They appeared in the echoing, empty lobby of the Ministry, and Regulus said "deeper." Beneath his resolve, Sirius could see an animal panic as he searched for a way down. Harry led the way to the lifts, and they stopped at each floor, so Regulus could say "deeper" again. Harry's face was a mask of tension when they reached the lowest level and stepped out into the Department of Mysteries.
That didn't bother Sirius -- after all, he'd never been in this spot -- but he knew the Veil would be a different story, if they had to approach it.
They did, but it wasn't the lonely, whispering archway that he remembered. Ghosts clustered about it in a grey cloud, drifting slowly outward. Curls of light twisted in through the tatters like trails of illuminated smoke.
He almost didn't notice the living woman who knelt in the silvery mass.