16. Grimmauld Place.
River watched in amazement as a house appeared seemingly out of nowhere and pushed aside its neighbouring buildings. And yet somehow, despite the trembling of the ground and the rattling of windows, it managed to do so without any noise. There wasn't much time to marvel at the appearance of Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, however, as Snape was ushering her quickly inside with the occasional glance down the street.
"In," he hissed, opening the door and pulling her inside before she even had a chance to reply.
The portrait of Walburga Black immediately started screaming insults at them both and seemed to find joy in fixating on both Snape and River's hair to the point where she found it hard to choose between insults and simply settled for spluttering indignantly.
Snape led River into the dining room, where every chair was full with members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore included. River raised her eyebrows at the older wizard even as Snape made a beeline to one of the free chairs – the one furthest away from Remus Lupin, who, she noticed, looked too tired to care about Snape's latest shunning.
"Isn't subterfuge a bit cumbersome at this point in the war, Headmaster?" River asked, making her way over to the last free seat.
Dumbledore coughed slightly. "I had to be sure that you were trustworthy."
"And reading my mind didn't prove that for you?"
The entire table looked at her in a mixture of confusion and shock.
"You know Occlumency?" Remus asked, trying and failing not to sound bowled over.
"Comes with the territory," River replied. "You learn to defend your mind and read others' when you're raised by a psychopath with aliens no one can remember hell bent on killing the future husband that you don't even know yet."
There was an awkward silence.
"But enough about me," River continued. "How are we going to do this? Obviously, you want me for my knowledge of your world."
"Actually," Dumbledore corrected mildly, "we want you because your 'husband' is extremely important to Voldemort-", everyone save a few shuddered at the name, "-and only you seem to have the means of returning him to your universe."
Having paused so that River and the rest of the room could digest this – River noted that they already knew who she was and at least some background information, as no one looked the least confused – Dumbledore continued.
"Now, Professor Snape informs me that now is the best time to act if we wish to penetrate the Death Eaters' prison. Severus?"
"The Dark Lord appears to be under the impression that there is something more valuable than this 'Doctor' elsewhere. He has been sending off small teams of Death Eaters to find it."
"More important than the Doctor?" River asked, with a feeling of dread. "What is it?"
Snape assumed the expression of someone forced to chew on a lemon. "I don't know."
"Some spy you are," Moody growled. "When something small happens you won't shut up about it, but if it's big…" His eye twirled madly before fixating on Snape, "suddenly you have nothing to say. I bet," he continued, leaning forward in his seat, "that after this meeting is over you'll go running back to the other side and our ambush will mysteriously end with every one of us being killed!"
"As I have told you," Snape snapped back, "the Dark Lord tells me what he wishes to tell me – I can hardly go probing through his mind for every scrap of information that I can find!"
"And why not?" Moody challenged. "You're supposed to know Legilimency as well, aren't you? Or do you just save that for breaking into Potter's mind when it suits you? You really helped with that, didn't you? It only led to that fiasco at the Ministry, didn't it -"
"That is enough, Alastor," Dumbledore warned, seeing Remus shiver slightly at this reminder that his best friend was now dead. "Severus, do please continue."
"As I was saying – the prison will be undermanned and now is the perfect time to strike." Snape paused for effect before continuing. "I know the location of the base but am forbidden from speaking the address, so getting there will be somewhat difficult."
Moody snorted but, at a look from Dumbledore, otherwise remained silent.
"Fortunately," Dumbledore interjected with a strange amount of cheer, given the circumstances, "I am extremely suspicious of my spy and managed to wrestle the information from his mind."
"Is that how Voldemort will see it?" River asked. "It won't blow his cover?"
"I am a master Occlumens," Snape said, bristling slightly. "If the Dark Lord has not discovered my true allegiance yet he never will."
Moody grumbled and Snape sneered at him. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"With this in mind," the older wizard said, "I will now show each of you the location so that you can apparate to it. Those who are uncomfortable with me being in their mind are quite welcome to join me in the pensieve instead."
"And what about me?" River asked. "I can't apparate yet."
"Severus will accompany you," Dumbledore replied.
"Won't that break his cover?" River asked, surprised.
"I need to be there," Snape explained. "As soon as the Headmaster takes down the wards surrounding the prison, the Dark Mark of everyone responsible for it will burn, drawing them there. It would be more suspicious to remain away."
"Now, before we set off I want this to be absolutely clear," Dumbledore suddenly said in a grave tone. "If you are in danger, come back here or, if our headquarters have been compromised, to a safe place that no one else – not even your friends or family – know about. It is better to regroup and try again than have everyone die in a futile battle."
Everyone nodded solemnly as silence descended upon the room like a shroud.
"Now, form a queue in front of me," Dumbledore said, "to get an image of the prison."
River made her way to her place in the queue and watched the people in front of her with interest. Remus Lupin was first, shying away from the contact at first and tensing, but otherwise making no protest. Dumbledore gave him a reassuring pat on the arm when he finished implanting the image. Arthur Weasley was next, nodding nervously at Dumbledore and shuffling his feet. Mad Eye Moody, River noticed, had remained seated at the table and was the only one waiting for a pensieve, though that didn't seem to surprise anyone.
When River's turn came she rolled her shoulders, relaxed her mental boundaries and brought forth every image she had of the Final Battle. When Dumbledore entered her mind, he walked straight into images of destroying the Horcrux Nagini and Harry's death then resurrection.
Dumbledore's presence immediately stopped.
Do these exist in your world? River asked using her mental voice.
Dumbledore gave a mental nod. Yes, he replied gravely. She detected a note of sad resolution in his mental voice.
I had to check, River explained, given the differences in worlds. The circumstances surrounding Voldemort's disappearance and Harry's scar were the same here as they were in mine.
Sadly it is something that has taken me a while to discover, Dumbledore replied, or many lives could have been spared. But tonight, he added, before she could add anything else, we have a different job to do.
With that, he gave her access to an image of what River could only assume was the prison where the Doctor was being kept. It was an ordinary building; built from grey stone and clearly designed to blend in with its surroundings even without the charms, it closely resembled a German bunker. And, River deduced from its size, it was likely bigger on the inside.
Your task, Dumbledore explained as the image and connection began to dissolve, is to release your husband and take him back to your universe as soon as possible. We will work on stopping Voldemort in this universe.
I have information on the final battle, River protested, re-strengthening the connection. I can help.
Dumbledore paused for a moment. This world is different, he said finally, and any discrepancies in information could fatally lead us down the wrong path.
With that one last regretful remark, he withdrew from the conversation and ushered the next person – Molly Weasley – forwards. River sat down at the table, frustrated about his unwillingness to cooperate with her but also understanding his point; as a time traveller whose timeline ran opposite to that of one of the most important beings in the galaxy, she was more than used to the concept of spoilers. Someone actually having the willpower to say no to them despite their curiosity, however, was new.
With the last of their small army briefed on the location of the prison, Dumbledore announced that they should all make their way to separate locations before apparating in pairs. Snape made his way over to River, looking unhappy at having to chaperone her.
As they left the house, River shrugged and looked him straight in the eye. "I think you'll find you'll be glad to have me around. Remember the alley?"
Snape, if possible, looked even less happy at the reminder. "Just remember what you're supposed to do, don't kill the wrong people, and don't be killed."
"I think that's the most inspiring speech I've ever heard."
Snape simply yanked her arm and disapparated. River felt the familiar I'm a vortex manipulator and I'm going to make sure you remember that squeezing sensation and forced herself not to panic, knowing that she wasn't actually suffocating, being pulled inside out, or being sat on by an elephant. When landing came, she landed gracefully on two feet and shook her hair out of her eyes, quickly taking in her surroundings.
They were in a forest, though where the forest was, she had no idea. She looked around for Snape, but caught no sight of him. Looking down, she saw footprints in the snow leading to a tree behind her. They were gradually erasing themselves.
"Hide," Snape hissed urgently.
River dived behind the same tree as him.
Snape glared at her. "Not next to me!"
"We're hidden," River whisper-snapped back. "What does it matter where?"
"You'll blow my cover," he replied, wiping away her footprints.
"Yes, I'm sure everyone can see us together through this tree," River muttered. "There was nowhere else to go."
"We're in a forest," Snape sneered.
"No other trees were as close."
Before Snape could offer a retort, the clearing suddenly shimmered and the prison appeared.
"Dumbledore has taken down the wards," Snape said. "Go."
River ran forwards, keeping her wand out and her eyes peeled for any attackers. Death Eaters began to appear in the clearing around them and, as soon as they realised what was going on, started firing spells at the members of the Order who were now swarming to the prison. Several crouched in the snowy ground, turned around and started firing spells outwards, felling Death Eaters as they appeared.
River reached the mouth of the prison and, slipping and sliding on the snow melting on its floor, began running down the corridor. Order members were crashing down doors and helping out any hostages they could find before disapparating immediately so as to get them out of danger. River, seeing that only one cell was not being attended to, ran straight to the one at the end, drawn by a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that the Doctor was there.
For an agonising moment she fumbled with the spells locking the door, breaking away from that every now and then to shoot a Death Eater with her gun. Unable to unlock the door, she was surprised when she felt them being lifted. She spun around and came face to face with Snape.
Not wasting time on asking him whether or not he was seen helping her, River slammed open the door and ran inside, stopping short when she realised she couldn't see anything.
"Lumos," she muttered, and gasped as the room was softly illuminated.
Small smatterings of snow had made their way through the lone, miniscule window, and lay un-melting on the floor beneath it. The occasional, small drops of blood marred the stone floor, none in the same place. A stale lump of bread lay half eaten, the mould on it sticking out like a sore thumb. And next to the loaf of bread lay what appeared to be a heap of clothes.
River swallowed. Tweed; dirty and ripped almost beyond repair. Black trousers that hung off a too-thin pair of legs, followed by black boots. The bow tie lay discarded nearby. She made her way closer and knelt down beside the Doctor.
He was conscious, though he may as well have not been; his eyes followed her listlessly and he breathed deeply, as if asleep. There was a faint rattle to his lungs that made her wince. But worst of all – he made no effort to move, not even to ask how she was there. It was if he had retreated into himself.
River placed a hand on his cheek. "Sweetie?"
Dimly, she was aware of Snape standing by the doorway, firing off spells while making sure he remained unseen to those attacking.
"Sweetie, it's me," she encouraged, beyond worried. "Can you hear me?"
His only reaction was to blink. She reached into her backpack and found her portable medi-scanner, pointing it at him and turning it on. The results made her gasp: three broken ribs, starvation, the beginnings of pneumonia, and various lacerations. Biting her lip, she moved the scanner so that it hovered over his head: no brain damage.
She clicked her medi-scanner off and stuffed it back in her backpack. There was nothing she could do for him now – the best thing would be to get him out of here and somewhere safe.
"Sweetie, do you recognise me?"
Again, a blink.
"Can you talk?"
No reaction.
"We need to leave," Snape interjected tersely from the doorway.
River resisted the urge to sigh. "Give me a hand with him."
With a brief glance out the door to make sure that no one was coming, Snape moved swiftly over to them and bent down to help River lift the Doctor up. The Doctor groaned, his eyes darting about in slight surprise.
"What?" he rasped, his voice barely audible.
"We're getting you out of here," River explained gently. "Hold tight; apparition won't be fun for you like this."
Before the Doctor could reply, they had disapparated and reappeared down the street from Grimmauld Place. Snape tried to take the rest of the Doctor's weight from her as they hurried to the doorway, but River resisted.
The Doctor gasped, knocked breathless by the journey. "I'm… I'm out?"
River squeezed his hand. "Yes, Sweetie," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
He turned his head to look at her, eyebrows knotted in confused suspicion. "Hallucinations," he murmured, "have never done this before."
"Hallucinations?" River asked, holding the door open for Snape but keeping hold of the Doctor's hand.
"An interrogation tactic," Snape supplied, heading for the stairs. "We put enchantments on his cell feeding off memories of people he knew."
River's heart clenched. She couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like, but it did explain the Doctor's initial lack of response. She wondered how many "rescues" he had had to live through before he had learnt the truth.
Snape laid the Doctor on the bed as gently as he could, though the Time Lord still moaned in pain. Just as he was about to leave the room, the Doctor grabbed his wrist.
"Thank you," he rasped.
Snape looked openly surprised, and left without saying a word.
River rummaged in her backpack and started getting out anything and everything she could find that would help the Doctor, who was sinking tiredly back into his pillows.
"How…" he coughed, the sound wet and grating in his lungs. "How'd you find me?"
"I copied Rose to get here. Snape told Dumbledore about you once he was free to leave the prison for the new school term, and the Order planned a rescue," she explained. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you," River murmured, cupping one finely-boned cheek in her hand. "I'm so sorry."
The Doctor blinked drowsily at her. "Just glad you did."
River nodded. "Voldemort-"
She broke off in surprise when the Doctor flinched, his entire body going rigid and tensing until he looked uncannily like a scarecrow. He remained that way for a few moments before carefully opening his eyes and looking around in confusion.
"Oh," he murmured, as if to himself. "That's right – the spells don't work here." River opened her mouth to ask about that, but the Doctor continued unprompted. "The Master did like those."
Suddenly, he went rigid again and jolted into a sitting position, almost knocking his head into River's, before he suddenly began to topple over. River caught him and gently lowered him back into bed.
"The Master," he said, coughing from the exertion of sitting up and looking very green about the gills. "Find the Master?"
"The Master? Sweetie… he's not here, he was in our universe-"
"Yes," the Doctor interrupted. "Exactly. And V-V – You-Know-Who knows. He looked into my mind," he whispered, "over and over and over. River, I couldn't – Rose helped, but it wasn't enough. He was always there, River, always, and You-Know-Who saw him." He rose a shaky finger to tap his own temples. River vaguely noticed that his wrists were scarred. "In here. He was in here."
River gripped his hand to try to give the Doctor an anchor as he began to shake, his breathing coming in short, painful gasps.
"Shhh," she soothed. "It's alright, you're safe."
"V-V…" the Doctor choked on the name. "He wants to find the Master – he got impatient with me. He's gone back in time…"
River's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "He's worked out the difference in how time passes between universes."
"The Immortality Gate…"
Snape came back into the room and quickly placed a kit of potions on the table beside the Doctor, making them both jump. He was breathing as though he had been hurrying to find them. He unstopped a vial and held it in front of the Doctor.
"Open," he commanded.
"I've already got medication for the pneumonia," River said, grabbing Snape's arm and stopping him from pouring it into the Doctor's mouth.
Snape eyed River's kit. "Has he taken it?"
River shook her head. "He was telling me about the Master."
Snape poured almost half the bottle down the Doctor's throat, ignoring the other man's startled spluttering. "A hallucination."
"Voldemort found out about him."
Snape reached for a different vial. "Of course. He watched the episodes with him in it."
"He's worked out how to find him," River pressed, ignoring the strange comment about 'episodes' for now.
Snape stopped pouring the new vial, and the Doctor gasped for air. "What?"
"The Doctor told me that he's worked out the timeline differences."
Snape actually cursed at that. "When I was watching you I saw Rookwood where he should not have been – and I haven't managed to follow the others he sent away…"
River glanced between the Doctor and Snape. "I'll stay here and look after him, you bring Dumbledore."