Chapter 9 A Response and a Betrayal
Jack joined the Doctor and Taal at the entrance to the TARDIS. After a quick scan by the console, the three stepped outside. The doctor held out his arm, letting Hedwig soar off into the sky, ready to give Harry the letter the next day, or rather, later that day. Then they returned to the TARDIS. The TARDIS slowly faded from view as they moved deeper into the Forbidden Forest, more willing to brave the beast within than the supposedly civilized people within the castle.
As they reentered the TARDIS, Taal took one last look at the night sky lightening into dawn. The real Barty Crouch was out there, but there was also the entire world that she had read about so many times and wished was real. Hogwarts really existed. Hogsmeade was down the road, and there really was a Honeyduke's, and a Zonko's, there really was a Shrieking Shack, there really was a Sirius Black and a Harry Potter.
A chill went down her spine even though it was relatively warm outside. And because those wondrous things exist, she thought, that means other things exist, too. Death Eaters, obviously. If they could mistake the Doctor for one, then they could say anyone was one. And this is only the fourth book. Voldemort isn't even back yet.
"Taal, you alright?" came a soft voice behind her. As much as she disliked Jack, his hand on her shoulder felt good right now, helped her focus on the real word, not the world of fears. Even so, she wasn't willing to let Jack know that. She knew his type, and any opening she showed towards him would be like in invitation. Even so, she didn't correct him on her name.
"Yes, Jack, I'm fine." She said softly, shrugging off his hand and returning to the interior of the TARDIS, the door closing behind her. She cast one last glance at the doors, then left the control room on her way to her quarters. Jack followed her.
"Excuse me," she said, stopping and putting her hands on her hips. "But aren't your quarters down the other hallway?"
"Yes, they are." He said, putting his hand on the wall and leaning over so that he was on eyelevel with Taal. "I just thought that you might appreciate an escort back to your quarters. You seemed a little distracted."
Taal glared at him. If looks could kill, Jack would be stone cold by now. To Taal's surprise, however, he seemed unfazed. Obviously the Doctor wasn't exaggerating when he said that Jack'd flirt with anything that moved. I wish that he'd leave me alone, but he's so damn persistent! She thought. I wish that he'd just give it a rest.
"I may have seemed distracted, but that was not an invitation." She slipped under his arm and continued down the hall to her quarters. Jack didn't follow her, and when she glanced back in the process of opening her door, she could see that his mouth was hanging ever so slightly open. He probably wasn't used to someone rejecting him like that. Thought Taal. Well, if he wants to hang about me, he'd better get used to it. She closed the door behind her, and relished the click of the lock. She waited until she heard Jack's footsteps leaving the corridor before she relaxed and pulled out her laptop from the drawer in her desk, deciding to do a bit of surfing on the goings-on of this time period. The TARDIS could get Wi-Fi from just about anywhere, and this was no different.
She was able to substantiate the fact that they were in Harry's fourth year by the muggle news stories. She saw a small piece on the death of the muggle at the beginning of the book- Frank, his name was, she thought. And then conspiracy theories on what exactly had happened during the dates she recognized as being the Quidditch World Cup.
She was so engrossed in her work, in fact, that she missed the tap on her door. Then the knock. Then the rap, the pound, the slam, and finally was snapped out of her daze when she heard the Doctor's screwdriver working on the lock. The door slammed open, and the Doctor rushed in, shaking her slightly by the shoulders. "Taal! Taal, are you alright, can you hear me?"
Taal closed her eyes for a moment, and shook herself out of her daze. "Doctor, Doctor, I'm fine. You didn't need to break down my door!"
"Taal ,you locked your door. You never lock your door. That, coupled with Jack's expression when he came out of the corridor made me think something was wrong. So I left you alone, thinking that you'd come out eventually. But you didn't!" The Doctor finally let go of Taal's shoulders and sat down on the chair next to her, turning it so he was essentially sitting on it backwards. "So I decided to give you a little more time. But you've been in here for hours, Taal, hours! So when I got the reply from Harry, charmed, I might add to only be opened by you, I had to go looking for you! What in the name of Gallifrey have you been doing?"
Taal just stared at the Doctor as he tried to catch his breath. Once he seemed to be calmed down a little, she said, "You done?"
The Doctor mutely nodded.
"Good. Now, as you wanted to know what I've been doing, I've been double checking that we were in fact where and more importantly, when, we thought we were." She turned her laptop screen to the Doctor, who immediately started tapping away. "The little bits of information in the… muggle… news world seems to indicate that we are indeed when we thought we were. But that means we have about a month until…" she trailed off, letting the Doctor finish the sentence.
"Until the graveyard." he finished, his face pale and slightly worried.
Taal bobbed her head in a nod. "Yes. Until the graveyard. But," she took in a deep breath to dispel her growing sense of panic, "Well, what's in the note?"
The Doctor threw a small parchment packet to her. "Here. Hopefully you'll be able to open it."
Taal carefully sliced though the seal with a claw and read the note, her face growing paler under her fur with every word.
Taal,
This is Hermione writing. Harry read your letter, but he doesn't know how to respond (he also doesn't know how to charm it so only you can open it. Silly boy, afraid of being shown up).
Harry talked to Dobby as soon as he got the letter, and he'll be bringing some food by sometime tonight. Harry will be coming with him, hopefully you can make good on your promise to help him with the third task. But there's a small problem.
I saw how you expressed interest in meeting with Professor McGonagall, and frankly, I thought that was a bad idea. I didn't say anything, honest! But Professor McGonagall saw your letter over my shoulder! She destroyed it and said that it was all a trap- that you were Death Eaters in disguise! I don't want to believe it, but I think that she agrees with Snape. I saw her do something to the owl that brought this letter- she let me send this reply, but she doesn't know what is on it.
So you need to run! She's coming for you, and she has no scruples about killing someone that she thinks has killed in the past!
You have ten minutes from the time that you read this sentence.
Hermione
"Ten minutes!" cried Taal. "How can she know that I have ten minutes?" she stared at the letter, and gawked as the 'ten' became a 'nine,' and another sentence appeared under the signature- hurry! You don't have much time!
Taal looked at the Doctor. "I have to go."
"What? To confront McGonagall? You don't know any magic! You'll be killed!"
She looked at the Doctor, tears brimming in her eyes. She lightly kissed him on the cheek, then said, "If I'm not back by the time you wake up, leave. Run, and never come back. I'm so, so sorry."
She pulled out her wand and whispered, "Stupefy."
The doctor's eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped in Taal's arms. She gently laid him on her bed,, then whispered again, "I'm so sorry." She slipped a small datacard into his hand, and slipped out of the room.
As she was leaving, Jack ran up to her. "What happened? Where's the Doctor?"
"He's still in my bedroom, sulking. You can go see him."
Jack nodded, and walked off. Taal sighed, and stunned him too, then left the TARDIS.
She ran through the woods, making as much noise as she could. Finally, she reached the clearing that she recognized as where Harry would meet the Thestrals then next year. Where he would eventually… die.
"Professor! Professor Minerva McGonagall! I was told that you wanted a word, here I am! Come and get me!" she stuffed her wand in her pocket, and held her hands up. "I'm unarmed, I just want to talk!"
The professor walked out of the woods, her wand leveled at Taal. "You don't want to talk. Your kind never wants to walk, just destroy, and kill, and burn. You rip apart families and laugh. And you don't deserve Azkaban."
Oooh! Cliffhanger! Let me know what you think- remember, more reviews means more chapters faster if I'm happy and inspired!
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