After lunch, Black, Lupin, and Evangeline met in her upstairs rooms. It felt strange to be sitting around a table in Hogwarts and plotting the downfall of the Minister of Magic, but desperate circumstances required desperate actions. As far as Evangeline was concerned, it didn't get any more desperate than this. Severus had already spent too much time suffering in Azkaban for something he didn't do, and Fudge was going to pay for that outrage. The sooner the better! She found she was really looking forward to watching him squirm.
Black was twirling a very fancy camera around in his hands. "This thing is amazing! Creevey is Muggle-born, and Muggles definitely make the best cameras. It has a telescopic lens, a night vision scope, an amazing number of settings…"
Sensing that Black could expound on the delights of the camera for sometime, Evangeline cut him off impatiently. "Yes, yes, it's fascinating, Sirius. The only thing I'm interested in is, can you use it? Can you operate such a complicated camera?"
Black grinned and nodded confidently. "No problem, Angel, Creevey showed Harry, and Harry showed me. I've been playing with it all morning. I shouldn't have any trouble taking as many pictures of Fudge and the secretary, as you could possibly want. With the telescopic lens, I can hide quite a distance away, too. They'll never know I'm there."
Satisfied, she replied with a cold edge to her voice, "They'd better not. Don't get carried away with the intrigue here, Sirius. This isn't a game you know. Severus' life depends on our success, and I'm depending on you. You'll only have one chance to do this. Let's get it right, shall we?"
Black found himself slightly chilled by the look in her eyes and the implied threat in her tone. Suddenly he began to reevaluate the woman sitting before him. Perhaps there was more Slytherin in her than he'd imagined. The thought made him a trifle uncomfortable.
Evangeline returned to business and asked, "Could Harry get some developing potion from Creevey, too, or should I make some up?"
A bit more subdued, Black shrugged. "I'll go ask him, but I doubt it'll be a problem."
Evangeline nodded again. "Good. Okay, the meeting is set for immediately after the Ministry closes for the day at 6 p.m. They plan to meet in the park next door to the Ministry building."
With a flourish, she produced a map, laid it on the table, and they all leaned in closer to take a good look at it. Evangeline pointed to the image of a small bench in a secluded back corner of the park.
"They'll meet on this bench. Sirius, you could probably get some good shots from this clump of trees here." She pointed to a stand of trees a few yards from the bench. "Remus, you and I will hide in the bushes directly behind the bench. We'll activate the parchment recordings as close to the bench as we can get."
Remus crossed his arms and shook his head. "Not we, Evangeline, me."
She looked up from the map and frowned darkly at him. "What do you mean?"
He felt a tremor of uncertainty when she glared at him, but he stuck to his position staunchly. "You shouldn't come. If Fudge spots you anywhere near there, he'll take it out on Severus. Sirius can turn into a dog if there's any trouble, and Fudge doesn't know me at all. Also this has a better chance of working if there are only two of us involved."
Not wanting to be denied her chance to be part of this, Evangeline opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Black jumped in.
"Remus is right. Let us handle this part of things. You can activate the recordings, when we come back. It'd be better if you stayed here tonight, Angel. We won't let you down, I promise."
With a glower on her face that would have done Snape's heart proud, she looked down at the tabletop and considered their words. With a sigh, she crossed her arms and raised her eyes to theirs once more. "All right. That's a promise you had better keep, Sirius. I'll take you at your word. I don't like it, but I agree. I'll let you two get the recording and the photographs. However, I want no argument from either of you when I go…ALONE…to explain things to Fudge."
They both opened their mouths, took one look at the cold determined expression on her face, and shut them again.
She nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then we're in agreement."
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Evangeline had an early dinner and escaped from the Great Hall as soon as possible. With jangling nerves she retreated to her upstairs sitting room to pace and plan out how she was going to tackle Fudge. She smiled to herself at the stunned look she expected to see on his fat face. Yes, Fudge was in for a shock…if Sirius and Remus don't mess up…if the potion works as it's supposed to…if she can pull off her end of things. If…if…too many ifs.
Her nervous thoughts betrayed her as she waited anxiously for word from Black and Lupin. Oh, please, let it work. It's my only hope. Every moment Severus spends in Azkaban is one too many. Even if it all goes according to plan, I still can't get him out of there before tomorrow! So much more suffering can occur in that time! This has to work. It just has to!
She checked the mantle clock. Seven o'clock. They should be done by now. Oh, what if Fudge or the secretary didn't show? What if the woman got cold feet at the last moment? What if Sirius or Remus or both were caught?
Disgusted with her doubts, she shook herself firmly. Stop it, Evangeline! Get a hold of yourself! If it doesn't work, you'll think of something else. One way or another you'll free Severus. Now try to relax. There's nothing you can do but wait. So as hard as it was to do, wait she did.
Finally, at almost 8 o'clock, there was a knock on the door. Her heart in her throat, she leaped to her feet and let Lupin and Snuffles into the room. Lupin carried two rolled up scrolls of parchment and had Creevey's camera slung around his neck.
"Well?" Evangeline questioned impatiently.
Black resumed human form and took the camera back from Lupin. The two of them grinned at her.
"It couldn't have gone better!" exclaimed Black.
"Fudge is truly a slimy toad," said Lupin.
Overwhelmed with relief, she nodded. "Tell me what happened."
Black took up the tale. "There's really not much to tell. It went down exactly as we planned. I hid in the trees behind some bushes. With Creevey's telescopic lens, it was like I was sitting on the same bench with them. I got some really good shots."
Lupin nodded. "The bushes are quite thick behind that bench. I was able to place the parchments practically under the bench. As far as I could see, they recorded everything absolutely spot on. Fudge is really reprehensible. I felt so sorry for Mabel Andrews, the secretary. Fudge was all over her."
Evangeline took the parchments from Lupin, walked over to the table, put one down and opened the other to read it. As she read, her expression got grimmer and grimmer. "You're right, Remus. Fudge is reprehensible. I wish we could expose him to the world, but we can't do that if we're to free Severus."
She put down the parchment and looked at them bleakly. "Minister Eggleson is right. It's going to be like climbing down into the sewer with him. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I can't see any other alternative."
They all looked solemnly at each other.
"Well," said Lupin. "What's next?"
Evangeline sighed and straightened her shoulders. "We need to develop the pictures."
Lupin nodded. "I've done quite a bit of that actually. I'll take care of that."
"Good. Can you develop them Muggle fashion, so they don't move? For our purposes, it would be better if the photographic Fudge was forced to stay in the picture when he's misbehaving."
Lupin smiled grimly. "No problem."
With a cold expression on her face she looked into his eyes and stated flatly, "Also, if any of the pictures are particularly incriminating…make copies."
Lupin shivered slightly and nodded. Black opened the camera, took out the film, and handed it to him. He also told him where to find the developing potion he'd gotten from Creevey. Without another word, Lupin turned and left the room.
Black stepped forward. "Okay, Angel, what's next?"
She looked down at the parchments. "I activate the parchments with the record animating potion."
Evangeline put one parchment aside and opened the other flat on the table. She took the bottle of potion and a cloth and spread a thin film over the parchment. The words on the parchment glowed neon blue. She picked up her wand, touched the parchment, and said, "Recitativo".
Suddenly the room was filled with voices. Fudge's and that of a woman Evangeline had never heard before. Black and Evangeline listened to the whole conversation. It was word for word what was on the parchment and clear as crystal in tone. No one should have the slightest difficulty in recognizing the voice of the Minister of Magic.
Evangeline smiled grimly, rolled up that parchment, and substituted the other one. She performed the same procedure on this parchment with the same result. Two perfect recordings. Excellent!
Black looked at Evangeline. "When will you take this to Fudge?"
She smiled in satisfaction. "In the morning. I want Severus out of Azkaban by afternoon. I may let him keep him in custody at the Ministry a bit longer if necessary. Whatever it takes to arrange a public exoneration. He was arrested in front of the press and the public. He should be freed the same way."
Black nodded. "Sensible."
She nodded back. "I hope so. Oh, tell me this is going to work, Sirius!"
He smiled encouragingly and put his arm around her shoulders. "It will Angel. It will."