Chapter 08

Harry wandered the corridors of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, it was relatively late in the evening but he couldn't sleep, despite the last two days of enforced cleaning by Mrs Weasley (it had just felt like being back at the Dursleys, swap Vim for Professor Tweety's miracle cleaning solution and it was just the same). Only back at the Dursley's he was under a blackout of information for so called 'security' reasons. Here he knew there was information to be had, but he was 'too young' to know all of it. If they knew some of the things he'd been through, some of the things he'd experienced.

Harry unconsciously ran a hand over his torso where the scars remained, the Doctor had said he'd be left with scars from the variety of injuries that he'd sustained battling Voldemort. The price of living. Harry had secretly thought, a multitude of scars to add to that all too famous one he'd got from Voldemort as a child.

Ron and Hermione didn't know about the various scars that littered his chest, though he was sure Ron had seen some of the scars on his back when he was changing back at Hogwarts and now that he was in Grimmauld Place, though he hadn't commented.

Harry wondered if Ron had really gotten over his desire to be the centre of attention, to be the one who got tortured in the grave yard and witness to a friend being murdered before his eyes.

Harry turned down another corridor of the dimly lit house, not really aiming for anywhere in particular, just letting his mind wander.

Sirius had been in and out and around the house, but sometimes he seemed uneasy with being around Harry.

Knowing that he'd endured such a battle against Voldemort and being rescued 'magically' (not literally) from near death seemed to leave Sirius slightly uncomfortable about the whole thing, that Harry had secrets that he wasn't willing to tell his godfather.

It wasn't that he wasn't willing to tell him everything it was just…

Harry shook his head, he didn't trust Sirius. There were times when Sirius was completely normal, but then sometimes he looked into his eyes, and they weren't the calm or excited eyes, they were eyes of a man half crazed with the world. Harry couldn't blame him, 13 years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit.

He'd tried to talk to Sirius about it, but he hadn't wanted any of it, preferring to divert the conversation away to other things and most of the time it was okay, most of the time it was fun to talk about the past about pranks he, his father and Remus pulled at Hogwarts, that was fine.

Then there were other times when Sirius would be constantly nagging him to tell him more about the mysterious man who had rescued him.

Ron at least had known to leave it be, he really hoped that last year's events had shocked him into maturity, if not Harry thought to himself he'd need to come up with another shocking event to blast Ron with again, perhaps an event equivalent of electrodes on the nipples.

Hermione on the other hand had been, not so much pestering him, but he knew she wanted answers and she knew that he knew that she wasn't going to leave him alone until she got them.

At least they knew the full extent of his encounter with the Dementors, he'd had to recount that numerous times in the lead up to his court room appearance.

Speaking of…Harry thought to himself as he saw Hermione step around the corner of the corner he was walking down, a dusty tome in her hand. "Pilfering Black family secrets Hermione? How very unlike you."

Hermione jumped. "Harry I…I didn't recognise your parlance."

Harry raised an eyebrow as she managed to shift the large book behind her back and casually lean against the wall.

"So, Harry when are you going to enlighten me about your mysterious rescue?" She countered.

"My mysterious rescue which I already told you was a secret?" Harry challenged lightly.

Hermione gave him a look. "You did say you'd tell me everything."

Harry frowned. "No. You told me that one day I would tell you everything."

Hermione smiled innocently. "Are you sure?"

"Very. Show me the book," he said gesturing with his hand.

"Or what you'll mesmerise me?" She asked coolly.

Harry shrugged. "Show me and if I get out of the court with my balls intact I'll tell you a few things."

Hermione pulled a face. "Harry do you have to be so crude?" Harry nodded with a silly grin.

"Fine," Hermione said bringing the book back around and showing him.

Harry flipped through it, the script on the cover was very tightly written in leather rendering it almost unreadable.

"You're nicking a book on Merlin?"

"Not everything in here is dark Harry, despite what Mrs Weasley and Sirius keep saying and while this might look dark" She paused and then mumbled. "And was in a dark section of the reading room," she returned to her normal tone of voice. "It's a very interesting history that Hogwarts: A History simply doesn't cover. Did you know there are very few books about the history of magic as detailed as this."

"Funny and yet we both take History of Magic together and never really learn anything," Harry commented. "I suppose it's what they say, history is just one person's version of events, the only way to know history is to experience it."

"Who said that?" She asked.

Harry handed her the book back and continued down the corridor, his answer echoing roughly off the wood panelled walls. "Probably a time traveller."

-/ - \\-

Harry came out of the courtroom wanting to severely maim Fudge and Delores Umbridge.

Okay he didn't expect it to be a cake walk, but he did not expect to be in a full sized court room, especially considering the two letters he received.

-/ - \\-

Ace looked at the scanner, a frown forming on her face, it looked like a dim dingy old house. "Professor!"

"Yes Ace what is it?" The Professor looked at her.

"I thought you'd done your bit with old houses and my childhood," she said in an angry tone.

"Ah! I see we've arrived." He patted the console. "Yes, exactly where I wanted, excellent."

Ace breathed in slowly. "I thought you were done with taking me to old creepy houses."

"This isn't Gabriel Chase Ace," he said fixing her with those cool eyes of truth and honesty that she valued from him so much.

"Then where are we, and when?" She pressed.

"It's the 13th of August 1995," he paused "we are in London."

"In a dirty old house," she wrinkled her nose.

"Yes, number 12 Grimmauld Place to be precise." He handed Ace something it looked like a small rod with a jewel on top.

"What's this?" She shook it.

"Ace! Be gentle, it's a portable shield generator, a product of the Tzun Confederation's war factories during their years long war with the Vardans."

"Why do I need it in an old house in London?"

"Because we're here to see someone, and others who may be in the house might not respond well."

"To us poking our noses in Professor?" She asked eagerly. "Hasn't stopped you before."

"Yes Ace well these people may be more 'trigger happy' than even the military. It sometimes pays to be cautious," he said placing a few more items into his pockets. Ace nodded and went to her back pack and looked at it and then to the Doctor who was making himself busy checking the TARDIS' instruments.

She stuffed a dozen or so cans of Nitro-9 into various pockets of her jacket pockets, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared, just in case it all went 'pear shaped' as Shreena used to say, Ace briefly wondered to herself what had happened to her, they were after all pretty close to her time, before the time storm.

As she stood up she noticed somehow there was a second pack sitting next to hers, it was one of those military packs that Gilmore's cronies had when they'd been in London.

"Bring that with you will you Ace?" The Doctor called to her as he stepped out the TARDIS doors.

"So who're we here to see Professor?" She asked as she stepped out of the TARDIS, pulling the pack onto her back, it was odd, it felt like it had some weight to it, without really feeling like it weighed much as all.

"Not so loud Ace!" The Doctor hissed, cringing in the darkened room.

"Who are we here to see?" She whispered again. It really was very dark in here, she looked around and up for a light switch or a light bulb and found neither.

"What sorta house is this with no lights?" Ace asked.

"A very old house," the Doctor replied.

"And this bloke lives here does he?" She asked.

"He's staying here, I wanted a word with him before he returns…" The Doctor mumbled off.

"Returns where?" Ace asked.

"He's a friend of mine Ace, a very…a very good friend of mine," the Doctor revealed.

"Didn't know you had friends Professor," she jabbed him lightly in the side. "I thought you just had enemies."

"Please Ace, even someone like me has a few people who don't want my head on a pike," he said lightly, at least Ace thought it was lightly. "Now, do be quiet Ace, we have some sneaking around to do, lest we wake the natives," he said opening the door, cringing slightly as it creaked allowing the flickering light of candles illuminate the room that they were in and the TARDIS, standing seemingly at home in the dust and darkness.

-/

Harry walked through the corridors after arising very quickly. He wasn't sure what time it was, late in the night and he'd actually been sleeping, well dozing was probably more accurate, Ron had been sleeping.

In his dozing state he'd felt it more than heard it, the vibration through the ceiling and floor, the noise, the noise of a TARDIS materialising, it's long drawn out groaning as it forced itself into reality, out of the vortex and into regular space time.

In theory it could only one of two people, though also in another theory there were other Time Lords, maybe. The whole Time War thing was confusing enough, he'd asked the Doctor briefly about it, how he'd been able to meet the Magister earlier in the year (not that he mentioned his name), the Doctor had mumbled something and then just shrugged and said something about the general 'mish mash of time and its timey-wimey interrelatedness of the universe'. Which was absolutely no help, he'd decided to not think about it, he'd continue to meet his extra-temporal friends and whatever had happened in their personal timeline, was what had happened. He was a relatively fixed point in the universe (except for all that time turnering a year ago) so it shouldn't in theory worry him, especially if their Time War occurred in the relative future.

"I wonder if Stephen Hawking would be up for a chat about temporal theory," he mused to himself out loud.

"I don't think he would understand the r-r-relative dimensions of it Mr Potter-r," someone said down at the end of the corridor, obscured by darkness.

"Or I can just talk to myself, people already think I'm mad." Harry countered.

"Talking to yourself isn't mad, I do it all the time, and I'm perfectly fine." A man walking along with a red handled umbrella walked out of the gloom, beside him a girl who was looking around with a slight scowl on her face, Harry wasn't sure why she was scowling.

"Doctor?" Harry asked.

"Harry, good to see you, you recognise me then?" They hugged each other.

"This your friend Professor?" The girl asked.

"Professor?" Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ace I would like you to meet someone I've known for" He looked at Harry. "What feels like a lot of my life."

"And mine," Harry smiled offering his hand. "Harry Potter."

"Ace. So how'd you know the Professor?" She almost demanded.

"Perhaps not here, it's night if you didn't know," Harry said, just becoming aware they were standing in a corridor at night in the HQ of the Order of the Phoenix.

"I know Harry, this is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, relatively speaking it is night of course. Through here I think," he said opening a door he hadn't realised was beside them. They stepped into a small room that seemed to have nothing more than a few chairs and tables and a fireplace.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and withdrew a box of matches lighting one and lighting the fire. "Everlasting matches, supremely useful. Pity the company also created the infinity battery."

"Why's that bad Professor?" Ace asked as she pulled off the backpack the Professor had asked her to bring and flopped into one of the chairs.

"At a guess the probably went out of business," Harry answered.

"Precisely Harry," the Doctor smiled.

"You what?" Ace looked at him.

"A company that produces everlasting matches and something called the 'infinity battery' would most likely never have repeat customers," Harry reasoned.

"Oh right," Ace said.

"A line of deductive reasoning followed to its natural conclusion," the Doctor praised as he grabbed the bag and started to remove an impossible number of all manner of odd things, despite however many regenerations it had been for the Doctor Harry still recognised that look of glee on his face as he started to bring all manner of foodstuffs out of the bag dazzling, or at least mildly surprising Ace.

"Nothing like a midnight snack to prepare you for the day ahead," he explained.

"Sleep's also good," Ace muttered.

"Sleep is for…" The Doctor began.

But Harry interjected. "Tortoises."

"Chelonians!" The Doctor smiled mysteriously at him.

"So Harry, tell me about your past year," the Doctor asked as he poured some tea out of a thermos and handed him a cup, Harry settled into the chair as Ace found some sandwiches the Doctor had laid out.

Harry shook his head, just marvelling at the ludicrousness of all this.

The Doctor looked completely at ease though.

"Don't you know?" Harry asked.

"The memory, even at my age sometimes plays tricks on you, dates muddled, forgotten," he mused in a mysterious tone.

"The other day he forgot about the world ending," Ace said as she finished chewing a sandwich.

"Really, the world, this one I take it?" Harry asked enjoying the Doctor being a little bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Ace said with an equal amount of enjoyment.

"Do tell," Harry said with a grin settling back into his chair.

-/

"Nemesis," Harry murmured to himself, a living metal, would certainly be something useful in a war.

"Yes, now Harry what have you got up to in this year's past?" The Doctor asked, a brogue of sorts present in his voice.

"Where to start?" Harry said with a sigh, leaning back into his chair.

"The beginning," Ace said with a grin, the Doctor looked at her carefully and she stopped almost immediately.

Harry told the Doctor (and Ace) almost everything of the previous year, skipping over the portions where he'd met the Doctor, just in case. He remained vague about meeting the Magister, all the Doctor did was frown slightly but didn't say anything.

-/

Harry watched the Doctor lean back into his chair in deep thought.

"A most disturbing turn of events." That same light Scottish brogue coming through again through the Rs.

"Disturbing, it's right insane Professor, making kids go through all that and I thought my school was bad. Though I sorted them." She grinned.

The Doctor remained silent in thought.

"How's that?" Harry asked curiously.

"Blew up the art building!" She grinned.

"You blew it up!" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Served 'em right the bunch of tossers, told 'em it was a 'creative statement', they still expelled me though," Ace explained.

"How?" Harry asked leaning over to her, she glanced at the Doctor who seemed to be thinking to himself.

"There's this explosive…"

-/

Harry listened amazed as Ace talked quietly. Supposedly 'the Professor' didn't like it when she talked about explosives.

"Harry?" The Doctor looked over them, seemingly out of his intense thought. "How did you escape?"

"Sorry?" He looked away from Ace over to the Doctor.

"You said you returned to Hogwarts, but not how you were rescued."

"Do you need to know?" He asked.

"It may be important," the Doctor said.

Harry shrugged offhandedly to himself. "If you don't know then that's probably the answer."

"What is?" Ace asked looked between them.

"It seems Harry has met one of my future selves, delving into his personal past, very complicated you see," he made a meshing motion with his fingers. "Time travel, and time travellers often move in and out of the time stream, as our reference points are different to those with fixed continuity."

"What so Harry's met a future you before, but it hasn't happened to you yet?" Ace asked.

The Doctor nodded. "So it seems."

"You didn't seem to know what was going to happen," Harry offered.

"Yes," he muttered to himself.

"It's not as though this is the first time it's happened to us though," Harry said trying to lighten the mood.

"What he's done this before? For the 'powerful Time Lord' you are Professor you're not all that good at keeping time, the Daleks in '63 London, Nemesis any more dangerous things we should be dropping in on, just in case the world ends?" Ace asked.

"The world will end without any interference from me, time is always moving, always changing," he replied with some irritation.

"That's what you and I do isn't it Professor, move and change time, do good?" Ace asked.

The Doctor looked at them, Harry thought he saw an expression very momentarily pass across his face. "Yes Ace."

"Now Harry, I have some gifts, items you may find useful for the year ahead."

The Doctor took a hold of the hold army bag and began removing various items from it explaining each of its purposes.

"Sounds like he's going to be fightin' a war Professor." Ace observed.

"At least a battle." He muttered. "Harry this one is important," he said holding up the black device that looked a little bit like a spider and a long flat paddle fastened to the side which had a row of black buttons on it. "Use this for psychic damage."

"You sound like you know this is going to happen. Isn't that against one of the laws?" Harry asked looking at the Doctor, the Doctor's features darkened for a moment.

"At times laws and rules need to be broken. Those with power are often the worst people to have it and hold onto it with all their will and might," the Doctor explained.

"You mean Voldemort?" Harry wondered.

"Perhaps. We all have a universe of terrors to face." Harry looked up as Ace twisted to stare at the Doctor quickly with an odd look on her face.

The Doctor looked away, re-packing the backpack and then stood up.

Harry stood with him as the Doctor started patting down his pockets and then removed a long gold rod, which ended in a solid metal suction cup arrangement. "Ah yes, something of a memory of our encounter in London with the Daleks." He handed it to Harry.

Harry ran his hands over it, it almost tingled, or it could've just been excitement.

"This is a Dalek's?" He said almost questioning.

"Yes, very useful, this faction of Daleks used it as an interface with their systems, I utilised it for my own purposes." He explained.

"What was that, you never finished telling me," Harry asked.

"Ace you can tell the story, I need to see to somethings," the Doctor said turning to the door.

"Anything I can help with Doctor?" Harry called over.

"No, just something from the future that the past might be useful in knowing," he said then muttered seemingly to himself. "ghosts of the future…" Then he stepped out of the room.

"Does he always do that?" Harry asked.

"You know him well? Doesn't he always do stuff like that?" Ace jerked her head towards the door.

"Not usually." Harry said leaning over to pour more tea.

"So, Daleks?" He rubbed his hands together.

"You're really into all this stuff, his adventures he has." Then she looked at him. "You know him."

"Elements of him," Harry admitted "yes."

Ace just nodded. "Right old place, London in the 60s, and he's there luring Daleks in to get this old Time Lord device…" Ace began.

-/

The 'Hand of Omega'…Harry listened amazed, he was sure the Doctor, when he first met him had said something about his people customising stars or something along those lines. He knew Omega was a hero of the Doctor's, despite him being a little on the mad side according to the Doctor one time, when he'd met his past two selves.

But…destroying Skaro. That made chills run down his spine.

The Doctor he knew in the past…the one who had sweated over having the right to destroy them at their creation, who had handed Davros over to the humans for trial rather than killing him, or his earlier incarnations, he who had allowed the Daleks to destroy their city with the human factor or frozen a huge army of Daleks on Spiridon…

But then again there was the Doctor he'd just met, the man so moody, so wound up and then again, finding out about the Time War, about his loss. He wondered if this could be revenge, the Doctor now, this incarnation had not encountered him before, and he hadn't mentioned any time war.

But as Harry worked it through, according to Ace the Doctor had still given Davros a choice, even though it sounded like it was a trick, more than a choice, playing on Davros' own megalomania.

It must have been a bit of a gamble, all (assumedly) Davros would have needed to do was scan the Hand of Omega to discover the Doctor's ruse.

Though from how the Doctor had described him in the past something must have happened to Davros in the time between the Daleks attempting to exterminate him and whenever this happened, in the past, but they time travelled to get there…

Time travel was confusing, he'd experienced it and it was still confusing, having friends who time travelled and all.

"You're quiet." Ace observed.

"Just thinking. You know he's met the Daleks before?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, he explained it all, right nasty things," Ace said.

"Yeah." Harry nodded.

"He was well mad, this Davros bloke. The Doctor talked the other Dalek to death," Ace explained.

"Talked it…to death?" Harry repeated as Ace went onto explain.

If the destruction of Skaro didn't give him chills this did, just by talking to it, speaking with it on the battlefield so to speak, lead it to its own destruction.

"Here," Ace was pulling canisters out of her pockets. "Sounds as though the Professor thinks you're going into battle or something, this is right useful, my own brew – Nitro 9." Ace grinned.

Harry eyed canisters as he placed them within the pack. According to Ace they were fine and stable until you pulled the pin on the timer "Pretty much 10 seconds…maybe a bit less, still working on that."

Just as he was refastening the straps the Doctor walked in carrying a heavy old book.

"Time to leave Ace, Harry," he said quickly.

"What's the book Professor?" Ace asked.

"Something for the future," he said looking at Ace giving her a look of no argument.

"Fine, don't tell me," she crossed her arms.

Harry picked up the bag, it wasn't all that heavy, considering what was inside it, but there was enough weight to it to know you had something in there. But the Doctor had demonstrated it was a special bag, TARDIS-like-special.

As he bent down he turned his head straining in the light to read the cursive script it had a few words on the title, the only one he could make out was Timewyrm.

"I'll walk you back to the TARDIS then," Harry said opening the door for them and looking down the corridor, for a brief second he thought he saw something, but looking again it was just the flickering in the candle light.

Inside the room the Doctor disappeared quickly into the TARDIS before returning to the room, sans book.

"Now, Harry look after yourself this year and be careful."

"You say that all the time," Harry said as the Doctor hugged him, patting him on the back.

"Do you ever listen?" He asked.

"Do you?" Harry countered.

"Every large decision creates ripples, empires crumble, events change, people change, I change…" He said seemingly to himself. Harry looked over to Ace who shrugged and nodded, seemingly this was something the Doctor did more than once.

"So will I see you again?" Harry asked.

"Haven't you already?" The Doctor asked.

"Well I'm going to try to see you again Harry, even if this is the future or whatever the Professor says," she gave him a one armed hug.

"Come on Professor." She winked at Harry as she went into the TARDIS leaving the Doctor and Harry standing outside.

"Look after yourself Doctor." Harry said seriously to the Time Lord.

"I will, and you Harry." He smiled before walking into the TARDIS, the door shut a moment later.

Harry smiled to himself as the TARDIS groaned its way away, until he was alone in the darkened room.

Walking outside Harry looked around.

"I'm not the only one who could have been in Slytherin it seems," he said to the empty corridor in a low voice.

"Dust, it gets everywhere, especially in an old house like this, I knew to drag my feet when walking around, covers up the footprints as long as you're the last one in the line. You've been creeping around, sneaking on tippy toes, ignoring the creeks in floor, but not the humble dust," Harry said seemingly to himself as he ran his fingers down a wall, seemingly to illustrate to himself the level of dust there was around here.

"I must say considering how observant you were last year with Rita you missed that I'm also quite an observant person. Though last year I think you'll give me that I had a bit on my mind," Harry paused for several seconds. "Hermione."

Harry waited for several moments.

Then the woman herself stepped out of an alcove.

"How did you know it was me, it could have been anyone…sneaking around at night."

"The soap you use," Harry said simply.

"My choice of soap gave me away?" She deadpanned.

"Normal, regular soap," Harry paused "you and I are the only ones, everyone else uses some other stuff."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "That other stuff awful Harry."

"Why don't we discuss it in the morning?" Harry tried to gently guide Hermione away.

"Don't you go all casual on me Harry Potter," she challenged.

Harry sighed. "No, I didn't think that would work."

"And don't you try to mesmerise me or whatever it is you do." She challenged again.

Damn…

"Fine. I think though we should continue our discussion somewhere else."

"In the room you were before?" Harry just nodded slowly as Hermione lead the way back to the room he, Ace and the Doctor had been in.

-/

Harry sat back down into his chair and removed the flask of tea from his bag, there was still a clean cup there, and his that he'd left, he poured both himself and Hermione a cup. She eyed him as he did so.

"If this is to be an inquisition I may as well have a cup of tea, and" he raised the cup to her. "one to share with my inquisitor."

"A bit melodramatic Harry," Hermione said taking the cup.

Harry smiled. "I did just catch you spying on me, I think melodrama is to be called for," Harry said leaning back into the chair, warming his hands with the cup.

"You're not angry Harry?" Hermione asked with some tension in her voice, eyeing him worriedly.

"What's done is done, I didn't know you were so curious about me," he said watching her.

Hermione's face was full of apology. "Oh Harry…I'm sorry I didn't come looking for you."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming." He looked at her.

Hermione fidgeted in her chair. Harry blew the steam over his cup eyeing her, waiting, a curious expression on his face.

"Oh fine, I was just leaving the library when that short man came in," she said.

"But rather than alert the Order you followed him, what were you doing up at this time anyway? Even I was getting some rest."

Hermione gave him a look. "I heard that noise, that same noise from when you arrived mysteriously in the Great Hall. Happy now Harry? But I did decide to go to the library."

"Not investigate the noise? I thought you had more curiosity than that," Harry said in a slightly disappointed tone.

Hermione let out a gruff sigh. "Honestly Harry you're annoyed that I followed your meeting and then you're disappointed that I didn't investigate the odd noise!"

Harry smiled at her. "Why of course, if you're really that dedicated to uncovering my secrets I could only hope that you're thorough in your pursuits, I'd hate to be uncovered by a part time sleuth."

"I hardly think of myself as Nancy Drew," Hermione commented taking a sip of her tea, wincing at its heat.

"Miss Marple then?" Harry queried.

Hermione glared at him.

"Well you now have you suspect in a room, you can present your case and point the finger, though it's a little pointless as I'm the only one holding the proverbial smoking gun" Harry paused and then muttered "or deodorant can." He smiled to himself.

Hermione just blinked at him for a moment before setting down her tea cup. "That man, he took one of the old books from the history section of the library."

Harry didn't say anything, he'd seen the Doctor with the book and had extrapolated that, but he didn't have any further information.

Hermione looked at him. "Well?"

"That's an observation, of events I clearly wasn't there to see Hermione. Unless I was in a hidden staircase or I was another body in the library that you didn't see, perhaps I followed you?" He asked curiously with a slight smirk.

Hermione stared at him. "Fine, who was he, what was he doing here, how is he related to that other man who rescued you?"

"He's a friend. He came to chat," Harry paused. "They're both my friends, I've known them for some time."

She began. "That's what you said before Harry, I want a real answer or-"

"Or?" Harry cut her off.

"Or…I'll, I'll tell the Order and Dumbledore," she said with some finality and heavy tone.

"That I had a mysterious guest, in the night, who left no trace of his presence lest a cup of tea and one missing book, from a library that you've been pilfering for books?" Harry asked.

"Touché," Hermione raised her cup. "Fine, how did he come and go?"

Harry shrugged. "How do wizards come and go?"

"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione looked at him quizzically.

"Do you understand the underlying process of portkeys? Just because we've both experienced it doesn't mean we know how it does what it does." Harry looked at her as she began to open her mouth. "And don't say magic. Or I'll give a similar answer to your further questions."

"Fine," she said in a short tone. "You're not making this easy for me."

"Maybe not, you're the one who came in here with mystery on the menu, it's not my fault all there is in the kitchen but Spam," Harry said.

Hermione screwed up her face. "I hate Spam. But I do want answers Harry, how were you rescued…from the graveyard?"

Harry leaned back into the chair. "Can you accept for now that my friend has a craft that can land in any given place without hindrance without asking me how it functions or any background of it?"

Hermione stopped for a second and then nodded.

"Can you also accept that I've known him longer than anyone at Hogwarts, and that I won't spill all my secrets, even if you follow me everywhere?"

Hermione nodded again.

"Fine. My friend gave me a device that I could use, should I get into a dire situation, my confrontation with Voldemort was one such situation," he paused and then added in a much darker tone. "I certainly wasn't getting help from anywhere in the wizarding world or the castle." Harry mentally added that if the Doctor hadn't come he quite possibly would have suffocated on his own fluids or bled out onto the graveyard's ground.

"But…that short man wasn't the same person as last year, or the man who visited you at the Weasleys," she tried.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

Hermione continued. "Ron told me about your other friend and a similar noise that we heard last year."

"But all apparition sounds the same, you wouldn't presume that all wizards are the same just because they sound the same." Except in this instance the analogy is actually true.

Hermione remained silent for a moment, thinking.

"Is your friend a time traveller?" Harry would have dropped his cup if he'd been holding it, instead he maintained a neutral expression, surprising facts should merely be taken on board and evaluated you should keep in full control Magister always said of the situation, even if meddling Doctors pop up in the middle.

"That's an odd conclusion to jump to," he said calmly.

"But you were worried about my time turner use two years ago," she tried.

"So your response to my concern is that a friend of mine is a time traveller?" He asked incredulously.

Hermione shook her head. "No, of course it's silly."

Harry remained silent for several moments before asking, "So is this inquisition at an end, or do you have further questions or should I just break out the guillotine?"

"You're not making this very easy Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry smiled. "No, but then if it were easy to get information we would have no need for interrogators, or torture." Hermione's eyes widened and then she looked at him.

"What did happen at the graveyard Harry, really?" She implored.

"And you'll leave this matter to rest?" Harry asked roughly.

Hermione let out a breath of air. "For now."

"Do you really want to know Hermione, really want to know how I held my bloodied organs in with a spare hand whilst my nerves were fried by the Cruciatus and tried to come up with a counter with the other?" Harry asked watching her reaction carefully.

She shrank into her chair. "…no." Hermione muttered after a moment.

"Some scars need not be shared in such intimate detail Hermione, I have already had Dumbledore request a blow by blow description of events, my engagement with Voldemort has nothing to do with the Do-" Harry stopped himself. "With my friend."

"Except that he rescued you, when the headmaster didn't." She reasoned looking at him.

"He does that, the saving people in the nick of time thing." Harry commented.

"This is very nice tea Harry." Hermione finally commented, breaking the silence that had endured for sometime.

"I will take the lack of a question as the end of this inquisition Hermione," Harry said.

"But…" Harry looked at her.

"Fine Harry," she said.

"Good." He smiled.

"For now."

Harry sighed. He'd told her more than he'd really wanted to, but he wasn't likely to come right out and tell her everything.

-/ - \\-

Harry sat on his bed a little perturbed by the day's events. He wasn't all that upset that he hadn't been made Prefect, considering the year-in-year-out convention of people trying to kill him, and the Doctor's ominous suggestions for the year ahead it seemed that this year would be like every other. Danger, disaster and general frantic events.

Considering the events of the previous years he didn't need a badge for his troubles, neither that Doctor nor the Magister wanted some material indicator of their deeds, and he felt pretty much the same.

He would have been lying to himself if he wasn't mildly disappointed that he didn't have honour and the power that came with being a prefect, but he didn't want that power that made him a stuffy bureaucrat like Percy, policing the corridors of Hogwarts. He had enough things to take up his time and enough power of his own for now.

It was though a little odd, and he wondered disheartening for Ron seeing everyone's reactions to him getting the prefect-ship rather than Harry (or anyone aside from Ron?). Everyone from Hermione through to the twins to Mrs Weasley had been surprised by Ron being chosen as prefect. Though Ron seemed to have handled it in a remarkably subdued manner, certainly much more mature than how Harry imagined he would have behaved even a year ago. Maybe he really had some sense of maturity.

-/ - \\-

Harry sat on his bed, images flashing through in his head of the forms the Boggart had taken. Coming face to face with his own body.

He tried to look on the bright side, his dead body didn't look half as bad as he imagined it would, that image was still locked in his mind when he chanced upon looking down at his bloodied body whilst fighting Voldemort in the graveyard, the biting sharp pain he'd felt as he dug his nails into his flesh, holding his organs into his body as he fought. Those scars were present, though lighter compared to the large gashes made by the slicing curses (or possibly one of the impacts of the headstones when he'd been flung into them or when they'd collapsed on top of him, or alternatively when Voldemort had flung bits of them at him, as Martha attested when she showed him the kidney dish and the chunks of stone she'd removed from his insides).

-/ - \\-

Harry looked down at the dog that was Sirius, he was slightly worried about him, but it would only be dangerous if anyone knew that Sirius was a black dog and that he was hanging out with the Order.

-/ - \\-

Harry left Hermione and Ron to go into Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, he needed breath the cool air outside, it had trying meeting those who wanted to learn real defence. He had been well aware how close his temper had been bubbling to near the surface throughout his 'conversation' with Zacharias Smith he had been tempted to explain to them the particular sensation that was suffocating on your own fluids.

He really was starting to appreciate how difficult it must be for the Doctor to arrive somewhere and begin to help the natives to defeat their oppressors.

Harry breathed in a deep breath of the cool village air for once untainted by the fires that often gave the village a rich smell of firewood or occasionally of coal and looked around the village, hoping not to see Cho. She had been acting rather oddly, almost flirtatiously around him, especially after their very casual conversation in the owlery.

Harry couldn't really fathom where this recent attraction had come from, well aside from Quidditch and Cedric. Harry thought it was a little odd, if she was pursuing him, and if she was pursuing him in particular because he had shared in her boyfriend's demise then that would be a little weird. Especially if that was the reason she was pursuing him, he could understand if she wanted to have a chat with him about Cedric but her lingering looks and everything…

Harry blinked as he turned, looking around the village, he had almost missed it the first time in his wondering thoughts.

There was an old stone obelisk, with what looked like water fountains on the side, it looked like it completely belonged in Hogsmeade. Except it didn't, he didn't remember it being there on any of his previous visits.

Yet everyone seemed to be missing it, walking straight past it, or even around it and not stopping to investigate this monument which seemed to have dropped out of nowhere.

Even now as he looked at it…it was though his vision slid away at an angle, he could see it in the window reflections and if he forced himself (which was what he was doing at the moment) as he walked towards it he knew it was there.

Looking at it as he was standing in front of it, it was still giving off the really weird vibe that made him want to look elsewhere.

It was a bit like a notice me not charm, though those were usually counteracted once you really knew the object was there, but this…kept on affecting him.

Harry reached out his hand to touch it, his other gripping his wand, just in case.

It had the same barely there vibration of a TARDIS. But the Magister's and the Doctor's (in theory) could blend in with their surroundings, their Chameleon Circuits would in theory allow them to blend in and not be noticed, but this took it to a whole new level, this wasn't just changing its appearance it was altering how he perceived it, slightly.

Harry felt a presence behind him, he gripped his wand slightly tighter, but didn't turn around. "Magister?" he asked in a level tone. A voice chuckled, amused behind him.

"Mr Potter." Harry turned around carefully.

"Magister," Harry said again smiling.

"Come on Mr Potter, let us get inside away from the rabble." He cast a glance around the Village.

-/

Harry left the last of his scars for last, he had tried and failed to stop Umbridge from making his use the quill and was beginning to think along more drastic methods. But he had attempted to hypnotise her but her uptight annoying eyes seemed to be impervious to them.

"Bloody minded bureaucrats, usually some of the easiest to bend to your will Mr Potter. Show me your hand." He almost demanded, Harry reached across the distance between them, they were sitting in the console room of Magister's TARDIS, having tea no less. Magister took Harry's hand rather gently in his gloved hands, though a look on his face showed a particularly darkening expression when he let go he was mumbling to himself about 'despicable witches' or something.

He left the room a moment later, returning around 10 minutes later with two black boxes. Seemingly it was the Magister's favoured colour scheme, though that said according to those who travelled with the Doctor it was generally white inside the TARDIS, except the odd yellow/brown/coral sort of texture when he'd been within it last.

The Master opened the first box and picked up with a pair of large tongs a thing that looked like a large slug, with scales.

"Your hand Harry." Magister said.

Harry offered it, gingerly and then asked as Magister placed the slug thing on his hand, it made a disturbing suckling noise as it attached itself to his hand. "What is it?" He asked trying not to cringe.

"A genetically engineered lifeform, it will heal and analyse your scars and telepathically transmit its findings to its mate."

Harry made a puzzled queried expression to him. That suggested 'and then what?'

"Its mate will morph into a symbiotic connection and pass sideways through the dimensions rendering it almost intangible," Magister paused. "And especially for the woman Umbridge it maintains an element of telepathic feedback, when it is bombarded by the elements of energy, the spell of the quill will feedback to her."

"You mean it'll stay on my hand?" Harry asked.

"Yes and should she inflict any harm against you, directly or indirectly it will feed it back in a loop harming her. A rather interesting method of retribution wouldn't you say Mr Potter?" Magister smiled.

Harry slumped back slightly, it was, a little complicated to get his head around, though he'd worked out his time travel adventure and meeting the Doctor in a random order, this was simple, relatively. It still meant that he'd have something sitting on his hand, even if it was in another dimension.

"What were these used for?" He asked randomly.

"They were created by the genetic smiths of Salostopus, outlawed in the seven galaxies they were a creative method of battle armour." Magister said though mumbled to himself "And a total dead end, pathetic fool…."

Harry looked at the flesh coloured thing that didn't at all look like the other slug thing as the Magister placed it on his (now scar free hand), it seemed to shudder and his hand seemed to twist as it shifted slightly in the dimensions.

Running his hand over his hand he couldn't feel anything different, though he was sure that he could feel something.

"How do I get it off?" He asked.

"It will last a year, maybe less if your enemies are particularly vicious," Magister said an odd quirky of a smile on his face.

Harry looked back at the Magister's TARDIS as it disappeared, supposedly he was had been mucking around with a perception filter and enhancing it, which was what gave his TARDIS such the weird vibe.

As the Magister's TARDIS finished completely dematerialising Harry saw Hermione and Ron looking around and then Hermione's eyes widened and she pointed at him and they came rushing over.

"Harry! Where were you? We've been looking forever," she said.

"Hey mate, it was about 10 minutes Hermione." Ron tried to add, smiling at her.

"But, you said you were going to wait outside Harry, I was worried!" Hermione looked at him carefully.

"I said I was going to have a wander outside. I don't think Voldemort's going to jump out of one of the houses and attack us, at least I hope not." Ron still twitched at mention of Voldemort's name.

"But…but…you don't have your Invisibility Cloak do you?" Hermione asked seemingly trying to grapple with an idea.

Harry shook his head. "Why?" He asked curiously.

"It's just…didn't you see Ron?" She looked to him.

"What?" Ron looked puzzled.

"Harry wasn't standing here and then…then he was." Hermione's brow furrowed.

"Rubbish, we were looking all around here, Harry likes to wander around, 'specially after Cho was making all gooey eyes at you mate." Ron teased.

Harry chuckled, idly scratching his scar free hand.

"I think it's just weird that she's doing that mate." He said to Ron. "Lets head back up to the castle." He said to Hermione who was looking at a patch on the ground curiously before shaking her head and went to follow them.

-/ - \\-

"It's probably full of Nargles," he said trying to shatter the mood Cho was creating, it was almost as though it was permeating outwards from her flowing robes.

He didn't used to think of her robes as flowing. Snape's maybe, just not in the way Cho was doing it.

He blinked twice now having an image of Snape and Cho in his mind.

Had it suddenly gotten very hot in the room…?

"What are Nargles?" Cho asked looking at him softly.

"Something Luna mentioned."

"Loony Luna?" She asked tossing her hair over her shoulder.

How had they gone from having a calm, quiet even fun conversation about Cedric to this? Harry wondered looking around for an escape route, he could stun her, that could work.

It might also be a little bit rude.

"I really like you Harry," Cho began.

Maybe if he incinerated the mistletoe (probably kill the Nargles as well) he could get out of this.

Then she kissed him, he was stunned for a second and weirdly reminded of the slug that the Magister had used to heal his wounded hand.

Then a moment later Cho broke off the kiss and smiled flicking her hair again over her shoulder and left the room.

"Weird," he muttered to himself and aimed his wand at the mistletoe muttering an Incendio at it as though it had caused all his problems.

He had just been trying to be sympathetic, to talk about Cedric to her, he hadn't been looking for her lips, her whole body in fact. There were more important things abound.

Like people trying to maim or kill him for starters, then there were the dreams and everything else.

-/ - \\-

Harry rubbed his temples, he had more than a headache, quite possibly a migraine. The dreams combined with the Occlumancy, it was like playing mental games against himself with someone poking around inside his head, at least he seemed to be improving, his mental preparation with Magister over the years seemed to help. Especially with keeping his secrets his own, Snape seemed to have just uncovered things he expected to find, Cedric and other school stuff, though nothing so far about the DA, the Magister, the Doctor or anything like that. It was like double or triple guessing himself and then pretending on top of that.

He needed to get out of the castle this Hogsmeade day just to clear his head, though he'd waited until most of the people had left before departing, Ron and Hermione had left at his insistence. He was just about to leave the castle when a voice spoke to him in a soft low tone.

"Potter."

Harry started to turn around when the voice said "Don't turn around."

"Daphne, long time, you don't write, you don't even hex me in the corridors," he said playfully.

"A word of warning Chang was looking for you."

Harry sighed. "And what does this piece of information cost me?" He asked.

"Nothing. Simpering fools annoy me. Grief can only excuse so much," she said in a tightly controlled tone.

"And you thought you'd help out?" Harry asked. "How very kind."

"Good day Potter," said Daphne's voice.

"Can I get you something in Hogsmede Daphne, a thank you?" There was no answer, Harry turned around and he was alone once again.

"Odd," he muttered to himself.

-/ - \\-

Peri stuffed her hands into the cloak the Doctor had offered her. She looked around, it looked like any other little English village except... "Hey Doctor, so where are we this time?"

"This time? This time! My dear Peri, you make it sound as though we are always 'turning up'" he mimicked her accent. "at a variety of locations."

Peri ignored his dig. "It looks like a Salem recreation, though like they're trying to do it Dickens style."

"'Do it Dickens style'. Dickens is read, performed, orated! But not done Peri, one of the corner stones of English literature is enjoyed, digested, the English language in all its warmth, diversity and magic." He waved his hands around.

"Magic?" She stared at him.

"Magic Peri is the order of the day, magic!" Peri looked around, whenever they went anywhere people seemed to take almost offence to the Doctor's coat, but despite everyone seemingly in black coats they didn't seem to be taking any notice of him or his coat.

The Doctor had walked on ahead, seemingly talking to himself again, or half shouting to himself.

"Hello," said a male voice not the Doctor's. "How are you?" Peri turned to look, the young man beside her was looked from where he was watching the Doctor with an amused smile on his face to look at her. He had the most amazing green eyes she'd ever seen.

"Hi," she said.

"Harry Potter." He offered his hand smiling looking back at the Doctor.

"Peri." She said looking at him a little confused.

"I guess that would be the Doctor?" He asked. Peri's eyes widened.

"How'd you know he's the Doctor?" She asked carefully.

"I've met him a couple of times, I'm starting to really recognise him, plus he couldn't be a wizard even in that coat."

Peri was about to ask about what he meant by wizard when the Doctor came stomping back up he didn't seem to notice Harry Potter standing beside them.

"Were you listening to my soliloquy Peri?" The Doctor demanded.

"Doctor, this guy seems to know you." Peri said of Harry Potter.

"Guy, guy? I once knew a Guy, Fawkes his name was, dastardly plot…" Then he looked to her side. "Harry Potter?"

"Hi Doctor," Harry greeted with wave.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked with a grin.

Harry paused for a moment. "Your manner gave you away, plus I've known you for a while Doctor, I'm going to start to recognise you."

"Quite right Harry, you've met my friend Peri here," he gestured.

"We just met Doctor." Peri said with a laugh.

"Of course, of course, well come along, there's a nice inn down a lane here that looks to do an excellent lunch, you can tell me all about the last few years since we saw each other then." The Doctor clapped him on the back and started off at a fast walking pace.

"So you've known the Doctor for a while, you know he can…" Peri trailed off.

"Regenerate, change his appearance?" Harry wondered.

"Yeah, he wasn't like this when I met him he was, different."

"How?" Harry asked curiously.

"Blonde, wore a jumper…" Peri started.

Harry broke in and they both said "Stick of celery on the lapel." Peri looked at him and laughed.

"Yeah, that was him. Saved my life…gave his…" She trailed off as they walked slowly.

"How so?" Harry asked softly.

Peri looked to the younger man and sighed, she'd wanted to talk to someone about this, the Doctor never wanted to talk about his 'previous self' 'the other one, don't you like me?' he'd go on if she tried to broach the subject with him.

So she told him, poured out everything she'd been thinking about since that time on Androzani Major.

-/

It sounded like a horrible thing, spetrox toxemia.

Harry wanted to assure Peri that the Doctor did it all the time, he'd at least done it once, but he was relatively sure that was in the future, so maybe this was the first time he'd done it.

It did show that he really very much cared for Peri, not that he had any doubts the Doctor would let any of his companions die in such a dire situation.

"I've known the Doctor for…a while, he likes to do the saving people thing Peri. He really does care for you," Harry explained genuinely.

"Sometimes it doesn't feel like it." She looked ahead at the blur of colour.

"If he didn't he would have dropped you back home without a by your leave," Harry offered.

"If he could control the TARDIS," Peri grumbled.

"If? If? If?" The Doctor roared from an alcove he was waiting for them in. "I have perfect control of the TARDIS, what do you mean if?"

Peri looked at him. "Well, it's as though we never turn up where you want us to."

"When?" He demanded.

"Florana, sparkling water in the seas you said, a botanist's dream you said," Peri said.

"So?" The Doctor boomed.

"We arrived when there were dinosaurs around and the seas had a low enough pH to pickle anything that went near them!" Peri argued.

"A minor mis-calculation with the relative drift compensators, nothing but a few million years, it was still interesting," he proclaimed.

"Except when the TARDIS was eaten and we had to wait around for it to pass through and all the time you wouldn't stop complaining to me for wanting to come," Peri countered.

Okay…Harry thought to himself. "How about some lunch Doctor, Peri?" Harry gestured to the small inn he'd never noticed in one of the lanes leading away from Hogsmeade.

-/

"…and then he said, 'Sausage? SAUSAGE!?' and ran out of the room." Harry smiled at Peri who smiled back at him and they both laughed at the Doctor's anecdote, Harry wasn't quite sure why they were laughing though it seemed to be the best thing to do.

"So Harry, tell me what have you been up to?" The Doctor asked after the appropriate amount of laughter had subsided.

"Complicated question Doctor," Harry answered diplomatically.

"Could pass the um…thank you," the Doctor said said motioning the butter dish. "Complicated how?" He stared at him, for the briefest moment Harry saw through to the same eyes he always saw in the Doctor.

Harry pursed his lips. "You have been getting a tendency of meeting me…randomly."

"Randomly, Randomly? I never…I am a Time Lord Harry, I don't do anything randomly," he exclaimed.

"Doctor!" Peri said in a shushing manner as the Doctor's voice rose.

"What Peri?" He fixed her with a look.

"You're shouting," she chastised lightly.

"I am never, shouting?" He said sitting further into the seat, crossing his arms.

Harry wondered if the few other diners had heard him over the silencing charms he'd managed to quickly cast.

"What do you mean randomly Harry?" Peri asked calmly curious.

"We've met, well I've met him as I live my life, I haven't time travelled," Harry looked at the Doctor, he didn't say anything. "But the Doctor can and he's met me," Harry paused for a moment thinking. "Out of…randomly...throughout his regenerations."

"Of all the cheek Harry, insulting a Time Lord about his abilities to keep time and appointments." Harry wasn't sure but it looked like the Doctor was sulking.

"How do you mean?" Peri asked puzzled.

"The Doctor you were before you regenerated, I met him before I met" Harry stopped again, thinking to himself that this was getting needlessly complicated. "Let me try again. I met the one who liked cricket, the one you met first," he nodded towards Peri "but then I met the Doctor who he was before that one second, though I'd met his next self first."

Peri nodded for a moment. "So you're saying that you think you might have met a future Doctor" she looked at the Doctor who was munching his way through his third bread roll. "before."

"Yes and I wouldn't want to muck around with the web of time and tell you about your future, or tell you future events that I've already told you in the past, from your own personal future."

"It sounds complicated," Peri surmised.

"Complicated is belittling the situation Perpugilliam to the adverse of simplicity," the Doctor said around his bread roll.

"Thanks Doctor, that makes me feel so much better," she muttered sarcastically.

"Though we are in a little bit of a pickle…like gherkins in a jar," the Doctor said taking gulp of his ginger beer. "But I am my own Time Lord, the future is the future to me and I will decide how I live the now, not any future selves, whomever they may be. They are still the future, I am the present!" He declared.

"Okay then…" Harry said thinking back to the last time he'd met the Doctor and where he would know events up to.

In describing most of the last two or three years he left out most of the time turner incident (just in case of the web of time getting tangled or something), last year was a little bit more complicated.

"But how did you escape?" Peri asked in a worried tone "it sounds horrific."

Harry had a pained expression but looked at the Doctor. "Do you want to know?"

The Doctor looked at him for a moment. "No, no, no. Somethings Peri even I know not to go looking for, somethings may alter my future that I shouldn't be made aware of."

"Like how you snuff it," she said jokingly, but it wasn't for the Doctor, his face went all gloomy and he excused himself to go pay.

"Oh," she said her smile falling, suddenly aware of what she'd said.

Harry had asked Ace casually if she knew, she hadn't been there but 'Mel' a woman who'd travelled with the Doctor before Ace had…supposedly he'd hit his head on the console. Harry had stared at her for at least a minute before he could form a coherent thought.

Though Harry pondered to himself if there was something more to it than that, unless the TARDIS console had some really sharp edges, when he'd been in it it had been round, but there were enough controls on it that you could gouge out your brains of you fell awkwardly…maybe.

But hitting his head. Harry looked over at the Doctor, he didn't think he would appreciate knowing how he came to his end.

"Yes, perhaps not the best thing to bring up with him Peri," he said finally.

"Yeah." She nodded looking over at the Doctor with look of concern over her face.

"All ready?" The Doctor walked back over a moment later.

"Doctor, I'm sorry I didn't mean to suggest," Peri started.

"No matter Peri, I have several enemies plotting my own death, you'd think I would get used to those close to me thinking it too," he said flippantly as he opened the door waving them through it out into the cool laneway.

They walked along for a short distance, the Doctor talking about all manner of events and things that were happening out in the universe.

As they walked up a road leading away from Hogwarts he saw the TARDIS sitting on the side of the road.

"Peri if you could…" The Doctor trailed off motioning at the TARDIS.

"What Doctor?" Peri looked at him oddly. "Oh." She turned to Harry. "It was real nice meeting you Harry, hope we can catch up in the some time in the future when he's not" the Doctor made a noise like a hurt kitten. Peri looked at him. "not moaning around."

"I am not moaning," the Doctor frowned.

"Doctor. Harry," she gave him a quick hug. "I'll see you in the TARDIS Doctor."

"Of all the cheek, she makes it sound like it's her TARDIS!" The Doctor said, Harry assumed to himself.

"Now Harry, I don't give a stuff about the 'Web of Time', I am my own Time Lord," he said again.

"Yes Doctor, I know," Harry said as the Doctor patted down his pockets, a worried expression on his face before removing a bag with a crescent moon shape stenciled on the side.

"Ah here we go. You and I both know our tendency to accumulate enemies," the Doctor began.

"You more than I Doctor, I've just got the one bloke after me," Harry commented.

"Bloke?" The Doctor looked at him, Harry shrugged in response.

"Megalomaniac bloke with a twisted streak," Harry surmised. "Aren't they all?"

"No, no some are just misguided, some have determination beyond all of us, it is what makes us unique individuals of the universe, not strings of sausages waiting for the grill," the Doctor pondered.

"I'm sure Magister would be interested to hear that point of view," Harry mused.

"Magister?" The Doctor asked puzzled for a moment. "Oh you mean…the Master." Harry nodded. "Ran into him recently, paired up with the Rani."

Harry was sure he'd heard the name before. "One of your classmates?"

"Very good, very good Harry, yes a brilliant mind, a pity it was so twisted. Fortunately she seems to dislike the Master almost as much as I do," he smiled a satisfied smile, seemingly recalling something amusing.

"Hmmm," was all Harry said.

The Doctor continued. "He's not as he once was Harry, some nasty dealings on the side and some very bad attempts at prolonging his regenerations, he's quite mad and deluded."

"This is the Magister, I mean the Master?" Harry asked to clarify.

"Yes, convoluted schemes which, even when I was in my last incarnation seemed to annoy even him!" He declared.

Harry smiled and couldn't help but ask and was rewarded with some odd examples, that did sound like the Magister was had been sitting around trying to think of ways to annoy the Doctor, the Magna Carter? It seemed a very convoluted way to annoy or attempt to kill the Doctor.

But for now, the Magister he knew was far from pantomime mad.

"Now as I was saying Harry." The Doctor removed a handful of what looked like short stubby pen shaped devices. "Universal vaccine and universal anti-toxin with nanoparticles. They have a very short life when injected Harry, use them carefully." The Doctor went on to describe exactly how they worked on a human's biology.

They were much better than keeping a bezoar stone around just in case you got poisoned by a potion.

Harry stood back and waved to the TARDIS as it dematerialised leaving him on the quiet road once more, thinking about what the Doctor had said about determination, reason and amongst other things control.

It was odd, the Magister had mentioned those things and more, mostly about control and power and maintaining those two things even at the height of an emotional situation.

Something he obviously abandoned later in his life according to the Doctor.

-/ - \\-

Harry rolled out of bed and stared out the window a grim look on his face as he rummaged around under his pillow for the bottle of aspirin. There was only so many times he could go to Madame Pomfrey for a potion to stop the throbbing pain in his head.

It came and went, much like the tide, he wasn't sure what it was due to; the occlumency with Snape all of the time, which he had to admit was helping with the dreams, or was it that effort he had to constantly go to to keep his most secret thoughts hidden from Snape, or it could possibly be the dreams that despite his strangle hold on the various mental practices that both the Magister had taught him and that Snape was teaching him were still penetrating through.

Chewing on the bitter tablets without any water left a gritty bitter sensation down the back of his throat that would last until his first cup of tea of the morning, he'd long since forgone the morning pumpkin juice that everyone enjoyed.

Harry sighed looking out the window again and wondered if he should start drinking coffee, then he shook his head, it was hard enough to convince the house elves that he didn't want pumpkin juice in the morning. He was pretty sure at the end of his 'tea speech' he'd ended up sounded a bit like the Doctor extolling the virtues of a good cup of tea in the morning.

-/ - \\-

Harry gazed at the cup of tea that Umbridge had offered, his play of pretending to drink wasn't flying with her either.

Probably the stunt he'd pulled with her Inquisitional Squad hadn't helped, it had lifted his headache of the day up to a full blown migraine but hypnotising them into stripping off and taking a swim in the lake had been most…satisfying, if a little disturbing seeing Malfoy naked.

He'd meant to do more, but with Marietta and everything it had annoyed him somewhat.

He pretended to fidget as he felt around in his trouser pocket for the universal vaccine pen injector, he kept one of each all the time in each pocket. Grasping it he manoeuvred it within his pocket and pushed the button, there was a slight sting.

"Thank you Headmistress," he said with gritted teeth and watched her face as he picked up the cup and drained it, he eyes widening and her face forming into what he imagined she though of as a smile.

"Where is Albus Dumbledore?" She looked at him.

"No idea, do you know where he is?" He asked, figuring he might as well interrogate her, as she was obviously him.

"I know that you know where he has gone. You and Dumbledore have been in this from the beginning," she asked again.

"You know, that I know where he's gone, but I don't know, so does that mean you know, that I don't know where he's gone or I have the knowledge, which is no knowledge at all of the location of where he is…or maybe as I don't know where he is, that's an answer in and of itself, the non-knowledge is knowledge, I don't know where he is, so of all the places that I know are all the places he can't be, so everywhere that I don't know is where he might be." Harry smiled over to Umbridge who seemed to be foaming at the mouth, listening to the Doctor really had come in useful, it was quite fun making mad computers, or this case power mad bureaucrats confused.

"You impudent child." Harry felt like punching this air, an insult already and his headache wasn't really around anymore, he wondered if he should push his luck and ask for more tea, maybe it might make her explode.

Though he didn't fancy having to clean her off his robes.

Though her death would be far better than her continued existence.

"Tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black," she demanded.

Harry blinked. "Sirius Black the wanted murderer?"

"The very same," she said; leaning back in her chair.

"The man who escaped from the Ministry's quite clearly not escape proof prison?" He asked again.

Harry shrugged as Umbridge laid out her evidence of him talking with Sirius.

A part of him wanted to say, 'yep you're right' just to see if he could make her pop, or at least pop a blood vessel and keel over where she sat to the faint mewing of painted kittens.

Instead he decided to just annoy her. "If I had seen Sirius Black, what makes you think I would tell you anything about his location or anything of worth to the Ministry, what have they done for me, for this school lately?" He sneered to her shocked face.

As he finished speaking there was an explosion and the room shook.

Pyrotechnics as well, he or whoever launched the explosion did have a good sense of dramatic timing he decided with a smile as Umbridge slipped off her chair.

While she was on the ground he took the opportunity to slip out of her room.

-/ - \\-

Harry cursed himself for his curiosity, but he had justified it to himself at the time, Snape had had a field day rummaging thing his memories, why not look through one of his.

And what a memory and a revelation it was.

His father hadn't just been arrogant, he'd been relatively cruel to Snape. Harry found himself mentally comparing his father to Malfoy, though Malfoy had never really had the clout to take on anyone, to string them up, and throw humiliating spells at them. Malfoy was arrogant, he would stab you in the back and throw the occasional spell at one's back, he was relatively manipulative, conniving, he like his words, even if they were insulting vaguely racist words and insults.

But his father, Harry shuddered as he recalled the memory, that was a whole other kettle of fish.

It reminded him of what had happened to him in primary school with Dudley and his 'gang', not just him (though usually him) and other kids. But this was at Hogwarts where they were his age or so.

It was the cruel arrogance of it, the coldness of his father and the tone that he'd used against his (at that point) to be mother.

It chilled him and slightly sickened him to the bone and suddenly made him realised why Snape had treated him as such with memories like these of his father.

But he wasn't his father's son, he was his own man.

-/ - \\-

Harry was feeling both elated and still somewhat bitter, elated that he would be able to speak to Sirius, despite what he had seen in Snape's memory he was the one person he could speak to about…everything, there didn't exist a word that could describe …everything that had been happening everything he needed to talk to him about. A series of words yes, but whenever he thought about it he just ended up mentally trailing off to the word 'everything'.

Umbridge was sitting at the back of the classroom, on a stool, he had a big urge to kick it out from under her feet, maybe she'd fall and split her head open like a watermelon.

He could always get new shoes if the blood didn't wash out.

Though he didn't think Professor McGonagall would appreciate the blood splatter involved.

"Well Potter, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years. Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"

He had thought somewhat, though he didn't think the Professor would appreciate 'travel around time and space' with that guy who rescued me, he travels in a Police Box and he's an alien' would be a good answer, nor would be 'there's this other guy I know as the Magister does the same sort of thing, different motivations, could be fun' as a good enough answer.

"Mr Potter?" The Professor repeated.

Harry shook his head to clear his internal musings. "Sorry Professor. Yes I had considered what I would do."

"And?" She promoted.

"I had thought of being an Auror," he answered.

"You'll need top marks for that," she said looking to him,

But Harry continued. "But then I thought that wasn't really for me, policing isn't really what I want to do. I'd like to investigate, help, inform, discover…explore," he said with a smile.

McGonagall was looking at him with an odd expression on her face. Umbridge was coughing behind them.

Harry turned around. "Do you need a cough drop Professor Umbrdige."

"I'm sure Delores is fine Harry," the Professor said dismissively, she sounded like she didn't care if Umbridge keeled over and painted the floor a crimson colour.

"But what is it that you want be, what career do you want?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I'm not sure Professor, I think, self employed would be the word to describe it, how does the saying go 'lets get through this crisis before we start on the next'?" He asked.

McGonagall pursed her lips and then sighed.

"Then that is your choice Mr Potter, what subjects will you be taking on this 'adventure' of yours?" The coughing continued, Harry raised an eyebrow at McGonagall but she just stared at him.

"Probably those that I'm taking now Professor, I'm finding Ancient Runes most interesting," then Harry added casually with a shrug. "But I'll work the details out later."

"Very well Mr Potter, you may go," Professor McGonagall said giving him a departing look.

Harry walked slowly along to the back of the room and said as he was passing Umbridge. "They say decapitation works well for a sore throat Professor," he shut the door before she could say anything.

-/ - \\-

Time seemed to slow down as he watched Sirius fall towards the Veil. In a part of his mind he was waiting, hoping for a blue box to appear, for a man to leap out and catch him, he was simultaneously hoping that he would appear, time turner around his neck to catch Sirius as he fell, or for the Magister to rip off a rubbery mask that he'd been hiding in the background and grab Sirius and sweep them away from all this.

None of that happened.

This was an event that time travel wasn't going to get him out of. An event that couldn't be undone. A fixed point.

-/

He ran, he felt his blood pumping in his ears, he was going to KILL Bellatrix.

"Come out, come out, little Harry!" He maddened voice called to him. "What did you come after me for then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!" she called.

"I am," Harry whispered to himself. "I am."

"Aaaah…did you love him, little baby Potter?"

In that moment he shouted, or roared, or screamed he didn't really know, in the next moment he had decided he wouldn't kill her, that would be too quick.

Determination, focus, hatred, focus, you had to have that with lots of spells, focus and the power to carry it through.

Harry levelled his wand at Lestrange, right out the front of the Ministry and spoke, incanted in a levelled voice dripping of determination, focus and power. "Crucio!"

Bellatrix's body lit up in the spell and her voice caught in her throat. Harry was cast into light and the shadows danced around them as Harry lifted to spell.

"Scream you little bitch, scream!" Harry said in a raised voice as he took another sharp breath. "I want you to scream for mercy, as your cousin had no chance to!"

"Crucio!" As she danced in light and spell fire again Harry let out a short, deep laugh, power coursing through him as she was both caught in frozen the spell frozen and danced and contorted throughout the spell's affect.

Then suddenly he heard a clapping sound and the world refocused in a resounding clash of light and pain as his scar exploded with agony.

"It seems out last encounter did teach you something Potter, the correct usage of the Criciatus, and on Bella…now Potter where is my prophecy."

Harry wanted to say that technically it was their prophecy, but his mind was somewhat darkened and heaving after his repeated use of the Cruciatus curse, and a part of him wanted to use it again, to feel its power coursing through him once more.

"It's smashed, gone forever, unless you're handy" Harry paused to bite his lip, hard it for a moment broke through the pain of his scar. "superglue."

"You smashed my prophecy?" The red eyes regarded him. "Months of preparation, months of effort…and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again…"

Bellatrix was mumbling something unintelligible at Voldemort's feet, he kicked her aside. "I shall deal with you in a moment Bella, do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear you snivelling apologies?" Then Voldemort drew himself up to full height.

"I have nothing more to say to you Potter," he said quietly. "You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry was only just started to try and move as the spell flung itself at him when the statue of the wizard in the fountain came to life and moved in front of him, the spell splashing harmlessly over its chest.

"What-? Dumbledore!" Voldemort practically hissed.

-/

'So this is what possession feels like' Harry thought to himself as he felt Voldemort crawl into his mind. The pain that had been there had long since passed beyond anything that he could feel, or at least his mind and body had disconnected and he'd probably blacked out, yet not.

He began to think and push and prod the force from within, he was sure someone was speaking, using his voice, but it was like listening in a tunnel, he could just about 'see' the sensation of Voldemort, he wanted to push, to expel him from his mind and then…

Then Dumbledore's face swam into view. "Are you alright Harry?"

-/ - \\-

Harry didn't know what to think, not now, sitting in Dumbledore's office, now having heard what all of this was all about.

A prophecy.

A prophecy.

A prophecy.

Parts of which had already been fulfilled. He was here, with scar after all.

He wanted to scream and shout and break something, but he'd already done that to most of the breakable things in the room.

A part of him wanted to be back, in front of Bellatrix, there he had felt in control full of power and in control of the situation, it had been clear, clear and simple, powerful.

But now, now he felt, different.

Now there was, had always been a prophecy.

Had that been the reason Wormtail had been uncovered, that Voldemort had been resurrected? That Cedric had died, because of some stupid old witch had come up with some words of messed up wisdom that completely screwed up his life, their lives.

"So," he said after a while, he looked around idly scratching the back of his hand, the genetically engineered thing had long since dropped off, probably somewhere in the Ministry. He suddenly realised he'd been pacing up and down the room, his feet crunching over the glass. "So, does this mean one of us has got to kill the other one, in the end?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered in a monotone.

A simple one word answer.

So that was it, kill Voldemort or he had to kill him, simple.

Maybe he could drop him into the sun…Harry thought for a moment and then shook his head, he'd put that on the totally insane pile.

-/ - \\-

It was night, and the hospital wing was quiet, all quiet except one red head muttering to himself on the bed as he was wracked with small convulsions and tremors.

Madame Pomrey had been at a loss thus far, the brains that had attacked Ron were a mystery, though she had said there was an unction that would perhaps help some of the welts that had been left by the brains.

"Ha-Ha-Harry?" Ron moaned as he cast a silencing charm around the bed.

"Hello Ron, the dreams…?" He asked as he slung the army bag off and removed the device.

"What's that?" Ron managed to squeak through convulsions.

"Something I think will help." Harry said in a low voice.

"Where'd it come from, is it muggle?" He asked, slurring his words.

Harry shook his head.

"Where?" Ron asked.

"From my friend, the one who rescued me last year, I think it'll help with all the stuff from the brains," Harry said softly.

"It looks…weird Harry." Ron moaned.

"Do you trust me Ron?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry," Ron nodded.

"I trust my friend," Harry said looking down at Ron who nodded a small nod.

Harry placed the spider like device on Ron's head, who cringed as it made contact, Harry then removed the flat paddle and pushed the first of the buttons, the device hummed softly and Harry began waving the paddle slowly over Ron's arms where the welts were.

He continued this procedure through all of the buttons, slowly, throughout much of the night the welts faded until they looked like dull burns or blisters.

As the sun was poking its way through the windows he lifted the spider shaped thing off of Ron's head.

"Best go before anyone wakes up and finds me here," Harry whispered to the sleeping Ron and slipped out of the hospital wing.

-/

A/N:

Minor edit done March 2021.

For the Seventh Doctor and Ace this occurs before Survival.

For the Master it's still post Frontier in Space, further along from his last encounter and closer to The Deadly Assassin, the event that caused his crispy-appearance hasn't happened yet, but the whole thing with the genetically engineered life form is a vague suggestion about him investigating the possibility of new life and stuff. It's also a thematic reference to (much later along the line) his snake-appearance in the TV movie.

I haven't wanted to introduce the Anthony Ainley version of the Master as it throws up lots of issues about bodily possession. Also that version of the Master is a lot less morally ambiguous than this version of the Master, who occasionally does some good stuff in the TV series, he also often worked with the Doctor and you could see the friendship that was there.

Later incarnations of the Master; Ainley's was more evil much less of the friendship present in their interactions (in fact many times he just seems to be trying to annoy the Doctor, look at The King's Demons for instance).

For Peri and the Doctor this occurs before The Two Doctors.

For those of you who've been counting you may notice that in this chapter I've now featured all 10 incarnations of the Doctor. (March 2021 edit: As there were only 10 when this chapter was written)

One incarnation will be appearing twice more in the next two chapters. (Which will cover some of the events of The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows).

Thanks for reading.

Deleted section

This section was at the end of the section with Harry and Daphne but it was just running over and wasn't really going anywhere (it would have meant I'd have to full on introduce Daphne Greengrass something I never intended to do).

"Again, what's the price?"

"Your little gang of rule breakers, I would like to…"

"You'd like to join?" He cut her off and briefly wondered if anyone was watching him talk to himself.

"Merely observe. I am sure I know far more than your little group."

"I'm not having an Umbridge substitute present, if a group existed Daphne." She jabbed him in the back with her wand.

"You think I would be apart of her little squad?" She said with some disgust.

"You'll have to participate Daphne, nothing I can do about that one."

"I won't come in that case Potter, there's only so much interaction with my lowers I can stand at one time."

Harry sighed with a smile. "Fine…"