The next evening found the same five people in Dumbledore's office working on their strategy for later that night. Evangeline spoke first. "I just checked on the potion. I think the accelerated version will work. It should be ready before midnight."
Lupin added, "The parchment is ready. Sirius and I've impregnated it with all of the appropriate graphic spells. I think the finishing touches shouldn't take more than a few minutes to perform."
Evangeline nodded. "I agree."
Dumbledore smiled at them. "Good. Then we need to decide how we'll proceed once we have the map."
Evangeline smiled confidently. "That's easy. I'll go in and steal the chest."
Snape frowned at her. "Not alone you won't. I'll go with you."
Evangeline turned to him with a sigh. "Severus, I can move faster alone."
The Potions Master opened his mouth to argue but was stopped by Dumbledore. "Evangeline, Severus is right. You shouldn't go alone. However, you are not the one to accompany her, Severus."
Snape turned his frown on Dumbledore. "Why not?"
"If you're seen and recognized, it would go badly for you. I can't allow that."
Snape crossed his arms and looked annoyed. "Then who do you plan to send with her?"
Lupin spoke up quietly. "I'll volunteer."
Dumbledore nodded. "I was hoping you might, Remus. I think you and Evangeline would make a good team for this assignment."
"And what do you want me to do, Albus?" asked Black, not wanting to be left out.
"I think you should wait at the cottage, as a backup, in case they need help. I'm not sure just what you could do, but I'd feel better having someone else there on the scene."
Snape gave Dumbledore a black look. "And what do you expect me to do, Albus? Sit here with you and twiddle my thumbs?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Severus, you can't risk being seen anywhere near Clendenning Castle. There's also the chance that if this goes wrong, you could receive a summons. You must remain here. I know that won't be easy on you, but it's the only alternative."
Evangeline reached out and stroked Snape's arm comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Severus. We won't be in any danger if we take the map. No one will see us."
The dark wizard looked down at his lover in concern and resisted the temptation to slide his arm around her. "And what about the chest itself? It's killed at least once that we know of."
Lupin jumped in, hoping to be reassuring. "That was because they were trying to open it, not because they were moving it. According to you and Sirius, they didn't have any trouble doing that. Relax, Severus. I won't let any harm come to Evangeline."
Snape raised his head and stared Lupin coldly in the eye. "I'll hold you to that promise, Lupin," he stated softly with more than a hint of warning in his voice.
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One o'clock in the morning found Remus and Evangeline, dressed in black, standing inside a painting in Clendenning's study. Currently, no one else was on their floor of the castle. Both were a trifle more nervous than they'd admit and to avoid talking or thinking about it, they focused all of their attention on the map.
Evangeline said, "There appears to be a private vault on the south wall of the room. The chest is probably in there."
Lupin nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's check it out. The sooner we find this thing and get out of here, the better."
They linked hands and emerged from the painting into a book-lined study. The painting that they came out of hung right next to the door that led out of the room. There were no other paintings on any of the walls. Otherwise, all that could be seen were wall-to-wall bookcases. The room contained a large desk and three chairs. In addition to the entrance door, there was a very small closet in one corner and two large windows set into the outer wall.
Evangeline looked down at the map and gestured at the far wall. "The vault appears to be behind that bookcase on the other side of the desk."
They crossed the room and examined the appropriate bookcase. Evangeline checked the map again. It showed her tapping the eighth book on the second shelf from the top with her wand and uttering a complex spell. Tilting her head back to browse the shelves, she took a moment and located the correct book. Then, just as she'd withdrawn her wand and was about to try the spell, Lupin lifted his head and muttered, "Uh oh, someone's coming. Check the map."
Sure enough, suddenly Clendenning and two others were almost outside the door. Evangeline didn't think they could make it back to the painting, so she grabbed Lupin, opened the closet door to her immediate left, and shoved him inside. Then she crammed herself in with him. It was, unfortunately, a very tiny closet. They barely fit inside it…toe to toe. Every inch of Evangeline was intimately pressed up against every inch of Remus. Evangeline was too scared to think about it, as she heard the door to the study open, and Clendenning and his goons entered the room behind her.
Remus, on the other hand, was of two minds. He found himself desperately enjoying having Evangeline pressed up against him. At the same time, he was trying not to let his body react the way it wanted to. Then he was trying not to think about what Snape would do if he ever found out about this. Clendenning was actually fairly far down the list of things on his mind at the moment.
Behind them, in the room, Evangeline could hear the vault being opened. Then it sounded like the chest was being removed and put onto Clendenning's desk. Suddenly there was a light female voice from the doorway.
"Mr. Clendenning. There's a Mr. Malfoy downstairs. He says he needs to speak to you urgently."
The two in the closet heard Clendenning give an impatient answer. "All right. I'll be right there, Alwyn." Then he told one of his guards to stay with the chest, while he and the other guard left the room.
Evangeline put her face closer to Remus' ear and whispered softly, "This is our only chance. I'll open the door and hex the guard. You grab the chest, and we'll head for the painting on three, okay?"
Anxiously he whispered back his profound agreement, "Okay." While his thoughts were running desperately in another direction. Yes, please! We really need to get out of this closet!
Lifting her wand, she twisted around to face the door with difficulty. "1-2-3!" As fast as she could, Evangeline opened the door and hit the remaining guard with the full Body-Bind. Taken by surprise, he hit the floor hard. Lupin grabbed the chest off the desk, and the two of them were through the painting in a matter of moments breathing identical sighs of relief…although not for quite the same reason.
They returned to the seaside cottage and leaving the chest in the painting they reclaimed Black, who was pleased at the success of their mission. Then the three of them took the chest back with them to Hogwarts. The triumphant trio came out of the painted realm into Dumbledore's office with smiles on their faces. Snape and Dumbledore were waiting anxiously for them. Both looked very relieved to see them, too. Lupin placed the small chest on Dumbledore's desk, and everyone simply stared at it. Their prize was only about a foot long and six inches high and deep. It was made of a dull silverish metal, and had a crest with a dragon on it, stamped into the lid. It really wasn't very impressive looking. Still, they knew that looks could be deceiving.
Dumbledore pulled his eyes from the chest and focused on his recovery team. "How did things go? Were you seen?"
Evangeline and Remus exchanged glances. She nodded reluctantly. "Yes, we were seen briefly by one of Clendenning's guards. I had to put him in the full Body-Bind, but we were out of there long before anyone else could see us. We grabbed the chest while Clendenning was downstairs welcoming Malfoy."
Snape nodded grimly. "So it was Malfoy that he was plotting with."
Black grinned happily. "Well, that's one plot that's been foiled. At least Voldemort won't get his hands on this."
Lupin added, "Hopefully, Voldemort won't even find out about it."
Without warning, Snape stiffened up sharply and grabbed at his left forearm wincing in pain. "I think it's safe to assume that Lord Voldemort has been informed of our actions and isn't very happy."
Evangeline looked at Snape with concern. "A summons?"
He nodded shortly. "I have to go. I'll let you know what happens as soon as I can."
Dumbledore regarded Snape gravely. "Be careful, Severus."
Snape nodded again, kissed Evangeline a brief goodbye, and left the room without another word.
This dampened the feeling of success felt by the others in the room. Lupin sighed. "What now, Albus? What do we do with this chest? Do we try to open it?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No. We don't need to open it, merely safeguard it. I'll keep it here for the time being. Hopefully, I can find a better hiding place for it soon."