Maeve woke up the next morning with the sun in her face. She had fallen asleep with face to the window, and the curtains were still open. She didn't like the daytime in this world, this world beyond the veil of death. It was a fake daytime. The sunlight was warm and bright, yes, but it didn't exist. This world was a world of eternal night, yet the illusion of a day was given. Even seasons passed her by, and it was the only way she knew how long she had been there.

She rolled onto her back and sighed, letting her still-tired body relax and her eyes close, completely serene for all of five minutes. That was all the time it took for Sirius to wake up. Somehow, whenever she woke up in the mornings, he was awake no more than five minutes later. She didn't mind it, though, and as he rolled over and pulled her closer to him, she smiled and opened her eyes to glance at him. He smiled back; they knew what today was.

Today was the anniversary of their 'marriage,' their false marriage they had staged for the sake of their own sanity, and to feel like they were something more than just trapped there for all eternity with nothing to show for it. And in her vows, Maeve had promised she would find a way for them to get back to the land of the living, among other things. She had brought him to her, and had been given her dog back by one of the Summonsers, the guards and wizards of this world. If there had been a way to do that, there had to be a way to get back. And when they got back, they would really be married.

The only problem they faced was finding out how to go about getting information. There were no magic libraries, there were no secret scrolls hidden somewhere in their small dwelling space, there was nowhere for them to go to find out any of these things. The only thing they had were the Summonsers, and they did not enjoy being disturbed. The only one that had ever been seen by Maeve was an old Summonser named Hahtog, the one that brought her Venus, and the only other was a cruel old fart whose name they did not know, the one that brought Sirius to Maeve as she slept.

Now, this did not mean that bringing a Summonser to be their audience was impossible. It just took some serious talent and people skills, to coax such a being to do your bidding. And you'd also have to have something to give them in return, for they were petty and material creatures who enjoyed adding to their collections whenever possible. They would have to think carefully about the approach they would take, and what to use to bargain with Hahtog - for they were going to try and bring Hahtog to them - for the information they needed. Summonsers knew much about this world, like walking history books with encyclopedias in the back.

But what could Hahtog possibly want from them? It wasn't like they had anything too precious or valuable, nothing that nice in this old cottage. And all her earthly possessions had been hidden from the world, on the other side of the veil. She couldn't remember why she had hidden it…Sirius, on the other hand, had given all his possessions to his godson. She had heard so much about the boy, The Boy Who Lived, and she was so excited that she may meet him, if they could ever get out of this place.

So it was settled. That evening, after spending a good deal of time locked up in their bedroom, tangled in the sheets, unmoving as they spoke of their idea, they finally appeared like ghosts from their bedroom door, clothed in pajamas and slippers. Down the stairs they went, through the corridor, down the other flight of steps, down the other corridor, and into the kitchen. Maeve would make them some tea, Sirius would sift through all the objects in that room, lay them out on the table, and then do the same in the other rooms, bringing object after object into the kitchen to add to the pile, while Maeve went from tea to dinner; even though they were dead and lived in the land of the veil, they still had to eat. They still had bodies with familiar feelings that needed to be nourished.

Maeve had found, one month, that she didn't really need food. But when she didn't eat or drink, she felt so utterly hopeless, so depressed and ill that she finally couldn't take it any longer. The first thing she saw, a small round of cheese, was the first thing she ate. And for hours, she cooked up a storm and ate anything she could, until finally, the feeling was gone, and she felt full, and happy. From then on, she swore she would never deny herself the pleasure of food. It was soon after Sirius joined her that he, too, learned of the awful feeling that went along with not getting the food his stomach yearned for, even after death.

When they had been fed, and the tea was gone, and Venus dozed next to the fire, the couple ran back up to their room to dress and be ready for the task at hand. They had found every interesting object in the house, and every interesting object in the garden, and taken it to the kitchen, where they would summon the Summonser Hahtog. Who knew they would spend their anniversary fighting their way out of the place they had been so cruelly thrown into.

Robes of deep green were worn by Maeve, over a gown of light green linen, her sleeves dipping to the floor. For Sirius, a gold-colored shirt under black robes and a black vest, black dress pants to top the look off. Again, they were practically opposites, but neither minded, and as far as personality went, Maeve was really trying to get her temper under order.

"Ow! That was my neck, you twat! Bloody hell, that hurt…"

"I'm sorry, Maeve, but if you would just hold still, I'd be able to pin in properly!"

That was Sirius, always patient and uncaring of what words she used with him. Apparently, her temper needed more work.

When they were done getting ready, down again they rushed, into the cellar to collect the ingredients for the potion Maeve would make to give Hahtog (a favorite treat of the Summonsers, a delightful potion used almost like a drug would be in the Muggle world), and then she scoured her shelves of books for the journal she had kept in the beginning, the one chronicling all the spells, in order of importance, that she had learned here and that pertained to her needs. When everything was in order, she drew her circle, called Venus into it, and took her place next to Sirius.

In the next five minutes, as she went on chanting the words, an eerie silence invaded the room, and Venus began to whine. Maeve only glanced at the dog, to make sure she was staying put, and Sirius was quick to hold her back when the light began to shine. This light was different, though, it was dark, and horrible, like a horror story in the form of an orb, and as the orb grew, so did the shape inside the orb, until the entire room was infected with the dark red glow of the orb as its inside form morphed and grinned at those within the circle.

Hahtog laughed.