The next morning, Lupin and Black knocked on Evangeline's sitting room door after breakfast. She hadn't appeared in the dining hall, and they were slightly concerned. When they entered her chamber, they found her standing at the table by the window with her back to them.
"I was too nervous to go down to breakfast, but I had the house elves send something up, so don't nag," she commented before they could speak.
Evangeline turned around and walked towards them, and they both stared at her with open mouths. She was wearing her black silk gown from the Halloween Ball, except that she'd transfigured the orange panels to black. The neckline was as stunningly low-cut as ever, possibly a little more so.
"Why are you wearing that dress, Evangeline?" Lupin asked, as he tore his eyes reluctantly away from her décolletage. Not an easy task.
She smiled slyly at him. "I doubt if Fudge will be overly anxious to see me, especially alone. After all, I slapped his face as a parting gesture at our last encounter. I need to overcome his reluctance. It's vital that I present our evidence in person and in private. So tell me, what would you think if you were Fudge, and I showed up, dressed like this, and asked to see you…privately?" She smiled seductively and wiggled her eyebrows.
Lupin just continued to gape at her. She rolled her eyes at his obtuseness, and turned to Black, who was smiling in understanding.
"I'd think you were there to offer yourself to me in exchange for leniency for Snape. Very clever, Evangeline, Fudge will swallow that hook, line, and sinker. It's that Slytherin thinking again."
She grinned and patted him on the cheek. "Comes in handy sometimes. What does it say for your Gryffindor thinking that you caught on so quickly, hmm?"
He looked perplexed at that.
Laughing at the look on his face, she exclaimed, "Never mind, Sirius. Hopefully, Fudge's thinking follows your own, and I don't have any trouble getting him to see me alone. After all, the one thing we know for sure about the man is that he's a first class lecher, and he's not above forcing himself on any woman he wants. I just need to make him think he wants…and can have…me. If it doesn't work, I'm fully prepared to get down on my knees and grovel for his time, though. One way or another, I'm getting in to see him this morning."
She spread a thin silken cloak over her shoulders and picked up a small black purse that contained one of the parchments and an assortment of rather incriminating photographs. Then she slid her wand up her sleeve, squared her shoulders, and turned to her accomplices.
"I'm off to the spider's lair. Wish me luck."
They both nodded solemnly. Black stepped forward. "We'll be waiting to hear from you. Good luck, Evangeline, but be careful. Fudge is a pig. Don't let him force you to do anything you can't handle."
She smiled fondly at Black. "Don't worry, Sirius. I'm fully capable of handling cowardly slime like Fudge. He won't get to do more than look, I assure you."
Black kissed her on the cheek, but Lupin stayed back and merely nodded. "We'll keep our fingers crossed, Evangeline."
"Thanks." She smiled at Lupin, and then turned once more to Black. "Snuffles would you walk down to the gate with me? I'm a bit reluctant to go down there alone. My last trip alone to the Hogwarts' gates didn't go very well. I'd feel better for some company."
Black nodded in agreement and transformed into a dog.
Lupin walked downstairs with them, but stayed at the front door watching as they walked across the lawn together, heading for the castle gates. Apparently their trust was still fragile enough for Evangeline to prefer to rely on Sirius instead of him. This caused him a pang of disappointment. He hated the fact that she was putting herself in a position where Fudge could abuse her without either Sirius or himself being there to protect her. Still he understood how important it was for her to do this. Freeing Severus was all she thought about. If there was any justice in the world, she'd succeed, and if he tried hard enough, he'd even be happy about it.
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Evangeline appeared alone on the steps of the Ministry building and squared her shoulders. Show time. She thought to herself as she forced herself to walk up the stairs and back into the building, which contained such horrid memories. Fudge was sincerely going to regret his actions that day.
Fudge's office was on the second floor, according to the directory in the lobby. She walked up the stairs and opened the door that had his name splashed all over it in fancy gold script. It led to an anteroom. A young man, hardly more than a boy, sat at a simple wooden desk outside the door to Fudge's private chambers. He looked up at her entrance. Hoping to make an immediate splash, she opened her cloak, smiled sweetly, and stepped forward.
His eyes bugged out a bit as he looked at her, and he swallowed hard. "May I help you…Ma'am?"
"Yes, please. I need to see Minister Fudge. It's very important." She smiled enticingly at him.
The clerk nodded his head dazedly, still gazing at her bosom, his cheeks turning a rather vivid shade of apple red. "Do you have an appointment?"
Reluctantly she shook her head, letting her long hair cascade over her shoulder, and leaned provocatively over the desk in front of him. "No, but it really is urgent that I see him. I'm sure he'd like to see me. I can wait as long as necessary." She smiled encouragingly at him while wishing she could prod him with a sharp stick. Her thoughts urged him to action. Come on boy, close your mouth and go talk to your slimy boss!
The young man's palms began to itch as he stammered nervously, "Uh…I can see if he'll see you…uh, ma'am…what's your name?"
Focusing a dazzling smile at him and crossing her fingers for luck, she said, "Evangeline Winthrop."
From his reaction, it was apparent that the young man obviously recognized the name. Seemingly mesmerized by her, he stared at her some more, then he slowly got up and knocked on the inner door. When he was told to enter, he did, stumbling over his feet slightly as he tried to close the door behind him.
While he was gone, Evangeline fluffed out her hair and removed her cloak completely. Then she positioned herself squarely in front of the door so Fudge could see her even if he didn't come out of the office. She had to get in that office! It shouldn't be a problem. Fudge should want to sneer at her some more, but you never know for sure just what passes for thought processes in the minds of vermin.
When the door opened again the young man came back out followed by Fudge, who had a frown on his rather pompous face. He stopped dead when he saw her, and his eyes traveled over her inch by inch, making the usual strategic pauses. His annoyed expression changed to a leer, and his eyes met hers speculatively.
"My dear Miss Winthrop, if you're here to plead for Professor Snape, I'm afraid you've wasted your time." His oily voice caressed her softly.
Burying her revulsion beneath an eager smile, Evangeline glided up to him and stared longingly into his eyes. "Please, Minister Fudge. Couldn't you spare me a few moments of your valuable time?" She ran a hand slowly up his arm. "I have a…proposition…to make that I think you'll find interesting."
She smiled enticingly at him. Fudge hesitated, and his eyes dropped eagerly to her low-cut neckline. He licked his lips.
"Well…perhaps I could spare you a few minutes, Miss Winthrop." He smiled back at her greedily.
Of course you can, you maggot, she thought in disgust.
"Call me Evangeline, Minister," she purred softly at him while mentally gagging.
"Okay, Evangeline." The minister smiled expectantly at her, then he took her arm, being very careful to rub his hand up against her breast as he did so. Like leading a lamb to slaughter, Fudge drew Evangeline into his office.
"Reginald, see that I'm not disturbed," he told his secretary in passing, who grinned knowingly and closed the door after them. Obviously envious of his powerful boss.
"Yes, sir, Minister Fudge."
As the door closed behind them, Fudge swiftly guided Evangeline over to a well-worn couch near the wall. "I must say, Evangeline, that Professor Snape has excellent taste in women. You're a beauty, my dear," he murmured hungrily as he attempted to kiss her neck and squeeze her breast at the same time. With a feeling of success at overcoming her first hurdle, she smiled and shoved him hard, so that he sat down on the couch with a thump.
"Why, thank you, Minister. I'll be sure to tell Severus you said so." She flashed him a cold smile.
She drew her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at him. "Before this goes any farther, Minister, I have some things to show you. I think you'll find them very interesting."
The confused wizard gaped at her and began to bluster. "See here young woman, I agreed to see you out of kindness, I don't have to…to…" His voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the photographs she held out to him. Quickly he snatched them out of her hand and began to leaf through them. His face broke out in a sweat and got quite red.
While he was looking at the pictures, Evangeline moved over to his desk and placed the parchment on it. Delicately she touched it with her wand and murmured, "Recitativo."
Suddenly Fudge raised his head from the pictures, and his face went chalk white, as he heard himself and Mrs. Andrews repeating their private conversation of the night before. Fudge stared at the parchment, then at her, with his mouth hanging open most unattractively. Evangeline touched the parchment with her wand again and murmured, "Arresto". Immediately the recording halted.
She smiled nastily at Fudge. "Ah, I see I was right. You are interested. We can listen to the rest of it if you wish. I assure you the entire conversation is here, but I think you've probably heard enough, haven't you, Minister?"
He licked his lips nervously. "What…what do you want?" he whispered.
She laughed nastily. "Oh, I think you know. It doesn't feel very good to be on the receiving end of this sort of treatment, does it, Minister? Now you know how your victims feel!"
Fudge seemed to suddenly come to his senses. He ripped up the photographs in his hands and lunged towards the parchment on the desk.
Evangeline stepped aside and stated in a cold and brittle voice, "You don't really think these are the only copies, do you Minister?"
Fudge's hand froze inches from the parchment. Slowly he raised his eyes to meet hers and flinched at the venom he saw there. Defeated, he straightened up and stared at her. "What exactly are your terms, Miss Winthrop?"
"That's better, Minister." Her eyes glittered in satisfaction. "Very well, here's the deal, and don't worry, it's not all bad for you. Severus will be released from Azkaban immediately. You will call a press conference and make a public announcement of his innocence in front of many witnesses. Use any excuse you wish. Continue to idiotically blame Death Eaters alone, if you wish…I don't care, but you must unequivocally exonerate Severus. Indeed, a little praise for his part in saving Gringotts would be… greatly appreciated. You'll also hand over the incriminating evidence you're holding over Mabel Andrews. You will no longer threaten or harm her in anyway from now on. Is this clear?"
With a slightly perplexed frown, he nodded. "You aren't going to try to force me to acknowledge You-Know-Who's return?"
She turned a speculative eye on him. "Would you do that?"
Slowly he shook his head. "It would destroy things for me even more quickly than that…recording…would."
She shrugged. "My only concern is Severus. You can keep your rotten little empire for now, Fudge. But you must realize it's only a matter of time. Voldemort has returned. Your ostrich routine won't work forever."
Regaining a measure of confidence as he realized that he wasn't going to lose his powerful position over this, he sneered at her, "I'll take my chances."
"Very well. Do we have a deal?" Evangeline continued to stare coldly at the fat wizard with an expression of contempt on her face. Dealing with this toad was beginning to turn her stomach.
Reluctantly he nodded. "I'll have him here by lunchtime. I'll schedule the press conference for 2 o'clock. Will that suit you?"
Her heart sang with relief, but she forced herself not to show it and instead simply nodded pleasantly. "That will be satisfactory. I trust Severus is in reasonably good shape?"
He sighed in disgust. "No permanent damage has been done to him. He'll probably require a change of clothes."
"I expected that. I'll need to send an owl to Hogwarts. Can you arrange it?"
"Yes, you can send your owl," Fudge spat as he eyed her with undisguised loathing. "You and Snape are a good match. Two snakes in the grass. I underestimated you; I won't make that mistake again. Wait here. I'll go order Snape's release."