-Chapter Fifteen-
Prisoners of the *Plot Point! Plot Point!*
Harry stared up into the harsh blue eye of the Dalek. Unlike the Master, these creatures were utterly inhuman. "You will get up and walk ahead of us," ordered the Dalek that had originally spoken. "Attempt to escape and you will be exterminated." Harry struggled to his feet, not daring to disobey. He had seen what they had done to Willow. Looking determinedly away from Willows body, he began walking towards the far end of the corridor, the four Daleks following behind him. "Halt!" said the Dalek suddenly. Harry stopped instantly. In front of him the wall slid open, revealing Filch. He stared ahead of him, his eyes glazed over. "Remove the body," ordered the Dalek. Filch moved past Harry and the Daleks and began to drag Willow's body away. Harry walked on numbly, barely able to think. What should he do now? With Willow gone he felt completely helpless. If only there was some way he could alert Ron and Hermione…
Harry stepped through the wall into a room. Unlike the Master's base, it felt like he had stepped into a whole new world. The floor was made of the same metal that had been in the corridor, and above him the ceiling sloped upwards into a dome above him. Around the outer wall he could see several consoles covered in different controls and alien symbols, as well as several booths featuring other different machines. There were also several objects dotted around the room that Harry would have thought were art pieces, but as he watched several Daleks would place their plunger-like appendages on the different parts of it and then state several status updates. The heartbeat-like sound Harry had heard earlier was much louder now and seemed to be coming from all around him.
In the centre of the room on a raised dais was a Dalek that was different from the others. First of all, it's casing was a jet black and it had several cables snaking from it's casing and into the ship itself. It looked at Harry for a second and then focussed on the Daleks behind Harry. "Report!" it ordered. Harry noticed that its voice was deeper than the other Daleks.
"Two intruders found at main entrance," said the Dalek that had done all of the talking up until now. "One was captured for information and the other was exterminated."
"The prisoner will surrender the information we need immediately." Said the Black Dalek with a deadly finality.
"Nos!" shouted Harry, finally finding his voice. "Whatever it is you want me to tell you, I won't do it. I won't talk!"
"Speech is unnecessary." said the Black Dalek simply.
Harry was suddenly pushed forwards by the Dalek standing behind him and fell to the ground. the four Daleks that had brought him in took up positions around him, and Harry tried not to flinch as the plungers began to close in around his head… (1)
"Wait!" ordered the Black Dalek suddenly. An image suddenly appeared in the globe on the console nearest to it, showing Filch dragging Willow's body. "Halt. Bring the body here." ordered the Black Dalek, and Harry was surprised to see Filch stop and obey the instruction as if he had been in the room with them. Was the Black Dalek in direct control of everything?
The main doors opened and Filch appeared, carrying Willows body. He brought it towards the Black Dalek. Harry noted that the Black Dalek seemed to be unable to move.
"Facial structure correlates with known images of the Doctor!" Exclaimed the Black Dalek.
Instantly the entire ship came alive with panic. "It is the Doctor!" shrieked several Daleks in alarm, even though Willow was clearly dead.
"The Doctor is known for deception. We shall scan him." ordered the Black Dalek.
"What of the prisoner?" asked the Dalek behind Harry.
The Black Dalek considered. "Power levels are insufficient for both operations at once. The Doctor is of more importance. Remove the prisoner for later use."
Harry walked down a corridor until the Dalek behind him ordered him to stop. A door slid open and Harry was ordered to enter. Inside the room was vey sparse, featuring just a raised area of ground to sit on. Sitting on it was Draco Malfoy.
"Potter." he said by way of greeting.
"Malfoy." (2)
The two of them glared at each other, their hatred for each other still strong despite their joint predicament. "How'd you even get here?" asked Harry finally. Malfoy glared at him but said nothing. "Doing something for the Master?"
Sill nothing.
"Well, we need to get out of here," said Harry, regaining his saving-people-thing (3) now that the Daleks weren't around. He tried to force the door open but it wouldn't move.
"Don't bother." said Malfoy. "Only those things can open them." He started shaking and Harry noticed for the first time that he was paler than usual. "They killed Crabbe and Goyle… nearly killed me as well but changed their minds and took me prisoner… We're as good as dead!" he yelled, sounding hysterical.
"Calm down!" shouted Harry. "We'll need to work together to get out of here." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohomora!"
Nothing happened. Harry tried every spell he could think of to make the door open; "Bombarda! Wingardium Leviosa! Depulso! Per Apertam!", before finally kicking the door in frustration. To his surprise, it promptly slid open… to reveal a Dalek.
"Stage one test completed. Follow!" it stated. Before moving off down the corridor. Harry and Malfoy instantly complied. Neither felt like making a run for it, they had both seen what the Daleks could do.
The Dalek led them back into the main control room that Harry had been in earlier. There was no sign of Willow's body at all. "Where's Willow?" asked Harry loudly. "What have you done with him?"
"Silence!" boomed the Black Dalek. Harry shut up. "Speak when you are told to speak!" it looked at the Dalek that had brought Harry and Malfoy in. "Begin the information drain."
Harry watched as the Daleks took the same positions that they had done before, his heart pounding in his chest. Beside him Malfoy started shaking again. It was as the Daleks began to close in when Malfoy snapped. He suddenly pulled out his wand and cried "Stupefy!". A bolt of magic hit the Dalek nearest to him. It had absolutely no effect on it. Panicking, Malfoy tried to run, but the main door leading out was closed. Terrified, he turned around face the Daleks, who were slowly closing in on him.
"Stupefy!" cried Malfoy. "Impedimenta! Reducto! Incendio!" he cried, trying spell after spell, but the Daleks just shrugged off each spell. "Petrificus Totalus! Stupefy! STUPEFY! IMPENDIENTA!"His voice rose in panic with every spell. The Daleks got ever closer.
"Halt," said the Black Dalek finally. The advancing Daleks stopped, and Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief. "The test is over," continued the Black Dalek. "Daleks are impervious to magic. Exterminate the subject." Malfoy closed his eyes, tears streaming from them.
"Please, please, don't be so hasty!" boomed a voice suddenly. Everybody looked around in surprise, including the Daleks. "Who is that? Show yourself!" screeched the Black Dalek.
"But of course." As everybody watched, the main door slid upwards, revealing the Master.
"How good to see you!" beamed the Master, his voice sounding twice as loud as normal. "Oh, excuse me. Quietus!" he said, pointing his wand at his throat. His voice returned to normal. "That's better. Now then… Daleks in Hogwarts! The mere thought of it!" he chuckled at his own joke. "How did you arrive in this world without anybody noticing?"
"We did not." replied the Black Dalek. "We were drawn in and watched as it formed around us."
"Fascinating!" exclaimed the Master. "And you looking, I assume, for this?" With a great flourish he produced a vial of the black liquid and held it up triumphantly.
"How did you know that is what we seek?" demanded the Black Dalek, while the other Daleks moved forward slowly as if for a better look.
"Stay back!" shouted the Master, holding the vial out as if to drop it. "Any closer and I'l drop it. You've researched the effect this has when it comes into contact!"
The Daleks backed off. "How do you know so much about us?" demanded the Black Dalek.
"Because I know the Daleks. This substance is the reason we are both here!"
"Who are you?"
The Master laughed and did a mock bow, while still ready to drop the vial at a moments notice. "I am the Master."
"The Master!" shrieked he Black Dalek. The other Daleks readied their guns at the Master. "You are a Time Lord, you are an enemy of the Daleks! You will be ex-"
"You shoot me," said the Master, smiling mockingly and holding shaking the vial. "And I'll drop the vial. The substance within will cause significant damage to your ship!"
The Daleks paused, and then lowered their guns. "What do you want?" asked the Black Dalek.
"To talk, nothing more. I have an… offer to make."
While all of this was going on Harry was thinking hard. With all eyes on the Master the Daleks seemed to have forgotten about him temporarily. This could be his only chance. If he could sneak away and find a way out, he could alert the Aurors when Ron and Hermione brought them back. Harry started to move backwards slowly, being careful to make no sudden movements and catch either the Master or the Dalek's attention. Getting to the main door would be impossible, but if he could duck into the corridor leading to the cell he and Malfoy had been imprisoned in... On the other side of the room Malfoy was rooted to the spot, staring intently at the Master.
"What offer?" asked the Black Dalek.
"You are looking for the same substance, correct?" said the Master. The Black Dalek didn't reply. "Of course you are. Yet you are unable to leave your ship. Why is that? Afraid of encountering magic, perhaps?"
"Daleks do not fear!" boomed the Black Dalek. "We have determined that we are immune to this world's primitive magic!"
"Of course, of course. I meant no disrespect," said the Master soothingly. "I merely meant that you have located several points of the substance, correct?"
"…Correct." said the Black Dalek finally. Immediately an image appeared in the air of what seemed to be a map of the world, although it didn't look like how Harry remembered it. As he watched, several areas of the map began to glow purple. "We have discovered great quantities in the selected areas." said the Black Dalek. "Its location is too far for a Dalek to traverse, and our ship is unable to fly."
"And there is our problem." said the Master. "I have the means of collecting it unobserved but am unable to find any substantial portions, while you have found a considerable amount but are unable to get to it. I suggest we pool our resources."
Harry was almost at the door now. So far the Daleks had kept their attention entirely on the Master. If he could get just a little bit further… But at that moment he saw one of the Dalek's eyestalk suddenly spin round to look at him. "Prisoner is escaping!"
Harry's heart skipped a beat. He had to run, now! Before any of the Daleks could react. Harry took off own the corridor. Behind him he could hear the Black Dalek shouting. "Pursue and exterminate! The prisoner must not escape!" Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it over his shoulder, yelling "Stupefy!" as he ran. He knew it was futile gesture, but it might work.
Harry hared past the cell he and Malfoy had been in. The corridor seemed to be going in a slow curve, so unless he found somewhere to hide soon he'd be back where he started…
Suddenly, Harry spotted something up ahead. An open door! Harry gratefully ducked inside it. He was just in time, for a energy blast hit the wall a split second later. Harry found himself in what appeared to be an elevator, although the controls looked confusing. There was a vertical line of buttons but also several globes that looked like they were designed for interaction with Dalek plungers. Deciding he didn't have enough time to decipher any of the controls, Harry put a hand on one of the globes and pressed a few of the buttons hopefully.
The doors promptly slid shut and Harry felt the lift begin to descend, much to his relief. He let go of the controls and stood facing the doors, wand at the ready. He knew that as soon as the lift door opened he would have to run again but what good would it do? Harry shook his head in disbelief as the enormity of the situation dawned on him. He was stuck on an alien spaceship with no way of getting out! The Daleks would kill him on sight, they probably even had man ambush set up ready for when he tried to run!
Harry fought down the rising panic. He'd killed a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, worked his way through a trapdoor of traps and snatched the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort (4). He'd completed the tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. He had sneaked into the Ministry of Magic and fought Death Eaters. He'd duelled with the Dark Lord and lived. He could do this.
The lift doors opened.
"Exterminate!"
Appendix
(1) 'Death by plunger' is but one hazard that can be encountered in the realms of Wizard DIY, but there are many more. In the Wizarding World there is an oft-told story - thought to be an urban legend by many - that tells the story of one Frederick Freynard, a wizard who once attempted to fix what appeared to be a leaky pipe by himself using magic. The exact details of what happened vary from story to story. The only constant details are that Freynard learned to call for a plumber the next time, a boggart to will always turn into a plunger for any member of the Freynard family, and that the lesson learned from the story is that what happens in the pipes should definitely stay in the pipes.
(2) To some races in the Wizarding World this is actually a standard greeting. In fact it is said that the mythical Mohellian culture consider "Hello" to be very offensive. So saying something like "Good morning it's nice to see you" to one can have unpleasant consequences.
(3) I couldn't think of anything else to write here, but if it makes a good call back, why not?
(4) Funnily enough the chamber that held the Mirror of Erised and the Philosopher's Stone was located in the exact area that Harry is in now, not that that would be of any interest to him.