Chapter 02

"Goodbye Susan, goodbye my dear…"

Ian reflected over those final words of goodbye as the Doctor set the ship in motion. Sometimes the Doctor was at the controls constantly between starting the TARDIS in motion and when they arrived, other times, like now they were taking their time, and considering it was a time machine, was a simple thing he considered.

Himself and Barbara had retired to their own particular rooms in the TARDIS, washing and changing following their second run in with the Daleks on a post-apocalyptic Earth. It was amazing how much hadn't changed in such time. It was also amazing how quickly Susan and David had brought themselves together, compared to how Barbara and he were just…he shrugged to himself and walked out into one of the main corridors of the TARDIS, it was odd how familiar everything on this unbelievable ship had become, and how suddenly how quiet things suddenly seemed to be.

As he made his way to the food machine he bumped into the Doctor.

"Ah Chesterton, I was just, I mean I was looking for you, come on, I, you might perhaps, hmm, assist me…?" The Doctor started.

"Oh course Doctor, whatever you need." Ian followed the Doctor as they passed one of the corridors that lead to the food machine he saw Barbara and shouted out to her and nodded to the Doctor who was making vast strides to the console room.

-/

"So what do you need my help with Doctor?" Ian asked.

"Hmmm, oh yes Chesterton, just read this out for me, I need to concentrate." He thrust a piece of paper into his hands that to Ian looked like a string of mathematical equations written out like one would a sentence, it was written in neat flowing script, though someone had been through it with inkwell pen and changed and amended several calculations. Though much was totally unfathomable to his mind.

"Come on dear boy, begin, this isn't like building a sandcastle," the Doctor pressed.

"Doctor what's this for?" Ian waved the piece of paper.

"Oh," The Doctor looked up from the controls "A visit, a visit, visiting a friend, reconnection is the key…now begin, this is very complicated." The Doctor was leaned over the TARDIS' controls, and began to flick switches and turn dials. "Come on Chesterton," he gestured with his hands to Ian.

Ian looked over and saw Barbara walk in as he started to read the mathematical script.

It was at least 20 minutes before he finished the page.

"Turn over Chesterton there's a good man," Ian sighed and continued reading.

As Ian finished reading, the floor under their feet lurched and then there was the familiar feeling of the TARDIS landing.

"Perfect, perfect, thank you Ian, now we must get ready, hmm?" The Doctor asked.

"Where Doctor where are we going?" Barbara tried.

"I'm sorry? Oh…a visit. Promises Barbara. Should be two years if I got my sums right," he chuckled to himself.

"Doctor." Ian looking across at him. "Where are we?"

"On the corner of Wisteria Walk I think my dear." The Doctor strode back over to the controls of the TARDIS and flicked a button bringing the screen to life. On the screen showed a sign 'Wisteria Walk'. The Doctor smiled to both humans in a very satisfied manner.

Ian thought for several moments, he was sure he'd heard of Wisteria Walk before.

"Privet Drive," Barbara said to herself and looked around for the Doctor but he'd walked off. Before they had a chance to discuss or acknowledge what they had realised the Doctor walked back in carrying a small box with a bow on it.

"Come along," he said as he opened the doors and stepped out.

-/

"Doctor how is it that you have been able to pilot the ship here twice but you cannot return us to our time?" Ian had wondered this himself more than once, but having seen the piece of paper, which didn't appear to be the Doctor's handwriting, which at times was impossible to read.

"Well, Barbara…those notes, were from an associate, breaking one of the laws of my people, to pass me those notes…I altered them, to visit Mr Potter once more. This is as close as I could manage without landing us on Pluto during the fifth dynasty or some nonsense," the Doctor explained.

Again Ian remained quiet, this extra piece of the Doctor's past was an interesting and fascinating revelation, that …he realised Barbara was looking at him.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"At the moment a whole pound," he said as he watched the Doctor stride up towards Privet Drive,

Barbara watched the Doctor stride away from them. "It'll be good to see Harry again, and to make sure those ghastly people have been treating him properly."

"Yes," Ian found himself smiling.

The Dursleys were less than happy to see them.

The Doctor paid them no heed and pushed his way in, checking first the cupboard under the stairs before proceeding up said stairs and stood before the bedroom door that was Harry's, it had two locks, that could only be opened from the outside.

"It's to keep his freakishness in there, especially for his birthday."

Ian knew that voice all too well. "Dudley Dursley." Both he and Barbara said looking around the corner of the stairs.

"They said you were dead," he said looking at them. "Where've you been?"

"No where you would believe, now stop bugg…that is stop bothering us and go away," the Doctor removed a long aluminium tool. It made a high pitched noise before the door creaked open.

There was a boy sitting with the window open, looking out, he looked even thinner than the last time they saw him.

"Hello my boy Harry," the Doctor said, in the same tone he used when speaking with Susan.

"Doctor?" He turned around eyes wide.

"Mr Chesterton and Ms Wright are here also. Happy 10th Birthday."

-/

Harry couldn't believe it was the Doctor, Mr Chesterton and Ms Wright! On his 10th birthday as well. He'd only found out about his birthday a few years ago when the school had had vaccinations, before then the Dursleys never told him, when he'd asked once they'd just said he wasn't getting anything from them and that Dudley's was the most important birthday.

Miss Wright and the Doctor seemed very, very interested in how he was doing in school (He couldn't do well, not with Dudley around, plus the teachers tried to ignore him, because he was the weird one). The Doctor had sent Mr Chesterton off for picnic basket from the 'TARDIS'.

"What's the TARDIS Doctor?" Harry asked.

"Hmm my boy, oh…that's my ship, we travel through time and Spain…space."

"Doctor?" Miss Wright said looking at him worriedly.

"My dear Barbara, tell the child, it is hardly the most unbelievable thing to occur in this world," he said looking at Harry with a curious smile.

-/

Ian had many questions for the Doctor as he walked towards the park that was in between the various houses, he knew where it was, he and Barbara had been for a walk around it more than once the last time they were here.

Many of the questions ranged from where did the food come from in the basket, as once in a while he'd asked the Doctor if all their food had to come from the food machine, but every time he broached the subject with the Doctor he seemed to take it as a personal offence and disappear into the depths of the TARDIS.

To questions about the Doctor, that aside from those small snippets of revelation he doubted he'd ever find out.

When he found Barbara, the Doctor and Harry Potter Barbara seemed to be in the middle of telling Harry about their 'adventure' on Marinus. Harry was listening rapt, Ian looked quizzically at the Doctor,

"Adventure Chesterton, adventure," he said chuckled as he opened up the basket.

"See that's like the TARDIS," Barbara stopped near the end of her story to Harry and pointed to the long baguette that he was removing from the quite clearly not deep enough basket.

"Oh…wow…can I…?" Harry asked as he leaned over to look into the basket. As he did so Barbara caught sight of a scar that had all the time that they had known him been hidden by his long-ish mop of hair.

"How did you get the scar Harry? It wasn't from your cousin was it?" Barbara asked a hint of worry present in her voice.

Ian was about to say something as Barbara asked the question when Harry answered her himself.

"No…I think. I know, I got that when my parents died."

"How did your relatives say they died child?" The Doctor asked, his voice low.

"A car crash," Harry frowned, closing his eyes and trying to both remember and blot out the flashes of remembrance within his mind hidden in dream and memory; a man shouting, his mother, his father and then…pain and…nothing. He shook his head. "I don't think they did…" He said quietly.

"No, dear boy no…" The Doctor trailed off. "Enough of that, time for some lunch and then Chesterton can tell you how he fought the Aztecs, hmm?"

-/

Harry's eyes opened in wonder at the various foods, drinks and fruits that the Doctor uncovered from inside what looked to him to be a normal basket, it had a few things inside it, but nothing like what he had uncovered from it.

Also between mouthfuls of the different and interesting meats and salads he told Barbara (she insisted he call her that instead of 'Miss Wright') about his reading in the library, after she left the school didn't really show them history as detailed as she did. The library was also the only place safe from Dudley and his 'gang' (that was what he was calling it now), he didn't tell them that part.

She seemed very happy with this information.

Later in the day, the Doctor asked Ian and Barbara to leave him and Harry to speak alone.

Harry watched the two former teachers smile to him and walk off some distance, he could see them pointing into the distance at various things, like the new TV antennas and dishes that people have been installing lately.

"Now Harry. I may, I mean I might come and visit you again."

Harry smiled, and then frowned slightly, Ian had said something about this visit being a chance, or something. "But, Ian said…"

"Chesterton doesn't know everything about my life young man," he grumbled, Harry frowned a little more, the Doctor, seeing this smiled a little.

"No fear Harry, I will try to visit again…but you see, I mean, I may that is…if I am different, you will know I am myself…"

Harry wasn't sure he understood a word of what the Doctor said, but he smiled in any case.

As they walked back to Privet Drive Harry asked the question that he'd been wanting to ask since the Doctor had spoken of his 'ship', he was in little doubt that it existed, just the same as the adventures they had had happened.

"Doctor…can I come with you, in your ship?"

"Oh child…" He squatted down with apparent ease to come face to face with him. "You're a young boy, your place, even with those relatives of yours is your place for now, don't worry, you have a world of majesty and wonder ahead of you. Now come along."

Harry watched the Doctor stride off towards Privet Drive, he looked to Ian and Barbara for an explanation.

Barbara smiled to him. "Harry, our 'adventures' might sound fun, and they are, I've seen things that I could never have even imagined, but I've also seen pain, danger, suffering, these things you should never have to see, wouldn't want to see. Something I'd love to have is a home, in my own time."

"Why can't you stay here Barbara, in this time?" Harry asked.

"We're from another time Harry" Ian laughed a small laugh "Another world." He looked at Barbara who smiled in return.

Harry looked between the two, and ran off to join the Doctor.

-/

Harry waved to the three travellers as they walked away from Privet Drive and ran his fingers over the cloak that the Doctor had removed from his basket. "Susan would have wanted you to have this young man, something of our adventures. One of the good things to come from Skaro." It felt so unusual, so different, so alien. Running his hands over it made him think of cities of metal, static electricity and the three time travellers who'd risked their lives to help people, a good thing Harry thought to himself.

-/

A/N:

I did briefly think about this being the First Doctor with Vicki, Ian and Barbara or Vicki and Steven or even Polly and Ben. But the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a good counterpoint for this chapter.

Thanks for reading.