Chapter 10

Harry looked to Hagrid, rage in his ears at the loss of Hedwig as spells spun and warped through the air and wondered for the briefest of moments what he would think, though as he was thinking this he had already begun to shout.

"Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!" Backwards and around spellfire leapt from his wand backwards and sidewards even as the side car was tearing itself loose from the motorbike.

He only paused briefly, trembling slightly in the rocking sidecar and in the wind to cast a levitation spell on sidecar when a Death Eater came level, he could hear Hagrid calling something in the background when he spoke the spell, calming himself as he did so, though the rage, the adrenaline still pumped through his system.

"Avada Kedavra!" His voice was still raised, though he felt some satisfaction as the Death Eater toppled from his wand, a part of his mind, perhaps that which had been tortured by dreams wished that the Death Eater had screamed on his descent.

"I'm comin', Harry, I'm comin'!" Harry only just heard Hagrid over the sound of the wind and the sound of his heart beating and the blood pumping in his ears. He tensed as Hargid grabbed a hold of him and grabbed his backpack as Hagrid pulled him up behind him.

With the destruction of the sidecar and, Harry was satisfied to see another Death Eater down the spells continued to fly around them, but it gave him the briefest moments to steel himself, spells flying around him added to distract him, it wasn't as though this hadn't happened before, though before he hadn't quite been so high.

Then a spell flew out from the side and Harry felt a sensation that made him oddly nostalgic, it broke three of his ribs.

He swore, rather violently and even despite the situation Hagrid said. "Steady on there Harry."

Harry thought briefly about arguing that Hagrid had said nothing of the dozen of so Avada Kadavra's he'd rattled off in the last few minutes, however one of the Death Eaters swerved over to them and his hood slipped down, revealing not a mask but a face he recognised.

Stanley Shunpike, with an odd blank look on his face.

In some wars, innocent people die. He thought to himself. But even the innocent deserved a chance.

"Petrificus Totalus," he said in a level voice, though didn't watch as the stiff body slipped from the ground and fell towards the ground, he didn't have any idea if the solidness of the body would protect Shunpike from the fall. But there was always chance.

Then as he listened to Hagrid reassure him that they would make it his scar, despite everything he had been doing preparing his mind, the mental exercises the Magister taught him, the occlumency, everything that seemed to help a little bit, while still allowing the maddening dreams to penetrate his mind were not helping at this moment as pain blossomed out of his scar. Harry bit his already split and bleeding lip harder, the pain bringing everything back into some semblance of clarity.

Then everything seemed to happen at once, Voldemort arriving, his wand moving of its own accord and the crash, it had all seemed to happen as Harry lay in the darkness following the crash in a few seconds, all mashed together with the rush of adrenaline and the near-death excitement that seemed to accompany these things.

Maybe this was the thrill both the Magister and the Doctor felt…when friends and those you cared about were in danger.

-/ - \\-

"Voledmort caught up with you?" said Lupin sharply. "What happened? How did you escape?"

Harry told them briefly, though when Lupin asked what spells, he told him with a cool face Lupin merely blinked and nodded.

"Then there was Stan Shunpike, from the Knight Bus, he looked like he was Imperiused," Harry explained.

"Harry you didn't stun him?" Lupin asked aghast.

"No," he paused and looked at the man in front of him. "I full body binded him, he fell into the darkness. He may have well as died."

"Harry the time for…" Lupin started. Harry stopped him.

"There is a chance he survived and there is a chance he died. No one saw, Voldemort must have been in the area, tracking and waiting for me. Remus," Harry said addressing him calmly, taking a breath of the warm kitchen air that always felt so homey. At the moment after the cool night air it felt somewhat cloyingly. "He knew we were going to be out tonight, there were way too many Death Eaters out," Harry stated watching Remus' eyes.

Their conversation was ended as Hagrid stumbled into the kitchen.

"Will George be OK?" Harry asked softly.

Remus sighed. "I think so, although there's no chance of replacing his ear, not when it's been cursed off."

-/

As Harry sat with Ginny outside he found he couldn't sit still, he fidgeted, twitched and couldn't help but move, he felt like he wanted to be out there…doing something. Simultaneously he felt like he was going to start laughing, perhaps a deep mellowed chuckle, or maybe, maybe a giggle, he let one chuckle out and Ginny grasped his hand harder, he hadn't really realised that she'd taken it, or led him outside.

-/ - \\-

Fleur had a good point Harry admitted silently to himself and if he hadn't been shaking slightly, coming down off the adrenaline high he probably wouldn't have ignored his previous proclamation to Remus before.

He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket to stave of the chills, his ribs still tender, though he was used to that by now.

"We've…we've got to trust each other," he said after an extended awkward silence that reigned. At the moment accusing each other wouldn't lead to anything. "I don't think anyone here would betray us to Voldemort," he said looking around the room careful not to identify himself as he spoke, this battle had involved all of them.

Another lengthy silence followed before Fred said, slightly unexpectedly. "Well said Harry."

"Yeah, 'ear, 'ear," said George, though it barely raised a twitch of a smile from Fred who still seemed shell shocked by his brother's injury.

Lupin was watching him oddly, almost pitying.

Harry took Remus by the arm and whispered roughly. "You think I should have spoken up?"

"No, I think you're much like James, who would've regarded it the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends," Remus said.

"Only in front of them all, if that happens we could all be aiming wands at one another. Best wait and see, perhaps someone will try to kill me again," it sounded slightly humorous in his head, though Remus turned away from him apparently not amused.

Further discussion was halted by talk of retrieving Mad-Eye's body.

-/ - \\-

"I know you said after Dumbledore's funeral, that you wanted to come with me," Harry began.

"Here he goes," Ron rolled his eyes.

"As we knew he would," Hermione said turning back to her books.

"No, listen. I know there's no point in arguing with you, once you decide something it takes a lot to change your mind," Harry said looking at Ron, his mind wandering back to the Tri-wizard tournament, the first time he felt really betrayed by his friend, he hoped it was the last time. Ron looked away from his wandering gaze.

"So?" Ron said after another of the odd silences that seemed to hang.

"What about your families?" Harry began "I'm a target, you two know that, but what about your families?"

"I…I told my parents…everything," Hermione said after a moment, looking across at Harry meeting his gaze.

She still hadn't told Ron the specifics of last year, but she suspected he knew, they all knew that someone had dealt with a lot of the Death Eaters and not just the 'mysterious people' that had saved a lot of students in the castle. Whenever she had been questioned in the time following the attack after she and Harry had spoken about it there just seemed to be silences where no one wished to ask her if she had done anything to assist in…what she had done. Saving lives. That's what her father had said.

Flashback…

Richard Granger looked to her daughter beside him as they drove home from the train station. He knew from her letters that there had been a battle at Hogwarts and that Headmaster Dumbledore had died. That had given him cause for worry, not as much as her first year at the school and subsequent years it was only Hermione's ability to argue a point and her unmoving determination that stopped he and Amanda from pulling her out of Hogwarts and sending her to a specialised school where she could channel her curiosity and thirst for learning in a location that was relatively more safe than a school that kept three headed dogs as guard dogs, or a whole cavern beneath the school with a mythical snake within it. Though mythical had taken on an almost meaningless quality since they'd received the letter informing them of his daughter's abilities.

In previous years his daughter had been talkative, telling him and his wife of all the wonder and danger.

Looking across at her now all she had was a slightly haunted look to her face, sunken eyes that spoke of lack of sleep and ingrained worry.

"Hermione are you…" He trailed off.

"No. Dad. Can I…when we get home, I need to tell you some things."

Much later that night a part of Richard's mind praised Hermione for her speaking to him and not with her mother present also. He had often told Hermione stories of his and his friends time in the armed forces before dentistry. Something she must have recalled at some point during this battle.

Hermione leaned away from him, having cried for a short time about the events.

Another part of him wanted to rage, to shout, to storm up to Hogwarts and grab that man, those witches and wizards, to ask why and how this could happen. How his daughter would be one of the one to defend the so called safest location in Britain.

Though any allusions that it was safe had been destroyed in Hermione's second year when she had been petrified by the Basilisk, and her friend Harry Potter had been severely injured in the process of defeating the beast.

Harry Potter…the boy seemed to have endless bad luck, mixed with pieces of good luck in surviving his encounters.

But now this year, and the previous year when she had faced the wizards in the Ministry, supporting her friend. This year when she had faced adult wizards and defeated them with what sounded like regular explosives, no matter what year they were from. Mr Potter obviously had some very odd friends, even by the standards he had needed to shift his perceptions to.

"Hermione. You saved lives. That's the important thing, you stopped them. They…they would have killed you, and you stopped that," he said after a moment as Hermione settled back into her chair.

"That's what Harry said," she said.

Richard nodded watching his daughter, she was still sitting, slightly tense. He sighed. "There's more isn't there Hermione?"

She nodded.

Richard leaned back in his chair. Hermione hadn't really told him much, just more about the war that was brewing and that she wouldn't be home until she'd helped Harry to its conclusion. He still understand why it was solely Harry Potter's job to do this, but Hermione had her determined gaze on her face as she spoke. Hermione hadn't been in the past one to actively break the rules, but often she found justification to bend the rules to get her way to the point where it was as no difference as breaking them.

"Why are you telling me, if you don't mind Hermione, I know that look," he smiled. "You've already decided you're going."

"I need you to go into hiding," she said almost immediately. "You've always said that your old 'forces friends could hide a tank in the middle of a football ground. I need you and mum to hide, until this is over."

"From these Death Eater supremacists?" She nodded.

Richard nodded. "Some friends in the forces or maybe UNIT should be able to help us hid away from this war of yours Hermione, as I'm sure there's nothing I can say or do," she looked up meeting his gaze "to stop you."

"No dad," she said with a slight smile, full of emotion "Thank you."

"What would you have done if I'd said no?" He asked curiously. Hermione was nothing if not thorough.

"I…only to protect you…I…" Richard stared at his daughter it was the same look he gave to people who panicked and grabbed the suction tube and backed away into the corner of his surgery when they panicked at the sight of the anaesthetic needle. They usually backed down. He'd only needed to call the police once when someone had stabbed him with his own needle.

"WasgoingtomodifyyourmemoriesandsendyoutoAustralia."

Richard stared at her turning the sentence over in his mind, it was something Hermione tended to do when she was panicked and guilty about something, speaking very fast, getting it off her chest while dazzling the other person. Though she was his daughter and he knew all her tricks.

It meant, that Hermione cared a lot about them, though slightly devious and of course how worried she was about her enemy and how pear shaped this could all go and it was all Hermione Jean Granger.

Present…

"How did they take it? Where are they going?" Harry asked leaning against the wall, relaxing slightly upon knowing that Hermione's parents would be safe.

"Dad…took it well, mum…alight." Which Hermione admitted to herself was playing down her mother's reaction a little bit. But after a long late night chat between her and dad she'd come around to not taking her to France or wherever and hiding out somewhere. "I don't know where they are, dad said that was part of it, just his friends in 'the regulars or UNIT' would sort it out." She looked over at Harry who nodded.

"I'm sure they will be able to hide them away and keep them safe," Harry mused.

"Who are they?" Hermione asked him.

"Your father didn't say?" Harry asked.

Hermione began. "Just that they specialise in out of this world stuff, you don't mean…?"

Harry nodded. "And then some."

"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked breaking the odd non-silence between them.

"What about you, your whole family can't go into hiding," Harry asked addressing Ron.

"Go on Ron, show Harry what you've done," Hermione said eagerly changing the subject away from the secret UN based organisation.

"Nah, he's just eaten," Ron said.

"That doesn't bode well," Harry muttered pushing himself off the bed as Hermione insisted to Ron to show him.

-/

Harry leaned back into the sofa in the living room, the whole house was asleep, exhausted from the day's cleaning and preparation ready for the Delacour's arrival tomorrow.

He wasn't sleeping though, no matter how he tricked himself in his thinking, no matter the pain that he'd experienced a part of him had enjoyed the danger he'd felt, the excitement of battle. He hadn't told anyone this, not Remus, not Hermione, not even Ginny, though he suspected that the latter two thought something of him, he'd started to tell Ginny about his experiences, he'd known as he was speaking how vibrant he'd spoken, with a certain amount of excitement that looking back on it he'd heard in another of his friend's voices.

Magister had also spoken in the past of the satisfaction of battle, of succeeding where your enemies haven't, the power that you experienced wielding your influence and mastership over a throng of dissidents or enemies.

Out in front of him was the bag he'd been given by the Doctor the previous year, with many of its weapons and other things still within its multi-dimensional folds.

Hermione said she was creating a bigger and better bag of her own, she said she wanted to make it herself for her and their books, mainly her books that would come in useful on their quest.

Already in his bag were some clothes and other useful things that he might need. In front of him were what was left of the universal vaccines and anti-toxins…those not used on Dumbledore, he stared at them for a moment, wishing they had been able to help Dumbledore more, "It's a miracle they did that much my boy." "Science Professor." He'd chuckled as Dumbledore seemed to lift up and become more energised after he'd injected the anti-toxin into him. Even then it had been more of a case of preventing the inevitable.

Harry weighed the scarf in his hand that he'd been given five years ago, despite holding them all up by Fawkes there were no marks on it, he'd continued to use it since then, as a scarf, nothing amazing, but it had been amazing on that time. He stuffed it into the bag in front of him, pushing it in between the cans of Nitro-9 that he had left so they didn't rattle against each other. He wasn't quite sure how many he had started out with, but he was vaguely sure that he had less than the amount that Hermione said she'd used.

Sitting on top of his impervious to fire vest and pants was the crystal. White as it was the last time he'd looked at it he picked it up looking through it around in the dim candle light.

It still felt oddly powerful, though he didn't know what he could do with it, annihilating the Dementors had been a rush, a powerful one, removing all those dark creatures at once and saving himself retro-actively in the process had also been brilliant. He set it down on top of the vest and jacket thinking to himself, reminiscing as he pulled over to himself another piece of clothing that he wore occasionally. The hexagonal pattern along the cloak and its black back made him think of alien sand, the cries of strange birds, a petrified forest and creatures rolling around on static electricity floors, fearing the outside world.

As he ran his hand over the material he heard a noise in the corner of the room, quietly, as the occupant's TARDIS often did the shape forced its way into the space slowly materialising as the shape of an old grandfather clock, seemingly fitting in totally with the Weasley's furniture, yet not quite.

Harry rose as the door didn't open immediately.

Then there was a creak and it did open, though no one came out, he couldn't see anything within the TARDIS the dark void between the exterior and the interior the only think visible, though Harry knew from past experience there wasn't really any sensation of it when you passed between them.

"Magister?" He asked called out softly.

"Ah…how fortunate I should find you," the voice wasn't the same voice he knew as the Magister, it sounded rough, slightly strangled.

"You always seem to find me Magister, you and the Doctor," Harry began.

"The Doctor?" Something like a laugh, or possibly a cough came out from the darkness. "The Doctor shall be…interned, for all his sins…" Another chuckle, or cough.

"You've gone beyond mere enemies then?" Harry wondered curiously.

"I have suffered long from the Doctor's interferences," the voice said angrily, there was a rough sound of him taking in some rough breaths. "You have faced Voldemort once more?"

Harry nodded then said as he realised he wasn't sure if Magister could see him. "Yes, damn Death Eaters killed Moody, injured others," he said angrily, looking over towards the stairs.

"Keep that hate Harry, it is strength. It is one of the things that is all pervading," there was something that could be a chuckle. "Such a contrast to the Doctor" The name was spat"that contrast shall be his downfall."

"What happened Magister?" Harry asked taking a step towards the Magister's TARDIS.

"An injury," a figure stepped out of the TARDIS, Harry took a step back, his eyes widening.

The figure looked like he had been burnt, his cloak, such as it was seemed brittle and in parts melted to the figure's body.

He was bracing himself against the side of his TARDIS breathing roughly. Harry forced himself to look up to the Magister's face, such as it was, scarred, melted, his eyes were seemingly frozen wide open, his hands were like plastic. However he still carried himself with power and determination, despite the seeming agony in his movements.

"This is all that is left of me, since that event."

Harry didn't want to ask what had happened.

"Why didn't you regenerate?" He asked after a moment, then Magister laughed, or possibly coughed.

"It is far beyond that. But soon, soon, yes, upon returning to my ancestral keep, then, then, all power, a new regeneration and I see my revenges…" He coughed and stumbled slightly.

Harry rushed over, forgetting momentarily what the Magister looked (and smelt) like to steady him.

"Thank you. Yes…thank you Harry. I wished to see you, on the eve of your quest, and before I begin mine," he said as he walked back to the door of his TARDIS.

"Thank you Magister. You have been a good friend to me….I hope…" Harry paused thinking about what the Doctor had told him in the past, he hadn't mentioned the Magister too much, but obviously something was going to happen soon to start him on a downward spiral. As he was caught in thought he looked around the room and his eye settled on the white crystal. Vaulting over the sofa he walked back over to the Magister, pressing it into his hand.

"I used this a couple of years ago," he paused "I think I told you, against the Dementors."

"The beings that could extract the life force out…yes….I remember Harry." Harry suppressed a chill as Magister fixed his dead eyes on him, he forced himself not to gag at the smell.

"I'm sure this has some of the power I used to wipe them out, I don't know…maybe you could use it to sustain yourself, till you reach Gallifrey…as you don't seem to be…" Harry trailed off not wanting to mention his friend's fragile state. In some ways the Magister reminded him of Dumbledore, still powerful, upstanding even in his weakened state. Determined.

"Up to my usual standard? No…" He ran a finger over the crystal. "Yes, there is some power at the atomic level. Not a new body, but perhaps, something, a relief for my revenges," he whispered to himself looking down at the crystal. "Yes…Harry this is most fortunate that you should have a hand in the Doctor's downfall." Even though his face was charred or set in ash he could tell a smile, or elation. The creeping chill continued. As he looked at the Magister once more and realised that that he was some what shorter than he was, now that they were standing closer.

"Good luck Magister, with your endeavour." Harry finally said.

"And to you Harry Potter," he said as he stepped back within his TARDIS the door creaking as it closed, Harry watched as the Magister's TARDIS quietly disappeared from the lounge room leaving only the unpleasant stench of decaying and charred Gallifreyan flesh hanging in the air.

-/ - \\-

The rain had stopped and he was sitting outside around a small fire, warming his hands, it was a short distance from their tent, just in case someone turned up. Someone he couldn't just kill.

Perhaps it was true what the Magister said, not his last meeting but previously, your friends betray you.

He thought Ron had out grown it, this…his need to…Harry couldn't process it into words, it was just a seething emotion within him.

Then there was a crack, not of apparition, but of a branch breaking, nevertheless it snapped him out of his angry gazing into the fire and into full alertness.

Standing carefully he looked around him, the night was all pervading at the moment and he couldn't see further than a meter or two from the fire, he could just see the outline of the tent.

SNAP!

Harry searched around the him, twisting rather than moving his feet as he searched around him. He looked scanning around him, searching for an irregularity in the darkness.

Suddenly he saw something, he could have sworn he felt his heart jump up and start to beat faster, the fight or flight responses kicking into high gear.

The killing curse was on his lips, he could imagine Hermione admonishing him for having that particular spell on his lips, but they had long, long gone past the point of using stunners.

"Avada…" He started quickly as a figure stepped out of the trees shaking off a black umbrella with a red handle on it.

"Really Harry, is that any way to greet and old friend?" Said a voice with an odd Scottish burr, a man he'd met before, who had also met Hermione the year before.

"Doctor, I nearly killed you."

"That's the problem with weapons," he muttered. "Or the wielder's intent." Harry could tell he was staring at him even though he couldn't quite see his eyes.

The Doctor sat down opposite Harry, the fire the only noise between them.

Harry looked at the Doctor, he had changed his outfit since their last encounter, he now had a red waistcoat a tie and a brown coat on. Though his hat was jammed haphazardly on his head as it was last time. Also now that he was closer he could study him more closely…he seemed older.

Which was especially odd as he'd already met the 'older' Doctors, who were actually younger in appearance than this Doctor.

They sat in silence for a short time before Harry asked about Ace.

Harry leaned back smiling upon hearing of Ace. "Time's Vigilante. I wonder if I'll meet her again?" He asked looking at the Doctor.

"Perhaps Harry, perhaps," he mused softly.

They were lulled into another silence. Harry sat staring at the fire, he chewed his lip, a question he had been wondering to himself, something Hermione had asked him. He hadn't really had a good answer for her, except 'he's always on time.'

"Doctor…how did you know to arrive when you did and to be so prepared when you arrived and helped Hermione last year?" He asked watching the Doctor.

"Perhaps you told me in the future?" The Doctor mused.

"Maybe," Harry said digging his hands in his jacket, the old UNIT jacket the Doctor had given him all those years ago, it still fitted, which was an oddity, but it was one he was willing to live with as it was warm (though when it was hot it was a light jacket also) and had infinitely useful pockets. "But let's say I've met your future and I didn't mention it because…" He trailed off watching the Doctor.

"Because it was in your past," he murmured.

"I was thinking about something the Magister said a while ago, that even at the academy you were a devious one. Nothing on him though" he said with a smile watching the Doctor look uncomfortable. "But devious nonetheless. Was he right Doctor, are you devious?"

"Is a baker devious for knowing when to bake extra loaves for the holidays?" The Doctor wondered to himself.

"Is a Doctor devious when he turns up just when trouble starts?" Harry asked poking the fire.

"Harry…" The Doctor started.

"Was-" Harry stopped. "Is the Magister right, are you a devious Time Lord Doctor?"

The Doctor sighed. "There are so many possibilities that exist in the universe Harry, so many different paths that can be walked, to step on the correct path is complicated. Events need to be guided."

"Ace said you liked to do the manipulating thing, Skaro, Gabriel Chase, the Validium…" Harry looked over to the Doctor who was watching him as he trailed off with a sigh. "Time's Champion, that's what Professor Summerfield said you called yourself," quoting what Hermione told him from her encounter with the Doctor.

"Everything needs a champion," the Doctor responded.

"When did you know?" Harry asked, looking into the fire suddenly feeling tired with everything.

"Know?" The Doctor asked.

"About all of this could you…could you have stopped the deaths?" Harry wondered.

The Doctor was silent for a time, he didn't really know how long. "No," he finally said.

"But you did know that they would happen?" Harry pressed.

"No Harry…I knew…I know about some of the things that have happened, that were integral to the timeline….but…"

"But?" Harry looked up from the fire.

"While on Gallifrey during that business with the Sontarans I had a chance to open my mind to the Matrix and saw the possibilities and future open up, you had more than your share of futures and possibilities," the Doctor said looking at him.

"Okay." Harry said unsurely, he recalled only vaguely the Doctor mentioning in the past something about Gallifrey and Sontarans.

"You have almost as many timelines as me, quite a feat. But I knew I could help more, in such a small way, friendship is such a delicate thing," he continued to explain.

"How?" Harry asked.

"I made myself forget…" He then muttered to himself. "The demat gun will do that." Before resuming a regular level of voice. "And much later left a message for myself to meet you, to begin our friendship."

Harry really wasn't sure how to feel about this piece of information, but knowing it…it didn't really change anything, it did but there was one thing. "What if I hadn't known you?" He asked after a moment of thought "Would Sirius, Cedric…Dumbledore…would they still be alive? The Magister once said, when you turn up people die."

"He also killed people Harry, lest you forget that," the Doctor countered immediately.

"But he never lied about that Doctor, setting out to kill someone is very different," Harry countered coolly, after all what did he have ahead of him?

"No…they would still have died had I not been in your life Harry," the Doctor answered after gazing into the fire for a while, it seemed like a dark shadow had passed across him, a deep sense of worry and regret. He seemed to begin to think about saying something, but then didn't.

Harry let the silence hang for a while, a question bubbling within him, a curiosity since the Doctor mentioned it, the concept of 'what if'. "So what would have been different, what other possibilities were there for me, my life? Doctor?"

The Doctor looked at him for a moment and then smiled a gentle smile and told him.

-/

By the end of it Harry was laughing as he hadn't for a long time, it didn't matter if the Doctor was lying or there really was a possible future out there where he'd shacked up with Professor Snape to be his lover, it still put a whole new light on everything.

"Harry?" He turned Hermione was walking over to them.

"Ms Granger," the Doctor greeted brightly.

"Doctor?" Hermione didn't seem very surprised. "Harry are you alright?"

"Yes…yes I think I am," Harry said looking over at the Doctor as he rose from where he was sitting.

"Time for me to leave I think," smiled to them both.

"I..." He was cut off.

"We," Hermione interjected.

Harry looked to her. "We'll walk you back to the TARDIS."

"Very well," the Doctor said looking between the pair. It felt like such a long time had passed since he had seen either of them.

"So where to now?" Harry wondered

"Skaro," The Doctor muttered.

"I thought you…" Harry began.

"An old Kaled name meaning home, the Daleks never were original," the Doctor explained.

"Why?" Harry asked, Hermione was standing a respectful distance away as they talked by the doors of the TARDIS.

"Our old friend the Master has been put on trial," the Doctor replied.

"By the Daleks?!" Harry asked incredulously. "Why'd they do that?"

"Sentence was passed" The Doctor continued ignoring his question. "He made a request that was granted, that I take his remains back to Gallifrey."

"They, the Daleks granted it? Didn't you say he went a bit odd the last time I met you?" Though Harry thought to himself he was looking less than healthy the last time he'd met him.

"He is still a Time Lord, and a friend Harry. Even in death he is dangerous, it will be best to get to him before the Daleks get curious," the Doctor said as he slipped his key into the TARDIS lock and with an unearthly whirr within the door unlocked.

Harry grabbed him in a hug. "Look after yourself Doctor."

"And you Harry…and you. Remember friendship endures, even if they sometimes don't know it," he said stepping away from him. "Good luck and good bye Ms Granger." He raised his hat to them both and stepped into the TARDIS.

Harry barely noticed as Hermione stepped up to stand beside him as the wind drew up around them as the TARDIS disappeared, leaving them once more alone.

"What was all that laughing about?" Hermione asked.

"Just…just the idea of me in Slytherin shagging Cho Chang," Harry couldn't suppress the smile forming on his face.

"What?" Hermione spluttered, or quite possibly gagged.

"That was my reaction, but you have to laugh," he said feeling vitalised for the journey once more.

"There's also the idea of Ginny and Draco Malfoy to scrub out of my mind," Harry said casually as they walked back to their tent. His spirits lifted for the first time in a while.

-/ - \\-

"And quite honestly, I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."

Harry stood at the entrance to Hogwarts, the sound of cheering, of laughter, of relief pouring out the Great Hall behind him.

Hermione and Ron were also standing behind him he could sense more or less. While they were talking to the portrait of Dumbledore he'd just decided to walk out, to look out across the grounds, to smell the air, and look out across the sky.

He fancied for a moment that he could see a space ship in the sky, or perhaps it was just a cloud.

Despite his weariness, his lack of sleep and the fact he had escaped death he still felt slightly energised, even though he wanted to crawl into bed. He wondered if this was how the Doctor felt when he regenerated. He looked up to the sky again, maybe he could just put his thumb up and hope for a ride. He raised his thumb up to the sky a quirky smile on his face as he did so.

After a few moments someone coughed behind him.

"Er…Harry what are you doing mate?" Asked a voice.

"Trying to hitch hike." Harry said turning around.

"Where?" Ron asked again a little slowly giving him an odd look.

Harry turned around, looking vaguely upwards. "'There are worlds out there were the sky is burning, the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song…'" Ron walked around in front of him as he looked around gesturing upwards.

"What Harry?" Ron looked on at Harry before looking back at Hermione who smiled conspiratorially.

"Something a friend told me," Harry said and laughed. He wasn't sure why he was laughing but it soon became infectious and they were all laughing together, hysterical, relief filled laughter.

-/

A/N:

Minor edit March 2021.

I changed how Hermione deals with her parents partially because I felt that while Hermione altering her parents memories (in DH) was a big emotional choice it also seemed quite a large abuse of power on her part.

There obviously is a suggestion now that her father was in the armed forces (there is one line in the previous chapter that also suggests this). I think Hermione now is more considerate and more mature, and has experienced far more than in the original DH. So Hermione's parents are being hidden by UNIT or some subsection of it (probably in an old Cold War era bunker) or something.

For the Magister (the Master) he visits Harry at some point just before The Deadly Assassin.

I hadn't intended to include the Master when I began to plan this chapter, but after I started to think about it I decided to include him once more. I haven't wanted to include the Anthony Ainley version of the Master as it has some awkward themes of possession (that teamed with Harry's experiences wouldn't work too well). So moving along through the Master's life, as with the Doctor this is the next Master who turned up. He's a bit more mad, and horribly burnt with quite a bit more of a grudge against the Doctor.

There was a scene that I imagined, but it didn't make it to the final cut where the Magister gives Harry a personal chameleon shroud, which makes him appear to look like the Master that he knew previous to this (the charred) one. It was to replace the over used Polyjuice Potion at the wedding, but I couldn't make it fit nicely and it would have necessitated re-writing large chunks of the wedding chapter yet it didn't really add anything to the story, it was just a nice image Harry as the Master wandering around Bill and Fleur's wedding as the Master.

Harry and the Doctor's meeting.

It was always going to the Seventh Doctor, it's the seventh book after all. But it was also the Seventh Doctor that started the friendship (the Seventh Doctor in the Virgin New Adventure novels was often leaving notes for himself) and generally being a bit devious and manipulative.

For the Seventh Doctor this is immediately before the TV movie (I have the Doctor paraphrase the opening monologue).

I didn't want to go too meta-referencing through the various styles of Harry Potter fan fic, but I thought I'd drop a couple in there as 'alternate timelines' of Harry.

This isn't the last chapter. Not by a long shot.