Severus proved to be more patient and persevering than she expected. When the school year started, he had to return to England, but that didn't stop him from returning to Hawaii whenever he could and waiting patiently sitting on the beach.

It was an expensive and exhausting process, but he was convinced that sooner or later, Hellen would give in. Besides, he found it amusing to see how exasperated she became when she saw him.

During the Christmas holidays, he was able to visit her daily again, and Hellen had to put up with Kapono's jokes when he saw that Severus was once again a regular customer at the bar.

"He must like you, he always sits in your sector," he laughed, winking at her maliciously.

"Shut up," she growled. She walked over to the table where the death eater was waiting, and almost knocked the beer over him, putting it down on the table with a thud. "Don't you ever get tired?"

"Do you?" he asked, with a half-smile. His dark eyes looked at her insolently. She snorted and walked angrily away.

That afternoon, finally, Hellen approached him on the beach. She was angry but determined to end that situation once and for all.

"I want to be clear, I am not going to surrender to the Ministry. I'd rather move to another place and start from scratch. And this time, you won't find me."

"I have no intention of giving you away," he looked at her calmly, but enjoying her expression of bewilderment. "Nobody cares about Hellen Smith. It's not worth the paperwork."

"What? Then, why don't you leave me alone? What do you want?"

"The name and whereabouts of the five death eaters who have not yet been captured."

"Are you serious?"

"In exchange, I will respect your secret."

"But I don't know anything!" Hellen protested. "I haven't heard from any of you since–"

"You can find them," he interrupted her, standing up. "If you have the same powers as your father, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Why don't you look for them? If you could find me, they should be easier to locate."

But Severus shook his head. He couldn't afford to pay a Seeker again.

"Somehow you will have to earn my silence," he looked at her critically, as if evaluating something, and before Hellen could react, Severus pounced on her, and in a quick gesture, cut off a lock of her hair.

"What are you doing?" Hellen stepped back scared, touching her hair. He showed her the small curl, shaking it teasingly between his fingers.

"In case it occurs to you to disappear again. With this I will be able to locate you without problems."

Hellen looked at him with anger and fear, feeling helpless, but she said nothing.

ooo

Narcissa walked worriedly through the hallways of Hogwarts. She knew she shouldn't do it alone, but she couldn't help it, she was so nervous. Besides, there was nothing else she could do, since the Lady was proving to be very elusive, and Narcissa couldn't always follow her.

The Lady's behavior was disconcerting, and Narcissa didn't quite know what to do. The Lady was not acting as expected of her, she had attacked her own death eaters, she had defended the students, even those who had attacked her, and she had not again subjected Dumbledore and his teachers to her will.

Narcissa suspected that her mistress had her own agenda and was acting on her own, deliberately disobeying orders from lord Voldemort, and she sensed that Snape knew this and did nothing to prevent it.

At this point, Narcissa suspected that these two were working together, but she did not know what the objective of their alliance was, and how it was going to benefit the dark side.

At the moment she had not said anything but had limited herself to silently observing everything that was happening around her. The only thing that calmed her was knowing that both she and Draco had been relegated to the background, and that no one was paying attention to them. As long as things stayed like this, they would both be safe.

Suddenly, screams in front of her caught her attention. Normally, Narcissa would have ignored it, but the screams came from a girl and something in her made her pull out her wand and run forward.

She reached the next corridor and discovered Amycus Carrow forcibly dragging a second-year student toward a wall. He grabbed her arms, deliberately bringing her closer to a rune, while she struggled desperately.

"Stop!" Narcissa shouted. "What are you doing?"

The death eater didn't seem to hear her and continued pushing the student. The rune became brighter, and began to expand, opening a magical oval.

Narcissa didn't think twice, and raising her wand, she cursed him. Amycus fell headlong onto the shiny surface and bounced, as if he had struck stone. Narcissa took the girl's arm and pulled her to her feet, leading her away from the wall.

"Don't look at the light!" Narcissa shielded her with her body, also looking away. Behind them, the bright oval dwindled and eventually disappeared.

ooo

Severus gave her a few days to think about his offer, and then sought her out. With the lock of her hair, it was very easy to know where she was at all times, as if he had a compass in his hand.

He found her in a grocery store. He still found it very curious to see the Lady wasting her time on muggle matters, but that only increased his feeling of superiority towards her.

He purposely approached her from the left, and Hellen was startled when she became aware of his presence, too late.

"Don't do that again," she said, annoyed.

"I thought the Lady knew when her death eaters were near her," he mocked.

"Don't call me that," she growled.

"All right, Hellen Smith, have you thought about what I told you?"

"It's not easy," she admitted. "I haven't used my magic in a long time, and I don't want to reveal my position. Plus, they are on the other side of the world."

"So, you've been searching," he observed. For the first time, he felt a slight sense of victory.

"Win and I do what we can," Hellen tried to avoid him, but he stood in the way, blocking her path. "Hey, I already told you it's not easy. I'll let you know when I know something."

He still didn't move, and leaned a little towards her, intimidating her with his height and closeness.

"Does that mean we have an agreement?"

"Will you leave me alone if I do this?" she looked him in the eyes, with a mixture of insecurity and anger. He had a suspicion, and on an impulse, he extended his right hand, bringing it closer to her face. As he supposed, Hellen realized it too late. "What are you doing?" she asked, slapping his hand away.

"You have my word," Severus promised mockingly, with a smug smile. "By the way, don't be so upset. When you do, you get a kind of... scar," and he walked away from her, leaving her angry and scared.

ooo

Shortly afterward, Amycus regained consciousness in the infirmary. He was tied to the stretcher, to prevent him from escaping, and in front of him Dumbledore was watching him furiously. The other teachers were expecting something withdrawn, but just as serious.

"It was you?" asked the headmaster. "Did you take the girls to the runes?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the death eater spat, flailing around unsuccessfully.

"Don't lie," a cold voice hissed next to his head. Amycus turned his head to discover the Lady, standing a short distance from his head.

"My lady, I have not done anything."

She looked at him with a hateful sneer, and moved one hand, making him writhe in pain.

"You were trying to get a student absorbed by the runes," her voice rose above the screams. "Don't you dare deny it!"

"Please stop," Vaitiare approached her, pleading. She had just entered the infirmary, and her eyes were wide open, stunned by what was happening. "What happened?"

"The runes are what make the students disappear," Dumbledore explained. "And this death eater was involved in it."

"I have not done anything!"

"My lord will be pleased to know that we have found the person responsible for the disappearances," the Lady had stopped the torture, but was still glaring at Amycus with hatred. "He will be in charge of applying the corresponding punishment to you. As for you, Mrs. Malfoy, I will see to it that the Dark Lord knows how invaluable your help has been. You will be rewarded for this," she added, looking at Narcissa. She simply bowed, showing gratitude, but did not dare to respond.

"I don't understand, I had him completely under control," Vaitiare protested, approaching Amycus. "How did he manage to escape my spell? It shouldn't be possible."

"He's not the first one to do it," McGonagall reminded her acidly, looking at her without a trace of kindness. The veela opened her eyes wide, amazed.

"You're right, how have I not seen it before?" Vaitiare shook her head, distressed. "Professor Dumbledore, wasn't it Professor Snape who made Legilimency to this death eater, to check his true intentions? Wasn't he the one who said that Amycus had nothing to do with the disappearance of the students?"

"That's right," the headmaster confirmed, cautiously.

"And do you trust his word?"

"Absolutely."

"So, you wouldn't mind questioning him again?" Vaitiare opened his eyes wide, putting on a frightened and pleading expression.

"I trust Severus, and I know that he has nothing to do with the disappearances."

"But do you know where he is right now?" Dumbledore hesitated, unable to respond to that. He looked at the Lady, but she kept her mouth closed, still looking at Vaitiare in a very strange way.

The veela was aware of their exchange of glances and smiled.

"Does that mean that the supposedly reformed death eater mysteriously disappears as soon as there's trouble? Is this the first time it happens?" her questions generated an awkward silence, and Dumbledore felt himself the center of the questioning gazes of the other professors.

"As I said, I trust Severus. I don't think he am responsible for this situation."

"If I were you, I would take care of verifying that this trust is deserved," Vatiare insisted. "After all, a man's loyalty is a very unstable thing."

ooo

Severus had waited over three years and could wait a few more months. He left Hellen alone that winter, but on Easter he returned to the beach, sitting in his usual place, in front of her house.

He hadn't tried to approach her this time, but he kept his eye on her. He saw her arrive, every afternoon at the same time, walking along the edge of the beach.

He felt a degree of satisfaction as he watched the woman's dreamy smile and relaxed posture disappear as soon as she spotted him. However, she always continued on her way without speaking to him.

Until one day, near the end of the holidays, Hellen finally approached him, with a firm and determined step.

"Here you have," she snapped, handing him a folded note. In it, Severus could see five names, along with their corresponding addresses and the aliases the death eaters were currently using. There was also a physical description of what they looked like.

"Win has checked them all. The data is legit," said Hellen. "I have already kept my word, now it's your turn."

Severus pocketed the note, thinking about what he would do with that information. He stood up, brushing off his clothes. He looked again at the woman, who despite her anger and harsh gesture, was still scared, unsure of how he was going to react.

Severus had to admit, he had found that adventure more entertaining than he had imagined.

"I wish you luck, my lady," he said goodbye with a mocking voice.

She glared at him, but he turned around and disappeared. Only then could Hellen breathe easy.