Chapter 07
"Oh my god, this is amazing," the young woman said her eyes wide, a red scarf wrapped around her neck against the blowing wind.
"It sure is honey," drawled the man beside her.
"Honey?" She looked over at the man.
"I'm trying 20th century slang," he said innocently, an expression that had a thin layer of innocence.
"Try a little harder," Rose said hitting him lightly on the chest. "I'm no one's honey, and what's with the Western accent?"
"The team seems to like a bit of a foreigner," he grinned at her.
"We're all foreigners 'ere, that's what travel's all about. Enjoyin' the show?" The Doctor glanced at Jack. "And the view?"
"It's amazing, I once saw something like this on planet out past the Isop Galaxy. They didn't wear such amazing outfits though."
Rose ignored the Doctor and Jack's banter as each of the players came to a hover and slid from their…there wasn't anyway to put it, brooms. These people were flying brooms.
"This is mad, totally mad." Rose looked around them.
"Do you want to go have a chat with them?" The Doctor asked.
"Can we?" She asked eager.
"All access pass." The Doctor patted his pocket containing his psychic paper and grinned, Rose grinned back. "There you go."
"Thanks!" She turned to run down the steps then looked back to Jack and the Doctor "Aren't you coming?"
"Enjoy it, I walked through the change rooms of the Bulgarian team before," Jack smiled broadly.
"Captain Flirt strikes again," She laughed.
"Can I help it if they don't mark the entrances and exits?" Jack smiled innocently.
Jack and the Doctor watched Rose run off down the steps.
Jack leaned on the railing. "This is England isn't it?"
"How'd you know?" The Doctor wondered.
"This is a Quidditch Stadium, I remember reading something about it, long time ago," he recalled.
"The past is another country," the Doctor said looking around.
"I was told that time travellers don't usually get involved, the Time Agency had an accord with them," Jack explained awkwardly, his memories or lack-there-of of his time with the agency still royally annoyed him.
"I'm not the Time Agency Jack, or any other crackpot organisation," the Doctor countered in an annoyed tone.
"So what are we doing here, and what's that gadget in your pants?" Jack nodded towards the Doctor.
"'Gadget in my pants'?" The Doctor repeated, almost offended.
"The kind that usually impresses," Jack wiggled his eyebrows.
"Shut it you. What kind of description is 'gadget'?" The Doctor shook his head.
"Hey, I'd like to think of myself as a well spoken kinda guy, suave, easy going, so what is it we're doing here? The dawn end of the 20th century," he asked again.
"It's when everything changes Jack, here and soon." The Doctor withdrew a device from his pocket, studying it, Jack walked around and looked over his shoulder.
"'Oh Doctor what is it?'" Jack said putting on a high voice.
The Doctor grinned. "Just something waiting and watching for someone to turn up," he paused. "A little early."
"We couldn't have come later." Jack offered.
"Better early than late," the Doctor countered.
"Tell that to…" Jack began as the Doctor fixed him with a stare. Jack grinned. "Come on, let's go and rescue Rose from all those Quidditch players and their big brooms." Jack took the Doctor's arm and led him away from the stands.
-/ - \\-
Harry followed Ron and Hermione through the sea of green that was the Irish supporter's camp sites, they stopped once again because of the congestion ahead of them leading to the tap for the water.
Harry turned away from Ron and Hermione and looked around, sniffing the air, breathing in the experience. Looking around in amazement, through the amazing, unbelievable brilliance of it all.
"Come on Harry, looks like we're moving again," Hermione called to him. Harry spun back around to look at Hermione, the path had opened up quite a bit.
"Right okay," He said and turned back, he blinked. Something blue that certainly wasn't a tent caught his eye. It couldn't be…but then Hermione tugged on his jacket and he was pulled back into the throng of people.
-/ - \\-
"Having fun?" Rose looked up as the Doctor and Jack wandered up, arm in arm.
"Yeah, Aiden and Troy have just been explaining the rules to me. It's way more complicated than that game on…" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "That place, with those things," Rose said after a moment.
"Very concise Rose," the Doctor mused.
"Thanks." She smirked at Jack.
"The Doctor says we've got to head off." Jack disentangled himself from the Doctor, who seemed not to notice that Jack had his arm around his.
"Can't we stay a little longer?" Rose asked.
"People to see, places to be, you know," the Doctor said as he looked at his watch.
"You'll be at the game tonight won't ya?" Aiden asked them.
"Yeah," Rose said as she accepted Jack's hand up from the bench she'd been sharing with the players. "I mean, probably, depends what he wants to do." She jabbed a thumb towards the Doctor.
"He is right here. You'll be fantastic, a memorable play," he grinned. "Come on," he said turning and walking towards the exit.
"Bit of rude, just leaving like that," Rose raised her voice towards the Doctor.
"Doctor says we need to be back at the TARDIS," Jack explained.
"Why?" She asked.
"He's being all mysterious," Jack said as they made their way down from the stadium.
-/ - \\-
As Mr Weasley introduced him, Harry felt Ludo Bagman's eyes dart to his forehead.
He's for a while been tempted to wear a hat or continue to sculpt his hair in a way that covered up the scar.
Sometimes it annoyed him, sometimes he liked to catch people's eye when they began staring at the scar, the last time he'd seen the Master he'd said that focus was important.
"Mr Weasley, I'll just go and get some more water," he murmured quietly to him.
"Harry do you want some help?" Hermione almost leapt from his seat.
"I should be fine Hermione, I know the way." That wasn't the only reason why he wanted to go. Harry thought himself, he wanted to check if he was right about what he saw earlier in the day.
Back in the swathes of green Harry stopped and took several calming breaths of air and closed his eyes and then opened them again, shuffling his feet in the trampled grass where he was standing. Then there, in the corner of his eye he saw it.
Harry tread purposefully in long determined strides towards it.
It seemed to be being completely ignored.
Harry knew the wizards were used to odd things, and while many of the tents looked like miniature houses he thought that maybe someone might have noticed a large blue box with the words 'Police Box' on it. Though everyone was walking around past it.
Harry let the kettle drop from his hands, so that he could place his hands on the wood, that wasn't wood's surface.
Just prickling under the surface was a feeling, sensation, a humming, it almost wasn't there, not like the last time he'd felt it, now it was far more subtler, yet the box itself seemed bigger, more imposing, as much as a Police Box could he assumed.
"Can I help you?" Harry spun around at the woman's voice.
-/ - \\-
Rose had somehow lost the Doctor and Jack on the way back to the TARDIS, she knew where it was, she'd been to a festival or two that rivalled this…the Quidditch Cup thing, so finding her way back to the TARDIS wasn't difficult. But what she found beside it was…odd.
The kid was tallish, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, and he was listening, or feeling the side of the TARDIS.
"Can I help you?" The kid stepped away from the TARDIS and then looked at her, she suddenly became aware of his bright green eyes, and an odd scar on his forehead, both seemed to radiate out at her.
"I'm just looking for someone," he said casually, stuffing his hands inside the old army jacket he was wearing. He seemed pretty nervous. Shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. She seen shoplifters move like that when she'd been at Henrik's.
"Right mate. Aren't we all, why don't just head on back to where your friends…" She trailed off, he was still staring at her.
"I will remain here," he said in a monotone, she could feel his eyes staring at her. He wasn't going anywhere, it had been hard enough waiting for an opportunity to sneak off a this point, let alone later.
"You will remain…here," Rose found herself repeating.
"Yes," Harry smiled to himself.
"You will remain here," she repeated again, it was important that he remained her, she knew that…she wasn't sure why she'd even queried him, he had such a commanding and persuading tone.
-/
"Stop that!" The Doctor seemed to burst in and Rose couldn't remember why she what she was saying, or why.
"Fascinating. Casual hypnotist or professional mind control artist? Captain Jack Harkness by the way," Jack walked past her and walked over to the kid offering a smile in greeting.
Rose blinked shaking her head feeling a dull fuzziness still raging in her head.
-/
"Fascinating. Casual hypnotist or professional mind control artist? Captain Jack Harkness by the way." If anyone could have been described as having a swagger it was this guy Harry thought to himself.
"Harry Potter, nice to meet you," Harry said meeting Captain Jack Harkness's smile with a somewhat more neutral one of his own.
"And are you…" He began.
"An amateur compared to some," Harry countered.
"A talented amateur from that little performance. Quite a feat," Captain Jack Harkness praised.
"Harry Potter. Still using his tricks then?" The Doctor walked up a firm grin on his face. Harry grinned and met the Doctor in a hug. "More than tricks, sorry, didn't know she was your companion."
"Oi, what did you just do?" Rose asked pointing at him.
Harry looked at the Doctor shrugged.
"An ill-advised technique learnt from a…" The Doctor stopped, and searched for the right word.
"A megalomaniac with control issues?" Harry offered humour present in his voice.
"Yes," the Doctor said in a short tone.
"Funny, that's what he calls you, and that's what he's said about you, the last time I saw him," Harry mocked lightly.
"Who's this him you're talking about?" Jack asked.
"A friend." The Doctor and Harry answered together. Harry raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.
-/
"'How about a walk Harry?" The Doctor said patting him on the back. "'Ow about a cup of tea for when we get back?"
"Oh, sure sir, anything else the tea lady can get?" Jack said as he caught the key the Doctor chucked at him.
"Some biscuits?" Rose said as she made to follow the Doctor and Harry.
"No, just a private chat Rose," the Doctor said.
"Sorry," Harry said by way of an apology as the Doctor walked off, stuffing his hands in his pockets leaving Rose standing watching the pair walk off.
"'Ow're you doing?" The Doctor asked.
"Good, you Doctor?" Harry asked placing a hand on his shoulder.
He shrugged it away. "I'm fine."
"I met my Godfather!" Harry exclaimed as he attempted to break the silence that had somehow formed.
"Fantastic! How was he?" The Doctor suddenly grinned.
Harry started began to tell the Doctor about Sirius, carefully omitting the some of the stuff about time travel as he wasn't quite sure when this regeneration of the Doctor was, in relation to the Doctor's overall timeline compared to his.
"Time travel gives me a headache," Harry admitted as he finished.
"Try livin' it. You've told me though, fuzzy though it is," the Doctor said.
"About?" Harry tried.
"Your adventures time travelling last year," the Doctor enlightened.
"Oh, right. Hermione's not doing the extra subjects so no more time travelling for her," he explained.
"Right, good," the Doctor said.
"Or is your memory a bit fuzzy in your old age?" Harry teased.
"What?" He stared at him.
"How long has it been since I last saw you? For you I mean, not for me," Harry paused biting his lip. The Doctor seemed…a lot more wary, closeted, careful, grumpy even, than any times he'd seen him before.
"I'm, I'm sorry about…Rose before I didn't know," Harry began more softly.
The Doctor looked over at him, brightening up. "It's nothing, just him and what you he's taught you."
"All useful, he has said what he's done Doctor, but then two sides of a coin and all that. He's obviously not on Voldemort's level, but he's hardly the mad as a hatter bloke you've made him out to be, maybe I just haven't met the mad regeneration."
"Maybe. So you're here with the Weasleys then?" He asked.
"Just Mr Weasley, and Ron's brothers and sister, and Hermione. So what have you been up to since I last saw you?" Harry asked curiously.
"Lots of things, travelling, doing things, plenty of things," the Doctor said quickly. Too quickly for Harry's liking, he didn't want to push the issue though.
"So did you pick up the accent somewhere?" Harry wondered.
"What you mean?" He asked innocently.
"Well…I wasn't aware Gallifrey had a north," Harry chuckled, but stopped, as the Doctor flinched as he finished is sentence.
"Lots of planets have a North," the Doctor countered.
"Okay, fine if lots of planets can have slums, down and out places for revolution to brew, they can have a north," he joked again, it seemed to bring a slight smile to the Doctor's face.
"Let's go and see what Jack and Rose have got up to," the Doctor suddenly said.
"Making tea I assumed," Harry said to himself.
-/
Harry raised an eyebrow, Rose and Jack had set up a table and chairs under a large umbrella outside the TARDIS.
"So where'd you pick up Jack?" Harry asked.
"Pick him up?" The Doctor asked throwing himself down into a chair.
"Would you like me to start?" Harry asked curiously.
The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, I would, let's see if you've learnt anything."
"Plenty. Wrist thingy, and a gun, didn't think you liked guns," Harry gestured.
"He doesn't, I'm still looking for a new battery. Here," he passed the gun over to Harry. "I'll pour the tea. Harry?"
"What…oh Black, dash of milk," Harry weighed the gun in his hand. He'd never really felt the weight of a weapon, aside from his wand which was located securely within one of his unfeasibly large pockets of his jacket. It wasn't as heavy as its materials made it seem like. "It's got a nice weight to it. Not too heavy," Harry commented as he passed it back to Jack.
"So you know the Doctor then?" Rose asked, nibbling on a biscuit.
"Yeah, I've known him for…" He looked over at the Doctor who was sipping a mug of tea. "A long while. Seems like a short time, and a long time all at once."
"That's the problem with time travel, and travellers, never a fixed reference point," Jack offered.
"Sounds like you know a thing about it Jack?" Harry wondered.
"The Captain was a Time agent, and a conman," the Doctor explained.
"Hey!" Jack exclaimed in a light tone. "Reformed conman."
"So where'd you find the Doctor then. Sorry Harry Potter." Harry offered Rose his hand, the Doctor had told him about her, but it was only polite to introduce himself properly.
"Rose Tyler. What'd you mean find him?" Rose asked.
"Well you don't just walk into a police box…not often anyway." Harry shared a look with the Doctor who looked at him and Rose over his mug of tea.
"Well I was working at this shop…" Rose began.
-/
Autons…he smiled to himself and Daleks, supposedly the last Dalek ever, which made him want to ask a bunch of questions, but the Doctor and Rose seemed to share a silent moment regarding that one, so he didn't press it and Rose…Rose was from the future, not by much, but still. That meant that he was still yet to experience an Auton invasion attempt.
Time travel gave him a headache.
"Why are you grinning?" Rose was looking at him oddly.
"Just thinking, that was the first time you've seen an Auton right?" Harry started.
"Yeah, when he dragged me into it all," she said looking to the Doctor.
"Oi, you were just saying it's been 'brilliant'." He crossed his arms.
"That's what I said," Rose said.
"So, you haven't heard of Black Thursday or the 'Great Daffodil Scare'?" Harry mimed talking marks. "Maybe I was the only one who went looking for information," he mumbled to himself.
"What's Black Thursday and the Daffodil scare? Sounds like a couple of, what do you call it 'classical musical bands'?" Jack looked between the three of them. "Late 20th century popular music wasn't really my thing."
"Yeah you prefer swing," Rose teased.
"I love a good swingers party." Jack winked at Rose.
"It's the name of two Nestene attacks on Earth in the 1970s, that should have been kept secret," the Doctor explained.
"Look at you, all 'official secrets act'," Rose teased. Harry raised a surprised eyebrow at the Doctor who imperceivably shook his head, Harry shrugged. The Doctor had his secrets, it wasn't up to him to spill them to his newest friends.
"So how do you know about it then, you don't really look like the type to be breaking into secret facilities," Jack asked leaning into his chair.
"I do a lot of reading," He replied simply, and the information hadn't been that hard to find, the librarians in the Little Whinging library had been happy to order the microfilm of newspapers from around the time the Doctor had told him about when he'd been at UNIT. Harry was still amazed that, from the stories the Doctor had told him and what had turned up in the papers people still didn't believe in aliens, and the amount of alien invasions. That said he couldn't believe that despite London being evacuated in the 1960s and 70s the Wizarding World hadn't questioned it. Harry made a mental note, somehow to work it into the conversation with Hermione. He smirked he could just image it 'So Hermione, do you believe in aliens…?'.
"I've never heard of it," Rose said.
"What about the Zygon Gambit, Yetis in the Underground? Plenty you don't know about, 'umans, perfectly ready to ignore what's staring you in the face," the Doctor said swigging some of his tea.
"What?" Rose asked.
Harry grinned picking up on the Doctor's speech. "It was like last year, our teacher was ill, Snape, he's one of our teachers, kept on going on about wolves, werewolves and how evil they were 'the big bad wolf is out to get us'. Too bad he was one of the best Defence teachers we had," Harry mused. Then looked over, Rose was staring at him.
"Do I have crumbs down my shirt?" Harry asked.
Then the Doctor's watch beeped.
The Doctor whipped his head down to his watch. Harry was amazed he hadn't given himself whiplash.
"Right-o, time to head off." He said.
"What, already? What about Aiden and the Irish team, they said I was a lucky charm," Rose asked.
"That's what all the boys say Rose, I've been a 'lucky charm' to plenty," Jack said as he exchanged a look with the Doctor.
Harry rose from his chair as Jack flicked hidden switch and the table they'd been sitting around seemed to fold in on itself like a piece of origami.
"Real nice meeting ya Harry Potter," he offered him his hand. Harry shook it. "Maybe in a couple of years we can catch up when you're all grown up." Jack winked at him.
"Go on you, into the TARDIS," the Doctor pointed. "You too Rose."
"But what about…" She pulled a face at the Doctor. "It was great, talking and you know…"
"Yeah, maybe when time catches up with me too I'll come and see you and your mum."
"What'd you mean…" Rose asked as she was dragged lightly into the TARDIS by Jack.
As the door creaked close Harry walked over to the Doctor. "She doesn't know that…"
"This is Earth in the 1990s?" The Doctor shook his head. "Nup. Mysteries of time travel."
"And you say he's sneaky." Harry was careful not to mention Magister's name, it didn't seem the best thing to do, this regeneration of the Doctor was…very different from others he'd known.
"I'm not sneaky, just Rose is…special," he said looking to the TARDIS.
This Doctor kept surprising him, that wasn't to say the others hadn't done that, just, Harry mentally shook his head, there seemed to be a huge weight on the Doctor's shoulders.
"Here we go Happy 14th. Something of use probably," the Doctor thrust the device at Harry smiling as he did so.
It was a thick rod about 10 inches long with what seemed like a jewel on top, it was sort of heavy also.
"Ummm…" Harry started.
"It's a Tzun forcefield generator, something I…took out of Van Statten's hands." The Doctor explained.
"You nicked it," Harry surmised.
"Removed a powerful piece of technology, you'd use it more. One use sort of thing," the Doctor nodded with a grin. "Use it chuck it away."
"I'll keep it as a paperweight, I wouldn't want this turning up somewhere, it might cause a wacky paradox," Harry joked.
"No," The Doctor said in a flat tone quickly. "Now you should be getting back to your friends. The game'll be startin' soon."
Harry found himself enveloped in a hug, a quite tight one. "Look after yourself Harry Potter."
"And you Doctor…and whatever it is that's going on with you." Harry looked into the Doctor's stormy eyes and held the look for a moment.
"Maybe one day," the Doctor started and then seemed to stop himself "you don't need to know now," he finished.
Harry thought about pushing it, but, shook his head and smiled. "Off you go then, amaze your companions and arrive somewhere fantastic," Harry said then added playfully. "Instead of deadly danger."
"I never do that!" He exclaimed.
"Like I haven't gone looking for danger, it just…" Harry started.
"Follows me around." The Doctor and Harry said together then laughed.
"See ya Harry," he said before stepping into the TARDIS.
None of the wizards looked up or even noticed as the blue police box mad an unearthly noise and disappeared from sight.
Harry stuffed the forcefield generator into his pocket and picked up the forgotten kettle, which had somehow filled with hot water at some point and made a quick beeline back to the tent.
"You were quick Harry." Hermione said as he walked back up to her.
"I was?" Harry said slightly puzzled. He was sure he'd been at least half an hour, if not more. "I mean. I was," he said at Hermione's puzzled expression. Obviously the Doctor, or the table, or the TARDIS or something a combination of all of them did that kept them in a different pocket of time, or something. Harry decided to go with the 'or something option'.
Then another wizard apparated beside where Ludo Bagman was sitting on the grass, he was an elderly wizard, stiff and upright, he had it seemed followed the 'dress like a muggle' directions. He was in a stiff suit that seemed to match his personality. Harry looked up to his eyes, this 'Barty Crouch' as Ludo Bagman wasn't as stiff as his appearance led all to believe, there was an odd fire within his eyes, he held himself stiffly but there was a deliberate form to his actions.
He probably wasn't a bundle of laughs he thought smirking to himself.
Harry refocused his attention back to the present as Percy oddly bowed into his field of vision.
"Mr Crouch! Would you like a cup of tea?" Harry wondered if Percy had leaned any further down he could have licked Crouch's shoes without too much effort.
"Oh…" He gave Percy the smallest of looks, seemingly recognising him for the first time. "Yes, thank you Whetherby."
Harry raised an eyebrow, his smirk forming up into a smile, he could hear the twins choking on their own cups of tea.
Harry paid polite attention to the following discussion of carpets, something he'd never really considered, when the Doctor had mentioned Hyspero where all manner of things used to be possible, but he hadn't really imagined it happening here on Earth in the magic world. Obviously there were brooms, which were present in literature and as a common theme in magic, so why not carpets, something he decided he needed to have a chat to Hermione about. Harry pondered to himself; which came first the idea that carpets flew in fiction, or that a household item, like the broom could be made to fly. If it followed Mr Weasley's Ford Anglia example then the carpets were of conventional use first then in magic service, but the car was already transport…
Hermione nudged him.
"You're muttering to yourself." She whispered.
"I am?" He asked.
Bagman was talking again, waving his hands around and almost walking into the fire. "Oh details! They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed haven't they? I bet these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean it's happening at Hogwarts –" He was cut off by Crouch, and just as things were getting interesting.
"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians," he pushed the still full cup of tea into Percy's hands. "Thank you for the tea Whetherby."
With a farewell Bagman and Crouch disapparated (though there was no farewell from Crouch to them), Harry blinked a few times, it wasn't like any matter transmission that the Doctor or the Magister had ever described, nor was it like when the TARDIS dematerialised, the people were there and then – they weren't.
"What's happening at Hogwarts Dad?" Said Fred at once. "What were they talking about?"
"You'll find out soon enough," said Mr Weasley, smiling.
"It's classified information, until such time that the Ministry decides to release it." "Oh shut up Wheatherby," said Fred.
Harry looked over at Mr Weasley, in theory he could probably find out from him what the special secret was, despite not seeing Magister in over a year he had still been practicing, going back over the Art of War book he had given him a couple of years ago, it held far more than just Sun Tzu's words.
Though there was something to be said for waiting for the surprise to come, and the moral waters may become murky somewhat should he start hypnotising his friend's father for information, better to save that for his enemies…
Hermione nudged him again and found he was standing relatively alone staring into the fire.
"Honestly Harry sometimes you act like your mind's away on Mars or something." Hermione shook her head.
"Or a little side step here and there, perhaps even further," he murmured to himself.
"Harry?" Harry looked over at Hermione.
"Yes Hermione?" He asked stuffing his hands in his pockets, despite the cool of the slowly upcoming afternoon the heat of the fire was still a little hot, his jacket proved excellent respite.
"What were you saying before?" She asked/
"Before when?" Harry queried.
"When you were muttering to yourself…" She trailed off, studying his jacket closer. "What's this logo on here…" She muttered to herself.
"Now you're doing it," he said with a smile. Hermione snapped her eyes up to look at him.
"I was just thinking before, where do you think the idea of flying carpets came from?" Harry asked her.
"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione looked at him puzzled.
"Well…" He started to outline how he had been thinking.
Hermione's face brightening into understanding and a smile. "I hadn't really thought about it like that, there's hardly anything in the history books relating to muggles."
"And you didn't find out anything during your escapades last year?" Harry challenged.
"That was genuine study Harry!" She huffed.
"Mucking around with the fourth dimension for the sake of extra study. Doesn't that seem just a little bit insane? You said there were consequences, but if you really think about it's utter madness." Harry sat down into one of the chairs near the fire.
With Hermione dropping into one opposite him. "Honestly Harry, I didn't really think about," she said in a moment of calm honesty and then regarded him. "Though you seem to have."
Harry shrugged. "I had some time to think about it after the end of school, I did some reading and talked…to some people about it."
"Talked?!" She said with a slightly worried tone. "Harry the Statute of-"
Harry cut her off. "I mean about time travel theory." And the web of time and prophecies and whatever else Harry thought to himself.
"Oh. Well it's alright this year I'm not using anything like that. I heard that you've dropped Divination," she asked with some satisfaction. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Harry shrugged. "I didn't receive confirmation until after I got back to the Dursley's…and I didn't want to upset Ron more considering our activities in the recent past."
Hermione nodded and then looked at him. "Why?"
"Why?" He repeated, much to her annoyance.
"Why did you change from Divination to Ancient Runes?" She asked with a sigh and then added almost as an afterthought. "If you don't mind me asking."
"I was already thinking about it at the start of last year," he began Hermione looked shocked.
"Then why did you…" Hermione began as Harry shrugged.
"Then after our time travelling escapades it made me really think about all this stuff, I don't want to go searching for my future in wisps and vapours, I'm going to prepare for the future and one of the best tools is knowledge, not grounded in mysticism and vagueness," he explained.
Hermione looked at him impressed. "You're going to have lots of work to catch up on, a whole year Harry!"
He nodded. "I've already got the list of study material and I ordered the books, I've already made my way through a lot of it, I'll have a bit to study but the Professor said that I should be able to catch up as I am so determined," he paused. "and since I've got such a good friend who will tutor me to get me close to her brilliant standard," Harry answered with emphasis and a grin.
Hermione gave him a look. "Flattery Harry?"
"Simply the truth Hermione," he praised with a smile.
"So what else have you been doing reading on over the holidays, aside from time travel and Ancient Runes?" Hermione started with a curious tone.
Soon it turned into dusk and Ron came out of the tent having done whatever he had been doing while he and Hermione had been chatting about the origins of flying carpets and if Salazar Slytherin was the reason parsel-tongues were feared or whether it was the general dislike within the wizarding world of snakes and their duality within the muggle world. Hermione had been particularly impressed with his research on that particular subject.
-/
Harry could feel it more people had started to come out of their tents, the palpable excitement began to form over the vast campsites, it seemed by this point that the accumulated witches and wizards had pretty much stopped even pretending they were not meant to be using magic.
Then the amount of apparititions increased dramatically, Harry felt like the atmospheric pressure was being changed in their local environment by the amounts of 'pops' that were occurring, and bringing with them all manner of people. All of which seemed to be selling something.
"Been saving my pocket money all summer for this," Ron said as they left their camp site and started to move around the horde of salesmen.
Ron must have really been hoping his dad would be able to get tickets, as his letter said that they'd only got the tickets with less than a week to spare, Harry thought to himself and wondered if he should voice his questions. He decided not, Ron already thought he was being 'weird' because he'd spent the afternoon chatting with Hermione instead of talking about the coming game this night.
-/
Harry didn't like Lucius Malfoy, though he barely looked at him, but saw the look that Hermione seemed to rebuff though blushing slightly out the corner of his eye. He was instead fixing Draco Malfoy with a stare, over the past few years he'd really begun hate him. Malfoy stared back at him, almost unable to look away, Harry smirked at Draco, and as he and his father turned to leave Draco tripped up the stairs.
Harry chuckled in a deep tone to himself earning an odd look from Hermione.
-/ - \\-
The game had been amazing, unbelievable, it had been a rush watching it, watching those players weave and dive in manoeuvres he could only dream of.
Harry thought back reliving it in his mind's eye as he laid back on the top bunk watching the shifts in light of leprechaun fireworks that were still dancing across the canvass roof of the tent, Ron's snores were the only thing that punctuated the background noise of people still partying.
Harry hadn't even started to get ready for bed, he'd taken his boots off, but aside from that he sat, fully clothed, thinking back over the day's events, his meeting with the Doctor amongst them.
It very worrying seeing the Doctor so…so down, he was used to the Doctor having a wildly varying personality, but this Doctor was so dejected, almost disconnected from the universe now that he began to think about it. He still was bright, funny, cheerful, but it had many times seemed forced, he still had that playfulness and a genuine care in his eyes, he'd known that about the Doctor ever since he was and old, well young man, depending on how you looked at him. He also had a real affection for his companions, which was good and they seemed the same about him, not that he'd met anyone who didn't enjoy travelling with the Doctor (though admittedly he did 'kidnap' a few people on occasion).
As the noise of the night began to settle down Harry started to seriously think about going to sleep, though Ron's snores were…his track of thought ended when the screams and shouts from outside ramped up several levels. Harry jumped off the bed quickly tying his boots on.
"Get up Ron – Harry – come on now, get up, this is urgent," Mr Weasley's voice shouted through the canvass of the tent.
Mr Weasley came in hastily pulling on a set of jeans over his pyjamas.
"What's going on Dad?" Ron said blearily.
"No time Ron, just grab a jacket and get outside quickly," he said blinking as he took in Harry's appearance.
Outside, by the lights of the few fires that were still burning illuminating the tents, there were many people running, fleeing into the woods, fleeing from something that was moving through the field of tents.
The something that was moving through the tents were groups of wizards, Harry squinted, shielding his eyes against the flashes in the light attempting to preserve some of his dark adaptation, he couldn't see any of their faces, they were were hidden behind some form of mis-shapen mask, almost like a skull. They reminded him of something, but he couldn't recall what.
More wizards (at least he assumed they were wizards, it was hard to determined what gender they were in the long dark cloaks) were joining the group, many of them blasting tents out of the way with slash and swipes of their wands. A chill passed down Harry's spine, what if they had been inside one of those tents and not got out of there in time?
His answer came in the long anguished screams that followed as one of the wizards made another tent explode, he was sure he saw a figure collapsing within the ball of flame, flailing. Harry turned to see if Ron had seen what he thought he'd see, but Ron was looking upwards.
Above the oncoming marching crowd were at least four people, floating, and screaming, their screams punctuated the night, even more so than the explosions and other noises of the crowd, they punched down, he dimly wondered if one of the marching wizards had put a sonorus on them just to make a bad situation all that more nightmare inducing. Out of the four people he could see only one did he recognise the figure of, Mr Roberts, the campsite manager. There were three others that appeared to be his wife and children.
Then, as the crowd cheered and hooted they started to rotate like a spinning top.
"That's sick…that is really sick," Ron muttered beside him.
Harry could only concur.
Just then Hermione and Ginny came out of their tents both pulling on coats, and in Hermione's a coat over the top of her jeans and an oversized t-shirt. She looked at him giving him a curious look; he returned it with his own, to which she shrugged.
Less than a second later Bill, Charlie and Percy ran over to them – all fully dressed.
"We're going to help the Ministry" he shouted over all the noise and commotion. "You lot – get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out."
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that the words 'we're going to help' and 'get into the woods' shouldn't have been said together considering the crisis, the Doctor and his friends had they were phrases always said, and they almost never seemed to end well, still going on their averages, he'd most likely come out of this experience alive, as long as he didn't use the Doctor's rule of averages.
-/
Fred grabbed Ginny's hand and led them into the woods, George taking up the rear.
The coloured lanterns that had previously adorned the paths in and out of the woods were now well and truly extinguished (or destroyed judging by the blackened marks they saw here and there).
The Harry turned around sharply as he heard Ron yell in pain.
"Ron where are you? Oh this is stupid – Lumos!" Hermione illuminated the tip of her wand pointing it down to where Ron was sprawled on the ground.
"Tripped over a tree-root," he said angrily accepting Harry's hand up from the ground.
"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice behind them.
Harry Ron and Hermione turned sharply to see Draco Malfoy leaning casually against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. Arms folded he seemed to have been observing the whole event through a gap in the trees.
Ron told him to do something that was probably physically impossible,
"Language, Weasley," said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering in the pale night. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along now? You wouldn't want her spotted, would you?" He nodded to Hermione, at the same moment something large exploded at the campsite sending a rush of hot air through the forest.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked defiantly.
"They're after muggles, or muggle borns," Harry said in a low tone of realisation.
"Very good Potter, we'll make a proper wizard out of you soon. You" he looked at Hermione "better not hang around, they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh to see you hanging upside down with your knickers in the air." Harry wondered if he'd rehearsed that, as Hermione was wearing jeans. "Off you go with your mudblood now." He waved them off.
"Hermione's a witch!" Ron snarled.
"Never mind Ron," Hermione grabbed Ron's arm as he tried to advance on Malfoy.
There was another bang and the air around them heated up again, there was a horrible smell that accompanied it this time, one of burning fabric and meat, Harry tried not to think about the latter and just hoped someone had been cooking a large meal, but this delusion didn't even convince him in his own mind.
"'Scare easily, don't they?" Malfoy asked them looking back to the campsite. "I suppose daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to – trying to rescue help the pathetic Ministry drones?"
"Where are your parents Malfoy" Ron asked.
Harry added. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"
Malfoy turned around smiling at Harry. "Well...if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I Potter."
"I suppose not," Harry said, smiling a predatory smile at him, which seemed to throw Malfoy for a moment.
"Oh, come on, let's go find the others," Hermione said, but Harry was moving to close the distance between him and Malfoy.
"You would be likely to tell me, you will tell me, you will tell me, you will tell me, you will tell me." Harry said in a quick, low undertone, using his body to block any view of his friends while fixing Draco with a hard stare as he continued to repeat Malfoy's own phrase to him until he was repeating it back to him.
Harry expression curled into a smirk. "Where is 'father'?"
"Father wouldn't tell me, doesn't tell me anything, sent me home, father…." he said in a slow monotone voice.
Harry nodded quickly to himself, snapping his fingers in front of Malfoy who blinked.
"Potter, what are you doing?" He said pushing himself away from Harry.
"Nothing at all," Harry said. "Come on we'd better find the others," he said to Hermione.
"I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot." Ron gruffed
"Probably, Malfoy certainly didn't know," Harry said mostly to himself.
As they encountered a group of French students Harry was frantically searching his pockets, he'd had his wand in one of the very shallow outer pockets while he'd been using it and now it was gone. His heart beat slightly faster and he felt around deeper into his pocket and felt the reassuring weight of the forcefield generator the Doctor had imparted to him.
"Oh shit, I've lost my wand." Harry said to Hermione and Ron.
"You're kidding?" Ron exclaimed.
Harry felt like saying he was, but he wasn't.
They both offered explanations of where it could be, but Harry wasn't sure, he still had a slight 'buzz' after hypnotizing Draco, he wondered briefly if it was a buzz of power, or just slight exhaustion.
A noise in the bushes made them jump as they continued to look around for Fred, George and Ginny.
"There is bad wizards about!" The small house-elf squeaked "People high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!" She squeaked, running awkwardly into the forest.
"What's up with her?" Ron asked. "Why can't she run properly?"
"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide," said Harry, thinking back to the way Dobby behaved.
They followed the path deeper into the woods, Harry for the most part only half listening to Ron and Hermione's argument of house-elves.
Then suddenly after passing several people from goblins to Stan Shunpike they were in an eerily quiet part of the woods. Then as they were walking around Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree, but a great change had come over him, he was no longer rosy faced and buoyant. He was stony white and strained. "What are you doing in here, all alone."
"There's a riot going on out there," Harry jabbed a thumb backwards.
"What?" Bagman stared at them.
"Out in the campsite, Muggles being floated about," Hermione said with a disgusted tone in her voice.
"Damn them!" He said, swearing and then disappearing with a pop.
"Not exactly on top of things," Hermione said, frowning.
-/
Then once more they were left in silence, Ron collapsed onto the ground, removing his miniature Krum figurine from his pocket as they began to idly chat about the possible capture of Lucius Malfoy and…
Harry whipped around, he, and he noticed Hermione had heard a noise in the woods.
He was sure he could hear a noise of footsteps, but there was nothing.
"Hello?" Called Hermione.
There was silence. Harry looked around again, he was sure there was someone around, just outside his field of vision.
Then without warning someone, their mysterious figure shouted a spell, their voice was calm, totally unlike everyone they'd thus encountered.
"MOSMORDRE!"
Something vast, green and glittering erupted from the darkness and flew up into the sky. For a split second Harry hoped it was something friendly. Though not even the spell had even suggested to him that. It was a colossal skull, composed of what appeared to be stars, with a serpent slithering out of the mouth like a tongue as they watched it rose higher and higher blazing with green smoke seemingly burning against the sky like a new nightmarish constellation. Harry knew with a dull realisation what it was, for a moment there he'd been caught up in amazement in seeing it.
"Oh fu—"
"Harry we have to go!" Hermione said as she grabbed Ron up from the ground.
"That's the Dark Mark," Harry said in full realisation. "Come on Ron." But too late he saw they were surrounded by wizards, from the blazing Dark Mark above them and the weirdly permeating darkness around them he couldn't see their faces, they were all obscured by the darkness and the glare simultaneously and they all had their wands drawn. Harry stuffed his hand into his pocket and clasped the force field generator.
"Down!" He shouted depressing the button. It hummed and shook in his hands as an blue decagon cone-shape enveloped them as several 'Stupefy' spells, and a few others that Harry didn't hear shot towards them, Harry risked looking up as the spells thundered towards them, ricocheting away from them in slightly opposite directions, mostly seemingly due to the force field's shape.
"Stop!" Yelled a voice. "Stop that's my son!"
Mr Weasley came running towards them looking terrified. Harry and the others stood, Harry grabbed Ron's hand from touching the force field, shaking his head. Ron opened his mouth but Harry raised a finger to his own and pushed the button on the force field, the dim light around them snapped off.
"Out of the way, Arthur." It was Mr Crouch. "Which of you did it?"
"We didn't do anything!" Ron was looking between his father, Crouch and Harry.
"Where did the mark come from you three?" Mr Weasley asked quickly.
Hermione told him as Crouch began to interrogate Hermione.
Harry internally sighed and resigned himself to using his 'fame', and having a monster headache at the end of this night.
"Listen, listen to me all of you," Harry said in steady, though permeating voice. Everyone turned to look at him. Harry was just preparing himself to look into everyone's eyes and grab their attention when a voice broke the moment and everyone's eyes defocused for a second.
Harry sighed, audibly to himself as Amos Diggory said rushing from behind the group, someone whom Harry hadn't seen, or hadn't been drawn by his voice.
"Our stunners were repelled into those trees." He glanced at Harry Ron and Hermione.
"Accidental magic!" Hermione said in a raised hysterical voice, everyone seemed to nod before following Diggory.
-/
Harry watched as out of his wand oozed a ghostly image of the Dark Mark, there was a sick sort of symmetry his wand, being used to cast Voldemort's mark. Cast by what everyone around seemed to want to believe had been a house-elf.
Despite everyone, the recriminations and arguing and everything, Harry had to, on some level admire Hermione's bloody mindedness when it came to the plight of the house elves as they walked back to the tent. His wand now deep within his pockets, Harry deciding that's where he was going to keep it if he ever went to a sporting game where a magical riot lead by magical racists was to break out.
When they finally got back to the tent Ron asked a question that seemed to grab everyone's attentions.
"Look, can someone just explain what the skull thing was? It wasn't hurting anyone…why's it such a big deal?"
"It's Voldemort's," everyone except Hermione shivered at Harry's use of the name. "And it hasn't been seen in the sky like that for thirteen years," Harry said, the realisation just dawning on him as he spoke the information.
"For too many people it's like seeing You-Know-Who back again," Mr Weasley said quietly.
"I still don't get it, it's just a symbol in the sky," Ron wondered.
"Just as the symbol for Gryffindor is just a symbol on our robes?" Harry asked Ron curiously.
"You-Know-Who would send that mark into the air whenever they killed. The terror inspired with its appearance…you have no idea." Mr Weasley's voice was cracking now.
Harry let the information cascade over him, he'd read some of it, now he knew why the masked wizards were familiar. That was what happened when you read too many books about too many subjects, everything became blurred.
-/ - \\-
Later in the week, after they'd all returned Harry found himself under a tree, watching Ron and his brothers popping up over the trees every so often as they played Quidditch, he'd passed on it, he'd wanted to catch up on a little bit of reading. The leather bound hand written copy of The Art of War sat in his lap as Hermione sat down opposite him.
"What were you reading?" Hermione asked as Harry was placing the book in an internal jacket pocket.
"The Art of War, Sun Tzu." But that's not what you wanted to ask. He thought to himself.
"Harry what was going on at the World Cup?" She asked.
"Aside from the muggle torture you mean?" He asked. Hermione stared at him.
"You know what I mean," she challenged in a serious tone.
"Enlighten me?" He asked innocently, plucking a flower from the grass.
"Where should I begin? What did you do to Malfoy, what was that thing in your jacket, what were you trying to do to the crowd and how did you know so much about the Dark Mark?" She counted the points off on her hand.
Harry nodded and wondered which of them he could answer easily.
"I read about the Dark Mark and Voldemort and other things, a couple of years ago and again last year, while finding out about Sirius, before we met, obviously."
"Obviously," Hermione repeated. "Well?"
"What if I said no?" Harry wondered out loud.
"I did cover for you," she said, grabbing the flower he had been playing with out of his hands and throwing it over her shoulder.
"Is a lie that is easier to understand better the truth which is harder to accept?" He asked curiously.
"I…" Hermione faltered. "I want to know what it was."
"It was…it was a gift from a friend of mine." He said simply.
"The same friend who gave you that crystal you used last year?" She fixed him with a look.
"Yes, sort of. I met him when I went to get water," he replied honestly.
"You weren't gone long enough for…"
Harry cut her off. "You should know more than anyone that time is malleable." He gave her a mysterious smile.
"And you were having a go at me for using a time turner!" She harrumphed.
"I didn't say I used one. I just posited the possibly of temporal manipulation," he countered.
Hermione sighed. "Fine, what about Malfoy?"
"I asked him nicely." After a fashion. "He just told me that he didn't know anything, his father hadn't told him anything."
"And what about when Crouch and the others were all around us?"
"Using my fame to get us out of a tricky situation?" Harry tried optimistically and threw in a shrug for good measure.
Hermione stared at him. "Are you ever going to tell me the whole story?" Hermione finally asked.
The "whole" story was decidedly more complicated Harry reflected, and would probably get far more complicated as the year continued on, if last year was any indication.
-/ - \\-
Harry was, livid, astounded, he just...he'd not been able to process it initially. His name, the cup, it had all be, not so much a blur as information failing to process in his mind, and then reality snapped back in with barely a few seconds having passed. Like it was caught in a particularly bad thought.
Harry was glad that Hermione was there to talk to Ron, even if she basically told him he was an idiot, for not seeing something he should have seen.
But Ron had been there through some of the bad times, and the moderately good times, and the bad times.
But Ron was still being remarkably childish considering Harry's past experiences, admittedly he didn't want to become as paranoid as Moody, but given that every year since they'd been at Hogwarts something absolutely crap had occurred why couldn't this be the kick off the cliff. Last year at least had been better than the previous two, there'd been no Voledmort as such, just his servant, but in the process of a year he'd found his godfather, only to have him leave by necessity and a good friend and teacher only to have him leave by necessity as well.
Considering Ron also knew his past, his history he was the one he told everything to, it felt more than a little like a stab, nay an axe in the back for Ron to so quickly turn his back on him.
-/ - \\-
Harry disliked Rita Skeeter as soon as Bagman introduced him to her.
"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?" Harry met her gaze evenly, though keeping a shrewd half glance on Bagman. "The youngest champion, you know…to add a bit of colour?" She asked sweetly.
"Certainly!" Cried Bagman. "That is – if Harry has no objection." Harry was already moving as Rita moved to touch his arm. He positioned himself on the other side of Bagman, a manoeuvre born from primary school and hiding from Dudley's 'friends'.
"I do, thank you. But no." Bagman turned looking at him eyes wide. Harry vaguely recalled the Doctor telling him this was the way to deal with bureaucrats, that or bamboozle them with information. Short and unarguable was easier he thought.
"I'm sure we can have a few words Harry," she started again, more firmly this time.
"I'm sure the others are much more worthy of your attentions, thank you Miss Skeeter," Harry said looking around the small room, there really wasn't anywhere to go, it was either approach Krum who was it seemed trying to ignore everyone. Strike up a conversation with Fleur and Cedric, which considering his position with Cedric that probably wasn't best, or the weird guy with the camera who kept looking up and down Fleur's body with one eye.
Needs must, Harry thought to himself as he backed away from Rita.
"Hello there!" Harry said in what he thought sounded very fake cheery voice, taking the man's hand and shaking it. "How are you today…?" The man seemed bamboozled by Harry's sudden attention.
-/ - \\-
If Harry had thought not speaking to Skeeter had been a good thing he'd been sorely mistaken.
She'd just made it up anyway, saying that he was too full of himself to speak to such an esteemed journalist such as herself.
At the next Hogsmeade weekend he'd wanted to go with Hermione, but she said he was being silly, wanting to go under his invisibility cloak. Plus her having to talk to what would appear to everyone else be talking to herself.
He was still determined to go, even without Hermione. There was something liberating walking around alone. Once in the village he decided to remove the cloak, rather than walk around and wait for people to open doors, plus he wouldn't be able to have a drink or buy anything, he felt that he should be able to use this new found freedom, considering in the previous year he hadn't been able to.
Ducking down an alley way he was stuffing it into one of his impossibly large pockets when he heard someone walking down the alley towards him.
Harry turned around slowly his wand in his hand. "A fascinating piece of clothing Mr Potter. I've been hearing some most interesting, untrue as they are things about you," he chuckled.
Harry smiled as he came face to face with a friend he hadn't seen in over a year.
"Magister, it's fantastic to see you," Harry said, shrugging his shoulders slightly in relief. Magister frowned slightly.
"Harry?" He looked down at him placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Mr Potter, there is a rather quiet establishment not frequented by your classmates on the edge of the particularly English town."
-/
"Your issue is concentration and determination. You must be prepared to usurp those that you wish to bend to your will and do not reach too far. The crowd that you described, you may have been able to convince for the short term, but any longer and they probably would not have believed anything you said," Magister explained as they began to talk.
"Hermione keeps asking me complicated questions about how I hypnotized Malfoy…and other stuff, with the Doctor," Harry related.
"The Doctor is a particularly frustrating person young Harry," Magister pondered.
Harry decided to change the subject. "So I didn't see you last year, I was" he paused taking a sip of the darkly coloured tea "worried something had happened to you."
Magister's eyes lit up with humour. "Your worry is touching Harry, very touching, there are not many who would worry about my status."
"So…?" Harry began.
"The Doctor visited you prior and following your schooling. Unlike a good wine, for which his early incarnation enjoyed he does not it seems mellow with age, especially with regard to the Doctor's and my interactions. As for your schooling I had hoped to 'drop in' as it were. But there was a rather interesting temporal distortion around Hogwarts." Magister paused.
"Oh, yeah…" Harry began to explain.
"Fascinating Mr Potter, fascinating," he chuckled, at both the casual use of time travel and Harry's use to alter the past, whatever the Doctor would say, it showed true power and control to decide to alter events like that, and to destroy so many dangerous creatures in the process.
-/
Harry returned to the castle feeling better for his meeting with the Magister, though it seemed that he had recently met the Doctor in slightly more unfortunate circumstances than that of their previous encounters that had particularly annoyed the Magister, but he hadn't enlightened further only saying 'not to trust the rust bucket pepper pots' ever again.
-/ - \\-
Hermione was going through the various spells and whatever he could use against a dragon, Harry's mind though elsewhere, after his chat with Sirius and his 'encounter' with Ron he was quietly thinking about half a dozen things, all with varying levels of important-ness.
He could really use the Magister's impressive shrinking weapon he had often extolled the brilliance of.
But sadly not, but…
"He knew this was coming," Harry said to himself as he remembered the Doctor's gift when he and Charley had visited.
"What was that Harry?" Hermione looked at him.
"Fire transporters of Hyspero!" Harry exclaimed.
"The fire what's of what?" Hermione stared at him as Viktor Krum came into the library.
-/ - \\-
Harry waited and then stood up waiting for the whistle, he pulled the hood that had been attached to the 'impervious to fire' vest the Doctor had given him over his head, tying the whatever it was made out of straps under his chin tightly and checked his Quidditch gloves that would at least protect his hands, he'd asked Hermione to help him with fire repellent charms to add to them early this morning. He'd thought about using his longer
She hadn't asked him about his brown leather like trousers and vest, only studying them for a few moments, running her hands along the material and frowning, murmuring to herself something unintelligible.
Then the whistle blew and he took a few calming breaths and stepped out of the tent.
"If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest." Harry quoted to himself, mentally preparing himself for the summoning charm, all the noise around him droned into cacophony of nothing, a noise, then he shouted, clear and certain, like a sword striking down against a stone, a weapon drawn, not for fighting, he cried two words that would save him and let him survive another day, he hoped. "Accio Firebolt!"
For a few moments, those two words ringing in his ears he felt silence, there was still noise, there was still the Hungarian Horntail before him, but he was clear in his objective, nothing would stand in his way. He felt the buzz of calm controlled power, his power. This is what Magister had said, being in true control you could do as you liked, do anything, to anyone. All it took was the right mindset, that and a dragon staring down at him, the reality of which came crashing down upon him as his broom slammed into his hands and before he knew it he was flying.
Up higher and higher, just like a Quidditch match, only with fire, and a dragon.
As he circled higher and higher the dragon continued to follow billowing plumed of fire in his directions, every so soften he felt the air sizzle, unpleasantly reminding him of the night of the World Cup.
Then he plummeted back down towards the dragon, swerving (only just) missing the a gust of the dragon's deadly breath. But as he was re-manoeuvring around the its tail came around, Harry grit his teeth and dared not look down at the mess of his shoulder judging by the constant stream of blood that he could feel dripping down his arm. It had nothing on the pain of the Basilisk fang and the various other injuries he'd incurred on that particular 'adventure'.
The dragon however was not taking the bait – him. It looked like it wanted to take off, but he didn't seem to be a big enough threat, and considering the size difference between them, he could understand why.
He took off again, circling around, the dragon breathing fire and snapping in the air, in a part of his mind that wasn't concentrating on flying and not being fried he wondered if it was the blood which had slowed to a globby trickle rather than a river from his torn and mashed up shoulder.
Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.
Harry stared at the dragon it was still coveting its eggs, as though it had seen what the others had done and was determined to keep its eggs away from him.
Harry decided he need to do something insane.
His and Hermione's researches didn't really find any real weaknesses, but as Harry lined himself up, the old rule 'if you're bitten by a shark, poke it in the eye' would hopefully hold true. He had to get the dragon to move a safe distance, and he had to annoy it enough to fly after him, and there were plenty of unexpected routes around Hogwarts to take the dragon through, if he didn't get fired first.
The collected crowd drew in a collected breath as Harry Potter the Fourth Champion flew straight for the dragon's mouth in a seemingly suicidal frontal attack, except he slowed almost to a stop, leaning out as the dragon was momentarily stunned at its prey flying toward it and kicked the dragon in the eye.
The collected silence was then punctuated by Harry James Potter flying away as fast as his Firebolt would take him and a moment later the dragon roaring and breaking what remained of its bonds and taking to the skies anew after him.
Harry's heart was beating fast, as he risked a look behind him and then wished he hadn't, it was like a wall of flame barreling towards him. He grabbed the broom pulling it almost vertical in an attempt to escape, but the fireball enveloped him, he gritted his teeth again as he continued to fly upwards, the heat sizzling along his wound. Supremely thankful of the multitude of charms on his broom, which seemingly prevented it from burning along with his arms and shoulders.
They were going to hurt when the adrenaline wore off.
Harry pushed the broom back down and he felt his ears pop as the smoke around him cleared and the castle, very quickly came rushing back into view.
Now he wasn't thinking, he wasn't planning he was just reacting to the sound behind him and the turrets of the castle that came rushing towards him, he was dimly aware of the dragon smashing into things as he turned sharply heading towards Hogsmeade and then looping background towards Hogwarts, a plan forming in his mind, if he couldn't defeat the dragon he'd have to trap it.
He heard and some saw the glow around him and then heard the roar before what hair was poking out from under the hood caught on fire again and he was bathed in a slightly smaller ball of fire.
It hurt supremely more the second time; the fireball against the burnt flesh than the first time.
Harry pushed his broom harder down towards the lake, just past Hogsmeade station, water spray spraying up as he skimmed the water looking for the hidden entrance with the ivy.
If he was wrong, at the speeds he was doing he would likely splatter into the cliff wall.
Gingerly he grabbed for his wand, secreted in a pocket, again if he didn't have this ready he he'd still probably go splat.
The dragon roared behind him as he hit the ivy, it battering against his face like a whip and he flew up the (much smaller than he remembered) cave he and all his friends had entered Hogwarts through all those years ago. He looked back as he blasted the doors open the dragon had followed him in and was now thrashing around in the too small for its bulk cave.
Harry flew out, blasting through the second set of doors and past a very annoyed Filch, pushing his broom as fast as he could go, back to the arena.
The crowd was still there and there several dragon keepers circling on brooms, Harry quickly swooped down, plucking the egg from where it sat unguarded. Then, it was as though the crowd's volume had turned back up as he circled the arena before touching back down.
As he landed he saw Professor McGonagall, Moody and Hagrid rushing towards him.
He didn't quite remember the next events that followed but he did remember McGonagall taking his hand gently leading him towards the first aid tent and Madam Pomfrey shrieking when she saw him, or quite possibly something about Dementors.
He did remember the stabbing pain just prior to her taking some sort of action and smearing something on his arms, dulling the pain considerably.
He sagged into the chair, the last of the adrenaline that had been keeping him moving, thinking and more to the point alive was starting to ebb away, leaving only pain and a clawing memory of burnt flesh, again bringing back a memory of a figure screaming in agony at the World Cup.
-/
Harry blinked, he was sure he could see stars, or screams, then Hermione and Ron came rushing in, Madame Pomfrey stood in their path.
Harry tried to speak, but found he couldn't and coughed instead.
"You've inhaled smoke from your burns and the heat will have dried up your mouth a lot Mr Potter, drink this," she explained as she offered him a glass, he eyed it and looked at her. "It's just water Mr Potter, you're in no state for potions."
"That's a relief," he wheezed with a cough his throat burning as he attempted to swallow. Then as he motioned his friend Hermione and Ron over, wincing as he did so, holding up a hand to spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Merlin Harry, you were amazing, and insane, that was a completely irresponsible thing to do!" She shouted, though seemed to be crying also.
"What was I supposed to do Hermione, it took a chunk" Harry reached up to his shoulder, there was a spongy substance surrounded by the paste Pomfrey had put on his arm. "out of my arm. I had to think laterally."
Then Harry turned his attention to Ron, who was looking very pale. "Harry whoever put your name in that Goblet – I – I reckon they're trying to do you in!"
"Caught on have you? Took you long enough," he said coldly, so much so Ron took a step and a half away, Hermione was also looking at him with a worried expression.
Hermione looked between them nervously, Harry looked at Ron, knowing what he'd do next, Harry wondered if would mean it.
"I should have believed you, I'm sor…" But Harry cut him off.
"Yes, you should have, how many things have we been through Ron? You, me and Hermione." He looked Hermione. "Perhaps next time you won't stab me in the back quite so hard." He said, a bitter taste coming to his mouth.
"Harry I…" Ron began
"Forget it," Harry said curtly. "Like you did our past encounters," Harry muttered.
Ron looked at him with a worried look on his face before seemingly changing track. "Come on Harry, they'll be putting up the scores," Ron said jovially. Harry made to stand up and then lurched sideways as he put pressure on his leg, he was caught by Ron and Hermione.
"What are you doing standing up Mr Potter?" Madame Pomfrey demanded coming back over..
"Why does my leg hurt?" Harry asked.
"No doubt because it was broken, and I've only just repaired it," she said tutting.
Odd, Harry thought, he hadn't felt any breakages, though he admitted he had other things on his mind.
"Hermione pass me my broom and the egg." He asked gritting his teeth and looking at Madam Pomfrey. "I'll just check to scores, then right back," he said around his gritted teeth. She stared at him as he turned his broom upside down, putting the brush end in the air and tested his weight on it.
He followed Ron and Hermione out as they both began to tell him what had happened, while he had been awaiting his turn.
Krum lost points because the dragon had squashed some of its eggs.
Harry wondered how much he'd loose for all the damage his dragon had caused.
He was amazed at the score, gob smacked actually. He was now in the lead, with Krum.
Harry returned the tent just after receiving the scores, as he had promised Madame Pomfrey, as soon as he walked in she pushed a cup of something into his free hand, his egg he'd stuffed into a spare pocket, though he continued to lean on his upturned broom for support as he swallowed the foaming concoction.
Then Krum, Fleur and Cedric came in, the side of Cedric's face and all the way down to his shoulder was covered in an orange paste, his shirt it seemed had been burnt away.
"Good one Harry," he coughed as he spoke.
"And you," Harry wheezed with a smile.
"Well done, all of you!" Ludo Bagman bounced back into the tent.
Harry listened attentively as Bagman spoke, he and Cedric both accepting potions Madame Pomfrey continued to give them. Then as he finished and Fleur and Krum left he dropped into the chair, while Cedric went off to the other side of the tent to speak with his friends.
"What's the prognosis doc?" Harry coughed again.
"Doc?" She stared at him.
"Nothing." He smiled at her as she waved a wand over his leg.
"You will keep pressure off it, but keep moving it around."
"Can I walk back up to the castle?" She stared at him unbelievingly for a moment.
"If you can move through the pain Mr Potter." She looked at him doubtfully. "Then straight to bed."
"Yes Ma'am," Harry grinned. Leaning again on his broom. Outside the tent Hermione and Ron were waiting and the most unpleasant sight he thought he'd ever have to face. Rita Skeeta.
"Harry Potter, I wonder if I could have a quick word?"
Harry thought of several words for her, though most involved him wishing her to be minced up and fed to a hippogriff.
"No. Goodbye," he said coldly turning sharply away from her, realising as he did he wrenched his shoulder in the process, but decided to continue at a steady pace, just so he didn't show any weakness to her.
-/ - \\-
As Christmas approached Harry began to think he really needed to find a partner to the ball. Not that he'd had a lack of girls asking him, but they were all…a little bit, he mentally tried to think of the words. 'Insipid and pouting' He thought with a smile.
"Where have I heard that before?" He murmured to himself, mentally cursing himself for talking aloud, to himself. Then he recalled, it was a description the Magister had used to describe one of Nero's concubines that had tried to seduce him.
-/
Harry twirled the rose he'd managed to transfigure in the privacy of an empty classroom.
There were only two girls that he believed he had a chance of asking to the dance. Both were in his and Hermione's Ancient Runes class.
One of them would, if he asked her out would be for some part following the Doctor's ideology of 'surprising the enemy', the second other was more about playing to someone sympathetic, though ultimately she seemed uninterested by the whole thing, though she had been civil enough throughout the whole 'Fourth Champion' thing.
Surprising the enemy seemed a little too controversial, though he would have liked to see what would have happened if he had asked Daphne Greengrass to the Yule Ball. Malfoy might have exploded, probably along with Ron, Hermione and the rest of Gryffindor and there was a part of him that found the idea most amusing.
But then, maybe he'd been hit a little too hard in the head during his fights with the dragon, but something made him turn away from the library where many of the Ravenclaw girls were studying and back towards a flight of stairs where he knew Daphne Greengrass sat with several of the Slytherin girls during the day.
'Here we go, snakes den…' Harry thought to himself, a deep chuckle echoing down the corridor as he walked down it.
Harry crept up the stairs, only to have three leg-locker spells and a beige spell come towards him forcing him to duck and weave as he made his way up the stairs.
"Potter!" Harry began to think this really was an insane idea, though that said what he'd done with the dragon hadn't been too bad, he just needed to make sure he didn't get fried alive.
Though what he was facing was far worse than a dragon.
Harry tilted his head in a greeting. "Ms Parkinson."
"What do you want Potter, more photos and praise?" Harry said nothing, Parkinson's insults were even worse than Malfoy's.
"Merely a word with your fellow student, concerning matters of school and the peculiarities of life," he said with a smile, twirling the rose behind his back.
"Who?" She asked suddenly curious.
"Ms Greengrass," he said.
"Potter?" She looked up, Harry backed up the stairs and waited in an alcove until she appeared, her wand out, aiming it at him.
"Potter what do you want?" She looked at him curiously.
"A chat," Harry said, keeping his voice calm and level and wondered if all this was worth it, especially what it might do to the rest of his house.
But ultimately he was still annoyed, Hermione had asked him about it. He loved having Ron back as his friend, but he was still hurting from the betrayal that he'd felt when Ron had turned his back forcefully on him.
This wasn't surprising the enemy, aside from her being Slytherin she wasn't the enemy, not yet. Just as the Magister wasn't always the Doctor's, perhaps Slytherin could also, not be someone to go around stabbing people in the back.
Or maybe he just wanted to do something weird, out of the ordinary, maybe he just wanted to surprise everyone.
Maybe he was just feeling a bit out of sorts from finding out Cho was going with Cedric.
"About what?" Her wand still pointing at him, it had been since they'd stood alone together.
Harry brought the rose from behind his back, Greengrass flinched and then stared at it.
"Would you accompany me to the Yule Ball?" He asked.
She didn't laugh, which was a good thing, she didn't lower her wand either.
"You can't be that desperate," she said after a moment. Harry shrugged nonchalantly.
"Why should I be desperate to ask you to the Ball?" Harry wondered.
"Why indeed?" She paused, lowering her wand and accepting the rose, waving her wand over it, checking. "A good piece of transfiguration, for a Gryffindor."
"That is high praise," Harry smirked. "For a Slytherin."
"Well why Potter?" She finally asked.
"You saw how Ron-" Harry began.
"Weasley," she finished.
"Acted," he finished simply.
"When you put your name in the cup," she surmised.
"I didn't," Harry answered quickly. He had to admit, it was odd speaking like this with someone potentially dangerous. Maybe he'd gotten used to the adrenaline rushes from dangerous situations…? "Maybe I just want to ask you to the ball."
"Weasley and your housemates won't see it that way," she said simply.
"Why should I care?" He asked. "They didn't believe me when I said I didn't put my name in the cup."
"What's to stop me stunning you before the ball?" She asked.
"Nothing, but at least I would be expecting it, from a Slytherin," Harry smiled as he said it.
She nodded to him.
"Very well Mr Potter, you shall have your dance," she handed him back the rose, which was now a bunch of roses.
-/ - \\-
Harry couldn't work out how Ron had got both Padma and Parvati to go with him to the Yule ball. Ron couldn't work it out either.
His house mates hadn't stopped asking him who he'd asked to the ball.
Honestly he didn't have the nerve to tell them he'd asked a Slytherin, admittedly one of the attractive Slytherins to the ball. As he looked back on his invitation to Greengrass he suspected he'd been suffering delayed effects of concussion, or madness or something. He decided he was just channeling his two alien friends a little too much.
As he and the others went down into the common room Parvati took Ron's arm, he still looked slightly dazed at the prospect.
"Padma's going to meet us in the entrance hall," she giggled.
Harry just smiled.
"What about your partner Harry, who're you taking?" Dean asked.
"It's a surprise," he smiled and left in a quick step out of the portrait hole before anyone could follow.
Harry looked around for Greengrass, they had only spoken once since their first conversation, he would meet her in corridor off the main staircase down to the dungeons.
He had to admit she was stunning, in dark green dress she wore.
"Ms Greengrass," his tone was of surprise.
"Mr Potter," she smiled carefully at him, Harry wondered if she had a dagger in her dress.
"The public awaits," Harry gestured grandly.
-/
"Champions over here."
"Harry?!" He heard Ron cry as he put his arm out to Daphne.
"See you inside Ron," Harry called as he felt Daphne pull him towards the assembled group.
If the sight hadn't shocked Ron, seeing Hermione certainly did, behind him he heard Ron trip and probably being caught by the two girls on either side of him.
Harry couldn't tell if anyone was looking at him or not, he was focusing on staring into the middle distance.
He was sure there were some looks of disbelief.
But the main event was still to come, walking into the great hall.
-/
"Ready Potter?"
"For what Daphne?" He asked as they formed up in pairs in front of the door, they were standing behind Fleur and Roger.
"You are standing with a Slytherin," she replied.
"If my best friend can so easily turn on me, why should I worry about anything that can happen this night?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Your friend also seemed to dislike the mu-" she began.
"Pleasantries please Daphne." Harry warned.
"The date your muggle friend found, though I am surprised," she said.
"As am I," Harry answered as the doors opened and they began walking forward. Harry for the most part concentrating on not stepping on Fleur's dress ahead of him and waiting for the inevitable assassination attempts.
Dumbledore seemed very amused by something as they took their seats at the top table.
Harry looked over at Daphne, who did not seem like she was enjoying Percy's commentary.
"Is it customary to not know anything about your partners for these things?" he asked in a low voice to the only person he could; Daphne Greengrass. He'd already spent a good 10 minutes eavesdropping on everyone's conversations.
"You don't know anything about me Potter," she countered.
"Would you tell me if I asked?" Harry asked.
"No," she seemed to take great pleasure in saying this.
"Perhaps we can talk about the delightful Slytherin common room then, I particularly like the sofas, very stiff, and then there's that painting on the wall…" Harry continued.
Daphne turned her eyes wide and looked at him for several moments.
"You've been in the Slytherin common rooms." It was a statement rather than a question.
"The goulash is excellent isn't it?" Harry answered, smiling at her.
-/
Then when all the food was consumed they had to start the part of the night Harry had been dreading.
"Just follow my lead Potter, no doubt your muggle relatives never taught you how to dance."
"No," Harry said shortly. "In this arena Daphne I shall bow to your experience." Harry said, allowing himself to be led to the dance floor.
After several songs the music turned to a new faster song. He and Daphne both looked across the dance floor to see Fred and Angelina dancing in a frantic and exuberant manner that made everyone give them a wide berth from their flailing limbs.
"A break Potter, I think. It seems your little muggle friend is being interrogated by Weasley," she said as she walked off towards the drinks table and some other Slytherin girls.
"He's from Durmstrang!" Ron spat, he hadn't seen Harry. "He's competing against Harry! Against Hogwarts! You – you're " Ron stuttered searching for words to describe Hermione's actions "fraternising with the enemy, that's what you're doing!"
Hermione's mouth fell open.
"Then what would I be doing?" Harry asked an amused tone in his voice as Ron spun around to face him.
"What are you doing Harry! A slimy Slytherin, you asked a Slytherin to the ball how could you?" Ron exclaimed.
"Better the enemy you know Ron," Harry countered.
"What?!" Ron spat angrily at him.
"Perhaps better dancing with an enemy you know than a friend who will turn tail and stab you in the back," he clarified for Ron.
"Harry I…I told you…that I…" Ron started, speechless at Harry's cold answer. Then he turned back to Hermione and started attacking her about Krum again.
Harry shook his head and took Hermione's arm.
"Come on Hermione, the air's a little thick here at the moment, I think you should find your partner, and I'll find mine," Harry pushed her off into the crowd slightly bewildered.
"Harry you, after everything we…" Ron began.
"Lets have a word outside." As he passed the door he pushed Ron out it and looked around the room Daphne was in deep conversation with some Durmstrang boys.
-/
"You really are thick you know that Ron." Harry poked a finger at Ron.
"What you and Hermione are the ones dancing with the enemy!" Ron cried.
"I don't have a problem with Krum," Harry said simply.
"What about the Slytherin you were with?" Ron tried.
"What about your Hugh Hefner routine?" Harry countered.
"Who?" Harry decided he didn't need to explain that reference.
"Fine so I asked a Slytherin it's not as though I asked Malfoy out," Ron visibly shuddered at the thought.
"But a Slytherin…" Ron began.
Harry pushed him to the side as they heard the familiar voice of Snape.
-/
"Where have you been?" Greengrass asked as he returned.
"Hanging out in some bushes, spying on various private conversations and generally eavesdropping on damaging information, you?" Harry said casually.
"Got you a drink," she deadpanned. "What was it about?"
Harry smirked. "Do you expect me to tell you?"
"No, but according to Weasley I'm the enemy," she said looking at him.
"Maybe you are. But I know a few people who still occasionally get on well with their enemies."
"Really?" She asked as they put down their cups.
"In between trying to kill one another," Harry added as an afterthought.
-/ - \\-
Harry walked back up to the common rooms, all up it had been a slightly odd night, Cedric telling him to have a bath had been even weirder.
He returned to the common room to find Hermione and Ron arguing.
"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, not as a last resort!"
Harry smiled to himself and shrugged at Ron's thunderstruck confused expression.
-/ - \\-
The fallout from his choice of partner to the ball had been better than he expected, honestly he'd had worst after the Heir of Slytherin business, which everyone seemed to have forgotten. In his mind though Harry thought that would have been something someone would have picked up on, to annoy him with.
He did have to put up with Fred and George frequently patting him on the back and congratulating him on his 'daring choice' 'not even they' would have chosen a Slytherin.
Not that it had changed anything with the Slytherins, though whenever he'd seen Malfoy in the corridors he kept giving him very weird looks, though still with the general insults and what not.
Which made him suspicious.
But he had other things on his mind other than simple insults and suggestions by upper classmates that he was setting himself up to be the next dark lord with a Slytherin bride. He was still trying to think how to repay Fred and George for that rumour that was drifting around. There was also supposedly a poll they were running on how long it would take Ron really get over the fact he'd taken a Slytherin to the ball. Or perhaps there were the more worrying issues, like the egg and the less worrying but just as much concern that Ron mightn't move beyond sometimes puerile nature with regards to anything that didn't fit his small world view.
Or maybe he was being to judgmental of Ron, but he did admit quietly to himself he did like seeing Ron's stunned expression as he danced with Greengrass.
Beyond all this Ron was still his best mate, but…and that was the problem there was always going to be a but until he could know he wasn't going to stab him in the back again.
-/ - \\-
Harry sat on the castle steps watching the ship in the lake bob back and forth. He still felt cold and he still had a blanket around his shoulders.
The second task had been scary, scary that someone could be put in a situation like that, scary that they made it out as a game. Fine they had said they were asleep, but they could have died, the merepeople had certainly looked like they were going to kill him.
All for this Tournament, the stupid binding contract of it all.
He felt a presence beside him and the light floral aroma of Fleur Delacour.
"Monsieur Potter."
"Mademoiselle Delacour," Harry turned his head, she had a large coat on, though her expression was stormy.
"This task today was hard, no?"
"Yes," Harry said wrapping the blanket around himself. "Your sister is fine now?"
"Oui. Madame Maxime told us she knew of it all," she said with some concern in her voice.
"Though you're still worried," he looked out across the horizon.
"Oui, you feel it too?" She asked.
Harry nodded. "A storm's approaching."
-/ - \\-
Harry stood, staring amazed at the twenty foot high hedges but then started to pat down his pockets as they begin to prepare for the final task.
After the first two he'd decided to be prepared, he had Sirius's knife in his pocket, along with the Doctor's STEB (spacio-temporal emergence beacon) inside a secreted internal pocket of his jeans. He'd considered wearing the fireproof vest and pants that had survived the encounter with the dragon, but they somewhat restricted his movement, and now looking at this veritable maze, he was glad of the decision, and also taking the time between the afternoon and the lead up to dinner to go and change and get these things into his pockets.
He just hoped he wouldn't have any need for anything drastic.
-/ - \\-
That voice the voice that had been haunting his nightmares.
"Kill the spare."
His heart was pounding hard as he ran over to Cedric, he knew he was dead, knew too well what the green light, and those words meant, but he had to check, had to make sure.
He was still warm, just like the life in him had stopped. He stood up to try and run, try to face the thing that had done this, but he couldn't.
He was being dragged along the ground, dirt and rocks gouging into his leg wound. Then he was slammed into a headstone, knocking the wind out of him, as he was wheezing for air he saw the name.
Tom Riddle
Harry looked around, his hands numb either because of the ropes or the cold, his wand was between Cedric and the cup, resting unhelpfully on the ground.
The bonds that were holding him were too tight to wriggle out of. Why he hadn't quizzed Jo Grant about escapology when he'd had the chance? Probably because back then he'd been happy to go on a great adventure to Hogwarts, where he didn't think anyone would die and no one would ever be hurt.
"Flesh of the servant w-willingly given – you will revive your master" Harry realised a moment before what Wormtail was about to do. He wanted to close his eyes, but it gave him a grim amount of satisfaction how much he screamed doing so. It also worried him the level of fanaticism he must have to do it.
He tried to struggle at Wormtail as he came at him with the knife and phial, despite being a silver knife it looked filthy, like Wormtail's robes. But its cut was like fire and as the wound dripped with blood it was like napalm on his skin.
Despite the situation and the mind blowing pain that he was in, it was oddly fascinating, Harry was sure he'd never find all of this out if he weren't tied to a grave while Voldemort paraded around idly chatting. As far as coming face to face, again with a megalomaniac…actually it was as worst as he could imagine. He could just about see Cedric out the corner of his eye, his eyes still open, staring blankly at the assembled crowd, murders all of them and then some.
-/
"Crucio!"
It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced, it was almost beyond description, it was colour and light as though extremes were playing over his body making him twitch and shake, as though every nerve were on fire, burning in the heart of a sun, he wanted to scream, but his windpipe was spasming and he could barely breath. He was sure he was going to black out soon, or he would suffer a stroke or something.
Then it was gone.
He was still twitching, hanging off the ropes, he wasn't making his body twitch he realised, not consciously, but he couldn't stop it.
"And now we duel."
Harry rolled away, his legs spasming from the Cruciatus curse, just a set of words in a text book, there was a lot of difference between reading and experiencing.
He propped himself up and tried firing off a leg locker and a stunner towards Voldemort.
He wasn't going to die like Cedric, no matter how much those red eyes burrowed into his mind, he continued to focus being on his own person.
Looking around the gravestone a spell came over and pummelled into his shoulder sending him flying diagonally backwards and slammed him sideways into another gravestone.
He heard several things crack, it was definitely his ribs, he'd felt that feeling before.
He coughed and spat out a lot of blood.
Someone was cackling, but it felt muffled.
He pushed himself up, conscious of the pain building in his chest.
"Stupefy, stupefy, stupefy!" He shouted aiming wildly, he didn't care of he got Voldemort, even if he got some of his Death Eaters it'd be good.
Harry fell backwards as the gravestone he'd been propping himself up against to fire spells out lifted up into the air, and then dropped, all he could hear as almost in slow motion as he tried to banish it away.
The pain in his left lung was magnified as he wretched out the piece of marble that had buried itself in one of his upper ribs like a thick knife.
He ignored the pain and the blood that was cascading down his front and pushed himself to his feet, just.
He could barely breath, then he felt another flash and someone was in his mind telling him to do something.
Blood was trickling over his eyes, he bit his tongue hard and tried to focus on that pain as he crawled, dragging his leg that had been smashed by a transfigured gravestone how many more were in this graveyard.
Harry coughed and coughed and again feeling air under his ribs, and then spat out even more blood. The cold air was keeping him awake but…
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort almost hissed.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.
As the two spells met in the air his wand started to vibrate, he had to use both hands to hold it, he screamed as he did so, he was been using his left hand to hold together a gash in his side that had been threatening to let spill more blood and organs onto the already bloody ground.
He was barely aware of the bolts of energy that were flying around, hitting the Death Eaters that were around them.
The thread of golden light split off and spun around them, bolts of energy flinging of it as they spun into the sky.
"Do nothing! Do nothing unless I command you!" Voldemort was shouting. Harry just wanted it to be over, his vision was stained red, and his clothes were wet with blood.
He wasn't sure how he was still standing, until he looked over blinking through the blood at Voldemort and saw he was levitating above the ground. He'd thought that sensation of hovering was just blood loss.
The voices were speaking, Harry still wasn't sure if this was concussion or blood loss, they were talking, some people he'd seen in dreams, others in memory, maybe some in his imagination, maybe this was what this was, the last throws of his imagination the dying spasms of his brain through blood loss and brain injury.
Then something was shouting 'NOW'. Harry felt the energy explode outwards and he was slammed into the ground.
Someone was standing over him.
"Now you die Harry Potter, of your own making on my father's grave, how fitting," said the cold, high pitched voice and then a series of pops began.
Harry pushed himself up, weakly, he recalled someone talking about a cup, but everything was so fuzzy and he was so cold.
Weakly he pushed his hand into his pocket trying to grab for something, trying to grab the beacon, he pushed, his muscles screamed as he tried to make it to the cup or the small beacon in his pocket, the cup though was so far away, or it just looked far, Harry grabbed at his pocket, his fingers slipping and sliding slimy with blood and pushed the small button, and then he shivered and shook, his eyes closing to the night.
-/ - \\-
Martha leaned back into the chair opposite the console, the Doctor was digging around in the grating underneath the console, something about the 'orbital rectifier' on the blink again.
Then a noise started, it was high pitched and pulsing, like a fire alarm.
"What?" The Doctor pushed himself up running around the console and grabbed the screen.
"What's it about, some kind of alarm?" Martha asked.
"Some sort of alert beacon…" His eyes widened. "Temporal, an emergency beacon wailing out through time and space."
"Someone who knows you is sending out a signal? What? Do you do give out a 999 number?" Martha asked.
"STEB, spacio-temporal alert beacon, only, only one person I gave that too, long time ago," he grabbed a hold of several levers. "Locking onto temporal coordinates, hang on!" He grinned, the TARDIS lurched.
"Oh no, no, no," he looked at the screen again, it was making a slow beep, beep, which Martha realised had been growing slower and slower, almost like…a heart monitor.
"Come on, grab that bag Doctor Jones!" He pointed to an old duffle bag that had a familiar cross on the side and ran out the TARDIS doors.
Martha ran out following him into, into what looked like a war zone.
"Over here Martha!" He shouted, he was gingerly turning over…
"Oh my god is he?" She started.
"Barely," he dived a hand into the bag and grabbed out two small canisters the size of two mugs and clamped it to the young boy's right arm.
"Stabilising fluid, should replenish some of his blood and vitals," he said by way of explanation to her. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry," he whispered to him. "Get the hover stretcher out, on the side there." he pointed.
Martha looked, she already felt like an intern with a doctor ordering her about, not that she minded. The 'hover stretcher was just four long rods, that according to the instructions she just put around the patient and pushed a button on the package.
As she moved around the young man she looked over him, he was suffering massive blood loss, head trauma, broken ribs, lung trauma by something large being stabbed and pulled out of his chest, kidney and liver trauma by something by the scratch marks around the flesh…"Oh my god," she said again, as her eyes darted to the boy's hands, he'd been holding the wound closed with his hand, so much so nail marks were gouged into the flesh.
"Doctor…" The boy whispered.
"I'm here Harry, I'm here, just rest, please," the Doctor has an edge of hysteria to his voice.
The boy, Harry coughed, his whole body spasming and twitching as he did so.
"Ce-Cedric, c-c-cup, dangerous," he whispered before his eyes rolled sideways. The Doctor ran his sonic screwdriver over him, shaking his head.
"Take him into the TARDIS, next opposite your room there's sick bay, use what you need. Go!" He shouted roughly.
"What about you? Can't you?" Martha pushed the button on the stretcher.
"Go Doctor Jones! I need to see to others," he looked across the blood and marble and whatever else strewn ground. There was another body, a boy maybe slightly older, lying eyes open on the ground.
She nodded, pushing the 'stretcher' towards the TARDIS.
The Doctor walked over to the body, reaching down and closed the young boy's eyes, he was barely older than Harry, and yet here he was dead, on a battleground.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered returning to the medical bag and getting a second hover stretcher and a white sheet, setting both up before walking over to the cup that Harry had warned him of. So concerned, so worried even with so many injuries.
"Now, what are you for?" He slipped on his glasses and activated the sonic screwdriver. "Not any normal sort of magic cup are you, traces of magical elements, ah! Location based tracing, you'd pull whoever touched you across half a country!" He grinned. "Who would do that, just for this?" The Doctor muttered to himself. "And why, two Hogwarts students?" he whipped out a dark velvet bag and slipped it over the bag, tying it up with flare. "Safe and tight, no transporting anyone else," he looked back to the body of the young man.
-/
Martha felt the TARDIS shake as they took off, but kept her full attention on her patient. The machines around the 'sick bay' were more advanced than anything on the SS Pentallian, or anywhere else, but also at the same time they were familiar. Some of them had gone to work on their own after she'd input his species and age, from what she could see repairing the organ damage and traumas her patient had. She'd set up an IV drip for the pain he was in if the twitching and convulsing was anything to go by.
The Doctor walked in, Martha looked up from a screen next to Harry's bed.
"Where's the other boy?" She asked.
"The morgue," he replied in a dull tone. He never thought, after the Time War he'd ever have to use the morgue again. It had been, bad, being in there, bad memories.
As had seeing Harry like this, he had lost too many people who died alone, in the darkness, screaming in agony.
He looked at the one of the screens.
"How is he?" Martha asked.
"He'll pull through, always does, good, good ole Harry," he said looking down, at the broken boy; reconstructed.
"Where are we, I felt us...?" She began
"Temporal orbit, bit rusty, it's been ages since I…well I while, sort of hovering over a certain time. Like a bookmark, in time. We can drop back down, more or less, back into time, without any of it passing. Only useful here and there," the Doctor explained in fits and bursts, not taking his eyes of the young boy.
"How did this happen to him? He can't be more than 15." Martha said,
"14, he's 14," the Doctor clarified.
"But who is he Doctor? How did this happen?" Martha pressed.
"He's a friend, someone I feel like I've known all my life," he began as he pulled up a chair and leaning back reminiscing. "I first met him when I was travelling, two school teachers, very proper, it was the 60s after all, but they loved it, though I hardly ever told them I loved them…"
-/ - \\-
"You forgot to mention I could talk to snakes," Martha stared wide eyed before leaping out of her chair to check Harry's vitals, listening to the Doctor talk it was as though the young man he talked about and this broken person before her were two different people.
"Hello there Harry Potter, how long have you been awake listing to us chat on like a pair of old ladies in a tea shop?" The Doctor asked grinning leaning back into his chair.
Martha looked back at the Doctor, the smile was there, and the squeaky voice as he talked, but it didn't reach his eyes, he was still really worried, she'd seen the look in his eyes on the SS Pentallian, and when they'd been at Richard Lazarus's experiment.
-/
Harry coughed and cringed and started wheezing again.
"Careful, your ribs are still re-stitching, and you've suffered massive internal injuries."
"And external if I'm in that much pain," he said with a weak smile.
"I'll increase your pain medication," she said reaching over to an IV drip that was hanging beside the bed.
"Just rest Harry, just rest," the Doctor murmured looked at him, concern plastered over his face.
"No time not in the TARDIS," Harry recalled "Finally got to see inside it," Harry smiled before he couldn't keep his eyes open…
-/
Martha leaned back on the chair, the Doctor had disappeared into the TARDIS, she'd in fact told him to go off, get her a drink or something, having him stare over her while she maintained a watch. It was like in the hospital having the parents of children watching your every move, sometimes you just needed them away, to check the patient over.
Also the Doctor couldn't stay still for too long, like nervous energy.
She had thought Harry had settled down, all his injuries were settling in and healing for the really bad wounds the Doctor had given her some sort of salve in an old clay pot, which had almost been empty, but it had done wonders on some of the wounds that had refused to heal or stop bleeding in some cases.
Martha Jones was almost managing to relax whilst keeping an eye on her young, horribly injured patient when he started convulsing.
She leapt out of her chair so fast it skitted backwards as leapt to try find out the cause, all the monitors and equipment were all redlining, calling out alerts to the operator.
"Doctor!" She shouted towards the doorway as she checked his airway.
The Doctor came running in. "What is it what's wrong?"
"He just started seizing, I don't know what all these mean, he can't be suffering heart failure and all these..." She trailed off looking at the screens.
"Oh no, no, no," the Doctor reached out with both hands operating two controls she hadn't seen above the bed, around her machines hummed and Harry stopped shaking and seizing, he was still twitching when the Doctor stopped whatever he was doing.
"Is that, is he okay now?" She asked as the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver holding it over Harry's body.
Then he ran his hand through his hair and spat "He was tortured, the Cruciatus curse."
"Cruciatus? Is that some sort of…" She trailed off, after the Carrionites and everything she was willing to believe in magic, but this, to torture someone as young as this.
"It targets every single nerve in the body, sets them on edge, on fire, like being blasted across everything, you can see what it's doing," he snarled in anger.
"Will it wear off, he's not going to handle this forever?" Martha asked; worried, the idea of someone torturing a 14 year old, wasn't something she could consider while her patient was in this state.
"No, it should but, no. His injuries, it would have soaked up into his biomass." He started to pace around the room, Martha looked at Harry who was still twitching.
"What is it Doctor? What do we need to do?" She pleaded with him.
"Aww we need! We need! We need something to help his biology through this, sharing, diluting it."
"Like a blood transfusion? I'm a universal donor," she offered.
"No." Then he grinned at her. "Yes Martha Jones, you're brilliant." He walked over to one of the cupboards pulling out a series of plastic white cubes, but then stopped and walked back over to her.
"I can tie your biology into Harry's you would be sharing the bio-fallout from the curse's effects and help his body pass the worst of it. I would do it myself but…" He trailed off.
"Time Lord physiology too different for him?" She asked trying to lighten the mood.
"Among other things, it might kill me," he said and looked her in the eye. "This will be painful, you will be experiencing the vestiges of the curse."
"I can do it Doctor, anything to help my patient," Martha said firmly.
"Regular Florence Nightingale Martha Jones," he grinned and turned back to work.
-/
Martha leaned back in the leather chair the Doctor had dragged in from somewhere. She felt like she was giving blood, but there was the large device over her head like a halo.
The Doctor was fixing small pads onto her wrists, ankles and temples.
"Are you sure Martha, there will be some pain?" He looked down at her concern seemingly split between her and Harry who was still lying on the bed twitching.
"Can't be too bad, Harry's got through it," she offered looking at the young teen that the Doctor had told her all about.
"Right, but, once I switch this on I can't turn it off until it's finished, the shock could kill both of you," he warned.
"I'll be fine," she smiled to him, he grinned back, slipping on his glasses and pulled around the two screens that he'd set up on a portable trolley between the two of them.
"Activating in three, two, one…" The humming around the room changed.
-/
Martha arched her back and could feel herself twitching it was like…she wasn't sure it was unlike anything she had ever experienced, the white hot extreme sharp pain throughout her body. It made her want to scream but she could feel her muscles spasmingas her body clawed for breath as convulsions passed through her in waves of pain.
It didn't decrease it all just kept increasing and then ebbing away to only extreme then upwards to indescribable. She could see spots beginning to appear in her vision and there was a dull ringing like tinnitus beginning in her ears.
As some point as she was writhing on the chair she realised she must have black out.
Whenever she awoke the Doctor was standing over her a calm expression on his face.
"Here," he offered her a glass off bubbling water.
"Wh…?" She started, her mouth was too dry
"Evanescent water from Florana, all the water is evanescent there, brilliant stuff, you can float in the lakes the bubbles support you, marvellous feeling, like being in zero gravity without all that loosing all the stuff in your pockets, especially for me," he dropped two pills into her hand. "Anti-nausea and de-stress tablets, might make you a bit…" He shrugged.
"High?" Martha asked after swallowing some of the water, she could feel the bubbles tickling her throat all the way down into her stomach.
"Well…it might make you a bit less than lucid, though probably best," he explained gently.
Martha looked at the two pills and back to the man, the more than a man, the Time Lord she'd been travelling with, as she weighed the pills in her hands she felt another twinge of pain throughout her body and winced.
"That should go away Martha, I'm sorry you had to go through that," he continued.
"Don't you go apologising to me. I wanted to do it to help," she threw the pills into her mouth and swallowed them down with the bubbly water. "Is he going to be alight?" She asked looking over to where he seemed to be sleeping normally, all the devices had friendly green lights and indicators showing.
"Yes, should be, a bit of rest and then a chat to find out how…how he ended up in that graveyard," the Doctor said softly.
"And what happened to the other boy," she said recalling the eyes of the other boy who had been there; dead beside him.
-/ - \\-
The Doctor leaned back listening to Harry's story with a growing sense of anger about the whole chain of events that all the way up to his nearly dying at the hands of Tom Marvolo Riddle aka Lord Voldemort.
"Now you," Harry asked, he was sitting up in the bed eating some soup that the Doctor had brought over. He'd asked where Martha was, sleeping, something she'd done to help him the Doctor had said, he only remembered vaguely what had happened. It felt like someone had briefly taken away all the pain, it had felt serene and had really been a bit of a breather.
Though he was still in pain, considering the injuries that Doctor had showed him he was amazed he was still alive.
"Me?" The Doctor looked at him quizzically "What'd you want to know about me for, little old me, I'm regular, normal, just as always."
Harry grinned. "How'd you get here and what body are you on?" He asked again, the Doctor whipped off his glasses to look at him.
"Why'd you wanna know that? Bit rude, asking a lady her age," he frowned.
"If you're a lady I'm a Martian," Harry countered lightly.
"Could be," the Doctor said raising his eyebrows at him and crossing his arms. "Maybe."
"Not last time, when you were all grumpy." The Doctor blinked at him. "Fine morose okay?" Harry paused to swallow more of the soup, which he wasn't sure what it was, the Doctor had been a bit vague on that front. "When you visited me with Charley after Hermione and my whole time travelling experience you were going on about how when you were getting older the 'web of time' was less of a web and more a series of connections that you tended to jump through and around and that things became less ordered and more complicated."
"I said that did I?" The Doctor asked looking up to the roof, Harry followed his gaze and winced as his neck strained.
"With lots of hand gestures, and fast talking and all breathless," Harry explained.
"Ah but that was then I was, younger, I liked velvet and a waistcoat and had springy hair, I'm nothing like that now," he said simply.
"So you are older," Harry surmised.
"Only age wise," the Doctor grinned.
"What body?" Harry asked again.
"Tenth," he answered simply.
Harry leant back into the bed for a moment. "So will I meet more of you, along the line?"
"I'm not sure, probably, time is a complicated wibbly wobbly process Harry and…" He paused.
"And?" Harry pushed.
"Some things are vague in my memory," he paused seemingly caught in a distant memory of something long past "There was…nah it doesn't matter, you finish your soup and then we'll sort out the rest of this stuff."
"No Doctor, tell me," Harry pressed.
"Later, maybe we'll meet again, when you and I are older," the Doctor said.
"Paradoxes?" Harry tried.
"What?" The Doctor looked at him.
"You know me knowing about your present which is your past, but in my future I meet your past and potentially let something slip that you then remember in your past about your future."
"What?" His tone went up slightly. "What are you going on about?"
Harry shook his head. "Never mind."
-/
"He invited you, really?" Harry was surprised.
"I wanted to go, what'd you mean?" Martha looked to him.
"He kidnaps people," Harry nodded towards the door. He wasn't sure how long it had been, he'd slept after the Doctor had left him after his meal.
"How many people have travelled with him?" Martha asked.
Harry made a face thinking. "I think he should tell you."
"That many!" She laughed.
"I haven't met them all, I've just known he's been around the universe a few times," Harry said.
"And other universes as well. Hello there, having a chat about me behind my back?" A head poked its way around the door to the sick bay followed by the rest of the Doctor's body.
"Fancy a walk?" He asked.
"Doctor are you sure he's well enough to walk?"
"I'd love to!" He felt like he wanted to leap out of bed, but cringed at the sudden movement, all over his body ached, Martha held out a dressing gown and there were slippers on the floor that he'd used when he'd gone to the toilet.
-/
Harry walked along the corridor, Martha had gone off somewhere muttering to the Doctor about giving them some time to chat.
"This isn't how I imagined the interior of your TARDIS to be," Harry ran a hand along the side of the corridor, it was rough, like sandstone or coral.
"What do you mean?" He mirrored Harry's actions.
"Well how Ian and Barbara and Jo and Sarah, and Nyssa and Tegan and Romana and you a bit said it was all white with roundels and everything, very white, this is more…textured, it's like being at the beach, not that I've ever been," Harry said. "Though I was curious to see what Charley was saying all gothic with the symbol of Rassilon everywhere." The Doctor turned away at the mention of Rassilon. "Turned you away again, forced you to regenerate, again?" He asked softer.
"Nothing like that." The Doctor stopped walked and leaned against one side of the corridor. "There was a war, a Time War. We, the Time Lords fought a great huge time war against the Daleks, the great Dalek Empire burning across the whole 'web of time'. For the sake of all creation. We lost. They lost. Everything's gone now. My home, lost to the depths of time and war."
-/
Then the Doctor looked down, Harry was hugging him tightly, and he was hugging him back. It felt good, telling someone, someone who knew, who understood a bit, the enormity of it, who'd known him when he was young and crotchety and a little bit older and rushing around with cars and gadgets, and mad beady eyes and when he used the like waffling on about the web of time, when he liked to remind himself about home with old Rassilon's mark watching over him, keeping away the vampires and the dark things that lurked on the edge of the universe.
Then as though my mutual agreement they stepped away from each other.
"Now then! Time to get you some new clothes, can't have you going around in a dressing gown."
The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and continued down the corridor at a slow pace.
"What about Arthur Dent, he got a good go of it in a dressing gown?" Harry asked.
"What a man, visiting Earth with all those Fjords in his jim-jams and dressing gown," the Doctor grinned.
"And a towel," Harry added.
"You're always a hoopy frood when you know where your towel is, especially if you're going to hitch hike around the universe. Dangerous sport hitch hiking transmats are often badly maintained, you arrive feeling like you've left half of yourself behind on the ground."
-/
Harry couldn't believe what the Doctor and Martha were telling him, about what he'd gone through, the injuries he'd sustained and also about the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the so called 'binding contract'.
The Doctor had also explained about the cup, it was as Voldemort had said, it'd been placed there, but why anyone hadn't checked it, there should have been double and triple checks now that he thought about it. Now that he didn't have his mind clouded by the need to win, it all seemed a bit immaterial now.
-/
The air was cold in the morgue, it was all dark cool stone, in complete contrast to the rest of the TARDIS. He wanted to see him, see him before they returned to Hogwarts. To…he wasn't sure, say sorry, say goodbye, just to…he couldn't really process it in his mind.
There was a white sheet lying over his body.
Harry forced himself to lift up the sheet, to look at the body, to look at the boy Voldemort killed.
"I'll get him Cedric, I'll stop him, I won't forget," he whispered to himself as he pulled the sheet back over Cedric's body and walked back out to the corridor, where he crumpled into Martha's arms.
-/ - \\-
It was late, late into the night there were five people sitting in the Great Hall. Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape and much to the disgust of the latter Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. Talking about what they had discovered and those who were missing.
When Harry had failed to return Hermione and Ron had gone to the only teacher whom they thought would know about dark magic, after it was found that Krum had had dark magic cast on him and in turn Fleur.
Professor Moody.
Hermione wasn't sure how long she and Ron had been tied down and interrogated by the man she now knew as Crouch but it was something that would haunt her.
They'd been rescued by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape and found out the whole secret and that they'd never met the real Moody.
Also supposedly the Cup had been a portkey. Hermione had never seen Dumbledore so enraged, so determined to get information from someone. But all he kept saying was that the portkey was created to send Harry (and Cedric it seemed) to his master – Voldemort.
Now Harry and Cedric were both missing.
They were meeting here talking about everything that had happened to try and discover something each of them might know to lead them to Harry and Cedric.
Supposedly it was less conspicuous to be meeting in the Great Hall than Dumbledore's office. There was also a very anxious Sirius Black who was in Dumbledore's office, but Hermione only knew that from eavesdropping on Dumbledore and McGonagall.
-/
Suddenly the doors of the Great Hall blew open and a wind blew into the room blowing napkins and leaves around the hall. All three teachers were out of their chairs, wands out, she and Ron followed suit.
This was followed almost immediately by a groaning, almost like trumpets, sort of like noises of a piano run backwards on a record, it echoed around the hall being amplified by the acoustics of the hall and back again, she could almost see something just outside the hall, a light flashing and something coming into existence in the darkness.
Hermione made a move to step forward.
"No Miss Granger," Dumbledore said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Then a young man in a long coat walked into the room, followed by a younger woman and…
"Harry!" She and Ron shouted and made to run forward but both were grabbed a hold of by McGonagall and Dumbledore.
-/
"Voledmort, he faced Voldemort! You" The Doctor waved a hand around the three teachers "are his teachers, his guardians when he's in your care, how could you presume to put him in the 'Tri-Wizard Tournament'?!" The Doctor shouted around the room.
"It was a contract, a binding wizard contract muggle." Snape gestured with his wand a spell shot out of it towards the Doctor.
"Muggle? Muggle? I name you Severus Snape. I am no muggle, such a paltry boring term for such a brilliant vibrant people, you're not a muggle are you Martha, you're a human, a person, not a boring old word, a put down, by those who think they're superior." Snape waved his wand at the Doctor and…nothing happened. The Doctor grinned.
"Simplicity, just like the Carrionites," he said in a low voice back to Martha and then started stalking the room again, his voice becoming angrier and he began to shout more. "Your contracts meant nothing, there hasn't been a binding wizarding contract where the person is entered in absentia since the time of Napoleon! And you force a 14 year old, a 14 year old that hasn't even achieved age of consent in yours or the 'Muggles'" The Doctor spat this word "world and you force him through the three tasks, each that could have killed him and his friends in the case of the second, underwater dwellers have been known throughout history as being volatile at best and you throw them down there as part of a game!" The he muttered low, Harry had to struggle to hear "Older races stopped playing games like that a long time ago."
"Did you think it was another trial for him, Harry Potter? That the last three years wasn't a hard enough tour of pain for him and his friends, Voldemort, Voledmort in the chamber, Peter Pettigrew hiding right beneath your noses and now Voldemort reborn! From Harry's blood! And you all of you complacent in keeping him in this farce of a competition that lead to those events! You all so wrapped up in your little world didn't think, didn't look outside to the bigger world. Your Tri-Wizard Tournament, just a front for back dealings and manipulations!"
"And who if I might ask are you?" Dumbledore's voice projected across the hall to where the Doctor was standing.
"Me. I'm the one who rescued Harry Potter where he lay dying after battling Voldemort and his collected Death Eaters, I am the one who found him and your cup." He turned around, Martha passed him a bag. He threw it onto the table. "Laced with transportation spells and the bio-matter and psychic traces of a man supposedly dead and buried in Azkaban!" He shouted.
Harry looked across and saw Hermione whispering to Ron her eyes wide.
He just shoved his hands into the jacket he'd selected from the Doctor's wardrobe room in the TARDIS, which looked like he never threw any of his old outfits out, in case probably that one of this other selves popped round, only breaking one or so of the laws of time.
"But who…" Dumbledore began.
"I'm the cat who walks through time, the watchmaker who sees all the clocks ticking, I am ice and fire, I've seen time's beating heart, I am older than any of you and have seen the ends of the Earth. Do not try me Albus Dumbledore, I have a many more depths than you with your ideas of power can reach," he finished coldly.
-/
Then he turned away from them back to Harry.
"Quite a performance," Harry said in a low voice.
"All true, all true," he repeated, his expression still clouded in darkness. "We should go, before they get nosy about the TARDIS," he muttered.
"Thank you Doctor!" Harry reached up, hugging him again.
"And you, Harry Potter" he said returning the hug. "I'm sure we'll meet again, we always do."
"Yeah, even if you can't remember it!" Harry countered.
"Hey, I'm old, can't remember everything," he grinned.
"Thanks Martha," he hugged her also. "For everything, I know you…"
"Anything for a friend, and I'll be seeing you too again Harry, even if we have to wait a while," she said.
"So I don't meet you as a teenager or something!" He joked, but the Doctor frowned. Harry muttered to him. "I know! I wouldn't do something like that and muck with the web of time, I'm not insane!"
The Doctor paused at the doorway, Martha had already gone through. "Goodbye wizards" He said with the same inflection Snape had used for 'muggle'. "Goodbye Harry."
"Thanks Doctor, see ya!" He waved.
The Doctor grinned.
Harry walked, oblivious to the others in the room to the doorway and watched as the TARDIS begin to dematerialise, he felt someone run up beside him.
"So that's him, your mysterious friend!" Hermione said slightly breathless as she saw the outline of the TARDIS disappear.
-/
"Harry." Harry looked up as Dumbledore walked over to him. "Where is Cedric?"
"We put him in the hospital wing," he said solemnly. "He was killed by Voldemort."
"Please Harry can you tell us everything?" Harry nodded to Dumbledore as the began walking back into the Great Hall.
He didn't tell them everything, not about the Doctor, no matter how much Snape and oddly Ron pushed. It was amusing seeing them both asking the same questions. Even Dumbledore had a chuckle when they realised this.
Dumbledore in turn explained about Moody, who wasn't Moody.
"So he was in the perfect disguise," Harry despite what had happened couldn't help but smirk at the similarities in life between things. "I should have seen that coming."
-/ - \\-
Harry knew the argument with Fudge would come of nothing, politicians were all the same, the Doctor had explained some very vague things about Fudge and what he'd do, or not do, not listen to advice. It seemed events were going as the Doctor had implied they would. He wasn't sure how he felt about that knowledge.
-/ - \\-
A month later he was in a room with Cedric's parents, he'd wanted to do this alone, to explain to them, to tell them everything Cedric had done, the bravery of him, how he'd been wand ready when they'd arrived in the graveyard. Mr Diggory sobbed throughout, Mrs Diggory seemed beyond tears.
They both thanked him, even when he tried to give them the gold that Fudge had thrown at him, that Cedric should have won.
They didn't take it though.
-/
Dumbledore didn't say anything of the help he'd got bringing Cedric's body back, just that he risked his own life to bring him back to Hogwarts, Harry was thankful of that.
Avoiding Hermione and Ron's questions was hard enough.
-/
"Bye Harry," Hermione kissed him on the cheek. "And some time you're going to explain everything to me."
Harry looked back at his friends as he followed Uncle Vernon to the car.
What would come, would come…and he would have to meet it when it did.
-/
A/N:
Minor edit done March 2021.
For the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Jack this takes place before Boom Town.
For the Master (and this is still the Roger Delgado Master) he meets Harry just after Frontier in Space.
The First Task – Dragon sequence. I obviously took some inspiration from the movie. Though pretty much always my source is the book. But for the dragon sequence I wanted to make it much more punchy.
I probably haven't won too many votes for my Harry and Daphne Greengrass Yule Ball pairing and that's all it is, Harry asks Daphne to the ball, they're not going to suddenly be in the broom closet practicing safe sex charms!
I actually was considering between Lisa Turpin and Daphne Greengrass.
That's why that section of this chapter started out very ambiguous, and then takes a sharp left turn.
Also it just seemed to fit in with everything with the Doctor and the Master and various other things.
Daphne was the only Slytherin I could remember (and confirm with a full name and didn't end up killing anyone in the long run).
For the scenes where the contestant's families come to Hogwarts I was tempted to have a 'Doctor moment' or a 'Master moment' in there. But there was no real way of including them without detracting from the stuff between Amos Diggory and Harry and the Weasleys and Harry. I considered briefly as being the Master, but it would have thrown off the whole scene, so it didn't make it in.
The battle with Voldemort I obviously altered to make it like the first task more punchy and to manipulate it slightly to have Harry in a different position than it occurs in Goblet of Fire.
Deleted section
This was sequence I started was the morning after the Yule Ball, but it was all a bit silly and fluffy.
Harry sat in the common room looking around, usually Boxing Day was quiet and laid back. Not this year, Hermione, Ron and himself were sitting in the chairs around the fire, Hermione and Ron seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement over their argument. Though the fallout from his choice of partner was lingering, rather like nuclear radiation.
"This is awkward."
"So how'd you do it mate, Greengrass," Fred whistled, Harry turned around, Fred was sitting on the back on his chair.
"And here was us thinking you'd grab one of Ron's girls," Said George from the other side of his chair. It was rather like having the saint and the sinner sitting on his shoulder, except these two were both in red and were both grinning, he could tell this without completely craning around, he just knew it would be what they would be doing.
"Harry! A Slytherin!" Ron whined at him.
"Aww can't you two just kiss and make up, we've got a poll running!" Fred laughed.
"We covered this last night during your" Harry looked between Ron and Hermione "Altercation."
"An actual kiss or a metaphorical one?" Harry asked the twins.
"5:1 you'll make up, 1000:1 that you'll actually kiss and 5000:1 if more than five people see you."
Ron was making a gagging noise.
Harry was staring into space.
"So do I put a bet on myself now and then give him a snog?" He asked the twins.
"Harry!" Ron squeaked.
Thanks for reading.
