The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole
Molly Weasley sat alone at the end of the extra-long table in the dining room. Her left arm was in a sling and she absent-mindedly ran her other hand over where the Death Eater had hit her with a curse. It hurt like hell, but she deal with pain. It was the thought of possibly having to have her arm taken off that really bothered her. The curse had only been a glancing blow, but her wounds had been resistant to magical healing and were not getting any better on their own.
To take her mind off of her arm, Molly sighed loudly as she looked around at the empty chairs ringing the dining table. Her husband, Arthur Weasley, heard her sigh from the living room and silently walked over to put his hand on her shoulder. Molly reached up and covered his hand with her own.
The past few months had been far too quiet for them after so many years of having a house full of children. Their oldest child, Charlie, had found a home in Romania after he became a dragon researcher. Bill and Percy had found flats in London so they could be closer to their jobs. The twins had a small apartment above their store, but had recently taken up traveling with the Doctor. Even their youngest, Ginny, had left home to keep a protective eye over her boyfriend, Harry. Molly and Arthur both knew that since Ginny's memories as a Time Lady had been returned, it was only a matter of time before she left the Earth, the wanderlust of her biological father being far too strong in her blood to do otherwise. The only one of their children who was still at home was Ron, and he spent much of his time out with his girlfriend, Luna Lovegood.
Arthur and Molly were thinking along those lines when they were startled by the Family clock chiming loudly, announcing returning family members with six of the hands swinging to land on "at home". Seconds later, the noises of the TARDIS landing came from outside. Molly squeezed Arthur's hand before letting hers drop. "Set the table dear, I'm sure our family will be hungry and want a mid-night snack," she instructed her husband.
Fred, George, Jenny, and Vastra were the first ones out of the TARDIS. The twins heard a rustle of leaves from a nearby bush and then watched in horror as a fairly good sized gnome came darting out. The gnome made a bee line for them and then bit Jenny on the shin. She yelped and spun around trying to find what had attacked her. Vastra used the pit organs located just above her nostrils to find the gnome by "seeing" into the infrared spectrum. She spotted it hiding under some low hanging branches of a shrub to their left.
Fred and George turned red from embarrassment. "Sorry, Jenny," Fred apologized. "With the war going on, our parents probably haven't had time to de-gnome the garden," he told her, clearly mortified that a guest had been attacked.
Vastra kept her head turned towards the gnome who was hiding, most likely waiting for another chance at biting one of them. "Was that thing a pet?" she asked coldly.
"Pets?" George swore. "The little brutes are a bloody nuisance – always taking a bite out of someone when they aren't expecting it," he explained. George suddenly smiled as he remembered something. "Fred, remember that one time when mum was working in the garden and one snuck up behind her and bit her right on the…" he started to say.
"So they are pests… a nuisance?" Vastra inquired, interrupting him.
"They're a bigger pain in the arse than our brother Percy," Fred replied.
Vastra smiled and licked her lips. From the heat signature, she could tell the animal was a mammal. Without turning her head she put a hand on Jenny's arm. "Go inside, my love. I'm going to avenge your pretty little shin and indulge myself in some fast food," she told her lover. When she was done speaking, Vastra's tongue shot out and paralyzed the gnome who had thought he was completely hidden from the tall creatures.
The twins looked slightly ill when they realized what Vastra meant. "Come on, Jenny," George suggested and motioned with his hand towards the back door of the Burrow. The rest of the travelers exited the old blue box and followed the twins into the house, careful not to look over at Vastra while she ate.
Inside the Burrow, things had returned to comforting chaos with people rushing back and forth. Arthur and Molly sighed in contentment when the background noise of so many people drowned out their feelings of loneliness. Ace made her way over to them with a handsome man in who looked to be somewhere in his early 40s in tow. "Molly… Arthur, I would like to introduce you to a good friend and colleague of mine, Captain Jack Harkness," she said. A battered copy of one of the Jamie Bonds books caught her eye on an end table so she decided to add, "He also uses the pen name, Captain James Harper." Ace knew how much Arthur loved the series.
Arthur's eyes grew wide and he energetically shook Jack's hand. "It's an honor, sir," he gushed. He spun around and grabbed the book Ace had seen. "Do you think I could get you to sign a copy?" he begged.
"Arthur, leave him be," Molly warned. "He's just got here and would probably like to take some time to rest," she added.
Jack put forth all of the charm he could muster. "Actually, I would be delighted to sign the book," he told her, flashing his perfect white teeth. He dug a pen out of his coat and took the offered book. "To my friend Arthur, thank you for being such a good fan and allowing me the chance to spend a wonderful time getting to know your family. Love, Captain J. H.," he read aloud as he wrote. Jack chuckled as he handed the book back to Arthur. "I wrote the first book as a way of slipping the concept of the Black CATs into the collective unconscious of the wizarding world. It never occurred to me it would be such a hit and lead to ten other books," he explained.
Arthur took the book back and reverently placed it on the end table. "Captain Harkness…" he started to say before Jack interrupted him.
"Please, call me Jack," Jack offered.
Arthur blushed slightly at the thought of calling his favorite author by his first name. "Um… well… yes, Jack, thank you," he replied. "There's a question about your works that I've always wanted to ask you," he stated.
"Go ahead," Jack responded warmly.
"Where did you come up with the idea about an omnisexual action hero?" Arthur asked. Some of the scenes in the books were so graphic that he had insisted his children wait until they were of age before reading them. All though he could never prove it, Arthur thought that the twins had heard him make that decree and snuck off to the library that very same day.
Jack smiled at Arthur's question. He decided the truth was probably the best answer. "I was always told that an author should put something of himself in everything he writes," he replied. To add emphasis, he winked suggestively at first Arthur and then Molly.
Molly bolted out of her chair and made her way to the kitchen, saying, "I need to get that meal started." She was blushing a deep crimson as she hurried off. On more than one occasion, Arthur had read aloud certain passages from the books to get them both in the mood once the children had gone to bed.
"Right behind you, Dear," Arthur said quickly and raced after his wife.
Ace hit Jack on the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?" he demanded.
"Watch your manners around here. Molly and Arthur are good friends of mine," Ace reminded him. She followed Jack's gaze as he glanced over to the twins who were sprawled across the couches, filling in Ron on their trip with the Doctor. "Just so you know… Molly packs a hell of a right hook. Just ask the Doctor," she warned.
The back door opened again and Molly dropped a plate when Vastra walked in, wiping a bit of blood off of the corner of her mouth with a kerchief. The Doctor rushed over and led Vastra to where Molly was standing, still in shock at seeing the dragon lady. "Molly, I would like to introduce you to the Lady Vastra," the Doctor said hastily. "Vastra, this is Molly Weasley, the woman who raised my daughter," he added.
Vastra bowed deeply, her face close to the floor. The Silurian warrior caste was a matriarchal by nature and meeting the woman who had been entrusted to raise the last Time Lady was a huge honor. "Thank you for letting me into your home, respected mother," Vastra said solemnly. When she straightened up, she saw Molly's arm in the sling. The dressing around the wound looked like it needed to be changed since blood was starting to seep through. "Are you injured, respected mother?" she inquired.
"Please, just call me Molly," Molly requested. She looked down at her arm. "I took a glancing curse and the blasted thing refuses to heal," she told Vastra.
Vastra gently took Molly's arm. "May I take a look?" she requested. Molly nodded her head. Vastra peeled off the layers of dressing and saw the bloody wound below it. She turned her head to look at Jenny. "Love, would you fetch me the multi-form fungi. I believe it's in the blue vial. Oh... also bring the sprayer, thank you," she ordered.
After a few minutes, Jenny returned with the vial and a small metal device that looked like a pistol. The back was open and looked like the vial would fit perfectly in it. Vastra took the vial and popped open the top with her thumb. "This fungus grows on the cave walls near where my sisters and I slept," she told Molly. "Our scientists found out that when mixed with the blood of an animal such as you or me, the spores change to mimic the stem cells of the host animal," she explained. "The original variety would then go on to consume the host, but we were able to breed a version that goes dormant after the stem cell conversion," she went on. "With your permission, I would like to use this on your arm to repair the damage," she requested.
Molly looked at the vial suspiciously. "Are you certain it's safe?" she asked.
Jenny nodded her head behind Vastra. "Our line of work can be... hazardous at best. I've had the misfortune of having to use it several times," she assured Molly.
When Molly didn't say anything else, Vastra decided to proceed. "May I see your other hand, please?" she asked. Molly held out her good arm and before she could react, Vastra grabbed her hand and used one of her talons to poke a tiny hole in Molly's thumb. She held Molly's hand over the vial and let three large drops of blood land on the fungi. Vastra let go of Molly's hand and flipped the lid back on the vial. She shook it several times before loading the sprayer. With a back and forth sweeping motion, Vastra applied the new stem cells directly to the wound. Molly winced at the pain. Vastra closed her eyes in annoyance with herself. "I'm getting nearly as scatterbrained as the Doctor," she muttered. "Jenny dear, would you run back to the TARDIS and fetch the growth accelerator?" she asked.
Without saying a word, Jenny pulled a red colored vial out of a pocket sewn into her skirt. She handed it to Vastra with a playful smile. "Thank you, love," Vastra said. "You always know what I need," she told her, the double meaning in her words clear to everyone.
Molly's arm went from hurting to itching almost instantly as Vastra sprayed the second vial on her arm. As the new cells replaced the damaged ones, the itching faded away. Thankful for the help, she looked up at Vastra and tried for some small talk to make the reptilian woman comfortable. "So… what planet are you from?" she asked politely.
Vastra managed a small smile for Molly's benefit. "Earth… I was hatched in a crèche a few miles from London," she replied. This caused Molly to frown in confusion.
The Doctor forced his way into the conversation. "Yes, but that was 300 million years ago," he pointed out. Turning to look at Molly he said, "Vastra is a Silurian… or homo-reptilia. They evolved on your planet millions of years before your kind did. Come to think about, humans only evolved after a little help from them I might add," he told her. "They went into hibernation before the great cataclysm, something went wrong, and only a few hibernation centers have reactivated since then. The one Vastra was in came to life when workers were building the London Underground back in 1880," he explained. "You two can talk about this later, but right now we have more important things to discuss," he suggested. Vastra dramatically rolled her eyes, making Molly grin.
The Doctor clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, let's go over what went on while Hermione and I were making sure the universe wouldn't collapse due to a paradox involving her and her parents," he stated. Turning around in a circle, he finally stopped and pointed at Ron. "What has by bad self been up to?" he asked. After a brief moment, the Doctor muttered, "Never saying that again."
Ron sighed before responding. "The Minister of Magic was killed and replaced by a Death Eater, Pius Thicknesse," he told the Doctor. "Dad's been placed on administrative leave while the new inquisitors look into his 'dealing with Muggles'," he added in disgust. If it hadn't been for the Doctor traveling in time and investing money for his dad, they would have been left destitute after the extended unpaid time off. As it was, his dad secretly withdrew from their hidden account so as not to draw any more attention to them.
The Doctor grimaced at that turn of events. "That's not good," he said blandly. He pointed at Harry. "What have you learned about Voldemort while we were gone?" he asked.
Harry self-consciously pushed his glasses higher up on his nose before answering. "Ron and I were able to get Prof. Slughorn to tell us what a Horcrux was," he replied.
Jack took a seat on the couch between the twins, throwing his arms across the back of the couch. "OK, I'll bite. What's a Horcrux?" he inquired.
Ginny stepped up next to Harry and handed him a sandwich while Arthur and Molly went around the room handing out other sandwiches. Ginny picked up a knickknack and held it out. "A Horcrux is an item where a really dark wizard stores a piece of their soul," she explained. "It can be anything - any size or shape," she added, gesturing with the trinket.
Ron looked like he was feeling ill. "The really twisted part is that to make one, the wizard has to commit a murder to fracture off a piece of their own soul," he told the Doctor.
This made the Doctor equally uncomfortable. The Valeyard had been nearly impossible to destroy the last time they fought. Keeping parts of his soul hidden and safely tucked away would only make things that much more difficult. "Do we know how many of things Moldy-shorts managed to create?" he asked Harry, giving in to his habit of refusing to call the Valeyard by name. It was done out of contempt rather than out of fear the likes of which gripped the wizarding world.
Ginny took Harry's hand. She knew the link he shared with Voldemort caused him both pain and shame. "Through a very reliable source, we were able to confirm that Voldemort made six Horcrux," she replied. "Out of the six, we know the identity of three of them," she stated. Ginny held up her hand and counted off on her fingers. "The first was Tom Riddle's diary. The second one was Marvolo Gaunt's ring. The third one is Salazar Slytherin's locket," she explained. "The first two have been taken care of. Harry destroyed the diary when he saved me during my first year. Prof. Dumbledore broke the ring, but it cost him his hand," she told the Doctor.
The Doctor clenched his fists in anger at the thought of what his other self had done to their daughter. Hermione had told the Doctor all about how Ginny had been possessed by Riddle and how he used her to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. Had Harry not destroyed the diary, Riddle would have drained the life out of Ginny to make his shade corporeal. A fragment of the Valeyard had almost taken Ginny away from him before he could find again. The Doctor forced himself to silently count to 100 in four different languages before he could unclench his fists. It was one more reason to make sure the Valeyard was destroyed completely this time.
"I take it the locket is still at large?" Jack interjected.
Harry looked down at the floor, sadness in his eyes. "Prof. Dumbledore took me to a cave where he forced me to make him drink a potion that caused incredible pain," he said softly. "By doing so, we were able to retrieve what we thought was Salazar Slytherin's locket," he stated. "What we actually got was a counterfeit one. Somebody else had beaten us to it," he nearly shouted in anger.
"All right, so at least we know it is out there somewhere. It's a good place to start," Jack said optimistically. "If I can find out what this locket looks like, I can hack into the Torchwood computers and run an image search on the CCTV cameras of London," he suggested. Most of the wizards in the room had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, so they all just nodded their heads.
Harry dug into a pocket of his jeans and tossed the locket to Jack. "Here, you can have the fake one if you think it will help," he told Jack.
Jack caught the locket in one hand and let it dangle in front of him. "Perfect! I'll scan this in and get right to work," he exclaimed.
The Doctor had watched Harry toss the locket and Jack hold it out. Something behind Jack on the window sill caught the Doctor's eye. He walked over to the window and picked up a copy of the wizarding world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet. "I don't think that will be necessary, Jack," he said suddenly while picking up the paper. He turned it around so everyone else could see the front page photo. The living photograph showed a very disagreeable woman preening as she was appointed the Head of the Muggle-born Registration Commission. "I have a pretty good idea where we should look," he told his friends and family. Around Dolores Umbridge's neck was a locket identical to the one in Jack's hand.