The day couldn't have been any more perfect, Sirius thought that night. Maddy lay sleeping next to him, nuzzled up close. He could feel the warmth of her back, pressed against his chest, and he inched closer to kiss her neck. She moved her bottom slightly, enough to make him want more. He hated to wake her, though.

He had left the French doors open which led outside to the balcony. In darkness, the sound of waves lapping against the shore was constant and soothing. It wasn't the Abbaye de Talloires any longer, though. He had apparated her to a small hotel in the Algarve on their wedding night for a few days before returning home. Salema, in Portugal, had been recommended by James years earlier after he had brought Lily for a holiday. Sirius had always remembered name of the placeand the hotel, which was right on the ocean. The sound of the ocean had probably put her to sleep quickly, he thought. But a much more satisfying answer was that he had completely worn her out.

Well, that was some of the most exciting sex he'd ever had with her. Sirius thought of the words he had whispered in her ear at the end of their ceremony. You are beautiful, and mine, and I will worship you with my body tonight. Well, he had surely done that.

His thoughts turned to the letter he had received from Maddy's mother months earlier, sharing the Gaelic vows her ancestors had repeated. He thought back to the first time he had ever heard them, on a cold night when he was ten and she was four. They had been spoken in a foreign language, the guttural inflections meaning nothing to him at the time. When he was a child, the experience had been frightening. As a man, however, the somewhat archaic verse became a beautiful and erotic supplement to making love for the first time as husband and wife, especially when whispered just before the act.

I vow to you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine

From the day that we choose it shall only be your name I cry out in the night

And into your eyes that I smile each morning;

I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine,

Nor shall a grievous word be spoken about us,

For our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.

Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next.

"I'd forgotten about that," Maddy whispered when he had finished.

"Well, I haven't", he said before kissing her mouth. He tasted a bit of champagne, which she had just taken a sip of, and the juice from a strawberry they had fed each other, and the kiss deepened.

Sirius recalled speaking to a vampire named Murdoch once in the Hog's Head, years before, who had been all too happy to explain how sensual drinking someone else's blood was. Sex couldn't compare, he'd said, and he gave the young wizard a wicked grin and a significant look at his neck. Once he showed his fangs, Sirius had made sure to keep his distance the rest of the evening. He had remembered the vampire's words, though, especially now that he had thought of the night he and Madeleine were children. Their blood had mingled then, with a cut to their wrists, and he had wondered if the events that followed over the years were really a result of that night.

Sirius had then lifted her wrist, exposing the ancient scar on the underside, and kissed it. She hadn't realized how sensitive the place was, and she gasped. Then he traced the tiny letter S that Carol O'Hannon had made years ago.

"We could do this again. Nothing bad, just a bit of symbolism. To go along with that vow."

Maddy examined the old mark on his own wrist, which was so tiny she could barely see it.

"Do you have a knife?"

"Yeah. I nicked one from the reception. Nothing like planning ahead." He grinned.

She regarded him for a moment before answering. "Do that to me."

Now, in darkness, Sirius felt the tiny cut she had made in his own flesh before pressing both wrists together. He touched it now, and it stung, though it was a satisfying reminder of making love with her just afterward. With the same finger, he traced the outline of his wedding ring, which felt heavy and unfamiliar. As sleep approached, his thoughts became more random and fragmented, but one thing stood out in particular. I have never been happier. This was the most important day of his life, with only James and Lily's absence to mar it. Married to a beautiful, sweet witch who cared more for him than anyone ever had. And a godson, which they now shared.

Then Bellatrix's leering face appeared in his mind, and he groaned a little, wanting to banish her for good. She wasn't going to ruin things for him; he would make sure of it. He was curious to actually view what Maddy had seen, though. Dumbledore had approached him about her at the reception, amid the music and dancing, while Maddy was off speaking to Kingsley's wife.

"Sirius. I want to speak to Madeleine."

"You want to talk about it now?"

"No, but as soon as possible. I want her to attempt to see more about the death room."

"I see no reason for her to go through that again. Thought you didn't believe in that stuff, anyway."

"Just call it preventive measures. It's her decision, Sirius. I believe she'll agree. But, no, I don't want to talk about it now. When are you returning to Hogsmeade?"

"In a few days. I'm taking her to a place in the Algarve before we go back. We're both rather homesick, though, so we won't stay long."

"I'm going to schedule an Order meeting as soon as you return. Tell her I'll talk to her about it then."

Sirius hadn't liked that one bit, but he had to accept that it was Maddy's choice. He would be with her when she attempted another vision, though. He would insist. He curled up closer to her and fell asleep, breathing in the scent of her hair.

#

The house at Hogsmeade was a welcome sight, even if Maddy was seeing it through the misty drizzle that dominated the Scottish highlands. She wrapped her cloak closely around her and wandered around the grounds, which Sirius had just finished 'unlocking.' With the recent warmer weather, the flower beds in front had begun to bloom, and she leaned over for a closer look, waiting for Sirius to continue releasing the protective spells Remus had placed on the house. Once he was finished, he said one last spell to unlock the door, and opened it. He threw a small stack of Daily Prophets inside that had accumulated on the stoop, being too big to fit through the mail slot.

Maddy started to go in, but squealed when Sirius surprised her by lifting her into his arms.

"Have to carry you over the threshold, don't I?" he asked, grinning, though he grunted with the effort.

"Merlin, am I that heavy?" Maddy said as she locked her arms around his neck.

"Not at all," he replied, pretending breathlessness. He set her down just inside the door and wiped his forehead with a sleeve.

"Now, listen," she said, rolling her eyes. "I think you're going to be okay."

He smiled again and gave her a long kiss, then they both looked around. The scent of their home seemed foreign after being away for close to a month. The dining room table was cluttered with a collection of wedding gifts that Remus had brought back for them from France.

"First order of business is to decorate, now that I have a wife to help," Sirius said with a wink. He frowned at the empty spaces around them.

Maddy had noticed a number of letters just inside the door that he had stepped over. "Wow. Owl post came, and quite a bit of it, apparently. I wonder that this wasn't blocked by the protective spells." She picked up a handful of envelopes and saw that a few were from the Ministry.

"They detect mostly human interference. The spells, I mean. Though, if an owl were trying to do something sinister to the place, like doing its business at the front door or what have you, I'm sure the house would retaliate." He grinned at her.

Maddy snorted, and began to sort through mail.

"I need to get a copy of our bonding certificate to the Ministry first thing," Sirius said when he noticed the familiar seal on an envelope. "What's that?"

"Looks like junk mail. Reckon they're still wanting to question us?"

He shrugged in dismissal. "Doubt it. I spoke to Kingsley after the wedding, and he believes Umbridge is losing a bit of her polish with Fudge. I'm not too sure he takes her very seriously at this point."

Maddy had her doubts about that, and wondered if she should continue to keep a low profile. Sirius seemed to know what she was thinking.

"You do know you're officially under my protection now, anyway," he said. He leaned against a bare wall.

"Oh. Well, I know you would protect me very well," Maddy answered. She wasn't sure what he meant.

"No. I mean it'll be a bit different for you, now that you're my wife."

She frowned. "Sirius, you're talking about people who sent you to prison without a trial. I'm not sure being a Black matters to them, though I certainly appreciate the sentiment."

"That's exactly why it does matter. They fucked up, and now they'll be more apt to bend over backwards for me, and now you."

Maddy shrugged. She wasn't convinced that Sirius could do no wrong with the Ministry.

Sirius continued. "Okay. Kingsley is trying to convince Fudge that the evidence of wrongdoing on your part is fairly flimsy. You weren't there when the DA were caught, after all, and Dumbledore was quite willing to take on the blame for you and Harry. Not to mention that Edgecombe girl was roundly discredited right in front of Fudge. Then word got back to him from several outraged parents that Umbridge was rumored to use the cruciatus on you without provocation, and was fooled by an Auror imposter. Not that he believes any of this, or so he tells himself. Unfortunately we wouldn't be able to prove she did it to you for sure, not after my brilliant stroke of genius in throwing her wand out." He rolled his eyes. "It was worth it, regardless. Anyway, that comes back to Harry's word, and Fudge, for one, would never listen to him over Umbridge. He's growing uneasy about her, though."

"What do you mean about her wand?"

"Oh, nothing," Sirius said. He remembered what he had done to the old cow just after she lost her wand, and smiled. Even Harry had mentioned how she disappeared for a few days following Sirius's visit to Hogwarts, before showing up again dirty and disheveled, and snapping at everyone.

Maddy flipped through a few more letters but found nothing of interest. The Daily Prophet issues might be better reading, she thought. She wondered if their wedding would have made news, but she doubted it. There was no love lost between the Prophet and those present witnessing their vows, so the paper likely didn't know about it yet.

She changed the subject. "Well, I know one thing we should buy, and soon. A pensieve."

Sirius's good mood seemed to evaporate. "I know," he said quietly. "I'll retrieve the memory from Albus at tomorrow night's Order meeting. I want to speak to you about it before you see it, though."

Maddy nodded and decided to change the subject. "Have you heard how Remus is doing?"

"Nah. He'll weather his moon time, same as always. I hope he appreciates Tonks taking care of him, though." Sirius had grown steadily more indignant on his cousin's behalf, now that he had his own love life settled, and hoped that Remus had enough sense to realize how good he had it.

"Well, they certainly danced very closely most of the night. We probably did them a big favor, getting married." Maddy grinned and leaned over to kiss him, which he returned with delight.

"Speaking of married, I think we'd better consummate it again. Just to be sure it took and all," Sirius whispered. He took her hand and led her upstairs to the bedroom.

#

"Tell me about that vision, Sirius."

Maddy lay on her back on the bed, with Sirius between her legs, his head on her chest. His thick, dark hair with the occasional streak of gray splayed over her breasts, and she felt his soft, even breaths. He pretended to be asleep, and he had been, but she wasn't fooled now. She tugged softly on a few locks of hair until he sighed and lifted his head.

"Now?" Sirius asked, his voice soft.

"I have to know. Tell me everything that happened, everything that you obliviated."

"All right." He propped himself up on his elbows, and began to speak in a dispassionate tone. "You were down at the lake, trying to do as your mother asked. You tried to see Bellatrix, because you hate her. Keep in mind I haven't actually seen this myself. I heard you telling Albus about it." His mouth set in a thin line, remembering the desperation in her voice and her sobs as she relayed the vision to Dumbledore.

"Go ahead."

"It was in the Department of Mysteries. What they call the Death Room. You saw Bellatrix do something to Tonks ... stun her or something. She began fighting someone else. It was me. We dueled for a few minutes, then – " His mouth curled with distaste.

"What?" Maddy had gone completely still.

"She hurled a spell at me. It hit me, and I fell backward."

"What else?"

"I fell through an archway. Remus lurched after me, and apparently that was all you saw."

Maddy considered this. "An archway?"

Sirius paused. "It stands in the middle of the room, down in a pit. I've never seen it in person. We have blueprints of the whole floor, fat lot of good they do us – because of the rotating room – but it's enormous, I've heard." He didn't want to tell her what that signified, but knew it was going to be her next question.

"What happened next? To you, I mean." Maddy had never heard of a rotating room, and wondered what that could be.

He paused. "I disappeared."

"Disappeared? Did you apparate away? Were you hurt?"

She squirmed slightly, and Sirius rolled off to lie next to her. "Sorry, love. I must be really heavy. No, I didn't apparate. This archway ... when people go through it, they don't return." He couldn't bring himself to say what he was really thinking – they die.

Maddy's eyes widened. "You were gone, just like that, and you wouldn't be able to return?"

He touched her face. "So I'm told."

"Merlin, is it dying? What is that thing?"

"It's ancient. Always been there, from what Albus said. I spoke to him after the wedding."

"Bellatrix did that to you."

"She fired the curse, yes. Listen, Madeleine, we won't let it happen, though."

"You're damn right we won't! I'll bloody kill her first!"

Sirius hand gripped her face. "No, you won't. I will not let you near her. There are other ways to stop this from happening. If it's really going to – and I don't mean to belittle what you've seen. I may never wind up there, of course."

That was cold comfort to Maddy, but she lay there, thinking, for a while.

"I'll need to try it again."

"I thought you'd say that. I don't want you to."

"I know, Sirius. But if there's a way to figure out why we're there ..."

"Dumbledore wants to speak to you about it tomorrow. And I wouldn't try to stop you, for the record. But I want to be there when you attempt it."

She looked down at him, and her eyes met his. "To be honest, that might be rather distracting. It feels weird already, trying to see stuff, without you watching me. No offense, of course. I might be too self-conscious, though."

He shrugged slightly. "Well, talk to Dumbledore, and we'll go from there. Ready to eat something?" He was eager to move on to a new subject, and food was a good one.

She nodded. "I'm starving."

They shrugged some clothing on and walked down to the kitchen in search of a meal.

#

The next afternoon, Maddy and Sirius apparated to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place to prepare for the meeting. Various Order members had come and gone since the last time Sirius had been there, but he wanted to come early to put things in order, and introduce his favorite house elf to someone.

They emerged in the dark alley closest to the Black home, their usual apparition point. Sirius looked around first to make sure no one had seen, then looked down at Maddy.

"Is this remotely familiar, love?" He planted a searing kiss to her lips, and Maddy was reminded of the first time he had done so, just after a wonderful date in Bath with Remus and Tonks. It was the first time she had seen Victoria in the flesh.

"Yes. Seems as though it was a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

He smiled. "It was, wasn't it? We should take off one morning and go back to Cerne Abbas or somewhere, for old times' sake."

"Good plan," Maddy said. "Ready?"

They walked out of the sidestreet and into the light of day, if one could call it that. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and rain threatened at any moment. Sirius took Maddy's hand for the short walk to Number Twelve. Once the door showed itself, they went in, expecting to see the usual dilapidation. But Molly must have cleaned recently. The house was still dingy, but at least it was relatively free of dust and small creatures.

"Home, sweet home," Sirius said in a loud voice, and a startled grunt emanated from behind black curtains at the end of the hallway. They flew open to reveal Walburga Black, in all her splendor, issuing shrieks and insults as she glared at her son with bulging eyes.

"Hello, Mother," Sirius declared, even louder. "I'd like you to meet my wife. Remember Madeleine?"

In spite of the racket, Maddy dissolved into laughter. Sirius shot his mother's portrait an evil grin before kissing Maddy directly in front of her, then made a "V sign" gesture at the wall with his hand. Together, they yanked the curtains closed, and the screeching died off to the sound of grunts and tiny snores.

"C'mon, let's go meet someone else equally dear to me. Oi, Kreacher!"

They walked up one flight of stairs, and heard the sound of shuffling from above them. A long nose poked out through the railing of the next landing up. At first there was silence, then came a small voice laced with resentment.

"Yes, Master?"

"Get down here, now!"

With a crack, the house elf appeared in front of them, looking vastly as though he had better things to do with his time. He eyed Sirius with hatred, and began to mutter.

"Well, if it isn't the nasty blood traitor who broke his mother's heart. And that muggle loving slattern Kreacher has seen doing perverted things with – "

Maddy stifled a giggle.

"Quiet! Kreacher, I want to introduce the two of you properly. This is Madeleine Black. My wife, and your new mistress. And – " he grinned evilly, "you have to obey anything she says. Just like me."

Kreacher's eyes grew even larger, though he refused to look at Maddy. "No, Kreacher WON'T. WON'T listen to her. WON'T!"

"Kreacher. Say hello to your new mistress."

"WON'T!" The house elf's eyes bugged out of his head at this atrocity.

"Really, Sirius, don't worry about it." Maddy was amused, though a little irritated at Kreacher's insults.

"No. He knows he has to acknowledge you."

Kreacher began to bang his head against the wall with quick strokes, though carefully calculated to do no damage. Finally, seeing that Sirius wasn't going to give up and leave, he glared at Maddy.

"We're waiting, Kreacher."

The house elf spit out the words as if he were swallowing glass. "Welcome, Mistress." He burst into racking sobs and disappeared with a crack.

"Well, that was nice," Maddy commented. "Are we spending the night here? Because I can just imagine what horrors he might instill in the bedroom in honor of my new status. Probably short-sheet the bed, to start."

"We are absolutely not spending the night here. And never will, if at all possible."

They descended to the kitchen, this time tiptoeing past Mrs. Black's portrait on the way. Molly, or someone, had been busy down here, as well. Groceries sat on the counter in preparation for dinner.

"You reckon she wants me to start on this?" Maddy asked, peeking into one of the bags.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Sirius said. "Molly'll tell you what to do soon enough. Open a bottle of wine, dear, will you? Everyone should be here soon."

Almost on cue, they heard the sound of the front door opening upstairs. Maddy had extracted the cork with her wand, and grabbed three glasses, wiping them off with a cloth to remove any dust Mrs. Weasley may have missed. She looked to the steps to see Albus descending.

"Hello, Mrs. Black, Mr. Black," he said cheerfully. "How are the newlyweds?"

"Wonderful. And yourself?" Sirius held up a glass toward Dumbledore in inquiry, and the headmaster nodded.

"Yes, I'll take a tiny bit, thank you. I'll get to the point, because I imagine the others will be arriving soon. I want to speak to you more about these visions, Madeleine."

"Yeah, I've heard. Of course," she said.

"I've been wondering if you would consent to use your talents for the Order." He fumbled in his robes for a moment. "I almost forgot. For you." He pulled out a small vial full of a swirling substance, stoppered securely, and handed it to her. "The one from France."

Maddy hesitated for a second. It was one thing to hear about this vision, filtered by Sirius, but she wasn't sure how she would take seeing it for herself. But Albus watched her closely as she accepted it, and she kept her face expressionless.

"Well, Madeleine? What do you think?"

"I think it would be worth a try. What I've seen so far, well, I certainly hope it's useful." Maddy looked down at the vial. She thought of Malfoy, and how she had seen him unbidden, and couldn't control that vision. She wasn't sure if she would be good enough at it to help.

"Good. I am sure you will understand that there are a few caveats, however."

Sirius frowned. "Such as?"

Dumbledore considered his words. "Well, suffice it to say that there are certain things I am not able to disclose, regarding the Order. It is of the utmost importance that anything you might see for us," he turned to Maddy, "must be told only to me. You'll have to take a vow to that effect."

"I can't even tell Sirius?"

"If I approve it."

Sirius broke in. "Well, that hardly seems fair! They're her visions, after all."

"I'm afraid I must insist. It's war, Sirius, even if the other side hasn't declared it yet. I wouldn't make this demand if it weren't important."

Maddy thought of something else. "What if I see something that turns out to be completely wrong? I'm not sure I want to be responsible for mucking things up for us all!"

"Don't worry about that. I will make any pertinent decisions on things you are asked to see. Be aware, however, that you will have to be ... very strong if you're to do this. But I'm sure you know that already."

"I do. So what's next, then?"

"For now, just worry about combatting that one." He motioned to the vial in her hand, and her pulse quickened. "I don't want to distress you further on it, but if you think you can try again with Bellatrix to see more, it might be helpful. The only thing concrete I can tell you is that Sirius disappears at 4:32 on the seventeenth of the month. What month, though? I don't know."

"Right. How the hell did you figure that out?" Sirius asked.

"I managed to see the time and date on Remus's watch. A little arresto momentum helps with details like that, I think you'll find when you use a pensieve."

"We'll get one straightaway," Maddy assured him.

"I have one more thing for you," Albus said, this time with a twinkle in his eye. "News of your marriage has made it to print."

"Really? I've flipped through the Prophets we've missed and never saw a thing."

He pulled a rolled up magazine out of his robes.

"You read the Quibbler?" she asked with a raised eyebrow once he had straightened it out.

"Well, news of my dementia, as reported incessantly by the Daily Prophet, was growing tiresome, so I branched out a bit. It is a very entertaining article, I must say. Definitely worth a read." He winked at Maddy, who took it from him and examined the cover.

Sirius Black (aka Stubby Boardman) Ties the Knot with ex-Hogwarts Professor in Secret Ceremony. Below it, in smaller print, were the words Huge swarm of nargles settle over happy couple as they kiss. A picture of Sirius and Maddy in the midst of that act was just below the line, though no nargles appeared to be present.

"You need spectre-specs to actually see them," Sirius explained with a straight face.

Maddy looked suspiciously at him.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Harry's friend Luna wanted a good story. We gave her one. Seems a mite tame, though, if you ask me. I thought Lovegood would've come up with something much more creative than that tired old line about Stubby Boardman and a few nargles. Can't have it all, I suppose." He looked back at Dumbledore. "Do we have time to take care of the pensieve before the meeting? We need to get that out of the way."

Dumbledore nodded. "Molly was planning on a light dinner first, so you may miss a bit of that. If you can return by seven, though, I would appreciate it."

"Better get cracking, then, Mad. You're coming with me, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Let's go."

#

Sirius decided to use floo powder this time for the trip to Diagon Alley. He went first, followed by Maddy, and a minute later, they were both in the midst of a crowded thoroughfare. He took her hand, and they walked together for a few minutes.

"So why did you give a wedding picture to the Quibbler?" Maddy was amused by the story that had accompanied it. She had an idea why Sirius had done so, but she wanted to confirm it.

"I rather like sticking it to the Prophet. They spent years parroting a bunch of lies about me, after all. And the Quibbler interview with Harry, back in March, helped him gain a bit of credibility back, as well. I figured giving them a story about his godfather's wedding, complete with a picture to prove it actually took place, might help him even more. People need to stop with this head-in-the-sand nonsense about Voldemort."

"Good idea. But getting back to Stubby, I was surprised to read that you pulled out a guitar and crooned a love song to me at the reception, in front of everyone." Maddy smirked at him. "I can't seem to recall that."

"Anything for the woman I love," Sirius said. "You must have been too drunk to remember it. What a shame." He put an arm around her and hugged her to him as they walked.

A few people stared as the couple walked by, but Sirius ignored them. "Here's where Dumbledore suggested."

Next to Magical Menagerie was the Magical Mystic, apparently operated by the same owners. He opened the door for her, and followed her in. The shop was quiet, as opposed to the bustle of the street outside.

"I've been in here before, back when I was at Gringotts," Maddy said. "I'd forgotten all about it."

She noticed an aisle devoted to divination artifacts, and peered into a crystal ball. Sirius had already found the pensieves, back in the corner. On a wild impulse, she picked up the ball and its stand, and walked over to him.

"Don't laugh. It might help," she told him when he looked quizzically at it.

"I wouldn't laugh," Sirius said. An older woman walked up to them. She wore deep blue robes and had a long chain around her neck with a pair of specs attached.

"May I help you?" she asked kindly.

"Yes," Sirius said. "We'd like to purchase a pensieve, and this crystal ball."

"Very good. Well, we've got the basic pensieve, and this more decorative model, as you see."

Sirius glanced at both. "They work the same, don't they?"

"Well, yes," she admitted. "But this model is much prettier to look at, I think." She fingered the edge of the stone basin.

"Utilitarian works for me," Maddy said. "And it's a ninety-nine galleons less than that other one."

Sirius pointed to the plain stone pensieve. "That one it is." He grabbed a box of small vials for use with it, and went to the counter. The shopkeeper rang them up and observed them both with curiosity before glancing down at their hands.

"Are you Sirius Black?" she finally asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Well, I'm glad to see you are doing very well."

"Oh. Well, thanks. I am."

"Recently married?"

He nodded again. "Yes. This is my wife, Madeleine." He motioned to Maddy, who smiled.

"You've had a rough time of it, haven't you, Sirius? Though I suppose that's an understatement." She seemed embarrassed all of a sudden to have brought this up.

Sirius understood what she meant, though. "I did. Not anymore, though."

"Not that it's any of my business. But congratulations to you both. You deserve much happiness. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thank you." Sirius smiled at her.

"And if I thought you were really Stubby Boardman, I'd ask for your autograph. My daughter used to fancy him, many years ago. Before that unfortunate incident with the turnip, that is." She twisted her mouth into a playful smile before sobering again. "You may have known my daughter. Her name was Dorcas Meadows."

Sirius's smile evaporated. "Yes, I did. She was a wonderful person, and a very talented witch."

The woman's voice softened a bit. "I believe Albus Dumbledore, by the way. I think he's back. He killed her, himself." She choked up slightly.

"I know. I'm so sorry for your loss."

The woman sighed, and sniffled. "Please be very careful, Sirius. Both of you."

"We will." He patted the woman's hand. "It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Meadows."

"Come back in anytime. Yes?"

"Of course. Mind if we apparate from here with this?"

"Not at all," she replied.

"Mad, love, we'll have to do it separately, if I'm to hold on to this. I'll meet you at the house in a moment."

She nodded and said her goodbyes to the shopkeeper, then they disappeared with their new acquisitions.

A/N: Edited to correct a timeline error.