Chapter 76

Amy watched the Doctor dance and shift around the console.

"What's he doing?" Rory asked sitting down on the stairs next to her. Amy leant next to him. He smelt of some otherworldly fragrance, like roses and drift wood. "You've been at that weird body wash again."

He shifted. "It's hard to find anything in that shower room!" Rory complained.

She hit him playfully. "Shut it. I like it." Amy leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"He said he wants to visit a friend of his," Amy said watching the raggedy man continue to rush and dart around the console.

"A friend of his," Rory repeated. "Someone he used to travel with?" He asked.

"Don't know. Just said it'd be a surprise," Amy answered recalling what the Doctor had said. "That he's known this guy for a long time."

"He must be old," Rory said looking over to the man then corrected himself. "Or not."

"After that Dream Lord and everything he wanted to show us he's normal," Amy mused.

"Parking!" Shouted the Doctor. "That's the problem. Never a space when you need it," he announced as he twisted a control on the screen hanging from the console.

Then there was the noise as the TARDIS landed with a thud.

"Come on you two." The Doctor was suddenly rushing over and paused looking at Rory wrinkling his nose. "Have you done something different with your body Rory?" He sniffed. "You're all...drift woody..."

"It's the shower!" He exclaimed as Amy pulled him up off the stairs that led down into the console space. As she did so the Doctor ran past them.

"Where're you going now? I thought we landed." Amy called after him.

"Got to get something," he turned around. "It's a surprise." He grinned.

"Oh great. Surprises." Rory said with a look to Amy.

"Not for you silly," the Doctor called. His voice drifting away from him and throughout the TARDIS. "For Harry."

-/ - \\-

Harry Potter had all his vehicles out of their respective sheds. He'd been meaning to check them all over for a while now. They all had scars; signs that they'd been used more often for more varied things than their designers had every intended.

"Defender times two, McLaren F1, Jaguar E-Type, Lotus Exige and...'Whomobile'." That was according the manual he'd found in one of the storage compartments of the vehicle the Doctor had given him.

That didn't have many signs of damage that he'd put it through. There was some damage that had been expertly repaired on said vehicle, obviously from when the Doctor had owned it.

The first Defender that had been severely damaged, he and Ioan used it primarily for magical testing and target practice, it was stored in one of the far off barns on the edge of his property.

The current Land Rover Defender also had buckets of damage, but also had been hardened against everything. It was off to the side, that was the official LPI vehicle, so he'd not included it in his checking. It got plenty of going over and checking whenever they'd been shot at.

The E-Type and the Exige had both been converted for 'LPI use'. Blues and Twos in each. He'd so far resisted fitting anything gimmicky like rocket launchers behind the headlights or boot-mounted anti-aircraft gun. Mostly because they would change the handling characteristics of the cars, and there was only so many weapons one could carry around at once. Each of the cars had a 'special' bag inside with the barest minimum of weapons and useful tech within that would go everywhere.

"Have you decided how you are to fill up the extra space in your barns Harry?" Daphne asked playfully as she joined him outside a tray of drinks trailing behind her.

She had come back from overseeing repairs at her family's dock and the dredging of the Thames following the invasion. It seemed there were more dead Daleks and detritus in the Thames than they'd first considered. The havoc however was minor compared to if they hadn't done anything.

Perhaps that was why he'd not had a call from the UN, even though Pearce and Mansfield had said there were still rumblings.

"I have tried multiple times to go and have a look. Danger and interesting things keeps getting in the way," he said as she gestured the tray down on a trestle table he had set up with some of his scanner equipment he'd been using to check whether there were any bullet holes or energy weapons burns his engineers and mechanics had missed. They had however been very thorough.

"No thoughts at all?" She asked curiously. "You are usually thorough when concerning these conveyances of yours."

"I had considered one, but it wasn't British," Harry paused listening. He thought he'd heard something, something wheezing, or possibly the wind.

Daphne looked at him curiously.

Harry shook his head. "Must be imagining it."

"If your conveyance is expertly constructed I think you can buy something not constructed in Britain. Given your work with the Xecotcovach, that is hardly only British," she commented.

His secret project with her father. "Most of the tech in that is developed in Britain...somewhere along the way," he exhaled. "But I agree. Protecting the empire does not lead to the best of outcomes." He could and might one day write a long book on Torchwood, Cohort Dow and even LPI. Maybe after his Dalek psychology book. At least he'd started that.

Finding anyone to read it was an entirely other concept.

He wasn't even sure who'd edit it or publish it.

"I did have my eye on something high tech if only to test our next gen magic shielding."

Daphne wrinkled her nose. "'Next gen'?"

"Ioan and mine's further development of our technology and wizarding integration," Harry said. "I still don't really understand why technology in the wizarding world is so out of sync. There's steam trains, yet horse drawn coaches, the Knight Bus, yet that's the only conveyance." Harry shook his head and accepted the cool vessel of liquid offered at him by Daphne.

"I will not say that it is simply 'magic' Harry." Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "It is how wizarding society has been. My family's business has provided a method of moving goods around that exceeds what many think of as 'traditional'," Daphne commented.

"Osric has mentioned the Xecotcovach as a hard sell for some," Harry said recalling Daphne's father. "But none can fault the speed," Harry chuckled. "Pragmatic. Perhaps then?" He asked.

"Indeed." She tilted her head, seemingly listening for something.

Then Harry heard it louder this time. The sounds he'd heard barely months ago, that he'd been in, travelled in. The sounds that lived in his dreams and danced in his memories.

The sound of a time and space vehicle. A TARDIS. Slowly wheezing and groaning into reality beside his cars.

The outline slowly morphing into the landscape of a box, a blue box with 'Police Box' written on the top.

It still made him grin, made him think of the past, of the Doctor of...when things were simpler. Of course it could be deadly danger, again.

But after the Daleks' invasion and the Sontarans and ATMOS and everything maybe there wouldn't be anything else awful the rest of the year.

As the TARDIS finished solidifying into the space, the reality around it accepting it Harry looked at it, studying it.

It looked different, different from when last he'd stepped inside it, different from the TARDIS that the Doctor had when he and Draco had travelled with him. Each of the Doctors' TARDISes looked different, just slightly different. They all were Police Boxes, but it was like his TARDIS was changing, adapting itself to its Police Box shape. The Doctor always claimed that the chameleon circuit didn't work.

Maybe, Harry mused it just didn't work very well. Maybe it was just really good at doing Police Boxes.

The thought made him smile a little bit more.

Then the door burst open and a man came out looking around. Appraising where he was and perhaps when he was.

"Come on you two, we've arrived," said the man. The Doctor.

Harry already knew that this was the Doctor. He was the man who had stolen a fire engine in Leadworth.

The Doctor was looking around the TARDIS and then his eye seemed to fall on the cars that were near by.

"Cars!" He said with a grin and then looked up and around. "Harry," he said as Harry wandered over. "Harry Potter."

"Doctor," Harry had enough time to say before being enveloped in a hug and for such a slight Time Lord this Doctor was still able to hug him, almost enveloping him in a hug.

-/

Amy followed Rory out of the TARDIS to see the Doctor hugging a man. Looking around it seemed they had landed next to someone's house in the country.

"He's got good taste in cars," Rory commented.

"You always love a Jag," she said looking to the E-Type parked out in the sun.

There was also a woman, watching the Doctor and the man curiously with some interest.

She was just about to go over to the woman when the Doctor let the man go.

The man was around about the same height as the Doctor though a different build. He had a smile almost as grinning as the Doctor's and piercing green eyes.

"You know who I am then?" The Doctor asked.

"'Prisoner Zero must vacate the human residence'," the man quoted. Amy suddenly got chills down her as she recalled that day, both the excitement and the fear of it. That weird day when it all changed for her. Then the man grinned. "You also stole a fire engine."

-/

"Oh...that." The Doctor said looking awkward. The Doctor looked a him with a grin. "That's how you knew it was me wasn't it?"

"Video from inside the fire engine," Harry paused to look at the two people with the Doctor. "And also video from the hospital of your-" He was cut off.

"Amy, Rory!" The Doctor rushed over to them. "I want you to meet Harry Potter. He's my oldest friend."

"Time spent knowing him, his different facets," Harry added. "Not as old as him obviously," Harry said as he shook the hands of Amy Pond and Rory Williams.

The Doctor looked at him grinning and smiling.

"So how'd he kidnap you two?" Harry asked with a smile. "Or'd he invite you into his mad box?"

"I don't kidnap anyone Harry!" The Doctor exclaimed pointing at Harry and giving him a look and then clicked his fingers. "Almost never."

"Doctor, how many people have you taken away on their wedding night?" Amy teased curiously.

"No one!" He exclaimed. "Tell them Harry."

"I've hardly travelled with you," Harry countered and looked back to Amy and Rory. "Most of the people I know got marriage proposals while they were off with him," Harry paused and looked around to Daphne who had remained quiet throughout their interchange. "Doctor I'd like you to meet Daphne Greengrass," Harry said.

Daphne walked over as the Doctor embraced her in a surprise move taking the wind out of her.

"Steady on Doctor, she's not sackhorse," Rory said.

"You will find I am far tougher than I might appear Mr Williams," Daphne said as she was let go.

"Sorry, forgot the..." He waved at Daphne's chest area. "Gets in the way."

Amy frowned looking at Daphne and Harry. "How'd you know my fiancé's name?"

"The Doctor introduced you," Harry said simply.

"Last name." Amy asked carefully looking between Harry, the Doctor and Daphne.

"You were involved in an alien incursion onto Earth in 2008. We looked into you," Harry explained.

"We you and her?" Amy asked.

Harry shook his head. "I run an organisation that investigates the esoteric, the magical and the unexplainable that isn't covered by other intelligence organisations."

"The League of Paranormal Investigations!" The Doctor announced with flare. He had slinked off to look at Harry's cars while Amy was interrogating him.

"The League of what?" Rory asked looking between Harry and Daphne.

"I am not part of Harry's league. I have my own business," Daphne matched Amy, not Rory's sightline.

"Paranormal Investigations," Harry repeated to answer Rory's query.

"So how come we didn't hear from you after that Atraxi thing?" Amy asked.

"The League of Paranormal Investigations isn't UNIT," Harry commented. "Nothing was to be had from meeting you," he paused to look to the Doctor. "There's also the web of time to consider. I've had enough of a headache meeting another of your friends out of order," Harry said.

"'Web of time'?" Rory queried looking between Harry and the Doctor.

"Time isn't the boss of me." The Doctor announced and then spun around to look at Harry. "Friends?" He fixed him with a querying look. "Come on, you can tell me all about it. Time to have a wander, we can chat. We never do that any more, a good old chat. It's all...rushing around. Not just...having a chat." He said taking Harry's arm.

-/

Amy watched the Doctor take the man, Harry Potter off down the garden path.

"This is how it's happened in the past. So Harry has informed me, when the Doctor has visited him," the woman, Daphne said.

"He's done it before?" Rory asked.

Daphne nodded as she pulled out her wand gesturing at the house summoning more drinking vessels, glad she had forgotten to close the cupboards while she was inside the house.

"What..." Amy started as she saw some glasses floating through the air gestured by Daphne.

"Magic. The Doctor didn't inform you of the magical world?" Daphne asked.

"No," Amy said in a short tone and looked to Rory who shrugged.

"Would you like a drink?" Daphne asked.

-/

"Thank you for sending her. I hope it was you and not another you," Harry asked as they walked.

The Doctor looked at him curiously. It was odd, to see the Doctor have the body of someone so young, yet his expressions seemed so old. This man, this Doctor, there was something different about him than the other one, the one that had said proudly the Earth would be defended. The one who'd watched the Master wreak havoc on that alternate Earth, the one that gave him nightmares.

Sometimes.

This Doctor, he felt different, immediately upon seeing him. There was a timeless age, a maturity beyond youth. Harry couldn't place why, but this man, this Doctor Harry felt he could trust him, more so than the other Doctor, the one who stood by that other Earth as the Master ransacked it. The one he had so recently met and watched him stand by again as Davros nearly brought about the end of everything.

Harry recalled meeting the Doctor for the first time. When he was so young, when Ian and Barbara had taught at Little Whinging primary school. Back then the Doctor looked so old. Yet he had this expression when he'd talked to him. It was like his whole face would come alive with an expression of playfulness, of youthfulness. Like he could run forever and everything was a game, a serious one occasionally yet...

"Harry?" The Doctor looked to him.

"Sorry, just thinking." The Doctor relaxed slightly. "Of you. When you first met me and now." Harry smiled, not mentioning his musing on the other Doctor.

"Still the same Time Lord." The Doctor adjusted his bow tie and then proceeded to ask. "So," He paused. "This woman?" He asked putting his hands together.

"Not Iris Wildthyme," Harry began with a smile.

The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "That woman and her bus."

Harry laughed. "She led me on a little adventure." The Doctor looked to him curiously. "Someone who rescued me, Daphne and Draco from the 1970s."

"Again?" The Doctor frowned. "You went back?"

"Maybe you haven't met her yet. I don't want to be mixing things up more." Harry worried to himself, worried that he'd guessed that it was this Doctor who'd sent Song to rescue them. "She mentioned 'spoilers'."

The Doctor's expression went through several iterations. "River Song. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

"I seem to be continuing that trend," Harry wondered to himself.

"How?" The Doctor shook his head. "No. Whatever has happened will happen." The Doctor looked off into the distance. "She'll just find a way to make it more complicated," he grumbled.

Harry nodded. "I..." He started and the Doctor looked to him. There was something of this Doctor that made Harry trust him, an honest face and a bewildering sense of body language. Harry shook his head as the Doctor beamed a smile at him as they continued to walk in silence.

"You've got a satellite array hidden here," the Doctor said pointing around the fields after they'd walked in silence for a little while.

"My neighbour runs the sheep. I've no need for the paddocks," Harry said. "It's useful for monitoring the threats to the Earth," Harry explained. It had been a while since any Doctor had been to visit him at his house.

"To keep it 'defended'," the Doctor said in a dark tone and turned around and stopped to look at Harry. "I remember." He looked away from him for a moment.

Harry nodded, not saying anything on that subject, giving a moment's pause. "Wasn't that long ago I saw you. The one with his sand shoes," he paused and looked at the Doctor properly. "I'm glad you visited," he paused slightly. "I like the bow tie. Not so...suit-like."

"Bow ties are cool Harry," he said adjusting it again.

"I liked the velvet jackets and capes too," Harry added with a smile as the Doctor frowned.

The Doctor shook his head. "You and him. Gadgets and cars." He shook his head. "And UNIT!"

"UNIT was fine then," Harry paused looking to the Doctor. "Now, like them it seems you've decided science leads again, giving them all those science concepts to distract during that Prisoner Zero thing," Harry commented recalling when he'd first seen this Doctor. He couldn't help but wonder of the Doctor who'd stood behind the force field in front of Davros, waiting as the Daleks counted down the end of everything would have done in that situation. This man, this Time Lord seemed so different, yet there was an essence of his friend, there before him.

The Doctor shrugged awkwardly.

They continued walking around the paddocks in relative silence until Harry asked his question, the one he was curious whenever he'd met the Doctor, though it was never answered adequately. "How?"

"How I got my new face?" He looked back over to where Amy, Rory and Daphne were chatting. "Met Amy. She was the first face I saw. Before that it was all…" he paused wrinkling his nose. "sand shoes," he said musing then fixed him with a look. "Be careful during Christmas Harry."

"I always am. There always seems to be a Christmas invasion," Harry joked.

The Doctor looked away. "There will be something more, something dangerous." He explained slowly. "I..." He trailed off.

"Something to defend against?" Harry pushed carefully.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nothing to be done Harry, I sorted it out. Just...be careful."

"Be careful invasion levels?" Harry pressed.

The Doctor turned to look at him. "There are things coming Harry, big things, things of the past; coming this Christmas. Things dead and gone," he paused. "I want you to be careful Harry." He looked intensely at him. "Don't overreact, it should all be over as quickly as it appeared," he paused, suddenly looking quite old.

Harry watched the Doctor's face, he was looking at him closely. "I'm always careful Doctor. But if there's something I need to be extra careful, if you could..."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Too much knowledge of the future doesn't leave room for the exploration of it Harry," he grinned at Harry.

"Spoilers?" Harry asked. "To quote our friend River Song?" Not that she was much of a friend Harry reflected.

"Yes!" The Doctor exclaimed and then frowned seemingly annoyed Harry was quoting Song to him. "No," he said as he started rummaging through his pockets. "Here; A gift, should have brought it sooner," he held up a tube.

"A girl's best friend?" Harry asked taking the tube.

The Doctor grinned but didn't say anything.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Suspended translation matrix." He said twisting out the tube which looked like lip balm and Harry said so. The Doctor almost frowned. "It'll translate for you. Old Oolon tried to patent it."

"Colluphid?" Harry asked curiously.

The Doctor's face lit up. "You've met him?"

Harry shook his head. "You mentioned him ages ago," he explained.

"Works without sticking anything aquatic in the ears. Maybe if I'd brought you this you wouldn't have needed to learn their language," the Doctor commented in a dark tone.

"Everyone's got to have a hobby." Harry commented idly.

The Doctor nodded and looked at his watch. "Should go. Was hard to find good coordinates, she doesn't like landing here. Not much space here and now," he said holding his hands together.

"You could have waited," Harry joked as the Doctor took off back towards his TARDIS. "It's like I don't see you for ages and now..." He trailed off.

"Miss me?" The Doctor finished looking back at him and wrapping him in a hug again.

"Just the last time...with everything," Harry tried to say.

The Doctor stepped back from him. "You're my friend Harry," he paused. "One of my oldest," the Doctor paused looking at him. "And nothing ever, will ever change that."

"The same goes for you Doctor just..." Harry trailed off looking to the younger man who appeared younger than him, yet older all at the same time. "Some ties are stronger at different times perhaps?"

The Doctor grinned at him, as though he'd made a profound observation on the universe. "Perhaps," he paused. "Time will tell."

"It always does," Harry commented. "Or we'll get trapped in its sticky web," he continued as they turned to walk back up to the Doctor's TARDIS.

-/

As he and the Doctor approached Daphne, Rory and Amy the latter came up to them.

"We're in the past," Amy pointed at the Doctor's chest.

The Doctor frowned. "Only a little."

"We could run into ourselves," Amy countered.

The Doctor looked to him. "You're far from Leadworth, still in Britain," Harry offered. "The past?" He asked the Doctor.

"We're from 2010," Amy explained.

"It's only a year. That's hardly the past. I once spent 12 months in the 1970s, that's the past," Harry commented idly. "A year's nothing, don't worry about it. Wait till you've got a few more years distance and then worry."

There was a creak beside them as the Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS.

"I've got an oil can somewhere," Harry commented.

"I like the creak. It's cool," The Doctor said.

Harry looked to Amy and Rory. "It was nice to meet you both. I hope we'll meet again sometime. If there's barely a year that separates us," he paused and looked to the Doctor. "And if he can get you back at the right time maybe we'll meet again," Harry said.

"What?" Rory said as he offered Harry his hand to shake.

"It's nothing," the Doctor said. "She just likes the scenic route." He patted the side of the TARDIS.

"Daphne's been telling us all about you," Amy said looking to Harry. "You're a good one."

"Some say," Harry said.

Amy turned to Daphne. "Thanks."

"Good luck," Daphne said. As Amy and Rory disappeared into the TARDIS.

The Doctor stood on the threshold of the TARDIS. "Still time, if you'd like Harry," he said stepping aside to allow him entry into the TARDIS.

"You've redecorated." Harry peered in. "I always liked the classic brass, all those dials, that staircase. Plus I loved the zeppelin hangar," Harry enthused thinking back to his and Draco's short time travelling with the Doctor.

"The what?" The Doctor looked at him confused.

"I'll explain later," Harry grinned. "I've got enough to keep me busy here." Harry let his grin melt into a smile. "It was good to see you again Doctor."

"And you Harry. Daphne Greengrass." He grinned and stepped back into the TARDIS.

Harry and Daphne stood watching the TARDIS dematerialise until there was nothing left in the courtyard of the trio that had been there except empty glasses and recent memories.

"Did you converse well with your friend?" She asked once silence had once again was with them and the TARDIS had fully disappeared.

Harry nodded and felt a smile forming on his face. "Seeing the Doctor, this new man, he seemed..." Harry trailed off. "Even though it was only a few months ago it felt like the difference between the Doctor now and that Doctor was" Harry sniffed out an exhalation of humour "lifetimes."

"Amy and Rory were intriguing, it was good to converse with two who were actively travelling with the Doctor. Their insights were enlightening," she explained. "They're to be married, when they return to their home time."

Harry nodded and looked to Daphne. "Is it something we should?" He asked awkwardly. It was rarely they spoke of such things. They both had complicated lives, each their own. They mixed their lives, their relationship at points of intimacy and closeness.

Daphne shook her head. "Ours are different to other wizards. Some marry to bring great houses together. Marriage brings great management and good matching. Something I do not wish for, not so simplistic as other matchings in the wizarding world."

Harry nodded. "Nor I. I do not think you wish to have a hand in the League's business."

Daphne laughed a smart laugh. "Nor I think you could ever be happy concerning yourself with the minutiae of shipping and logistics of cargo of my family's business matters."

Harry chuckled looking upwards at the sky. "Merlin no. The Xecotcovach is as far as I have into that business."

"And that has your own distinct turn on it Harry," Daphne said with a smile.

"It's a joint costly project. It'd have been a shame if it spent most of its time in a hangar when we didn't need it. Osric gets to use it and test it now it's mostly finished." He paused. "Even if it means a bigger break from the Statute," Harry admitted. It wasn't something he'd admitted out loud. Some things with Osric were a case of 'ask no questions, tell no lies'. Technically what Osric and the Greengrass business brought was money and work for the Xecotcovach X-1. So were he ever asked he could say honestly.

"I know you do not care for it," Daphne said.

"I work in a complicated world. Magic is just one of the unbelievable things that the people I now work with have to deal with before breakfast. I think of the Statute as more of a guideline," he finally said.

"That is better than some witches and wizards." Daphne mused. "Did the Doctor inform you of anything of the future?" She asked knowing his curiosity with such things.

Harry looked around the courtyard and to the barn as he realised his Dalek alert system hadn't gone off and remembered he'd pulled it apart to build the Temporal Extinction Device, he'd need to rebuild it again. "Some things about Christmas. Old things consigned to history to be aware of and he warned me of. Not an invasion."

"That is not very enlightening," Daphne commented.

"That's what I said. I pushed," Harry said. "But any enlightenment is something I suppose."

-/ - \\-

A/N:

Minor edit done June 2021.

It's been a while since I needed to write a proper "Visited by a Doctor" chapter. A very long while in fact as when I wrote the original "visited" chapters there wasn't an Eleventh Doctor.

I hadn't originally intended to have Harry meet the Eleventh Doctor here. Especially as The End of Time hasn't happened yet.

But a lot of people have been asking and there were some things I wanted to introduce early. I also wanted to introduce a bit of timey-wimeyness to him meeting Harry. It's been very linear thus far.

I wanted Harry to meet the Eleventh Doctor and the real Amy Pond and Rory. By that I mean not the ganger version of Amy. So their meeting takes place right before The Hungry Earth. They probably try for Rio after leaving Harry and Daphne.

Harry'll probably meet the Eleventh Doctor a few more times. As unlike the Tenth he doesn't spend that much time on Earth in the 'present'. Also the Tenth and Harry have a lot of baggage. Or rather Harry has baggage with him because of the memories he has of the Year That Never Was.