Chapter 71

Harry looked at the space tracking data and couldn't quite understand it.

According to UNIT's satellites it was a ship. A ship in space.

A space...ship.

Utilising his own ground-based satellite array, suitably enhanced with alien tech he'd been able to get a better idea of what it was that was approaching the Earth.

It looked like a ship. A sea-going ship.

But in space.

A literal space...ship.

If it was an invasion it was a bloody ridiculous one.

Harry tapped and clicked as he changed the settings on his computer to re-analyse the information that was coming in and then grabbed the phone.

"Yes. Jodrell Bank. Harry Potter LPI, I've been receiving some data I was hoping you could have a quick gander at." He said. "Oh, your Christmas party, I'm sorry." He apologised. "Yes, I can send it through now. Thanks."

He got a phone call barely 10 minutes later.

Harry grinned. "Yes. That's what I thought." He frowned. "It can't be the Titanic. Yes I'm sure that's where it is." Harry said. Well, he was mostly sure, he was pretty sure no aliens or wizards were involved in that. "Yes forward it to whoever's in your address book for this and I'll get onto British Rocket Group just in case it's one of those situations." Harry said as he put down the phone and stared at the sensor images.

"The Titanic?" He shook his head. Hopefully it was harmless.

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He'd convinced Daphne's parents Agave and Osric to spend Christmas with him out at his house, it wasn't just because he felt like sharing, it was also because he'd run the trajectory through one of his battle computers he'd taken apart. It was a Dalek one, part of his temporal detection system.

According to it, the spaceship Titanic's trajectory suggested would enter a decaying orbit. How it had worked all that out Harry wasn't sure. The maths and calculations was a little beyond him, which was why he'd left it to his salvaged battle computer.

The British Rocket Group had refused his request to have some ICBMs made ready just in case. Supposedly there weren't a lot of people in the BRG's offices over the Christmas period.

The spaceship approaching Earth wasn't even technically his purview, not LPI's. Not technically. Though within the larger scope of his working with the security services and the British military it was, as it was possibly going to impact with London.

Maybe. His battle computer had calculated that it still might not hit. Though Harry had been of late focusing on Dalek language rather than numbers.

The phrase the Eternal Dalek spoke to him was niggling at him. He was sure it was significant.

Why it had to be so mysterious was another thing entirely.

There was a soft knock on the door behind him. "Harry? Is everything okay?" Daphne asked, she was holding two mugs.

Harry motioned her in. "Just possible death and destruction." He accepted one of the mugs. "How're your parents settling in?"

"Fine. My mother is finding your Harry Potter and the books most amusing." She smirked.

"I should burn them all." Harry sighed not for the first time in relation to those books.

"And your space ship?" Daphne asked looking at the computer. "It does appear to be a muggle sea-going craft."

"Except in space." Harry said. He exhaled a breath of air. "I've alerted everyone who'll listen to me, if it enters the atmosphere the air force will scramble jets." He pushed himself away from the desk. "Nothing more I can do." He said standing up "So, what should we do, what do people do when they invite their family over like this?" Harry wondered aloud to Daphne, not for the first time. It had seemed like a good idea, somewhat spur of the moment, but Agave and Osric had seemingly enjoyed the idea.

"It does not involve you hiding in here Harry." Daphne challenged lightly as Harry looked back at the computer for the briefest moment.

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That; was a near miss.

That was all Harry could think when he saw the CCTV and vision from the jets that had been scrambled to attempt to intercept the spacecraft.

According to the security services a Security Code 771 had been called on Buckingham Palace from an unknown number. An emergency evacuation order.

Harry assumed it was the Doctor who'd given the order. He could probably get the audio files to check. But it was Christmas, he didn't been to be worrying about that right at this moment.

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Harry wondered if he should order some sugar quills as he looked at the state of the pencil he was using.

Daphne was off, sorting out shipping logistics in London. Supposedly the new year brought with it a huge amount of logistics problems as wizards, and wizarding business panicked and needed a load of supplies. Usually unusual ones used during Christmas and the new year period.

Now was the perfect time; quiet and no invasions or anything to work on his Dalek language skills.

Written Dalek was probably as hard to understand as spoken Dalek. But he had begun to understand the written form.

Turning what he'd heard into a written form had been somewhat harder until he'd realised he had bits of Daleks that could do that.

But it seemed the Eternal Dalek had been a bit poetic with its language and there were words that didn't exist in his database of known Dalek words.

From what he understood the Eternal had issued him a warning. But it wasn't a warning like 'warning, if you do this I'm going to exterminate you' sort of warning. It was a softer warning.

At least that was what Harry guessed.

He was vaguely sure there was some reference to something going away or disappearing or maybe evaporating.

As far as what it might be it could be birds.

The closest noun he had was hoverbout. But there was something winged. Probably.

The next bit was easier, probably because it was more Dalek-y.

It said:

he/we/us/they, will/will not/might/maybe, capture/prison/contain/prisoner, (this/us/you) base/location/planet/city. Defend/Prepare. Attack/Exterminate.

It was still hard going. Harry was beginning to think the Eternal had been deliberately oblique and obscure. Which was interesting.

And annoying.

Then as he was about to chew the pencil again the phone rang.

"Hello? Brigadier. Yes, sorry Alistair, you know old habits." Harry smiled. "Yes, I'd love to come to tea. No, nothing that's urgent, I'd love the distraction." He said tapping his pencil on the paper he'd been writing out his test translations on.

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Harry drove his E-Type up the long drive to the Brigadier's house, he and Doris had come out to meet him as he stopped the car.

"Harry, it's been a long time." Doris said.

"Invasions to foil, aliens to negotiate with, all of that." Harry said greeting her with a hug and Alistair with a warm shake of the hand.

"Fighting the good fight Harry?" Asked Alistair.

"As much as it will allow me to." Harry said. "You said you wanted me to meet someone." Harry said looking around. Alistair had been a little bit cagey about who. Harry had packed a few expandable bags full of weapons and containment kit just in case he was dealing with something improbable in the Brigadier's garden. "It's nothing dangerous is it?" Harry asked carefully.

"Nothing like that Harry!" Alistair exclaimed.

In fact, it wasn't anything like that at all. It was his daughter.

Alistair had only mentioned his daughter occasionally and only when Harry had returned to the 'present' and re-met him. From what he understood now she was probably born while Harry was in the 1970s, but the Brigadier hadn't mentioned her.

"This is the man Kate. I worked with him in the 70s and he's still working today. Harry Potter." Harry looked over at the woman who seemed surprised as he was.

"You worked in the 70s with my father." She looked to her father. "Time travel?"

"I didn't work on time travel with UNIT." Harry hastened to add. "But I did get there and leave by time travel." He said easily.

"How interesting, and what work did you do with my father?" She asked curiously.

"I was a short lived advisor while I was there." Harry said obliquely.

"My father didn't tell you." Kate said looking back to the door that Alistair and Doris had gone through, leaving them alone.

"He said come for tea." Harry said.

She laughed. "I'll be taking over at UNIT as their Chief Scientific Officer later in the year after I've done some investigation of the scientific operations of UNIT."

"They need someone after that business with the Slitheen." Harry commented idly.

"Do I need to look you up Harry Potter?" She asked.

"I currently head the League of Paranormal Investigations. But when I worked with UNIT back in the 70s I was their 'Esoteric Advisor'." Harry explained smiling. "It's been a while since I thought about that title."

"Longer for my father no doubt." She commented.

"Indeed. So I'm not sure what Alistair expects us to chat about, if you're just getting settled in." Harry wondered watching her.

"My father says you knew the Doctor." She asked.

"I know the Doctor, I don't think about him in the past tense." She gave him a look. "Time travel and all that. A few people" He paused thinking of River Song. "I've met before we've met." Kate looked at him confused. "Out of sequence our timelines" Harry stopped rubbing his hands together. "Different points in our timelines we met before we'd met one another for the first time."

"Did you travel with him, with the Doctor?" Kate asked.

Harry hesitated. Yes, he had travelled with the Doctor, but it wasn't really travel, they just took the long way back from Hyspero local space in the space year something or other...and got side tracked. It wasn't travelling with him like any other travelled with him.

"Not so much." He finally said.

"I see." She said.

Harry paused then asked. "I suppose you have all your clearances in place?"

Kate looked at him. "Of course. I've been working with UNIT for some time since that Slitheen incident."

"I've been working with the security services, since that incident and others." He explained vaguely.

"The Greyhaven Protocols. The Master." She surmised.

"Indeed. That. I'm sure you understand the need for things like that. Especially what had happened thus far. UNIT has proven..." Harry trailed off.

"Unreliable." Kate finished for him. "My father said of UNIT 'science leads', it's an 'Intelligence taskforce'. Not just a taskforce."

"The Brigadier" Harry started and Kate gave him a look. "Sorry, that's almost all I called Alistair when he was a Brigadier in UNIT in the 70s, left the science to the Doctor. They argued, the Brigadier shot at things with wings, but it was science and ingenuity that led the way forward."

"I hope to continue that position Harry. And to work with your League to cover the things UNIT does not." Kate said.

"We're always ready to respond to the esoteric and paranormal, when it intersects with the alien and regular world." That was almost LPI's remit Harry thought to himself as he got out of his chair to look around the room. "I learnt a lot from your father, during my time in the 1970s, with UNIT."

"Why were you there Harry? How?" Kate asked eagerly.

"I flew a Cessna into a time rift in Cardiff chasing a temporal terrorist witch." Harry explained calmly. Kate laughed. Harry turned around and gave her a look.

"Oh, you're serious." She said as her gaze fell upon his.

"Deathly." He turned around to look outside. "How about we take a turn around the grounds Kate? It's a nice enough day. You can quiz me while we walk." Harry offered.

Kate looked outside and nodded. "My father's always busy in the garden."

-/

After their wander around the garden they returned to find that Alistair and Doris had laid out a spread of cake and tea for them.

"Well, Harry have you prepared Kate for everything?"

"Alistair!" Doris chastised.

"I don't know what you were expecting Harry to tell me. But we've had a talk." Kate said as she sat down into a seat.

"And that the best way to learn is by doing it Alistair. Like you did back in the day." Harry said to the Brigadier. "It's not as though you can teach people how to be in UNIT. Even Broadsword had to be specially cultivated."

"Broadsword?" Said both Alistair and Kate, one from full knowledge and one from none.

"Something from the files. Not something to worry about for now. Like other things in UNIT's past." Harry said with a wave of the hand.

"Indeed." Alistair said. "The past."

"And Kate here is the future. So does that mean you're done messing around with things like this?" Harry asked as he took a piece of delicious chocolate cake offered by Doris.

"Messing around? I don't mess around Harry. I can't spend all of my time in the garden centre." Alistair gruffed. "In fact I've a UNIT mission to Peru this year."

"So is that why you wanted me to meet Kate, before you go off on another mission? Brigadier, I hope you'll have a corporal to do the shooting for you." Harry teased.

"That's General Sir Alistair Harry." He said taking a military sip of his tea.

"Don't get all gruff Alistair, you hate it when people call you General. You just secretly want to be back in UNIT with John Benton and Mike Yates, your Brig's Army." Doris mocked gently.

"UNIT will be much greater funded than your blood and thunder days at least." Kate said.

"That's what I thought." Harry said. "Then well...that happened." Harry said alluding to the Slitheen incident. "I hope you'll pull them into line. Change the batteries, that sort of thing." Harry said as he deposited a piece of cake in his mouth.

"With a bit of mentoring from someone who was there yes, I hope I will." Kate said looking to her father who in turn looked uncomfortable and studied his cake.

"It's delicious cake Doris." Harry commented after more than a few moments of awkward silence.

"Thank you Harry. I can't bake it too often. Alistair doesn't know how to stop with one slice."

"Doris!" Alistair exclaimed as Doris laughed.

"More tea?" Doris offered Harry the tea pot as she laughed.

"Please." Harry chuckled offering her his cup.

-/

Afternoon tea had slowly turned into night as he and Alistair reminisced and Harry tried to extract more information from him about what he was going to be up to in Peru. Talking to be Alistair also made Harry wonder that he should have by now looked up some other people he knew, when he'd been 'back then'. John Benton, the UNIT solider who'd helped him with a few of those messy incidents that he didn't want to talk about with the Brigadier then and certainly not now.

The Lethbridge-Stewarts had insisted he stay, after all the pub was just a short walk through the back of their property and down a lane.

Reconnecting with the past was one thing, but there were some with whom he couldn't, despite seeing them again on his second sojourn to the past. Gideon and Fabian Prewett, two friends in the past that he could never have here in a future they would never have.

It was just as they were returning to the house and he was caught musing on the past again that his phone rang.

"Sorry." He said as Doris opened the door.

"Always on call eh Harry?" Alistair asked.

"Always something to worry about." Harry said. "This is Potter." He answered.

"Red flash emergency. Cardiff central." Said the voice a computer system of the British security services.

"Potter. LPI. Raven. Information received. Standby, will access." He said ending the call. "Sorry. I've got to..." He trailed off.

"You go Harry, you know where the front door is." Doris said waving him through. "I know that look well."

As Harry rushed off he felt Kate's gaze on him. "I suppose I will get to know it as well."

"Plenty of time for the worries. Plenty of time for the calm as well." Her father said. "There'll be plenty of people working on whatever it is."

Rushing through the Lethbridge-Stewart's house and out the front door he grabbed his laptop from the back of the Jag and set it up on the roof.

The computer now set up and logged in he checked the information flowing in from the collected security services.

According to the red flash he'd been contacted because his association with Torchwood, namely the raid on Torchwood One and supposedly his association with Torchwood Three.

Fifteen explosive devices had been set off around Cardiff.

"Fifteen." He breathed as he dialled Torchwood Three.

Unsurprisingly no one answered.

Harry felt a chill pass down his back and it wasn't from the night air.

Turnmill Nuclear Power Station system offline.

This looked like a coordinated terrorist attack. Communication systems were in cascade failure, which explained why his call didn't go through to Torchwood.

From what data was coming out of the city traffic seemed to be surging for Severn Bridge.

All other public alert systems were currently down, TV and radio and with the power station supposedly going into meltdown power would likely soon be out.

Harry briefly wondered if this was some sort of drill.

Then his phone rang.

"Harry." Harry said seeing Pearce's name come up. "Please tell me this is some sort of drill."

"If only Potter it was. This is deadly serious." Said the man from Section D.

Harry exhaled and stared up at the sky. "This isn't something wizarding. Maybe with access to alien technology. But LPI hasn't encountered anything like this. This is more..." He trailed off. "Torchwood."

"Torchwood." Pearce said it as though he were cursing. "And do you think they will extricate themselves from this situation?"

"I do hope you're not advising the Home Secretary based on my assessment Pearce." Harry wondered.

"Hardly, however you are the security service's expert, supposedly in this new order of things."

"Of course." Harry said looking up at the sky. "What of the Welsh government have they requested assistance or are do they still have faith in the investigative abilities of Torchwood?"

Pearce remained silent.

"If this is alien it's odd, but I feel like Torchwood's involved. Remember that Abaddon business?" Harry asked.

"I'd rather pretend that is your business Potter."

"If it is an invasion we can always blow up the Severn Bridge." Harry added casually.

"I won't advise that Potter."

"Only way to fix explosions is more explosions Pearce." Harry commented calmly smiling oddly to himself how macabre and calm the pair of them could be considering the destruction in Cardiff that was happening at the moment.

"Your blood and thunder days showing through Potter." Pearce mocked.

"Torchwood usually pulls their arses out of it. I would recommend give them 24 or so hours. Let them independently try and fix this, then we can send in the tanks."

Harry heard Pearce exhale. "Very well Potter I will add your advice to our information pool."

"Goodnight Pearce." Harry said.

"Potter."

Harry ended the call and closed his laptop and saw that Alistair was standing in the front door way watching him.

"Trouble Harry?" He asked as Harry walked over to him.

Harry nodded but didn't enlighten further.

"Anything to be done?" He asked.

"Not for the moment. I suggested blowing up a bridge. I was told by the security services you can't fight fire with explosives." He chuckled.

"Nonsense Harry!" Alistair laughed.

"That's what I said!" Harry laughed with Alistair.

"Harry?" Alistair queried again.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing esoteric. At least I'm quite sure it isn't Alistair, and nothing UNIT related for now. Just-" He paused.

"Just?" Alistair pressed.

"I wouldn't go to Cardiff in the next week or so." Harry said.

"I see." Alistair said after a moment.

"I should head off." Harry said after a moment's silence.

"We have room Harry." Alistair began but could see the concerned look on Harry's face.

Harry shook his head with a soft smile. "It's alright. I want to be where I can leave from, just in case there's something dangerous."

"Quite right." He nodded.

"I'll try to drop by before you're off to Peru." Harry said pulling the older man into a hug.

"Harry, really, it's only Peru." He said as Harry embraced him.

Harry chuckled. "Fine, when you're popping off to the Moon then I should worry?" Harry arched an eyebrow.

"What's this about the Moon?" Doris approached her husband from behind.

"Harry was just about to leave." Alistair explained.

"Something of concern?" Kate asked, also behind them.

"Nothing to worry about Kate." Alistair said.

"Now I know there is." She eyed Harry and her father.

"People are very likely dealing with it. It was very good to meet you Kate, and to see you again Doris." Harry said as he made his farewells.

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"And Cardiff city centre is today recovering from a series of devastating explosions. City leaders say it's too early to account for the full scale of the damage that also saw sightings of vicious animals on the streets of the city."

Harry leant back into his chair and opened up a letter from Osric concerning the Xecotcovach. Harry smirked seeing it written. It had for a long time just been called the X-1 on all of his plans and work orders. As it was an expensive project and something that he'd gone into with Daphne's father, who'd practically let him do whatever he wanted with the project, which is what had caused many of the delays. Its name was something he didn't really care about. Had he named the project it might have been called the Griffin, Hippogriff, Thestral or maybe even Buckbeak.

So the naming rights for the project had gone to Osirc, who'd named it the Xecotcovach. So it was now the Xecotcovach X-1.

That's what happens when you get an educated widely read man to name your experimental project.

Transport not just into Cardiff but also out into the rest of Cardiff was it seemed proving difficult due to the recent 'terrorist attacks', which for once in Cardiff was actually true.

There was still very little information coming out of Torchwood Three, but from what he'd gathered it had been an attack against Torchwood as well as a terror attack against the city. But by whom was still questionable. There were reports of monks with scythes and monsters in the streets. The latter of which he recognised as Weevils, Wales' own unique monster problem that Torchwood managed. It was interesting that there were very little magical records of them that he had been able to find.

At the moment using the Xecotcovach X-1 to get into Cardiff wouldn't solve a lot of problems. The airspace was still locked down and the stealth elements weren't in the best of shape after their last test into high magic environment. At least the Xecotcovach X-1 had come out unscathed, that had gotten a successful tick on the report. The stealth features needed re-engineering.

Harry wrote, rather than just calling up Osric, the man having become used to his phone calls. Harry opted to write so Osric wouldn't question or persuade him regarding the Xecotcovach.

Calling his courier company to order a courier as he finished the letter he then sealed the envelope and checked the details as he walked through his house just as the doorbell rang.

Then as he was closing the door the phone rang. Harry rushed quickly back to his office wondering who was calling him, the list was actually quite long now that he and LPI was involved all this 'security services business'.

-/

"I'm not sure what I can tell you." Harry said down the phone to the World Ecology Bureau. "There's nothing I know of within LPI's purview that could make bees disappear en masse. It's not just an effect on the climate? Something from the affects of the spaceships over London and the ghost shifts amongst others?" Harry frowned. "Oh, you took samples after each of those 'events'." Harry mused as he wrote down some notes for himself. "I will of course investigate this, no, you don't need to tell me about the importance of bees. Yes, I will as soon as I can." There was a knock on his front door. "Sorry, I must go, I've got another call."

Outside was another courier, the expensive kind who had visited his house on more than one occasion carrying some sort of urgent post. Harry signed for it and ripped it open as he walked back to his study.

It was from Minister Shaklebolt, who needed to see him regarding an 'incident of the utmost import'.

Harry looked around his office and considered calling Judith. Ioan was off having some time away with his wife, since the spacecraft Titanic's near miss there'd been a significant lack of anything dangerous happening so he'd given both his associates time off for all of January and February but he couldn't guarantee that one. Judith had said she'd be 'around' if she was needed.

Harry shook his head. Whatever the Minister wanted it seemed really urgent.

Urgent enough to send the muted form of a howler, which his mail forwarding company had 'flattened', the service required an extra fee for their protection and whatever else, plus Harry had made them sign various privacy protections, even though they'd shown it was mostly a removed process. Howlers were isolated into a box and a mixture of potions poured in to dampen its affects before it was 'rolled out'.

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He'd apparated to LPI's new London central base of operations. Probably not the title he'd use. It also technically wasn't all LPI's they had a few floors plus the parking under it. There were provisions in his lease for other sections of the tower to be used by other parts of the security and military services, with MI5, MI6, GCHQ and other bits and pieces wanting to stake their claim. Why none of them hadn't done so before now Harry wasn't sure, probably because they'd all try and grab too much, but as he was outside yet connected to them he was able to do what they couldn't.

For him it suited his purposes, LPI got a few floors of useful space in London, a central observation point and use of most of parking spaces below the tower. He'd also surveyed several locations on and around the tower to apparate to and from. For those especially urgent times when he needed to be in the nation's capital.

-/

He entered the Ministry of Magic under his invisibility cloak, which was why he'd apparated to the Post Office Tower, so he could walk in rather than apparate in. He wanted to come in quietly and undetected.

The Minister had not said to do so, but his message did seem...rushed. And anything that made the Minister seem rushed and send him a letter rather than go and find one of the emergency sat phones to call him meant it was probably something that needed to be kept quiet.

At least that was Harry's interpretation.

He slipped into the Minister's office while his assistant was distracted by the sudden darkness in the office and corridor, he'd used some Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, he'd found it while clearing out some of his old Hogwarts potion supplies. It had smelt a bit musty but seemed to do the trick.

As he slipped into the Minister's office he was face with the Minister sitting at his desk with his wand drawn.

"Show yourself." He commanded.

"Please." Harry said idly removing his cloak. "You need to follow it up with a threat Kingsley. No one who means harm will show themselves like that."

"You did Potter." Shaklebolt said.

Harry held up a finger as he stuffed the cloak into his bag. "They will if they're insane and like to gloat or they were invited and know they won't be shot."

"And which are you Potter?" He wondered watching him.

"Some days a little bit of both. Hopefully more of the latter." Harry said watching the Minister. "You sent for me after all Minister."

"Yes. Potter. I did." He said in short pauses as there was a knock at the door. Kingsley Shaklebolt looked to him.

"I created a small distraction, just in case we're keeping this meeting secret. I wasn't sure." Harry said softly as he got up to stand behind the door.

"Vigilant thinking Potter." Kingsley said as he got up from his desk to open the door.

"Minister sir, there was-" The man behind the door started.

"I know, a simple spell, evaporated now I see." He shifted looking past the man to the corridor.

"Sir is everything-"

"Everything is fine, I have secure business to attend to." Kingsley said.

"I...understand Minister, is he in there with you?" His assistant asked.

Kingsley didn't say anything and Harry couldn't see if he'd made a motion with his body as he was hidden behind the door.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the Minister. "How very secretive Kingsley."

"You should show some respect Potter, I am the Minister for Magic." Kingsley said as he went over to a cabinet and removed a long box that had several locks in it.

"I showed you respect Kingsley by showing up very quickly, and by not drawing attention to myself." Harry said as he looked around the Minister's office. It seemed to have been expanded since he'd last needed to be in here for any length of time. "Been redecorating have you? Productivity and all that?" Harry asked.

"Something that you do not need to concern yourself with Potter." Shaklebolt paused. "Our arrangement, your LPI will continue with the Ministry regardless of whether I am here." He said somewhat out of the blue, surprising Harry.

Harry was stunned and said so.

"Recent events have suggested we must protect ourselves, and your League is best placed to do so." He continued as he unlocked the final lock and began to take out pieces of paper spreading them out over his desk.

Harry glanced briefly at them as Kingsley spread them out. There seemed to be drawings, painting, poetry along with scratching scribbles and smeared ink.

"What is this Kingsley?"

"This is something all the Ministry Seers recently produced. They all suggest a similar theme. You and the muggles are familiar with his figure I believe." He pulled out one drawing that was particularly vivid.

A chill passed down his back.

It was a drawing of the London Eye, there looked to be several balls hanging in the sky and there was a spaceship in the distance. But large, in focus in the foreground was a squad of Daleks.

"Yes. I am." He said.

Night will reign forever, spring's gone and creators return. The end of everything and the reign of darkness.

Three Fold, Time's Amok, Its children, return. When the night is long and full of terrors. She will burn them away.

When darkness comes the wolf returns, the Abomination foretold, Three Fold, Her Children spun amok. Annihilation from Merlin to Valhalla.

Midnight's destruction, honeys beware. The healer will die, and three will be reborn, sky's alight and night falls forever.

Harry sat heavily down in the chair offered by Kingsley. "These aren't just bits of poetry are they?"

"No Potter, they are not." He said solemnly.

"The originals?" Harry asked.

"They have been recorded in the Hall of Prophecy." Kingsley replied, somewhat obliquely.

"These were reported to you by Seers?" Harry pressed, now looking from the drawings, sketches and written words to the Minister who looked...Harry couldn't read his expression. Not uncomfortable, more...resignation.

"No." He paused and waved his wand at the office door.

Harry heard a click as further bolts went down from the door. "Should I be concerned Kingsley?" Harry asked as he made an obvious show of reaching for his wand.

"I would not think to trap you in such a way Potter. You forget I have known you a long time." Kingsley intoned.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"All these prophecies were captured by Ministry Seers. Made aware and trained for the purposes of keeping the Ministry and wizards secure." Kingsley explained.

Harry was shocked for a few moments. There was much not spoken in that information. Ideas danced in his mind, questions waiting to be asked.

"Might I speak to them?" He finally asked.

Kingsley looked at him carefully. "Five are dead, rocked by the power of these prophecies, they had but time to sketch, to make us aware of what they saw before they died."

"Whatever this is, it must be world shaking." Harry murmured to himself.

"One seer survived. She has been moved to a Ministry facility away from Magic." Kingsley continued.

"Away from magic?" Harry repeated.

"So wrought by the prophecy they are often not able to remain in a magical space. A facility run by squibs is kept for this purpose." The Minister explained.

Harry sat, digesting, thinking on this dark secret. "This has happened before."

"Not on this level. Not in our lifetimes. Voldemort was the last of this magnitude."

"Your seers have not seen the recent incursions by aliens?" Harry asked curiously drawing a scornful look from the Minister for his use of the A-word.

"No. They have not Potter. They are trained to look for the magical." He emphasised.

"This" Harry reached forward and slammed his finger down on the picture of the Dalek "is not magical."

"No." Kingsley admitted.

"But you think what is spoken of in these is?" Harry wondered.

Kingsley remained silent.

"Or it is enough outside the normal realms for the League of Paranormal Investigations to look into?"

"Yes." Kingsley said simply again.

Harry leaned back in the chair again. "You know of course we will investigate." Harry said calmly as he thought to himself 'how could I not?'.

Kingsley remained silent.

"Can I take these?" Harry gestured all the drawings and prophecies laid out on the desk.

Kingsley nodded and went to open his mouth.

"I won't show them to anyone who might distribute these. I understand the need for security Kingsley." Harry said watching the Minister.

"Such things could panic our world Potter."

"The knowledge of a coming Valhalla and the forever night?" Harry paused as he stacked up all the different pieces of paper and tucked them into his bigger on the inside than outside bag. "Or that the Ministry keeps Seers?"

Kingsley remained silent again.

"I did wonder when I was at Hogwarts what the point of Divination was." Harry confessed. "If there are so few true seers what is the point in trying to learn it?" He continued. "I presume they are well paid, for these glimpses into the future they afford the Ministry?"

Kingsley gave him a look. "Very well Potter. There are, as you say, so few true seers."

"How does the Ministry cover up the deaths of that many true seers?" Harry asked curiously.

"True seers once identified usually hide their ability. Curiosity of the future is a dangerously sought after thing." Kingsley continued.

"Curiosity is a dangerous thing indeed." Harry admitted as he rose from his chair and stood before the door. Kingsley waved his wand casually as it. "Good day Minister."

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They were in his shed / barn, where LPI did their work. Andrew Fuller's body had been removed, though not destroyed. Unsurprisingly Owen Cauldwell had not been able to find any trace of Fuller's family. He had asked Harry how Harry wanted to proceed.

Harry'd informed him that LPI would deal with the arrangements.

Which wasn't quite a lie.

He had consulted Judith about it, he wanted to keep Fuller's body...just in case they needed it. Cohort Dow was still a concern, even if things kept getting in the way. Harry was determined to work out Cohort Dow before the next crisis hit.

Determined.

Judith had secreted Fuller's body off at some off the books facility somewhere. Somewhere that would keep his body cold, secure and away from prying eyes. And out of his barn.

"Well." Judith said again as they looked at the sketchings, drawings, scrawls on paper and...

"Prophecies." Ioan said.

"Indeed." Harry said.

"I had heard that the Ministry used Seers to prepare for the worst. Could never find out if they foresaw alien encounters." Ioan said picking up one of the sketches.

"It killed five of them." Harry repeated.

"Five." Ioan repeated shaking his head.

Harry had already told them this when they started.

"Daleks." Judith repeated.

"Yes." Harry affirmed. "There's also this." He grabbed a piece of paper from the other table.

Ioan picked it up and looked at it and passed it to Judith.

"Your translation of what the Eternal Dalek said to you?" She asked.

"Yes." Harry said as he grabbed another piece of paper. "I think what the Eternal said and what all this is" He gestured around the table. "Are all the same thing. It was only after I remembered the World Ecology Bureau called me it made more sense along with these." He tapped the written prophecies. "The Daleks haven't got a native word for bees I don't think." He explained obliquely.

"What?" Ioan asked.

"Status. The winged insects or bees leave. They will command or capture this location or planet. Or maybe planets. Be ready. Or maybe Prepare. Exterminate." Harry said as he read from his translated piece of paper.

"How...enlightening." Ioan said.

"Indeed." Judith said taking the page from Harry.

"There are multiple planets hanging in the sky in these sketches." Ioan pointed to the vistas that had been sketched.

"Yes. That's odd. I think this is something more than a simple invasion." Harry mused.

"Prophecies are always confused." Ioan said.

"Tell me about it. At least I'm not fingered in this prophecy." Harry commented.

Judith patted him on the back. "There, there Harry. We'll still throw our oar in."

"And paddle up shit creek." Harry muttered.

"What do you think 'Three Fold' means Harry?" Ioan asked.

"One of the sketches shows three people in shadow." Harry said sorting through the pages.

"Nothing that can be made out though." Judith said. "Pity they didn't have perfect sketching skills."

"Before they expired." Ioan said in a foreboding tone. "I never thought much of divination."

"Nor I. True seers though exist." Harry commented. "Psychic abilities also exist. UNIT's documented some of them." Harry mused to himself and shook his head.

"Not relevant at the moment." Judith said nudging Harry gently.

"Unless..." Ioan started.

"Unless?" Harry wondered. "Unless other people will start seeing things."

"This 'reign of darkness', 'Valhalla', 'long night' and 'night fall forever'." Judith asked. "They're all referring to something world shattering?"

"Can we talk with the remaining seer Harry?" Ioan asked. "Maybe they can tell us more."

"I was going to suggest that." Harry said.

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They'd left their wands behind in the Defender. Harry had called the facility on the phone.

There was no magic here. The Seers and others who'd been sent here couldn't handle it.

This whole town was devoid of magic.

It wasn't what he'd been expecting.

It was a rather nice country house, in walking distance to the town, the pub. Everyone was friendly when they walked in.

But as they were led through it was explained these people couldn't have any contact with magic anymore.

Contact with anything magical could send them 'beyond'.

Even with capable wizards and witches it was short contact only, squibs were the only ones they could be around.

"I knew you'd come Harry Potter, Ioan Hrycek, Judith Winters." Said a woman's voice, her whole figure hidden behind an easel. She had a fantastic view out to the wood and a paddock out of the corner where she sat.

Harry felt a chill pass down his back. Very few people knew Judith's full name, even fewer people spoke it, Harry counted himself as one of those people and knew not to speak it. Judith was...just Judith.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Harry asked walking over to the window to look out at it. "The transition from being in the Ministry's employ to..."

"A muggle?" Snorted the woman behind the easel. Somehow she had turned the easel so despite Harry walking across the room she was still obscured.

"Did divination at Hogwarts help with your gift?" Ioan asked curiously as Harry looked out the window.

"When I was at Hogwarts Trelawney had yet to be hired." She paused to laugh and cough, it was not a pleasant sounding cough. "I found my way myself. My employment with the Ministry has been a good time for myself and my family."

"And now?" Harry wondered.

"If we survive what is to come Harry Potter then I shall live out my life in this wonderfully quaint township. No longer burdened with magic's heavy hand and thrust-filled guidance." She explained.

"Do you recall anything else of your seeing?" Judith asked carefully.

"Beyond what the Minister would have provided you?" She asked as she folded a page over the easel.

Harry turned around to look at it. "An eye." He said looking at the lurid green eye and grabbed the page as she unclipped it from the easel before it drifted to the ground.

"Indeed. The thought of this gives me the greatest of headaches. I am well rid of it." She explained she drew a breath. "Also beware Osterhagen." She intoned.

Harry turned around from the window.

"You recognise that?" Judith seemed surprised.

"Something Pearce mentioned." Harry said slightly surprised.

"Now, I think you LPI should leave. I think I'll take a turn round the gardens." She waved them off from behind her easel.

"Thank you Contessa Nanshe." Harry said softly as they left the room.

-/

"She didn't sound well." Ioan said as they got into the Defender.

"No." Harry said as he started the engine. "She survived something so violent it killed her fellows. Whatever they saw would have been..." Harry trailed off, not sure what to say. He hadn't wanted to ask the people in charge how she was.

"Indeed." Judith mused as they drove away.

-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/

Harry stood within the Post Office Tower surveying London and mused on a great many things.

He'd contacted Pearce and mentioned they needed to have a talk, things were starting to get away from them.

As he wandered around this floor of the newly cleared out, though not so much fitted out LPI London he fancied he could see Westminster from here.

He knew which direction it was, but it was a particularly overcast and glary day. There was something about that place, something that was sitting on the edge of his memory. When he'd been by the Thames with Harry Pearce he'd felt it briefly.

He wanted to have a good investigation of Westminster, when things were settled.

Judith had suggested that with prophecies being made everywhere and their dead Mr Fuller still unresolved maybe things wouldn't settle down before they were all faced with deadly danger.

By that reasoning he'd suggested she help him uncover whatever it was that was haunting him from there.

Pearce had said that Six also would be coming along, that things were beginning to take on a grander scale.

Harry exhaled and looked over as the lift dinged, its bell was an old style, the same age as the building.

"A new floor Potter." Pearce said walking out, adjusting his coat.

"The one we used for the ghost shifts is being refitted." Harry explained. A lot of the dampening technology they'd used to combat the ghost shifts they'd removed from the Post Office Tower after that incident, but the connections were still there and would probably be more useful if they were left there and standardised, in case, for the future.

This floor was more useful as a meeting room. He and Ioan with Judith pointing out things had secured and locked down this floor to a high degree, making if perfectly secure to plot the downfall of the British Government or whatever else they might need to do.

A woman followed Pearce out of the lift. "Interesting place for meeting Mr Potter."

Harry strode over to meet her. "I quite like it. It's not as though anyone was using it before LPI decided to stake a claim."

"Yes. I know, I looked over the paperwork. Porton Down also wanted a small stake in this place." She said.

"Indeed..." Harry trailed off.

"Olivia Mansfield. I wouldn't want to keep you in the dark, unlike your previous encounter with my associate." She explained offering him her hand to shake.

"Aside from Pearce I just thought of everyone as 'that guy or woman from Six' or whatever other agency, organisation or department." Harry said with a shrug.

"So, what do you have for us that requires us present Mr Potter?" Olivia Mansfield asked.

Harry gestured over at the table where he'd spread out the copies of his copies of the prophecy from the Ministry including the picture of the eye and his own translation of what the Eternal had said to him in Dalek.

"These were provided to me by the Minister of Magic, concerning the future." Harry explained and watched Olivia.

"Ms Mansfield is fully aware of your esoteric affiliations Mr Potter." Pearce provided.

"Thank you Harry I can speak for myself." Mansfield said as she picked up one of the drawings. "Daleks. Again." She said putting the page back down.

"Indeed. Something quite Earth moving. I fear literally." He said as he explained. Finishing with his own translation from the Eternal, although he didn't explain where he'd got it from.

After he finished Mansfield and Pearce carefully looked at him. "Do you think this is credible?"

"Yes. My source is very...credible." Harry said carefully.

"Who is your source Potter?" Mansfield asked curiously.

Harry hesitated. "Not a question I can answer. It was provided via an intermediary free agent." Harry explained, said agent was him, but they didn't need to know that. "I trust the individual with my life and their judgement." He continued to speak about himself in the third person.

"I see. You've been capable with these matters thus far Potter. More so than our foreign allies in that regard." Mansfield said as she removed an envelope from her pocket. "Following on from Pearce's investigations we have been looking into your 'Osterhagen'."

Harry took envelope and spread the photos out. "These are nuclear weapons." Harry said as he looked over them.

"You know your weapons Mr Potter, very good." Mansfield congratulated.

"They're big as well. Huge in fact. Is that the warhead?" He exclaimed picking up one of the images. "This is what Osterhagen is?"

"You were correct in your anagram suggestion Potter. 'Earth's Gone' is the most likely use of it." Pearce started.

Harry felt a chill pass down his back and a feeling of extreme dread.

"Ah, you see. This is how I know you're the man to deal with Potter." Mansfield observed smiling coolly. "You have drawn a conclusion that is the worst possible."

"'Earth's Gone'?" Harry asked. "How bad is it?"

Harry had to have a seat, unfortunately there weren't any chairs, not yet. He only had the table for this meeting. So he'd sat on that as the two intelligence agents looked at the drawings, sketches and poetry closer.

"It's very poetic." Mansfield commented.

"Prophecies usually are." Harry muttered. "So what are we to do?" Harry asked the pair of them. "I assume Osterhagen has been approved by the governments of the world."

"With UNIT leading the charge." Mansfield provided.

Harry ran his hands through his hair and wondered if this was Kate's doing. He doubted it, this felt like the old guard doing something idiotic. Not the Brigadier's old guard, the guard that got most of their advisors killed by the Slitheen.

"Using no doubt some stuff they learnt during Stahlman's inferno business in the early 70s." Harry mused to himself.

"Sorry Potter what was that?" Pearce looked at him.

"Just UNIT. Learning the wrong things. So, shall we sabotage it?" Harry asked casually without pausing. "Or is that treason going against what the government has ordered?" Harry got off the table. "I can never remember what is treasonous and what isn't." Harry pondered for a moment and then and pointed at Pearce. "Eating swan!"

Pearce looked at him. "I'm sorry Potter?"

"Eating Swan is treasonous Pearce." Mansfield said watching Harry. "Are you in a position to give us orders Mr Potter?"

"Not to eat swan, I wouldn't bother. There's nicer poultry." Harry grinned. "Perhaps. We don't exactly have a useful government at the moment." Harry paused. "What of Luke Rattigan? Now that I think of suspicious government people." Harry continued, changing the subject.

"That is something that we will be looking into further. Our government is pushing the installation of the ATMOS devices." Pearce explained.

"Worldwide usage is also up. His devices are being heralded as our chance to beat climate change." Mansfield continued idly. "Do you know what it is Potter?"

"We could try asking UNIT." Harry said seriously.

"Even with their involvement in the Osterhagen Project?" Mansfield asked him curiously.

Harry nodded. "We can ask their help with Rattigan while sabotaging their plans to destroy the planet."

"And this?" Pearce asked.

"That will require some planning and a few more people than us three." Harry admitted. "But we must ensure that our planet is defended."

There was some silence.

"Indeed Potter," She fixed her gazed on him. "That we must, who else will ensure that?" Mansfield affirmed.

"Who else indeed?" Harry mused.

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A/N:

With Voyage of the Damned I couldn't really involve Harry in any major way as it all takes place in space and then very briefly on Earth.

Here, Kate Stewart is introduced. This I hadn't really even thought about doing, but as some reviewers asked me I thought I'd write a few scenes with her and Harry and have Alistair introduce them.

The seers have been particularly accurate because of the intensity of the reality bomb that has thundered back through time and given them a vision of what is to come. And because of the instabilities that still exist in time from the rollback of the Year That Never Was.

As we head in towards the stories that lead up to The Stolen Earth/Journey's End I run into a problem of timing in the DW universe. Basically Planet of the Dead happens in Easter 2009 and refers to the events of Journey's End. Which means the Torchwood stories Fragments and Exit Wounds and the Doctor Who stories Partners in Crime, The Sontaran Stratagem, The Poison Sky, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End all happen within 2 months or so of one another. I mention this simply to explain why some of these chapters are somewhat fast and scattered. There's a lot to fit in and not much time for it to happen in.

One other thing that I won't be covering is Turn Left. Its universe is much better explored than the 'Year That Never Was'. Which makes inserting Harry and LPI into it and finding something new to explore is less appealing. It's also explicitly a Donna-influenced scenario, whilst the YTNW affected everyone.