Hello! I am sorry I've been away so long, school has been so horrible, partly because I accidentally signed up for football, lacrosse and handball. Who would do that to a person! Thank you to the beautiful, wonderful individuals who have taken the time to review my story, and anonymous person and UchihaChihiro, may you always have an umbrella and never have to take part in team sports. Anyways, forward with the story!

Chapter 3

Before his companions could respond Lucius felt the locks and wards on the doors being broken.

"Too late, they're coming."

Remus, in his lupine form loped around so that he was facing the door while Severus and Lucius were facing him. The 2 men had their wands drawn but held them laxly an assumed surprised postures as the death eaters finally burst in to the room.

"Sweet Merlin", murmured a death eater. Another fainted clean away and Remus saw several at the back creep away. Taking advantage of their shock, Remus leapt over Lucius and Severus, darted past the death eaters and sprinted down the corridor. He was halfway down before they had recovered enough to grasp that allowing a werewolf to roam the Ministry of Magic unhindered may result in their master's undiluted wrath descending upon them. By the time this concept had percolated through their brain Lucius and Severus had managed to manoeuvre themselves to the front of the crowd so that when it, eventually, leapt forward they were at the front.

As he was chased through the oddly deserted corridors Remus inwardly smirked at the irony of his being chased by a pack, before red coloured sparks hit his flank. Realising that he had slowed and that this was his warning, he quickened his pace towards the fireplaces.

Lucius and Severus, still at the front of the pack, were shooting curses, jinxes, hexes and even the odd Unforgivable at the werewolf in front of them; at least that was how it appeared to the surrounding death eaters. In reality they were shooting coloured sparks and the occasional hex to keep up their façade. The two men were also making sure that the progress of the mob was as slow as could be without seeming suspicious.

Remus felt that he could almost sing with relief when he reached the fireplace. However this was the most risky part of their plan, which was considerable in and of itself. If they had timed everything correctly then, if the polyjuice he had taken had been dilute enough, he had 2 minutes more in this form. He put on an extra burst of speed and managed to reach the fireplace before the change began. Fortunately it was nowhere near as agonizing as it had been earlier that evening. As soon as he was able he reached out a hand and seized a handful of floo powder and clearly uttered "The Leaky Cauldron" and disappeared in the green flames.

The death eaters looked at each other, dread apparent on all their faces. Lucius looked and Severus and ordered, in a tone befitting his station, "Go after that filthy half-breed and kill it and return to me with your proof, Severus."

"Yes Lord Malfoy." Severus murmured subserviently as he bowed. Then he too vanished in green flames to "The Leaky Cauldron".

"I fail to comprehend exactly why you imbeciles remain here," sneered Lucius. Not bothering to wait for a response he sheathed his wand in his cane, which had been concealed within this robes, and swept away.

Severus stepped out of the fireplace at "The Leaky Cauldron" and glared at the occupants of the tables in the immediate vicinity of the fireplace. When he saw one who looked easily intimidated he smirked and stalked over to the man.

The trembling individual cautiously raised his eyes from the depths of his tankard, into which he had been staring as though it held the secrets of life, the universe, and when the scary man in front of him would move.

Severus smiled.

The man gulped. That wasn't a nice smile. That was the sort of smile that a shark wears just before it bites off one of your favourite and most useful extremities.

"Hello." He gulped again. The voice matched the smile. "I think that you can help me."

"H-how?" The victim stuttered.

"I am looking for someone, and I believe that you know where he is."

The luckless man gulped.

Lucius was pacing the corridors of the Ministry, all the while attempting (and succeeding as Malfoys always do) to appear as though this was not the case. When he heard the "pop" that heralded Severus' reappearance Lucius glided speedily over to where his long-time friend awaited his arrival.

"Do you have it?" Lucius hissed.

"I do Lord Malfoy." Severus replied, handing him a small vial.

"Come." Lucius tersely ordered, sweeping away towards where their master awaited.

The two men knocked on the door, screams could clearly be heard through the thick wood, muted though they were the pain experienced by the unfortunate individual was apparent.

Wormtail opened the door a crack, saw who was on the other side and gave a rather sinister sneer, or at least it would have been sinister if his features had been impressive enough, as it was he merely looked bemused. The door swung further open and the two men strode into the room.

"Crucio."

Agony tore through Severus' body as he fell to the floor.

"Lord Malfoy, would you care to explain?" Voldemort, his red eyes glittering dangerously, sat immobile with his snake, his wand directed at Severus' writhing form.

"My lord." Lucius knelt and kissed his master's robe, as expected before standing, all the while marshalling his thoughts to give as coherent an explanation as possible.

"A werewolf managed to apparate into the Department of Mysteries, Severus and I succeeded in cornering it in the room of the Veil, however it changed in to a wolf." Lucius paused, Voldemort gestured for him to continue. "Snape and I were preparing to strike and kill it, the doors opened, the half breed ran out of the room and escaped down to the fireplaces."

"Indeed, how inconvenient." The monster hissed, evidently thus far unimpressed by Lucius' performance, Severus had since managed to reposition himself so that he was no longer lying on the floor and was instead kneeling just behind Lucius.

"We raced after the monster, however it eluded us and managed to floo to the Leaky Cauldron. I sent Severus to destroy it." Lucius finished his tale. The irony of describing Lupin as a monster was not lost on him.

"So Severus, this leads us to wonder, did you succeed?"

Severus raised his head fractionally, "I did. In the vial Lord Malfoy has possession of is the werewolf's heartstring."

Voldemort turned his gaze to Lucius' kneeling form and Lucius removed the glass container and its grisly contents from inside his robes. Voldemort smirked, "You may both leave."

The two men stood and walked towards the door, both uncomfortably aware of the red gaze on their backs. "Lucius. Don't forget to punish accordingly those who failed me."

Lucius almost stiffened at this order. He turned and bowed. "As you command, my Lord."

The two of them finally exited the room and strode down to where they could apparate away.

With a quiet "pop" Lucius and Severus appeared outside Number 12 Grimmauld Place.