*Hides*
"Don't forget to Lumos," the Doctor stood just above Harry. The Boy Who Lived looked strangely up at the Time Lord: "Trust me," the man continued.
Confused, Harry nodded.
Harry was just outside Hagrid's hut; about to speak to the giant. Hermione and Ron were already inside; only the black haired boy had slowed, to speak to the Doctor.
The Doctor looked around; taking note of Buckbeak in the garden. It seemed Draco had decided not to press charges after all; the Hippogriff was free.
The Time Lord frowned; it seemed that, despite his efforts, there had been a little change to the timeline. He wondered why: maybe it was due to the events last year, Lellorian and the like.
Whatever the cause was, it didn't really matter at that instant.
At the Doctor's best estimate, today was the day when Harry would meet Sirius, at last. Time was visibly working to correct itself; Harry was visiting Hagrid despite barely having a reason. To help, the Doctor had escorted him and Ron and Hermione from Hogwarts; a necessary action, otherwise they wouldn't be permitted to leave the castle. The threat of the Vashta-Nerada had achieved that.
A large, black, shaggy dog ambled up to beside the standing Time Lord. They both watch Hagrid's Hut for a few minutes, the trio inside.
Subconsciously, the Doctor reached out a hand, lightly patting the dog's head. It yapped up at him.
"Sorry," the Doctor winced, self-conscious. "It's a habit. Picked it up in Barcelona."
The dog shook its head, ears wagging, before pacing a few steps away from the Doctor.
"Oh, don't be like that!" the Doctor called, "I just wanted to talk."
The dog barked, tentatively slinking closer. It whimpered softly, looking up at the Doctor with wide eyes.
"You'll meet Pettigrew soon," the Doctor knelt down, crooning a little. He scratched the dog's head, before looking guiltily at his hand, and stopping.
The dog barked, quite loudly. The Doctor frantically tried to shush it; and it obeyed, shaking its furry head in a very human-like gesture.
"Your godson's in there too," the Doctor continued, quiet, "But he thinks you're to blame from the murder of his parents," at that, the animal yapped again, loudly, "They're about to meet Pettigrew. Well, Scabbers, same thing. Normally Buckbeak would also be important, but not in this timeline, so don't worry about that. He might still have a hand in the rescue, we'll see…" the Time Lord's voice trailed off. "I really shouldn't be telling you all this."
There were a few minutes of silence; punctuated only by muffled, unintelligible voices from within Hagrid's Hut. The Doctor sighed, bored as always by the linear time everyone else had to deal with.
Eventually, Hagrid opened the door of the hut, stepping out. He waved a giant hand:
"Hi Doctor," he bellowed. The Time Lord nodded back, waving with one hand. A little more silence, before the giant again shouted; "C'mon Fang!"
The black dog from beside the doctor perked up, getting to its four feet and running up, eagerly to its giant owner. The Doctor looked down at it, blinking, confused, as Hagrid took it into the hut.
"Thanks for that," Sirius stepped out of the trees behind the Time Lord, "I like to think I don't look much like that mutt."
The Doctor was still looking from the hut and Fang, to the prisoner, confused.
"Not my fault," he said sullenly after about half a minute, "I never really saw you as a dog. Just a couple of times."
"Don't worry about it," Sirius moved past the Doctor, "I hid out as that Fang once or twice."
"Speaking of hiding out," the Doctor nodded slowly, "Should you really be looking all human right now?"
"No one's around," the prisoner shrugged, "And the fleas are unbearable," Sirius peered down at the hut, "So, Pettigrew's in there?"
"Yep," the Doctor jumped, "We're near the end of the book."
Sirius shot him a strange look, before frowning, and looking way, again focusing on the hut. The Sun moved visibly through the sky, before the trio walked out.
"Go get `em Fido," the Doctor muttered; and an instant later, Sirius, now as a dog, bounded past.
The Time Lord watched them for several seconds; Ron struggling with the rat in his coat, straining to get away from the dog, Harry and Hermione trying vainly to help: the rat leapt from his pocket, in the air for a split second. Ron reached out, catching it, a few steps away from the others.
Then, in a flash, Sirius was by them, aiming for Pettigrew, but instead grabbing Ron. Nonetheless, seeing that the redhead held the rat, he dragged him away.
A little later, after some quite impressive running around the Whomping Willow, they were out of sight, hidden within the tree.
Smiling, trusting time to take care of itself, the Doctor turned, to walk back to Hogwarts. Approximately half a step later, he froze.
The Vashta-Nerada were the main threat; the carnivorous shadows, lurking in the Forest and so many places outside Hogwarts. Hopefully, Harry would remember to Lumos: but that was hardly permanent protection. Hopefully, people from the castle, as dictated by books, would be able to go and help him. Bring him back to the castle.
But that was no use.
In the Forest, Sirius and Harry would be assailed by so many Dementors. Partly because Sirius was their reason for being here; their prey, but also because of the strong emotions, attracting them to Sirius and Harry.
And in any case, they were here for Black, not to protect Hogwarts from the shadows. And in consequence…
In consequence, for quite some time later tonight, Hogwarts would be defenceless. The Vashta-Nerada would no longer be repelled by the Dementors: those cloaked fiends would be deep within the Forest.
Hogwarts would be attacked. Possibly even overcome by the Vashta-Nerada.
The Doctor set off at a run.
O
An emergency assembly; all students were made sure to be in their Common Rooms, and the portraits were barred from letting anyone out. Only Harry Ron and Hermione, as time dictated, were outside of the castle. The Prefects and teachers were all in the Great Hall, along with the kitchen house-elves: Dobby was among their number. In short, some of the most powerful, most responsible wizards of Hogwarts School.
At the head of the hall, the Doctor and Albus Dumbledore stood. The wizards looked up at the duo; only Lupin and Snape were not present, both sent off after Sirius, again as tiem dictated.
"Silence!" Dumbledore boomed, wand at his throat.
"In the library," the Doctor mumbled, just behind him, before frowning; "No, wait, sorry. Wrong shadows. Carry on."
Unable to hold back a twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore looked back over the Hall, voice still magically amplified.
"You all know of the Vashta-Nerada," the headmaster began, watching a nervous ripple pass through the crowds; even through the house-elves. "They are held back from Hogwarts by the Dementors. For this one time, they were of use. Still, I have heard that the Dementors are distracted: soon to head elsewhere. For this reason, we must defend Hogwarts from the shadows, tonight."
The headmaster stepped back, nodding to the Doctor. The Time Lord frowned, eyes darting around before widening; he nodded, stepping forwards, closer to the main crowd. He opened his mouth to talk, but faltered. Quietly, he muttered something to Dumbledore, inaudible. The headmaster nodded, and replied by waving his wand.
The Doctor blinked a couple of times, stretching his neck, and then following that, faced the crowd once again. he spoke, voice now magically amplified.
"Hello Hogwarts!" he grinned broadly upon saying that, clapping his hands together, "Right then, you all know about the Vashta-Nerada. Also known as 'the shadows that melt the flesh', but that's dark and scary, so we won't mention it. They'll be coming here tonight; the Dementors won't be protecting us, so it won't be anything like before."
Despite his words, somehow, the Doctor was grinning. He paid little attention to the worried murmurs in the Great Hall, and the few house-elves that looked at each other, a little nervous. Only Dobby seemed to be completely resolute; and that w as more from trust in the Doctor than knowledge of Vashta-Nerada. Clad in a tea cosy and too many socks, the house-elf was an unlikely embodiment of bravery.
"Right then," the Doctor said again, "Lumos everybody! Lots of Lumos! Actually, 'Lumos Solem' I think the spell went. The Vashta-Nerada hate light: it doesn't really harm them, but it delays them. In large enough quantities, it might even repel them. That's what we need to do! Now, you lot are meant to be good at magic. Hagrid has put a ring of dead ferrets around the castle, the instant one's been devoured, the Vashta-Nerada are here. Lumos and don't stop!"
The giant bowed from the far end of the hall: Hagrid, being unable to defend himself properly, had been invited up to the castle, with Fang, to be more secure, defended by all these witches and wizards.
"I think that's all," the Doctor frowned, counting off on his fingers; "Lumos Solem, when a ferret's been eaten, and if anyone near you is spelling, then they might've seen something. Keep it going for as long as you can."
An excitable house-elf flashed with a sudden spark, a premature Lumos. Jittering, embarrassed, it toned down the light, until it held a gaseous, softly luminescent ball between its grey palms. With a squeak, it extinguished the light.
The Doctor turned away from the crowd, back to Dumbledore. He spoke again, the amplification spell having faded:
"Albus," he said, "Do you think bow ties would make a good addition to the school uniform?"
O
The full moon shone down; beneath its light, Lupin was writhing, transforming into a wolf, Sirius and Snape, at odds with each other, were herding Ron, Hermione and Harry back, out of the wolf's path, and Sirius was morphing into a dog.
The werewolf turned, to glare at them through its savage eyes. Any trace of Remus had long since been lost; the elongated snout quivered, saliva dripping to the ground.
And then, wolfish sense brought it to a halt. It still exhaled, still snarled, but there was something in the shadows, something it could sense.
Howling, the werewolf leapt towards them, savage. It lifted a claw to swipe at them-
And was knocked away by the canine Sirius. The two four-legged forms tumbled away, with only the werewolf out to do serious harm: the black dog was yapping, defending, yet doing his best to keep the werewolf free from harm.
Eyes wide, Harry moved to follow, urgently seeking his godfather. Now he knew Sirius wasn't to blame; it was the fled Pettigrew's fault. He needed to-
Snape's hand tightly gripped his shoulder, stopping him moving. Angry, Harry span back, knocking the potion's masters' hand away. "Stop it!" he shouted, agonized
"Calm yourself Potter," the tight-lipped Snape muttered, "be thankful you are still alive."
In a burst of anger, harry lifted his wand, shouting "Stupefy!" before Snape could react. The black-haired teacher fell, stunned, to the ground. "Take him back to the castle, it's safer there," Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, nodding, before turning, and running after his godfather.
Sirius was found, human form, and laying unconscious on the forest floor. The werewolf had departed; fled from creatures only it could sense.
Unaware, or perhaps uncaring, of the creatures which made even a werewolf flee, Harry ran over to Sirius, kneeling beside his godfather. The man was struggling to breath; scratched, bruised, yet just managing to survive, unconscious.
Harry looked up, to see a back cloak hovering over a lake. The water did not freeze, and the depressive aura of a Dementor did not affect Harry. The shadow beneath the black cloak slowly drew closer.
Lips parched, fingers numb with cold, Harry struggled with his wand, just managing to get it in his grip. He looked up at the rags, and the empty blackness they garbed. An unintelligible shout left his lips; supposedly a spell, yet it could not be identified.
The black cloak drew so much closer.
The water beneath it began to freeze. It too slowed. Harry saw his breath come out of his mouth; each as a wintry cloud, and frost seemed to spread.
Hoarfrost spread along the ground, and the air itself became cold, seemingly on the verge of freezing itself. The shadow within the cloak looked around; to see other, equally dark cloaks surround the brief clearing, all with grey, mottled flesh, sallow hands reaching out.
The Dementors closed in on the clearing; Harry fumbled again with his wand, muttering a charm again and again. "Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum…" he couldn't quite get up the focus, not in this bitter cold, not with Sirius, unconscious, so close.
The first cloak he saw seemed to flee; and yet the Dementors were no longer interested in that. They moved towards Harry and Sirius, draining away any trace of happiness in the air.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted weakly. The spell required a joyful memory, something powerful to keep the Dementors away: Harry had no joy left.
A faint white wisp emanated from his wand, easily dismissed by the oncoming Dementors. The moved ever-closer, the grey skin beneath their hoods almost visible. One such fiend slowed, using mottled fingers to lower its hood.
The deformed, cadaverous maw of a Dementor was before Harry, slowly opening. The Dementor's Kiss: the loss of all happiness, all joy.
The loss of his soul.
His wand fell from his grip, as he looked into the abyss of darkness, struggling to focus on anything, let alone a Patronus.
He needed aid; needed someone to perform a great, powerful Patronus, something strong to repel all these fiends.
And yet no one came to help.
O
"Lumos Solem!" the shout was first raised by some Prefect on the far side of the castle. The Doctor stood in Dumbledore's Office: the headmaster insisted the Time Lord stay there, for protection. He couldn't protect himself with magic.
He watched from the window; seeing a flare of light rise, a perfect circle around Hogwarts, the perfect barrier against the Vashta-Nerada. Perfect light against perfect darkness.
Dumbledore was somewhere down there; wand raised to join the chorus of brightness, with house-elves and Prefects and teachers alike. The cries of Lumos Solem were almost audible, even as high as Dumbledore's Office: it wouldn't surprise the Doctor to learn that the students had all been awoken by it.
Shadow could be seen, visibly seeping, unnaturally, towards Hogwarts, writhing like some immense creature, battling against the light, sometimes proving victorious, sometimes relenting. Stalemate.
Fawkes flew over, perching on the Doctor's shoulder. His flames seemed somehow brighter; glowing with enough might to repel any shadows itself, it appeared.
The Doctor looked out over the barrier of light far below; an impregnable wall of magical light, against the assault of Vashta-Nerada.
A bright flash of green caught his attention; he peered sideways, only catching a glimpse of the side of the light. He couldn't focus in on anything around it; not the cause, not anything.
But from the place at which the green flash was cast, the light started to go out.
The Doctor stared, incredulous, as the shadow started to break past the last defences of Hogwarts. It drifted like acid, overcoming the circle of heavenly light.
The plague of Vashta-Nerada spread. Several wizards and elves could be seen, valiantly protecting themselves with light, but the circle was broken. There wasn't enough light to repel the ravenous shadows; strengthened by recent feeding. Lumos only bore enough strength to protect one side; and without the complete ring, that strength just wasn't quiet adequate.
Almost one quarter of the circle had been devoured before anyone reacted. The Doctor could just stare.
Silence consumed Hogwarts.
A light started to emanate from the wall of Dumbledore's Office: the Time Lord stepped back, holding the sonic screwdriver forwards as if it were a sword. The light came through the wall, phasing through the brick. A shining white phoenix: Dumbledore's Patronus.
"Professor Burbage was killed," Dumbledore's kindly voice came from the phoenix; urgent, "As were the people around her. The shadows-"
The Patronus flickered out; signalling a loss of energy. The caster had died.
The Doctor could barely stand up; this couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. He was supposed to be saving Hogwarts; keeping it safe from the Vashta-Nerada, not watching it succumb to darkness.
Panting, he ran to the gargoyle entrance; pounding on the door. Nothing: "Let me out!" he shouted, still pounding on the wooden door; it wouldn't let him past, to descend the gargoyle.
"No can do, I'm afraid," the casual voice of the statue beyond caught the Doctor off guard; "Direct orders from Albus Dumbledore, not to let you out until it's safe."
The Time Lord staggered back, disbelieving. He couldn't leave; he was stuck in there, helpless.
Fawkes hovered over to him, cawing slightly. The Doctor looked around, jumping at the slight noise. Then, thinking, he sat down on the floor of the office, phoenix at his side.
"Amy and Rory are out there," he murmured, brokenly, to himself. They were probably in the Gryffindor Common Rooms. And it wasn't safe there; not with Vashta-Nerada coming in.
Around the still Time Lord, Hogwarts was dying.
He couldn't leave Dumbledore's Office, the sonic screwdriver wouldn't get past the wooden door, not to mention animating the gargoyle: and even if he could, what then? He might be able to reach the TARDIS, but that would be useless. The shadows were already seeping through the castle. Dumbledore had already lost his life to them.
Quickly, an idea forming in his head, the Doctor stood up, running the few steps to Dumbledore's desk. The Marauder's Map lay on top of it; keen, the Doctor ran his eyes over it.
Seconds later, he stepped back, slumping. The shining Fawkes perched once more on his shoulder.
The whole castle was now swarming with Vashta-Nerada. He couldn't make out a single human name; not one. Just the shadows.
The death of Hogwarts weighed on his mind; he struggled to stand again, feeling it like a physical ill. Panting, the Doctor stood before the window, staring out over the grounds of Hogwarts school. There was no light; not one Lumos. In consequence, not one wizard.
Seconds later, and the shadow rushed into the Office.
The Doctor turned, arms held at his sides, posture open. He looked at the darkness as if it were a friend. "Come on then," he spoke, not aggressively, not as a challenge; but as acceptance.
The Vashta-Nerada swarmed closer-
Fawkes flew in front of him, flaming wings spread wide. A blinding flash erupted from his vivid plumage, the Doctor turned, covering his eyes with his forearm. Again, the phoenix flashed, burst upon burst of light.
Several minutes passed, before the shadows were repelled. Fawkes landed, still iridescent, on the Time Lord's shoulder.
The last survivors of Hogwarts.