A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box
Author's Note: Hey guys! Contrary to what I was hoping for I can't really post as often as I'd like thanks to a few computer malfunctions…which will soon be taken care of…I hope. Just so you know the 11th Doctor will eventually make an appearance...later. I think Matt Smith is excellent and we'll definitely be seeing him.
Beyond the Veil, Pt. 1
"Six days." The whirring of the TARDIS died down and the Doctor stared at Hermione expectantly for a long moment. "Well?"
"Sorry." Hermione exhaled slowly. "It's just a bit weird, that's all. It's really only been six days since I left?" she said.
"To the day."
Hermione was silent for a long moment. Finally she turned to the Doctor. "Right. Come on then, let's go." She strode to the TARDIS doors and swung them open, brilliant sunlight streaming through the open doors and into the ship. She started to take a step out and then saw that the Doctor wasn't following. "What is it?" she said, frowning.
"I'm afraid this is the end of the line, Hermione." He averted his gaze from her as she swung around.
"What?" she barked, moving back towards him.
"I only meant it to be a short trip. I just sort of got caught up in everything. The truth is I'm not looking for a companion right now. I've had too much…I'm about to…" He broke off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Just trust me. Now is not a good time."
"So what?" Hermione crossed her arms across her chest. "You're breaking up with me or something?"
"What?" The Doctor said. "No…I mean, well yeah, but it's not like…"
"Well, I'll tell you one thing Doctor." Hermione took a step toward him, jabbing her forefinger into his chest. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm not leaving this TARDIS until you promise me one more trip." With that said she sat down directly on the floor.
"You must be kidding me!" said the Doctor.
Hermione peered up at him, mischief gleaming in her eyes. "Come on then, Doctor. When are you ever going to have another witch at your disposal?"
The Doctor was silent for a little while. "That's true," he finally said. With a defeated and exaggerated sigh he pushed the TARDIS doors back open. "All right. One more trip."
"Bravo!" Hermione jumped up and kissed him on the cheek, taking his hand and pulling him after her. "Just in case," she muttered half-jokingly, half-warning, and her hand darted into the pocket of his greatcoat and emerged with the TARDIS key. She deposited in her own pocket, and without a second glance at the Doctor strode off in the direction of a shabby-looking house that stood at some distance from them.
"So where exactly are we?" said the Doctor, who was really only mildly annoyed.
"This," said Hermione with outstretched arms "is the Burrow."
"The Burrow? There's nothing remotely burrow-like about it. I suppose if there's tunnels underground or something…"
"Why don't you just shut up and enjoy the scenery?" Hermione suggested. Together they walked down the short hill that led to the towering house. From twenty paces Hermione was certain she could smell biscuits from the open windows of the kitchen. Without even stopping to knock she pulled open the door and strode inside. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley! Are you there?"
There was a loud scream. Hermione barely had time to prepare herself before a plump, older woman with silvering red hair came running from the kitchen and threw herself at her. "My girl! My sweet precious girl! What's been done to you? Where have you been?"
"Relax, Mrs. Weasley. I've only been gone six days," Hermione laughed.
"Six DAYS?" Mrs. Weasley took a step back, seeing the Doctor for the first time. "YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Her wand was out in a flash, pointed right at him. "What horrible things have you done? Torture no doubt…the cruciatus curse or something worse, and then you made her forget it all…"
"Stop it, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione in astonishment. "What are you talking about?"
"Six days! You remember being gone six days and it's nearer to six months!"
The Doctor cursed. Hermione spun around him. "You messed up," she said.
"Well. These things happen…look, the TARDIS is old…and cranky. See, this is why it's best you stay home. You got lucky, one girl I traveled with lost an entire year."
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I'll let it go this time," she said, then patted her pocket. "But you're not getting out of that trip you promised me."
While this exchange between the Doctor and Hermione had been going on Mrs. Weasley had been watching both with rapt disbelief. Now she interjected again, taking hold of Hermione. "You can't mean to go off with this…this heathen again!" she said.
"He's not a heathen," said Hermione. "He's actually quite nice. Bit rude, sometimes…"
"Hey!"
"But otherwise, not so bad. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to see Harry and Ginny. Do you know where there are?"
Mrs. Weasley's eyebrows shot up. "What about Ron?" she said pointedly.
"Oh, right. Well, I meant him too. Of course I meant him too," she said.
"Liar," the Doctor murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to glare at her.
"They're at the Ministry," said Mrs. Weasley. "Harry's been working day and night on his new case. Although I dare say you haven't heard about that."
"New case? What's going on?" said Hermione.
"Something wrong at the Ministry."
Hermione's heart fell. "We need to go right away," she said. "Doctor, take my arm. And hold tight." If ever there was a time the Doctor knew when to just close his mouth and do as somebody else said, this was it. Without a word he took her by the arm and in a flash the two of them were sucked into the void itself. He felt the universe fold in over him for just an instant before he was spat out again, this time in the middle of a very shiny lobby that was filled with all manners of men, women and several creatures that were most definitely alien in origin, at least to his trained eye.
"Hermione!" several people shouted out at once.
"We'll chat later!" she shouted, to nobody in particular, and took off at a run in the direction of the Auror offices. She burst in the front door and found herself faced with several stunned faces. There was a long pause, and then everybody burst into excited chatter. Finally a tall man with tousled black hair came around the corner, mug of steaming tea in hand. He paused when he saw her, and then grinned.
"Right then, Hermione. About time you came for a visit."
"You idiot!" Hermione said and with a laugh threw her arms around Harry. The other Aurors quickly returned to their own business as the Doctor began poking around, peering at scraps of paper that had been posted to the walls and various magical artifacts…no doubt trying to ascertain their origins, alien or otherwise.
They spoke in hushed whispers for a few long moment, Harry occasionally glancing off in the direction of the Doctor, sometimes with concern and other times with amusement. "Oi! You!" he said finally, gesturing him over. "So long as you're here why don't you give us a little help?"
The Doctor mimed his best 'who, me?' expression before coming over to join Hermione and Harry. "So, what's the problem?" he said.
Harry looked around for a moment, and then gestured for the Doctor and Hermione to follow. He led them into a cramped office and took a seat behind a large desk. "Your own office," said Hermione.
"I got a promotion after the crash at Hogwarts. After I got investigated for your disappearance," he added.
Hermione winced. "I'm sorry," she said.
"It's all right. Ron wouldn't speak to me for a month. He still thinks I let some madman abduct you."
"And he's quite right about that," input the Doctor. He had suddenly become very interested in some sketches that were strewn out on Harry's desk. "Now what I'd like to know is where these came from?"
"So would I. They're witness sketches. Up until the incident at Hogwarts it was in the jurisdiction of Misuse of Magic. We assumed they were charmed suits of armor, except…well, except they look like that."
Hermione moved closer to the Doctor, leaning over his arm to glance at the drawings. "They look like…like metal men."
The Doctor froze. "That is impossible," he said. "More than impossible."
"What are they?" breathed Hermione.
The Doctor stared at the drawing for a long moment more. "Cybermen," he said finally.
***
Deep in the Department of Mysteries the Unspeakables keep all those things which the Ministry deems it important their people do not know. Hermione had only been inside those chambers twice before—once when she was a new recruit to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, to know that there was much more to the world around her that she could ever have dreamed of. The first time she had broken in, fought and almost died there.
It was still mesmerizingly strange to enter the Department for the third time, this time flanked by Harry, the Doctor, and a tall pale Unspeakable who might have been anywhere between a hundred and two-hundred years old. They were guided through one of the revolving doors and down a long tunnel, where the Unspeakable left them on one side of a two-way mirror.
"Oh my God," said Hermione. She leaned against the glass and stared at the thing that resided within.
"I wouldn't do that," said the Doctor quietly. Pulling her away. As if on cue the Cyberman jolted upright and turned to face the spot where Hermione had touched the glass.
"Human presence detected!" it called out.
"How…" Hermione started.
"Heat signature. Human temperature."
"Do you know what these things are?" said Hermione.
"Oh yes," said the Doctor. "We go way back." He continued to stare at the thing for a long moment as it seemed to go back into a state of stasis. "I don't understand," said Hermione after a long moment. "If it's like…a robot or something…all the magical energy in the Ministry should have already caused it to malfunction, right?"
"Yeah…makes you wonder, doesn't it?" he said. "There's something…not quite right about this." He turned on Harry. "There's more, aren't there?"
"Trapped in the tunnels below. We've got them secured but not subdued. The Aurors have been working with Misuse of Magic to figure out a way of disarming them. Nothing's worked, so far."
"Let's go have a look, then." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran off deeper into the tunnels.
"He is mad," said Harry admiringly.
"Good for us we've always gotten on well with mad people," said Hermione. She took out her wand and ran after the Doctor alongside Harry. A great stone wall barred the very end of the long tunnel. There were five wizards standing watch alongside a window much like the other, except that the Cybermen on the other side of this wall were active, pounding metal fists on the glass. The Doctor pushed aside one of the wizards so he could move closer to the glass.
"Polymorphic plastics," he appraised with his sonic screwdriver. "Good one. They'll have a hard time breaking through that."
Hermione, however, wasn't listening to what he said. She was staring at the wizard the Doctor had pushed aside who was in turn staring back at her. "Hermione," Ron gasped.
"Ron, I…"
"So you're the bloke who took her away!" Ron grabbed the Doctor by the shoulder, spinning him around and planting his fist squarely in his jaw.
"You bloody git!" Hermione shouted, yanking Ron away.
"Oi!" said the Doctor, testing his jaw. "Jealous boyfriend, now that's…right. Well that one's not so new. You know, I have half a mind not to save your bleedin' planet now!"
"What're you defending him for?" said Ron in astonishment as Hermione wheeled around on him.
"Because he's not an immature brat like some men I know!" she said with her hands fisted at her waist.
"I'm actually quite immature for a man of nine-hundred years," said the Doctor. "Which is to say much more mature than any of you lot…what the heck am I going on about that for?" the Doctor wheeled back around. "Now where did you lot come from?"
"Hermione…"
"I don't want to talk to you right now," said Hermione nastily, sticking her nose in the air.
"You think you could end your lovers' spat and give me a hand?" said the Doctor. He had his hands inches from the glass and had leaned forward, peering not at the Cybermen but at the long tunnel behind them. "Anybody know what's down there?" he asked. When nobody answered he spun around. "Well?"
"Answer him," Hermione ordered. The wizards exchanged glances and finally the eldest, dressed in the robes of the Unspeakables, answered.
"The tunnels lead to the Veil. It was moved after…" His gaze shifted and moved to Harry. He coughed pointedly. "Well."
"The Veil? But…" Her eyes widened when she saw the look on Harry's face. "This can't be good," she said.
"It most definitely isn't," said the Doctor. He moved to the edge of the glass and pressed his sonic screwdriver against it. A small hole just large enough for a thin person to fit through opened up. The Doctor quickly slid through and, before he could protest Harry and Hermione followed. It took only a moment for the glass to close back up behind them.
The Cyberman paused, as if stunned to suddenly be in close proximity with an actual human. "The mechanism for upgrade has been destroyed! You will be deleted! DELETE! DELETE!"
"Come on!" The Doctor shouted. The three of them ran down the long corridor as half of the Cybermen left off their relentless attempt to destroy the wall and followed them, their metal boots echoing an eerie staccato against the chamber floor. "So what's this veil?" he said as they ran. "The two of you seem to know something about it."
Harry glanced to Hermione and she realized that, though it had happened long ago, Harry couldn't find the words to repeat the story. "Somebody fell through it and we lost him forever," she said quietly. "We don't know what it is. Just that…"
"You can hear voices on the other side," said Harry quietly.
They kept running until the corridor split off in two directions. They froze and the Doctor seemed to be listening for something. Finally he pointed to the left fork in the path. "That way!" he shouted.
It wasn't much longer before they reached the room. It was much smaller than the room that had housed it previously. With a quick enchantment Hermione slammed and locked the door behind them and they found themselves alone with the object.
It was precisely as Hermione remembered it. A tall stone arc from which dangled a tattered gray veil that fluttered gently in an invisible breeze. "Oh, no…" The Doctor suddenly seemed to forget the Cybermen and had directed all of his attention on the veil. "Just what have you lot got yourselves into?" he said.
"Do you know what it is?" said Hermione.
"A veil. But not just any veil…a veil separating our world from another. An empty, terrible place." He continued to stare at it with an expression that was torn between awe and horror. "We need to get away from here. Now…"
"Wait," said Hermione. She exchanged glances with Harry. "Do you mean to tell me…are there living things on the other side of that veil?"
The Doctor looked over at Hermione. "Oh, no. I know what you're thinking but that would cause a whole mess of trouble. We can't rescue your friend. If he's fallen through then he's gone, because nothing can come…nothing…"
His speech broke off because just at that moment the veil began to shimmer, the curtains to more rapidly flutter, and a clanging echo began to resound through the air, louder and louder until six Cybermen emerged from through the veil. Four marched off and two more suddenly began to sputter and immediately fell to the ground. Their metal bodies rusted over in a matter of seconds, and for the first time Hermione saw the bits and pieces of metal that littered the floor.
"Those two couldn't survive the magic," said Hermione.
"But in case you hadn't noticed those two did," said Harry. "We're trapped!"
"Not as trapped as you might think. Hermione, do you think I could borrow your wand?"
"What?" she said.
He stuck his hand in her face, gesturing impatiently until she finally placed it in his palm. "Keep them off, Harry." With a nod Harry stood before the two of them, sending whatever spell he could think of their way while the Doctor fiddled with Hermione's wand and his sonic screwdriver, occasionally pulling implements out of his pockets which he used to connect the two.
"Right! Going to see if this works. Allons-y!" he shouted, pointing the wand-screwdriver hybrid at them. Immediately a bolt of blue and sparkling gold light hit the first of the Cybermen and his circuitry seemed to overload.
"You got it!" shouted Harry as the Doctor made quick work of the others. "But how? Magic never worked before."
"That's because these particular Cybermen were powered by magic," said the Doctor grimly. "Do you want to know what your Ministry has been using that veil for?" he said, gesturing toward it.
"It's…just an experiment, right?" said Hermione.
"It's a bloody prison. No…worse. A form of execution. Quick and painless, or so your Ministry assumes. Except the person never dies…they just live on in whatever parallel world that is. Eternal suffering."
"It can't be," said Hermione.
"Oh, but it is. And what do you know?" the Doctor began to pace. "After our last encounter the Cybermen attempted to escape, but they got caught in the same void. Except they had resources your witch and wizard friends didn't…they had technology. And in the meantime they created an army…do you want to know what a Cyberman is, Hermione?" Without waiting for an answer the Doctor strode forward and tore the breastplate from the creature. She felt herself repelled from the sight.
"The important part of a human brain, as far as a Cyberman in concerned. They harvested the prisoners…"
"No!" Harry shouted. "You listen to me, Doctor…" He wheeled around. "I won't let you say that! I won't…I can't believe that…"
"They harvested the prisoners. Some of them were witches and wizards so the Cybermen they created were immune to the effects of magic. Until I changed the charge of it with my screwdriver."
"Oh God," said Hermione, tears streaming down her eyes. "Sirius…" She felt herself breaking down and then a very strange sensation came from her. Against her chest a white hot heat. She reached into her pocket and pulled away a glowing key…the TARDIS key. "Doctor…you have another key, right?" she said quietly.
"Of course," he said, distractedly.
"And you could trace a key…through time and space…because its part of the TARDIS, couldn't you?" she said.
"Hermione…Hermione, what are you…!"
Before she could be stopped Hermione ran for the veil. "Come and find me," she said defiantly and then, without another word, backed into the veil, where to the world around her she was immediately lost
To be continued…
