At first, Severus had feared that Omegas would stop speaking to him. He had received the silence treatment before, and not only was he afraid of experiencing it again; a part of him, one that he tried to keep locked away in the darkest corner of his mind, was terrified that it might hurt him as much as it had in the past.
However, that did not happen. It was much worse.
Omegas did not stop talking to him at all. She began to address him as she did everyone else: polite, distant, cold. It was worse because the sudden change not only forced Severus to realise how close they had become since being locked in the castle, but also left him powerless to do anything about it.
He could not accuse her of being aggressive or unkind in any capacity. He certainly could not ask her to return to his quarters, as their entire arrangement was based on him having questions for her, and now there were no more to ask. He could not admit to her that he wanted her to come back there, because he could not even admit it to himself. He could not expect her to come back to his office because there was no work for her to do there. There was nothing he could do.
Thus, Severus did nothing. For the rest of the following week, he stayed in his quarters most of the time. Occasionally he went to his office, just to take his eyes off the still full glass sitting on the low table. When he was forced out of his quiet routine, things did not get any better.
The meeting that preceded Omegas and Tonks' first expedition to the Ministry reminded him of the worry he had locked away in that padlocked cupboard, and everything he had hidden there since then began to stir with it.
"Good morning," she greeted.
She sat down on the opposite side of the table with absolute detachment written all over her face. Tonks, next to her, seemed to have noticed nothing. She continued to speak to him in the same friendly tones as always, a sign that Omegas still hadn't told her about their many exchanges, especially the last one.
The first expedition came and went without a hitch. Tonks made herself practically unrecognisable: she was at least two inches taller, she was slimmer, and had long blonde hair that cascaded down her back. She had also changed her nose, which was larger and more prominent than usual, and her mouth, now much wider and with almost dazzling white teeth. No one would have been able to recognise her.
Nor did anyone recognise Omegas the first time they crossed the threshold of the Ministry. Kingsley Shacklebolt, who still had his connections, had managed to get the two women a visitor's pass to the Department of Magical Games and Sports, just above the Department of Mysteries, on the seventh level.
Omegas assumed the false identity of Apolline Moreau, a new Quidditch discovery visiting from France for a Women in Quidditch promotional campaign, and Tonks that of Fiona Hawthorne, her English counterpart. Omegas had insisted on assuming a foreign identity. The reason Omegas had given was that it would be harder to recognise her if they assumed she was from another country; Severus knew the real reason was to have an excuse to get Tonks to speak in her place. The little she did speak, however, was in such perfect French that no one could ever doubt that she was indeed Apolline Moreau.
Ludo Bagman was delighted to welcome them: the new administration of the Ministry of Magic did not seem to have discouraged him. As he showed them around the office, he was his usual cheerful, bouncy self. The Weasley twins, in an act of creativity that even Severus, in private, felt compelled to call ingenious, had created some very useful devices that acted like contact lenses, allowing the person wearing a twin pair to see through the eyes of the wearer. They had given the object such a ridiculous name that Severus had heard it and promptly forgotten it.
So, for the first time without her pair of purple eyes, but with two brown irises, Omegas and a blonde, green-eyed Tonks infiltrated the Ministry, took a tour of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and hid in the women's toilets towards closing time. Afterwards, using one of Omegas' spells—the formula for which she revealed to be 'Neglectus'—they managed to sneak down to the ninth level and reach the Department of Mysteries.
Although they survived the venture, which Severus thought was good news in itself, the information they brought back was not encouraging.
"They are guarded. All of them," announced Omegas. "The rooms in the Department of Mysteries are guarded by Death Eaters. The Unspeakables are gone. Twelve doors and twelve Death Eaters guarding them. There's no way of knowing which one they're hiding the snake behind."
An anxious murmur spread around the members of the Order.
"So… what do we do now?" asked Ron.
"We have to check them," replied Harry.
"Harry, this is madness," objected Hermione, a note of panic in her tone. "Twelve Death Eaters! Even if we could get into the Department, to take out twelve Death Eaters without getting killed we'd have to storm the Ministry!"
"Then let's storm it!" Harry snapped, pounding his fist on the table.
All eyes darted to him. He looked around awkwardly, but without losing a hint of his determination.
"Listen," he sighed. "This is the last Horcrux. Once the snake is dead, we'll still have to go after Voldemort. The war will have to be fought sooner or later anyway. If it has to start at the Ministry in order to get our hands on the snake, then—"
"Are you thinking about the people who would die?" interrupted Omegas.
He looked at her. "What?"
"The people who would die, if we went on a suicide mission to the Ministry of Magic right now. Are you thinking about them?"
She stood and walked cautiously towards him.
"Are you thinking about how many empty seats you would be looking at around this table if we followed your plan?"
Harry didn't answer. He lowered his head, glancing at each member of the Order seated at the High Table. He looked back at the woman in front of him with a mixture of panic and growing anger.
She gave him a piercing stare. "I generally believe the end justifies the means," she whispered. "But this would be your decision. Could you live with it?"
She said it with an unflinching smile and in such an inappropriately calm tone that Severus feared for a moment the boy was going to punch her.
Luckily, Professor McGonagall intervened.
"We must find another solution, Potter."
"There is no other solution!" he blurted out.
"Maybe there is," Hermione interjected.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"In the book, Secrets of the Darkest Art, it says something about Horcruxes being placed inside living creatures," she explained. "It says that… that when a soul comes into contact with another soul, it leaves a kind of mark. It leaves a trace."
"Yeah, don't tell me," Harry said darkly, gesturing towards the scar on his forehead. "I've had it for about seventeen years, Hermione."
"Not that kind of mark," she replied. "I mean that your soul is linked to Voldemort's, and technically Nagini's as well."
"My soul was linked to Voldemort's," he corrected. "It isn't anymore. I can't feel his thoughts. I don't speak Parseltongue anymore. I don't—"
"It doesn't matter," Omegas interrupted.
All heads turned to her as she stared intently at an undefined point on the wall of the Great Hall.
"Souls leave a mark. Of course they do! If a piece of Riddle was inside you, at least as long as there's another piece of the same soul that hasn't been destroyed, you should be able to feel it," she said, pointing at Harry. "You know what it feels like to have a piece of him inside you. If there's something else, something with a soul of its own, experiencing the same thing, surely you'll feel it somehow."
She turned to Hermione and gave her a cunning smile.
"You're clever."
Hermione blushed slightly and couldn't help returning the smile. "Oh, I… thank you, ma'am."
"What does that mean?" Harry asked. "That If I go to the Department of Mysteries, I'll be able to tell which door the snake is hiding behind?"
Omegas shrugged. "Presumably."
"I'll go," he said firmly.
Another murmur spread around the table; this time the tones were decidedly less subdued than before.
"And how are you planning to get into the Ministry of Magic, Harry?" Lupin asked. "You're Undesirable Number One."
Silence fell. Harry opened his mouth as if to reply, probably to suggest to storm the Ministry once again, but cast another look at the other members of the Order and thought better of it.
"My father," a trembling voice said.
Draco had spoken in a whisper so faint it was barely audible. He looked around tentatively, his head slightly bowed. It was the first time he dared speak during an Order meeting.
"My… my father had a Vanishing Cabinet confiscated during an inspection some time ago. That's why I knew how they worked. They're illegal because you can get into practically anywhere," he explained. "I think… I think the one they took from him is still in the storerooms of the Improper Use of Magic Office. And, well, the one I fixed is still in the Room of Requirement. I can try to link them."
He raised his head to find everyone's eyes on him. He seemed to shrink in his chair; he shifted uncomfortably and lowered his eyes to his hands.
"It's just an idea," he added softly.
"It's a brilliant idea," Harry replied.
Draco looked at him. "Really?"
Harry nodded. "Really."
Draco smiled, and Severus suddenly felt the urge to leave the table and throw up.
"Well," said Professor McGonagall. "If you need to reach the Department of Mysteries from the Improper Use of Magic Office, Potter, I would suggest organising a group to provide you with proper cover and protection if necessary."
"If Harry's going, we're going with him," said Ron, standing up and clutching Hermione's hand.
"Me too," added Ginny resolutely. "And I think Neville and Luna should come too. They were there the last time we went to the Department of Mysteries,. They know—"
"No student, except for Potter, will set foot in the Ministry," said Severus firmly.
He stood up in turn and gave each of them a stern look.
"But Professor, last time—" tired Hermione.
"Last time?" he interrupted. "Last time, we can't exactly call that a mission accomplished, can we, Granger?"
Hermione averted her gaze.
"Last time," he went on, "the Order of the Phoenix lost a member. The object that was supposed to be recovered was destroyed. And if Dumbledore hadn't intervened at the right moment, you all would have died."
They fell silent. Ginny seemed about to argue, but Harry quickly signalled her not to.
"No…" Severus hissed. "No students this time. Lupin, you and I are going."
He gestured towards him, and Lupin, though surprised, nodded without hesitation.
"You too," he added, turning to Omegas.
She, predictably, refused to meet his gaze.
"Me too," said Tonks.
Severus turned to her. He thought about it, but finally decided that he did not care enough to argue.
He nodded and turned to Draco. "How long do you think it will take to connect the cabinets?"
"I don't know, sir," he replied. "It depends on—"
"Then get to work immediately," he commanded.
Draco stood. "Yes, sir."
He nodded to Harry, who returned the gesture almost immediately, then walked briskly to the door and disappeared behind it.
"I'm coming with you," announced Kingsley Shacklebolt. "I know the Ministry. I can get you to the Department of Mysteries quickly."
"Good," said Omegas, "You're the last, though. Six people breaking into the Ministry of Magic illegally… we're already too many."
Kingsley nodded slowly, and the meeting ended shortly after.
Severus was the last to leave the table. Omegas, at the other end, lingered a moment longer than the others before joining them. For a few seconds, they were alone. During that seemingly endless lapse of time, he seriously considered apologising to her. He thought about opening his mouth and saying 'I'm sorry'—two words that, since the last time they had been refused, had cost him an unbearable amount of pain just to think about. He opened his mouth, but before anything could get out of it, someone else had spoken.
"Coming, Om?"
Omegas turned to Tonks. She nodded weakly and joined her without giving Severus another glance.
It took Draco weeks to make the connection between the two Vanishing Cabinets, but Severus didn't notice. Time had lost its meaning; the newfound impatience he had felt had left him for good. There was just the emptiness that had always been there. Before his resurrection, before the war, before Lily. Maybe ever since he was born. His quarters were empty, his office was empty and, on the best days, his mind was empty.
On the worst days, he saw himself outside the Gryffindor common room, repeating "I'm sorry" and hearing "I'm not interested" in response. Then he saw himself outside the room where Tonks slept, wherever that was, and the one where he guessed Omegas slept too. He heard himself saying "I'm sorry" and her replying "I'm not interested".
Finally, he drank. He got to the point where he tried to learn the spell Omegas had put on him to be clear-headed, and on the third try he succeeded perfectly. It wasn't as pleasant as it had been in the past, though. He wasn't surprised: all the spells she had invented seemed destined to affect others, but not themselves, at least not completely. Even the Neglectus Charm, which she had invented only to use on herself, worked better when cast on someone or something else. Omegas had said so during a meeting of the Order.
He wondered why, and continued to wonder for a long time. On a night when his head was particularly empty, he thought of asking her. He looked up at the chair in front of him, but saw nothing but a dusty glass on the table.
He drank again. Why had he done it? She would never forgive him. Why the hell did he care about forgiveness?
It hit him, and he didn't have enough control over his mind to stop it.
Omegas was a friend. The first real friend he had had since he could stop pretending to be friends with Yaxley, Selwyn or Lucius Malfoy. The first real friend he had had since…
He drank until his head was empty again. Severus had lost a friend. Again.
It was his fault, he knew. He had given in to his curiosity, he and no one else. Most of the castle's inhabitants coexisted with her without feeling the need to poke their noses into her memories. But not him. He had to poke his long, horrible, bloody nose.
Finally, the day came. The Vanishing Cabinet was operational and the team was ready. Omegas and Tonks, still in the guise of Apolline and Fiona, would enter as they had before. They would take another tour of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, pretending to make further checks, and instead of heading for the exit, they would slip back into the women's toilets. They would wait, protected by the usual spell; then they would proceed to the Improper Use of Magic Office and wait. Lupin, Severus and Kingsley would come out of the cabinet, with Harry under the Invisibility Cloak behind them. At that point, the two women, now visible again, would be led by Kingsley, wearing Omegas' twin lenses, along the shortcut that would take them to the Department of Mysteries.
Everything went strangely, surprisingly smoothly. The Ministry was almost deserted at that late hour, and the six managed to reach the door of the Department of Mysteries without trouble. Omegas and Tonks cast another Neglectus Charm on each other, and they all entered, opening the door just enough to allow them to pass one at a time. No one noticed.
The twelve Death Eaters stood still, each in front of a black door. They waited in silence; Severus could hear Harry moving under the cloak and past him. He had to approach each of the doors and return to them with an answer.
No more than five minutes later, a faint "Muffliato" came from under the cloak. Severus started. It had been ages since he had heard that spell.
"It's the third door on the right from the one across from us," Harry whispered. "The keys are around their necks."
Severus looked at the door in question; it was guarded by Thorfinn Rowle. He was one of the Death Eaters he hated with the greatest passion.
"Do we confuse him and take the key?" asked Tonks.
"No," Lupin replied. "The Confundus Charm won't be enough to get it off his neck. We have to take him out."
"Even if we confuse the other eleven, a Stupify might attract attention," Kingsley objected. "They might hear us."
"The Imperius Curse?" suggested Harry.
"No, Rowle resists it," replied Severus. "I've seen him do it. If he raises the alarm, we risk drawing them all in."
"Then it's best to petrify him," said Lupin. "And hope that when he falls he doesn't attract the attention of the others."
"Severus," said Omegas quietly.
He started again. It had been weeks since he had heard that voice say his name.
"What?"
"What kind of person is he?" she asked.
Severus turned to look at Rowle. "Disgusting," he hissed.
"Hm…" she mused. "Is he a disgusting Death Eater or a disgusting human being?"
He considered his answer. "He's a disgusting man."
She chuckled. "Perfect. You confuse the others just enough to keep them at bay."
"What are you going to do?" asked Lupin.
"I'm going to distract him," she explained.
She moved away so quietly the air around her almost didn't move.
They obeyed. All five of them approached the other eleven Death Eaters, and one by one they confused them just enough so that they would mind their own business. They returned to the back of the room, and Severus only had to wait a few minutes before something happened that made him start for the third time.
Omegas murmured, "Perceptum," and suddenly became visible right in front of Rowle. It was over. She would die for sure.
"You!" Rowle growled.
"No," she countered. "You."
She spoke in a tone Severus had never heard her use with anyone, not even the boys and girls he had seen her flirt with in her memories. It was forcefully seductive.
Rowle looked her up and down a few times, then stopped, as if dazed. He smirked.
"You're a Death Eater, aren't you?" she asked.
He took a step closer to her. "Yes."
"Hmm…"
She leaned towards him and rested a gentle hand on his left arm.
"Can I see?" she breathed.
Rowle didn't need to be asked twice. He uncovered his arm and showed her his Dark Mark. She placed a finger on it and slowly ran it down his arm.
When she reached his wrist, her grip suddenly tightened. She pulled him towards her and jumped on his neck. Her mouth opened wide, much wider than any human mouth could, and a pair of snake fangs appeared in place of her canines. She hissed and sank her teeth into his throat. Rowle let out a single, weak whimper before Omegas gently lowered his paralysed body to the ground. He collapsed without making a sound.
"Idiot," she said softly.
She turned to them and beckoned them forward.
Harry emerged from under the cloak, astonished and with a broad smile. "How did you do that?"
Omegas smirked and shook a small vial containing a yellowish liquid in front of him.
"Veela sweat," she explained. "About that, you better stay away from me. If anyone touches me, I won't be responsible for my actions."
She grabbed the key hanging around Rowle's neck and walked quickly to the black door.
"I meant how did you paralyse him," Harry clarified.
"Oh," she murmured. "Well—"
"Is this an appropriate time for a conversation, Potter?" Severus asked sourly.
Harry turned to him. "No, sir."
"No, indeed," he confirmed. "Silence. Walk."
The boy nodded, bowed his head and walked towards the open door.
Severus didn't want it known that Omegas was an Animagus, since she had revealed to him that she was one illegally. More importantly, he didn't want it known that she was a snake. It wasn't well regarded, especially among the members of the Resistance against Lord Voldemort, and she, for all her intelligence, was also too naive for her own good.
The six entered the room. Those who were still invisible removed their Disillusionment Charms.
"Lumos Maxima!" shouted Tonks.
In the centre of the large, dark room was a solitary stone arch, apparently empty. All of them stood in pensive silence.
Omegas approached it curiously. "What is it?"
"This is…" Harry whispered. "This is the Arch… the Arch that…"
He couldn't finish.
"It's the Arch Sirius fell into when he died," Lupin helped.
"Oh," replied Omegas. She paused briefly, her eyes still fixed on it. "Well, I have no idea who Sirius is."
For a split second, Severus felt like he could have laughed. He held himself back: he hated Black, but not enough to laugh at his death. He would reserve that treatment for Voldemort when the day came.
"There's nothing else here," Kingsley noted, circling the Arch.
"I think…" muttered Harry. "I think it's in there."
All eyes shifted from the boy to the empty Arch.
"In there where?" asked Tonks.
"In the Arch," he replied, approaching it slowly.
Tonks frowned. "There's nothing in the Arch."
Harry, seemingly pulled by some invisible force, kept walking towards it as if about to cross it.
Severus grabbed his shirt. "Don't."
He stopped and looked into the Professor's eyes. "I'm sure it's in there."
"You can't go in there, Harry," said Lupin, reaching him quickly. "You don't know what—"
"But if the snake is in there—"
"No," Severus said categorically. "No. No one will enter the Arch."
There was a moment of silence.
"But then…" murmured Tonks. "How do we—"
"We take it to the castle," suggested Omegas.
She was watching the Arch with one of her best sly smiles, one that Severus had only seen her give when faced with a challenge.
Tonks scoffed. "How?"
Omegas turned to meet her eyes. Smirk still in place, she took her bag off of her shoulder and placed it on the floor next to the Arch. She took her wand and gave the bag's opening a decisive tap.
The bag emitted a sinister growl and began to expand. It stretched and stretched, until it became a sort of black hole in the middle of the room.
"Stand back!" she warned, gesturing for the others to retreat.
They complied. The hole continued to grow bigger and darker, until the Arch sank into it. When it had completely disappeared, Omegas twirled her wand and it returned to a perfectly normal bag. She reached for it and slung it back over her shoulder.
"Done," she said calmly. "Shall we go?"
Completely oblivious to the five pairs of eyes now staring at her bag in amazement and a hint of terror, she walked to the far end of the room and reached the door again. She placed her hand on the key that was still in the lock, turned it and opened it.
Immediately, a green flash shot towards her; she barely had time to close the door behind her and turn the key back into the lock. She leaned her back against it and gave the other five a look of growing gravity.
"What… what is it?" Tonks asked tentatively.
Omegas cleared her throat and met Severus eyes directly for the first time since that night under the shield.
"Do you remember your friend, the one I bit in the forest when we first met?"
He frowned. "Bellatrix?"
"That one," she nodded. "She's out there."
Silence fell once more. Everyone stood frozen, eyes-wide and considerably paler than a moment earlier.
"Hello?" called Bellatrix's voice from beyond the door. "You can't get out, you know? You can't disapparate in that room. You're trapped!"
She laughed. A laugh completely devoid of joy, yet so full of satisfaction.
"How…" Tonks breathed. "How did they—"
"When we moved the Arch, it must have set off some sort of alarm," Omegas remarked.
"When you moved the Arch," Lupin countered.
He gave her a glare, and she hastily lowered her head. Severus glared back at Lupin in her place.
"We found an Invisibility Cloak out here," added Bellatrix. "Were you stupid enough to bring baby Potter with you?"
Five pairs of eyes turned to Harry. He only then realised in sheer horror that he no longer had his cloak on his shoulders.
Severus took a slow, dangerous step towards him. "Potter…" he whispered. "Were you so idiotic as to let the Cloak fall from your shoulders?"
There was no need to reply. A deep anger rose in Severus, and for a moment he considered killing the boy with his own hands. They were all going to die anyway.
"All right, all right, let's think," Omegas mumbled, sitting in a corner of the room.
"Think?" Severus blurted out. "Think?"
"Yes, Severus, think," she confirmed. "Do you think scolding him now will be of any help?"
He considered killing her as well. He took a deep breath, his face still contorted with rage, and forced himself to calm down.
"Let's see," she mused. "if we cast a Neglectus on the boy and make a grand exit, there's a chance they won't notice him and he can reach the Vanishing Cabinet with my bag on his shoulder."
"Of course," replied Lupin. "Except they'd kill the rest of us."
"Yes, indeed," she agreed, missing the obvious sarcasm in his words. "Indeed…"
Then Omegas made a face. Severus recognised it immediately: it was the same face she had made before thinking of performing her ritual; the same face she had made when she realised that Agon Epsley and Selwyn were lovers. Omegas had an idea.
To his surprise, however, Severus saw her hide that face between her knees.
"What is it?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"Don't lie to me," he replied sharply. "You had an idea."
Omegas raised her head again. She looked around and bit her lip, then rose from the floor.
"Yes, I did."
"Then speak!" exclaimed Lupin.
She shook her head again. Lupin looked like he was about to lunge for her throat.
"Why?" asked Tonks.
"Because it would be risky, extremely painful and potentially lethal to one of us," she explained.
That was enough to silence them once more.
"I'm assuming that someone isn't you," said Severus, taking a step towards her. "If it were you, you would have already acted. Correct?"
She nodded weakly.
"Is it me?" he pressed.
She shook her head. She kept it bowed for a moment, then slowly raised her gaze towards Lupin. He returned it with a frown. He looked around, then sighed and closed his eyes.
"Go on," he muttered.
Omegas did not speak. She waved her wand over her bag and a small bottle filled with a greenish liquid jumped in her hand.
"What is it?" asked Lupin.
"Wolfsbane Extract," she replied. "Pure."
Severus understood. It was indeed risky, extremely painful and potentially lethal.
"What does it—"
"The opposite of a Wolfsbane Potion," Severus explained. "You would turn. Even indoors, without a full moon, and you would be aggressive. Much more aggressive than you normally are."
He glanced at the door at the opposite end of the room.
"A grand exit."
"Absolutely not!" Tonks snapped. "Om, this is madness!"
"Yes, it is," she confirmed.
"Even if it worked, they would probably kill him or capture him, he would never make it back to the castle! We wouldn't be able to get him into the Cabinet, he—"
"I'll do it," Lupin interrupted.
Tonks turned to him sharply. "No, you won't, Remus!"
"What other choice do we have, Dora?" he blurted out.
They locked eyes for a moment, then Tonks turned back to Omegas.
"Om, tell him he can't do it. Tell him it's a terrible idea."
She shifted her gaze from her to Lupin a few times. She bowed her head without an answer.
"OM!" Tonks shouted.
Lupin approached Omegas and snatched the bottle out of her hands.
"I'll take it," he said firmly. "I'll open the door while I transform. The first ones I'll see will be the Death Eaters, so I should attack them, but I'll attack you too if you're not careful."
"Professor…" Harry murmured.
"Harry," he cut him off. He turned to him and gave him a tired smile. "I haven't been your professor for quite a while now," he said softly. "You're Teddy's godfather. If I don't come back, tell him…"
Tonks burst into tears. Lupin walked over and held her close, stroking her hair gently.
It took a while for her sobs to subside. The other four turned and waited at a respectful distance. When Tonks managed to let go of her husband, Lupin nodded determinedly at each of them and uncorked the bottle in his hands.
"How long does it take to work?"
"Just a few seconds," replied Omegas.
"Good. Then you'd better hide Harry."
She nodded. She pointed her wand at Harry, reluctantly handed him her bag and murmured, "Neglectus."
Both the boy and the bag disappeared.
"Stand back!" warned Lupin.
They obeyed. Lupin took a deep breath, cast one last furtive glance at his wife, and emptied the bottle.
Not more than two seconds passed before he began to scream. Gradually, his hands began to deform, his face lengthened and sharp claws replaced his nails. When the transformation was almost complete, he had just enough time to turn the key and place what was now a Werewolf's paw on the door handle.
At least ten different voices shouted as Lupin's menacing growl filled the room. Severus could hear the rustle of legs running to his right, a sign that Harry was following the plan and heading for the Vanishing Cabinet, bag slung over his shoulder. The other four stepped cautiously through the door, wands at the ready.
Outside, three Death Eaters lay on the ground, one with Lupin on top of him, screaming desperately. Five more Death Eaters were trying to cast spells on the Werewolf, but they bounced off him. Finally, behind one of the biggest men Severus had ever seen, who he deduced must be new to the Death Eaters, was Bellatrix.
Their eyes met for a split second.
"There's the traitor!" she cried. "GET HIM! FORGET THE BLOODY WOLF, GET HIM!"
The other five Death Eaters, plus the large one in front of her, immediately stopped trying to attack Lupin and turned their wands on him.
In their haste to hide Harry Potter, they had completely forgotten that Severus was Voldemort's second most wanted man.
The battle began. Sparks of all colours flew from one side of the room to the other as dozens of Shield Charms were raised. It went on for several minutes: Bellatrix, fierce, fought Severus with a fury he had never seen her display before.
A curse almost hit him, but Omegas stepped in and took what must have been a Cruciatus full on, as it seemed to have no effect.
"Kingsley, take Tonks to the Cabinet!" she exclaimed.
"No!" cried Tonks. "I'm staying with Remus!"
"No," said Omegas firmly. "You're going to the Cabinet with Kingsley."
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Tonks shouted.
Omegas turned to her. Seemingly stunned, she lowered her wand for a moment and was almost hit by a spell. Severus stepped in front of her and deflected it.
"You have to trust me," she said softly. "Please. Please, trust me."
Tonks held her gaze, then burst into tears. "Please… please, help him. Please…"
"I will," Omegas replied. "I promise. Now go."
Tonks managed a weak nod. She gave her husband another anguished look, then turned and let herself be escorted to the door by Kingsley. A couple of Death Eaters followed them.
"No!" cried Bellatrix. "No, not them! DO NOT FOLLOW THEM!"
But it was too late. The two had disappeared through the door.
Lupin finished his latest prey. He raised his head and growled menacingly as he scanned the room. He lunged at two more Death Eaters, taking them both down in a single leap.
Only three more remained, including Bellatrix, casting merciless spells at Severus and Omegas. They blocked them, casting a few in return that were equally useless.
"Any ideas?" she asked.
She had found back her inappropriately calm manner.
"Yes," he replied. "Run."
She chuckled. "I can't lie, Severus, this isn't one of your best."
A joke. Omegas had made a joke. Severus, with three Death Eaters trying to capture him and the prospect of being killed by Lord Voldemort, laughed.
They retreated quickly, raising shield after shield until they reached the door.
"So, I'm about to do something stupid," she announced, shouting over the din of curses crashing against the shields. "If things go wrong, fly to the Cabinet. Harry still has my bag."
"What are you—"
There was no need to ask: Omegas opened her mouth and howled.
Immediately, the Werewolf stopped attacking its prey and turned towards them, bloodshot eyes and bared fangs.
Omegas swallowed and grabbed his arm. "Now we run."
Severus, mouth agape in horror, grabbed her wrist and turned sharply towards the door.
They ran frantically through the corridors of the Ministry of Magic, with a Werewolf and three Death Eaters hot on their heels. Every so often, one of them would turn and cast a spell to slow down Lupin, who was ravenously running at three times the speed of a human.
"This way!" she cried, dragging him towards the main entrance of the Ministry.
The place was deserted. Any Death Eaters stationed there must have been sent to the Department of Mysteries when the alarm went off. They hid behind the statue at the entrance.
Omegas pointed her wand at Severus. "Neglectus."
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
"Do it on me," she said.
"What?"
"Hurry!"
"Neglectus," Severus cast.
"Good," she breathed. "Now… we need to find a way to lure Lupin out of the Ministry."
He fell silent, pondering. He saw Lupin circling the room, sniffing around to find his next prey. He saw Bellatrix and the other two Death Eaters hiding behind a white column just beside the entrance.
"We'll cast an Imperius on a Death Eater," he suggested. "Make him howl and then run for the exit."
"Now, that's a good idea!" she replied.
Severus allowed himself a smile; she couldn't perceive him anyway.
They waited in silence. Lupin continued sticking his long snout into every corner he could find. Bellatrix grabbed one of the men from his robe and pushed him forward. The man, pale and trembling, walked cautiously through the room, trying not to be heard of sniffed by the Werewolf. Severus and Omegas didn't move until he began approaching the statue.
"Now!" Omegas whispered.
Severus pointed his wand at him. "Imperio."
He was hit squarely. His eyes emptied and his arms fell limply at his sides. He began to walk slowly towards the centre of the room.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bellatrix hissed. "Come back!"
But he didn't stop until he reached the door. He opened it, turned toward the Werewolf and howled.
Lupin, who had been sniffing around one of the opposite corners of the room, snapped to attention and immediately turned towards him. The man turned and ran through the door. Lupin lunged at the exit with such force that the doors were ripped from their hinges. The watched him being swallowed by the night beyond.
Omegas chuckled. "Not bad!"
He smirked. "I know."
An unnatural silence followed. Severus knew that in those silent moments, they had both remembered the new, uncomfortable tension that had arisen between them in recent weeks.
When Omegas spoke again, it was with absolute coldness.
"We must return to the Cabinet."
Severus felt a shift in the air, a sign that she was heading for the other end of the room. He followed her quietly.
They passed Bellatrix and the man beside her and walked in silence towards the Improper Use of Magic Office. Along one of the corridors they saw the two Death Eaters who had followed Kingsley and Tonks lying on the floor. They reached the storeroom and, standing in front of the Vanishing Cabinet, they both pointed their wands at each other.
"Perceptum," they said in unison.
They became visible again. Severus looked at her, but she averted her gaze quickly. She pointed at the Cabinet and muttered, "After you," in her new polite, cold manner. Severus bowed his head and walked past her.
The first thing he heard in the Room of Requirement was a sob, a muffled moan. He turned.
In the centre of the room was Harry Potter, the black velvet bag still on his shoulder, bent over the floor. In front of him was the hard face of Kingsley Shacklebolt marked by a single tear. In his arms, was the lifeless body of Nymphadora Tonks.
"They hit her," Kingsley sobbed. "The Killing Curse. I… I couldn't stop it."
Severus, frozen on the spot, sensed the Vanishing Cabinet being opened behind him.
"We did it, Tonks!" announced Omegas. "Lupin's out! He'll be back at the castle in a few days. Yes, he might be a bit bruised, but—"
The sentence was never finished. Omegas had turned around.