Chapter 20
Harry looked around him.
Then he did turned 360 again, he was still in something of a stupor.
It had been like this earlier in the day, he'd gone into the town near UNIT HQ to get some contemporary clothing for his investigation.
He decided not to try for the Doctor's unique fashion styling. Though he did appreciate how the Doctor carried himself with confidence now, and later. Though, velvet and frock coats wasn't quite for him.
Though what he was wearing wasn't exactly modern it was contemporary-ish and wasn't military inspired which was what he'd been wearing mostly around UNIT.
He fancied it made him look a bit like Indiana Jones, he even had a hat. Though the hat and rather archaic looking tinted glasses were more to hide his eyes, while the hat and how he'd squashed his hair was to hide his scar.
The brown leather jacket he'd donned did somewhat remind him of the Doctor, the northern one whom he'd met; who the Doctor was yet to become.
"I thought knowing a time traveller was confusing, now I'm doing it," he said to himself looking around again. He patted his pocket again, just to reassure himself he had his wand with him, he'd need it to get into where he was heading.
It was a somewhat long walk through London to his destination, just because he was taking it slow, taking in the sights, the wonder, it was like being on another planet. Yet another planet wouldn't give such an odd disconnected feeling of familiarity and wonder.
It was amazing; he couldn't stop grinning as he looked around.
All this wonder, newness and everything was so disconnected from the site he'd been at with the Brigadier a fortnight ago.
UNIT hadn't been called to anything like that again, so far.
He'd been waiting until now to make his approach. Into the wizarding world. Into a particular pub that he was now standing outside of.
He was very sure now that Hogwarts had returned, which meant his mother, his father, his godfather, his former teachers and Pettigrew had all returned for their second year at Hogwarts, and therefore there would be no chance of running into them.
No chance at all.
Not that he wanted to meet them. He understood what he was doing, what he was doing here, why he was here.
Corrupting the timeline further wasn't part of his plan.
They were all younger than him, their second year; Sirius was still living with his parents, Lily was still friends with Severus. There was so much to come for them. For the whole wizarding world.
He couldn't, wouldn't disrupt that.
He realised after a moment he was still standing, looking at the Leaky Cauldron entrance, he still hadn't crossed the road towards it.
Standing instead pontificating to himself about the hows, whens and whatevers of his current predicament, his future parents, future godfather, future friends, teachers and…other people.
He took a breath of air and adjusted his tinted glasses, it felt so weird to be wearing glasses after so long without them, something he had the Doctor to thank for, this Doctor in fact, though of course in the Doctor's future.
Shifting his hat again, he made his way across the road.
Not that anyone would see his scar and say anything, here, now it would just be another scar, of which he had many. But in the future it would mean something and many would remember and know it, know him.
He stood at the door of the pub and took a breath again and walked in.
It was just as it was, as it had been, would be…whatever.
He briefly gazed around, there were some drinkers, and some people gave him a once over look, but no one seemed to pay him much attention as he walked through and towards the entrance to a famous alleyway.
Taping his wand through the sequence of bricks he got a chill running down his back as they folded away and revealed the alleyway.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley." he said to himself.
Ioan had written an analysis essay that he'd self published and sent around the wizarding community, it had been after he'd been 'asked to leave', but had still got some traction, he'd even made some money from it. It had been speaking about the static nature of the wizarding world, its closed mindedness, the way it extended through all parts of wizarding life. The unmoving nature of wizarding society.
A part of that essay came to mind as he looked out into the Alley, nothing had changed, from long in the past till when he'd written his essay, and he postulated nothing would change unless something Earth shattering occurred.
But it wasn't just the shops, they prided themselves on their longevity, on their heritage.
It was the people, the styles, the way everyone carried themselves. Everything hadn't changed, or wouldn't changed.
"Tenses," he muttered to himself, chastising himself once more for talking aloud.
Though he knew there would be some changes, if he turned a corner there would be no Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Turn another corner there would be Ollivander's. A shop he would definitely not be going, the man seemed to know more things than the average wizard and he didn't want to give him the heads up 20 or so years before he actually visited him.
It was the distinct lack of a cultural change, he expected there to be some sort of difference, as London was outside of the alley such a disconnect between the London he knew and this present London.
Not just the people, but the atmosphere, everything. But there was, nothing had changed between now and in 30 or so years in the future, that is prior to the second wizarding war with Voldemort, the first was barely noticeable for now.
He shook himself out of his pondering and walked forwards towards Gringotts.
He had considered bringing money from his present back, though the considerations involved gave him a headache.
He knew he was going to need money, both in this and the regular world.
Instead of cash he'd brought with him a selection of precious stones and some gold.
For now though he needed to get some contemporary wizarding cash.
The goblins thankfully didn't give him a second look, didn't ask him to open an account nor did they question him about where the diamond came from, they went off, checked it again and then gave him a hefty sum of coins.
Which led him to lining up again to change the (rather surprising) amount of coinage into a substantial amount paper pounds. He was glad for the large pockets in his jacket.
Looking around the alleyway from the front of the bank the first place he decided he needed to go was Flourish & Blotts not just for its books but for its range of regularly printed media. To see what was making the headlines, including any female redheads looking to pervert history in this time of change and unrest… Voldemort was also out there somewhere too. Harry thought to himself as he looked up at the sky, and probably no one around knew how long what coming was going to last. And he was the only one, other than Ginny and her fanatics that knew how it would end, that was another reason they needed to be found and eliminated.
The bookshop was exactly the same, the books for Hogwarts were still out, some were earlier, though new editions of books he'd used at Hogwarts, some were variations on the same theme. But what he was looking for were the periodicals.
It made him smile that they were located in the same place, on the same shelving, though they were cheaper, so obviously the wizarding economy did change through time.
He grabbed the previous day's copy as well as today's copy of the Daily Prophet, also copies of Transfiguration Today, Challenges in Charming and The Practical Potioneer not that he thought Ginny might be publishing anything, but just in case, and it paid to be detailed. It also seemed that Xenophilius Lovegood was already working; he grabbed a copy of The Quibbler it lay on the bottom shelf, covered by other magazines like Witch Weekly which he didn't pickup.
If Ginny was preaching her message he doubted it would be in there.
With his bag of newspapers in hand he started slowly back towards the entrance to the alley, whilst thinking to himself where to go from here.
If she was preaching at all there was something of a problem. Her philosophy was something that had always been present, but here and now most people didn't believe in aliens by default and those who did were way underground or out away from the wizarding world.
There would also be the danger that she fell into Voldemort's clutches, their philosophies weren't exactly similar, though they weren't exactly the same either.
Of course it was while he was pondering to himself that he walked into people who were waiting in line to get through the entrance.
"Sorry 'bout that," he said as he stepped away from them. "Caught in thought."
"Nothing wrong with thinking friend. It's the lack of thinking that afflicts most people," one of them said.
"That's what I've always thought, though I tend to think far to much, better at thinking than doing so people say," said the other man he'd walked into.
"Thinking about something important friend?" Asked the first man who'd spoken, as the second craned around to look up the queue.
"Life, the universe and everything," Harry replied.
"How philosophical, you don't hear a statement like that very often do you?" He said with a smile.
It was then that Harry realised that first he'd quoted something that hadn't been written yet, and second the man's smile reminded him of something; then it was gone, flittered away in memory.
It probably wasn't important.
"What's going on? I didn't think there'd ever be a queue to get out of the alley," Harry said looking around, but the line was quickly spreading into a group of people, looking around and talking.
"Not sure friend, some of them 're saying there was a muggle hanging around trying to get in through the barrier."
Harry shrugged. "Maybe it's a parent of a muggle born or something."
"They usually get Tom to get them through so I'm told," said the second man.
"How about we go have a drink, while they sort it out. They'll want to get all bureaucratic with them. How about you friend? Fancy a drink while we let the crowd thin?"
Harry looked ahead and shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure." It would also help to get to know some people within the wizarding world, whom he didn't share a future with, as he was sure he had never met these two men.
-/
"So what's your name friend?"
Harry blanked for a moment, he hadn't actually thought about a name. "Harry James," he said holding out his hand. Any fictional elements were best kept close to truth, and Harry and James were both relatively common names. A little odd as a surname…but it was easier.
"I'm Gideon," introduced the first man.
"Fabian," the other said shaking Harry's hand.
"Nice to meet you Harry," Gideon smiled at him.
Oh….Harry thought to himself. Of course he hadn't met these two before.
But he had met their brothers, and sister.
He was also looking for their future niece.
But that was in the future, a future they'd never see.
Harry allowed himself to relax into the moment, sitting in a pub some ways into Diagon Alley, drinking a pint of beer with Gideon and Fabian Prewett.
They were funny, intelligent and interesting people.
Every so often when they were talking he could see something of their sister in them, and just briefly he'd seen something of Fred and George in the way they bounced conversationally against one another.
Though, Gideon was Harry thought, a year or so older than Fabian they seemed very close.
Harry stared into his pint and wondered how he had come to meet these two, friendly brilliant people.
People who wouldn't live to see the end of a war that was just spinning up, a war that would see them loose their lives.
"Morose thoughts?" Fabian's voice intruded into his staring into his pint.
"Very morose," Harry agreed.
"Feel like sharing? Or not, it's not often we encounter someone so chatty about the world, and 'life the universe and everything'," he smiled quoting Harry.
Harry wondered if intergalactic copyright police would drop down out of the sky and take him to court for using a phrase that wouldn't make its way into the collective consciousness for a good few years.
"Maybe, maybe…" Harry said eventually, deciding his moral and copyright questions did not lie within the not so murky depths of a beer glass, no matter how many philosophers and professional drinkers might say otherwise.
"I'll go and get us a bite to eat and you can tell us all about it?" Gideon stood from the table before Harry could say anything, Fabian just smiled good naturedly at him.
"So why all the questions about the world Harry? You sound like you've been a hermit, living in the mountains or something," Gideon queried curiously.
The idea amused Harry somewhat. "I've been away in the muggle world for a while."
"Now you're back," Harry wasn't sure if Fabian's statement was just that or a question, it didn't quite lack the upward inflection of a question, though it wasn't totally lacking in neutrality either.
It was somewhat confounding second guessing himself on what he should say.
"Something like that," Harry answered noncommittally.
"We're curious, we know," Gideon said with a smile and he took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Some say we're nosy," Fabian added.
"I like to think we're open to the wonders of the world," Gideon said as he swallowed a mouthful of beer.
"The only way to be in my books; keep an open mind and you won't have your world view split open when something truly amazing happens." Harry offered as he finished his sandwich.
"Truly amazing Fabian, I like that Harry. As opposed to?" Gideon let the question hang.
"As opposed to just plain amazing," Harry paused. "When a muggle born comes into the wizarding world magic is amazing."
Both Gideon and Fabian nodded.
"But," Harry smiled. "something truly amazing is shatteringly different, challenging; truly amazing."
"Well…" Fabian started.
"That sounds interesting." Gideon finished.
Harry smiled and in affirmation.
-/
"Well I think we should go and see if the queue has been resolved don't you think Gideon, Harry?" Fabian said as they finished their lunch.
The line of people had indeed thinned to almost nothing and as they approached the entrance back to the Leakey Cauldron Harry saw exactly what, or who had most likely caused the backlog of people.
"Ah" Harry muttered. "I'll see you too around?" Harry asked as they walked toward the entrance.
"Someone you know?" Fabian enquired looking towards where Harry had been.
"A muggle friend of a friend, I think it might be easier to give the Ministry officials a useful fiction, than a complicated truth," Harry replied enigmatically to Gideon.
"We're in the alley almost every Wednesday," Fabian shook his hand, as did Gideon.
Harry gripped both their hands and then shuffled off to the side of the short line of people.
-/
Harry buttoned up his jacket and pulled down his hat so he was quite unrecognisable, then he muttered a few words to himself and hoped his accent would sound foreign enough.
"Good day sir," Harry said approaching affecting a vaguely European accent towards the ministry official questioning the man who was sat on a stool, seemingly refusing to answer any of the Ministry official's questions.
"Yes?" The Ministry official regarded him.
"My name is Vilius Krull, my superiors," he flashed his relatively empty wallet quickly at the Ministry man. "made me aware of this problem, how you Britishers say 'muggle-born associate of ours." Harry spared only a vague look at the Captain whom he knew from around UNIT though he hadn't specifically talked to yet.
"Your 'associate' was trying to enter Diagon Alley. He's refused to give us any information," the man puffed up his chest a bit. Harry wondered if he was having a heart attack, but realised he was just trying to appear taller than him. "I'll have to take him to the Ministry for charging."
"I don't think this is necessary. This could cause severe repercussions for my and your superiors," Harry really hoped his accent, which was fluctuating between 'Bond-villian' and Viktor Krum was sounding convincing enough. Hopefully though, the bureaucrat wasn't going to ask where he was from. And who his superiors were. "Especially given our close associations recently," he added.
The Ministry man was paling quickly, he even took a step away from him.
"Of course not, of course not," he said quickly. "I would never, I mean…" Harry didn't smile but instead pushed his hands into his pocket feeling around for a suitable amount of money.
Drawing his hand out, carefully not to show anything he pressed his hand into the Ministry official's hand. "Something to apologise for the inconvenience our associate has caused you."
The man blustered some more, but pocketed the money in a practiced movement. "Of course, of course, nothing to worry about old chap, can't have a diplomatic incident over this small issue," he said suddenly far more chummy.
"Of course," Harry smiled and put a firm hand on Captain Yates' shoulder and dragged him up. "I shall take this underling at once, and we shall be of no further trouble to you and your citizens," Harry said his accent to him sounded really over the top, but the Ministry man seem to just want him away.
-/
Once they were outside and a short way from the pub Harry let go of his grip on the Captain's shoulders as they walked down an alleyway.
He should have been angry that he'd been followed.
Scratch that, he was angry that he'd been followed, the Brigadier had made a situation needlessly more complicated by sending the Captain along. Who knew what the Ministry might have extracted out of him if he hadn't been there.
Though, he could see the Brigadier's reasoning; gathering information and the like.
However he was annoyed with himself that he hadn't realised he'd been followed, though he wasn't expecting it here and now, not a lot of people in this time period wanted him dead.
"Did you leave a vehicle around here Captain Yates?"
"You knew I followed you?" He asked looking around carefully.
"I deduced that. It wasn't the most intelligent thing to do Captain Yates to walk into that situation," Harry explained carefully. Having a go at the Captain would achieve nothing.
He shook his head. "I…" He started and then stopped, probably realising that he probably shouldn't be telling the person he'd been ordered to follow that he had been following him.
"You are so out of your depth that it surprises me that the Brigadier sent someone to follow me," Harry shook his head. "I'm sure you've brought something to get you back to HQ, want to save me a train ride and ring them up?"
"Ring?" Yates looked at him slightly puzzled.
Harry sighed. "Radio."
-/
"Having me followed was not the best idea Brigadier," Harry said as he walked into the room recently vacated by Captain Yates.
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart silently regarded the younger man.
"I understand why you did it," Harry sat down into the chair opposite the Brigadier.
"You do, do you?" The Brigadier asked, his tone mostly neutral with a slight undercurrent of something.
Harry scratched the back of his head. "But following," he paused. "Trying to get one of your men in there," he paused again. "All you need to have done was ask. By following me and Captain Yates getting himself noticed as not a wizard I had to get noticed."
The Brigadier remained silent watching him. Harry looked back at the Brigadier in thought. "Unless you didn't want to get into the wizarding world, not yet anyway." He sat up rubbing his chin. "What you actually ordered him to do was what I said initially follow me," Harry smiled at the Brigadier coolly. "Don't you trust me Brigadier?" Harry stood up. "Though why should you trust me, I appear from nowhere with some mad story about being a wizard and a time traveller, who would ever come up with a story like that. It's not something you hear all the time," Harry said watching, trying to gauge the Brigadier's responses, despite Magister's teachings in years past reading people was something that he was still only okay at. Judith was much better at getting a quick read on people.
"I trusted you Mr Potter when you arrived, your story was honest," the Brigadier said as Harry sat down once more. "After the incident at Oaks Field though, Captain Yates gave me an interesting report on your actions, towards me."
Harry kept his face neutral. Oaks Field was the hamlet that he'd been to with the Brigadier with the bodies and the Dark Mark and everything.
"And?" Harry prompted.
"His report states that he heard when you were 'assisting' me at the site that you were hypnotising me," the Brigadier paused and stared at him. "He said you sounded just like the Master."
Harry wondered if he should take that as a compliment, but he kept his face neutral. "And what are you asking me Brigadier?"
The Brigadier leaned forward in his chair. "Did you hypnotise me Mr Potter?"
"Yes," Harry said simply. "All you need to do was ask Brigadier," he smiled.
"And you didn't think it was appropriate to tell me of this?" The Brigadier's voice rose up.
Harry shook his head as he sat back into his chair. "If I had, it would have been far more difficult to convince you to walk into that area, maybe impossible to do so. That spell seemed to have a cumulative effect, I hear people are still having trouble getting in there, the more you try to force your way in, knowing what's there the more it fights," Harry paused and added. "Just a theory, though that part," he explained calmly.
"And you didn't think to tell me about this afterwards?" Asked the Brigadier and annoyed tone creeping into his voice.
"It slipped my mind. I'm sorry to have misplaced your trust Brigadier. We will still work together Brigadier, but in future I will inform you on matters of the mind," Harry answered honestly as he rose from his chair. "I think I should find my own transport, I shouldn't be relying on your men to drive me around," Harry touched his hat. "Good day Brigadier."
As Harry grasped the door handle he heard the Brigadier mutter to himself. "You're worse than the Doctor."
Harry allowed himself to smile.
-/ - \\-
Harry wasn't sure how the Doctor had found out about his 'talk' with the Brigadier, but he'd popped his head into the lab he was using and suggested he'd take him to look for a vehicle.
The awkwardness had somewhat subsided as they drove away from UNIT in Bessie.
They had silently agreed not to talk about their future meeting, not their near future at least.
At least that was what Harry gathered from their silence and the casual conversation they had been making.
"I keep thinking while I'm working, I'll just check it on the internet, or hack into the military's computer system, or see what the satellites are showing or…" Harry shook his head. "Now I know how you must feel, stuck here. It feels backward and it's only 30 or so years in my past."
The Doctor laughed heartily. "The range of crossing time streams Harry old chap, contending with what the environment throws at you."
"Yes, archaic technology and polyester becoming a fashionable fibre," Harry mock shuddered.
"Have you had any success in locating your terrorists?" Asked the Doctor.
Harry shook his head. "I'm working on some ideas, once I can take them out into the field, I also need to find some places where the terrorists might disseminate their views and influence their target groups," he answered carefully.
It was odd thinking about Ginny and her gang as terrorists, the word was one that the Brigadier had used, and he fancied it meant something different here than it did from his own time.
"Here we are," The Doctor said after, well Harry wasn't sure, an amount of time driving. He'd been sitting back listening to the wind noise and the sound of the engine, the Doctor too seemed content to drive on in silence.
Where they were was a rather unassuming factory, but earlier before they'd left the Doctor had said this was run by someone who was part of one of his clubs and held a veritable trove of vehicles.
There was the slight question of why he needed a car at all, he was a wizard after all.
But he would leave apparating as a last resort. He was effectively operating here without any wizarding back up, no one wizarding knew who he really was and where he was. If he buggered up an apparition and splinched himself, or worse, there's be no one around to call in to help. He wasn't worried about his ability at apparating. But the landscape of Britain had changed between now and 2003, where he'd left from. Buildings were demolished or new ones erected, and it all seemed like a potential minefield of problems.
As he looked around the cars on offer he hoped he had enough money, of which he had a substantial amount stashed in his pockets, owed mainly to his conversion of the diamond at Gringotts.
-/
"Doctor I can't," he said looking at the car he'd just fallen in love with. He'd been for a (rather long) test drive in it. Already something of a classic the Jaguar E-Type Mark 1 in British Racing Green was a beautiful car and a wonder to drive. The Doctor had left him looking over the engine and returned a short while later, handing him the keys.
"Think of it as a belated birthday present," the Doctor smiled at him and pushed the keys into his hand.
-/ - \\-
"Did you have to Doctor?" The Brigadier looked out the window to where Harry Potter had parked his car in the same garage as the Doctor's 'car'.
"Harry was perfectly willing to pay for it himself," the Doctor said. "Or is it that your attempt at following him failed Brigadier? Really did you think that Yates wouldn't get caught."
"One could always hope Doctor," the Brigadier grumbling as he walked away from the window. They were in the Doctor's seldom-used office that was adjacent to his lab.
The Doctor produced two glasses and a bottle of a good Scotch from somewhere.
Not that Lethbridge-Stewart had ever known the Doctor to drink a bad Scotch, a bad anything indeed, the tea lady had soon come to know and be lectured on the best way to make a cup of tea.
"What do you know about this Harry Potter chap Doctor? He's from the future, the near future." Lethbridge-Stewart asked. He had held off pushing the Doctor for further information until he had…mellowed a little, and his recent sojourn away from Earth, which he didn't even pretend to understand and his day out with Potter seemed the perfect time to talk with him. The Doctor could be reasonable on occasion.
The Doctor swirled the whiskey around in his glass. "I know something of Harry's early life. Nothing that could help you in any conflicts that will happen," the Doctor poured himself another glass. Lethbridge-Stewart had barely started on his. "In any case Brigadier, it's a bit late, you did sign him up with UNIT didn't you? Another advisor for UNIT? Hmm?"
"On your word Doctor," he replied in a cautious tone, swallowing a mouthful of Scotch. "Maybe I was too hasty trusting you and Mr Potter."
The Doctor looked at him across the desk. "What the devil are you accusing Harry of Brigadier?"
'Being a little bit too like you Doctor' Lethbridge-Stewart thought to himself, but instead remained silent. Mr Potter was from the future, by his account he had been fighting someone who wanted to kill him for much of his teenage school life in addition now he ran an organisation in what sounded like an increasingly dangerous world.
Perhaps it was just Potter's caution, his flippancy and the cool way he dealt with his accusations and the manner in which he held himself that made him…concerned.
Lethbridge-Stewart accepted another glass of the fine whiskey from the Doctor.
It wasn't just the Doctor that Potter reminded him of. During the business with the Axons he'd spent some time with the Master, and it was Potter's manner that reminded him of the Master's.
Though the Doctor had said it wasn't likely Harry had met the Master, however Potter was from his and the Doctor's future so…
"Blasted business this time travel rot Doctor," he said as his thoughts threatened to run away with themselves.
The Doctor chuckled. "Harry has rather nicely illustrated the complexities of traversing the time streams, though with admirable constraint," the Doctor commented rather proudly as he swallowed another mouthful of his Scotch.
-/ - \\-
A/N:
Minor edit done March 2021.
There will be more of Gideon and Fabian in future chapters.
It's also possible that Harry will meet other members of the Order of the Phoenix who died during the first wizarding war.
Harry obviously will only be able to meet members who died prior to his birth, otherwise things will just become even more needlessly complicated.
Thanks for reading.
