[LOG] The Death Eater Map
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chamberofsnogsWho: Alison Mallory, Fred & George Weasley
When: January 02, 1999
Where: The Burrow
What: The twins and Alison come up with the idea for the Death Eater map!
They were sitting near the fire, their feet to the Christmas tree, which was still up even though it was just past New Year's. The decorations lent a pleasant quality to the Weasley’s already cozy living room, with the firelight casting a warm yellowish glow on the branches of the tree and sparkling when it caught the ornaments just right.
Alison sat comfortably flanked on either side by a twin – Fred on the left and George on the right, if one wanted specifics – as they looked through one of the old Weasley family photo albums, mostly laughing at the antics of a five year-old Ron and a four year-old Ginny. (Not to mention a certain pair of seven year-old twins who seemed to enjoy tormenting said younger siblings.)
The occasional sounds of pots and pans clanking could be heard drifting through the doorway from the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley seemed to be keeping a surreptitious eye on them – a fact which the twins found somewhat more amusing than irritating, as their mother still hadn’t seemed to have fully gotten the concept of the way their strange three-way relationship worked. Alison had to admit, it was rather strange, even from the inside sometimes, but there was no point in questioning what didn’t need questioning, after all. It worked, and she was glad it worked, and that was all there needed to be to it.
They turned the last page in the book, on which the younger Fred and George were pulling paper hats onto their younger sister and brother as the rest of the family counted down to a new year now long gone, and set the book aside.
“Ah, how time flies,” Fred remarked sagely, earning a chortle from both his brother and his girlfriend. “And to think, Ickle Ronniekins used to be so much more… ickle.”
“Before he shot up like a beanstalk, you mean,” Alison agreed, thinking it wasn’t fair that her growth spurt had been sadly… stunted. She was still growing, but while she had hope that she would at least catch up to most of her friends, there was definitely little chance of even nearing the twins or their brothers. Being a head shorter than one’s significant other(s) was one thing… but being more than that made her feel silly, sometimes.
“Sometimes it’s hard to forget that he’s not so little anymore, all the same,” George said, leaning back with his arms behind his head. “I think Mum definitely hasn’t figured that one out yet – about any of us.”
Fred chuckled, nodding, as the noises from the kitchen got distinctly louder for a moment. “He was a big help with that Azkaban raid, though,” he said, voice turning more serious as the topic they’d been somewhat skillfully avoiding began to creep into the conversation. “Even if it’s obvious he’s pretty miserable over leaving Harry.” That was certainly the truth – Alison had been more than a little surprised to learn from the twins that Ron had recently returned without Potter or Granger; when she’d arrived at the Weasleys the morning after Christmas, it had become obvious that Ron had been kicking himself for it ever since.
“You all were, really,” George said, and Alison nodded, glad that she and her friends had been able to help the Order in some way, however small. It may have been impossible for them to help with the actual raid (the adults would never let them get near Azkaban itself, and it hadn’t even been worth asking), but they’d been able to help as lookouts first, and sort of group leaders second, coordinating and getting the escapees to safe places before they could be followed. It had been more than enough excitement, in the end.
She was glad to be back here, sitting comfortably like this with the fire crackling and the sounds of the rest of the family moving throughout the house. She always felt a bit guilty that she sometimes felt more at home here than in Cambridge at the University. Her father was a busy man – he made time for his daughter and she knew he only meant the best, but their house, while large and well-endowed, was not nearly as comfortable as the Burrow.
There had been a fair bit of tension that she could sense without asking when she’d arrived – apparently Ginny had been adamantly refusing to go back to Hogwarts this term, of which her parents absolutely did not approve, and Ron’s sudden appearance brought his lack of schooling to the forefront, though it was clear that Molly and Arthur Weasley were more concerned about the wellbeing of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger than the continuation of Ron’s schooling, even if they weren’t about to admit that aloud. But all the same, the house was still standing, the fire was still burning, and the family had managed to come together with the rest of the Order to pull off an amazing breakout of Muggle-borns from Azkaban that the Death Eaters would not soon forget.
She leaned her head back against the couch, closing both eyes and trying to enjoy the warmth, though her mind was still working on problems she’d rather not have to face. “I just wish there were a way to keep an eye on things – it’s hard enough trying to keep tabs on Headmaster Snape and the Carrows inside Hogwarts. I don’t know how the Order does it on the large scale.”
“We don’t, mostly,” George replied, sighing a bit. “We gather what information we can, and go off luck the rest of the time.”
“Hm… but, you know…” Fred began, his voice nothing more than a low murmur; Alison opened one eye to look at him, then blinked both open as George shifted beside her. “There might be a way.”
“What way?” Alison asked, glancing first at Fred, then at George, across whose features understanding was slowly dawning. She felt as though she were missing something – a feeling that became much more pronounced a moment later.
“The Marauder’s Map!” both twins exclaimed, identical grins on their faces as they locked eyes over Alison’s head. She sent a quizzical look in first one direction, then the other, waiting for the explanation.
“We gave it to Harry his third year – it was a bloody brilliant piece of parchment,” George began by way of explanation – which to Alison did not seem like much of an explanation at all. That must have been clear on her face, because he laughed a bit and went on, turning to face her a bit more. “We nicked it from Filch our first year – it’s a map of Hogwarts that tells you where everyone is at any moment.”
“Yes, but –” They already knew where the Death Eaters inside Hogwarts were – they were already keeping pretty good tabs on them, in fact, if Alison did say so herself. She and her friends were more than capable of keeping an eye on the three Voldemort supporters at the castle, so…
That meant the twins weren’t thinking about the castle. She realized this just as George said, “So why not make a bigger one? One that tells the locations of Death Eaters instead of Hogwarts students.”
“One that shows all of England.” The twins nodded, now she was catching on; Alison caught herself beginning to grin – it was a good idea – a great idea, really – but… “How do we do that? Do you even know how to make one? That sounds like some awfully complicated magic.” Of course, she didn’t doubt the twins’ magical abilities in the least. They’d proven their capability to perform complicated and intricate spells a hundred times over. But this sounded more complicated still – “And we don’t even know where they are in the first place.”
George frowned, nodding, eyes clouding in thought a moment. “No… but there must be some way – ”
“We know who most of them are,” Alison mused, though she didn’t know if that information was particularly helpful or not. “I don’t think that’s enough, though.”
There was a small silence, punctuated only by the popping of the logs in the hearth and a bit more pot-banging from the kitchen, while each of the three racked their brains for a way to track Death Eaters.
It was Fred who broke the silence first. “The Dark Mark.” Alison and George turned to Fred, who was nodding to himself as he repeated the words. “The Dark Mark – don’t you see? We can tie the map into that, there’s not a Death Eater that doesn’t have one, after all.”
It was brilliant. “And use their own means of tracking each other against them.” Alison thought it was the best idea she’d heard in a long time. One that had merit, and one that might be able to save a lot of lives.
“You’re brilliant!” Fred exclaimed brightly, at which Alison nearly snorted.
“I don’t see how – all I did was complain.” She reached up, smacking Fred lightly upside the head. “You’re the git who came up with the idea.” She nudged George lightly in the ribs. “And you’re the git who helped.”
“No, just the git who’s going to copy a good idea,” Fred said, heaving himself up off the couch, waiting for the other two to follow his lead. “Let’s go owl Lupin.”
When: January 02, 1999
Where: The Burrow
What: The twins and Alison come up with the idea for the Death Eater map!
They were sitting near the fire, their feet to the Christmas tree, which was still up even though it was just past New Year's. The decorations lent a pleasant quality to the Weasley’s already cozy living room, with the firelight casting a warm yellowish glow on the branches of the tree and sparkling when it caught the ornaments just right.
Alison sat comfortably flanked on either side by a twin – Fred on the left and George on the right, if one wanted specifics – as they looked through one of the old Weasley family photo albums, mostly laughing at the antics of a five year-old Ron and a four year-old Ginny. (Not to mention a certain pair of seven year-old twins who seemed to enjoy tormenting said younger siblings.)
The occasional sounds of pots and pans clanking could be heard drifting through the doorway from the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley seemed to be keeping a surreptitious eye on them – a fact which the twins found somewhat more amusing than irritating, as their mother still hadn’t seemed to have fully gotten the concept of the way their strange three-way relationship worked. Alison had to admit, it was rather strange, even from the inside sometimes, but there was no point in questioning what didn’t need questioning, after all. It worked, and she was glad it worked, and that was all there needed to be to it.
They turned the last page in the book, on which the younger Fred and George were pulling paper hats onto their younger sister and brother as the rest of the family counted down to a new year now long gone, and set the book aside.
“Ah, how time flies,” Fred remarked sagely, earning a chortle from both his brother and his girlfriend. “And to think, Ickle Ronniekins used to be so much more… ickle.”
“Before he shot up like a beanstalk, you mean,” Alison agreed, thinking it wasn’t fair that her growth spurt had been sadly… stunted. She was still growing, but while she had hope that she would at least catch up to most of her friends, there was definitely little chance of even nearing the twins or their brothers. Being a head shorter than one’s significant other(s) was one thing… but being more than that made her feel silly, sometimes.
“Sometimes it’s hard to forget that he’s not so little anymore, all the same,” George said, leaning back with his arms behind his head. “I think Mum definitely hasn’t figured that one out yet – about any of us.”
Fred chuckled, nodding, as the noises from the kitchen got distinctly louder for a moment. “He was a big help with that Azkaban raid, though,” he said, voice turning more serious as the topic they’d been somewhat skillfully avoiding began to creep into the conversation. “Even if it’s obvious he’s pretty miserable over leaving Harry.” That was certainly the truth – Alison had been more than a little surprised to learn from the twins that Ron had recently returned without Potter or Granger; when she’d arrived at the Weasleys the morning after Christmas, it had become obvious that Ron had been kicking himself for it ever since.
“You all were, really,” George said, and Alison nodded, glad that she and her friends had been able to help the Order in some way, however small. It may have been impossible for them to help with the actual raid (the adults would never let them get near Azkaban itself, and it hadn’t even been worth asking), but they’d been able to help as lookouts first, and sort of group leaders second, coordinating and getting the escapees to safe places before they could be followed. It had been more than enough excitement, in the end.
She was glad to be back here, sitting comfortably like this with the fire crackling and the sounds of the rest of the family moving throughout the house. She always felt a bit guilty that she sometimes felt more at home here than in Cambridge at the University. Her father was a busy man – he made time for his daughter and she knew he only meant the best, but their house, while large and well-endowed, was not nearly as comfortable as the Burrow.
There had been a fair bit of tension that she could sense without asking when she’d arrived – apparently Ginny had been adamantly refusing to go back to Hogwarts this term, of which her parents absolutely did not approve, and Ron’s sudden appearance brought his lack of schooling to the forefront, though it was clear that Molly and Arthur Weasley were more concerned about the wellbeing of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger than the continuation of Ron’s schooling, even if they weren’t about to admit that aloud. But all the same, the house was still standing, the fire was still burning, and the family had managed to come together with the rest of the Order to pull off an amazing breakout of Muggle-borns from Azkaban that the Death Eaters would not soon forget.
She leaned her head back against the couch, closing both eyes and trying to enjoy the warmth, though her mind was still working on problems she’d rather not have to face. “I just wish there were a way to keep an eye on things – it’s hard enough trying to keep tabs on Headmaster Snape and the Carrows inside Hogwarts. I don’t know how the Order does it on the large scale.”
“We don’t, mostly,” George replied, sighing a bit. “We gather what information we can, and go off luck the rest of the time.”
“Hm… but, you know…” Fred began, his voice nothing more than a low murmur; Alison opened one eye to look at him, then blinked both open as George shifted beside her. “There might be a way.”
“What way?” Alison asked, glancing first at Fred, then at George, across whose features understanding was slowly dawning. She felt as though she were missing something – a feeling that became much more pronounced a moment later.
“The Marauder’s Map!” both twins exclaimed, identical grins on their faces as they locked eyes over Alison’s head. She sent a quizzical look in first one direction, then the other, waiting for the explanation.
“We gave it to Harry his third year – it was a bloody brilliant piece of parchment,” George began by way of explanation – which to Alison did not seem like much of an explanation at all. That must have been clear on her face, because he laughed a bit and went on, turning to face her a bit more. “We nicked it from Filch our first year – it’s a map of Hogwarts that tells you where everyone is at any moment.”
“Yes, but –” They already knew where the Death Eaters inside Hogwarts were – they were already keeping pretty good tabs on them, in fact, if Alison did say so herself. She and her friends were more than capable of keeping an eye on the three Voldemort supporters at the castle, so…
That meant the twins weren’t thinking about the castle. She realized this just as George said, “So why not make a bigger one? One that tells the locations of Death Eaters instead of Hogwarts students.”
“One that shows all of England.” The twins nodded, now she was catching on; Alison caught herself beginning to grin – it was a good idea – a great idea, really – but… “How do we do that? Do you even know how to make one? That sounds like some awfully complicated magic.” Of course, she didn’t doubt the twins’ magical abilities in the least. They’d proven their capability to perform complicated and intricate spells a hundred times over. But this sounded more complicated still – “And we don’t even know where they are in the first place.”
George frowned, nodding, eyes clouding in thought a moment. “No… but there must be some way – ”
“We know who most of them are,” Alison mused, though she didn’t know if that information was particularly helpful or not. “I don’t think that’s enough, though.”
There was a small silence, punctuated only by the popping of the logs in the hearth and a bit more pot-banging from the kitchen, while each of the three racked their brains for a way to track Death Eaters.
It was Fred who broke the silence first. “The Dark Mark.” Alison and George turned to Fred, who was nodding to himself as he repeated the words. “The Dark Mark – don’t you see? We can tie the map into that, there’s not a Death Eater that doesn’t have one, after all.”
It was brilliant. “And use their own means of tracking each other against them.” Alison thought it was the best idea she’d heard in a long time. One that had merit, and one that might be able to save a lot of lives.
“You’re brilliant!” Fred exclaimed brightly, at which Alison nearly snorted.
“I don’t see how – all I did was complain.” She reached up, smacking Fred lightly upside the head. “You’re the git who came up with the idea.” She nudged George lightly in the ribs. “And you’re the git who helped.”
“No, just the git who’s going to copy a good idea,” Fred said, heaving himself up off the couch, waiting for the other two to follow his lead. “Let’s go owl Lupin.”
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