Chapter 110

Daphne didn't mind not attending the opening ceremony as he wanted to look around the outside of it while it was on; 'I hadn't considered going, that is an event for the muggles, maybe I'll watch it on your television' she'd challenged playfully before she'd decided they'd been chatting about too many boring subjects and taken him to bed, with little desire for sleep.

Harry looked at the energy scanner, there was still some weird anomalous readings, he'd asked UNIT, Osgood confirmed with him that they weren't doing anything specific.

'Why Harry, what do you think is going on? Should I get Kate?'

'No,' he'd said, it was just a blip, barely that.

And magic was involved. There were some trailing spells, and a bit of...it felt like something mildly psychic, just off the edge of his sense.

Looking around again he wondered if it was just the wifi putting him on edge, and the various other low power energy signals that were around.

He'd discounted that, he'd been through the Time War and bombarded by innumerable communication transmissions without feeling much.

He'd given Judith and Ioan the night off. They'd earnt it with the amount of last minute work they'd needed to do.

He didn't even really need to be out here, prowling around area outside London Stadium, he and LPI had done everything above and beyond what the Ministry had requested.

Even after the Doctor had turned up, those in Westminster had looked around for someone to take responsibility for that. The security services had done all they could, as they pointed out the route was as secure as you can make it with thousands of people around.

At least he didn't try to overthrow the government.

Again.

Harry had wanted to point out that just because he knew the Doctor didn't mean he was his keeper. UNIT had a more detailed relationship with the Doctor's machinations than he did, he'd wanted to say when he'd been networked into the blame call. But he hadn't, he'd let UNIT explain about the aliens they'd detected in the vicinity of Dame Kelly Holmes Close and how one of their containment teams was handling things.

Nothing magical involved.

Harry nodded to one of the armed police that were around the perimeter of London Stadium, and again wondered what he was doing here.

There were multiple charms layered around here, spells on top of charms on top of...whatever else that would prevent anything from happening around here, close to the stadium.

Ioan had said it had probably cost a large fortune, but one the Ministry would provide the reciprocal arrangement where up the British government did what it could for Quidditch, things like this and other major events were guaranteed free from magical interference by the Ministry of Magic.

It was all nice and neat.

Kicking a few random black cubes to the curb, he'd seen a few of these around, but assumed they were part of the Olympics preparation either something technology or wizarding based. Each time he intended to investigate he'd been distracted by something else and when he'd gone back they'd disappeared.

Perhaps it was those cubes that were tickling at his senses, sharpened and honed from his time away in the Time War, or maybe he was just paranoid and on edge being back in the real world, where people did just have fun, sporting events went on and...everything.

But there were still remnants to worry about, whatever remained of Cohort Dow and its influence, the smug git of a man, him and his cohorts still liked to occasionally drop turds LPI's way. Along with whatever was pilfered from Torchwood aside from the Naismiths' thievery. He felt like that was his and LPI's responsibility after reconstructing Torchwood. Although he often just hoped that would go away far enough that Gwen and Ros would have to deal with it and he needn't worry. But there were still plenty of things that had fallen through the cracks and would likely creep up and take a huge bite out of him in the future no doubt.

At least there was no Ginny, none of her followers left. Harry mused with a smile, and then frowned, he hoped at least. He'd pursued them through time, and her through time and through wars. She could have the common courtesy to stay dead.

Maybe it really was just all the spells, layered in around here, all of those charms over the top, and then all the anti-apparition wards over those that made him feel nervous.

If he knew how the alien tech generated the instability that was present around London he might have suggested that as an additional protection.

But he suspected if he discovered how to do that, it would lead to far more antagonism between muggles and wizards, which would mean proper defences against wizarding. Perhaps not a bad thing, but...

Harry shook his head and sighed. Maybe he was just on edge, not being used to being around all of this again.

Closing his eyes he breathed in a deep breath, tasting the night's air, the sounds of the helicopters, the roar of the crowd, the tantalising edge of the magic protecting this location.

Exhaling he opened his eyes. "Calm?" He wondered out loud to himself.

Maybe he was just seeing stuff that wasn't there, or wanting stuff to be there.

-/

Daphne was dealing with cargo that had been re-routed from the Thames, it was all a huge operation that despite everything being organised some of the captains in charge of the ships thought they could ignore it. So she wouldn't even get to watch the ceremony on TV.

Nothing had happened at the opening ceremony so far, not that he could see.

He checked in with Osgood, told her that it was just him being overly cautious and then...wasn't sure what to do.

-/

"Harry!" Oswin's face lit up seeing him.

"Hi Oswin," Harry greeted brightly with a smile and a wave.

"You look sad, are you alright?" She asked directly.

Harry sighed.

"That bad?" She asked as she dropped into a sofa, the communication device following her, she didn't seem to be holding it like he was his.

"You were right," he admitted.

"I try to be," she smiled at him.

"Getting back, used to things..." he trailed off. "I now think that what I thought when we went into the war..."

"That you could just pop in, and get it done?" She shook her head a knowing old smile.

"Yeah, that," he paused and gave her a look. "And wanting to be out there."

"I can bring the Timeship to you, it's just sitting here," she offered gesturing behind her.

Harry pursed his lips. "I'll ask Daphne tomorrow," he said after a long pause. "Just to see Dark Space 8," he continued with a tone of warning.

"You don't want to visit here," she wrinkled her nose.

Harry sighed. "What about my paintings? You said you'd put them on display? How about that? And then Barastabon."

Oswin sat up and looked at him. "Seriously? Your disaster art? A proper exhibition?"

Harry shrugged. "If you want," he paused. "You call me then in a few days and then we can organise something?"

Oswin nodded. "Now you're looking like your more fighting self Harry."

Harry exhaled again. "It's something to do."

-/

"Of course I'll accompany you Harry," Daphne said as he embraced her. "I merely wished to consider your reacclimatising from your sojourn."

Harry released her and nodded. "I don't know what to do about that Daphne, but I want to show you a little bit," he paused. "And Oswin and I spent so much time together and..."

Daphne smiled at him. "You liked having a true friend?"

"A friend I could be honest with, I mean there's Draco and Judith, and you. Most others..." he trailed off with a sigh. "Some level of mis-truth," he admitted.

"Does it distress you Harry?" She asked with concern as she took his hands in hers as they sat down.

Harry shook his head. "No, not really, just..." he looked to her. "I don't want to be out travelling the universe, not like the Doctor," he smiled to her. "But I'd like to show you a little bit of it, just so you don't think I'm mad."

Daphne shook her head with amusement. "I love you Harry Potter, and I don't think you're mad. Passionate perhaps, but not mad."

"I love you too Daphne Greengrass, that's something my sojourn showed me," he said as he kissed her.

"One day you will have to show me the other Ginnys, who you said tantalised you, even with her madness," she commented, still in an amused tone.

Harry must have looked surprised.

Daphne nodded. "When you told me you had shown Draco, the relief, and amusement in your body language, I saw a lift in you."

"Maybe just because I'd unburdened myself," he admitted "as long as you don't have any problems seeing Ginny die in multiple ways," he asked with some levity.

"I don't wish to see all the methods you disposed of her Harry," she chastised lightly. "She chose her path, you took the more noble, with a greater weight on your shoulders to preserve history, and few know of that sacrifice."

Harry wasn't sure what to say. "I don't think I would say it was that Daphne, great burdens and quests, it's a bit..." he wrinkled his nose. "Not something I considered even with the horcruxes, never was it framed like that...they've been tasks...missions to complete. Things to get done," he paused. "Still things that need to get done. I should be chasing up Luna and what LPI was investigating before my 'sojourn', and the numerous other things on my to do list."

"Yet you wish to dazzle me?" She challenged playfully.

"Yes," Harry answered truthfully.

-/

Daphne shifted her coat, it was lightweight enough with a variable weave in it to adjust for temperature. Harry had wanted to be more forthcoming about their journey, but she had told him to hold, there should still be some adventure, and even a little mystery.

After their journey into the past, meeting Ian and Barbara, hearing their stories. Then the invasion that followed that they'd needed to sit out together with Draco and Hermione, those who had time travelled, a unique group.

And now, the man whom she had fallen in love with, who had gone to war for his ideals and beliefs, wanted to show her the universe. It was...something, sometimes it made her feel quite...quite unlike anything.

Astoria sometimes teased her, that she and Harry lived such separated lives, with nothing like marriage ever considered, not something she wished for, nor he. But they were embraced together, it was...it made her feel lighter, sometimes like skipping through the streets.

Meanwhile her sister was courting some 'guy' in Canada, Daphne sometimes wondered, with some amusing input from Harry if Astoria could have properly pursued Draco.

Harry observed that Draco had very particular tastes, which her sister may not agree with, it was what doomed their initial courting. But both had moved on and developed as adults, much more so than she had thought.

But she tried not to interfere in her younger sister's life. 'That's for mothers and fathers to worry about Daphne', her mother had chastised her when she'd mused on it.

Now was the perfect time to wonder on this, during such focused time on the London Olympics the Ministry of Magic was literally paying them to not operate within the city's centre, lest the muggles notice their operations. It wasn't as lucrative as operating, however they could redirect to other ports, take the time to do extensive maintenance on their ships and transfer equipment.

And it was the perfect time to escape for a short time. 'A holiday with Harry?' Her father had asked surprised when she said she would be away for a while.

Something like that, she thought.

Then a 'craft' faded into existence, an ætherial, electric noise like wind accompanied it as it brought itself into existence. The door then slid open and a woman in a red dress stepped out.

Harry approached her embracing her in a hug. "Thanks for coming," he said as he let go of her.

"It's your Timeship too magic boy, I'm just holding onto it for you," she challenged jokingly. "Hi Daphne," she greeted with a wave "Harry's gotten bored already?"

"Something like that," she said.

Harry beckoned over to the craft and placed his hand on the exterior. "Now take my hand, and then put your hand on here," he gestured.

"We can just walk in, he just wants to be extra careful, I've already primed the recognition table," Oswin explained as Daphne followed Harry's instruction.

"Come on," Harry gestured within with a grin. "Compared to a TARDIS it's more compact, but just as useful."

Daphne followed Harry within the craft; into white and grey corridor which seemed to ring around the interior ring of the craft, or an oversized version of it.

Clearly it was larger within than without, but decidedly unlike a wizaring tent where there was a sense of connection to the exterior on all sides.

Then Harry directed into the central room, the control room he'd described. It was quite stark with three large screens; large squares outlined around them in thick concentric lines, below them a series of control interfaces, in the centre of the room was a narrow cylinder with more controls. Walking further into the room there was a small side space beside the main room. It appeared to be recreation space with two comfortable chairs, a table and another bank of controls.

"There's a lift in the middle, that goes upstairs, mostly storage up there," Harry explained with barely contained excitement.

"He's still left a mess up there," Oswin commented idly.

"A laboratory through there, my bedroom over there," Harry gestured.

"Mine's around the back, and over the other side is a med-bay, plus power and maintenance," Oswin pointed to the other side of the space.

"Ready?" Harry asked to her.

Daphne nodded. "Do I need to hang on to anything?"

Harry shook his head.

"Just a quick return to Dark Space 8, then you can go on to Barastabon," Oswin began.

Harry seemed surprised by this pronouncement.

"Later, then you can have a look around, and I've sorted quarters for you, so you can have a proper stay," Oswin explained.

"Good thing I packed a bag," Daphne commented patting her pocket.

Harry turned around to apologise. "Didn't think we'd be gone for a while."

"I have learnt from your tales Harry to expect the unexpected," she paused to smile and laugh at the impossibility of her next words "especially as I am now a time traveller too."

There was a feeling as the screens in the room slowed to a stop.

"I've already set the coordinates for you," Oswin called from the side corridor.

"That was quick," Harry commented as he walked to meet her.

"The Timeship knows where it's going now; easier," Oswin looked and smiled at her. "Keep outside as a surprise, one impossible thing before breakfast?" She said to Harry.

Harry looked to her, "Yeah, Dark Space 8 can wait till we've had cake."

-/

Daphne watched as the door closed to the outside world. "Oswin wants us to travel together," she observed.

Harry turned around and looked a her worried. "Is that okay? I worry, that I'm too friendly with her that..."

"Hush, Harry," she smiled. "You are familiar too with Draco, as I am with my close friends, only infrequently do we crossover."

Harry frowned, smiled and nodded. "I'll just check the coordinates and set us off."

Daphne watched the square screens with the concentric lines around them rotate, the noise within the Timeship along with the rotating object inside the column in the middle of the room seemed to indicate the craft was en-route to their main destination.

"Can discern you passage inside here?" Daphne asked.

Harry nodded directing over to the control panels under one of the screens. "This shows all of the sensor data around us," he paused and gave her a look. "There's 11 dimensions but it folds them into something I can understand."

It was like a multilayered radar, she had seen operating on some muggle vessels, and even some of her family's ships had been investigating muggle ones. Something she intended to raise with Harry, given the increasing nature of the muggles' shipping and their container craft use. It was a valuable addition which she hoped could be made usable within a magical environment.

"Over there is environmental for when we materialise," Harry gestured to the other side of the space, he paused to look at her. "If it's got enough air, hasn't got too much radiation, that sort of thing, anything lethal."

Daphne nodded, he explained everything with the casual familiarity of someone who had piloted the craft on hundreds of occasions.

"Usually Oswin would be there or around checking things, but I and her are perfectly capable of piloting the Timeship on our own," Harry continued seemingly to reassure her. "Anyway, the coordinates are set, we're only going in space, not time."

Daphne found herself smiling, a giddying, broad smile as she took Harry's hand, and enveloped him in a hug, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"What was that for?" He asked, confused.

"For being magical Harry, more than any other wizard," she paused looking up and around. "You speak so casually of the strange and otherworldly, yet still find wonder and query in the magical world," she paused "You have shown me travelling in time, even accidentally Harry, and now you speak so casually, within a time craft..." she smiled again at him. "It is joyous."

Harry exhaled seemingly relieved. "Was worried you were going to flip out or something."

Daphne laughed. "If Draco can handle being trapped on an alien world, I most certainly can sustain myself, especially on a short journey to a planet of 'Master Bakers'."

-/

Daphne lowered herself into one of the comfortable chairs off to the side of the control room. Harry mentioned 'just checking I left clothes here' and offered her the chance to look around his storage room 'upstairs'. She chose to simply sit and experience the...space here. There were additional control panels and other technology in this side space, the comfortable chairs and the side table did not fit with the aesthetic of the rest of the design within the craft, and was obvious they had been sourced from elsewhere.

There were two side tables; one near each chair. Leaning forward to the other table there were some books piled underneath it.

Plucking one from the pile it had a few bookmarks within it; Genetic Politics Beyond the Third Zone by Gustous R Thripsted. Looking through at the contents it seemed to cover a range of topics, one of the prefaces described 'cross-species translation'. The bookmarked pages were for the Time Lords, Faction Paradox and Rutan Host.

"Oswin picked that up somewhere. I only ever flipped through that book and used it to check a few things, turned to trying to learn Gallifreyan than trying to fathom the cross-cultural sociological impact of temporally active species," Harry commented, he'd walked up quietly while she had been browsing through the introductory paragraph on the 'Rutan Host'.

"And these shapeshifting Rutan Host?" She asked curiously, "they seem not to fit within that group."

Harry shook his head. "The Doctor had mentioned them, and Draco and I met them during that time with the Doctor that we don't remember," he paused with a frown "all that stuff in the diary," he added before continuing "they've not been to Earth as much as the Sontarans, they've been in a millennia-long war," he paused to breathe in. "Was only because of my interest in Dalek history – they had a thousand year war that got me curious."

Daphne replaced the book as she stood up. "Despite your experiences the lengthy wars interest you?"

"While I was in one," he nodded "yeah, now," he smiled at her. "I want cake," he gestured to the control room. "We're arriving soon," he said pointing towards the screens.

Daphne followed him observing "They slow as we approach our destination?"

Harry nodded as he twisted a control, it displayed a green-blue sphere. "Barastabon, and now we just slip down onto the planet into a spot we've landed in before."

-/

Daphne stepped outside of the time craft, her hand ready to go to her wand and breathed in. There was a scent in the air, it brought chills to her skin as she looked up at the light blue sky.

She was stood on an alien world.

Only the fourth wizard she knew of to do so, and one of those four was quite dead. And the other two she knew quite well.

It was quite the experience, looking down she was stood on neatly trimmed grass, or something like it, as she looked around it seemed she was stood in some sort of gardens.

It was...quite something.

Turning back Harry was stood beside the temporal craft, a smile on his face.

"Thank you," she said. "This..." she could for the moment find the words.

Harry just held out his hand for her to take, offering it he clasped it gently. "We can walk slowly," he paused. "They should speak English here, or they've got translators, but ask me if not, I've got something that can help."

"The gift from the Doctor?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "That's what made me try to learn Gallifreyan, much easier than it trying to translate for me..." he paused. "I feel like it lacks the nuances of understanding language."

Daphne nodded. "Translation spells have similar problems, they're useful but they lack the fluidity of natural language."

Harry looked to her attentively. "It's not something I've ever really considered, wasn't something that was addressed at Hogwarts and when I've been doing LPI stuff it's mostly been around the UK, or when we went international it was with UNIT, tried to learn or have Ioan or Judith with me."

Daphne looked at him with amusement, the man before her had ventured into wars unknown, and countries multiple, and thought his options were to learn languages, it was...sweet and, just as Harry Potter would.

As they walked away from the time craft Harry made no attempt with spells or other forms to obscure its perception within the area they were in. And looking back as they walked away it seemed almost to fit in with its surroundings by not doing so. It was like a piece of architectural art that sat in these gardens quite like it was meant to be placed here.

Harry was leading the way ahead, as he had said he had been here before with Oswin Oswald. Looking around as she walked there were trees and shrubs, familiar, yet different in their appearance, it was...strange.

Far stranger than when they had been transported into the past, that had been jarring, unfamiliar, yet a state of recognition in the world they were in.

Here...there was an unnerving sense of nothing, nothing familiar, nothing...yet for Harry, and looking to him for behaviour cues, he was relaxed, in some ways much more than when he had been in his house, when he'd been home.

-/

Daphne stared wide eyes at Harry as he paid for their meal of cakes and tea with knuts.

"Knuts?" She hissed at him as she looked at what they had consumed.

Harry tucked a bag into a pocket. "After venturing to find Draco I thought I'd take a range of money on my sojourn," he paused as they exited the building. "Apparently it's something to do with the purity of the bronze and that it's untouched by radiation," he paused "well nuclear radiation, that makes it valuable."

Daphne nodded. "That is curious, I am aware that given their prevalence the goblins melt down many old and reform them to maintain a shiny status of many of them."

Harry nodded. "They also seem like they wanted to get rid of the old ones when I went in asking about them, easier for them if I exchanged new cash for old knuts," he shrugged.

-/

"Was the need for currency something that you found yourself requiring during your 'sojourn'?" She asked as they made their way back towards the park where the time craft was located.

Their afternoon tea had been pleasant, and almost strangely so, were it not for the oversized hamster who came in asking about the restaurant's choice of gateaux before departing. Harry had been more interested in the range of newspapers and other reading material that was on offer for customers to peruse than the people dining. His gaze over them suggested a lack of surprise at the unusual sights before her, it was fascinating to see in him.

Harry's face fell slightly at her query. "Not as much as I'd like if I'm entirely honest, weirdly I've been here more than anywhere else, and the 'anywhere else' was somewhat lacking in cafes."

She chose the 'scenic path' as signposted back to the park, Harry reassured her that being a time craft they could return to Oswin mere minutes after they'd departed.

That time was fluid and could be travelled however one wished was still a concept that she found unbelievable, their journey into the past had felt like a small jump back and then forwards. This spoke of far more control and precision than they experienced with the angels and then with the assistance of River Song. And far beyond the confines of a time turner.

As they cut back through the park they passed a young girl looking at a plant with a large magnifying glass, in the distance she heard an older man calling for someone.

"Just here grandfather!" she called out as she ran off.

Watching as she ran off, the girl was the first human-looking person they'd seen.

Looking to Harry to see if he'd noticed, he hadn't, he was just walking along seemingly contented, after their tea and cake he'd taken on a more mellowed approach, enjoying walking in the park with her.

Albeit they were walking in the park on an alien world, far away in both time and space than anywhere they had ventured.

But, she felt a oneness with him, it was calming seeing something of how Harry had experienced his life recently.

Then she noticed in her peripheral vision the young girl pointing and dragging an older man with her.

"Harry, I think we've attracted attention," she said quickly.

Faster than she thought Harry had his hand on his wand, but he didn't draw it as an old man in a brown jacket with a blue necktie and glasses came over.

"Harold, you departed the world of the Mechanoids then?" He smiled.

Daphne chanced a look to Harry, he had a guarded smile on his face, slightly bemused, but he seemed to have relaxed and was not holding his wand.

"Yes...I-" Harry began as a man rushed up.

"Dr Who, I found them but the seller was reluctant to take all my money, he's insisted on ordering a truckload of them to be delivered to somewhere I..." the man said as he approached them.

The man looked from Harry to the man. "Ah, Ian, you remember Harold and Dafina don't you?" He asked as he took the box from the man. "Very good, soft centres, perfect, now come along," he said handing the box back to the man. "We'll tell Barbara we're almost ready to go," he paused. "Susie?"

"Just a moment grandfather," she said looking back to Harry.

"Of course, of course," the man 'Dr Who' said and smiled to Harry.

Daphne watched as the man walked off towards a large bush where it seemed something was hidden.

"You're not Harold are you?" the girl – Susie asked.

Harry crouched down. "I think you're the brains of your time craft, right?" Harry asked in a friendly tone.

"Grandfather built Tardis," she frowned. "He said you knew him when we met."

"What else do you know about me? Maybe the school I went to?" Harry continued in a calm enquiring tone.

"Hogwarts Wizarding Sciences College, grandfather said it was in the Hebrides. After Skaro we were going to come and visit you," she said watching for recognition in Harry's face.

Daphne remained quiet.

"I think..." Harry began. "You're the smart one," he smiled gently at her "if I'm right. And you are right."

"You're not Harold?" Susie asked.

Harry nodded.

"But you look like him and sound like him, even the scar," she said gesturing at Harry's forehead.

"I'm a bit of a wanderer," Harry began with vague wondering tone. "I think your Tardis might have jumped dimensions."

Susie's eyes went wide. "You mean through Schwarzschild Minkowski space?" She frowned. "After what happened with the Romans after we left Skaro grandfather cleared out the circuits, I thought we should wait till we were back in our garden for the right tools."

"After the Daleks took the fluid links?" Harry wondered.

Susie nodded. "So you are Harold?" She asked looking to him brightly.

Harry shook his head. "Parallel experiences Susie," Harry sounded like he knew what he was talking about, although Daphne wasn't sure. "Something like that happened to good friends of mine," Harry smiled. "Let me guess, that person Barbara you travel with is someone you know?" Harry continued in a curious, but gentle tone.

"She's my sister," Susie nodded.

"Of course she is," Harry had a giddy tone to his voice as he stood up. "Come on, we should't keep your grandfather and your Tardis waiting." Harry said offering the young girl his hand, and his other to her.

Daphne let herself be led over to where Susie brushed aside a bush and there with a white door opened outward was a Police Box.

"Do you want to come in, grandfather would love to show you the improvements made, especially as you're-" Susie began.

Harry shook his head. "We're already several orders of magnitude complicated, tell your grandfather once you're away from here," Harry explained gently and gestured towards the interior of the box.

-/

Harry felt a fizz within as the door closed and unearthly noise came from the police box as it disappeared and looked to Daphne. "Mind if we run back to the Timeship, I want to check something?"

Daphne followed Harry at a pace as they rushed the short distance back to the time craft.

Inside Harry rushed over to the controls as the screens switched, they appeared to show a graded spectrum of colours.

"What was it you wanted to discover?" She asked.

"They obviously knew me, us, or an alternate version of us," Harry explained the excitement bubbling in his voice making it slightly tight as he explained and manipulated the controls.

"This is the local area around us, mostly it's all green and blue, all background and then," he twisted one of the controls to show a lot of crinkly lines around a gap. "That's them 'Tardis', and" he paused to look to a smaller screen. "Quite a variance," he paused to look to her. "Even further than the relationship of the ghost planet inhabitants to the regular universe, or the same ways off," he continued to himself, seemingly recalling one of his previous encounters.

"You mean those people are from another universe?" Daphne asked, unsure of even what she was asking.

"Most definitely," he was almost breathless with excitement "and one that's only vaguely connected with ours," Harry grinned madly. "'Hogwarts Wizarding Sciences College', in the Hebrides!" He seemed overjoyed.

She was still somewhat confused.

"Means there's magic wherever," he continued with a grin.

"Do you wish to pursue them?" She asked.

Harry shook his head. "Looking at this we should wait an hour or two," he paused to gesture at the screen. "All those jagged lines has disturbed the local space-time, we can push through it, but it'd be better if we go for another wander, or something, just to let things properly settle."

-/

Daphne looked around Harry's bedroom and attached bathroom, she'd wanted to avail herself of the facilities prior to potentially another round of tea, or another wander. Harry had indicated he wanted to record the results of their encounter and the time craft's record of it.

The bedroom here within the time craft had some bedding, neatly made and it appeared some of it was normal fibres with some unfamiliar ones. Harry had clearly brought some from his house, the pillowcase she recognised was part of a set Harry had.

On the space to the side, it was hardly a side table as it was all moulded into the wall there was what appeared to be a stainless steel water bottle, and a messy pile of books beside that. On the other side of the room were cupboards, presumedly a wardrobe of clothes.

The bathroom to the side was functional; a large shower, a basin and a toilet, it was all very clean, the same white, grey and black tones of the rest of the craft. It had not the feel of Harry's house, something which he'd made his own after he'd purchased it she'd discovered.

This felt more or him inhabiting the space, adapting to how it functioned. The controls in the main room definitely seemed like that, the odd large dials that he deftly manoeuvred and controlled were obviously not designed with palms in mind.

As she washed her hands she realised she knew what they were designed for, as Oswin had showed her form to her, as Harry had described, but the realisation made her stop for a moment.

Stepping outside Harry was waiting in the control room.

"You do not need to use the toilet?" She asked.

Harry shook his head. "There's an additional one in the med-bay," he wrinkled his nose. "It's much more utilitarian."

"And Oswin's room?" Daphne asked as she followed Harry outside of the Timeship out into the park.

"Dunno, probably, I've looked in, it looks about the same as mine, little bit different layout," he paused looking back as the door to the time craft closed. "Made sure we had our own spaces. Respected our own spaces," Harry added and then looked to her. "Oswin, she picked me up, put me to bed after..." he sighed, his shoulders slumping at the memory.

Daphne reached out, pulling him into a hug taking his hand.

"Was caring, after..." Harry began to explain in halting words.

"It's alright Harry," she said softly.

"In some ways it was a contrast, to what happened with Voldemort and the horcruxes, having someone to pick me up after...all the awfulness," Harry pondered philosophically as they separated from the hug but continued to walk on hand in hand in silence for a while.

"I am glad I came, with you here Harry," she said looking to him, he smiled with warmth and enthusiasm at her, it was almost infectious his enthusiasm.

"Dark Space 8 will be a bit of a disappointment, it's nice as far as space stations go," Harry mused. "But this," he let go of her hand to look around him and marvel at the sky, dancing and spinning around in joy as he did so. "This is an alien planet full of cake and-"

Then he walked into someone.

Daphne rushed forward to help the woman Harry had fallen into.

"Oi, get off, bloody dandy dancing around, what'd you think you're doing?" She exclaimed.

"Iris?" He exclaimed; surprised.

"Harry Potter?" The woman exclaimed. "What're you doing here? Has the Doctor dropped you off while he's off with his companions of his?"

Daphne saw Harry grinning even more than he had been before.

"Nothing, just a bit of tea and cake, and not with the Doctor," he answered.

"Made friends with that Time Agent mate of yours, all close and friendly with the temporal wrist strap eh luvvie, a bit of close personal travel through the vortex?" The woman 'Iris' asked suggestively wiggling her eyebrows at him exaggeratedly.

Harry was shaking his head. "Nothing like that, this is Daphne by the way my...um..."

Daphne couldn't help but smile, Harry had more than once lamented to her that he wasn't sure how to define their relationship 'not as though I had a lot of exposure to good ones in my life'. "Hello," she offered the woman her hand "Daphne Greengrass, Harry's mentioned you."

"Oh, he has, has he?" Iris asked taking her hand shaking it enthusiastically.

"Only good things, like we've had long conversations, and really know one another, even after just an encounter," Harry explained.

"That's the thing, us time travellers who skirt the temporal waves, like actors, you get to know one another between the proper performances," she smiled.

"And is that where we are now? Between the performances?" Harry wondered, or possibly bantered. There was a frisson of conversation between Harry and this older woman.

"Was off to meet with Panda, he knows a bloke, he's getting a very special gateaux, part of our mission for the heritage group we're working for."

"Not Galactic Heritage?" Harry asked curiously.

Iris scoffed. "Those militarised wankers? What do you take me for some gun toting archaeologist-for-hire rogue?"

Harry smiled for far too long. "No, met a few of those, you're far too not-psychotic."

Iris looked to him curiously before looking to Daphne. "You seem a little less au fait with this than Harry, the Doctor's not been visiting you off and on dearie?" She asked in a gentler tone to her.

Daphne shook her head as Harry walked ahead of them, apparently the location they were visiting was further on from the establishment they'd first eaten at. "Harry wanted to show me a nice planet, we're going to see a friend of his," she looked ahead to gauge what she should say.

Harry had turned around to walk backwards and speak. "Dark Space 8."

Iris shuddered. "What a boring station, hosted the Intergalactic Song Contest and dealt with some sweat vampires, that's about all it's known for," she looked between them. "And how are you jetting about the space lanes? Got yourself a nice starship?"

"That'd be nice," Harry commented. "I have a craft."

"You have a TARDIS?" Iris seemed impressed. "How'd you manage that, nick one like his nibs?"

"Not quite," Harry didn't elaborate further.

-/

Daphne smiled at the small panda. He was downing a gin and tonic. She was put in mind Harry's description of encounters with Eight Legs and sentient plants.

"So how do you know dear Iris?" Panda asked them looking over to where Iris was ordering. He looked like a soft toy, but as he'd introduced himself she knew he was something far more complicated, and far wiser.

"Iris involved me in an investigation about a Nestene on Earth," Harry began.

Panda did a slight spit take. "That was you? We had that damn energy unit rolling around the back of the bus whenever we went through the vortex. Gave my innards a good squeeze, and not in a good way, I think it liked to do that if I'm honest," he shook his head.

Harry laughed. "I know the Doctor better."

"They're a rogue," Panda paused to sip his drink. "And you dear lady?"

"She's his partner Panda, not companion, Harry's not one of us that needs that," Iris commented as she sat down with a thump.

"Now you've butted in and interrupted the delightful Daphne Iris, we were having a wonderful conversation and now-" Panda started.

"You Panda were deflecting, how've you buggered up our mission?" Iris grumbled.

"Well, how was I to know the chef had a fight and went and got drunk? He's on his way with a bunch of Judoon somewhere nasty!" Panda exclaimed.

"You" Iris pointed "Assured me we wouldn't need the thermosystron bombs, we could go in subtly," Iris shook her head.

"We got good parts and some great gin for those bombs Iris," Panda challenged.

Daphne looked over at Harry with a bemused smile. She felt like they were in the middle of Panda and Iris' domestic tiff, but both had insisted they sit and join them.

Harry just smiled in a slightly giddy way.

"Is it always like this when you're travelling?" She had asked Harry earlier as Iris had been trying to discern which establishment she was meeting Panda in and had walked ahead of them.

"Sometimes, although this is a bit of a weird day," he'd paused with a grin. "It's amazing!" Then he'd looked worried.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm a well travelled witch, I can handle myself," she'd reassured.

Harry had nodded. "According to the Doctor things go from bad to worse when Iris is around, but according to Iris the Doctor secretly fancies her, and in that story Ian told us, that was her."

-/

"If you're a time traveller, can't you go back to before the chef got drunk and get your gateaux then?" Daphne asked looking from Iris to Panda.

Panda scoffed a snort. "Blinovitch might want a word," he muttered.

Iris wrinkled her nose at mention of the name. "It's not so easy, the bus already has its coordinates locked in for the storage and sorting facility, we need exacting coordinates for that, after that collision with the Phidon ship the bus has been a bit testy."

"After that explosion? Iris it's always been dodgy!" Panda shook his head.

"We'll have to think of something else, the gateaux was going to get us the defences access," Iris grumbled crossing her arms.

Harry exhaled. "What were you going to do?"

Daphne looked to Harry curiously.

Iris perked up looking up as a floating device with a tray laden with sandwiches and teapots floated over to them. "Smashing."

"We've been tasked by the Hyspero Heritage and the Knights of Geneve to retrieve a few items from a bank that's gone into administration," Panda explained.

Daphne saw some recognition on Harry's featured but he didn't say anything.

"That sounds a bit like nicking stuff from a bank," Harry commented.

"It's not nicking-" Iris began with a mouth full of dainty sandwiches.

"Iris!" Panda chastised "Some decorum around our dining companions."

Daphne smiled, both at Iris and Panda's exclamation at her.

"The bank went bust, a solar storm hit it and its manager did a runner, left a clone to take the fall. Some dodgy stuff was going on, and it was taking a lot of stuff as collateral in its loans," Iris explained as she poured a cup of tea and took a fulsome swig from it.

"Still sounds like breaking into a bank," Harry commented in a similar tone as his earlier comment.

"A storage facility, the rag and bone men'll be coming in at some point to flog it all off to the lowest bidder, we've been charged to rescue as much as we can," Iris explained and gave Panda a look. "Except now we're going to have to combat the meta-crititical defences without the information Panda's contact was going to supply."

"This is not my fault Iris! You guaranteed this was a good time to visit the nicest place in the universe!" Panda exclaimed.

"We could help," Daphne found herself offering. Iris and Panda seemed nice people and Harry...she looked over and Harry looked surprised, but eager.

"Just a moment," Harry said standing up gesturing to the outdoor courtyard to her.

Outside she looked to Harry who had withdrawn his wand, casting diagnostic spells over her.

She arched an eyebrow. "Worried Harry?"

Harry gave her a look and raised an eyebrow. "We're about to walk into an adventure with Iris Wildtyme, are you alright?"

Daphne looked to Harry. "This all feels like an adventure Harry, and shouldn't it?"

"I'm worried I've lulled you into a false sense of security," he said in a worried tone and looked back into the establishment. "If you're sure," he paused. "It might be dangerous."

"I travel the oceans Harry Potter, I do the manifests, and I spend too much time around you, as Hermione has said, you are far too excited by danger and excitement," she looked to him and smiled.

"And if we're faced with deadly danger?" Harry wondered.

"We're magical Harry," she leaned forward to kiss him. "And I had plenty of dalliances and excitement before we properly began dating one another," she chastised lightly.

"I fear I'm a bad influence," he commented in a guilty tone. "Even Draco had a dalliance with wanting to stride into dangerous situations when we were with the Doctor."

"Perhaps it is passage away from Earth?" She wondered. "Perhaps wizards are prone to seeking out danger?" She mused, Hermione had commented along similar lines at one of the get togethers at Harry's house, that muggle children were never placed in the same level of complex situations as wizards were. Perhaps they were softer, less willing to pursue situations, perhaps only those that rose to the top travelled with people like the Doctor. Tegan, Amy and Rory were certainly individuals of unique persuasion.

-/

Inside Iris looked out the window.

"What do you think they're discussing?" Panda wondered.

"Who knows chuck, you sure you can't bribe one of the other chefs?" She wondered.

Panda shook his head. "No Iris, it needed to be this time of year for when the cloudberries were in season, and my contact was the only one who knew, it was what made this offering so good and simple."

Iris snorted "Except the part where he got drunk and dragged off by the Judoon."

"Well, how was I to know he liked a tipple?" he paused as if to emphasise the point and sipped his own drink "And was an angry drunk, those are so unhelpfully gauche," Panda shook his head and looked over at the window again. "Seems they've finished their conversation."

-/

"What exactly are you going in to nick Iris?" Harry asked sitting down, addressing the older woman.

"Nick? Harry I'm collecting items for history, not nicking!" She exclaimed as she fumbled around in her handbag and tossed a scroll onto the table.

Harry plucked it off before it rolled into a half eaten sandwich and unrolled it so Daphne could read as well.

Looking through the list some of the things he recognised, dwarf star alloy chains, a glitter gun...

"What are you expecting to find on the list?" Daphne wondered as she poured each of them some more tea.

"I'd like to know that too," Iris wondered. "You're not that well experienced of the universe that you'd be all knowing like the Doctor."

Harry nodded as he skimmed along the list. "Nothing Dalek."

Iris snorted. "Who would want to be meddling with those pepper pots."

"Well Iris there was that time with the Supreme-" Panda began.

"Shut it Panda," Iris muttered.

"And what you said about the Thals," Panda continued, Daphne could see him almost smirk.

"Rubasdpofiaew," Harry said suddenly.

"Gesundheit," Panda promptly said.

"Rubasdpofiaew?" Iris repeated as she grabbed the scroll off him.

"10 items below the lipstick stain," Harry idly commented as he put a splash of milk in his tea.

Iris looked at the scroll and back to Harry. "Why do you want to be messing around with Rubasdpofiaew?"

Harry shook his head. "Someone on Earth is, with wizards...and" he paused "XYP."

"Vrax?" Iris shook her head. "Someone's breeding Mandrils? That stuff's awful Harry."

"Those cuddly chaps?" Panda frowned. "Terrible conversationalists, but lovely in a cuddle party."

"What's a cuddle party?" Daphne asked.

"Like an orgy," both Harry and Iris said together drawing looks from Daphne and Panda.

"Just without the sex," Harry added. "A friend of mine produced a TV series where everyone was stuck on a ship doing orbits of a blackhole and..." Harry trailed off as he realised Daphne, Iris and Panda were giving him their full attention. "Supposedly porn wasn't allowed, or they were all about sensuality, I don't know, she was trying to distract me from the situation we were in."

"Which was?" iris asked with curious engagement.

"Death and all of that," Harry shrugged.

"Oh, that," Panda commented with exaggeration.

"Back to Rubasdpofiaew, I'd like a proper scan of it, so I know what to look for on Earth," he said gesturing at the scroll.

"So you'll help?" Iris looked between Harry and Daphne.

"Of course," Daphne offered with passion and a smile.

"Yes," Harry said with slightly more care.

-/

Daphne looked at Iris' time craft, her TARDIS.

It looked like a red London bus, in fact it said it was the number 22 to Putney Common,

"C'mon Harry," Iris gestured.

Harry looked from it to Daphne, Iris' bus was parked on a patch of grass within walking distance of the Timeship.

"Iris, no offence, but I recently met someone who called your bus a 'death trap'," Harry explained in the nicest possible way he could.

"Well I," Iris started in an annoyed tone "who is going about telling such lies about my bus, if it's the Doctor I'll give him a right kick in the-"

"A Time Lord called Andro," Harry said in a calm, cool tone.

Daphne looked at him.

Iris stopped in her rant, looking at Harry carefully. "How would you know that Harry?" She asked in a level tone looking at Harry carefully. "You've been there, where all the old codgers live, down in the bowels of the old city."

"I've walked the streets of the Capitol, blackmailed a Time Lord and even ridden the train to the Three Minute Cities," Harry paused challenging Iris. "And I've been to the Death Zone."

Iris laughed. "Bit shit isn't it?"

"Just a little bit," Harry nodded. "Got a time path detector?"

"Yes..." Iris said carefully.

"If it's working," Panda added in a cynical tone.

"So you'll know when I'm locked onto your course," Harry explained.

Iris' eyes went wide. "You don't have a TARDIS," she said in sudden realisation.

Harry shook his head. "Expect me when you see me," he said holding his hand out to Daphne.

-/

Daphne followed Harry feeling a vim and excitement that she suspected was equal parts adrenaline and not fear exactly, but that fizz of the unknown. That tantalising edge, of pursuing something outside the ordinary, like her initial persuasion of Harry, that unknown nature he had.

But this was...dangerous, but she felt safe with Harry.

Harry rushed into the Timeship, pulling down levers and turning the dials. It was Oswin who'd done this last time, but he had read the manual before that and re-read it after the fact.

"Daphne, just keep an eye on that screen, you should be able to see a representation of Iris' bus," Harry explained.

"An oblong orange thing?" She asked, curious why it wasn't red.

"Yes," Harry said as he turned the dials on the control panel, "Now, if I adjust these controls it should go purple and then blue, and then we should get a lock on the target time craft'," he explained as he adjusted the controls.

"It's gone blue," Daphne announced as she looked back.

"Okay, when it pulses tell me, that's Iris entering the vortex, then we dematerialise and follow her."

-/

"Iris, what sort of ship does Harry have if not a TARDIS? Not one of those dratted Navarino contraptions I hope," Panda asked, he was up in the front cab with her as she acoustically welded the time path detector back into the bus' dash.

"Something that can follow us if I get this dratted time path detector working," she said as she welded the wires back in.

"Surely that'll just to let you know that we're being followed, not to enable him to follow us," Panda reasoned.

"What?" Iris said looking to him for a brief moment as she sat up and began to dematerialise the bus.

"Oh, nothing Iris," he said as he leant against the windscreen as the view outside of the bus' windows was replaced by the vortex.

-/

"It's pulsing," Daphne announced, it was odd to feel a thrill of something changing colour.

"And here we go," Harry said. "Dematerialising and establishing hard lock on the target time vessel," he said with a smile and reached for another control "And now we should be able to see Iris' bus in the swirl of the vortex."

Daphne gaped, it was like a swirl of colours of an oriental market place mixed with the multitude of fruits and...she didn't know, and against all of that was a bus.

-/

"That's his time craft?" Panda gaped surprised at the craft that had faded into existence just a ways beyond the bus. "That looks like the Daleks' ship they used when we were going after the keys to doomsday."

"I wonder where Harry's got his hands on one of those," Iris mused to herself.

"Maybe he stole it?" Panda wondered. "In keeping with some other people I know."

"Cheeky," she lightly chastised "alright," she pulled a leaver and set the bus on course.

Panda looked below himself as something started to pulse and vibrate. "I've got a jazz going right through my stitching, does that mean we're being followed? I'm not sure I approve, it's a very odd feeling."

Iris picked him up off the dashboard. "There Panda, and yes it is, didn't think it would work."

"Should we call them, let them know?" Panda wondered.

Iris looked out the bus's windows. "Nah, Harry's a good sort, he knows if he's following us."

-/

Daphne looked back to the control room, Harry had assured her that the craft could manage itself, as they were in pursuit they would continue to follow the 'target' until it arrived at its destination.

Then he'd said he needed to find some things and disappeared 'upstairs'.

After sitting for several minutes she decided to rise and see for herself where he had gone.

The lift raised with no discernible feeling that it was in motion. The second level of the craft seemed much like the main level, with a corridor leading out from where the lift was positioned and a series of rooms leading off from them.

Each of these rooms seemed to be storage for a multitude of things that Harry had collected, or brought with him. It made her smile, that in this craft Harry had strangely embraced the role of a travelling wizard with his carriage of strange and unusual things. It was oddly a very archaic and modern thing for him to have done in the way he had done it.

She found him in the third room.

"You have quite the amassed random selection of items Harry," she smiled. "I should not be surprised given the state of your barns."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, this became a bit of a dumping ground for everything," he pointed to a table off to one side and gestured around himself. "Got distracted. Was looking for that," he said of the things on the table as he stepped over the piles of items.

Daphne looked at the item, it appeared to be a vest, picking up it seemed to be very light weight, she looked to him and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It stops most energy weapons and more or less most other projectile weapons, at least the most damaging, not the physical force of it, that will still hurt," he said in a tone that spoke of experience and looked to her seriously. "If we're going out there, into the universe with Iris Wildthyme, breaking into places, I want you protected."

"And you just happen to have this?" She asked curiously.

Harry shook his head. "I got something like it when Draco and I travelled with the Doctor, these" he gestured around him "I picked up a few crates of these when we were crashed on the ghost planet. I've been testing them off and on, I'd hoped to work out if they stopped magic."

Daphne looked at him with interest as she rubbed her fingers between the material. "And what have you concluded?"

Harry frowned. "It's mostly inconclusive and dependent on what spell. It should protect from a lot of things, it was intended to be used in the Time War, and the multitudes of battle fronts and whatever."

She shuffled off her coat. "Below or over my shirt?" She asked.

Harry shrugged. "I tried them on both ways, the coat I have does similar things, more advanced and reactive, I've been shot multiple times in that," he explained off handedly, again betraying the casual experiences he had of the dangerous and otherworldly.

Daphne pulled off her shirt handing it to Harry, the vest felt very soft and light, yet seemed to contour to her body as she slipped it on.

"It's some sort of reactive weave that fits snugly depending on whether you put it on over or close to your body," Harry explained as she slipped her shirt back on.

Shifting left and right it almost didn't feel like she was wearing anything, like when she put on thermal underwear, the merino wool keeping her delectably warm on winter's nights on the open sea, but after a few minutes wearing it you forget you have it on.

"I won't offer you a gun," Harry looked to her, "Or energy weapon, I think we should play to our strengths," he looked past her to what she realised was a panel of the wall. "Looks like our target is slowing down."

-/

"Iris!" Panda shouted. "The bus' slowing down, looks like we're arriving at the facility."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist Panda," Iris said as she walked along the length of the bus. "Just having a slash, you should too before we get into the thick of things."

"Iris," Panda chastised "I am a panda of standing, and the booze-"

"Evaporates?" Iris snorted as she pulled the break leaver on the side of the console and the bus slipped into normal space, just long enough to look around outside "Let's see if he's ready for this," she released the break again and dematerialised the bus to their final destination.

-/

Daphne watched Harry study the controls.

"The icon representing Iris' bus changed colour," she observed.

Harry nodded. "Yes, looks like she materialised into normal space for a bit and then waited, grabbed some readings perhaps?" He mused seemingly to himself as he twisted a control. "Now back in the vortex."

"Will you follow?" Daphne asked.

Harry turned around to her and shook his head. "We're following her, but we've still got sensors that reach beyond the vortex, that's what all those sensors are for, we don't necessarily need to duck out, whatever Iris was doing I don't know. But the target lock on her TARDIS is indicating she's slowing," he paused muttering "probably for materialisation," then continued "we'll wait till she materialises and then follow."

-/

Iris stepped out of the bus and looked around and smiled. "They got it exactly right."

"Nice to have proper coordinates for a change Iris, properly defined parameters," Panda had donned a pair of sunglasses against the glare from the nearby sun.

They were stood on a featureless moon save for the storage facility; rendered as a darkly coloured duralinium pyramid.

Panda sniffed. "Can you hear a whistling?" He said looking around.

"Nothing whistling here, powered the bus down, signal to Harry and Daphne, oh-" Iris began.

"Bit different from the bus, or the others you like to cavort with," Panda observed as they watched the temporal craft fade into existence.

-/

The screens had stopped spinning and Harry twisted a control to reveal the outside of the craft.

"There's Iris, Panda and-"

"Oh-" Daphne felt her surprise catch her out. Outside the craft was a huge metal pyramid dotted with what appeared to be some windows.

"Atmosphere good, bit on the dry side," Harry was saying from the side panel Daphne recalled him explaining it concerning the environment. "Nothing beyond basic radiation, there must be something sustaining it."

"Why?" Daphne asked coming over beside him.

"Where we are isn't big enough to be a planet, maybe a moon with something dense lurking?" He said seemingly musing to himself and looking to her. "We shouldn't keep Iris waiting."

-/

Harry checked his pockets, he had a few weapons, but had decided to rely on magic for now. Some explosives. His energy scanner and sonic screwdriver. Just the normal range of things. Plus a few other things, just in case.

-/

Daphne watched as Harry patted his pockets and did up his coat as he paused near the exit of the temporal craft.

"Last chance, we could leave, or you can stay in the Timeship?" He offered.

Daphne shook her head. "You've been off on adventures enough Harry, and" she paused giving him a pointed look "I have had plenty without you."

He gave her half a look of concern. "Yeah but now we're breaking and entering with Iris Wildthyme."

"Anything could happen?" She wondered as Harry smiled.

"Very possibly," he seemed to not be able to stop himself grinning.

-/

Iris watched as the door to the time craft opened inwards and she half expected a Dalek to come gliding out. Instead it was Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass.

"How did you pick up a time craft like this?" Iris wondered out loud.

"Chatted about poetry to a Dalek mostly," Harry replied, it almost sounded like an honest answer.

"Bullshit," she commented with a laugh. "But with style!" She continued with a laugh. "Come on then," Iris waved them on "the security's not attacked us yet, so it's just the meta-systems that'll cause us trouble."

-/

Harry looked up at the pyramid and then back to the ground, he felt a presence just behind him and looked, seeing, not a surprise, just unexpected to see Daphne stood there; wand out.

"Used to having Oswin with me, in situations like this," he admitted looking back to her with a smile as she joined him by his side.

Daphne looked curiously to him. "You would prefer her credentials?" She asked with a raise of her eyebrows and a playful smile.

Harry chuckled and looked over to where Iris was studying what looked like a vinyl covered black box with a little screen on it. "It's brilliant, you're here, we're on an adventure, with Iris-"

"And Panda," Daphne added, she'd become quite taken by him during their chat in the cafe on Barastabon.

"Yes," Harry smiled broadly and nodded over to where Panda was stood beside Iris.

"Blasted thing isn't picking up anything," Harry heard Iris comment to her companion.

"Did you change the batteries? Knew we should have exchanged more of those keys from Marinus for the TR-580 instead of that antique," Harry heard Panda comment, it was surprising they could hear them converse, but he supposed it was the moon they were on.

"Oi, this is a classic, better than that new production stuff, too much whizz bang, not enough-"

"Plod and waiting around? Should've refilled my hip flask if I knew we were going to be waiting around all day," Panda muttered.

"If you had done your job-" Iris started.

"Maybe we can assist," Harry turned as Daphne walked between them.

-/

"Do you think the sand's moving?" Harry wondered to Daphne as she cast some complex range finding spells between them and the door.

"I thought it was the wind," she said. Neither of them had moved from where Iris had walked to, which was barely 30 metres from their time crafts.

"No wind here Daphne dear," Panda said "this was a desolate moon purchased by the bank, cheaper than trying to isolating anywhere populated."

Harry dug around in a pocket for an expanding bag. He'd left his bigger on the inside bag in the Timeship and extracted a phial of potion that he'd created after encountering Ginny's potion laboratory, and its ingredients.

"Do I have to say it?" Panda looked to him.

Harry smiled playfully at him. "Only if you want to."

"Don't be buggering around Harry love, just do it," Iris said.

"It's a detection potion, should pick up on what is unseen, but still deadly," Harry looked to Daphne. "Anything?"

"Only that it's further than it appears, and unlikely to be safe, though I couldn't say how," she paused. "This isn't a normal situation."

"No," Harry mummed uncorking the phial and gestured with his wand as the almost dust-like golden potion spun out of the phial, some hitting some sort of barrier in front of them as the rest spiralled as Harry twisted his wand in a twisting motion, aiming the remaining pieces of the potion towards the front of the pyramid.

As it spirallised shifting in colour, changing from gold, to red, to orange to purple and settling on blue.

Harry stuffed his bag back into his coat pocket and pulled out another bag holding his binoculars and gazed through them focusing on where the remaining pieces of the potion had adhered to the side of the pyramid, they remained blue for a few more seconds before evaporating.

"The doorway's safe," he paused and looked to Daphne, "Apparate?"

Daphne mused as she cast her wand in a large arc above her and shook her head. "You know more Harry but-"

Harry shook his head. "I know those colours," he looked to Iris and Panda "They must have done a lot of work on this moon with a lot of alien tech."

Iris appraised him. "You can get all that from one spell?"

Harry nodded.

"Harry, how penetrating is whatever is within that...area?" Daphne asked looking

Harry looked to Iris "Well Iris, I know there's something in there. Panda's right; there shouldn't be any wind here, but the sand's moving slightly."

"And you don't know?" Iris asked challenging.

"You're the one breaking in here," Harry jabbed a thumb at her. "We can head back to the Timeship and we'll be back off to Dark Space 8," Harry paused and looked to Panda "Fancy some disaster art Panda? We can leave Iris here to grift on her own."

"Oi, cheeky, no stealing my companion!" Iris pulled a face at him.

"I'm more than a companion Iris! I'm a panda, and the best Panda," he said taking a step to Harry. "Love a bit of art, but there's meant to be a good bit of dosh in there," he said then finished in a mock whisper; "She's got her debts."

"Watch it," Iris was mucking around with her energy scanner. "Blasted tricorder," she muttered. "It's not radiation, it looks like a transmat relocation matrix."

"Got anything in your pockets then?" Harry wondered.

"Sometime vaguely unique?" Daphne added helpfully and nodded to Harry. She knew what Harry wanted to test.

"Cassette case," Iris was waving at him. "Rick Astley commemorative edition, links to the VR experience."

"Any good?" Harry asked as he tapped it with his wand and then threw it ahead of them.

"Ghastly, worse than those interactive escape rooms that got popular, a bit gauche for professionals I think," Panda commented as the cassette case flew into the area ahead.

Then there was a swirl of sickly green light and it looked like the cassette case was dissasembled into hundreds of pieces.

And then each of those pieces swirled blue and disappeared.

Daphne looked to Harry with a wide-eyed worried expression, Harry too looked concerned.

"That's not what I was expecting from a transmat matrix Iris," he said in a tone looking to the older woman.

"Indeed not Iris," Panda looked archly to her.

As Iris was messing around with her device Harry was laying his wand on his palm and turned around as it jittered and pointed in several locations.

"Iris," Harry began slowly. "Bits of that cassette case have ended up over there-" He pointed just to the right of where Iris' bus was.

"That's the waste fuel processing-" she started.

"Over there," he pointed past the Timeship.

"Biosecurity-" she answered as Harry gestured.

"Over there-" he gestured.

"Spaceport-" she continued.

"And over there-" he pointed just to the left of the pyramid.

"Power generation I think," she finished.

"Well, we don't want to be caught in that field, that's a splinching we're not likely to recover from," Harry mused.

"What the devil is splinching when it's at home?" Panda queried.

"It's..." Harry paused in thought. "Like transmatting when the signal gets distorted and you have to compensate, except we use innate magic to do it," he paused "until failure then-" Harry made a cut motion with his hand across his throat.

Panda appraised him and nodded without querying further.

Looking over to where Iris was still messing around. "If only we could blast it from orbit and grab it with a narrow transmat beam," he mused looking up at the sky.

"Done a lot of blasting thing from orbit have you Harry?" Iris wondered watching him.

Harry smiled. "It solves a surprising number of problems."

"You're definitely not one of the Doctor's fanciers are you Mr Potter? Quite a violent streak I must say," Panda commented with some amusement.

Harry smiled down at Panda. "Why tangle with time torpedoes when an orbital bombardment can make a bad day brighter?"

Iris gave him a careful look. "Why indeed chuck."

"Harry what do you know about Cornelius Agrippa's treatise on selective magic?" Daphne interjected.

-/

Daphne half listened as Harry bantered with Panda, recalling she suspected times during his sojourn into the time war when blowing things up was a simpler method of accelerating events to a conclusion as she cast a few choice and careful spells into the field, wary of what they'd just witnessed.

Whatever it was within the field, the 'transmat' which both Harry and Iris had called it was like the reverse of an anti-aparition charm, with a rather deadly splinching effect employed with disastrous effect.

She couldn't help but smile how simple terms like a shipping port became adapted into the spacial realm with the prefix of space added.

She recalled she had read reports of some of their shipping agents utilising carefully constructed wards, extremely narrow ones to protect themselves from muggles and overlapping magical wards, almost like a tube between the shipping port and their storage warehouses. It was only for the most volatile of potions ingredients of other items they'd transported, like a salamander through a timber processing port. Her father apparently had needed to write up a lot of scrollwork concerning the safety elements their agents violated doing that.

"Harry what do you know about Cornelius Agrippa's treatise on selective magic?" Daphne wondered out loud.

Harry looked over to her with an arched eyebrow. "He wrote about a lot Daphne, something about protection of the ephemeral citizens and the starching of..."

Daphne shook he head with a grin, something Harry said triggered a memory of speaking with her father about the salamander incident. "Doesn't matter, I think I know how to get us through..."

Iris stood next to Harry who had a dizzying smile on his face as Daphne explained what she was doing with Panda, she seemed to be getting on gloriously with him.

"You alright Harry?" Iris asked looking to him.

Harry looked to her. "Yeah, been around the block recently," he breathed in. "Nice to stretch the legs."

Iris gave him a look. "You're good at that Harry, not as good as some of us renegades, but you're good at it."

"What?" Harry looked to her innocently.

"Lying love, and innocently too, we'll have to 'ave a proper chat," she said with gentle warmth.

"When we're not on a mission?" Harry wondered.

"Ooof, don't make it sound so official, it's an adventure!" She joyously exclaimed.

"Works out so well for the Doctor and his adventures, didn't you say when you and I hung out and got shot at?" Harry challenged playfully.

"Been getting shot at yourself 'ave you?" Iris jibed.

Harry nodded. "But I've also shot back."

Iris nodded to him. "Well good for you, can't talk your way out all of the time, his nibs is always banging on about not going in guns a blazing."

"And he's the one going around blowing up planets behind people's backs," Harry commented lightly with a cynical edge making Iris laugh.

"You really have been around the block haven't you?" She asked in a softer tone, bumping him gently.

Harry sniffed as she did so in humour catching a whiff of cigarettes. "Here and there, maybe I'll-"

"Harry, I think I've worked it out, but it will require both of us simultaneously casting," Daphne called over to him.

Harry grinned, it was nice, being told what to do. As Daphne explained it seemed whatever the field was, and it wasn't technology...or not entirely because of how it reacted to her initial spells. They would need to transfigure something to stand on while one of them cast charms around them countering whatever meta-energy was in action here, then once they were all stood within it they'd have to switch, with the other transfiguring and then casting a new spell, as the current one collapsed.

If they got it wrong...well it wouldn't be a trip to the spaceport because of how they were disrupting the energy within it, likely something rather more nasty.

"And if we're left in between, it's curtains?" Panda helpfully surmised.

"Bit of danger doesn't do anyone any harm," Iris commented.

"Just as long as you'll be ready to open the door when we get there Iris," Harry warned.

"Got the entry coder in my pocket," Iris patted and then dug through her coat. "Or was it in the other pocket," she shook her head. "Never mind, just get us there, I'll work something out."

Daphne looked to him. "Ready?"

Harry nodded. "As I'll ever be," he leaned forward to kiss her cheek "If it goes wrong grab Panda I'll do Iris and try and disapparate to the Timeship," he whispered.

Daphne raised an eyebrow and gave him a serious look.

"Ready Iris?" Harry asked looking over to her.

"You just do you, we can look after ourselves," Iris said waving them ahead.

"Yes, doing ourselves pretty," Panda commented.

Harry stepped forward gesturing with his wand transfiguring the moon dust into a flat circle about half a metre in diameter as he suspected the transfiguration would start to crumble at the edges quite quickly.

Daphne stood beside him and began casting in an arc over him, blue and green impacting with her spell as she cast the spell.

"Come on," Harry gestured as Daphne nodded and the four of them stepped onto the circle.

"Bit cramped," Iris said sniffing. "Can you smell something?"

"Ozoney, like the psychic business that Noel Coward was involved in?" Panda wondered.

"Exactly, must return the King's motor," Iris mused.

"You left it in the ditch Iris remember!" Panda chastised.

Harry tried to tune those two out as Daphne looked to him.

"Ready? This will be the most-" she began.

"I'm focused on the task Daphne," Harry said as he began to cast in an arc as she started to transfigure the base as he mentally began a countdown of how long where they were stood would collapse under the not quite magic or whatever it was field.

"That smell of ozone is getting stronger," Panda muttered.

"Best jump over to the next one then," Daphne said as she held a hand out to Panda.

"Is Harry done I don't want my Panda being spirited away," Iris eyed Harry.

"Bugger that, I'm jumping ship Iris," Panda said allowing him to be grabbed by Daphne.

"There done, the charm's collapsing Iris come on," Harry said as Iris jumped with a bit less grace than Panda into the second field.

They repeated this process three more times to cover the field until they were stood at the door; Harry and Daphne both casting to seal them in with the door which was flashing an ugly purple.

"Iris, needn't remind you that purple is the universal alert colour," Harry chided gently.

"Don't need lip from you Harry, Panda points out enough of the obvious," Iris said giving him and Panda a look.

"Only because you miss the things right in front of your face Iris!" Panda exclaimed.

Harry wrinkled his nose at the door way, there were white symbols swarming all over it, against the purple hologram or light of whatever it was. Feeling around in his pocket he extracted his 'Babel fish on a stick' and dabbed a small amount behind his ear and passed it to Daphne. "Bit of a dab behind the ear, will translate," he said.

-/

Daphne took the stick and did as Harry instructed.

"Just a little bit, doesn't need to be a lot, lasts for ages," he explained in an almost annoyed tone as she followed as he had done and passed it back to him.

"Don't force it," he explained gently he pocketed the stick sliding it back into an inner pocket of his coat. "You'll see it swirl and then..." he trailed off as she followed his gaze.

The symbols on the door were flashing and then after one or two cycles they sort of swam and morphed into what looked like a countdown.

42 seconds the writing read.

"42 seconds until...?" She asked as the symbols flashed and dropped down to 41 seconds.

"Death from within?" Harry mused, he didn't sound worried, more reflective. "Could try blasting it open Iris," he called over to the woman.

Iris made a noise but didn't respond, she seemed focused on the input pad in front of the door.

"You don't seem worried," Daphne wondered to Harry who had pocketed his wand.

"I trust Iris has the skills," he proclaimed in a loud voice.

Daphne was sure she heard Panda snort, it made her smile.

"I think that's got it!" Iris exclaimed as she inputted something into the door controls.

"Or not," Panda mused as the display changed and the numbers began counting down twice as fast. "Iris! I'm not ready for a back blast!"

Daphne looked to Harry who was looking a little worried.

"Iris?" Harry asked as he stepped ahead.

"Just got my numbers mixed up," she said as she was madly typing into the keypad.

There was suddenly a clunk within the door and the display disappeared..

"Did you ever doubt me?" Iris beamed at them.

"Yes Iris," Panda exclaimed. "I was ready to run as fast as my legs could carry me."

"Just a little jeopardy, gets the adrenaline pumping don't you think?" She looked to Harry and then to herself.

Daphne looked to Panda and Iris.

"I like the fizz of adrenaline Iris, when I've got a hand in it," Harry commented.

"And what else do you do to get your fizz up Harry?" Iris leaned in.

Harry smiled at her. "This and that, so, are we going in or was that clunk the sound of a vortisaur being let loose ready to tear us to shreds?"

Iris laughed a short laugh. "Now you're showing off."

-/

As Iris pushed something on the door it opened slowly to reveal an interior incongruous with the exterior. She was expecting a dark interior, as its exterior suggested with the few windows to let light in. Like Gringotts always felt quite under-lit, despite all their oil lamps and the like. It was something she could not fault Harry's house on or any muggle establishment or dwelling; the muggle lighting was extremely bright compared to standard wizarding lighting, even if it could not equal a simple lumos spell.

Inside it was almost the reverse of the exterior, warm yellow toned lighting saturated the space throughout; what looked like four lifts went high to the ceiling seemingly supplemented with a set of stairs beside, and at their base where they were walking a series of desks with glowing displays hovering above them.

"Oh bugger, some Belgium's been in here before us!" Iris explained.

"Language Iris!" Panda shouted to her back.

Daphne frowned and looked to Harry whose whole posture had changed; he had his wand out and was striding with cautious confidence as he looked carefully around changing his focus every moment or two as he followed Iris into the main hall where the displays were.

-/

"You did say that people'd be in to start flogging stuff off Iris," Harry reasoned. "It's reasonable to think that some of the bank's other staff or related people had the passwords to come and nick stuff like you're trying to," Iris fixed Harry with a look. "Sorry liberate for Hyspero Heritage some stuff," he finished in a cynical tone.

"Haven't you ever liberated items that might be interested Harry?" Iris queried in a challenging tone.

"You've got the air of a rogue Harry, a do-anything rogue, it's nice to have a travelled person with us," Panda began, then added "one that isn't trying to kill us."

"Never, I threaten to kill very few people," Harry paused in thought.

"Don't try to add up all the people you've threatened Harry," Iris muttered jokingly.

"That'd take a while, even in the past month would take a far amount of time, threatened to chuck someone into a blackhole with a Dalekanium-Cobalt bomb recently, they were surprised by the threat," he mused wistfully.

"Remind me never to borrow money from you," Panda commented. "Come on Iris, get a tick on."

Harry separated from Iris and Panda as she was working to do...something. Daphne joined him at a separate screen.

"You're looking for the..." she paused as she tried to remember the name of the thing Harry was looking for.

"Rubasdpofiaew, yeah, but if it's on Iris' list hopefully she'll located it, I'm more interested in what else might be here...and-" Harry began and was cut off by Daphne.

"What's already been taken?" Daphne finished. "Is that a concern for you?" she asked curiously.

This gave Harry paused for thought and looked to her. "I guess not, this isn't Earth, there's nothing to think it'd affect us, we're...well I didn't look closely at the coordinates when we materialised but we're no where near Earth, and pretty far from Barastabon too, so" he shrugged. "Guess we can help Iris if you want?"

Daphne smiled and mimicked his shrug. "What do you usually do?"

"Shoot and get shot at mostly," he gestured over to Iris. "Iris how're you going to get all of the stuff on your list out?"

"In the bus of course-" She began.

"How-" Harry started but was interrupted by Iris.

"Panda you can back it up, I've disabled the defences, then we can chuck stuff into the back, it's dimensionally transcendental you know," Iris said to the two magical people before her.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Most TARDISes are, even my Timeship is Iris."

Panda gave an exaggerated sigh. "Very well, better in the bus with my G&T than out here Iris."

"I'll give you a hand Panda," Daphne offered as she looked at Harry who half nodded and shrugged.

"Looks like I'll be with you Iris," Harry chuckled. "I'm not sure I can do a good 'what's happening?' line but I'll give it a go."

Iris barked a laugh. "You've got vim and cheek Harry Potter, you'll go far in the universe," she paused as she finished scrolling. "Come on to the lifts!" She paused at the stairs. "Bugger that."

-/

"So you enjoying your first adventure of daring and excitement?" Panda asked as he pulled himself up into the driver's seat of Iris' bus.

Daphne wasn't sure how he was going to drive the conveyance given his feet didn't reach the pedals...but as she watched it seemed the steering wheel adjusted downwards for him.

Daphne felt a rumble beneath where she was sat in a small seat to the side of the driver's side which seemed to be a different construction to the driver's seat. The rumble also seemed incongruous with the bus's systems, or rather what she knew of buses of similar design and shape...on Earth. It was a concept she'd not needed to qualify in her thinking. Although Draco had mentioned it in passing occasionally when he and Harry reminisced about Harry's rescue of him and their subsequent 'adventures with the Doctor', and now she had a tale too.

"How do you know it's my first 'adventure' Panda?" Daphne asked after the briefest of pauses.

Panda paused in his controlling of Iris' conveyance to give her a look, his face was so expressive, despite her initial presumption of his existence based on his appearance. "Dear lady, you still have the wide eyes amazement with the world and everything around you."

"And Harry?" She wondered.

Panda drew in a breath as he swung the wheel around turning the bus around in an arc and made a show of looking behind him as he adjusted a control for the bus and they started moving backwards. "This definitely isn't his first song and dance."

-/

Iris had found a trolley from somewhere, it didn't have any wheels but something that looks like a flat bed with a handle to push it was still a trolley even if it hovered. It also had an array of warning labels all over it which seemed to indicate its maximum weight and not to put it on a slope because death might be the result.

There was a weird feeling here, just outside that of his senses he felt like. He'd cast a few advanced identification spells; mostly inconclusive. His energy scanner which he'd gotten ready for when Iris found the Rubasdpofiaew he'd utilised just to check. Also inconclusive, but there were several energy fields around him, thankfully after he'd plugged in the temporal scanner and its bulky battery nothing overtly temporal.

But there was still something...lurking, he felt it just on the edge. It was weird, going on feeling and instinct, and not having the comforting backup of a squad of Daleks watching his back ready to exterminate anyone who'd come around the corner.

Harry cast around again with a a few more detailed charms and diagnostic spells, searching for something. There was again an inconclusive response, but a different sort of inconclusive.

"Iris," Harry called into the room where Iris was going through things muttering to herself.

"Yeah Harry?" Iris said not looking away from whatever ever she was doing.

"What sort of meta-defences was it that they used here, not just the transmat outside was it?" He asked wrinkling his nose.

"Some Silverberg spectrum defences, why?" Iris focused on him.

Harry nodded, he'd not heard 'Silverberg' for a long time, but understood it was where some magic sat in the energy range, he was sure that's what Romana called it, the first time they'd met, not that they'd met at Bernice Summerfield's wedding, but they'd both been there. "Just a feeling, not sure what, but I doubt out the front were the only defences."

"Some rotter's probably been in before us Harry, some of the items on my list are missing," she tapped the scroll.

"And-" He began but was cut off by her.

"We're not up to plants and biological samples quite yet, hold your horses Harry," she commented as there was a clunk below them. "That'll be Panda with the bus, hope he hadn't reversed too far and chipped the paint."

"I'll hold the polka dotted horses if it'll make things go faster," Harry muttered.

"Oh, have you been to the Intergalactic Peace conference as well?" Iris enquired curiously as she made her way through the items in the chamber they were in.

"Not exactly," Harry replied, he'd been delving back through his diary from travelling with the Doctor recently, reminiscing a little bit when he'd been a bit more wide eyed about travel, and longing for a return to Earth. While he wouldn't say now it was the reverse, he was certainly a little more cautiously looking out at the universe, but still wanting to have some fun. Now that he was in control.

"Not one of those travelling lectures?" She wondered. "I gave a speech once, got half way and then the Bandrils attacked," Iris explained.

Harry looked over to Iris. "They're a bit shit aren't they? We had to deal with them on Earth, wouldn't even come out and fight, just a wobbly 2D projection."

Iris barked a laugh. "You're much less PC than his nibs Harry, I knew you'd be fun when we first met."

"Mind if I go and see Daphne and Panda?" Harry jabbed a thumb backwards. "I've got a feeling that won't go away."

"You go sort out what's got your knickers in a twist Harry," Iris commented distractedly as she was weighing up two totems that looked like miniature yetis.

Harry eyed the lifts down and opted to take the stairs, casting charms and spells as he walked down. It was all very inconclusive, but some of the charms were revealing something, something...somewhere in the upper apparition sort of danger spaces, but nothing conclusively dangerous, a capable wizard, or a reckless one could probably cope. Maybe.

-/

Daphne appraised the rear of the bus where Panda had set up a large funnel which he had said would 'dump all Iris stuff in the boot, we can sort it properly later'.

Then Harry came walking swiftly down the stairs, smiling carefully towards her with his wand out.

"Can you feel anything?" He enquired his tone was controlled with an air of casual curiosity.

"What?" She wondered as she cast an advanced detection spell around them.

"Vague sense of impending doom?" Harry wondered in a mixed tone of worry and slight facetiousness.

Panda snorted behind her, he'd obviously made his way from the cab. "Travelling with Iris I call that a day with a Y in it."

Harry nodded to Panda and to her. "Maybe I'm just getting jittery."

"So dear Iris says, the mark of a time traveller," Panda commented.

"And what do you say Panda?" Harry wondered.

Panda looked up at him. "That a stiff drink can do wonders for any situation."

Harry seemed to muse on that. "Next time I encounter people wanting to kill me I'll keep that in mind."

"Harry!" Hollered a voice from above.

Harry looked to her and Panda. "Looks like I'm needed."

"No," Panda shook his head. "She shouts at everyone like that."

"I'll check Harry, maybe you are just worried?" She reassured, but finished in a slight teasing tone.

Harry smiled briefly to her. "Hopefully, maybe this'll all collapse inwards once we depart and we'll be none the wiser to death and whatever else haunts here," he finished as he dashed up the stairs.

"Your beau is a optimistically morose chap," Panda commented.

"Harry has a similar attitude, just a different presentation to your Iris I think Panda," Daphne commented.

-/

Iris batted away the weird flying moth that had faded into existence like a dodgy special effect.

Then Harry came rushing in muttering something under his breath, that wand held out straight like a precision instrument and a mean colour of light and energy slammed into the now large as a small starling moth into the wall with a squelch of energy and unreality.

"You alright Iris?" Harry asked.

-/

Harry cast around the room that Iris had moved onto with his wand. "There's some really weird energy fields in here Iris," he looked around the room. It felt like anti-apparition wards when you even thought about appariting, but this was...something else, something still on the edge of perception, but like it was gesturing with a sword and muttering something dangerous in his general direction.

"Thanks for the gallant save there Harry love, was just getting to the biological samples in here when Batty McBatface came out of the woodwork," Iris gestured the drawers that she was standing in front of.

"More defensive measures?" Harry wondered. "What sort of bank storage unit is this?"

"A ruddy well protected one. Rubasdpofiaew over there, and according to the register there's Vraxoin fungus here in the transparent aluminium box, seems they had a lot of illegally dangerous substances here."

Harry nodded and extracted his energy scanner from his pockets and went over to what looked like a clear plastic box. Rummaging around in his pocket he found a suction pad attachment he'd shoved in amongst all the other attachments he'd created for the energy scanner and suctioned it to the cube. He grinned as the energy scanner registered the thing on the inside as being organic and started a detailed analysis. Craning back over to see Iris filling a bag with her bounty he called to her "I thought Panda said this was something cuddly?"

"Those're mandrels Harry," Iris answered as though he should know. "Used to live on Eden until that business on Azure," she tutted. "Should've got the CET put on the Intergalactic watch list," she muttered "Wouldn't listen would they?" She finished as his scanner beeped, the words in Dalek came up stating 'Scan Complete'.

"That was an interesting beep," Iris looked over his arm as he moved over to the other drawer where she'd indicated the Rubasdpofiaew would be. "Built that yourself from bits?"

Harry nodded. "This and that and stuff learnt."

"Dalek writing on it eh?" Iris wondered curiously and looked at him carefully.

Harry nodded. "They make some of the best technology that you can take apart and work out," he continued as he gestured. "That drawer you said?"

"Yeah," Iris made a show of pulling it out. "It's under lock and key, give us a hand getting it out will you?"

"Fine Iris," he said as he gestured around the locks with his wand, somewhat surprised that a simple unlocking spell worked. "Thought I'd have to break out the sonic screwdriver for that," he commented in a surprised tone as Iris opened the cases.

"I'll let you get your scans first," she said seemingly stopping herself from grabbing the branch which held some leaves and flowers with white petals shaped like butterfly wings.

Harry quickly unplugged the suction pad and aimed the energy scanner at the plant as he adjusted the settings on the scanner to get as much detail as he could. It beeped a moment later.

"Done," he said as he tucked it back into his bag and into a pocket.

"Very quick and efficient, fancy coming along with Panda and I?" She wondered.

"I've got my own Timeship and place to be Iris, can't you kidnap some school teachers or something?" He teased as she slipped the Rubasdpofiaew into a box she'd pulled from somewhere.

Iris snorted. "Don't you start, that Ian was a dishy bloke."

"Met on Hyspero when the Doctor was all pipe smoking and-" Harry was cut off.

"And oh so young and innocent, could drink him under a table!" Iris laughed. "You're a right font of history aren't you?"

"Been around haven't I?" Harry began and frowned, he had another feeling like a battle was brewing somewhere in the higher plains... "Iris I think we might need to vacate this room soon," he paused drawing his wand. "Or maybe the planet."

"It's a moon," Iris idly corrected.

-/

Daphne was helping Panda with the trolleys full of stuff that Iris had sent to them via some form of remote control when she felt it.

Looking to Panda he seemed more concerned with the suctioning up of the items into the bus, it having spawned something to aid Panda in his efforts.

Casting her gaze upwards to the level where Harry had rushed off to she could just about see Harry leaning over looking down.

Something, she wasn't sure what was brewing, like a storm on the horizon, or a fight between crews, something destabilising the local environment, something she wasn't sure of, it was...unsettling.

Casting around her there was still nothing, almost deliberately nothing.

She cursed to herself, it was nothing deliberately so.

It was being obfuscated, hidden deliberately so she couldn't see it.

She wrote in the air with her wand 'hidden wards', large enough that Harry could see.

-/

Harry cursed as he saw the words Daphne wrote, he knew he could feel something. It hadn't felt like wards, but it certainly was something.

"Just a couple more to go Harry love," Iris said pushing past her.

"Maybe step on it Iris, there's something brewing and I don't think it's good," Harry muttered.

"Never done a smash and grab have you?" Iris wondered.

"I..." he was about to say he stole a spaceship and nicked a Dalek from a Hypero storage facility but thought better of it considering who Iris was working her. "Yeah, here and there, but not like this not from a bank," he paused "I thought this was liberation, not theft Iris!" He exclaimed lightly.

"Just checking your story's holding up Harry," she commented in a teasing tone.

"And you Iris, maybe you've got this shopping list for a client?" He challenged.

"Who'll reimburse me in feldon crystals?" She snorted. "Not bloody likely, gotta keep some respectable contacts out in the world I-"

She was cut off by something unearthly making a guttural noise.

Harry chanced a look up, but there was just white ceiling.

"That came from outside," Iris pointed out.

Harry looked to her and sighed. "Shall I go out there and get shot at while you finish picking up your dosh?"

"If you don't mind chuck, just a few more things on the listy here," she gestured.

Harry rolled his eyes as he went outside, to encounter Daphne rushing up the stairs.

"Panda?" Harry wondered.

"Packing the bus," Daphne explained, she already had her wand out, or she might have run up to this level with it out and casting as she did. "That sound?"

"Dangerous," he mused as he looked up again. There was nothing but a different sense of foreboding as he looked around. "Do you think it could be some sort of reflexive charm work that's mirroring feelings of danger?" He wondered, it had been a while since he'd needed to think abstractly like this, the battles in the Time War had been a lot more direct.

Daphne was shaking her head. "I feel it too, but it's not...not targeted in that way Harry, there's something above us..."

"Like precipitation," he continued.

She nodded. "Are we going to get rained on?"

Harry smiled and then laughed. "Hopefully not," he paused and shouted "Iris!"

"What!" She shouted from down the corridor, how she'd managed to get down there he wasn't sure.

"We're about to get pissed on, get a shift on," he shouted towards where he voice was, and then looked to Daphne.

She spoke before he could say anything. "I cast some spells above us, it's something to do with the security here?"

Harry nodded. "I haven't decided if it's meant to stop and hold us or kill us."

"Adds spice to life," Daphne teased and leant forward and kissed him.

Harry was taken by such surprised that he felt a rush of heat and excitement as she did so.

As Daphne stepped back he still felt slightly flustered.

"Best hurry Iris up, Panda says she likes to sight see while in mortal danger," Daphne gestured.

Harry blinked a few times and nodded. "Yes, right."

Harry walked quickly over to where he'd heard Iris' voice, this was most certainly not what he'd got up to during the Time War, this was different, exciting and different, looking back over his shoulder he could see Daphne casting around even as something was brewing in the ceiling. He picked up his pace.

"Iris," he rushed in where Iris was filling a knapsack with what looked like fluffy balls. "Do you really need tribbles?" He wondered.

"It's what they're protecting Harry," she said gesturing decorative dagger.

"Get a move on with the fancy cutlery Iris, whatever's been triggered I think we're reaching a crescendo," he frowned looking around the room. "You've cleared this one out," he observed noting that more than three quarters of the space looked to have been ransacked.

"Not me, but you're right, I've get jazzy feelings up and down my ligaments."

As if on cue everything started rumbling and Harry was reminded of that awful scent of a magic battle against a dangerous foe.

"Can you smell that? Scent of a battlefield," Iris was hunkered close to him.

"Daphne," he shouted "Get to the bus and get Panda," he said as he made his way out of the room and had to duck and roll as purple energy wave came at him.

Daphne he could just see, battling away ghosts? He wasn't sure it was more amorphous blobs of energy.

He began advancing towards them casting wide arcs of magical fire, nothing hugely lethal just broad based banishing spells and stunning spells pushing whatever it was up and away.

"You okay?" He asked as he got close.

Daphne nodded.

"Can you-" Harry started.

"I'll get Panda and the bus out," Daphne said quickly.

"Oi Harry, a hand!" Harry turned and heard a fzzt of an energy weapon as he realised the whatevers they were had begun to attack Iris.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Go, I'll deal with Iris."

Harry spun around and started to blast at the energy things again as Daphne took off down the stairs.

It was harder fighting them off a second time, whatever they were, if it was some sort of magical defence system or security system or what it was voraciously devouring Iris' energy weapon but still seemed surprised by his spell fire.

Reaching Iris he banished them back against a wall and cast a protective line, stopping them for a moment so he could check Iris over. Her coat looked like it'd been singed by a spell, but she didn't appear to be bleeding.

"Come on Iris," he said holding out his hand.

"Fine just this once-" she said, but as she took it they were both hit by what felt like an explosion, but there was no heat, and it had been directed at them, they both flew into the wall beside the door into the tribble room Iris had been ransacking.

Both Harry and Iris coughed as they picked themselves up.

"Never a dull day is it Iris?" Harry wondered as he looked towards the bannister overlooking the entrance where they'd come in. "I've got an idea to get down to the bus-"

Iris looked at him and shrugged. "You're the magician Harry," she said.

Harry grinned and was glad he didn't ned to explain as she took off running towards the balustrade. He had to push to catch up with her and jumped off at the same time with her.

-/

Daphne gestured with her wand, pushing the sack into the bus as Panda prepared to leave inside the bus.

Turning she heard someone shout 'Aresto Momentum', followed by two beings falling from at least three storeys up.

There was white washout of spell fire of backwash of the spell impacting with the ground as Harry and Iris both landed, rolling out of the spell and stood up.

Iris was already running ahead of Harry at an incredible pace, and rushed past Daphne into her bus.

It was already moving before she had a chance to realise what was happening.

Harry ran up to her and grabbed her hand and she realised she was running with him and out of the structure towards his time craft.

Harry burst into the Timeship and immediately dematerialised it into the vortex, he didn't want to hang around and chat with Iris and he most certainly didn't want to stand around and wait and see what the magical defence system was going to do.

"You alright?" Harry asked to his side where Daphne was stood, breathing quickly.

"Yes," she answered breathlessly. "You didn't think Iris would wait for us?"

Harry shook his head as he went over to the other screens, he wasn't tracking her bus, but it was still within communication range.

"You could look after yourself Harry love," Iris said immediately as he made communication contact.

"Or you were looking after yourself first," Harry teased.

"That too," she laughed.

"And Daphne dear, you're alright?" Asked Panda.

"Of course, here Panda," Daphne said joining him by the screen.

"Sending you some time space coordinates, if you wand to come to the art exhibition," Harry said pushing some buttons and was rewarded with a beep of confirmation.

"Got a few things to follow up, so we'll see Harry," Iris said.

"She means thank you for your assistance Harry and Daphne," Panda corrected with a shake of his head. "Iris," he finished in a warning tone.

"Couldn't have done it without you Harry!" She exclaimed with a broad smile.

"Sure you could, the Doctor speaks highly of your missions," Harry commented lightly.

"You liar! We'll have to have words about that Harry, but got to go now," Iris finished as the screen faded to static.

"They've gone?" Daphne asked as he turned off the communications panel.

"Off to their own adventures," Harry explained. "And us?"

"Off to Dark Space 8?" Daphne asked.

"Unless you want any more excitement for today?" Harry wondered.

Daphne smiled daringly at him.

-/

Daphne slid out of the bed she had slept in with Harry following their 'adventure', wrapping herself in the silken robe provided in their room as she walked over to the windows and looked out at the vast view, there were some craft space craft flying about outside, just manoeuvring in all three dimensions, seemingly effortlessly within the material of space.

The journey from when they'd departed Iris to return here seemingly took little time at all, or perhaps it was just as her metabolism returned to a normal state had elongated the time spent travelling.

She recalled sitting in one of Harry or Oswin's comfortable chairs and just allowed herself to relax after the excitement of their encounter with Iris Wildthyme and Panda.

She smiled at reminiscences of Panda. He reminded her of a great uncle of hers, long passed away now. But funnier, cheekier, it was as Harry had said of his meeting with Iris on his first occasion, that you seem to cram so much interactions in, in the face of danger and travel.

It certainly felt like she'd talked with him much longer than, what she now realised was only a couple of hours at the most.

-/

Harry stirred awake and looked around the room, Daphne was by the window wrapped in a dressing gown. Looking to the side of the room the Timeship was parked to one side. It had been translocated from Oswin's office when they'd arrived last night.

She hadn't even wanted explaining he'd only needed to say 'Ran into Iris Wildthyme and had an adventure' before she'd rolled her eyes and sent them off to this suite. They'd bathed for a luxurious amount of time in the wonderfully huge bathroom and relaxed with some room service.

It was all quite relaxing, quite unlike any previous mission he'd been on during his and Oswin's sojourn into the Time War.

It actually felt good being on an 'adventure' with Iris and Panda, with Daphne.

So many unexpected things going on, juggling them all together, it had been an interesting day.

-/

Harry looked around the art gallery. "There's a lot here."

"Not just you that's into disaster art, had words with the management, they're going to make it a permanent exhibition," Oswin gestured around them. "Bit smaller after the initial opening," she looked to him "Hope you don't mind."

Harry shook his head. "Guess they end up with the yellow one at some point," he shook his head. "And people want to see this stuff?"

Oswin nodded. "Plenty, still a lot of baggage," she gave him a look. "Everyone's carrying something."

Harry nodded and looked to her. "Going out has helped, that little adventure with Iris."

"Made you feel normal, having a bit of extraterrestrial adventure?" Oswin asked.

Harry looked to her, she was smiling knowingly.

Then Oswin laughed. "You're wondering if I somehow managed to engineer you meeting her?" She shook her head laughing. "I'm not a master manipulator Harry," she gave him a look. "You should know that."

Harry smiled at her gently. "Course I know that Oswin, paranoia," he shook his head and sighed. "Got so good at it at Hogwarts, and then when we were travelling-"

"In the war?" She queried.

He nodded. "Almost relaxed into a weird sort of careful."

"Still trying to find equilibrium?" She mused. "Know it well, I don't think you're good at cold turkey from adventuring."

"That is what I have been meaning to say," Harry jumped at Daphne's voice who'd managed to come up behind where he and Oswin were chatting and kissed him on the cheek.

"It is?" Harry wondered.

Oswin smiled to him, gave him a look and drifted away.

"You should not chastise or gaol yourself from your experiences or lives Harry," Daphne offered gently as she took his hand and walked towards one of the pieces of art that was propped against the wall. "Outlets, be it physical, or creative or-"

"Running with adrenaline pumping?" Harry wondered in a half joking tone.

Daphne looked to him with a broad smile. "Yes, if you wish, if that is what you enjoy, why not?"

"Harry, got myself here for your do!" Shouted someone from across the room.

"Iris!" Chastised another voice that seemed to carry through the crowd. "This isn't the Last Chance Saloon!"

Harry looked to Daphne, she was grinning with amusement and joy.

"Shall we go and greet our friends?" She asked with delight.

Harry laughed, also beaming with joy. "Let's go."

-/

A/N:

Late 2021 apologies; this year has remained not great for my creativity. Have got plenty of ideas for future chapters, just the motivation and drive to sit down and write them is a little lacking. Hoping for better in 2022.

This chapter is a little over egged, but I wanted to do a few things with it.

Take Daphne off in the Timeship and give her a taste of what Harry and Oswin have gotten up to. But also do it in a not too threatening way, so it's more an adventure of characters rather than one of deadly danger.

Also while Harry's rambling around someone else's adventure there's a brief appearance of Dr Who, Susie Who and Ian Chesterton from the first Dalek movie Dr. Who and the Daleks make a brief appearance. Not the Doctor anyone was expecting.

The bank referenced here is the Bank of Karabraxos, seen in Time Heist.

Harry and Iris first met in chapter 30.