The Cracks in Time were spreading, twisting long, spidery limbs into places that should have been impossible to infiltrate. They showed no mercy, wiping out entire civilizations as they pleased.

Gallifrey was one of the places affected.

They had all seen the Cracks, they had all understood the implications. But they were powerless to this great force, the likes of which had not been seen before. Even Rassilon had to admit defeat, which before that time, had been deemed impossible by all who knew him.

The Time Lords stood tall while the blazing white light engulfed their twin suns, swallowed their burnt orange skies, and annihilated their silver-leafed trees.

They remained standing as one by one, they were erased from existence. They did not struggle, they did not cry. But they hoped. They hoped that one day, when Theta was older, he'd be able to put a stop to this blinding storm. They hoped that with the TARDIS seeds that they had sealed inside his pouch, the little boy would save them all.

It was a daunting task, and a tremendous pressure to put on an eleven year old's shoulders, but it was necessary, they said. He was the one with the power to vanquish the evil light, it had been foretold. His destiny was laid out before him, and though it had seemed unfair, Theta had understood.

He was special.


Even by Gallifreyan standards, it was bloody impressive.

As Theta followed his fellow first years into Hogwarts' Great Hall, he had a hard time listening to what Professor McGonagall was saying, so distracted by the floating candles and enchanted ceiling was he.

A real, genuine smile was beginning to form on the young boy's face as unfamiliar excitement seeped into his system. On Gallifrey, everything was strictly controlled, and you were expected to obey every order. Hogwarts felt like Freedom.

"I will call your name, you will sit on the stool, and then I will place the hat onto your head." Professor McGonagall explained, after whispers of confusion. Theta had already suspected as much.

One by one, the names of the first years were called out, and sorted into a House. Many whispers rebounded against the stone walls when 'Harry Potter' was sat on the stool, though Theta wasn't sure why. He had only been sent from Gallifrey two days ago, so he had had little time to read up on Wizarding Britain.

Soon, Theta was the last person standing before the Head Table, waiting to be called up. The severe Headmistress looked at her scroll for a moment, looking puzzled. "Er- Theta!" she called. Dumbledore smiled a fraction.

Theta stepped up, and sat on the stool. The Professor gently placed the ancient hat onto his head.

Hm... I wonder where to put you... Incredibly smart, though I suspect you already know as much... Brave too. There's a lot of courage there... And what's this I see? That's quite a Slytherin trick, you know. Hm... You're evenly matched for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, so I suppose I'd better put you where you'll do best...

"Gryffindor!" it called out, and Theta gave a little smile. He hopped of the stool, and gave a little jog to the Gryffindor table, where people were clapping and cheering. He sat by a frizzy-haired girl, who was called Hermione, and they quickly fell into conversation about magic, and spells, and history, and how foreign the whole idea of magic was.

When it was time for bed, Theta stayed up while the other Gryffindor boys fell asleep. He cast Lumos - a spell Hermione had told him about, which he had looked up when he went into his dormitory, and read his spell books, his mind easily retaining much of the information. He slept well that night.