thanks for all your reviews, sorry I left you with a cliffhanger for a week. Have fun with this chapter.

The Green Bird: please email me if you want to continue our discussion on Lily and Snape

10- Beyond the Veil

We were falling… I had no idea for how long. Eventually we hit the ground but I wouldn't complain because I had a soft landing. On top of Sirius. I had never let go of him, still clutching to his arm. He looked me in the eye.

"We're dead."

Now that was a very negative statement and besides, I didn't feel dead at all. I begged to differ.

"We're not. We can't be dead because a Stunner doesn't kill, nor did the fall kill us. We're just…" I raised my head and looked up to from where we had come but the tunnel through which we had fallen was gone, replaced by a cloudless sky of metallic grey. Interesting. "Well, we're just somewhere else."

"Raven, the room isn't called the Death Chamber for no reason and the stone archway is known to be a passageway…" He broke off when another thought struck him. "Why were you there anyway? You weren't at the Headquarters when Snape informed us, you had gone out…"

"Severus sent his Patronus to fill me in…"

"He can cast a Patronus? Now that must be a particularly ugly thing."

"Oh yeah, a really threatening beastie." I would never ever tell Sirius about Bambi. I frowned at him. "You know, you can't tell me we're dead and the only thing that survived is your loathing of Severus Snape."

"Alright, so why did Snape tell you what's going on after he had already alerted the Order? That doesn't make any sense."

"He knew what I only realized the moment I believed you were in danger because I had been telling myself that you can't warm up an old teenage crush although it actually isn't a teenage crush what I'm feeling for you but I never admitted it to myself acknowledged..."

Sirius sighed. "I had hoped things would be less cryptic when dead."

"Meaning I love you."

"Oh… um, isn't it a bit unfair you're telling me that now when we're dead?"

"We're not, and I tried to tell you at the Ministry but you ran off to fight that mental slut of a cousin."

"Bad timing."

I brushed his lips with mine. "Do you really feel dead now?"

"Not at all but maybe you should repeat that to be dead sure."

I laughed and kissed his lips again.

"Hem, hem…"

"What?" I hadn't made that sound and neither had Sirius, which lead to the conclusion that we weren't alone here. We sat up with a start and looked around.

"Hem, hem… I know it is very rude to interrupt such a sweet scene but what are you doing here?"

We stared in bewilderment at the small, dwarf-like wizard in front of us. He was bald with bushy eyebrows and lots of facial hair, the tip of his snow-white beard ending at his bare feet. His robes of lilac matched perfectly the colour of his eyes that glared at us disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry if you think it offensive that we're kissing…"

"Tsk!" One of his eyebrows shot up. "I couldn't care less and besides, I am well aware what you were doing that very moment, thank you very much, but that still doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here? You don't belong here. You are not dead."

"We're not?" Sirius asked, looking happy. Though I had told him that before he seemed to be quite glad to hear it confirmed by someone else who wasn't emotionally involved.

"Silly boy," the lilac dwarf sneered, "of course not. You were hit by a Stunning Curse and Stunners don't kill. That still leaves the question why you are here."

He plucked at his beard, apparently mulling things over.

"'Cause we fell through the bloody veil of that bloody archway and simply landed here." Sirius snapped, a little livid.

"Well, where is here anyway?" I demanded, gazing at the lilac clad wizard. "And who are you?"

The hairy dwarf muttered something under his breath that vaguely sounded like a tantrum about our obvious ignorance and cursing the whole wizarding world for not adequately praising the arduous efforts of his job, whatever that was.

"Iam the Keeper, young Missy. You must have heard of me. I guard all the passageways leading to the Realm of the Dead, Iwelcome all new arrivals, and Iwatch carefully that no uninvited visitors try to sneak into my world. Now youhave not received an invitation. You were not killed, therefore you don't belong here."

"Great, we got that now and let me assure you that it wasn't our intention to come here in the first place and especially not after I just learned that the adorable, stunningly beautiful witch sitting next to me is in love with me." Sirius flashed me a smile. "I know I'm a loveable stray."

"Oh Sirius, please, don't be too full of yourself and don't remind me of fur." I told him though I didn't mind him saying that stunninglybeautiful part; it was flattering. However, since we so clearly didn't belong in the Realm of the Dead and the lilac Keeper took so much offence in us being here I couldn't help but say, "Well, as it seems we're not welcome here and we're not keen on lingering here either, so why don't you just send us back?"

"Because I am the Keeper and not the Sender."

"Ah, and where can we find the Sender?" Sirius enquired

"There is no Sender."

I rolled my eyes in frustration; this was getting more and more irritating. "But there is a way back?"

"Yes."

"Care to tell us?"

"No. I'm the Keeper and it was not listed in my job description to give away such secrets. That you have to find out by yourselves."

"You're just being maddeningly unhelpful." I was tempted to use the Imperio Curse on him and make him tell me but I doubted that my wand would help me here.

He flashed me an annoyingly mild smile that reminded me of Dumbledore. "I doubt that anyone here is going to be helpful even though they know the way out. But since they can't leave like you could if you knew the way they won't tell you. Good luck."

With that he dissolved into thin air and left Sirius and I standing on a meadow where there wasn't one before, looking like ghosts in this strange land. The sun was shining from a cloudless grey sky, not casting any shadows, and the grass under our feet didn't seem to remember our footsteps as we walked on in curiosity. I glanced at him and he was as transparent as I was but his grip on my hand was solid. Probably it was the only thing solid here since the landscape kept changing every few steps. For a minute we walked through a desert, then we passed a forest were some overgrown cockroaches were having a tea party. A spider wearing a green bowler hat idly wove it's net between two palm trees and a confederation of shrinking heads discussed new potions for better shrinking.

"We're not dead, we're merely on a LSD trip."

"Magical Mushrooms are more likely. Look at those." Sirius pointed at a group of huge fungi that were singing and waltzing.

"My, this really is a weird place."

The scenery changed. We were now in a part of Absurdistan that almost looked normal except that there seemed to be something wrong with the river we were approaching. Suddenly Sirius froze in his tracks and stared at the two people standing at the riverbank. One of them was a witch with red hair shining brightly in the sun that was not visible in the silvery cloudless sky. Lily. She was waving at us and came walking in our direction, and next to her, struttingin his everlasting Quidditch-Champion way… James Potter. What had I done to deserve this?

"Padfoot!" He cried cheerfully

"Prongs!" Sirius let go of my hand and scampered off to get swept into a brotherly embrace, clinging onto Potter. There was something really bizarre about that scene because usually ghost just sweep through you, giving you the creeps. Well, the ghost in that scene was Sirius who looked as ghostly transparent as I did while the one that had actually died looked more alive and real. Nevertheless hugging seemed to work here. I rolled my eyes, now that was really… touching. I was feeling sarcastic. What did Sirius see in Potter? Then I noticed a suspiciously moist glitter in Sirius' eyes and turned tactfully away to not spoil their moment. He must love that guy for reasons that were unfathomable to me. So be it. Potter was dead and we would return from this place.

"Boys," Lily sighed, "he missed him so much."

I gave her a cold glance. Wasn't it a tad rude for a dead man to miss a living man since that sounded so much like I want him to be here now?

"Raven, I always wondered why you stopped talking to me. I thought we were friends."

My perfectly trimmed eyebrows shot up. Friends?How pathetic was that? Yes, she had treated me kindly at school but it had been more like the kindness one shows towards a stray. Pat its head and- in case of Severus- made sure you wipe off your hands afterwards. Mayhap I was unfair now.

"Talking about friends… yours would have slept outside the lion's den- which the Gryffindor tower was for him- only to get the chance and say he's truly sorry that the oh-so unforgivable word slipped his lips in a moment of utter humiliation but you wouldn't have it. Well, I actually believe you were long square then given that you insulted him in a much more personal way."

"I know," she said softly. "It took me a while but I really regret that now. If only he hadn't been so fascinated with the Dark Arts… Nevertheless, I wish I could tell him that I'm sorry too, that I have forgiven him…"

He would have died to hear those words from her lips but since I preferred Severus alive and I had no intention on lingering here either I said, "You know, it was merely an unfortunate accident that landed us here, Sirius and I." Sirius and I- I still had to get used to that but it had a really nice ring to it. "So if you'd tell us how to leave Absurdistan I could tell Severus you're not mad at him any longer."

"But would he want to hear that at all? Does he even remember me after all those years?"

Argh! How thick was she? I tried to remain calm and longed for a cigarette, rummaged through the pockets of my coat until I found a crumbled and almost empty pack of fags, then gnawed at it because I couldn't find a lighter. Lily, sweet as ever, helped me out with the tiniest snip of fingers. I inhaled deeply and saw the smoke streaming out of my transparent body in clouds of rainbow colours. This really was a weird place.

"Lily, do I look like someone men are likely to say 'no' to?"

She shook her head in confusion. At the same time her glorious, wonderful husband took notice of me. It was probably hard to ignore a pretty witch clad in tight black leather Muggle clothes even if she wasn't radiating clouds of rainbow coloured smoke. He whistled approvingly as he patted Sirius' shoulder.

"My, Padfoot, who's that exceptionally handsome witch? Congrats, mate."

Smiling sheepishly Sirius wrapped an arm around my waist– feeling just as unfamiliar with the situation as I was and yet it felt so very right. But before he could introduce me to his best dead friend I beat him to it.

"You know, Potter, and this may come as a surprise to you, not only ugly little ducklings can go through a metamorphosis and turn into a beautiful swan at the end of the fairy tale. Sometimes it also happens that a fat crow metamorphoses into a pretty Raven."

"Raven Lestrange," he gasped bewildered, eying me up and down. Although he took pleasure in what he saw- his glance remained a little too long on my admittedly very daring décolleté (hey, I had been on my way to a rock concert when Bambi had appeared on the road in front of me)- his attitude towards me hadn't changed at all. "Now where's that greasy-haired sidekick of yours?"

"At Hogwarts, trying to protect your son. Lousy job but someone's gotta do it because you're too dead to care for Harry. You have to admit that Severus is decidedly the cleverer of you two given that he's still alive and I mightily doubt he would've never chosen a rat as his Secret Keeper." I flashed Sirius an apologetic smile. "No offence intended."

"Well, as it seems you're dead too."

"Nope. Technically we're not since we weren't killed. We just happened to stumble though the veil and need to find a way back. Any idea?"

Potter looked at Sirius. "You want to leave me again, Padfoot."

I shot him a really nasty look. "Even in death you're an egoistic, arrogant bastard, Potter. D'you really want Sirius to stay in Absurdistan with you? Damned, let him HAVE A LIFE!"

Something really strange happened. James Potter proved that he could be a decent guy even if it was only for Sirius. He swallowed his dislike for me because he understood that I seemed to mean a lot to his friend and wanted to see him happy. A very noble gesture.

Lily placed a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder. "We should tell them how to get back to the living world. Sirius is the only one Harry's got left."

Potter nodded. By the way he glared at me I could tell he wished that Sirius would remain the only one for Harry because he didn't seem to fancy the idea I could become part of his family. Bad Slytherin influence and all that. But he didn't say anything like that for Sirius' sake.

"Alright, you have to walk up that river, just let the flow carry you…"

Finally I got what had been so odd about the river- it was flowing up and not down. When Potter said we'd soon reach a mountain with a waterfall I actually saw that mountain appear in front of me, and the typical spray usually found at the bottom of a waterfall was at its top, forming a glittering cloud above the rocks. The water was really shooting up instead of pouring down. A really, really weird place.

"Time to leave." I squeezed Sirius' hand. He let go of me to once more hug Potter and I turned around to look Lily in the eye. Should I tell her? Severus would probably not want me to spill his secret but I thought that Lily had the right to know. I leant closer to her so that Potter couldn't hear. "Is there anything you want me to tell an old friend of yours?"

"Tell him I'm sorry too. I'm still wondering though… is he… was he… I mean, did he ever join You-Know-Who's ranks and became a…"

"Death Eater? Yep. He still is, actually. But he's also a member of the Order of the Phoenix and I daresay the one who risks the most ever since the day he learned that Voldemort was going after you. He abandoned Voldemort and tried to save your life, and the pain of failing is still eating him up. He doesn't like Harry well- the boy looks too much like James- and yet he's keeping him safe in memory of you. He never stopped loving you, Lily."

"He loved me?" She whispered astounded. "But why did he never…"

I left her pondering why it was possible that an unpopular, unattractive, neglected, and deep in his heart insecure little Slytherin boy had never dared to confess that he loved the popular, very pretty and therefore too high above him Gryffindor girl, especially since there was an attractive Quidditch champion prancing around her all the time, showing off with his rare talent of jinxing anyone that got in his way simply because he could.

"Sirius! We gotta go!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him along, suddenly panicking that we might be doomed to stay here forever if we didn't leave rightnow. We were already less transparent than we had been when we came here first and I feared that lingering any longer could probably loose us our we're-only-transients badge. I definitely didn't want to remain dead if there was a chance to get away. I was still much too young and far too pretty to be dead. There were so many things I hadn't done yet, like all these naughty things that came to my mind when looking at Sirius… I loved him, I wanted him… there had always been some kind if physical attraction between us… but let's not rush things. That would have to wait until we were back home, in the world of the living. We'd just jump out of that ancient archway as if it hadn't swallowed us, finish the Death Eaters Dumbledore's left to us, and return to Grimmauld Place where we'd lock up in my room for the next couple of days. Yes, that sounded good. Probably too good for things to turn out the way I wanted them to.

We were running up a river that was flowing in reverse of any logical, natural order- well, there wasn't any logic in Absurdistan anyway. We were deep to our knees in the water and yet it felt as if we were walking on its surface, hovering over the water while the current was taking us upstream, towards the oddest of all waterfalls.

Once you're there make sure that the undertows won't shoot you up, keep your desired destination firmly in mind. There's a cave behind the waterfall, and in that cave there's supposed to be an archway that will sort of catapult you back to where you belong, I remembered Potter saying as I sped up the waterfall, Sirius in tow. I focussed my mind on where I wanted to be while shooting a last glance at the Potters. James was weeping in Lily's arms, already missing his best friend, and she still looked slightly confused because of what I had told her about Severus Snape…

I couldn't remember passing though a cave since the first thing I noticed after running up a waterfall was a very familiar situation. Once again I ended up landing on Sirius but this time I heard some bones crashing in the process.

"You alright?" I asked worriedly.

He held up the broken bone of someone who must have died ages ago, tears running down his cheeks. "I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

Still crying silent tears he nodded. "At least I could say goodbye to him this time… "

I kissed him and scrambled to my feet, looking around. We were definitely not in the Department of Mysteries although it was a mystery to me where we were. It seemed to be some sort of a tomb, which would explain the bones, but it was too dark to figure out more. I reached for my wand.

"Lumos!"

Nothing happened. I tried it again but no light came from the tip of my wand. Hey, that was a simple spell I shouldn't have problems with it.

"Sirius, dear, could you help me out, please? Something's wrong with my wand."

He gave me a frown but when he tried to cast some light with his wand the result wasn't much better. Wherever we were, we couldn't rely on our magic and that wasn't a very comforting thought.

Sirius shrugged. "Well, let's find out where we are first. Look, there seems to be a way out, I can see some light in the distance."

We walked through a tunnel that had been dug in the ground and for the first time since I had left Grimmauld Place earlier this evening I regretted wearing high-heels. If I had expected to end up lost in the wilderness I would have chosen a different pair of shoes. Although I would have preferred to not end up in the wilderness in the first place but exactly that was what we saw after coming out of the tunnel. Wilderness. The bright, full moon shining over vast expanses of steppe. Small hills like the one we had just left were occasionally disrupting the monotony of the grassland. No, I suddenly realized when the scenery became vaguely familiar to me, those weren't hills- those were burial mounds. Kurgans, to be more precise.

"Oh shit!" I gasped, shooting Sirius a frantic glance. "We're in southern Siberia, we're without magic, and you just broke the bones of an ancient Scythian king. The archaeologists won't be pleased."

"What archaeologists?"

"Those in that camp over there." I pointed in the direction of a bonfire burning in the middle of some tents.

"Ah… well, they seem to be asleep and besides, you shouldn't worry about some Muggle archaeologists when the full moon is up."

"You're right. Let's worry about south Siberian werewolves roaming the steppe, that's definitely more entertaining." I looked over to the camp. A guy in uniform, apparently a Cossack, was on patrol but he hadn't taken notice of us yet. My glance wandered to the cars, a pick up and two jeeps. Since we were momentarily without magic we couldn't Disapparate or turn something into a Portkey, we had no broomsticks (fortunately) and I couldn't use the Engorgement Charm on my Harley. I smiled at Sirius. "Ever stolen a car?"

"No… why?"

"Because you can't expect me to walk through the steppe in these shoes." I lifted one foot to show him the heels. "These shoes are not made for walking, therefore we could use a car."

He grinned. "Though I like to see you strutting around on your high-heels you're right. So, we're going to steal a car. I'm in… sounds like fun."

I took off my shoes. It would be easier to sneak up to the cars without them and if anyone noticed us I could still use them as weapons. Or poke out eyes with my wand.

"We have to be careful and move very silently." I instructed Sirius who was staring absent-mindedly at my feet. Yes, I was aware that the turquoise polish on my toenails looked a bit out of place here in the grassland of south Siberia and probably it would also look out of place on someone in New York City who had set his mind on stealing a car. But that didn't matter now. "Did you listen to me, Sirius?"

"Of course. I will move on silent paws…"

"Don't. Remind. Me. Of. Dogs!"

Chuckling quietly he swept me in his arms and kissed me, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. He looked so much more alive now that we had been dead… not dead… undead in Absurdistan… returned from the Realm of the Dead… whatever. I had no idea how we actually managed to get to the cars but we got there unnoticed- I guessed we were just a great team when it mattered, and luck was on our side. The door of the jeep was unlocked. You couldn't leave a car unlocked in London but since the Siberian population was insignificantly smaller it was unlikely that someone came along to steal your car in the wilderness.

I slipped on the driver's seat and bent down to hotwire the jeep.

"What are you doing there?" Sirius asked.

"Some kind of illegal Muggle magic…"

"Well, although my experiences with Muggle techniques are slightly limited I'm wondering why you don't use the keys to start the engine."

Because we don't have a bloody key, I wanted to snap but he had already reached up to the sun visor and, with a metallically jingling sound, produced a set of keys. My, these archaeologists working in Siberia were really a trusting bunch of fellows! I flashed Sirius a warm smile. "Ta. You're simply the best."

He moved closer, intending to kiss me again and I didn't mind at all. Unfortunately that was the moment when our lucky streak came to an end since the Cossack on patrol wasn't as trusting as the archaeologists still dreaming sweat Scythian dreams were. He came running towards our jeep, a nasty looking gun at the ready, shouting something in Russian. I didn't understand any Russian but I knew a threat when I heard one. It was about time to take our leave! I started the engine and slammed my foot on the accelerator. The jeep sped forward with spinning wheels.

The Cossack gave a warning shot in the air. Probably he wanted us to stop but I didn't feel inclined to do him that favour. Instead I grabbed the steering wheel hard in my hands, jerked it around to not run the Cossack over, and regretted my merciful decision to spare his life a few seconds later when he started to fire his gun at our jeep.

"Keep your head down!" I yelled at Sirius while I tried to do the same and still being able to see where I was driving to, my foot pressed tightly on the gas pedal. Again and again I pulled hard on the wheel to send us on a zigzag course but nevertheless a bullet managed to hit and smash to smithereens our rear window. Sirius was laughing. He definitely had been kept locked up for far too long if he thought this was fun.

I drove on at top speed until we were finally out of shooting range. Only then I allowed myself to cast a glance in the rear view mirror and see if we were being followed, which was apparently not the case. The archaeologists were probably too busy checking on long dead Scythian bones to bother about something as banal as a stolen car. It might have been different if the excavation site had not been plundered by grave robbers centuries ago, if they had found more than just some old bones here.

"It never gets boring with you." Sirius said then, and it sounded like a compliment. Like hell he was right. Actually I wished for a little less action since we hadn't even had the time to talk properly due to all the fighting at the Ministry, falling through the veil, travelling through Absurdistan, escaping a trigger-happy Cossack, driving hell for leather through Siberia… well, I had told him I loved him and we were acting like a couple ever since then, and maybe that was okay, maybe there was no use to talk things over that were so very clear…

"How did you know that the not-waterfall spat us out in south Siberia, or that we crashed the bones of an ancient Scythian king?"

"Don't underestimate the educational effects Muggle TV can have on you- there was a documentary about Scythian excavations some time ago on BBC."

"You really should tell that to my dear ol' mum… she'd be truly scandalized. Just the idea of having cable TV at Grimmauld Place would drive her out of her frame and straight to hell."

"Why not give it a try when we're back?" We laughed about the idea for a while, then fell silent again. I concentrated on the road that was more like a dirt track actually, and since it was the only way leading away from the archaeologists camp there was no other direction for us to go anyway. Which could become a problem if the archaeologists had called the local police. I needed a map to find out where we were in order to plot our further course.

"Is there a map in the gloves box?" I asked Sirius who didn't know what a gloves box was until I told him. He rummaged through it and handed me a street atlas. I stopped the car to study it since he was too fascinated with the pistol he had found. I gave him a frown. "Be careful with that thing."

"Sure." The next moment there was a loud bang and a bullet shot though the roof of the jeep, leaving a hole. Sirius blushed and put the pistol away again, looking abashed. "Sorry… so where are we?"

"You'll soon be back with James if you keep playing with dangerous things," I growled. Men! I showed him the map on which the location of the excavation site was marked. It was near the village of Arzhan in the republic of Tuva, deep in the southern Siberia and bordering Mongolia. The nearest town I'd ever heard of was Novosibirsk, almost a thousand miles to the northwest. Cool, I had always wanted to go to Novosibirsk- not. With a sigh I drove on, missing my magic.

"I can take over for a while," Sirius offered and though that was thoughtful of him I shot him a sceptical glance.

"Dear, you don't even know what a glove box is. Do you think the fact that you used to own a flying motorbike once qualifies you for driving a car?"

"I didn't always fly my motorbike, you know that I used to hang around with the local motorcycle crowd and they'd have thought it odd if I had taken off into the air."

"True," I admitted.

"It can't be so difficult to drive that car. I watched you," (Oh, I really didn't doubt that), "I just keep my hands on the wheel and my foot on the gas pedal."

"You don't have a driver's licence."

"Actually I do."

"What? Sirius Black took driving lessons?"

"Just one. After that I Confunded the instructor and he signed the piece of paper. I was always a very talented student." He lounged so casually on his seat, smiling at the memory that I had to smirk.

"Talented with anything but modesty…"

"Raven, I'm a Black and no Black was ever raised to be modest. I grew up with the knowledge that we're superior, the elite of the wizarding world, high above the scum of half-bloods… all this pure-blood mania I grew so sick of later. Now let me drive that car."

In the meantime the sun had come up and we were on an empty but well-built road that seemed to go on for miles without end, cutting straight through the vastness of Siberia. It really couldn't be very hard to drive a car on a road like that, so I gave in. And Sirius proved that he really was a talented man. After stalling the engine once and accelerating a tad too much at the next try- we almost ended up in the roadside ditch- he managed to handle the car quite well. I cuddled up on the passenger seat and closed my eyes for a moment.

When I woke up again it was because I suddenly missed the sound of the engine. The car stood in the middle of the road and Sirius was outside, scrutinizing it with a frown on his face. The hood stood open.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"There's something wrong with that car so I looked at the engine but it differs so much from that of my old motorbike that I'm pretty clueless. I wish I could hex it."

"Did you check the petrol gauge?" I looked at it. "Sirius, the tank is bloody empty; we've run out of petrol so close the hood and hope the archaeologists left us a full spare can."

We were lucky. We found not only a full spare can of petrol in the boot but also two full bottles of water. Until then I hadn't even realized how thirsty I was. Now I only needed something to eat and a gas station. The tiny little problem was that we didn't have any money… but well, we had a pistol so we could still add armed robbery to our criminal register. I searched my pockets for that crumpled pack of cigarettes and while searching for the lighter- I knew it must be somewhere- my fingers touched something that was thin, rectangular and made out of plastic. With a cry of triumph I produced my credit card! We were saved from having to continue our criminal career.

When we drove on it was my turn again so that Sirius could take a nap. After a few miles we reached a gas station where I tanked the jeep and refilled the spare can; I also bought some Russian pies which were quite tasty.

Travelling through Siberia was boring given that the landscape hardly changed and the road was straight. There had been some mountains in Tuva but now it was all steppe, low grasslands for miles and miles. Though I'd never been keen on using magical means of transportation before I missed it now. I couldn't even imagine that I had ever wanted to be a squib because I had grown so accustomed to my magical skills that I felt empty, almost vulnerable without them. The sun set and we were still driving along that same old bloody road for hours while the music on the radio was as melancholic as the landscape. It was too frustrating to be true. I wanted to curl up in Sirius' arms and cry.

We stopped at the parking lot of a gas station in the middle of nowhere, deep in the night, so we both could get a rest and when we woke up with the first sunrays of a new day shining on our faces, the world suddenly looked much more friendly. I felt a new but definitely very familiar energy flushing through my veins and I got overly exited realizing that my magic was back. I wanted to hex the world just for the sake of it. Because I could... and yet I contained myself. I certainly didn't want Russian Obligators having to modify the memories of some innocent Muggle bystanders that had witnessed me going mad with joy since the parking lot was anything but empty this morning. Instead it seemed to be the meeting point for truckers to have breakfast in the self-service restaurant. Breakfast was a great idea.

Surreptitiously I turned the thin brew that was supposed to be coffee into a double espresso with a generous mountain of foamed milk and almost purred with delight. It was so good to be alive again. Sirius watched me with a big smile on his face… we had to get back to civilisation again, to a hotel, big bed… Cuddling up in his arms at night was a nice thing but not enough, never enough. I wanted him like he wanted me and yet we didn't want it to happen in the toilet of a gas station somewhere in Siberia.

Since it was almost a wonder that no police patrol had tried to stop us yet we opted not to rely too much on our lucky streak that had gotten us this far but to leave the jeep behind. I had already Engorgioed my Harley so we'd ride the last two hundred or so miles to Novosibirsk. Then we could still decide how to make our comeback into the wizarding world. For some reasons I couldn't fathom I thought it unwise to just pop up in London as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn't fallen through that veil in the Dearth Camber of the Department of Mysteries, not knowing what had been going on there after our… demise.

Therefore we headed on to Novosibirsk where we checked in at River Park Ob hotel. A wave with my credit card was enough to convince the guy at the reception that I really wanted to book the most expensive suite on the highest floor of the twelve-storey building, overlooking the river Ob.

Things seemed to be prefect until my glance fell on a newspaper. I couldn't read the headline since it was in Russian but what really caught my eye was the date. 1997. If that was a prank then it must be a damned bad one given that I had left Grimmauld Place to go to a rock concert in late June of 1996when Severus' Patronus had made me go to the Department of Mystery in the Ministry of Magic instead. I had fallen through that veil with Sirius and we had ended up in the deep south of Siberia following our short stint in Absurdistan. After that we had been on the road for almost two days now- there was simply no way I could have missed a whole year and one week. But it was definitely July 5th 1997 today. The very same date was also written on my credit card receipt.

"Sirius, look."

It took him a moment to get what I was about. Meanwhile I checked my reflection in the mirror of the elevator that took us up to our suite on the twelfth floor, searching my face for wrinkles that hadn't been there two days (one year and a week) ago. Sirius thought me slightly nuts as he said matter-of-factly, "Well, apparently time flies differently in the Realm of the Death but…"

"You might think it's worth losing more than year of your life for a moment with James but for a woman the idea of looking one year and a week older without having lived that year and a week is a nightmare."

"Raven, you look as beautiful as ever and not a single day older, honestly." He gathered me in his arms while I still stared at the mirror.

"You know, I'm really glad you didn't start talking about Quidditch… I would have come back from the Death as an old woman."