*Safe far away from the smell of disinfectant and imminent death, Regulus has designed a wall-to-wall map just for St. Mungo's. Illegal portkeys have been spaced along its floors and a series of invisible doors in the very air wait to be activated and sheppard anyone caught between them for better or for worse.
When the time on the portkeys runs out, a formation of markers bloom into existence along the inked hospital hallways, the newly arrived Death Eaters looking for a split second like pieces on a gigantic game board awaiting a first move. But soon they scatter, and before anyone can react and escape the perimeter goes up around the entire building, sealing all doors, barring all windows. In those first few moments Regulus is always grateful for his map's limitations of showing only the Marked. The idea of all the human lives within a given area being reduced to those glowing markers - in this case the sickly flicker of so many ill people and the Healers all behaving like terrified bugs - it puts Regulus' teeth on edge. It makes him uncomfortably aware of his own skeleton and sinew as he touches his wand to the wall and grid-like sleeper wards are activated.
He's just tired, just hoping this won't be the time he makes a mistake or something goes wrong, but from his own distant room he swears he can almost feel the bristle of air ignited inside the hospital as it begins.*
*Sirius' setup is much less elaborate or dignified than a map carefully pinned to a wall. He's in an alley next to Purge and Dowse Ltd, and the Order is poised and hidden around the area near the entrance in preparation to storm in. He's got his own map, though it's laid out on a bin lid. The map illuminates as Regulus brings up the wards, and Sirius instantly begins the tricky process of unraveling one of the many doors and opening its mate just outside of the walls instead of inside of it.
But Sirius didn't help create the Marauder's map without knowing a thing or two, and he finds that they the principles Regulus' wards function on are almost identical. All in all, it's only about five minutes before Sirius manages to crack one of the doors, and he lets out a whoop when he manages it. If he's does it carefully and well--and he thinks he has, though heaven knows--then Reg shouldn't even notice until he really tries to use this particular door. He steps to the entrance of the alley and gestures, come here, ready to show them to the hole in the wall that looks down into a broom closet inside of the hospital.*
*Fabian's ready and waiting, and at Sirius's gesture he's right there. His being here at all was a matter of some debate; three months is not a terribly long time to heal werewolf bites and ruined muscle, but he's nothing if not stubborn, and eager to do something actively useful. So he peers down into the cupboard, face alight with grim excitement.*
*Gideon is right behind him. He's shrewd enough to recognize a lost cause when he sees it, so he'd given up just about immediately on trying to get Fabian to stay home. But that doesn't mean he can't keep an eye on his brother--and his brother's slightly slowed reaction time--while they're out there.
Still, there's no use having a chat while God-knows-what is happening on the other side of that broom closet door. He tilts his head at his brother, his smile grim.*
*With that promise, Fabian drops down into the cupboard. He lands a little hard because he wasn't willing to lower himself in - he's not putting extra strain on his arms, not now - and scooches aside to wait for Gideon.*
*He follows, and in the next instant they are crowding one another and the cleaning supplies. In the near-darkness, Gideon draws his wand and inclines his head as if to say, Ready?*
Every plan and every design has one, and he assumed from the start that his maps were no exception, though he couldn't find them all. But even with all his quiet shyness, Regulus was sure enough in his warding capabilities to have completely overlooked the possibility of them being dismantled like this and needing an alarm to alert him.
A small segment of glowing line on the edge of the map turns off, back to black, and he is too busy observing a small cluster of markers to try to see if they're in trouble or in charge to even notice that the hospital isn't in his control anymore. The twins, along with the rest of the Order, don't even show up on his map.*
*And where there's two Order members, there's soon three. Frank's not far behind the twins, but he gestures for them to go ahead and waits for Alice with his back to the wall.*
*Alice has always worried about an attack here. Around her waist is her belt of potions and salves - the aftermath will be the worst and she has already decided to be there for it.
As she joins Frank, she smiles grimly. An indecently large part of her is excited - she wants to fight.
Nodding to Sirius, she lowers herself down. In her adult life, Alice has worked at two places. Now she has broken in to both.*
*Sirius is squinting at the maps and calling after them, letting his voice drift faintly through the doorway.
I think--yes, I can see you now. I'm going to shut the door, send a patronus--it should get through--send a patronus if you can't get out and need help. I've got the wards under control.
*He gives the foursome a grin and then shuts the door behind them, experimentally opening a new one closer to what appears to be some primary sort of fray, where several unlabeled dots are flickering and going out.*
*Remus had intentionally hung back a bit because he wanted to see the end result of Sirius's work in action - and those four can handle themselves, anyway - but he slips out of the shadows now, standing at Sirius's shoulder and looking down at the lines and dots. He won't tarry long, and he's got the half-distracted tone that means his mind's already on the battle inside, but this won't take a moment.*
When the time on the portkeys runs out, a formation of markers bloom into existence along the inked hospital hallways, the newly arrived Death Eaters looking for a split second like pieces on a gigantic game board awaiting a first move. But soon they scatter, and before anyone can react and escape the perimeter goes up around the entire building, sealing all doors, barring all windows. In those first few moments Regulus is always grateful for his map's limitations of showing only the Marked. The idea of all the human lives within a given area being reduced to those glowing markers - in this case the sickly flicker of so many ill people and the Healers all behaving like terrified bugs - it puts Regulus' teeth on edge. It makes him uncomfortably aware of his own skeleton and sinew as he touches his wand to the wall and grid-like sleeper wards are activated.
He's just tired, just hoping this won't be the time he makes a mistake or something goes wrong, but from his own distant room he swears he can almost feel the bristle of air ignited inside the hospital as it begins.*
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But Sirius didn't help create the Marauder's map without knowing a thing or two, and he finds that they the principles Regulus' wards function on are almost identical. All in all, it's only about five minutes before Sirius manages to crack one of the doors, and he lets out a whoop when he manages it. If he's does it carefully and well--and he thinks he has, though heaven knows--then Reg shouldn't even notice until he really tries to use this particular door. He steps to the entrance of the alley and gestures, come here, ready to show them to the hole in the wall that looks down into a broom closet inside of the hospital.*
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Well done, mate. Good luck out here.
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Still, there's no use having a chat while God-knows-what is happening on the other side of that broom closet door. He tilts his head at his brother, his smile grim.*
--if you're good and ready, darling.
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You both worry about yourselves in there. Take one out for me, would you?
*But he glances up, and smiles, and makes a shooing motion.*
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*With that promise, Fabian drops down into the cupboard. He lands a little hard because he wasn't willing to lower himself in - he's not putting extra strain on his arms, not now - and scooches aside to wait for Gideon.*
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Every plan and every design has one, and he assumed from the start that his maps were no exception, though he couldn't find them all. But even with all his quiet shyness, Regulus was sure enough in his warding capabilities to have completely overlooked the possibility of them being dismantled like this and needing an alarm to alert him.
A small segment of glowing line on the edge of the map turns off, back to black, and he is too busy observing a small cluster of markers to try to see if they're in trouble or in charge to even notice that the hospital isn't in his control anymore. The twins, along with the rest of the Order, don't even show up on his map.*
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As she joins Frank, she smiles grimly. An indecently large part of her is excited - she wants to fight.
Nodding to Sirius, she lowers herself down. In her adult life, Alice has worked at two places. Now she has broken in to both.*
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I think--yes, I can see you now. I'm going to shut the door, send a patronus--it should get through--send a patronus if you can't get out and need help. I've got the wards under control.
*He gives the foursome a grin and then shuts the door behind them, experimentally opening a new one closer to what appears to be some primary sort of fray, where several unlabeled dots are flickering and going out.*
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How much like the Marauder's Map is it?
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*He wiggles his fingers.*
Ghost dog is on the prowl.
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He stole our map?
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*Sirius shrugs.*
I can't be too fussed about it, though. I stole his research, and I'm about to make him piss himself. There'll be justice for our hard work yet.
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