Reviews! Thanks again to Amiphist and Rosetylerrox!

LittleGinny15: There you go. Bad Wolf! I thought you'd be pleased ;). And there is a link, but it's going to take them a little while to find it. I think you'll like it when it comes around… that's all I'm saying for now. Please, please, please keep reviewing! I smile every time I see your name, and don't ever lose your enthusiasm! It's priceless! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Lesslyn: I agree, I've written better. But I couldn't find a way of improving it because it answered too much… well, about as much as it raised, anyway. And the key? It will all be answered after this visit. Our heroes are going to meet someone else, someone who's got all of the answers. That should be fun. Oh, and 'they' will. I really loved writing Fred and George, so I'm not letting them off so lightly. Thanks again!

Underworld! Thanks everyone! I've received so many wonderful reviews, and I want to thank all of you! They really mean a lot! And Sorry about the delay. I've been busy. Enjoy!

Stowaways

The Doctor strode across to the Console, his fingers lingering temptingly on a large, red button, before he moved around to the TARDIS screen. He started entering a location, searching for a suitable landing spot, before grabbing a large, protruding lever and tugging on it. The central column began sliding up as a loud whirring sound announced dematerialization. Four Hogwarts students stared in wonder as Rose and The Doctor braced themselves, clinging onto the console with both hands. The Doctor looked up, and spotted their blank faces.

"You, er, might want to hold onto something. It isn't going to be a smooth journey."

As one, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny moved across to the hand-rails just inside the doors, gripping onto them as tightly as they could.

The TARDIS gave a nasty lurch, and her occupants redoubled their grips upon whatever they had been able to reach in time.

Well, almost all of her occupants.

There was a loud crash, and two identical cries of shock. Six heads looked up in surprise, staring at a point just behind the console, from where the noises had come from.

But there was nothing there.

The Doctor made to move across and inspect, but the TARDIS had other ideas. She shook violently, spinning through the Time Vortex at a most unwise speed, hurtling past decades and universes well in the past. He landed hard against the console, deciding it would be safer to wait until they had landed before investigating.

He couldn't ignore the cries of pain, though. None of them could. Ron pricked his ears, a large frown on his face as he heard two indignant screeches, and he gasped.

"What the Hell are you two doing here?" he called, cold fury etched into every line of his face. Everyone turned to him, staring in disbelief at his sudden remarkably eccentric outburst. Ron paid them no attention, as he watched the unoccupied area behind the console.

"Erm, Ron? Who're you talking to?" Harry asked, his voice dripping with concern.

"Three guesses, Harry," Ron called back, not lifting his eyes from the spot just behind Rose.

"Ron, there's no-one there! How could anyone possibly -?" but he gasped and let go of the railing, somehow steady on his feet despite the constant rocking and lurching. He made his way slowly forwards, ignoring everything and clinging onto rails as he continued towards the centre of the room, until he was standing just behind Rose, who was spending all of her efforts on keeping herself standing.

Harry extended a cautious hand, his other holding onto the console behind him, and everyone watched as it appeared to grasp something in mid air.

"Hi, guys," he said, grinning.

"Hi, Harry," came the somewhat disgruntled reply from nowhere, and everyone stared as whatever Harry had grabbed fell to the floor, accompanied by a loud thud. Seconds later, another thud broke the silence, followed by a soft 'Ouch!'.

"So is this your latest sweet, then?" Ginny asked, focusing on the floor beneath Harry's fingers. The Doctor turned, staring at all of his guests in turn, completely nonplussed.

"What the Hell's going on?" he asked, suspiciously. "Who're you on about, here?"

Ginny grinned mischievously, watching his expression with bright eyes.

"You have Stowaways, Doctor," she smiled. He stared at her, his eyes wide in surprise, then turned to Harry's feet. The blank space was strangely filled a second later, and he gasped, gazing intently at one of the twins he had met earlier. The twins' twin emerged from thin air behind him, chewing on something as he rubbed his back, trying to sit up but falling backwards with another lurch from the TARDIS.

There was a rather stunned silence, spinning horribly around the Control Room. Four teenage wizards and two Time Travellers stared at a pair of red-headed and red-faced twins, sprawled on the grille floor. No-one could think of anything to say.

The silence was quickly broken by a loud screeching sound, coming from the column itself. The Doctor blinked, closed his mouth quickly and turned his attention to his ship, pushing buttons hurriedly as they began to pick up speed.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked quickly, turning to the column and staring at it.

"Don't know," he muttered. "Hey, come on, old girl, what's the matter?" He ignored the many terrified glares he was receiving, feeling Rose could comfort them better than he could. She seemed too preoccupied, though, as she stared at the TARDIS screen.

"Er, Doctor? You might want to have a look at this," she called nervously. He twiddled a knob on the main dashboard, knocking a second lever in his haste, and the screeching stopped. They were spinning faster and faster through time, now, but he seemed happy enough. The violent shudders ceased, and he moved across, watching Rose curiously.

Rose pointed at the screen, and Harry watched with a faint feeling of trepidation as The Doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What is it?" he asked nervously.

The Doctor looked up and held his gaze. Harry felt his eyes begin to water, but didn't dare look away. The Doctor suddenly grinned, his eyes dancing with wonder.

"We've arrived," he said, simply.

A moment later, there was a thud, and everyone fell backwards, hitting the ground painfully. The whirring stopped, the column slowed and fell still, and the TARDIS lights flashed happily as her occupants pulled themselves to their feet, grumbling.

"Oh, we've arrived, have we? What makes you say that, then, Doctor?" Ginny asked sarcastically, rubbing at the back of her neck vigorously. The Doctor ignored her, turning to the twins.

"Never again," Ron mumbled, rubbing his wrist. "That was worse than Hagrids' Thestrals."

"Worse than what?" Rose asked in interest. Harry shook his head.

"Skeletal... bird-horse... things. They're only visible to those who've witnessed someone's death, and Ron, Hermione and Ginny had to ride on the back of them without being able to see what they were riding on."

Rose gaped at him briefly, shook her head when she realised what she was doing, and turned to The Doctor, who was staring intently at Fred and George, both of which looked unmistakably flustered. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all turned to the twins, too.

Rose suddenly grinned evilly. This was to be her first chance to witness just how serious her newest Doctor could be. That murderous look he'd had within his auburn eyes just after the destruction of the Sycorax' ship had fascinated her.

However, when she turned and saw The Doctor's face, she felt faintly disappointed. He looked almost indifferent, but curious. He was leaning against the TARDIS console, arms folded across his chest, watching them, a mad glint gleaming in his eyes as he stared them down. Not a word was spoken, but Fred and George both blinked and stared at the floor, fearing they had finally pushed their luck too far.

Silence.

"Now, I suppose the issues of stowaways should really be a big problem," he began, taking on the tone of one rather strict Head Master. Fred and George raised their heads suddenly, staring at him defiantly. They adopted an identical stance of indifference, shaken only by the glimmer of fear within their eyes. Ron was smirking widely, now.

"But before we get down to punishments," he continued, pushing himself from the console and beginning to encircle the twins. He stopped in front of Fred and paused. He leaned in, and whispered into his ear, smiling. "And before I decide on what would be best for you… I think you should tell me how you managed it."

He straightened up, whipping out his sonic screwdriver faster than blinking. Both Fred and George flinched, backing away in shock. His eyes were blazing, completely masking his sense of amusement with one of intense seriousness. One advantage of his latest ensemble. He had an unmatchable knack for slipping up the façades in any situation. He smiled internally about how useful that could prove to be, especially considering Rose's 'be totally jeopardy-friendly twenty-four-seven' routine.

George stepped resolutely forwards, pulling out his own wand. Fred simply blinked, staring straight at The Doctor.

"Take one down, and you take us both, Doctor," George warned threateningly. The Doctor turned to him, eyeing the wand in his hand and his determined face, then smiled.

"That's more like it," he said, replacing the sonic screwdriver in his trench coat pocket and dropping his hands. George blinked as Fred let out a low whistle of relief, backing away towards Ron, who seemed to be having a lot of trouble with containing his laughter.

"What?" he asked, suspiciously.

The Doctor beamed. "I wanted to see how useful you'd be if I decided to let you hang around. If you'd given in, I'd have sent you straight back. We don't do giving in. Couldn't have you tarnishing our 'do anything, no matter what' reputation, now, could I?"

George grinned and reached forwards, grasping The Doctors' hand. He took it briefly, before shaking Fred's as well. "Welcome to the TARDIS. Am I right in assuming that absolutely no-one back in Britain knows of your little escapade?"

"Not a soul, Doctor," Fred smirked. "We like to work alone, especially these days. You never know who you can trust until it's too late, so we don't bother taking the risk."

"Wise move, I think," The Doctor grinned, nodding. He turned to see Ron looking faintly purple in the face. Harry followed his train of vision and smiled.

"Oh, come off it, Ron? You didn't really think they'd get punished, did you?"

"God, you guys get away with anything!" he huffed, folding his arms and leaning against the barrier. "Just once I want to see you pay consequences for your actions. If I'd tried something like that, I'd have been shot."

"Well, little Bro. What can I say?" Fred declared proudly, stepping forwards and holding his arms wide in self admiration. He stopped in front of Ron, and patted him roughly on the shoulder.

"You've either got it, or you haven't" they said in unison, George calling from beside The Doctor. Ron shrugged Fred away and turned to Harry, before walking towards the doors. Hermione followed and stood beside him, smiling at his indignation. His ears were still burning slightly. Never a good sign, she mused.

Ginny was laughing softly, watching Fred and George with admiration.

"Let's see 'em, then!" she called. Fred grinned evilly and threw a white paper bag at her. She dipped her hand in quickly and pulled out a handful of small, round, rich purple sweets and identical orange ones. She nibbled on the edge of a purple one cautiously, and seconds later had vanished into thin air.

"The Orange ones'll bring you back," George informed her, grinning. They watched as one of the strangely suspended orange sweets lifted itself from it's mobile position in thin air and disappeared at about head height. Moments later, Ginny was standing there, grinning widely.

"Ingenious," she sighed. "Still prefer to use an invisibility cloak, though." Fred and George stared at her as though she was insane.

"What on Earth for? These are so much better! You can't reappear without eating the Orange ones, but there's every chance that a cloak would be pulled off. Those sweets there are flawless!"

"Oh, I agree that they're best for their purpose," she said airily, "but if you have an invisibility cloak, then you've got power. You're important. They're just so rare, so priceless. Those things will probably get you twenty sickles for a box."

Fred beamed at her.

"You're learning, sweet sister."

"Only from the best," she replied innocently.

Rose cleared her throat nonchalantly and stepped up to The Doctor, unconsciously grabbing his hand and tugging on it.

"Shouldn't we be off? New worlds to explore and all that?" The Doctor grinned manically at her and she smiled herself.

"Absolutely," he said, briskly, pulling her towards the door with uncharted enthusiasm. She still needed to adjust to this new him, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that they were the same. Some things were just so different. Rose pushed those thoughts from her mind quickly, preferring the idea of a clear head on a new planet rather than a preoccupied one.

"Off we go, kids," he called happily, beaming like a Cheshire Cat. Harry and Ginny exchanged raised eyebrows before smiling and following The Doctor and Rose towards the doors. He gave an air of a Business teacher taking a handful of delightful students to a Coca Cola Enterprises Workshop Day. The twins fell into step behind them, beaming at Ron and Hermione who had stepped aside to allow The Doctor to reach the door.

The Doctor reached forwards, grasping the doorframe firmly before turning around to his companions. He grinned slightly at the look of a full TARDIS. It had been a long time since she had entertained so many people. And it would no doubt be a long time until she held such a reception again. He sighed slightly, but said nothing. Instead he turned to Harry, smiling at Ginny's hand clasped loosely within his own.

"Sure about this?" he asked seriously.

"Absolutely!" Harry replied firmly, nodding. The Doctor held Harry's gaze for a second before grinning.

"Fantastic!" he called, and turned to the door once more, pushing it open and stepping out. Rose followed without hesitation, but the others turned to each other once more, glancing vaguely at the TARDIS console before following. They gave each other an encouraging nod, trying to encourage themselves at the same time, before stepping over the threshold into the unknown.

A pair of piercingly cold, red eyes loomed out into the never-ending darkness towards her, taking in her immobile form. Unable to move, she simply glared at him, her eyes reduced to slits within her pale face. She tried desperately shaking herself free from the shackles holding her, but achieved nothing except a painful throb from her wrists where the manacles were cutting into her skin.

"How much longer are you expecting to keep me here?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous, every word dripping with power.

"Why, until I have everything I need," the eyes replied menacingly. "Don't worry. This war will be over soon. A few more days and I will have an army vast enough to destroy any barriers blocking my path to success."

"And what of me?"

"You have yet to serve your purpose. These little scraps of information that we have acquired from you have made a great deal of difference. Depending on your cooperativeness, you may find yourself a free woman, once again. On the other hand, fail to comply and you will be joining the rest of this pathetic planet and its worthless inhabitants. Under my ruling and facing execution."

"Nice of you to offer me the choice," she shot at him, quietly.

"I'd take this time to rest, if I were you. Your stubbornness is holding much pleasure for my servants. They do so enjoy working with you, and are looking forward to tomorrow's... ah... meeting."

"You won't get away with this!" she shouted desperately, cold fury lining every word.

With a quietly inhuman cackle, the red eyes turned, disappearing into the endless night surrounding her. A loud slam announced the cell door closing, locking away any sense of freedom from her battered and bruised existence. She pulled at the chains around her neck, crying out in rage, but to no avail. She slumped forwards, silent tears falling from her eyes, stinging at the coldness of her skin. Every inch of her was aching in ways she had never imagined they could before. A part of her was all up for giving in now.

But one thought kept her going. A face. Smiling and determined. A young male face with brown, ruffled hair and a wide smile, bright and youthful features hiding cleverly a hundred lifetime's worth of knowledge and wisdom. A genius. An ally. A friend. Her saviour. A Hero.

Her plan was working.

She half smiled slightly at the thought of her first taste of sunlight in months, the first breath of fresh air that she would take upon his arrival, the first true smile she could ever feel when she would see his face in front of her own. She thought about her freedom, a small, weary smile on her lips, before her blackness consumed her.

"Weird," Rose muttered, stepping cautiously out from the shadows of the TARDIS into a wide, open walkway.

"What is?" The Doctor whispered back, staring around, a frown lacing his youthful features and making him look years older than he should have looked. Well, that was disregarding his age, of course.

"I dunno, it's just… Underworld. I always assumed it'd be all fires, and red and black, and burning, and little red men with horns and pitch forks."

"And once again you show such a tasteful knowledge of the 'real world', Rose Tyler," The Doctor grinned, turning to her briefly before turning back and shrinking into the shadows of the wall beside the TARDIS. "You humans really do have a knack for avoiding the truth, don't you? I mean, ghosts are white sheets, Aliens are little green men with huge, bulging eyes, and the Devil's a little red man with large ears and an even larger table fork. Things aren't usually as mundane as you make them out to be, you know."

"Yes, I suppose I do, after travelling with you."

The Doctor snorted slightly before returning to his rather serious manner. As Fred and George disappeared into the shadows beside them, he began to edge towards the corner of the wall, peering around through the darkness. The walkway was hard to make out through the maze of black walls. The one they were standing in was barely large enough for two men to pass between, and it branched off into at least seven smaller alleyways.

"Erm, Doctor?" Ginny whispered timidly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Nope."

"Oh, good."

The Doctor grinned widely at her, spotting the wild sparkling within her eyes as she squeezed Harry's hand once for reassurance. When she felt him squeeze back, she edged herself forwards until she was directly behind Rose, who was crouching behind The Doctor's unmistakably lanky form.

"Strange."

"What is?" Ron asked quickly.

"There's nobody here. No people, no aliens, no creatures of any kind… nothing. Not even the faintest heartbeat."

"And that's a bad thing?" Rose muttered, feeling privately relieved by the news. She new her elation wouldn't last, though.

"Yes, I think it is. Maybe we should split up."

Yep, there it goes. Rose felt her breath catch in her throat as she glanced at the six young wizards behind her, all of which were staring at the back of The Doctor's head as he continued to peer around the corner of their alleyway into the blackness beyond.

He turned to spot their looks of incredulity, and sighed.

"Well, you did volunteer to come. Still, maybe you're right. Perhaps sticking together might be the safest option."

"No," Harry called quickly. "I think you're right. The sooner we find a way in, the sooner we get out. We're all to go in pairs, though."

The Doctor nodded, having already sussed out that rule.

"But how can we find each other if we find something?" Hermione asked slowly. The Doctor paused, thinking. Rose looked up at Hermione, suddenly remembering something.

"What about your… Patronus things? Those weird, misty animals. Harry sent one and it found you, so why not send one if you find anything and it'll find us."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George all simultaneously pulled out their wands and launched their animals towards The Doctor and Rose.

"See these animals, and you'll know who's found what. They're all unique, so you won't end up worrying about who you're looking for if you bump into the wrong person," Fred said, softly, trying to keep his voice as low as possible without really knowing why. The six Patronuses returned to their casters, lingering for long enough for The Doctor and Rose to memorise the matches, before fading away into the surrounding darkness.

"And Rose can scream loud enough to attract any attention, so if you hear any noise, it'll most likely be her," The Doctor smiled. Harry and Ron snorted as Rose hit him playfully on the arm, glaring at him.

"Whereas any undisguised silence you hear from our end will most likely relate to the fact that The Doctor's got himself attacked, captured, tortured and dragged off into some far off galaxy on the other side of the Universe. Same old, same old," Rose shrugged, grinning. Her grin faded slightly as she looked at them.

"Are you sure about this? You could go home, you know. It could be dangerous. What am I saying? It will be dangerous!"

Six pairs of eyes glared at her, and she cowered slightly, sighing.

"We've faced more than this, before," Harry assured her. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. You just concentrate on looking after yourselves."

The Doctor stared at his determination quickly before flashing an encouraging smile and reaching once more for Rose's hand. He could feel her tremble, obviously nervous for their company. He feared for them, too, but Harry was right. They'd been through enough before to equip them. for this

He hoped.

Without another word, Fred and George marched off towards the closest exit, wands raised, disappearing into the darkness, their footsteps vanishing into silence. Ron and Hermione took the alleyway opposite them, watched all the way until they too faded away into blackness. Harry turned to take the pathway on their left but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful," The Doctor said, softly, his eyes lingering on the scar on his forehead before turning to Ginny's determined stare. "Both of you."

Harry nodded, smiling grimly. "I'll watch over my girlfriend if you watch over yours," he grinned wickedly. The Doctor shot him a somewhat exasperated look before smiling back. He dropped his hand and sighed as Harry and Ginny vanished into the unnatural night, their footsteps echoing against the blackened walls before they too faded away.

Rose and The Doctor shared a look, before turning towards the corner and peeking around it once again.

Still nothing.

He turned to her, his eyes alight with adventure, and grinned.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

They smiled at each other, and began to make their way slowly into the depths of the Underworld, hiding themselves within shadows, their huddled figures disappearing into the blackness surrounding them.

Out of the everlasting darkness behind them, a pair of large, amber eyes blinked once, before vanishing, as though they had never existed. A rustling wind swirled gently above the floor, fading away through the walls. A soft echoing laugh broke the stillness of the Underworld, unheard by The Doctor or Rose, unheard by anyone, before it was consumed by the endless silence.

Yay! It's taken them a while, but they've got there, at last. Things might start making a little more sense, soon, too.

I hope…

This story is starting to write itself, now. So I hope it knows what it's doing. Because I'm not entirely confident that I do.

Reviews make me happy… -wink, wink- -nudge, nudge-