Chapter Six:
Resistance
Instantaneously – or so it seemed – Harry found himself in a room filled with cabinet-shaped machinery, and consoles with various flashing lights. A green-collared Sontaran technician stood at the nearest set of controls – the sides of its exposed bald head tipped with short hairs. The alien's lipless mouth curled with what might have been humour, as Krail pushed Harry off the raised, lit dais they had materialised on.
Just ahead of him were Luna, the Doctor, and the Headmaster – who were being closely tagged by Skane and Gorr.
"Stay at your post, Technician Horrak," Skane announced to the other female Sontaran. She walked over and handed the sonic screwdriver, plus the three confiscated wands, over to the technical officer. "Hold these for scientific examination!"
"Yes, Commander," Horrak inclined her head slightly – then returned her attention to the numerous consoles and screens around the combined Control Room and Teleport bay.
"Welcome onboard the Kelkarsis!" Skane announced with pride to her prisoners. "I hope that I will enjoy your stay here."
As they were being pushed along a corridor leading away from the Control area, the Doctor suddenly halted next to a long window set into the side of the spaceship. The view was a panorama of the school, facing towards the Black Lake.
"Hello! What's that out there?" the Doctor asked, keeping his tone light and conversational. "Is that a forcefield you've set up, Skane?"
The others stopped. Harry, Luna, and Professor Flitwick all moved to the thick glass, and saw the curved screen of shimmering energy which ran in an arc across the lake, cutting the Boat House in two.
"Move!" Skane bellowed. Krail and Gorr none-too-gently shoved all four of the prisoners onward to the next room along the corridor that ran alongside the edge of the vessel.
Within the next five minutes, Harry, Luna, Professor Flitwick, and the Doctor were all immobilised within four individual confinement beams that shone down from the high ceiling, in a detention centre of some kind. By now, the animal inside Harry was bristling - eager to break out of the dull yellow beams that were similar to the portable ones used earlier on him and the Doctor. The wolf wanted to teach the intruders a harsh lesson for their trespassing into Hogwarts. To make them regret their harsh treatment of him, Luna, and the others – even for what they were doing to the Doctor. People had been killed – by both the Rutan and the Sontarans. Before the night was out, justice to one degree or another would be served upon the murderers, Harry silently swore…
But right now, try as did, Harry could not even force a finger out of the light that was holding his sluggish body anchored to the spot. All four of them were weaponless.
It's down to the Doctor to get us out of here, then! He knows the Sontarans – he reasoned. Harry looked across to Luna in the beam next to him. With an effort he managed to smile at her – to silently reassure her. She looked uncomfortable under the pressure of the confinement ray, but she gave Harry a fleeting smile back, which made him feel a little calmer.
Meanwhile, with Gorr on guard by the only exit to the chamber, Skane was pacing back and forth before the beam holding the Doctor prisoner. Krail, meanwhile, was positioned at a control console, facing the captives.
"It is an unexpected pleasure to have captured you, Doctor!" Skane stopped her pacing for a moment, to flash her yellow teeth at her 'guest'. "The knowledge and assistance you will provide us with, will help to bring our war against the Rutan race to a triumphant end!"
"Oh, you don't want that, surely?" the Doctor replied lightly, his hands frozen against the edge of the yellow beam surrounding his tall frame. "You'll only get bored, and look for some other territorial species to clash with! After all, how long did it take for the Sontaran clans to stop fighting each other – and unite as a race in the first place?" The Doctor paused, and then added. "Of course, if you and your brethren have decided that they'll give up war altogether – and take up some other life-long hobby, like golf or knitting, then maybe I direct you to the right people! Luna here, earlier suggested that you take up painting or collecting wildflowers…"
"War is our passion – our life, Doctor! We Sontarans will never be wholly satisfied until our empire has spread throughout the entire galaxy," Skane rebuked him. She ceased her tireless walk, and turned sharply towards the Doctor. "Now – where is your TARDIS?"
"TARDIS?" echoed Harry.
"My ship, Harry." The Doctor explained, looking pensive. "The Sontarans want it to learn the secrets of space-time travel. For it to be potentially their greatest weapon."
"Oh, right…"
"Indeed, we desire your Time Lord technology! And you will tell me where it is, Doctor," Skane leered. "If you do not co-operate, I will instruct Lieutenant Krail here to increase the pressure settings on the confinement beams. Which of these earthlings is the most important to you?"
"None of them. We've only just met tonight," the Doctor muttered back. His face was blank, but Harry caught sight of the gleam in his eyes that was directed at Skane. It read: 'Don't hurt them – or you will regret it.'
"Very well. Let us start with the young…lady." Skane had paused, in order to use a human word that was unfamiliar to her. "You are recorded as usually travelling with a female companion."
"She's not my companion! I travel alone these days!" the Doctor declared emphatically. "Thankfully, I've managed to get my hearing back, after losing the last one. She did get on my nerves – what with her yelling, and calling me 'spaceman'…"
"Tell us where your machine is, Time Lord!"
"Don't tell them, Doctor!" Harry cried out.
Skane gave a hard signal to Krail. An instant later, Harry yelled as the pressure in his beam increased. His head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. Then his lungs began to struggle to draw in his breath.
Luna's silver-grey eyes went wider than usual. "No! Harry!" She tried to scream.
"Alright! Stop it! I'll co-operate…," the Doctor snapped at the Commander. In response, Skane gave another of her coded hand-signals – and Krail re-adjusted the pressure controls for Harry's beam. The young wizard slumped slightly in the column of light, and drew in welcome gulps of oxygen as his throbbing head slowly recovered.
That was just as gruelling…as the Cruciatus Curse…!
"The location of your TARDIS, Doctor," Skane pressed him.
"I will have to take you there. I'm a stranger to this place – as much as you are!" The Doctor paused, and then added. "Besides, you will need me to open it. These days the TARDIS is programmed to only open up to me."
"Palm print technology, Doctor?" Skane gave a calculating grin.
"No, it's not! So don't even think you'll get in, by cutting my hand off and carrying it to the TARDIS! You need me alive to get in! And…and the TARDIS is…some distance away… It's… It's…"
"…in the Forbidden Forest. You told us earlier, Doctor," a dreamy sounding voice declared.
Harry looked up with surprise. Luna was giving the Doctor a straight-faced, but meaningful look – which the Doctor also caught.
"Yes – the…Forbidden Forest, as you call it. Near…"
"…Hagrid's Hut," Harry coughed, looking the Doctor in the eye as the Time Lord (or so Skane had called him, Harry mused) managed to turn himself round to face the young wizard.
The Doctor managed a slow nod. "There you go, Skane! Harry, Luna, and the Headmaster know the way. We can all go together!"
Harry eyes took in the exposed faces of the three Sontarans present. None of them seemed to have picked up on the subtle communications between the Doctor and Harry and Luna. Then again, the Sontarans weren't human. How familiar were they with the various ways humans and Time Lords could communicate messages simply by emphasis on words and expressions?
Apparently not that familiar. The Sontaran commander blinked her small eyes, and said nothing at first – as she considered the Doctor's words. Then her wrist communicator bleeped. She pressed a button, and announced. "Skane here!"
"Major Varn reporting, Commander. Two of our troopers have been found dead, on one of the stairwells of the complex!"
"The Rutan's work?"
"No, Commander. We have detected humans still at loose in the building. We believe they must have eliminated the troopers!"
"What! ?" Skane's grey-brown skin seemed to redden somewhat in her anger, Harry perceived.
"Also - we have captured some more of the non-human natives, Commander. They were working as servants in 'the kitchens', as they call the area. They attacked the troopers who were patrolling there," Varn added. "Perhaps we should…"
"Yes, Major. I concur with your thinking! Bring one of the captured servants to established map grid reference Sector Frass – co-ordinates Brok-Kor by Sar-Torq. I will meet you there."
"At once, Commander! Varn out."
Skane then turned to Lieutenant Krail. "Release the prisoners!" she ordered.
A moment later, the beams were switched off – much to the relief of Harry, Luna, Professor Flitwick, and the Doctor.
"Thank you! Now what happens?" The Doctor loosened his collar and tie, so that he could breath easier.
"We are all taking a short journey. A demonstration is in order." Skane glared.
The smile on the Doctor's face vanished. "No, it...is…not!"
"Silence! The humans need to learn what resistance to the Sontaran Empire truly means!" Skane snarled.
"Oh, no…" Luna's face turned pale – and Harry automatically reached out for her hand. He held it firmly.
"If you kill us, you will regret it when our friends find out!" Harry bristled.
Skane gave an unpleasant smile. "I am not planning on killing any of you, here. Yet!"
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Edgar were planning their first move. Hermione had considered setting up wards, so that the four of them would have an area free of the Sontaran patrols – giving them the space to plan further ahead. But Ron had instead suggested that he and Hermione used their werewolf natures to find their fellow lycanthropes Clifford Chagoja and the Patil twins.
They were presently crouched behind shelves of classroom materials, in a storeroom off the corridor they had been in, using only Edgar's wand for lighting their faces. Ron removed his mask and tucked it into a pocket of his red spandex trousers. Then he put forward his plan.
Rose looked bewildered. "You can track them down…? How?" she asked.
"It's because Ron and Hermione are both werewolves. Remember, Rose?" Edgar muttered. "I thought all the pupils knew that. They'll transform and use their stronger wolf noses to sniff the other players down…"
Hermione gave Edgar and Rose a small smile. "There's more to it than that, guys. Even in wolf form, we would still struggle to cover the school quickly enough, given its size. What Ron and I will do now is focus. Our…pack…has discovered that we can sense where our sire and protégées are, if they are close by, and if we mentally concentrate on them. Especially if we are emotionally close to that person."
Rose's eyes widened, as she took in the implications.
"Sire? Protégée? You mean the werewolf who infected you? And those you…create?" Edgar gave a low whistle.
"That's right, mate. Clifford is Hermione's werewolf protégée – and Padma Patil is mine." The ends of Ron's lips curled upwards. He closed his eyes in concentration. "Padma's somewhere on the upper floors… Hold on – she's upset over something… Her sister!"
"Clifford's thinking of Parvati, too! I sense running water… A place of privacy." Hermione opened her own eyes. She saw that she had inadvertently raised a hand and pointed it in a certain direction – towards the lake; and apparently to the floor above, judging by the slight elevation. Ron and the others were now staring at her.
Ron hurried to the glass window of the storeroom, and followed the direction of Hermione's hand – using the outside of the school to orientate himself.
"Not far from the Black Lake, Hermione… A private place, with running water…"
"The prefects' bathroom!" She gushed, pleased with herself.
And so they got to work. Within the next few minutes, the foursome was running over towards the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. En route, they bumped into the red-and-pink costume-clad Lavender Brown – who was asking if anyone knew why the lighting had not come back on. Hurriedly, Edgar and Rose filled her in – as the party continued on their way.
Then, they ran into a pair of Sontaran troopers. Lavender screamed, making Ron's ears ache. Before the intruders could fire, Rose raised the blaster that she had in both hands, and squeezed the trigger, hitting one of the Sontarans and wounding it. Meanwhile, Ron let rip with the energy rifle obtained from their fight next to the stairwell. The kick of the first shot send him crashing backwards into Hermione and Lavender. As they all got back up, however, they saw that he'd actually - and accidentally - hit a statue that had been next to the Sontarans. The fragments and debris of it were now splayed over the pair of still-twitching troopers. The latter were now stirring from their fallen positions on the corridor floor. One of them painfully bent his arm and spoke into his wrist communicator.
"Troopers Greel and Kroll reporting in, Major Varn! We have been attacked by humans using Sontaran weapons on Level Sar. Request immediate back-up…"
"Blast!" spat Ron.
"Literally! Let's practice being somewhere else," a scared Hermione suggested. "Before their friends arrive!"
The five rattled targets turned tail and ran.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
About twenty minutes later, Ron breathed a sigh of relief as the portrait of the Fat Lady closed behind him. He looked round at the Gryffindor Common Room, as Hermione and Lavender used their wands to activate the gas lighting and the fire. Slowly, some warmth filled the chamber – and the five escapees sat down on the sofa and chairs present, as they rubbed some warmth back into their limbs after their nerve-raising experiences in the cold corridors of the school.
"Lucky that we knew the current Gryffindor password…," Ron muttered to his wife.
"Staff privileges can be useful," Hermione agreed.
Rose Zeller was sat on a chair, experimenting with the blaster they had taken from the Sontaran who had fallen to his death in the stairwell. Taking careful aim, she fired it at a vase of flowers in front of one of the windows, shattering the container and sending the stems and water in every direction.
"Rose! What on earth are you doing with that blaster?" Lavender jumped, and spun round to chastise the Hufflepuff pupil. The others all looked across, too.
"Testing it. We need all the weapons we can get, against those…Sontarans. Edgar found out that…stunning spells don't seem to work on those brutes." Rose paused, and then continued. "There are different settings on this blaster. Maybe…if this sliding button is adjusted, like so…" She aimed at the matching vase set in the window sill next to the now-shattered one, and pressed the trigger.
This time, the vase shuddered as the phaser blast struck it. The glass started to crack outwards from the point of impact, but then the damage reached its limit. There was no leakage of water.
"A stun setting…" Hermione nodded. "Okay... Keep it like that, Rose."
"Why don't you just stick to your wand?" Edgar muttered, looking as though he wanted to test out the blaster for himself. Which was rather ridiculous, thought Hermione, as he was currently the guardian of the energy rifle – after Ron's mishap with it.
"This…this seems as though it will be more effective against the Sontarans." Rose looked down for a moment, trying to found the right words to express herself. "Sorry… This evening is… It has been too frightening…"
"Too right, it has!" Lavender squealed. "Will someone kindly explain what are those…things, roaming the school?"
"Apparently, they call themselves Sontaran, or Sontarans," Edgar explained. "I was, along with Lorna, trying to find a suitable hiding place whilst playing that Murder Game – when those squat thugs showed up on the floor we were on and aimed their guns at us! Lorna and I panicked, they fired, Lorna fell down – and I ran!"
"Then, before long, Edgar found… Well, we collided with each other, in the near-dark. He was still being pursued by those…Sontarans," Rose spoke up, looking tired, as she rubbed her head. "We found out that they…couldn't be stunned – so we ran on. Then you two came to our rescue." She looked across at Ron and Hermione.
"What about Euan? Wasn't he with you?" Ron pointed out.
Rose frowned. "Don't know where he is… Those Sontarans fired at us, and we ran. Later…, we slowed down to regain our breaths – only he… He wasn't around! A little later, Edgar came along."
"And Ernie? We last saw you pulling him along, Lavender…" Hermione put to the other ex-Gryffindor girl.
Lavender sniffed, as she rubbed her hands by the fireplace. "Haven't a clue about Ernie's whereabouts, now! We were together, but this witch had to go to the girl's room. And, after coming out… He wasn't anywhere to be seen."
"Great… So Lorna could be dead! We've lost some of the game players. And we've got non-human intruders in-between us and the rest of the people we know. And we don't even know why these Sontarans are here!" Hermione huffed.
"It must be…because of whatever fell into the Forbidden Forest, 'Mione!" Ron straightened himself from where he was leaning against the back of the sofa, standing behind the seated Hermione. With a thoughtful look, he walked across to the windows in turn, and carefully peeped around the drapes. At the second window, he stiffened – and then gestured with a toss of his head to the others. "Look over here," he urged them.
They got up and did so. Lavender gasped as her eyes took in the giant blue metallic sphere with four leg-like attachments that had clamped itself around the dome of the Astronomy Tower.
"So… We are dealing with aliens!" Hermione shivered. She snaked an arm around Ron for comfort – and he held her back, in turn.
Suddenly, there was a thud at the entrance to the Common Room. The pupils and ex-pupils could hear the muffled protestations coming from the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Rose's eyes widened, and she quickly ran over to where the portrait door opened. She levelled the blaster, and prepared herself.
"Let us take them down," she muttered.
"Rose! We don't know who it is, yet!" Hermione exclaimed. She took a position next to Rose, and tried calling out to the Fat Lady. "Tell us who it is, Madam! Please!"
But the thumping continued. It was her only answer.
"Not a Gryffindor then!" Ron pointed out. "Only one way to find out…" He nodded at Edgar, who set ready the energy rifle.
"Oh, okay…" Hermione looked around at the 'welcoming committee' and caught Ron's meaningful glance. She turned back to the portrait door and called out: "Leo Nine!"
The door 'clicked' open, and a shape shot through the gap with frightening speed…
With a yell, Rose fired her blaster.
There was a 'yelp'. The arrival was momentarily lit up by the blaster shot, and then it fell upon the red-coloured carpet.
"It's Fang!" Hermione gasped. "Put that gun down, Rose!"
The two Weasleys rushed over, and examined the prone boarhound.
"He's…, he's not moving!" Hermione spun her face round to glare at Rose.
"Sorry…! It…it was set on 'stun'." The ex-Hufflepuff pupil stammered.
Suddenly, Fang's body jerked in Ron's arms. He opened his eyes, and growled at him.
"He's alright…" Ron released the breath he had been holding back. Then he got up, and looked through the portrait door to check on the corridor. "Call us if you see anyone else - okay, your ladyship?" he asked the Fat Lady. "Let us know who, or what, it is – mind!"
"Oh, very well, Mr Weasley… I will," the animated portrait huffed back.
Closing the door to behind him, as he re-entered the Common Room, Ron saw Rose bending down next to Fang, placing her hand on his head – as if to apologise. Fang gave a canine smile.
Well, now we number six… Not that Fang was much help when he faced the giant spiders with Harry and me, all those years ago…, Ron considered.
"He must have picked up our scents in here." Edgar nodded at the dog.
"So what do we do now?" Lavender looked around at the others. "If the game is over…"
"The Murder Game is over, all right." Hermione gave Lavender a withering look. "The theme of the evening now is called staying alive. And I don't mean the Bee Gees song!"
"Wh-what…?"
Hermione ignored Lavender's baffled expression. Instead, she jumped and gave a small cry as something made a loud 'pop' right next to her. Then the agitated group lowered their wands, as they turned and saw a House Elf wearing a tea-cosy.
"Winky!" she exclaimed. "Don't frighten us like that!"
"Beg pardon! How should Winky be frightening you, Mrs Weasley?" the newcomer asked, in confusion.
"Don't frighten us at all, is what I mean!" Hermione wiped away the sweat of fear that had formed on her forehead.
"Winky is glad to have found you, at last! She has been searching over the school, whilst trying to try keep out of sight of the nasty potato heads!"
Ron snorted, remembering the appearance of the Sontaran whose helmet he had shattered. "Tell us what news you have, Winky!" he urged her, recovering his composure.
"Those horrid things came into the kitchen! They said they were looking for 'the Rutan'. Some of us House Elves took exception to the potato heads upturning the cupboards and getting in the way of our work. We's fought with magic and cooking pots!"
"And…?" Rose pressed Winky.
Winky sniffed. The five humans present could now see the dried tears underneath her eyes. "The brutes killed three of us good House Elves!" she wailed. "But Winky, Corper, and Krimper… We were so scared – we's disapparated to safety. We's decided to apparate from place to place around the school – to find help…"
By the time Winky finished her account, Ron, Hermione, Lavender, Rose, and Edgar had learned several things. One - the Sontarans were holding most of the staff, pupils, and ex-pupils in the Great Hall. Two - that Professor Flitwick, Harry, Luna, and the stranger who was Barty Crouch Junior's double had been seen being dissaparated from the Great Hall by Winky (who had been hiding under a covered table at the time). Three - that Professors Lupin, Sprout and Faraday were still at large – having evaded the Sontaran patrol around the third floor. Four - that Padma Patil and Clifford Chagoja had been accounted for – and had taken refuge in the Room of Requirement on the seventh level. And lastly, five - that none of the House Elves knew what the Rutan was supposed to look like – except that whilst hiding in the Great Hall, Winky had understood that the creature was some kind of shape-shifter. And some of the frightened animated portraits had made reference to some 'glowing green demon'.
"Where are your fellow Elves Corper and Krimper now, Winky?" Edgar frowned.
"Mr Mower – Winky left Krimper with the three Professors! And she understands that Corper is with Mr Chagoja and Miss Patil. They were hoping to make for the Room of Requirement!"
"What about Parvati? And Ernie Macmillan? Have you Elves seen them?" Ron questioned Winky.
"And…Euan?" Rose added.
"And Lorna?" Edgar contributed to the list.
"Winky does not know! She is not familiar with those people!" Their helper looked apologetic and tearful.
"Well… Thanks for telling us – and for tracking us down, Winky." Hermione gave the House Elf a small smile. "At least we have more to go on, now…"
"So – what do we do about…this invasion?" Lavender whimpered. Shivering, she sat down next to the silent Fang, and rubbed him. He growled – then fell quiet, allowing the witch to stroke him, as he laid down in the middle of the room.
Nobody replied at first. Then Hermione walked up to Ron, and whispered to him. "We could do with Harry's invisibility cloak. It's in Harry and Luna's quarters!"
Ron nodded. "Nice one! We can get Winky to fetch it for us!"
"I'll talk to Winky…" Hermione got down on her knees, in order to get the House Elf to run the errant. Winky nodded, and then disapparated with a 'pop'!
A couple of minutes later, Winky returned with the cloak.
"Right…," declared Ron. "It's about time us still-free witches and wizards pooled together. Let's get over to the Room of Requirement…"
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
As Harry was escorted down the twisting, descending path towards the Boat House, the wolf within him started to bristle, and silently snarl at a warning to his human mind. He paused on the last set of steps, only to poked in the back by Lieutenant Krail's energy rifle.
"Cut it out! Do you want me to fall down these stairs?" he rebuked the helmeted Sontaran.
"Silence! Move on," was Krail's only answer.
Harry – plus Luna, the Doctor, and Professor Flitwick only stopped with their Sontaran escort when they all reached the next bend in the pathway on the rocky slope – in-between flights of stairs. The screen of shimmering energy was now just two-three yards in front of them, bisecting the second set of steps from the Boat House. This close to the Black Lake, the lights of Hogwarts failed to light their way. Instead, illumination was provided by the lit glass lanterns set at frequent points along the path, tied to poles. And there were the electric lights fixed upon the side of the Sontaran helmets.
Right now, the four captives were lined up in a row, and made to face Commander Skane. She stood to one side. Krail and Gorr took their positions to watch over the prisoners.
Also present were two more Sontarans. The first, judging by the grey colour of his collar, was a trooper. The second – missing his helmet, like Skane - was the scarred Sontaran Major Varn. He had with him his own prisoner – the House Elf called Poddy. She had stopped bleeding from a head wound, and she could barely stand. Varn was holding onto her firmly, to prevent her from collapsing.
Luna gasped, and had to be restrained by Harry from dashing forward to aid Poddy. Krail had already aimed his rifle at Luna – ready to fire, if necessary.
"What have you done! ? The House Elves are servants of this school. You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Professor Flitwick addressed both Skane and Varn. Harry had never seen him looking so angry.
"This inferior being was one of a few who interfered with the search for the Rutan, as our troopers examined your…kitchens," Varn explained. "I have understood, from Trooper Vruk here, that they slowed down my men by throwing weapons at them…"
"Spoons!" Poddy corrected him. She lifted her face, and coughed. From where he stood, Harry thought he could smell blood on her breath. Poddy then added, "Knives too, mind... And cooking pans! You…brutes…were inferring with the cooking of the warm desserts...!"
"Enough! Continue with your report, Major," Skane prompted Varn.
"Commander - our troopers were attacked, and returned fire. They killed three of the…Elves…and restored order. I was informed that a few of the Elves disappeared before our men could eliminate them."
"And the dog got away from you, too! Oh, he was too quick for you numbskulls, as he raced away upstairs…" Poddy gave a weak laugh.
"Fang's okay, then! That's good," Harry exclaimed. "What about Winky, Poddy?"
"She was one of those who disapparated, Mr Potter…!"
"Silence!" Skane interrupted. "Any resistance to our mission here will be met with punishment! Major Varn – be ready for my order."
Varn gave a brisk nod, and seized the weak House Elf with both hands, lifting her up. She shrieked, and tried to free herself from the Sontaran's grasp.
"No!" Luna cried out. "Poddy can't disapparate! She's too weak…"
"That is why she is here - as an example to you all!" Skane smiled triumphantly at her captive audience.
The Doctor's face turned red, and he took a step forward. Krail re-aimed his rifle at the Time Lord. The Doctor ignored him, and instead addressed Skane, in a tone that struck Harry as threatening.
"Commander – we get the point! If you really want my co-operation, then release that House Elf! Now!"
"But the point has not yet been made, Doctor." Skane nodded to Varn.
The Major swung his body back, as in the manner of a shot-putter – and then flung the wailing Poddy towards the shimmering screen of energy close by. There was a flash, a brief scream – and then the remains of a Weird Sisters T-shirt, plus a few scraps of scorched flesh, showered down upon the path below the impact point.
Luna's cry caught in her throat. She turned to Harry – silver-grey eyes wider than normal. Then she flung herself at him, sobbing loudly. Harry quickly wrapped his arms around her – too shocked to speak himself.
Seconds passed. Then Skane cut off the angry yells of the Headmaster.
"Murder! Cold-hearted murder…!"
"Silence, Headmaster! You will now be returned to your…Great Hall…by Major Varn. There, you will inform the other prisoners, of what they can expect if they do not co-operate with us whilst we undertake our mission here. I will address the issue of your non-human status later. Go! Trooper Vruk – stay here."
"Yes, Commander," the latest trooper responded.
Casting a worried look at the Doctor, Harry, and Luna, Flitwick headed back up the twisting pathway – accompanied by Major Varn and his drawn blaster. Luna, meanwhile, was still crying – but with Harry comforting her, her tears were now silent ones.
Harry caught a glimpse of the Doctor, who had now squatted down. He was looking closely at what was left of the House Elf, and he seemed to be studying the…forcefield. Yes, he had called it a forcefield, earlier on.
"You really should not have done that…," the Doctor was muttering. He gave Skane a piercing look that looked as if it could kill.
"You three will now come with us!" Skane ordered them. "Lead us to the TARDIS, Doctor. Any tricks, and…" She gestured with her hand to the screen of rippling energy that was surrounding Hogwarts.
"My wife needs to recover from what you've done!" Harry snapped at the Sontaran leader.
"I will not wait. She comes with us – or she stays on The Kelkarsis!" Skane retorted. "In the Detention Area."
"It's…it's okay, Harry. I'll be all right, with you besides me…" Luna sniffed. She wiped aside her tears, and placed her hand in Harry's.
He gave her slim hand a gentle squeeze – and gazed into her eyes, communicating without words. Together, they faced the three Sontarans. Harry fought to hold back the bile rising in his throat. He took a deep breath to steady himself – and managed to keep his anger in check, for now.
"All right… Let's move on!" Harry managed to say.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
What happened next puzzled Harry. Taking hold of their three-remaining prisoners, Skane, Krail, Gorr and Vruk teleported the group back to the Kelkarsis. Once on the Teleport pad in the Sontaran vessel, Skane gave Technician Horrak instructions. The female technician made adjustments on her console – then the ship became fuzzy again before Harry's vision. Seconds later, his surroundings – and those surroundings of the other six – were replaced by the scenery of the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Looking around, he saw that they were now standing next to Hagrid's Hut. A lump formed in his throat as he was reminded of his lost friend. Sensing this, Luna's black-gloved fingers stroked his red-and-blue gloved hands.
The Doctor came closer and nudged Harry and Luna with his elbow. Following his gaze, they turned round, and saw the huge half-circle of the shimmering forcefield that hung over Hogwarts, against the backdrop of the cloudy night sky – making the school look vaguely like one of those Muggle houses held within a snow globe, Harry reflected.
"The curtain of that energy barrier was closer to the buildings than when we saw it earlier, don't you think?" the Doctor muttered to the Potters.
"Why, yes it was!" Luna replied, as she dried the last of her tears. "But how…?"
"The forcefield is designed to gradually collapse in upon itself… This is bad…" the Doctor whispered to them.
"Here is the only hut we can detect, youngling!" Skane addressed Harry. "You told us that the TARDIS is close to here…"
"Er… Yes… Yes, I did," admitted Harry. He rubbed his free gloved hand through his untidy mop of hair, thinking what to do next.
"I'm still a little lost. Which is the best way for us to travel in the forest, do you think, Harry?" The Doctor angled his face, and allowed the ghost of a smile to reach only the Potters.
"Um…" The memory of another crisis floated upwards into Harry's conscious mind. Then, it was Hermione with him – and the hateful Dolores Umbridge. Hermione took the three of them into the Forbidden Forest, leading Umbridge to 'Dumbledore's secret weapon'. Only Hermione's real destination was the centaur area of the forest - where the creatures had dealt with the obnoxious Ministry of Magic-appointed 'High Inquisitor', by carrying her off…
It's worth a try… I don't have any back-up plans!
"This way! Follow me." Harry pointed towards a faint trail that led into the forest, and started walking. Luna kept in stride besides him. The Doctor and the four Sontarans followed closely behind. Soon, the seven of them had left behind the illuminations of Hogwarts and the surrounding forcefield – and only the tiny torches on the sides of the Sontarans' helmets – plus the sights on their weapons – provided any light to guide their way in the pitch dark. Mist hung over the forest, making long-distance vision between the trees nearly impossible.
"Let's make it a brisk walk!" the Doctor announced cheerfully. "Time is of the essence, you know!"
Harry nodded, and increased his pace…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
About a mile or so into the forest, Harry slowed down a bit, as he led the group into a dell that was close to the edge of the forest mire, where the mist was thicker. His ears were picking up the first rumblings of hooves – not quite loud enough to alert the Sontarans yet. A glance at Luna's pale face, though, showed that she was wearing the ghost of a smile – and he knew she was aware of the gathering centaurs.
The Doctor was flagging somewhat with the walk. Despite their somewhat shorter legs, however, the Sontarans did not seem weary from their exertions. Harry guessed that, given their squat build, they came from a planet with a heavier atmosphere – and that the relative lighter pressure of Earth worked in their favour.
"How much further is the TARDIS situated, Doctor?" Skane rumbled.
"Oh – not far now! Should be just beyond this next rise, or so…"
"Halt! Who are you strangers?" a male voice demanded.
Skane, Lieutenant Krail, and Troopers Gorr and Vruk stopped and looked around them, with surprise. On one side of the wide dell, in-between the scattering of trees - and standing some considerable yards away - the centaurs had lined up, emerging from out of the mist. They were even now beginning to slowly and quietly load their bows with the first notch of arrows. Amongst them was a pair of centaurs he did not know – one male and one female. But also present – to Harry's delight – were Ronan and Neville. In turn, Neville spied Harry, and then - quickly assessing the situation - draw out his wand.
"More half-humans? What species is this?" The baffled look on Skane's face was a picture, Harry considered.
"Get ready!" he hissed to Luna and the Doctor.
"I said who are you! ? The Potters we accept as friends to the haras – but the rest of you should answer, now!" Magorian spoke again, anger rising in his face – barely lit by the lights set next to the Sontarans' helmets.
"This man is with me and Harry, Magorian. Please do not hurt him!" Luna's airy voice rang out.
"We are troopers of the glorious Sontaran Empire!" Skane levelled her blaster at Magorian. "We have come to seize this man's vessel as an asset to our campaign to eliminate the menace of the Rutan race…"
"Magorian! Ronan! Firenze! Neville! Shoot at the Sontarans!" Harry yelled, then politely added. "If you please!"
"Right-o, Harry!" Neville called back. "Reducto!"
His wand flashed with light – and Skane yelled as she was sent flying by the blast caused by Neville's spell striking the ground at her feet.
"Strike them down!" the alien Commander barked at Krail and Gorr, as she tried to pull herself free from the thorny bush she had just collided with.
"RUN! ! Centaurs, take cover!" Harry shouted at their inadvertent rescuers.
Chaos soon broke out. Krail fired his energy rifle at Neville, who had already cast a shield charm, which deflected the alien blast. Meanwhile, in a practised, fluid motion, Vruk turned and fired his rifle – striking the human fore chest of the unknown male centaur, who screamed and collapsed upon his side. Gorr also fired – his shot just missing the centauress's foreleg . She had reared upon her back hooves - then pranced aside to attend to her injured kindred. Given the distance, the poor light, and the mist, Gorr had failed to strike his large target.
"Fire arrows at those helmeted assailants!" Magorian roared, jabbing his fingers towards Krail, Gorr, and Vruk.
The three Sontarans quickly took cover behind the nearest bushes and trees. Vruk shielded Skane as she rose back upon her feet. He took aim again with his energy rifle – only to draw in his breath sharply, as the first connecting arrow struck the blue-purple armour covering his lower torso.
"Uh!" Dropping his rifle, Vruk pulled out a metal ball-shaped object from his belt. "Commander – take cover…" He gasped to his superior, who had now freed herself from the bush.
"Grenade!" Skane warned Krail and Gorr. Then she ran for the cover of the trees. A couple of arrows glanced across the thick section protecting her upper back, and fell down – failing to pierce her thicker officer's armour.
Then Vruk tossed his grenade towards the centaurs.
"Get back…!" Neville urged his kin. They faltered – then quickly turned and ran away from where the grenade had landed, on the path between the trees.
Seconds later, the grenade blasted a spray of soil into the night air.
Skane moved quickly, reaching the relative safety of the nearby thicket of trees – along with Krail and Gorr. But as Vruk got up and dashed over to them, he was struck by a second arrow, then another. The second and third were in his back – and as he spun round to throw his next grenade, the fourth missile hit him in the chest, slamming him against the tree behind him. Vruk gurgled in pain, and dropped his primed grenade – as his hand clasped at the latest offending arrow…
No!
Skane turned, and ran onwards – away from where she had last seen the centaurs.
Seconds later, the blast rang out – taking the screaming Vruk in the process. The cry of yelling centaurs rang out, somewhere in the background.
Commander Skane raised her head from where she had been flung to the ground by the explosion. Snarling, she looked around for the rest of her company – and the prisoners…
None of them were at hand. Startled, she trained her eyes on where she could hear shouting. Krail and Gorr were running after the disappearing figures of the Doctor, Harry, and Luna.
"Circle around the dell. Find the other intruder!" Magorian urged his fellow centaurs.
No…half-humans… It will not be so easy to kill me. I am a Sontaran officer! I am well prepared for various…situations…, Skane silently sneered. Still lying flat out on the ground, she pressed a button on her wrist pad. An instant later, her form shimmered and disappeared from sight.
With no more shots being fired, the centaurs finally dropped their caution and moved towards the thicket of trees, unable to detect the invisible Commander as she kept still and silent – patiently awaiting her chance to slink away. She clenched a fist in her fury.
You will NOT get the better of me again, Doctor! And neither will your companions…!
When she was sure the centaurs were far enough away, Skane carefully rose, and – still invisible – made her way onwards…
Author's Note:
Old-time Doctor Who fans have hopefully picked up on my reference jokes with the Sontaran trooper names of Greel and Kroll…
The idea of the forcefield was originally inspired by the heat barrier in Doctor Who: The Daemons. However, I've developed the idea a little…