Chapter 24
That's not gone well. Harry thought to himself as he tore out of the tiny bookshop, a piece of brickwork exploding to his left as a group of quite angry cultural idealists and one cultural terrorist fired nasty coloured spells at him.
Is there even such a thing at the Statute of Secrecy? Harry thought as he turned back and shouted stunning spells in the direction of his pursuers.
His spells crackled down the short alleyway striking two of the people chasing him.
Harry ran around the corner, sliding slightly as his shoes failed to grip at the street he turned just as several spells slammed into the neighbouring shops making the windows explode outwards under the assault of spell fire.
"They really don't like me," he said as he took a breath and aimed his wand at the street. "Aguamenti." Then he took off again down another street. He had no idea where he was going, but as the air around him fizzed and crackled with spells it didn't really matter much, getting away from the people firing spells was a number one priority.
Something hit him in the shoulder and he felt a sensation not too dissimilar to burning and realised a spell had struck him on the shoulder. Great.
Turning down another alleyway he considered apparating, he hadn't before because of the spell fire, and now the burning sensation was pulling at his concentration, splinching would not be a good thing. There was no safety net and he didn't exist beyond a fake accent and a semi-fake name in the wizarding world, and the two guys who could vouch for him knew his future headmaster. Or in another word; complicated.
-/
They were probably pissed off that he'd 'disappeared' one of their group. Not that they knew or could know how permanent he'd 'disappeared' Joshua. But they were still pissed at him, maybe someone had sent an owl out.
Damn those owls, or letters, or something.
It was oddly invigorating, running in the night air, Harry reflected, even taking into account the spell that was burning his shoulder and the other spells that were being flung around him, it was fortunate they were such bad shots. Atrociously bad shots in fact.
Which was bad considering where he found himself; a busy street.
Harry fired off a series of spell and curses he'd only used on odd occasions since Hogwarts; Petrificus Totalus, jelly legs jinx, Confundo anything to slow the rabid mob down, short of killing them, Harry suspected that would just anger them more.
Really, how had the boring group of people reading off manifestos turned into a rabid mob? Harry asked himself in a second or two of spare thought as he looked around for a way out that wasn't through the crowded street.
He sighed. "Sonorus. Make a hole!" He shouted, his voice amplified he gained the attention of everyone just as a rainbow of spells from people not incapacitated followed him as he picked up his speed of running.
Of course it couldn't go easily. He thought to himself, as the crowd parted as he ran down the length of the crowded street, unfortunately the crowd didn't close as he ran but instead led the rabid wand wavers follow him. The street came to an abrupt end he vaguely noticed that the street sign said 'Carnaby street'.
"Always wanted to visit," he said as he sucked in a breath of the cool London air and looked around the street.
Never a taxi when you need one. Harry thought to himself as he chose a direction to run in.
-/ - \\-
"What precisely were you doing Harry to be sprayed and burnt with in this curious substance?" The Doctor asked, jeweller's spectacles on as he picked out another piece of his shirt that had been melted into his flesh. Harry grit his teeth as he felt his flesh be pulled away.
"Nothing much, dropping in on a manifesto reading," he answered as casually as he could.
"Hmmm," the Doctor said dabbing his wound with a substance that made him want to swear in 5 different languages. "Was this-" The Doctor started to say but Harry also spoke first.
"I heard the Daleks gate crashed the peace conference, did everyone get out okay?"
"You heard about that?" Harry looked over his shoulder at the Doctor and nodded.
"Such a pity, Sir Reginald had a excellent wine cellar too," the Doctor lamented.
Harry snorted. "I was expecting you to elucidate on the nature of the Daleks' presence there Doctor."
"Ah, a rather brash business on the part of the Daleks Harry old chap. Considering their past form quite a complicated mess of a temporal paradox, quite a mess of the time stream with their adultered time travel contraptions they made to attempt to create the future that had been created through a misguided attempt at time travel by humans."
Harry swore as the Doctor pulled out a large piece of fabric and what felt like flesh.
"Really Harry such language," the Doctor tutted.
"How much flesh did you just rip out Doctor?" Harry asked with a tightness in his voice.
"Well…" The Doctor began.
"To add to my myriad of scars," Harry said to himself, at least where the spell struck was already where he already had scar tissue. The Doctor had commented as much when he'd started to clean up the wound when he'd found Harry trying to do it one armed in the sick bay. "Is there anything wrong with humans having time travel Doctor?"
"Humanity my dear Harry is barely pulling itself away from starting wars with one another. Time travel is an immensely complex operation," the Doctor answered.
"I managed it," Harry commented.
Harry felt the Doctor giving him a look, even though he was behind him. "You're a special case Harry, you have benefited from my unique perspective throughout your years."
"Humanity gets it eventually doesn't it?" Harry asked curiously.
"Eventually Harry, some nasty experiments with the Zygma beam will likely force temporal agents into creation. Long after your time," the Doctor explained. "I wonder why I knew that?" He muttered to himself. "The Time Lords messing with my memory, keeping me stuck here…" He continued mostly to himself.
Harry reached around and placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "No exile lasts forever Doctor," Harry said as he met the Doctor's gaze.
The Doctor looked at him and held his gaze for a moment. "You should keep still Harry, this" He grabbed a small pot that was sitting next to the antiseptics. "Is likely to be painful, but should drastically help in with the healing process. Really, what are you up to Harry that leads you to this?"
Harry sighed. "I'm ensuring the stability of the web of time and protecting my future from cultural terrorists. Something that fuc-argh!" Harry grunted as the Doctor used a spatula-like contraption to smear a dollop of the whatever it was onto his wound.
For a moment pain blotted out everything.
"This better be" Harry paused to catch a breath. "Really good, because I think I'd rather be hit with the spell again than go through that."
"Yes, well, that is, it is a work in process," he paused, adding "Something to keep you from injuring yourself too much whilst working in your past."
"I try Doctor I try, I just need a different tactic." Harry moving his shoulder around, it felt like all his muscles around the injured area were still twitching through pain either induced by the Doctor's concoction or through the original spell fire.
-/ - \\-
According to Magister some time ago, in the Magister's future and his past the disguises Magister liked to use required a 'low level psychic interface to bond to your features'. Harry would have liked to quiz Magister on this more but he had been moved by the Brigadier as his prosecution was moved forward. From the scuttlebutt he'd heard around the UNIT tea making facilities 'the Master' was going to be tried in absentia.
Then Harry knew he would be transferred to Fortress Island, where he'd annoy the Brigadier (and the British Navy) by escaping (amongst other things).
All of which was in the future, just not too far into it.
Harry looked around him, considering UNIT's status as a top secret facility, they really needed to install a few more security cameras. 'UNIT Evidence Room 1' Harry read on the door, plus perhaps adopt a system where names of secure high value areas aren't written in nice big letters on the door of said rooms. Though this was the same facility that had 'UNIT – Top Secret' written on a sign out the front. He'd asked the Doctor about it, but he'd muttered something about "pompus politicking officials" and left the explanation at that.
"Alohomora," Harry said in a soft tone and smiled as the locks on the door unlocked themselves.
The room was deceptively larger than its door led you to believe, it seemed to have covered several rooms and they'd just decided to knock all the walls out to hold all the various bits of evidence against whomever UNIT captured.
Which considering UNIT's unofficial 'shoot first' mandate was interesting.
Harry pulled down another box off the shelf and looked back at the box he'd thrown the masks he'd found in, he'd already found a couple of 'unidentified mask' masks, including one that smelled vaguely of cigar smoke. He'd also found one mask that was "the Master" found on according to the note on the bag it was in 'Rex Farrell' whoever he was. Going through the box of mostly burnt items (labelled 'recovered from Nuton Power Complex site), he found another mask, badly burnt like the rest of the things in the box, it looked very vaguely likely the Brigadier.
"Could be of some help," he muttered to himself replacing the box and throwing the bagged item into the box along with the others he'd 'liberated'.
Just as he was having a final look around someone walked in.
"Oi, what're you doin' in 'ere?"
"'what're you doin' in 'ere?'" Harry repeated in a muttered tone shaking his head, while he did thank the soldier that he didn't follow the 'shoot first interrogate the remains later' philosophy it was still something of a silly thing to say. Maybe put your hands up, stop what you're doing, something like that.
Harry stepped around from the shelf and fixed a stare on the soldier. "I'm not doing anything solider."
"I…You…" He faltered as Harry held his gaze.
"You didn't find anything in here, you found a locked door and then continued your patrol, do you understand me?" Harry said in a calm level tone staring into the man's eyes.
"I found a locked door and continued my patrol," he said in a monotone.
Harry allowed a smirk to play onto his lips. "Good, you found nothing."
"I found nothing," he repeated.
"Go about your patrol," Harry said and clicked his fingers, the man turned slowly around and walked out of the room.
Harry gave the room a once over before grabbing his box of liberated items and walked out the door. A tap of his wand re-sealed the door.
As he left the corridor he saw the solider continuing along it, dutifully checking all the door locks.
Harry watched him for a moment before heading off in the opposite direction.
-/
It was somewhat odd, looking in the mirror and twisting his face around, making this other face move.
It was much like using a polyjuice potion, without the weird out of body experience that came with your whole body changing.
This was a much less weird experience.
Putting the mask on had been a somewhat odd experience, the first time; nothing happened it just felt like a rubbery mask. It was only when he concentrated, reaching out with his mind in an odd abstract way that he felt something.
He really wished Magister was around so he could ask him about it, but he didn't want to ask the Brigadier again, he suspected that the Brigadier was still suspicious of his relationship to 'the Master'. Once the Master was moved from wherever he was to Fortress Island under guard by Colonel Trenchard and his men, then he could go and visit, he'd just have to play it correctly.
"How does one convince someone he is also seeking 'enemy agents'?" Harry asked the man in the mirror. His voice was unchanged, he knew that both the Doctor and Magister could throw their voices and mimic a lot of people. Magister more so than the Doctor, or perhaps the Doctor just didn't utilise the ability as much, or had the need to. It was Magister that had taught him how to throw his own voice, but only the Doctor and the Master could Harry mimic well.
Harry stripped off the mask and pulled on another, it was another non-descript face, again there was the weird feeling of enclosure as the mask latched itself onto the contours of his face and then he was able to stop concentrating on keeping it there and in place. Now it just remained in place as he pulled expressions in the mirror.
"This will be good for my purposes…" Harry said in a faux Eastern European accent.
Harry pulled on the burnt mask, it scratched against his skin but still sealed more or less exact as the others did.
"Nothing in ze world can stop me now!" Harry said and then turned around as someone was knocking loudly on his (locked) laboratory door.
"Potter! Potter are you in there?" Called the voice.
Harry looked back at the mirror. "I wonder if he's looking for these?" He asked the burned man in the mirror, then he pulled off the mask.
"Really should stop talking to myself. First sign of genius…or is that madness?" Harry wondered as he ignored the Brigadier's shouting and knocking and replaced all the masks in a filing cabinet that he promptly locked.
"Yes Brigadier?" He asked as he wrenched the door open.
"What the blazes were you up to Potter didn't you hear me?" The Brigadier demanded.
"Practicing being a megalomaniac Brigadier, now that you've locked up the Master someone has to take up the mantle," he said with a casual seriousness that gave the Brigadier pause for thought as he stared at him for a few seconds.
"There's a situation Potter, with me now," he said pulling Harry into the corridor by the shoulder.
-/
"Oh dear." Harry said as he looked through the book of photos the Brigadier had given him. "Oh dear," Harry repeated. "Who were these delivered to?"
"The Prime Minister. They were found in the board room in Downing Street."
"Oh dear," Harry said once more.
"Security's been stepped up." The Brigadier said with some confidence.
"If you don't mind who are these people exactly?"
"Ambassadors, Britain's included. All here for-"
Harry cut him off. "The Peace Conference. What about Styles?" Harry asked as he looked through the photos again. "And what of the Peace Conference?"
"It concluded. Potter are we dealing with…" The Brigadier asked, his voice very tense.
Harry sat heavily down into a chair. "Yes Brigadier we're dealing with wizards."
The Brigadier nodded. "Then as leader of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce UK I am officially placing you charge of the investigation into this matter Potter."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why is UNIT involved at all Brigadier? I would have thought with tensions being so high…the nations whose ambassadors were taken would be out for blood."
"The 'situation' Potter is still very tense. The Prime Minister wanted to bring in 5, 6 and the army but the international community over ruled him, they want UNIT as a UN sanctioned taskforce experienced with this sort of thing."
"Ah…of course." Harry said with an understanding smile.
-/
Harry laid the photos out on a now clear bench in his lab. The Brigadier walked in a moment later with another man who was carrying a box marked 'Biohazard'.
"When the letter arrived someone in Downing Street thought to seal it, given the tension during the peace conference," the Brigadier explained.
Harry nodded, he had wondered if there was a letter.
"Yes very good, who knows what sort of nasties are lurking on the page," Harry looked in through the plastic of the case. "They've got rather good penmanship." Harry observed. He looked back up from the box a few moments later and found that the Brigadier was till standing in the room watching him.
"Well?" He demanded.
"Well," Harry repeated. "What Brigadier?"
"Mr Potter may I remind you the full power of UNIT is at your disposal."
"Why Brigadier, that power could set me up above the gods!" Harry said in a slightly sarcastic tone before looking at the Brigadier coolly. "Brigadier, it's been" He paused and looked at a clock on the wall. "4 hours since you told me, I'm not the Doctor, and while I am a wizard I can't conjure information from the æther. But…" Harry said looking back at the biohazard box and thinking about a half remembered conversation, he was relatively sure it was Hermione, though it may have been Ioan. He was pretty sure there had been food involved.
"But…Potter?" The Brigadier walked around into his field of vision.
"Yes Brigadier?" Harry looked at him.
"You were saying something I would imagine to be important," he said before adding. "just like the Doctor."
Harry grinned manically at the Brigadier. "I'll need an electron microscope, I'm sure you can rustle up one of those on short notice Brigadier and I need to go to London."
"I'll send one of my men Mr Potter I want you here."
Harry shook his head. "No Brigadier, I need to go to the alley, there are a few things I need to pick up and consult," Harry said as he started to jot down some ideas.
"I thought you touted yourself as my expert Mr Potter?" The Brigadier gave him a challenging expression with a slight tone of amusement.
"Trust you to focus on the negatives Brigadier, be happy you have an expert." Harry countered.
-/ - \\-
The Brigadier hadn't let him go alone, but at least it was Benton and not Yates.
The Brigadier had also made sure both he and Benton were armed, well Benton was armed, the Brigadier had begrudgingly given him a weapon. Just in case Harry reasoned.
Damn the history books for not having a lot of info. Harry thought to himself as they made their way once more into Diagon Alley.
Now unlike previous visits it was not the nostalgia that kept him looking subtly looking around but signs of attack. Benton also was doing a good job of keeping his awe in check.
"So what are we here for…Harry?" Benton asked casually as they made their way along the alley.
"Books on identifying ink." It had been a vague memory that he couldn't place about wizards and ink, certain wizards of 'higher standing' (aka purebloods) personalised their ink, usually using a local plant that grew on their estate…or something like that. There was a spell and probably transfiguration involved, or possibly potions. It was a conversation that came and went in passing, it wasn't something he thought he'd ever need.
"Books?" Benton asked somewhat incredulously.
"And certain ingredients that can't be ordered from the magnificent UNIT stores," Harry added in a low tone as he looked around. "I want to get several items to last out this situation, just in case. First Benton to the bank, I wonder if the Brigadier will want a receipt?" He mused as he guided Benton through the crowds.
-/
"I do believe Benton your are becoming 'quite unflappable' as I'm sure the Doctor would say," Harry said patting the shrunken package of books in his jacket.
"How so …Harry?" He asked, not looking at him rather still looking around the alley; searching.
"Calmly taking in the weird and wacky Benton. In here," Harry motioned towards the potion supplies shop.
It was almost like preparing for Hogwarts, except working with half remembered information and wondering around a past he'd previously only read about.
In fact, Harry decided it was nothing like preparing for Hogwarts.
Except the bit where he kept nearly getting killed of course, at least no Voldemort out to kill him, yet.
-/
"Done?" Benton asked. He hadn't purchased a lot of things in the potions supplies shop, just a few things he hoped would be useful.
"Yes…" Harry trailed off as he watched a man with long blonde hair walk past and stumbled slightly as he went to follow him.
"Who is it?" Benton hissed at him as they followed the man.
"Very good," Harry congratulated. "A man I've known in my past," Harry replied, unnecessarily mysteriously.
Borgin & Burkes was still as grim as it would be in the future. But it did give him an idea.
"Come on Benton, let's head back, I've just had a good idea."
"You do sound like the Doctor sometimes Harry," Benton commented.
"I'll take that as a compliment Sergeant," Harry said as they walked.
-/ - \\-
"Daleks? What the devil do you want access to those things for Potter?"
"To build a bug," Harry said simply. The Brigadier stared him down. "Daleks use different frequencies for communication, they also have heavy shielding and are far more compact than anything I could build in a short amount of time with the low-tech stuff on offer at the moment."
"And you believe bugging this shop will help?" The Brigadier asked looking at him.
Harry nodded. "It's a possibility, it will greatly increase the chances of finding the hostages' location."
The Brigadier merely nodded, wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Harry. "They will be expecting you when you arrive Mr Potter."
-/ - \\-
It was down a barely marked road and was a facility built within an airship hangar, that from the outside looked a little dilapidated, but the inside was all whites and secure accesses.
He'd had his pass checked a dozen or so times, but after that was lead to a room where several blown out shells of Daleks and several other intact ones were held. All had name tags from the Auderly House attack.
Harry withdrew some long protective gloves usually used to protect the wearer against corrosive substances and began to dig around searching for the transceiver array.
He had come across a Dalek or two in his past, and the Doctor had at one point gone into a long description of what made one 'tick'. A thought struck Harry as he scraped bits of dead mutant off the dull black box.
What if the Doctor had simply told him that stuff so he'd know about it now?
Harry quickly shut that thought down, not because it might be true, it could well be.
But more because thoughts like that and time travel interactions started to leave him slightly distracted, and that was something he didn't want to be when he was elbow deep in dead Dalek mutant.
-/ - \\-
Placing the bug had been relatively easy, you had to give it to the Daleks, full shielding, a power cell that would likely last a few generations (probably less though given it was from a dead one), all in a package the size of a small oddly shaped paperback book.
"Well?" Harry asked as he climbed into the Land Rover beside Benton who was waiting on a radio for confirmation from the team across the road who were set up with an equally small black box, and would be recording and transcribing listening for anything of use.
"Confirmation Trap 2, clear signal," Benton turned to Harry.
"Good, one job down, several more to go," Harry said as he started the Land Rover.
-/ - \\-
Harry carefully repositioned the camera and checked the focus. What he would have liked was to scan all these wizarding photos and the animations they went through into a computer and do a full analysis of them.
Too bad that sort of technology wasn't around yet.
So taking photos of each 'frame' of the animation of each photo was what he'd come up with, then the Brigadier would take them to whichever analysts he'd got to look at these things and hopefully work out an idea of a location.
It was somewhat tedious work, but something he wanted to get started on before he started on other things.
"Hello?" Harry looked up at the voice but ignored it, he had his laboratory door open given the various people who were delivering things to him and into the room across the hall from him that the Brigadier had assigned him for the duration of this crisis.
"Hello is anyone here?" Harry looked up and realised whose the voice was.
-/
Jo walked into one of UNIT's laboratories, it was almost as messy as the Doctor's, with large maps hung on the wall and big computer reel boxes around. Plus various pieces of equipment half assembled.
Looking around the room it seemed empty…but she thought she saw something against…she shook her head, instead turning back to one of the large benches. It had photos spread out, all oddly black and
white or sepia with a camera positioned above them.
As she was about to pick one up a voice startled here.
"What are you doing in here Miss Grant?" The Brigadier sounded more angry than usual. "This area is strictly off limits."
"Brigadier…I was just…" The she remembered the piece of paper in her hand. "An electron microscope was delivered to the Doctor's lab, but the room's location initial on the paper said here so I…"
"So you just decided to come and have a look?" The Brigadier surmised.
"How can this place be off limits Brigadier, don't I have 'top level access'?" She asked still looking around, she was sure she could see something, something she didn't want to see.
"It can Miss Grant and it is. There are certain UNIT operations that aren't within the Doctor's purview." He took the piece of paper out of her hand. "I'll see to having the equipment moved."
She turned back to the Brigadier, she thought about challenging him, but she had a night out with Mike tonight, she could quiz him then. "Okay Brigadier," she smiled and walked out, only pausing slightly at the bench with the photos.
-/
"Thank you for your timely appearance Brigadier."
Lethbridge-Stewart blinked, Potter seemed to just appear out of an area of the room he hadn't been looking in.
"Some form of invisibility?" He asked staring hard at him.
Potter shook his head. "Just something you and Jo didn't notice."
"And what if I didn't come to your 'rescue'?" He couldn't help but ask Potter, curious of him and his motivations.
Potter seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well Brigadier, had Jo not left I would have had several options to me, I could stun her, try and hypnotise her, or…wait for her to leave?" Harry asked watching the Brigadier. "Which did you think I was going to say Brigadier?" He asked, a thin cool smile forming across his features. Lethbridge-Stewart wondered exactly what he had thought he was going to say, Potter's intentions sometimes rivalled that of the Doctor in his mystery.
-/
"The bug is currently functioning. Two days and still functioning. We'll be receiving the summarised reports soon," the Brigadier said after a long pause as he seemed to consider the question and options Harry had asked of him.
"Very good Brigadier. You'll have these photos shortly, I assume you've got a crack team of analysts ready?" He felt like adding 'not just Corporal 'I'll crush your balls in a vice' Bell and the tea lady?'.
"Yes Mr Potter, we have a vastly increased pool of resources at our disposal," the Brigadier reported.
"And once I give you something to shoot at they'll be much better utilised," Harry replied sardonically.
"Precisely Mr Potter," he replied.
-/ - \\-
According to all the spells he'd cast over the page there was nothing it was giving off that was poisonous.
He had a bezoar in a Petri dish beside him just in case, and Benton who was standing watch to make sure no one else came in.
Though it was unlikely to be Jo, she and the Doctor had disappeared last night some time. He'd heard the sound of dematerialisation when he'd gone to drop off the developed photos (and the film) to the Brigadier.
He was relatively sure the Doctor and Jo were off to Peladon, not that he told the Brigadier this, he wasn't really sure how long they'd be gone, so aside from knowing what planet they were the information wouldn't be of much use.
"That can go to a handwriting expert," Harry said as he finished taking photos of the letter.
The letter itself, was a list of demands, all written very finely, carefully and precise.
Demands that the British Government relinquish its hold on certain sites around Britain. Demands to the various European and USSR governments that they hand over certain buildings and 'relics', as for the latter the letter didn't go into more detail, annoyingly.
It interestingly did not give an ultimatum.
Only that they would know…
"Benton, get on the phone and ask the Brigadier if the curtain in the Prime Minister's office is still secure."
"Sir," Harry smiled, whenever they weren't 'undercover' Benton refused to call him anything but 'Sir'.
"Sir, the Brigadier's on his way down," Benton said.
"Right Benton."
He began preparing samples for the electron microscope, the Brigadier had informed him that a specialist was on hand to perform all the scientific duties, leaving him to do the magic stuff. Not that he'd put it like that, but he was thankful. A friend of Ioan's had started to give him some basics in advanced scientific analysis, but a 1970s era electron microscope wasn't something they'd started to cover. Disassembling Daleks and building scanning devices he could do that, working this retro expensive equipment not too much. Or maybe it was one of the things the Brigadier could write up in a report without putting the words 'esoteric' too often.
Speak of the military leader…
"Mr Potter, I've just had a report from my contact in Downing Street, the Prime Minister says he doesn't know anything about a kidnapping," the Brigadier reported.
"And the curtains have gone from his office," Harry surmised.
"Yes," the Brigadier answered simply.
"I trust your contact didn't quiz the Prime Minister in his office?" Harry asked.
-/
"Give my men some credit Mr Potter," Lethbridge-Stewart said in a tone he usually reserved for the Doctor.
"Hmmm," Potter replied as he gazed at several liquids that were in beakers.
"Is this what you spend UNIT's funds on?" He asked looking around. "And what the devil is a bezoar?"
Potter looked up from whatever he was doing. "Stone from the stomach of a goat," Potter replied looking up at him.
"A what?" The Brigadier exclaimed.
"Rare and expensive," He held up an odd little thing in a petri dish.
"And you thought it necessary to buy several of these things?" He asked Potter sternly.
"Very useful too Brigadier when prepared correctly as they are," Potter said standing up and walking over to a small bookshelf that hadn't been here the last time he was in the lab. Potter brought back over a small box. "Here, make sure anyone who's likely to come into contact with any magical stuff has one near them."
"What's it for?" Lethbridge-Stewart asked.
"It's an antidote to most magical poisons." Potter replied.
Lethbridge-Stewart took the box. "Noted Mr Potter," he said looking around. "What do I tell the Prime Minister?"
"Nothing Brigadier, there's nothing you can do," Potter sighed. "We can keep telling him, But, the wizards, be they working for the magical Ministry or for our enemy will keep erasing his memory. I think it's best to keep a useful Prime Minister in office than one who has had so many memory modifications he doesn't know what day it is. Anything we need can go through the various offices," Potter said casually as though he weren't talking about the leader of Britain having his memory modified and them knowing that he was being spied on by what was essentially a foreign power.
"Will his diary help him Mr Potter?" He asked curiously.
Potter exhaled, but didn't turn away from the beakers he was monitoring. "Brigadier you took me along to reassure the Prime Minister, now I'm working for you to find these wizards who've taken the diplomats and you're concerned that the Prime Minister wrote his diary?" He looked at him over the fumes.
Lethbridge-Stewart held his gaze. "Very well Mr Potter."
-/
"Brigadier," Harry said suddenly as the Brigadier prepared to leave.
"Mr Potter?" The Brigadier paused.
Harry looked around the lab, not quite a mess, but certainly filled with all manner of stuff, it was fortunate neither Jo nor the Doctor were around, there was a lot of stuff that could be discovered somewhere in the mess.
Harry smiled to himself as he saw the folder he was looking for. "A list of words, phrases and names that you can have one of your minions go through the summarised reports for."
"Mr Potter this is UNIT I don't have minions," the Brigadier commented in a slight humour-filled tone.
Harry chuckled. "Lackeys then Brigadier."
Harry watched as the Brigadier left, only shaking his head at Harry slightly as he walked out of the room. Benton looked like he was day dreaming, but Harry suspected it was professional detachment.
"Benton…" He started.
"Yes sir?" He came to almost attention.
Harry shook his head. "Never mind."
"Sir."
He was going to ask Benton about…about killing people, but Benton was a soldier, killing people or things were orders.
What he had done and would need to do further was…
Whatever it was it was a job that he needed to do, that was what he'd come back to here and now despite his current work he was here in the past to remove those who came from the future who threatened wizarding culture and society. What he called himself while he was doing it wasn't really relevant to the task at hand.
-/ - \\-
Benton rushed to grab the fire extinguisher, Harry seemed more surprised than anything, almost like the Doctor, except the Doctor usually maintained a more neutral expression.
"Don't bother Benton," Harry coughed.
Benton made to remove his gas mask. Harry shook his head. "Don't pull that off, just prop open the windows." Harry said looking at the stain on the ceiling from the potion that had just exploded upwards.
-/
"The Brigadier's not going to like the replacement bill for that," Harry said mostly to himself as he gingerly removed the potion from above the Bunsen burner and set it aside to cool and render into its final colour.
He looked over and saw Benton had grabbed a fan from somewhere and the smoke that had filled the lab was already beginning to vent outside.
"Can I…?" Benton asked pointing to the gas mask he was wearing.
Harry nodded.
"I hope that doesn't happen again sir," Benton said.
"Benton," Harry looked up from the potions book he was consulting. "From your response you sound almost startled."
"Well I wasn't expecting you to tap that beaker and that to happen," he gestured the slightly melted and blackened ceiling.
"Yes, well…" Harry trailed off. The identification book that had a list of potions to assist in identification was very detailed, it was somewhat irritating that it was written in mostly middle English with some old English thrown in, it also seemed the printing press had the day off and they'd employed a calligrapher to write out the whole book.
Harry picked up another piece of the letter with tongs. "Best put your mask on Benton."
"Why don't you sir, need one?" Benton asked carefully.
"For this one I, if I've read this book correctly need to sniff the odours it gives off." Harry began.
"Can't I…?" Benton trailed off, to Harry it seemed Benton really didn't enjoy wearing the mask. To be fair it was fairly constrictive UNIT issue designed to protect against weird alien nasties.
Harry shrugged. "Fine, I'm only thinking of your wellbeing Sergeant." Harry dropped the piece of parchment into the blue potion.
Rather disappointingly nothing happened. For about 10 seconds and then the whole beaker started to fill with bubbles, and as they popped the room filled with a curious concoction of scents.
-/ - \\-
Harry scrubbed the last of the goop off his hands and raked a comb through his hair; dragging the last bits of the goop from it as well.
"Well Mr Potter?" Harry jumped and glared at the Brigadier, the lab he'd ruined (not his own, but one beside his) had been cleared up and now he'd kicked back in his own lab with a cup of tea to relax for a little bit. "Brigadier."
"Whatever that substance was Mr Potter it took my staff a long time to remove," the Brigadier said in an annoyed tone.
"I've been at this for 3 days Brigadier," Harry dragged a hand over his face feeling the stubble that was present there. "I've potions knowledge my potions Master might actually appreciate were he a master now," he muttered to himself and sighed before looking back at the Brigadier.
For the first time since coming here Harry felt the weariness that he'd felt when he'd been hunting the horcruxes with Hermione and Ron. The pressure to keep going to find what he needed, to work out these things to get the delegates back.
Harry shook his head to himself and drained his mug of tea.
"Sorry Brigadier, you were saying something," Harry realised he'd totally tuned out what the Brigadier had been saying.
Harry ignored the sigh this elicited from the Brigadier. "The team assembled to analyse those photos has almost finished sorting and categorising them."
"Any ideas yet?" Harry asked.
"Somewhere off near the coast, likely in a large manor house, it'll be all there in a briefing Mr Potter," the Brigadier explained calmly, Harry could tell he was carefully watching him for a response.
"I'll be able to give you better idea soon Brigadier," Harry reassured. "I just need to arrange another trestle table and ruin an expensive map and I should be able to pull together some information," Harry finished, mostly to himself.
-/
Harry looked at another large tome, and wished some of his friends were here to help. It was nice, being needed for his skills. But he liked it when it was on his own terms, not being run ragged by the Brigadier. It made him further understand the gamut of emotions the Doctor must have gone through being stuck here, under the Brigadier's thumb.
"So this is what all your work has lead to Mr Potter?" The Brigadier observed.
"Yes Brigadier," Harry said looking up as the Brigadier was looking at the various beakers filled with various liquids, gels and pastes. They each had notes below them. "They've each enlightened me somewhat so I could make this last potion."
"Such as?" He continued to ask.
"The wizard who created the ink used on the parchment used a plant, it grows in soil rather than water or as a parasite on another plant," Harry explained as he gestured at the various beakers "It's probably not a magical plant, it's not inherently poisonous," Harry paused. "But it does have a magical component, which means this last potion and this variation of a four point spell should allow me to find vaguely where the plant was originally harvested," Harry said jabbing a finger at the book he was studying and looking up at the final beaker which was just beginning to turn to vapour within the beaker.
"And the gas masks are for…?"
"As Benton knows by now Brigadier, when I'm playing around with these things a gas mask is good and to have the fans on stand-by. I thought you would like to see the end result of my toiling," Harry said he picked up a set of tongs to remove the beaker from the flame and carried it over to the improvised map table he'd set up.
The map table had a map he'd purchased while in Diagon Alley at considerable expense, it was highly detailed and had locations such as Azkaban and Hogsmede on it, including various other towns and interesting locations. Also it was a map of the United Kingdom and covered a little past the Faroe Islands, and the coast of France, plus all of Ireland.
"Masks down I think gentlemen," Harry said.
"Why don't…" The Brigadier started.
Harry cut him off. "Because I need to clearly incant."
Harry carefully tipped the potion out onto the map, it came out as a mist-like substance slowly covering table until the whole map was awash in the mist.
"Now, just to float the wand on the potion," Harry said as he chanced a look at the book that was resting on a chair beside him. The trickiest part was making contact with his wand to say the spell while it floated on the potion, then it and the potion would indicate the plant's location.
Probably.
"Gently," Harry whispered to himself as he carefully let his wand sit on top of the mist and held his hand onto it as he whispered the spell and stepped back. For a moment nothing happened, and then with a rush like the potion was going down a drain it formed under the wand and carried it to a point on the map.
It was a tiny point, all three men in the room leaned over the map to see where his wand was pointing to.
"Now we have a location." Harry said as he plucked his wand from the dissipating mist as the potion turned back to a sludge, ruining the map in all but one place; Foula.
Harry looked over to the Brigadier who was stripping off his gas mask, frowning slightly.
"Problem Brigadier? With the photo analysis we should be able to narrow it down, it can't be that big." Harry mused as he wandered over to the far side of the lab where the map he was using to find Ginny's mad followers hung. Looking up the top of the map he traced a finger up to the smile island on to which his spell had indicated.
"Not on the mainland Mr Potter, that will mean a significantly more involved approach," the Brigadier explained.
"You were telling me about all the resources you had at your disposal Brigadier. I think we're going to need them all," Harry emphasised.
"All Mr Potter," the Brigadier repeated.
"Better to be over prepared than under prepared," Harry replied. "First we work out exactly where and then..." Harry was cut off.
"Then surveillance Mr Potter I will commit when it's confirmed."
Harry nodded and made a note to tell the Brigadier when they worked out where it could be that they mightn't be able to see where it could be, depending on how smart the Death Eaters were and how powerful their stronghold was.
-/
Harry looked around the room with the 'image analysis experts' in it, there were enlargements everywhere of various bits of the photographs, books on architecture, interior design through the ages, flora and various other things.
"So this is the analysis without Photoshop and search engines," Harry said to himself in a slight state of awe.
"I'm sorry Mr Potter?" The Brigadier turned around to look at him.
"Nothing Brigadier, culture shock again," Harry said distractedly.
-/
Turned out despite knowing exactly where (relatively speaking) the letter was written from it wouldn't help, for a while until the Brigadier's room of experts the 'manual photoshoppers and search engines' as Harry mentally called confirmed precisely where.
In the mean time Harry was instructed to begin working on extraction ideas, with Captain Yates.
-/
"I do hope Benton was discreet," Harry said as he perused the report written up by Benton of his spying and the photos that were also presented.
"Benton knows how to keep himself hidden," the Brigadier paused and caught Harry's eye. "He's also the most educated about this world of wizards Mr Potter and knows what to look for."
"Without obviously being one of them," Harry added. "Hence you not asking me to look into it."
"As you said Mr Potter this is and will be a UNIT operation." The Brigadier quoted.
"Yes, dotting the Is and crossing the Ts, checking all the boxes for Geneva," Harry idly commented.
The Brigadier made a non-committal noise, though slightly disapproving noise that he usually made when Harry made a sarcastic observation that Harry suspected that he agreed with, though would never admit to it. They were keeping the conversation light, though it barely hid the anger at what appeared to be the murder of the whole island's population except the man at the ferry's port.
He'd on occasion wondered why Voldemort and his gang never did something as blatant like this.
His influence was already visible, in Diagon Alley there was the beginnings of a palpable sense of a 'something' in the air.
War would start soon, the first wizarding war against Voldemort, and rage it would throughout several years, ending with betrayal and death, and him obviously.
The island's population appeared to be all wizards according to Benton's report any sign of its previous population (statistics had it at less than 30) had been removed and replaced with a wholly wizarding population.
The man who'd met the ferry Benton had been aboard was 'barely lucid' according to Benton's report.
The photos showed some wizards, though nothing out of the ordinary aside from the men and women in cloaks.
And rather worryingly the body of a dragon flying across one of the photos.
Harry looked up as one of the phones on the Brigadier's desk rang.
"Yes?" Harry looked at the Brigadier as he spoke into the phone. "Definite confirmation? Good."
Harry raised an eyebrow as the Brigadier replaced the handset.
"Confirmation from an RAF flyover of the location." The Brigadier reported.
"They were able to see it?" Harry asked amazed.
The Brigadier frowned. "Not precisely, they reported a distortion field at the coordinates of our estimated location based on the research department's estimates."
Harry nodded. The manual search and photoshop people had come through for them.
"So now we go and rescue these people?" Harry wondered.
-/ - \\-
Harry was somewhat nervous as he stood at the lectern in front of the group of the various commanders who would be leading in the different groups during their assault on Voldemort and the Death Eater's encampment.
The commanders would in turn brief their men and women under their command about the relevant points.
There were plenty of people from UNIT being involved, but also personnel and others from the British Armed Forces who would also be providing vehicles and support for this operation.
UNIT in Geneva was placating the other countries whose ambassadors were kidnapped, who also wanted to 'be involved' (the Brigadier's words) in the operation. It was within British waters, on British soil, sending in foreign troops would be somewhat of a legal and diplomatic issue.
Especially considering the force they were going to use to pacify the enemy.
The operation was so classified it didn't even have a name, he's just gotten used to calling it 'the operation'.
"Welcome everyone, all the background is in your packages, I'll be going through the specifics of what you need to know., Harry started as he looked around the room and pushed a button that turned on the slide projector.
-/ - \\-
Harry crouched down in the small dugout in the ground, he and Captain Yates were in the small area that was covered in camouflage netting. They were the advanced reconnaissance.
Foula, a name he hadn't really been aware of two weeks ago, now it was the focus of a large scale military operation.
Harry looked out again with his binoculars. Even here some distance from the target, technology was a bit dodgy.
He'd worked with a few of the other scientists at UNIT to produce a heavily shielded radio for all involved in the operation. It still necessitated a main relay to boost the transmissions, which considering they were the only ones on the ground meant they had the bulky equipment with them.
Despite not being able to see the building he knew, almost instinctively where it was.
He had tried approaching where they knew the building was, set against the largest mountain on Foula it would have made for an impressive sight, if anyone could see it.
Harry wasn't sure if it was a Fidelius Charm, it had the same feeling to it, yet not. They certainly knew where the building was. But getting in was another matter, there was definitely some form of defences, on top of the standard notice me not charms and very strong muggle repelling charms there was a physical barrier preventing access. It was like a portion of the Fidelius Charm, the part that hid it from view as Grimmauld Place did, but less so…
Harry wasn't sure how to describe it, he hadn't even tried to anyone but the Brigadier.
In planning their assault they'd decided on brute force, while not subtle it would make a statement and hopefully force the building into real perception and physical space. At the very least it'd force all 'hostile forces' as the Brigadier had put it out into the open.
Hopefully in a state of such panic that didn't lead them to kill their hostages. Harry had left that observation unsaid.
Something twitched in his headphones. He and Captain Yates were both wearing the headphone microphone combinations, he had his down low while he observed the soon-to-be battlefield.
"They're on approach Raven, 1 minute in-bound," came Yates' voice.
"Battlefield is clear Greyhound 3, Eagles are clear to approach," Harry replied, they'd all be on call signs from this point in.
Not that the enemy would be listening, the enemy was radio silent and had been since they'd discovered the location.
Something he knew, but something the Brigadier wanted or needed noted down in his notes.
Who was going to read his notes Harry wasn't sure. This operation was so top secret it didn't even have a name, it was 'The Operation' as far as all were concerned and after it all notes, reports and anything remotely connected to it was going to be stores in UNIT central command's vaults in Geneva.
He heard them before he saw them; two Hawker Siddeley Harriers didn't quite scream over head, their twin 30 mm cannons firing at what Harry assumed they saw as just a mountain. That was all Captain Yates (Greyhound 3) could see, despite knowing what they knew was there.
Harry watched with an almost curious glee as the projectiles just seemed to 'disappear' into the target area. It wasn't the dead of night, though that did hamper perception, there was just nothing, no impacts, nothing. It was actually quite fascinating.
The planes would swing around the island checking for hostiles and attack three more times into the target area. The goal wasn't to destroy the manor house (or whatever it was, the experts were sure it was a grand sort of house), but rather to 'disrupt the enemy's actions'.
"Eagle to Greyhound 3, beginning surveillance run, second attack in bound."
"Received Eagle."
"Anything Raven?" Harry thumbed his radio control as he gazed through the binoculars. There wasn't anything visible effects, but he was sure he saw a rippling of something. Near the edge of whatever field it was keeping the house hidden.
"Maybe, nothing certain," Harry replied uncertainly.
"Eagle 30 seconds in bound."
"Area safe Raven?" Yates pressed.
Harry gazed out again, he couldn't see anything.
"Safe enough. Second wave and support should be in bound by now," Harry said, that would be their ground troops and support vehicles.
Everything was going according to plan, which was why as soon as he thought that several things literally popped up, sticking their dicks in the proverbial clockwork.
-/ - \\-
Albus Dumbledore smoothed down his midnight blue cloak, he smiled to himself, he was rather pleased with the "Order of the Phoenix", formed by likeminded wizards concerned about the recent and increasing actions by the "Death Eaters". They had thus far concerned themselves with small to medium sized actions, humble yet forceful.
But this would be their first 'large scale' act.
The letter had been delivered to several offices in the Ministry and the Muggle Prime Minister, while they hadn't been able to find the letter the Aurors had wisely oblivated the Muggle Prime Minister of its arrival, there was nothing the Muggle Parliamentary system could do about this wizarding abduction.
He and Minerva had spent some time to discover the precise location from where the letter had been written from and to make certain that the location was indeed where the Muggle diplomats were being held.
They'd yet to place a useful spy within the Death Eater's ranks, so there was no way to definitely confirm that this was the location, but he was sure of this. It would, he hoped show the Muggles that not all wizards were part of the current actions of the Death Eaters and 'Lord Voldemort', despite the recent events.
"Ready Professor?" Fabian Prewett asked to his side. He and his brother had been vocal about helping in the rescue.
"If everyone is assembled?" Albus asked.
"Alice and Frank are distributing potions to everyone Albus," called Benjy as he walked over to the assembled group.
"Good, very good," Albus rubbed his hands together.
"Warming charms all round I think sir?" Gideon said as he pocketed some potions.
"Very wise my dear boy, very wise. But" Dumbledore held up a hand. "Some spells can have a disastrous effect when combined with other spells, I think tonight we must rely on our clothing to keep us warm and our knowledge and wits to keep us safe." He said looking around those of the order that would be accompanying them on this mission.
Minerva had tried to persuade him not to go. But it had been his idea to go, and he was more than capable, more so than anyone else in fact, he needed to go.
She would 'watch the fort' while he was gone.
"We're ready Professor." Called Frank Longbottom.
"Then," He paused. "We shall depart," He said with a finality and disapparated.
-/
What he suddenly was aware of was the biting cold and was pleased that he had thought to wear appropriate layers of clothing, warming charms could only do so much.
The second thing he almost instantaneously noticed was the noise of an aircraft as it screamed overhead.
Albus watched the sleek craft and mentally compared its likeness to the Messerschmitt Schwalbes that he had seen flying many years ago.
Then they started firing he couldn't quite see where, but he knew what they were firing at.
But they shouldn't have known what to fire at, the building was invisible to Muggles.
-/ - \\-
'Cocked it up big time' was a phrase that jumped to Harry's mind.
"Raven what?"
"Non hostiles Greyhound 3." As he pushed himself away from the front of the dugout.
"Where are you-" Harry cut Yates off.
"To deal with the non-hostiles before they catch their dicks in the fire," Harry said angrily as he switched radio frequencies. "Raven to Greyhound Leader, Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix," he repeated. He'd mentioned them in passing to the Brigadier, but he never thought they'd turn up here, no one ever mentioned them being on a raid where muggles got involved like this. Unless he was stomping on the proverbial butterfly as he spoke? Something he really didn't have time to thing about now. "Will deal with them, over."
"Received Raven, understood, Operation will proceed as planned. 8 minutes inbound."
"Received. Raven Out." Harry turned to look at Yates. "Get the Eagles to swing around and begin the next assault, I will deal with this," Harry grunted.
Yates looked at Harry in the eyes the only part of his face that was visible, both of them were wearing balaclavas against the cold night wind. He nodded.
Harry raced across the ground, he had easily perfected running with the smaller radio and relay battery pack on his back, the sidearm strapped to his thigh and of course his wand out, even as he ran across the practically open area, he was trying to think of what to say that wouldn't royally bugger up the times tream.
Currently he had nothing.
As he was approaching he heard a roar and not of engine noise, then the night sky was lit up by fire.
Someone had brought dragons to the party.
"Joy," Harry muttered to himself, one guess what they'd been woken up by, and what they were now about to start chasing annoyingly they weren't the same, that would have at least been a little bit helpful, probably not if the dragons attacked the people who had appeared in the middle of all this…but still a little bit of help.
"Greyhound 3 to Raven-"
"Eagles have encountered unseen hostiles that are pursuing them," Harry cut Yates off.
"Confirmed, how-?" Yates almost sounded like he didn't miss a beat.
"A guess, continue attack run, they shouldn't be able to keep up, tell them to increase their speed of attack run and come in low to disorientate airborne enemy, and I'll think of something once I deal with non-coms on battlefield," Harry said as he breathed in a breath of air, it tasted of grass, jet fuel and fire.
Harry felt the rumble of the Harriers as he was approaching what had to be the Order of the Phoenix who were standing around, watching the Harriers approach and were likely to get shot at.
"Get down, get down!" He shouted.
-/ - \\-
Dumbledore looked across the grassy area they had apparated into, trying to judge how fast the muggle planes were approaching them when he noticed a figure, a man by the look of it was shouting at him at them.
"…down…Get….down…" He was shouting at the top of his lungs, though it was only just audible over the noise of the wind and the Muggle aircraft.
Dumbledore saw the man throw himself down and shouted out a warning to the other members of the order.
Then two muggle aircraft shot overhead their weapons already firing into the Death Eater's hideout.
Behind them what he saw made his eyes widen, a dragon each was following, not quite on their tails but closing fast.
-/ - \\-
Harry stared up and swallowed eyes wide at how close the dragons were to the Harriers. The Brigadier had asked how much chance that either of the very expensive RAF planes would be damaged. They were here through the cooperation of the RAF, flown by RAF pilots, but the upper brass had not wanted to be briefed, just because of the top secret nature of this mission and the consequences of it should it go 'tits up', if anything was damaged though it was likely UNIT would foot the bill, even with all their power and money that was being thrown at this, two Harriers would still make a sizeable hole in that money.
But their closeness did give him an idea, something he'd seen at an air show.
He was about to thumb the control on his radio, but realised that the Harriers didn't work like that, at least he was relatively sure they couldn't do a 'dump-and-burn'.
Patting around on his jacket he grinned as he felt a pair of flares.
"This isn't going to be dangerous at all," he said to no one in particular as he thumbed the radio control.
"Raven to Eagle, Raven to Eagle respond."
"Eagle to Raven, receiving." Came the cool voice of the pilot of one of the crafts, it made Harry smile how cool and collected the pilot sounded.
"Enemy on tail is thermally neutral and visually negative, continue around island for final assault, I need you to put as much distance between you and enemy. Approach my position I will be holding flare, I will paint enemy to be visible." Harry said as he dropped down to a rushed pace rather than a run to where the Order were standing, the Harriers pivoted up, only just clearing the mountain.
"Received Raven, will alert 5 minutes out from final approach." Came the calm voice.
"Received Eagle, Out," Harry said and turned to the assembled order.
'You've totally buggered this up' was what he wanted to say, but didn't, he also avoided looking at Dumbledore, it was hard seeing his former Headmaster and friend alive. He knew he was, would be, but still and here and now where he could be injured and royal bend the timeline over backwards and screw it into next Sunday.
"You need to vacate this area now."
"My dear boy I don't think you understand what we're trying to do here." Dumbledore began.
"I understand more than you could conceivably imagine Albus Percival Wulferic Brian Dumbledore, get out now, the muggles have this one."
"You…you know who I am," Dumbledore replied, a statement rather than a question, Harry could see he was searching his face, rather than probing him mentally for signs that he might know him. Harry withdrew his wand, just to show that he was a wizard.
"Friend?" Harry looked over Dumbledore's shoulder at Gideon.
"You over here." He grunted in an unfriendly manner.
"Friend H—"
"No names," Harry grunted grabbing Gideon close to him.
"Friend what…." Harry could see Dumbledore and the others pull out their wands at him. That amused him somewhat, considering where and when he was and what would happen in the future.
"I can't explain everything now and I can't tell Dumbledore anything, I'll explain everything to you and Fabian only, and only later," Harry whispered quickly into Gideon's ear. "You need to get them to leave, this isn't just me" Harry could swear he could hear the noise of the helicopters inbound. "You'll only get killed in the crossfire Gideon, please believe me, you need to leave now," Harry stepped back and locked eyes with Gideon.
"Alright, the pub, where we last met, a week from now," Gideon replied in a warning tone.
"Please, go." Harry pleaded.
Gideon rushed the short distance between them to Dumbledore.
-/
"You're sure my boy?" The Headmaster asked.
"I trust him Professor," Gideon said earnestly.
Albus looked across at the man with the intense eyes he was sure he'd seen before and made the depart motion to the Order.
Then it was just he and the man left on the battlefield.
"I knew you weren't going to leave," the man said gruffly.
"You seem to know several things about me young man, more so than I you," he said studying him.
"If you're going to stay here, know any good spells to light up a dragon?" The man asked casually.
"Well…"
-/
Harry didn't care, it was incredulous, here he was, flare in one hand, wand in the other, Albus Dumbledore, doing the same. He'd radioed the Eagles, they knew there's be two of them, it made their job easier, though it didn't sound like they were having the easiest jobs.
And the timeline? Harry wondered in the back of his mind? What of that? He was standing opposite his headmaster, a man he'd known as a friend, a mentor, a teacher. A man whom he knew was to die, like many others he'd come to know here. The difference was he knew Dumbledore, had known him and knew all the particulars of his death.
But it was the present now (or the past depending on perspective), subjective present at any rate.
Harry fancied he could see the pilots, but the Harriers were screaming towards them he barely had time to think, just shoot his spell and the dragon roared past.
It roared even more as both his and Dumbledore's spells splashed across the dragon's belly glaring like magnesium burning into the night. The Harriers broke off their attack and lead the dragons out to sea where they could dogfight them more effectively.
"Greyhound 1, 3 minutes in bound. Greyhound 4 preparing to support also in bound." Came Yates' voice.
"Received, non-coms dealt with," Harry replied. "You need to go now Albus." Harry said, a touch of sadness in his voice. Dumbledore was looking past him at the helicopters making their final approach.
"Those flying machines…they'll not make a safe landing here my boy."
"They don't intend to," Harry said. Though they did intend to land, Harry had told the Brigadier as much. Instead they'd already planned to land their troops from the air by rope down.
Then the helicopters would land a shorter distance away, with Greyhound 4; Benton, bringing a small amount of vehicles with no electrics that would provide ground level support.
"Everything's under control Albus, please you need to go, this isn't your fight," Harry explained in a half pleading tone, still not daring to look him in the eye. He was somewhat good at occlumency, something he'd still continued to practise, especially as he still needed to infiltrate Ginny's groups. But he doubted he could withstand a curious Dumbledore.
"And it is yours my dear boy, who are you?" Albus queried.
"Someone who is helping the muggles, someone who knows you shouldn't be here…please" Harry looked at Dumbledore, just not directly at his eyes. "If you stay I can't guarantee your safety."
"This is war my boy, safety is never assured," Albus challenged.
"But here and now, you shouldn't be here, this is under my control." And if something goes wrong and you get injured or worse it'll be my fault, my fault for being here, Harry thought to himself.
Dumbledore looked at him for several precious moments.
Harry wished, just a little that Dumbledore would probe his memories, maybe he could then talk to the man…but…that would just cause endless problems.
Dumbledore instead smiled. "Very well my boy, I believe you are sincere in your words. I expect Gideon and Fabian will not tell me anything," ge paused and chuckled to himself "even if you do explain to them, something I will not press. Bigger things it seems, on this journey."
"Bigger and more complicated than you could imagine Albus, thank you."
Dumbledore tipped his hat and disappeared with an almost silent 'pop'.
For a few moments Harry marvelled that he had met Dumbledore again, that they had stood side by side in 'battle'. Then Harry the noise of the helicopters was practically overhead.
Then a rope was dropped down at his feet.
First onto the ground was the Brigadier.
"Any sign of them Potter?" He shouted against the noise of the helicopters, Harry shook his head.
Point one to them assuming the 'magic field' petered out at a certain height, though the Harriers had managed not to drop out of the sky the helicopters were staying in one position for an extended period while they dropped the troops.
It was something he decided he'd investigate when I got back to his own time.
Of course, just after they'd managed to get all their troops on the ground the Death Eaters decided to start shooting at them.
"Greyhound 1 to Windmill, land, land, land, enemy is firing on position."
"Confirmed Greyhound 1 preparing for landing."
Harry barely had time to dive and push the Brigadier out of the way as several deep green spells came out of the shimmering night. One hit a solider by the Brigadier's side.
"Medic!" The Brigadier shouted.
Harry pushed himself up and felt the man's pulse, despite knowing there wouldn't be one.
Harry shut the man's eyes and shook his head at the Brigadier.
"Greyhound 1 to Greyhound 4, covering fire now."
"…ing….pos…n…soon…proaching…" Came the static filled reply.
-/ - \\-
Even Rosier looked out across the lands in front of house, there were muggles, muggles had invaded their lands.
The Dark Lord would know of this slight against them!
But first they would rip the muggles to shreds, no matter their metal machines.
Perhaps he could get the others to test Araminta Meliflua's idea of 'muggle hunting', he allowed himself to grin, in the wild.
Bellatrix would likely have enjoyed this were she here.
Evan motioned to the others who had been reinforcing the house after the filthy muggle's attempts to destroy their house. Rookwood would be annoyed if his plan faltered, especially if they failed to get the items for the Dark Lord.
It was something of a good plan, the muggles would scurry to get their minions returned to them…and neither Rookwood nor the Dark Lord had said anything against having some fun with them, they just needed to be in 'good' condition to be returned.
The Professors at Hogwarts were always telling him that he was a good student.
Or at least he imagined they would, if persuaded correctly.
-/ - \\-
He'd switched to stunners very early in their approach, and had his hand reading on the pistol on his thigh.
Avada Kedavra might be a very efficient way to dispatch someone, but 'Stupefy' had fewer syllables.
There was also the issue of 'what if I kill someone whom I had a history with', or more precisely 'what if I kill someone who needs to continue living so they can do whatever they need to do in the future'.
He had had those thoughts before this operation, and he'd tried not to get bogged down on thoughts of them while in battle.
He had absolutely no qualms about killing these bastards, if he killed one of them now, who knew how many would be saved…but he had also had this sort of conversation with the Doctor in the past.
It was a very fine line seeking out people to remove…to kill, to preserve the lives of others, to knowingly kill people to save others. It was just as likely that someone else would take their place, someone just as bad, or worse.
He wasn't thinking about it, not as he fought with UNIT, not consciously, he was thinking and reacting almost instinctively, tuned battle reactions, thinking more about the battle than the wider temporal implications.
Something shot past Harry's right side just within his peripheral vision, he realised it was a rocket shot from a bazooka, part of the reason they were keeping to certain lines as they approached the manor house.
He could make it out now that they were approaching, unfortunately they'd lost radios a short time ago.
Obviously Benton was just continuation fire. He'd stop when someone fired off an orange flare, when they eventually reached the manor house.
Harry made a diagonal line to the Brigadier who, like the others was slowing in his forward assault.
"Brigadier," Harry said in a calm forceful tone.
"Potter…" He said vaguely.
"Remember, it's just an illusion." Or something. Harry mentally added.
"An…illusion…yes…" Harry wondered if he needed to slap the Brig.
"Alistair, we're here on a mission, come on man!" Harry said shaking the Brigadier.
"What?" The Brigadier shook his head. "Yes! Of Course. Right, men! Full ahead!"
Harry was sure that was an order a sea captain gave…but it needn't matter. The rate of fire at them had slowed significantly and they were making headway.
-/ - \\-
Rosier pushed his way through the rubble into the house. There was a…he felt like spitting…a wizard. A wizard helping the filthy muggles rats.
He would leave his fellow Death Eaters to deal with them, he needed to report to his Master.
-/ - \\-
"Alohomora," Harry said from the side of the door and shoved it open for the UNIT troops, most of whom still seemed somewhat in awe that there was a building before them.
Harry allowed them in first to take down any opposition.
Typically the hostages were in the cellar.
Thankfully none of them were dead. Though some of them Harry suspected grimly probably wished they were, many of them were exhibiting the vague expression of being stunned and oblivated too many times.
Harry set to work with the medics, releasing each one, one was strung up and to lay those who couldn't walk, or were barely lucid onto stretchers.
"Potter," The Brigadier called him over. "My men have secured the enemy." Harry raised an eyebrow, how long would it take for…his thoughts were interrupted. "But they disappeared."
"Your men?" Harry asked.
"My prisoners." Harry didn't react to this revelation.
The Brigadier pulled him out of the cellar. "You knew."
"Yes, Brigadier I knew," Harry admitted. "There's nothing I could have reasonably done to prevent it. It's something that didn't occur to me," Harry said looking to that Brigadier. At least half of his sentence was true. There wasn't anything he could have done.
"The choppers are powering up, looks like there's a storm brewing," the Brigadier commented.
"The enemy is likely regrouping Brigadier," Harry said as he looked out the window, the wind was kicking up, rather unnaturally, that was worrying.
-/
The helicopter was shaking quite a lot. Harry peered out the window, they were the last ones to leave, the other two helicopters had already left, as had the ferry carrying the UNIT vehicles, though Benton had stayed behind, to wait for him and the Brigadier.
"We're clear sir." Said the pilot's voice over his and he assumed the Brigadier's headsets.
The Brigadier took out a control box and pushed down the two buttons. There was a flash on the mountainside.
"You do rather enjoy blowing things up Brigadier," Harry observed with a grin.
"All in a day's work Potter," the Brigadier said over the headphones they were all wearing.
-/ - \\-
"Potter, the ferry carrying our vehicles has just been attacked by a 'sea monster'" Harry looked over at the Brigadier.
"Survivors?" Harry asked.
"HMS Plymouth is engaging" The Brigadier pause as the helicopter hit an air pocket "…in rescue operations." Came the Brigadier's response.
"Engaging Brigadier? Something you didn't tell me about Brigadier?" Harry looked over at the UNIT's commanding officer. He'd not told Harry anything about the Plymouth being around during any of their discussions.
"A little insurance Mr Potter is always necessary when planning an operation this size."
"And I knew what I needed to know Brigadier. I would, as your advisor, suggest the Plymouth not linger," Harry suggested.
"The captain knows how to run his ship Mr Potter, but I will pass on your suggestions."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders and nodded. Major international crisis averted, now just his temporal issue to finish.
-/ - \\-
Harry looked around him, in daylight it looked much different, the earth was blackened, there was signs of fire.
But there were no bodies.
He'd thought that was the end of it, that he'd done his job and lead the Brigadier to get the hostages, but the Brigadier had asked that he return, to ensure that it was safe for UNIT personnel to come in and fix up Foula, together with the British armed forces, plus search for the people who made up Foula's small population, find those who'd been oblivated and those who had been killed.
But first they needed to make sure it was safe.
"You alright Benton?" Harry asked, there still appeared to be a powerful muggle repelling charm around the remains of the manor house. Though Harry wondered to himself if someone had re-applied it, or was it just a result of the house being destroyed by whatever explosives the Brigadier had used.
"They must have collected the bodies," Benton observed beside him.
"Or anyone that was shot was only wounded," Harry mused.
"Or they were raised from the dead," Harry couldn't tell from Benton's tone if he was joking or not.
"No, that's reserved for only the very special bastards," Harry replied.
-/
"No, that's reserved for only the very special bastards." Evan watched the wizard who was with the muggles. The man had been there on the night. The man was using his wand openly in front of the muggles he noted to himself.
The muggle repelling charm was still in place though, no matter that the murdering muggles had a wizard with them. It sickened him that a wizard had lowered himself to accompany muggles.
But this man was obviously powerful, Evan could see that, it would pay perhaps for the Dark Lord not to know about this man.
Evan spared the muggles and the wizard one last glance, considering the possibility of just stringing them all up like chickens, but that was something Bellatrix was far better at.
-/
A/N:
Minor edit done March 2021.
This bulk of this chapter takes place as the Doctor and Jo leave for Peladon (The Curse of Peladon), which is why the Doctor isn't around for any of this.
All the people who accompany Dumbledore are Order members who end up dead in the first war. So any of them seeing Harry this time doesn't really matter, timeline wise. Except Dumbledore and well, it's Dumbledore.
I hadn't planned on having Harry and Dumbledore meet quite as much as they did.
What I had planned was the planes were going to do a 'dump and burn'; a fuel dump and then burn it, burning the dragons, except I couldn't work out which planes the RAF had in the 70s and any that'd be able to do it, the first generation Harriers were around at that time thus they're used. (Also Harrier "jump jets" are a relatively imaginable plane when you're reading this (hopefully), more so than other planes).
But it's a great image I think; Harry and Dumbledore standing next to one another staring into the face of Harriers rumbling towards them flare and wand high in the air. As far as Harry and Dumbledore meeting…well Harry doesn't say his name, has a balaclava on and…it's Dumbledore he's got mountains of secrets.
Evan Rosier is a Death Eater who was killed by Moody near the end of the first war. As such he's one of a handful of Death Eaters who can see Harry while he's in the past without any issues for the future.
A sequence I had planned but it didn't work was; Harry and the Brigadier discussing leaks in UNIT and Harry coming up with a 'quick' idea to find the leak, he'd use a stick (rather than his wand) and walk along all the members of UNIT HQ saying 'Avada Kedavra', the Brig would watch from a camera somewhere and whoever flinched at the word would be the spy. Obviously the spy would just apparate away and even if he was caught what would UNIT do with him (even if they could restrain him).
So the sequence I came up with to replace this one was a more action orientated one that would have gone in the middle of this chapter during Harry's researching, but again in starting to write it the ideas and the layout of how these things would happen wasn't gelling together for me. Basically he was going to be accosted in the electron microscope room and get into a spell fight with a wizard, Harry stabs him with something preventing him from leaving but is shot with a spell himself, he escapes some UNIT troops shoot the wizard. Then they're not sure who he was either a spy for the Ministry or Voldemort. Which was more ambiguous, but it still didn't flow together for me.
