall columns made the right and left sides of the Temple. Both sets and the floor were pearl-colored polished marble. The only thing keeping the occupants from the vast cosmos was the sheer rose pink fabric, with flecks golds strung through the material, around and hung between the columns.

It truly was a beautiful sight to behold. The whole thing felt airy and peaceful. The center was left untouched, but the sides were another story. Standing with ones back to the diamond doors, the left side had a long glass table with comfy-looking chairs. Where the Arch Angels gathered for their regular meetings. The right side had plush recliners facing a large television. So that Michael, his guests, or even the Almighty, could watch over a soul's life if they so desired.

At that moment, however, Michael sat with Gabriel at the glass table. Michael at the head, with Gabriel sitting to his left. Harry Potter's file open, and its contents were strewn across the table between them as they looked at everything. Or rather, as Michael looked over everything, and Gabriel merely clarified some points when Michael needed it.

Gabriel sat there, getting more and more concerned because the longer he looked over the file, Michael got more and more frustrated. Michael being frustrated was not a good thing; he had a bit of a temper and a stubborn streak thicker than any known substance. They often joked that a meteor could squash Michael, and he would still refuse to change his stance.

He reacted even worse when presented with ultimatums, which is essentially what Harry had done and what Gabriel was assisting with. Gabriel had agreed with everything that Harry argued about. The nightmares Harry had been through, even Satan, who had dealt with those scenarios daily, got sick at the thought of them. Given that they were gearing up to put him through that all over again, Gabriel had to concede that Harry was right to point out that something had to give.

The hard part was getting Michael to understand that.

Hoping to lessen the man's ire, Gabriel cleared this throat. "I just remembered; we haven't played the Divine Game in a while."

The Divine Game was created by the Artisan Angels eons ago. The Arch Angels all loved it so much they took time out of their busy schedules to play it. Even in the mortal realm, it was a well-known game; however, they called it, Dungeons and Dragons, or DND for short. The Almighty loved the game, so much in fact that many of the Arch Angels' campaigns went on to become actual worlds.

And sometimes, it wasn't as impressive as it sounds.

"Didn't we create that world with the sparkling vampires last time we played?" Michael asked in a biting tone.

Gabriel flinched but didn't give up. "In our defense, we were all very drunk that night, and Gaia was as well. You also have to remember, she created glitter that same day, and she gave everything after that a glittering version."

Michael looked up from the paperwork to glare at Gabriel.

"What!? It's the truth!" Gabriel hastily defended. "I'm surprised the angels weren't given glittering wings."

"I threatened to withhold sex if she so much as even suggested it." Michael growled, remembering those difficult days shortly after Gaia, the Almighty God, created glitter.

Gabriel stared at Michael in shock before launching himself up and pointing at Michael as he shouted.

"It was you!"

Michael looked up at Gabriel, confused. "Excuse me?"

"That's where that threat originated from!" Gabriel thundered, "You're to blame!"

"What are you talking about?" Michael looked genuinely confused.

Gabriel ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, right, how could I forget. You're absconded away in here and don't know what goes on in the regular day-to-day lives of the mortals and lesser angels." He then glared at his elder brother. "So let me tell you what you missed; You just mentioned a threat that has spread throughout the immortal plain and into the mortal ones."

Michael looked shocked at that, and Gabriel nodded.

"It started sleazy enough, "if you love me, you'll do this for me." Then it blew up with men threatening their wives with that threat, and then women using it!"

Michael slowly turned in his seat and looked toward the back of the Temple. Whereas the sides were the columns and the front enclosed by the diamond doors, the end was walled off with the same diamond as the doors. With a polished rose quartz spiral staircase with a golden railing going up to the Shrine's second level, the Inner Sanctum, where Gaia, God, the Almighty one, by whatever title you wished to call her, resided.

Michael's face was contorted with pain and embarrassment. "She was rather pissed off at me after I threatened that."

Gabriel sighed and sat back down. Looking at his brother sympathetically. "Is that why you slept down here for a while."

Michael hung his head. "Yes, that's why. I was in the proverbial doghouse."

"Another thing that came about around the same time." Gabriel observed.

"I suppose it has been a while since we've played." Michael heaved a sigh, changing the subject back to safer ground before anything else embarrassing came out. "I'll see if I can come up with something here in few hundred years."

"Actually," Gabriel flinched again at Michael's returning glare, "Satan has created a few campaigns, and we can pick which one we want to do. So you don't have to DM this time."

"Satan?" Michael looked very uncertain. "He created a campaign?"

"Three or four, I believe." Gabriel assured him. "I haven't read through them yet, but apparently Uriel and Ephraim are on board, as are the wives. Even Raphael said he would take a break from his bookkeeping to play what Satan has created."

The pained look on his face told Gabriel he had won that argument for Satan. Usually, Michael was the DM, but he had expressed that he would have liked to be a regular player on a few occasions. Uriel and Ephraim were on board for just about any campaign, no matter who created it. That their wives, even Raphael, who was more of a workaholic than Michael, indicated interest, with the promise of taking a break from work if the campaign were to be played, broke down the last of Michael's defenses.

"We'll see." Michael said firmly, though Gabriel knew it was just to save face. "Right now, we have a serious matter on our hands."

And with that, Gabriel knew that there would be no more changing the subject. So he shifted his focus back to the folder and braced himself to fight for Harry.

After a few more moments of looking over Harry's files, Michael turned to Gabriel. "What about the Goblins? If he could get to the Goblins, they can keep him safe."

"And exactly how is Harry supposed to do that?"

Michael looked at Gabriel, shocked that he would talk back. "He goes there every summer for money! He can do it one of those times! If not, then maybe the Dursley's can bring him to Gringotts. By holding onto him, they'd be able to see the Leaky Cauldron entrance and find their way from there."

Gabriel shook his head and faced Michael completely. "No, Michael, and here's why: one; the Dursley's hate all things magical, they would never set foot near the pub, or the Alley beyond it, even if it meant that they could get rid of him. And you have to remember that one of them doesn't want Harry to disappear from their lives." He tapped one of the stacks of papers detailing one of Harry's deaths, "That proves it.

"Two; every time Harry is Gringotts, he has an escort. Hagrid, Molly, or his wives. There were years when Harry didn’t even go to the Alley because Molly did his shopping for him, or his wives did. Three, the Goblins have spies within Gringotts working for Dumbledore, whose jobs are specifically to keep Harry away from the Potter Account Manager.

“Four; there are specific laws in the treaty that prevents the Goblins who are on Harry's side from saying anything that would allow them to help Harry. Even if Ragnok himself was made aware of what was going on, he can't do anything without Harry approaching them first. With all of the compulsions and potions, Harry's thoughts keep him from seeing anything wrong. The Goblins are a solution, yes, but there's no way for Harry to get to them with the way things are currently stacked against him."

Michael's eyes narrowed the entire time, and his lips became a thin line. His frustration was growing with each argument that Gabriel made. That he was right about each point made it all the worse for Michael.

But he wasn't ready to give up yet, "What about-"

Gabriel slammed his hand over the papers preventing Michael from looking at what he was. "Michael, we've been over this; numerous times, to be exact. We've spent countless hours trying to find solutions that aren’t there. We've done things your way, and while the paths may be somewhat different, we reach the same end every time. Your way isn't working. I'm officially recommending that we go with Harry's idea. We'll have to add a few things to it, restrictions and a blessing or two, but I agree with him. Michael, it's the only way."

Michael looked furious, and Gabriel could only compare it to a bomb that was about to blow.

"Let me in! I must speak with Gabriel and the Arch Angel Michael at once!"

Rather than being saved by the bell, Gabriel was saved by the pounding on the diamond doors. Both Arch Angels looked at the doors in shock. It was clear on the other side was a fledgling angel, and they were barred entry to the Temple because they were too new to withstand Gaia's aura.

Shock dissipated to confusion. Fledgling angels were well aware that they could not enter the Temple. So what was this angel thinking?

"I am the purest, most devout servant of God! I must speak with the Almighty! At least Gabriel, though I would prefer arch Angel Michael! It's about the viciously evil disciples of that heathen Devil Satan! They have committed a most serious crime by invading my viewing room after the honorable Sir Stephan so graciously promoted me for my efforts for purifying myself in life and allowed me the chance to do the same with the sin-filled flesh vessel of my charge!"

Now, both Arch Angels were extremely confused, and both were getting annoyed.

"What the fuck is that fledgling talking about?" Michael growled at Gabriel.

"It's Rida." Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If I had to venture a guess, it was because of the angels we had watching the viewing room. The soul's life must have finished, and things didn't go her way because of their presence."

"On my orders!" Michael protested, rather upset.

"It was the fact that they were black wings. Though even if they had been white wings, I think she would still be there. There would be less "Heathen Devils" and more "vicious upstarts sabotaging."

"All the white wings refused!" Michael raised his voice in anger, unable to contain himself. "They can't stand to be in the same room as her, and I’m starting to understand why! There's also the fact that not all angels are qualified to sit and watch the viewing of a soul. Many have their own jobs to do that are equally important to running this place! The candidates Satan volunteered for the job were the only ones who were willing and could!"

Gabriel held up his hands as he sat back down, "Hey, don't yell at me, brother, I already know all of this."

Michael sat back and groaned as he rubbed his face where the day-old stubble of a beard was ever-present on the dirty blonde angel's face. Right as he was about to get back to the matter at hand and ignore the fledgling beyond the doors, Gabriel fell out of his chair, his hands fisted against his temples.

"Wha-"

In answer, before Michael could even finish his question, the viewing screen came on, revealing that Harry Potter had somehow left Gabriel's office and had kicked it open upon his return, though he wasn't alone. Rida's one-time charge was there with him.

"You let Harry wander around!?" Michael furiously accused Gabriel. "Furthermore, you let him into the room with Rida and the others!?"

"Of course not!" Gabriel shouted back at him as the pain Harry inflicted resided.

He would have to have words with that brat.

As Gabriel stood, the sounds of twinkling bells echoed throughout the Temple, and Michael turned towards the stairs in shock.

"WHAT!?"

"I take it I'm off the hook?" Gabriel asked sheepishly.

Michael merely growled in response as twinkling bells could be heard once more.

Michael rushed towards the stairs shouting, "Do you have any idea what you've done!?"

Right as Michael reached the stairs to ascend, he was pushed back by an unseen force, and the deep gonging of the most massive bells ever to grace mortal ears and bigger rang throughout the Temple. Gabriel had heard Gaia through many moods, but this fury was the worst ever expressed in all of his existence.

"Michael, I do not envy you this moment; all the same, I need to know what's going on."

Michael slowly picked himself up off the floor and struggling to remain on his feet until he reached the recliners and managed to fall into one.

Once righted, he sighed, not bothering to look at Gabriel. "She," he paused as his breathing had become somewhat difficult, "she kept your office door open, and apparently, he found his way to Mal all on his own. Through no help on her end."

"And because I'm the overseer to her case right now, the other angels sent her back with him." Gabriel finished as he sat down next to Michael. He looked at his brother as Michael worked himself down from his anger and slowly healed from the slight damage Gaia had inflicted on him.

"I guess I underestimated your anger if Gaia was forced to throw you back from the stairs and yell at you like that." Gabriel shook his head. "You really are as stubborn as they come, Michael, but this," he gestured toward the stairs, "just proves my point."

Michael closed his eyes, and it was clear that his jaw was clenched, but said nothing, so Gabriel just sat back in his chair and watched Harry with Mal. Letting Michael come around in his own time.

~==(oIo)==~

Mal blinked and stared at Harry, "What?"

He grinned at her shocked reaction; at least she wasn't getting hostile as some other souls, even angels, did when they learned the truth. "Yes, God is a woman."

"Wouldn't it be Goddess then?"

“No.” Harry shook his head, "Unfortunately for millions of eons; males dominated society; this was the case with most worlds. They served one God, or a pantheon led by a strong alpha male type. The fact that the God they worshipped is a woman was unthinkable to the point that it never crossed their minds. So, the Almighty just accepts being called God and doesn't bother with the gender-specific titles."

"Does she have a name?" She asked excitedly.

He chuckled. "She goes by many things, but the name she chose for herself is Gaia; the All-Mother."

Mal's warm smile and her eyes glistening with tears told him that she was thrilled with this knowledge. "That's so perfect."

"I agree with you." He gestured to the books again. "A series of those books detail the mortal religions and how most of them came to be. Some of them, taking inspiration from the truth, while others are extremely varied. Did you know there is an entire world dedicated to worshipping little gray aliens?"

She snorted and clamped her hand over her mouth, but her shaking shoulders belied her mirth.

Somehow, he realized he was going to enjoy what her thoughts were. "Out with it, what just popped in your head?"

"So," She giggled a bit before looking back at Harry with as straight of a face as she could manage, "for communion, do they have anal probing, or is that only done on a special holiday?”

Mal was already laughing so hard she was in tears, and it proved infectious because one look at her, and he was laughing too. For several minutes all they could do was laugh. Even if one managed to calm down, they would look at the other and start all over again.

Finally, he managed to take a deep breath, "It's been a while since I've read it, but I distinctly remember something about a celebration dedicated to such an event."

That started Mal all over again; thankfully, this time, Harry merely grinned at her till she managed to calm down.

"I guess that's what I get for asking from a Catholic point of view."

He shrugged, "Well, in your defense, that particular religion and its various branches do have some truth rooted in its origins."

Mal suddenly became various serious. "You have to tell me the real story of Adam and Eve."

"And why do I have to?"

"Because I want to know the truth, and this place promotes truth. And also, because one religion talks about how Lilith came first, and then it was Eve. So naturally, I'm curious to know which one is more accurate. "

He looked at her, slightly confused. "I kinda know what you're talking about, but can you explain that a bit more."

"Well, I've never read the passages myself, but I know the story is about how Lilith was made from Adam as well, but she refused to be submissive. She wanted to be Adam's equal, and he absolutely refused. So she left Eden and ended up becoming the mother of all monsters. Eve was made second, and she was made less headstrong than Lilith and was very subservient to Adam."

Harry nodded as he remembered the details of what Mal just described.

"Okay, I can see why you asked that now." He sighed, trying to gather his thoughts on the matter. "Well, to begin; Gaia was born to Primordial Aspect of Life, and a lesser God who has since been forgotten, even by Gaia. Her parents were together for a time before Gaia was left with just her father. When he perished as God's do over time, or due to lack of followers, what was left of his domain fell under her command.

“She grew very lonely; she always had someone there with her, so she decided to make herself a male companion. Thus, the Arch Angel Michael came into being, fully grown and as intelligent as she was. With Michael in her life, she was no longer lonely, and as such things tend to happen, they soon became lovers. However, they discovered that she couldn't have children, at least not in the way we're used to; Gaia’s children with Michael were born as mortal souls."

Mal thought about how many people were back in her homeworld alone; from there, she theorized that Harry's had at least as many. Knowing there were likely multiple worlds that Gaia created in this multiverse, she couldn't stop the words, "Good God!"

"Quite.” He chuckled, having a pretty good idea what thoughts brought about those words. “As you can imagine, mortal souls, at least infants, can't do much in this plane of existence. I think mortal souls born to this plane can live here until they appear physically ten, then they needed something different. So Gaia created the mortal planes to house them, allowing them to grow and live on their terms. After a while, that was the preferred method, and they no longer waited until the souls were physically ten and gave these new souls to already living mortals in the worlds.”

Harry then pinned her with a look, “Can you tell me why this was the preferred method?”

“I can imagine it was because Gaia and Michael would have hundreds, if not thousands of souls, all of them babies or children running around and in need of constant care.”

"That's correct." Harry grinned at her. "There are, of course, exceptions to this rule in the cases of when angels have children together."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Makes sense.” Mal answered with a shrug of her shoulders. Allowing Harry to continue with his tale.

“Eve was their first child; she proved that they could procreate in a fashion, so they put her in a special place that Gaia created. Over time, as her soul aged, Eve proved to be as lonely as her mother was before her, and she requested more. So the plain realm she inhabited became a Garden with a variety of plant life and different environments. Still, Eve grew ever lonelier; thus, Gaia gave her animals for company. Each new creation was beloved, and Gaia was inspired by them and spread them across the other planes, or worlds as they are called here, so they could have a variety of these things as Eve had. After all, the souls in those worlds were her children as well."

"That's so sweet." Mal gushed.

Harry nodded. "Now, the other souls, they were living and dying on other worlds Gaia created for them. This is where the first ring of Arch Angels came from. Through their work, a system was created for the souls who died, allowing them rebirth. As time went on, Heaven was made for the souls too weary to continue. The underworld was created for those who had sinned greatly in life and needed punished, shown the error of their ways, what have you. Hell came later on, and it's the place where the souls who can't be redeemed go."

“Hell was created last?” Mel asked.

Harry nodded. "There's a place; no one is sure where, but it holds the creatures we know as demons. Back then, the worlds were interconnected, and people could travel through the pathways to other worlds. It was through these pathways that the demons found their way into Gaia's worlds. Satan's people were more warriors than any other type of angel, so they descended into the mortal worlds to slay the demons and close up the pathways.”

“But people with twisted minds, probably corrupted by the demons, changed the story around to make Satan the villain.” Mal surmised, and Harry gave his nod of confirmation. "And through all this, Eve never aged."

"That's right. Because she was Gaia and Michael's first, Eve was pampered and spoiled. Eventually, she grew very lonely despite the animals' company, and she longed for a lover, much like what Gaia and Michael have in each other."

"And thus, came Adam."

"Yes,” Harry nodded, “but not in the manner you'd think. Long before the demons began invading the worlds, Adam was born to a set of mortal parents, but he had been altered slightly to go on a pilgrimage to find the Garden of Eden. Utilizing the open pathway between worlds would see him achieve his destiny to find Eden, and with it, Eve. Gaia and Michael planned that he would stay there with Eve."

"Something tells me this doesn't have a happy ending." Mal's exuberance in the story began to dissipate.

"Adam grew up with his parents and his extended family, in the village where he was born." Harry continued the tale. "Once he reached adulthood in that time, about fourteen/ fifteen, he set off to find out why Adam had this urge to wander away from all he knew. After a few years of traveling, passing between the pathway through worlds he couldn’t even imagine, he finally found the Garden and met Eve. Eve was positively blissful, she had a companion, and not long after that, a lover, and she had the Garden."

"But Adam wasn't."

He shook his head. "Adam was the first indication of mortal's choices and how Divine plans can be specific down to the tiniest of details, but mortals will always make choices that will deviate and ruin these plans. My lives being a prime example." He coughed at her concerned look and continued before she could ask questions. "Adam, having satisfied the urge to travel, began to miss the life he had. He grew bitter towards Eve and eventually browbeat her into agreeing to leave the Garden with him for his home village."

"I take it that's a terrible thing?"

"While in the Garden, Adam and Eve could never age. There was also the fact that Eve could speak with Gaia's avatar in that world at any time. Anything Adam did that hurt Eve, and she told Gaia about it, Gaia would attempt to talk with Adam about it and try to help. This only made Adam angrier at Eve."

"And outside the Garden, Eve would not only age, but she couldn't remain in contact with Gaia." Mal sighed. "How bad was her mortal life?"

"Upon reaching the village, Adam completely changed, and the way he treated Eve changed. No longer were they equal; he was dominant, and Eve would obey him, or she would be punished. I'm sure you can figure out how yourself. Despite those punishments, she birthed him two sons. Cain and Abel."

"Do I want to know the real story about those two?" She winced.

"Actually, Cain never killed Abel."

Mal sighed in relief and looked at Harry expectantly and chuckled as he continued. "Shortly after Abel reached adulthood, several of the animals were found slaughtered, a new bunch every morning. The village was dumbfounded. Some people blamed Eve as she was the newest edition and not like them; perhaps she brought a curse or something with her. However, Adam stood up, saying that she was innocent. He knew that he had broken her down to the point that she would never defy him; he also knew that she was incapable of what the village was accusing her of. While he did defend her, his efforts weren't as full-hearted as they could have been. He became aware that if the villagers killed her under the belief that she was a witch, he could take a younger wife from the recent batch of girls that just became women."

"Girls who started their menses." Mal clarified.

"Ah, yes, quite." He flushed and coughed as his throat began to tighten in his embarrassment, "Anyway, the boys decided they would find out who was the culprit so they could clear their mother's name. Come to find; it was the son of their Aunt. Adam's brother died shortly after his arrival, and yet his wife still birthed a child some months later."

"Bastard!" Mal shrieked.

Harry nodded. "Seth was, in fact, Adam's son, and because he looked much like Abel and Cain, they knew it to be true. Eve as well. Adam had planned to return and marry his brother's wife for himself but ended up being gone longer than he planned and was stuck with Eve. So when his brother died, Adam "took care" of his sister's wife. Seth was the only child ever born to them, though.

"Cain and Abel watched as Seth was fascinated by the blood and the cries of pain. He killed three lambs that night, and each one was slow and painful and completely different methods, as Seth found ways to make it last. The next night, Cain and Abel killed Seth. Since he looked so similar to Abel, they used Seth's death to fake Abel's. Abel disappeared in the early light of dawn with his childhood friend."

"Lover's or just friends?" Mal couldn't help but ask.

"Not yet lovers, but on the way to being lovers." Harry grinned. "Gaia has no issues with same-sex relationships. That was something that came about in the mortal realm. But we're getting off track; with the dead animal's thing resolved, Eve was able to live, and Adam was forced to stay with her. Cain also left the village soon after. Telling his mother he couldn't stay in the village because he couldn't stand his father. Eve understood. She told him to find Abel and gave Cain a key."

"So she knew that Abel was alive, and I take it that key was to the garden?"

Harry grinned at her. "There is a reason why there's a saying that a mother always knows. Rachael, Seth's mother, was depressed and silent for the rest of her life. While the village and Adam may have believed that the corpse they found was Abel's and believed Cain that Seth left, Rachael and Eve knew better. Rachael could never bring herself to hate Eve or her nephews. She wasn't allowed to raise her son, as she had no husband; Adam took the boy as soon as he was weaned from his mother and spent more time with him than he did his sons with Eve. So she mourned for the loss of her husband and the son that Seth could have been.

"As for the key, yes, it was to the Garden. When Eve died, she asked to be put back in the Garden and vowed to Gaia and Michael that she would never leave again. So they put her back in the Garden, where Abel, his lover, as well as Cain and his wife that he met during his travels, were waiting. To guard the Garden and its occupants, Gaia eventually sent an angel by the same of Samuel. Samuel and Eve soon fell in love. For all, I know they are still there. I do know that Samuel is considered an Arch Angel, but I don’t think he leaves the Garden often."

"That's so sad and sweet." Mal sighed. "I'm glad there was a relatively happy ending, but sorry for the pain they suffered in the meantime."

"Sometimes, we have to suffer to see what's really worth fighting for."

"Here, here." Mal said as she raised her hand. "If I had a drink, I'd toast you, then gulp it down."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean with that. There is food and wine in this place, even Whiskey. The artisans are always creating new things to send to the mortal realms to keep them from stagnating. But it's not recommended that souls partake heavily of these things."

Mal pouted but decided it was best to let that topic go. "So, Hell came about after all this happened?"

"Many years later, yes."

"I take it that Satan's name was not Satan at the time of his being on Earth?"

"No, it wasn't. He went by Lucifer back then."

"So, that's how the two names came about." Mal said, snapping her fingers.

Harry chuckled, "As well as all of the black wing angels. Their wings turned black because they were around the demons for a prolonged period, as well as the mortals. It changed them irrevocably."

"Why would the mortals make a difference?" Mal couldn't help but ask.

"Answer me this, the black wings you met on your arrival here, how would you describe them?" Harry asked in return.

"A loud and rowdy bunch." Mal said, slightly embarrassed that a bit of southern twang carried over in her voice. She only lived in Arkansas; it wasn't like she spent a lot of time around those who had deep southern accents. "But dedicated to their work, passionate about it even."

"Would you say they acted very much on their emotions?"

She had to think about that for a moment. Did they react heavily on their emotions? She thought of their shouts in protest, then their cheers in triumph, their guttural growls towards the end of her time around them. "Yeah, I would say that they do."

"Due to the being around the Demons, they saw such atrocities that it makes what happened in our lives seem like a summer picnic." Harry said, remembering she suffered similarly to him. "Because the emotions of mortals constantly being around them, Satan and his followers soon lost the ability to react and think logically about a situation before making a move. They often reacted times on instinct, or because of an emotional reaction."

"And that's where Hell comes in." Mal said softly. "They didn't have a system yet for the souls who had been corrupted deeply by the demon's actions and the evil they emitted."

Harry, thinking back on his conversations with Hermione, Ginny, hell, any other woman he knew back in his world, and he had to say this was the best conversation he'd ever had. Not only was she supplementing answers, but she was getting them right! He realized he could comfortably sit and talk with her for hours.

"The whole system makes sense, but that’s a lot of souls in a single place. Are different Hells, Heavens, and such for each world? So that the souls are spread out more?"

"Yes, there is, just like there's a records Department for each world."

"Records Department?"

Harry laughed. "Surely you don't think that paperwork is only a mortal thing?"

Mal started laughing herself. "Yup, okay, I can see it now."

"Records are for the numerous souls—everything from their birth to their death. And what the recommendations are for that soul. The Underworld, Hell, Rebirth, or slumbering until their soul has enough rest to start all over again."

"So, it's entirely possible for an evil soul to go into Heaven?" Mal asked, a little scared.

Harry shook his head. "Not at all. Heaven is about peace and slumber; when a soul wakes in Heaven, they have no memory of who they were before or the things they did. It's a place where souls go to wipe the slate clean."

She sighed in immense relief. "And if a soul has enough energy to fight the system and still be evil, it isn't in danger of breaking. At least not enough to warrant the type of rest Heaven provides. They wouldn't want to lose the memories of who they are."

Harry nodded. "Now, you have it."

"So, what's the structure of this place?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Well, it's kind of like layers, and they go up." Harry explained, taking a pen from Gabriel's holder and a piece of blank paper. He started to draw lines as he spoke, each one getting more prominent towards the middle, and the center is the most substantial part before becoming smaller again and ending.

"Starting from bottom to top, you have Hell, the Underworld, then you the dwellings of the Black wings. Then you have the viewing rooms for the dark worlds. Worlds that are so dark only the Black Wings can stand watch over these worlds."

She held up a hand to stop him, "Silent Hill, Hellraiser, American Horror Story, Tokyo Ghoul, those kinds of worlds?"

"Not sure about the last two, but yes to the first two." Harry answered.

"After that, you have the entire Records department, which is easily the largest part of this place. You have the records for Hell, the Underworld, the records for the darker worlds, one level for each world. Then you have the Judicial levels, where you have the law offices and the courtrooms."

Mal snorted. "You mean to tell me that there are lawyer angels, and Purgatory is a place that needs to have lawyers and judges and courts?"

"Yes." Harry said simply, but adamance silenced anything more Mal had to say.

"From there, you have the records for the lighter worlds, again one for each level. The Records for the artisans, the records for the Infirmary, and before you ask yes, there is a hospital-like place here in Purgatory. Angels do get injured, and souls do come back broken or with ailments that require medical attention." Harry then paused, realizing what he just said, and went to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Rida, never let a medic look you over after your lives, did she?"

Mal shook her head; realizing he couldn't see, she gulped in an attempt to wet her dry throat. "No."

"Did you ever come back injured?" His voice a little harsher now.

"Well," She said slowly. "There were a couple of times that I came back with some cracks, and I couldn't be sent back to the mortal world until they healed. Rida would leave the room then, locking me in. She would check on me periodically until I healed, then send me on my less than merry way."

She could hear it as Harry began gnashing his teeth together. "I swear to the Almighty above I am going to bitch slap that woman."

He took a deep breath and resurfaced from his hand. "Moving on before I become physical with my anger, and Gabriel would not like it if I broke his things even if they do repair instantly. After the records for the Infirmary, you have the Records for Heaven. After that, you have the dwellings for the Records Department angels."

"Do they have white wings or black?" Mal asked.

Harry smiled. "Actually, all of their wings are various stages of blue. For the darker blues, they handle the records for the darker worlds. For the medium blues, they handle other aspects of the afterlife; that's where you would find the lawyers and such."

"And the lighter blues are for, the lighter worlds." Mal finished with a smile of her own.

Harry nodded. "New angels, fledgling angels, are gray. They either darken or lighten if they are destined to be a guardian angel. Black Wings and White Wings are the only Guardians. Blue is records; Greens are for the gardens; Pinks are the Cherubs; Artisans don't really have a solid color. Whatever color their wings are isn't the deciding factor. If they have the talent for the arts, that's where they go."

"So, what comes after the Records Dwellings?" Mal asked, knowing they got sidetracked.

"The Gardens." Harry smiled at her. "Yes, that is also where the Garden of Eden is said to be hidden. After the mortals went on pilgrimages to find it, and not all of them for the right reasons, Gaia especially glad that she closed the pathways. It’s said that no one but angels can go in or come out now."

Mal nodded her understanding. She wondered if she became an angel if she could go into Eden.

"After the Gardens is the Artisan's workshops. Then you have their dwellings for the Gardeners and the artisans. Then you have the viewing rooms for the lighter worlds, and once again here, one for each level. Then it's the white wings dwellings." Harry looked back at the last of the lines; he'd labeled them as he went, so Mal could understand the structure she'd asked about. "From there, you have the Infirmary, which is run by the Cherubs as mentioned earlier. They cater to emergencies, short-term care, and long-term care, they have a clinic and a ward set aside specifically for soul repairs. And that has different sections depending on the type of treatment the soul will need."

"That's actually very efficient." Mal said, impressed. "I wonder if it looks like a regular hospital?"

"It kind of does. What methods they develop here become available in the mortal realms."

"So, where is the school?"

Harry looked at her, surprised. "You know about the school?"

Mal nodded. "Rida spoke about it once; even if she hadn't, I would assume to be a good angel and to find where you need to be placed, you'd have to go to school."

"Ah, that makes sense." Harry nodded. "Well, the College comes right after the Infirmary. Where the new angels go to learn about Purgatory and their placement."

"I take it after the College is the dwellings for the new angels and the medical staff. One level for each." Harry grinned as he labeled each one. "But, there are still lines, so what's after that?"

"That would be the Shrine." He said as he labeled it. "Here is the Citadel; from there, you have the entrance to the Heavens and to the Temple and the Inner Sanctum, where Gaia and Michael reside."

"Wow." Mal felt foolish saying that, but it was all she had at the moment. "This is place is huge!"

"It's as big as it needs to be." Harry corrected, sitting back. "It grows with each new world. It changes depending on which worlds fall into the darkness and which worlds become cleansed for the light. Heaven fluctuates as souls come and go. Even the Infirmary and other Purgatory areas are in constant flux because of the angels coming into their professions, or going to Heaven to become a soul again and start over."

"That's a thing?" Mal asked, surprised.

"Yeah, after a few millennia of doing this, the angels eventually get tired. Only the Arch Angels have managed to tough it out since the dawn of creation."

"Gaia and Michael must have a very active and healthy sex life for it to still work for them after all these years."

Harry looked at her in utter shock for a moment before he started to laugh. He eventually laughed so hard; he fell to the floor.

~==(oIo)==~

In the Temple, the two Arch Angels who'd been watching were also shocked by Mal's question; Michael more so than Gabriel. Gabriel had a similar reaction to Harry's and was rolling on the floor with laughter. They could hear the twinkling of small bells throughout the Temple.

Michael was too focused on the young woman on the screen to care about his lover and brother laughing at his expense.

"When did she become so vulgar?" Michael asked in a choked voice.

Gabriel sobered for a moment and looked up at Michael from his position on the floor. "You are aware that she has grown to adulthood and been sexually active a handful of lifetime's now, right?"

Michael and Gabriel couldn't believe it; it looked as if he was just told that his puppy had drowned. Setting Gabriel off all over again.

~==(oIo)==~

She sat there watching, her elbows on her knees, her chin resting in her hands as Harry rolled back and forth with laughter. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel that others were laughing at her too. Not amused anymore, she decided for a drastic change of topic, "So, have you ever met Gaia?"

He eventually gained enough control to answer without bursting into giggles. "No, Gabriel said Gaia could only be seen by powerful beings such as the Arch Angels. Regular angels can, but they wouldn't understand a word that she was saying to them. Gaia rarely shows up among the lower masses."

Mal pouted. She would have loved to have met Gaia. She had an image in her head of a woman. She was standing tall and majestic, long hair, seeming as if she was built out of the earth itself.

"That's disappointing."

Harry shrugged. "That's the way things are, I'm afraid."

"I wonder if the religious zealots are the way they are because Gaia denied seeing them in the afterlife."

"I couldn't say. To be perfectly honest, I've never met such people. Pureblood bigots, and muggleborn bigots, yes, but never a religious zealot."

"Lucky you." Mal sighed.

It was a loaded statement; there was about as much of a chance of her wanting to talk about it as Harry wanted to talk about his past. So they ignored the ever-growing elephant in the room. Mal was sure that it was changing colors and having ridiculous patterns appear and change as it grew.

Looking for something, anything, to have something new to talk about, she looked around the office again. This time, she noticed that the wall above the couch on the other side of the office, facing the wall with the bookshelves, was not a wall but a large window, Spanning the length of the room, stopping just before the ceiling.

"There's a window?"

Harry looked behind him to the window above the couch and grinned. Now that was something he just knew she would love. "Why don't we sit down there? I think you might like the view. Considering your focus on me and the books, I'm pretty sure you haven't seen it yet, or at all, considering the way Rida sheltered you."

He'd been proven right; the minute she saw the view beyond the window, all else was forgotten.

Mal couldn't pull her eyes away, and she was vaguely aware of Harry leading her to the couch to sit down.

A vast expanse of space that was dominantly midnight blue, surprisingly, had sections where it faded to pastel blues, pinks, and lavenders in parts. The stars looked like glittering jewels floating in the sky; they were also significant and bright. Not the far away from little dots in the sky one saw on earth.

There were clouds and in a variety of colors that floated serenely by while others stayed stationary. What caught her breath when looking at them was that several were spiraling together to form rainbow tornadoes all over the sky.

The stars, planets, and from what she could tell, the entire cosmos were doing the same thing. Floating by, stayed in one place, or were spiraling together in an intricate dance, she couldn't even begin to understand.

She was captivated, and tears rolled down her cheeks at the beauty of it all.

"How," She croaked, cleared her throat, and tried again. "How can you pull yourself away from such a view? I'm not much of an artist, and I'll never remember this view in my mortal lives if things go similar to how they were in the past, which is probably a good thing, or I'd have worked tirelessly to recapture this. Though the sheer majesty of it all would be lost."

"It would be a worthy pursuit." He said softly. "I, for one, think you could do it."

"If you ever saw my pathetic attempts at art before, you wouldn't be saying that."

"Practice makes perfect."

She couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah, that's true, I suppose."

They sat in silence for an immeasurable amount of time, just watching the view before them, mesmerized by its beauty. Mal never noticed, but Harry would look back and forth between her and the view beyond the window. She was too caught up in the artwork before her to notice anything else.

"I was once as captivated as you are now." Harry said, breaking the silence. "I've also wished that I had even an ounce of artistic talent so that I might attempt to recreate this. But alas, all of my talents lay elsewhere."

"I imagine so." Mal said softly. "Flying was always your talent, to my understanding. I'm sure there's more you're great at, but that's the only thing I can think of right now."

Harry chuckled. "Your encouragement is endearing."

"So, you've seen this view every time you came here before?"

"Yes. Though now I can honestly say that this view is now a close second to something else." Not for the first time, he was cursing the fact that this place permitted only truth.

Mal tore her gaze away from the majesty beyond the window to look at him. "You sound sincere, yet you look like you just ate something seriously bitter."

"We can't lie in this place, and it's a pain the ass sometimes." He said, scowled. "More than once, I wanted to tell Gabriel and the others "I was fine" when in fact, I wasn't. What ended up coming out was something along the lines of I wasn't fine, but that didn't fucking matter; I wanted to be left alone."

"Sounds like my go-to reactions when cornered in mortal life. Though I wanted to talk to someone about my problems, the issue was that no one around me could be trusted. As much as I cared about my friends in my previous life, they all had their own burdens to deal with, and I didn't feel like adding my own to theirs." She took his hand to hold sympathetically. "It was so natural for me to bury what I was truly thinking and feeling. It took only a few mistakes on my part, and then not even Rida could get the full truth out of me. I wonder if not being around her anymore, feeling safe like this, with you, has affected that ability."

Harry gulped. She felt safe with him? Had he ever felt safe? Even here? He wasn't sure, but he did know he felt more at peace with her at his side than he'd ever felt before. But he wasn't quite ready to admit that to himself completely, let alone voice it to her.

"It's possible." He finally said, squeezing her hand in comfort. "This place is designed for souls to feel safe and express what they think and feel. Vent it all before going back to the next life as it were so that they can live with relative peace in their souls."

She looked at him, confused. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

He shouldn't be surprised, but he was. He knew that Rida was an incompetent angel, but that she would deny her charge the chance to purge before going back to the mortal plane was just . . . he didn't think there was a word that could describe his level of hatred and fury at that blasted bitch. Lunacy came to mind when he thought of what those actions meant.

Sure, Gabriel, even Satan, encouraged Harry to talk about it, to get it off his chest. If not with them, then with another soul, perhaps? They could even get him to one of the rooms where people could speak to Gaia. However, she could not answer directly or interact with the speaker at all. Still, he'd denied.

"Yes, we are allowed to purge what we thought about the lives we've lived. To talk more in-depth about what happened and what it did to us." He eventually answered softly. "Though, honestly, I've denied every chance that I was given."

Mal looked down at their joined hands. "Again, that sounds like something I would do. Especially if strangers surrounded me."

She paused, and she leaned head towards her shoulder. Harry had come to recognize what that look meant. "What are you thinking?"

"Just wondering if that's why depression and anger issues are so bad, especially in my world. Because of souls not venting or being unable to, they go back to their mortal shells carrying their previous lives pain and anger."

That was an excellent theory, he mused. Because souls tended to repeat their lives until they got it right, just like him, and just like Mal was forced to. Sometimes souls got a new life each time, and each experience was different. Widespread depression would be the least of the problems contaminating a world. He knew of depression, sure, but it was a severe problem from the way Mal spoke. Compared to his world, depression didn't afflict people in his world as it did hers.

"I think that's something you should mention to Gabriel when we see him." He eventually told her. "I'm sure that even Michael would want to know if the protocol wasn't being followed. Even if it's the soul's choice not to talk, if it's happening that much and affecting the worlds to the extent you're describing, then it's a problem that will need immediately address here."

~==(oIo)==~

Gabriel sat there; he already had a pen in his hand and a little notepad. He had already filled several pages with notes as he scribbled away.

Michael sat there, fuming. He'd tried several times to leave the Temple to get to Gabriel's office but was denied. When Gabriel made his one attempt, it ended in much the same way.

He finally stopped writing and looked to his brother. "I have to agree with Harry on that one, and Mal's theory has merit. We'll have to conduct some research, but I have every confidence that it will pan out exactly as she said. Souls are being stubborn and not purging, or their angels aren't taking the time to do it properly."

"Then Ephraim will get his wish, and there will an added wing to the infirmary specifically to deal with the mental health of souls." Michael said in a tone that was numb despite his furious look.

Gabriel sighed. "I get your reluctance about new policies; we've started several for the good of the souls in our care that did more damage to them. However, I fail to see what your issue is with the couple in my office. Why are you so against them being together?"

The twinkling of bells could be heard, and Gabriel got the feeling that Gaia just sided with him.

"Fine!" Michael yelled, turning his glare towards the stairs. "But I'm going to test them first! If what you say is true, then let me test them! If I fail, I will follow your every command on this venture."

The twinkling echoed once more, and the Temple seemed to twinkle. Gaia just accepted the wager.