Tides of Time
By Michael Weyer
Striking at the Hearts
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Despite only having known the Doctor a short time, everyone had come to the conclusion that the man had a major character trait: His apparent belief that everyone knew exactly what he was talking about. Since his statement about the Master, he had been grave as if expecting everyone to react with shock and worry but in truth, they were pretty much baffled.
"The Master?" Tonks said. "I take it from the name he wasn't a popular sort?"
"Not one bit," the Doctor replied. "He's cunning, a brilliant inventor, a genius really." He let out a long breath. "Unfortunately, he's also a sociopath homicidal maniac of the highest order who makes your friend Voldemort look like a candidate for sainthood."
"He can't be that bad," Herimone scoffed.
The Doctor gave her a dark look. "Herimone, I've known a lot of people who would commit genocide upon an entire planet. The Master is the only one who would do it just to break the monotony of a boring day."
Harry stroked his chin. "But you said you were the only Time Lord left."
"I thought I was," the Doctor said. "But he's made a habit of surviving the impossible. He burned through all twelve of his regenerations in record time and went about stealing the bodies of others to survive. I had heard the Time Lords resurrected him to aid in the Time War. He must have found a way to get out of that."
"What does he want?" Sirius demanded.
"Power," the Doctor said. "And he doesn't care how many he has to kill to get it."
There was a commotion outside and the door burst open to reveal Mad-Eye Moody. He appeared out of breath, his one good eye rolling about. "Moody, what is it?" Black asked, instantly alert.
Moody took a breath. "Bad news. There's been a mass breakout at Azkaban."
"What?!" a half dozen voices cried.
Moody nodded. "Dementors were scattered like nothing…we've counted thirty Death Eaters out so far…" He paused to look at Sirius and Tonks. "Including Bellatrix Lestrange."
The two stiffened at the news of their unwanted relative. "There was…one fatality recorded among the prisoners," Moody said, his face grave as he held up his staff. At an incantation, an image appeared of a cell. The interior was marked with blood and the broken remains of a body. Its chest appeared to have been sliced open with several of his organs visible but his face was clear.
"Is that…" Remus began.
"Barty Crouch Jr," Minerva concluded in a hushed voice.
Everyone looked at the face contorted in agony…then to the one that greatly resembled it which was marked with a pale look. It wasn't surprising that it was Snape who broke the silence with a dry observation.
"I do believe someone is sending you a message, Doctor."
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The dark chamber was bristling with activity as the various Death Eaters gathered together. It was easy to tell which were the recently freed prisoners as they seemed more haggard and a bit more frenzied than the others. Lucius Malfoy was an exception, dressed once more in his fine suit and cape. His white hair was a bit thinner than it had been before his imprisonment but still retained his snooty standing.
Nearby, Bellatrix Lestrange played with a strand of her curly black hair. She was clad in a tight outfit that enhanced her lovely figure and might have been seen as quite beautiful if not for the utter madness in her face and eyes. Never the most stable of individuals to begin with, her years in Azkaban had pushed her to utter insanity. Even the other Death Eaters were giving her a wide berth as they faced the throne.
Voldemort stood, a twisted smile on his face as he looked at his followers. "My loyal subjects," he whispered. "It has been too long since I had so many of you together. Too long since we had this opportunity to bring the battle to the accursed mudblood lovers. Now…now we have the power and the strength to take the battle to them as we want." There were nods and murmurs of agreement as Voldemort paced.
"We shall begin tonight by striking at the heart of the magic world," he said. "The Ministry itself. We shall bring that accursed building down around them and send a message to all that we will not and cannot be stopped!"
There were several shouts of approval but Malfoy was frowning. "What of the Aurors, My Lord? And Dumbledore?"
Voldemort sneered and raised his wand. Malfoy stiffened in anticipation of a curse but Voldemort merely wagged the tip toward him. "I shall excuse that as tension due to your recent incarceration, Malfoy," he hissed. "But question me again…" He let the threat trail away. "I've already arranged that Dumbledore will not a factor and the Aurors…we shall deal with." He raised his arms up high. "Tonight, we show the world that we are strong and we are unstoppable and any who oppose us shall fall! We are the Death Eaters and we will not be denied!"
A roar of approval went up from his followers and Voldemort sneered. The attack was going to go as planned, thanks to help from Tarsan. Which of course meant that the man's usefulness to Voldemort had ceased. If he should be at the Ministry…then he would fall with the rest. Fall to his new rule.
And Potter…oh would Potter fall as well. And once he was gone…none would oppose him ever.
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"Any witnesses to the attack?" Sirius asked Mooney.
The man sighed. "Not many survivors. They're being fixed up now but we've got some dead personnel. And from what we can tell, they were killed the same way Umbridge was."
"Damn," the Doctor muttered. "More than one Dalek then. That complicates matters immensely."
"What does the Ministry say?" Tonks asked.
"Haven't heard yet," Mooney replied. "We sent the message, I assume Dumbledore is talking to others about it. But we haven't gotten any new orders yet."
Minerva frowned. "That's not like Albus. He'd be quick to decide things on something like this."
"Perhaps he's trying to keep it quiet in case there's a spy in the Ministry?" Harry suggested.
Snape was picking at a piece of lint on his jacket. "I've not heard the Dark Lord mention one. Then again, he might be keeping it quiet for his own reasons." He rose up. "Speaking of which, I'd best be off to find him. A time like this, he would expect me there."
"Give my best to Pettigrew if you see him!" The Doctor cheerfully called out as Snape headed out of the room. He turned back to the others, sobering. "We'd best be prepared then. If the Master is involved then you can believe this is only step one in a much more complicated plot. He does nothing halfway."
"You really do know him," Herimone noted.
The Doctor shrugged. "We were…friends in a way. Many lifetimes ago. Even then, he had a bit of darkness to him. As he grew, that expanded into madness and a lust for power. Losing his original Time Lord body hardly helped matters at all. He's a creature of darkness now and one who's incredibly difficult to battle."
Sirius managed a smirk at the Doctor. "Don't worry about that, Doctor. We've got experience with that sort of thing."
The Doctor did not smile. "No, you don't, Mr. Black. For all his power, Voldemort is still human. The Master never was. And now…" His eyes grew darker. "I wonder if he's even a living being sometimes."
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With a flash, Tonks, Moody, Remus and Sirius appeared at the Ministry and headed down the hallways toward the Minister's office. "Moody, get the Aurors together," Black said. "We'll see to Dumbledore."
The one-eyed man nodded as he moved off. The other three knocked on the main door. When there was no answer, Remus frowned and entered. "Hello? Dumbledor?"
Malcom Tarsan was behind the desk, looking up with surprise. "Remus! What are you doing here?"
"That'd be my question," Remus said as they entered. "Where's the Minister?"
Tarsan shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. I came in to find this." He held out a parchment of paper. "Albus says he's going to attend to some personal errand, told me to hold down the fort here."
Sirius frowned as he looked it over. "Hmmm….it's his writing all right. Not just the handwriting but only Albus would use language like this. But why would he just up and leave?"
Tarsan spread his hands out. "He's done it from time to time to find some sort of weapon or knowledge against Voldemort but no idea what it's about this time." He smiled. "Knowing him, he'll be right back here by dinner, acting like he never left."
"That's Albus," Tonks admitted. She let out a sigh. "Listen, Malcom, we have a serious problem. We think whatever killed Umbridge was…" She paused, realizing how insane this was going to sound to even a wizard. "Hell, it wasn't of this planet, all right?"
Tarsan stared. "Excuse me?" His dubiousness grew as they told him what the Doctor had said about the Daleks and the Master. "Aliens? Are you serious?" As Remus opened his mouth, he held up a hand. "Please, I've heard the 'no, he's Sirius' joke enough times already."
Sirius let out a long sigh. "I know it sounds insane, Malcom but this is for real. We think whatever these things are, they're working with Voldemort and that's big trouble for us."
Malcom rose and paced in the office. "Damn…" He thought for a moment before glancing up at Sirius. "All right, Black. I know you don't make claims unless you know you can back them up. I'll get in touch with some of the other officials and we'll start searching for these…whatever they are."
The trio nodded as they headed to the door. "We'll check the Diviniation department and see if they know anything."
Tarsan nodded as they left. He waited before letting a thin smile come to his face. "The Master, eh?" He chuckled. "Oh, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor…you are in for a surprise, aren't you?"
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The groan of the TARDIS faded as the ship fully materialized. The door opened and the Doctor emerged, taking a look around the hallways of the Ministry basement. He checked his pockets for his sonic screwdriver and checked a golden watch he kept in his pocket. He looked about as he called over his shoulder. "You can come out now, we've landed."
There was a pause and then Harry appeared as he removed his invisibility cloak. "How long have you known I was there?"
"Since before you slipped through the TARDIS door," the Doctor answered. "It's my ship, I'd know if I had an intruder on board."
Harry tossed the cloak aside as he looked to the man. "When I saw you heading off on your own, I figured I'd go along in case you need help."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Do I strike you as a man who requires help?'
"Quite frequently, I'd wager," Harry dryly said.
The Doctor smiled a bit at that. "True at times," he noted.
"So why'd you come here alone?" Harry glanced around.
"Something struck me," the Doctor answered. "You saw me fiddling with the TARDIS scanners when I entered." As Harry nodded, the Doctor continued. "Now that I know the Daleks and the Master are involved, I was able to set them to search around for any non-Earth technology."
"And it led you here?" Harry frowned as he looked around. "To the Ministry?"
"Yes. Worrisome, that, wouldn't you agree?" The Doctor reached into his coat to pull out his sonic screwdriver. He clicked it on to let out a series of beeping sounds. He moved it back and forth down the hallways and the clicks grew louder and faster. The Doctor headed down the hall, Harry following.
"I've never been in this section of the Ministry before," Harry whispered.
"Always lovely to find new places," the Doctor said in a friendly tone. "So why'd you leave Ron and Herimone behind?"
"Only so much room under a cloak."
The Doctor smiled at him. "Why'd you really leave them behind?"
Harry shrugged. "In case things got bad, they're safer where they are."
The Doctor nodded. "I can understand that. Had to do it myself several times over the years." He let out a sigh as they turned a corner. "You should do your best to keep them close, Harry. Friendship is very important as I've long discovered."
Harry shook his head. "It's me Voldemort wants for some reason. The closer they are, the more danger they're in."
"Cutting yourself off isn't an answer either," the Doctor noted in a softer tone. "A woman I met recently told me I needed someone, if only to stop me if I came too close to crossing the line. I didn't believe her then…but maybe she has a point."
Harry let out a long sigh. "It's just so hard dealing with the pressure."
"At least you have your world and your people, Harry Potter," the Doctor noted with a slight smile. "Be grateful for that."
Harry was silent for a few moments as they walked on. "How do you…deal with it?" he softly asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
The Doctor's face was light but Harry could see the pain in his eyes. "I was always…distant from them. I suppose that helped. I almost never went to Gallifrey after my initial self-exile. Aside from that…" He shrugged. "You just have to find a reason to keep going."
"And you have one?"
The Doctor smiled. "This planet. I don't know why I love it so much. You're all such petty, selfish, small-minded creatures and yet…yet, I just can't help but defend it." He shook himself as his screwdriver clicked faster. "All right, enough of the maudlin travels. I've got something close by."
"You really enjoy avoiding a topic, don't you?" Harry noted.
"It's a well-earned skill," The Doctor dryly said as he made his way to a large chamber. The door was sealed but a blast from the screwdriver opened it up. He and Harry entered…and stopped in place, staring at the sight before them.
It appeared to be a large pile of rock atop of which stood a stone archway. Clouds shimmered within the opening and each man felt a chill upon seeing it. It was the only decoration in the otherwise deserted circular room.
"What is that?" Harry whispered.
"You're the wizard," the Doctor replied as he stepped in. "You should know better than I."
"It's called the Veil." The two started and turned toward one corner of the room. There was the sound of footsteps as a figure emerged. Malcom Tarsan smiled as he entered the dim light the archway was giving off. "A gateway to a realm even the wisest of wizards knows little to nothing about."
"Malcom Tarsan?" Harry frowned, recognizing the man from the newspapers. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just preparing for my little drama to begin its first major act," Tarsan said, his voice cold yet containing a dark humor that set both men on edge. He glanced at the Doctor and smiled. "Ah, Doctor. I see your latest regeneration is a bit of an improvement over the last."
The Doctor's face set as he realized who was facing him. "I see." He stepped before Harry, his hands in his pockets, his face calm but mind whirling. "Of course. You would pick a place in high government. You always did have that need for power…Master."
Tarsan threw his head back to laugh. "The Master? You truly think I'm that egotistical blowhard?" He wiped at his eyes. "Oh, Doctor. How you managed to survive this long is beyond me. But I am grateful because if you didn't, I wouldn't be here at all."
The Doctor frowned. "What?"
Tarsan shook his head. "Come now, Doctor. You haven't pieced it together yet? Perhaps this will help." He leaned forward and his smile grew. "I believe you once called me the Railyard."
The Doctor's face went white, his eyes open and his jaw dropping. The look of shock and horror on his face made Harry Potter's own spine chill. He had no idea who this man was…but he knew things were about to get far, far worse.
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Sirius, Remus and Tonks were headed down a hallway of the Ministry toward the Auror meeting room. "All right," Sirius was saying. "We get on the horn to everyone, we start patrols, we begin searching for the escapees and…"
"Naughty, naughty, cousins." The trio spun to see Bellatrix Lestrange standing behind them, her wand out and a mad smile on her face. A trio of Death Eaters were behind her, all aiming wands at the others. "Why waste such a wonderful reunion?"
"Bella," Sirius said in a careful tone. "I see Azkaban hasn't improved your temper any. Although it has done wonders for your hair."
She snarled and aimed her wand. "Careful, careful. The Dark Lord wants you alive…but he never said you had to be intact."
Tonks smiled. "Don't know how you got in here, Bella but this place is going to be crawling with Aurors in a few minutes."
"Yes," she said and smiled. "And they're going to give up just like you will."
Sirius raised a bushy eyebrow. "I knew you were nuts Bella, but still...Why would we surrender?"
"You will surrender."
The trio spun around and stared at the Dalek before them. Despite the Doctor's descriptions, they were unprepared for the sheer aura of evil the machine gave out. Its blasters were aimed right at them and ready to fire. "You will surrender or the children will die."
"Children?" Remus stiffened. "What children?"
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For more years than anyone could remember, Argus Filch had loyally, if rather sternly, served Hogwarts. That service had ended.
The caretaker's body lay in the main dining hall, his eyes staring blankly upward, a slight char around his chest. The Dalek that had killed him was standing nearby, swiveling its arms around the room. Terrified children were bunched together, the differences between houses forgotten as the killer androids methodically took over the castle. The teachers had been as caught off guard by their sudden appearance as everyone else and had realized that resistance was met with deadly force. It also became clear that any attack with result in the death of a number of students and so they had been forced to back away.
Minerva sat with a small group, trying her best to appear utterly calm as the Daleks roamed about. Herimone was in near shock at the sudden appearance of a foe she had never heard of while Ron was trying to calm her down. Even Luna appeared jarred by the events around them.
Amid the chaos of the takeover and the screams of students of fear and the blasts the Daleks gave out to "motivate" them, no one noticed one blond-haired youth managing to activate a private portkey.
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He remembered it still.
It had been during his sixth incarnation when the Time Lords had brought him on trial, accusing him of massive interference in time, more than usual for him. Their prosecutor was the Valeyard, a dark man who seemed intent on making him guilty. The trial that followed showed glimpses of his past and the future but somehow…changed, made to show him at his worst, events he knew were untrue.
It was the Master, of all people, who proved his innocence, for his own reasons, of course. He revealed that the Time Lord Council had, in an attempt to keep their dark secrets, caused the future destruction of Earth. He revealed that the Valeyard was their agent. And he also revealed the worst truth of all.
"There is evil in all of us, Doctor. Even you. The Master is an amalgamation of all the darker parts of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation. And may I say, you do not improve with age."
Somehow, the Valeyard had gained enough of a persona to try and gain his own freedom. He'd been defeated and the Doctor had hoped that would be the last of him. But he was always fearful of that darkness, particularly within his seventh persona. But still…He'd hoped it was done.
And now he was here.
"How?" He barely recognized his own voice, so soft and still.
The Valeyard smiled. "A Time War has many effects, dear Doctor. Reality is redone, shifted about and time itself is rendered malleable and paradoxes abound. You of course know the effects done to the Eye thanks to Gallifrey's destruction. Enough to give me my own life. My own power, my own set of regenerations." He smiled at the Doctor. "This, of course, means that I don't need you alive anymore to ensure my own existence."
He paced carefully around the rock, the Doctor facing him. Harry was nearby, his wand out and ready to use it if this Valeyard attempted any tricks. At the moment, he was satisfied simply with talking to the stunned Time Lord.
"So now I am alive and free," the Valeyard continued. "And I have you to partially thank for my being in this position, Doctor. Had you not cleared Sirius Black, Fudge wouldn't have been forced to resign and I wouldn't have gained my place so fast." He smiled. "I suppose I owe you for the chaos that is to follow. More blood on your hands, Doctor. How many nights will that keep you up?"
The Doctor tried to ignore the taunt as he moved back a bit. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Tell me what you want. Why the Ministry? Why the magical world?"
The Valeyard's smile grew. "You're still confusing me with the Master, Doctor. You forget, I was a part of you. I know how you think. I know you're stalling for time while trying to think of a new strategy. I know you think there's a way out of this. And I know that I'm sick and tired of remembering all the enemies who had a chance to kill you and wasted it talking."
In a flash, he had pulled out his "wand" and aimed it at the Doctor's chest. "Good-bye, Doctor."
The Doctor tried to move but the blast of energy hit him dead square in the chest. He let out a loud yell as he was sent sailing back onto the pile of rocks. Harry raised his wand but the Valeyard, with a sweep of his weapon, sent him sailing back with a wave of energy. He spun back to the Doctor and hit the button again. Once more, the air shimmered as a force wave struck the Doctor dead on, sending him stumbling backward…
And into the Veil.
"DOCTOR!" Harry yelled out as he saw the man hit the strange cloud. The Doctor's face was one of shock before it seemed to settle into acceptance. His body seemed to fade away, growing ghostly and immaterial. His eyes locked onto Harry's and he managed a small smile. He opened his mouth to say something but then seemed to be pulled away into the ghostly void and vanished before Harry's eyes.
Harry's breath was harried, his eyes in shock as the man he had grown to truly like and respect was taken before his eyes. He looked from him to the Valeyard, whose face showed a smile of pure triumph as he moved to the fallen wizard.
"Don't be upset, boy," he said in a tone of fake sympathy. "It's not like it's the end of the world." His lips broke into a wide-toothed grin. "It's just the end of your world."
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So as you can tell, things are going to get just a tad bit darker from here on in. Next chapter will increase the chaos as the Dark Lord learns that dealing with aliens never quite works out well.
