The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole
The Doctor ignored Sirius' outburst and stared in cold determination at the spot where Bellatrix had been just a moment before. "Who was that woman?" he asked slowly of no one in particular.
Sirius held onto Ace's hand as he stood up. "Lord Merlin… er… Professor… ah, what exactly should I call you?" he inquired, still in a bit of shock. Even though he had grown quite skilled at rolling with the punches in both combat and court intrigue, Sirius was still a bit shell shocked at learning the great wizard was also the alien foster father of his fiancé.
"Doctor will be just fine," the Doctor replied without turning to look at Sirius, his attention still focused on where Bellatrix had been.
Forcing himself not to add any kind of honorific, Sirius answered the Doctor's earlier question. "That mentally deranged… womanis my cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange." Sirius sighed wearily, sick to his stomach that he was related to her. "She is the Dark Lord's most fanatical follower," he stated. "Her blind devotion makes her the closest thing he-who-has-no-nose has to a second in command," he added.
The Doctor nodded his head once. "Well, that explains a lot," he muttered to himself. The Doctor spun around suddenly and took stock of the injuries to his friends and the damage to the Burrow.
Tonk's urgent plea drew his attention to her and Remus. "Doctor, Remus is hurt. Can you do anything?" she begged.
The Doctor ran his hand through his hair before responding. "I'm not that kind of Doctor, I'm afraid," he admitted.
Jack heard that last bit as he jogged over to where everyone was congregating. "You know, I've always wanted to ask you about that," he stated. "What exactly are you a doctor of?" he inquired.
The Doctor turned an annoyed glance towards Jack. "Lots of things. In fact, I have more PhDs than Sheldon Cooper," he replied.
"Who?" Harry asked.
The Doctor made a dismissive wave of his hand. "An old friend, but that's not important," he replied. Looking around the group, the Doctor asked, "Are there any hospitals in the area we can send him?"
Remus grit his teeth as a wave of pain swept up his leg. Tonks felt him tense up and held onto him that much tighter. "There's St. Mungo's in London, but the Death Eaters have the hospital under constant surveillance," she replied. "There is a private hospital near Hogsmeade, but the healers there demand payment up front," she told him.
Sirius stood up and walked over to Remus and looked down sternly at his old friend. "I know you still remember my Gringots account number and password," he stated. "You WILL use it pay for any and all treatments associated with your injuries, no matter the cost," he commanded, slipping back into his role as a feudal knight.
Harry stepped next to Sirius and also looked down at the injured werewolf. "All this time you had access to Sirius' money and you never touched a coin?" he asked in wonder. Harry knew his godfather would be angry that his best friend was near penniless when he could have used Sirius' money to ease his burden.
Remus looked embarrassedly up at Harry and Remus. "The money belongs to you now Harry, and I didn't want to impose," he admitted.
Lady Vastra had joined the group and leaned over to her lover, Jenny. "This is why the Silurians leave war and finance to women. We're much more practical," she whispered.
Harry overheard Vastra and tried not to smile. He failed to smother it when an idea popped into his head. "Mr. Lupin, as acting head of House Black, I hereby appoint you as permanent tutor for Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said formally. "As your recent injuries stem from your service to House Black, I order you to go to the healers and have them charge whatever you need to our account," he stated. Knowing Remus was about to argue, Harry cut him off and ended the argument before it could begin. "Auror Tonks, will you please escort Mr. Lupin there immediately?" he requested.
Tonks blinked backs tears of relief and mouthed, "Thanks twerp," before apparating both Remus and her to the private healers.
The Doctor led his friends over to the other side of the house where the Weasleys were huddled together, watching their family home go up in flames. Arthur had his arm draped comfortingly across his wife as she cried. "Hush now Molly, our children are all safe," he reminded her. The Doctor walking towards them drew his attention and made him smile a bit. "And thanks to our rather unique financial planner, we have plenty of money to rebuild once this bloody war is finally over," he promised.
Molly took in a long, shuddering breath to regain control over herself. "You're right, my love. The important thing is our children are safe," she agreed. She turned her tear streaked eyes towards the flaming ruin that had been the Burrow. "We need to focus on the future, like figuring out where we are going to live in the meantime," she stated.
Sirius let go of Ace's hand and walked up behind Arthur and Molly. He placed a friendly hand on their shoulders. "I'm sure the acting Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black will agree with me when I say that 12 Grimmauld Place will always be open to you," he said, winking at Harry. "It will do the place good to have a real, loving family in residence," he added.
Harry nodded energetically. "I do agree," he stated. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you always opened up your home to me no matter how dangerous it was," he told them. "Letting you stay at Grimmauld Place will only be a small start to me repaying you for all of the kindness and love you've shown me," he said firmly.
Molly sighed in relief and hugged Harry. She turned sharply when she heard Ron snickering. Ron was pointing to Hermione who had just come out of the cornfield carrying the inert K-9. "Good job 'Mione, you broke your boyfriend's dog," Ron teased.
Hermione glared at Ron while she continued to carry K-9 over to the Doctor. "I did not break K-9!" she replied angrily. "He shut himself down," she added. Once she was next to the Doctor, she gently placed the robotic dog on the ground. "Doctor, before K-9 shut down, he said something about massive distortions in the quantum fields," she relayed.
The Doctor smacked his forehead and turned around in a complete circle before speaking. "Of course, I should have realized magic might interfere with his circuits," he berated himself.
Hermione saw Jack raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Magic and technology don't mix," she simplified. "The more advanced one is, the worse it reacts with other," she explained. "Trust me, I would have killed for a word processor during school," she admitted.
Jack nodded in understanding, but then looked perplexed again. "OK that makes sense, but how come my sonic pistol and his sonic screwdriver work?" he inquired.
The Doctor looked up from K-9 and smiled at Jack. "At some point in the future, the equations that describe the differences in magic and technology converge at what has come to be called the 'Clarke's Point'," he stated. "It's the point in history where technology is indistinguishable from magic," he explained. "To be perfectly honest, I had always thought it was simply a theoretical point, since I didn't know magic like theirs was possible," he mused. He purposefully dodged around the bit concerning the fact that the Time Lords were responsible for banishing most of the magic from this universe.
Ron had drifted over to Harry and nudged his friend in the side. "He and Hermione are perfect for each other," he stated while the Doctor lectured. Harry grinned while watching his future father-in-law and thought the same thing.
The Doctor ignored Ron and turned his attention back to K-9. "The original K-9 was built by a human scientist before your kind reaches the Clarke's Point," he stated. "I've rebuilt him three times now and always copied the original designs for his central processors," he admitted. The Doctor looked thoughtfully down at his old friend. "Perhaps it's time I gave you a full upgrade," he mused. The Doctor knelt next to K-9 and asked in a higher pitched voice, "Would you like that boy? Huh? Would you like an upgrade?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and had to point out the obvious. "He's turned off, Doctor. I doubt he can hear you," she stated.
The Doctor stood suddenly and cocked his head slightly. "I knew that," he lied. He bent down again and picked up his faithful dog. "We'll meet everybody at this 12 Grimmauld Place," he said before walking off towards the TARDIS.
Jack looked over at Hermione, giving her a knowing grin. "He has absolutely no idea where he's going, does he?" he asked needlessly.
Hermione shook her head no and hurried to catch up with the Doctor. Jack and the students Luna followed so they wouldn't have to rely on someone else to apparate them to the Black Family home. Vastra and Jenny had already come to the same conclusion and were waiting at the TARDIS for the Doctor to arrive and unlock it.
12 Grimmauld Place
As soon as Sirius had apparated with Ace to his old home, he sent Kreacher off to the market to buy supplies to feed a house full of people. The appearance of his master back from the dead had so surprised the old House Elf that he barely managed a single, snide complaint before popping off to do as he was told. Soon the other older wizards and witches apparated in, each holding what little they could salvage from the Burrow. After that, the now familiar wheezing / grinding noises of the TARDIS landing came from the stairs. The blue box materialized on the landing between the first and second floors, completely blocking the magical portrait of Walburga Black.
Sirius smiled from ear to ear as he was barely able to make out his mother's muted complaints. "What's that mother, I can't hear you," he taunted.
Eventually, everyone assembled in the large living room. Unlike the last time the New Order of the Phoenix had met here, they only had to knock off a little dust before they could all find a place to sit. Fred and George hopped up to sit on the back of a large couch next to the grand piano. They ignored their mother's disapproving glare, but acknowledged Sirius' approving grin with ones of their own. George let his eyes wander around the room and glanced over at a love seat where Harry and Ginny were sitting. A flash of red, reflected light caught his attention and he nudged his twin to get Fred's attention.
Fred looked over at Ginny and saw the same thing George had. Never being one to ignore the opportunity for mischief, he cleared his throat and pointed at Ginny's left hand. "What have you got there on your hand, little sister?" he teased.
George added, "Silly girl, you're only supposed to wear engagement rings on that finger." Ginny's expertly aimed throw pillow hit him right in the face, causing George to fall of the back of the couch.
Ginny took in a deep breath and looked at Molly and Arthur. Before she could say anything, Sirius strode into the center of the room. He smiled at first Harry and Ginny and then at Molly and Arthur. "Molly, Arthur, as sword brother, it is my honor to announce that Sir Harry has asked the Lady Ginny for her hand in marriage," he said formally.
"And of course I said yes," Ginny told her parents. "We plan on setting a date as soon as the war is over," she informed them.
Arthur and Molly wordlessly looked at each other. It took them a moment to remember that their "16 year old" daughter was in fact over 25 years old. That fact combined with the knowledge that Harry was going to be their son-in-law that swayed them. After another long, silent moment, Arthur and Molly stood up and walked over to Harry. With a quick tug on his arm, Arthur jerked Harry to his feet. Before he could react, Harry found himself smothered in a hug between the Weasleys. "You had better start calling us 'Mum and Dad' then," Molly told him, between tears of joy. Ginny jumped off the love seat and joined in the group hug.
Hermione was glad the Weasleys were happy about finding out that Harry had made it official and would soon be their son-in-law. She turned her head and what she saw nearly broke her heart. The Doctor was standing in the door way leading into the living room. He was watching everything with a distant, wistful smile on his lips- forever watching things from the outside. He motioned for Arthur to come over and speak with him.
Once Arthur joined the Doctor, the old alien jerked his head over towards where Harry and Ginny where standing. "I know that Ginny having two fathers might complicate the ceremony a bit," he stated. "Just so we are both on the same page from the beginning, I would like you to walk our daughter down the aisle, Arthur," he told him.
Arthur blinked his eyes a few times before responding. "Are you sure about that, Doctor?" he inquired.
The Doctor put his hand on Arthur's shoulder and leaned his head towards the other man. "Arthur, you gave my daughter something I was never able to... a childhood," he reminded him. "The honor of walking her down the aisle belongs to you, my friend," he said firmly. The Doctor forced a smile on his face so that no one other than Jack would know that he didn't plan on still being alive after the war with Voldemort was over.
Hermione stood up and walked over to the Doctor. She silently slipped her hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze. The Doctor looked down at their joined hands and then into Hermione's eyes. The love he saw there almost stopped both his hearts. He leaned over slightly and kissed her forehead.
Arthur smiled in thanks at the Doctor and then looked back at his family. Once he looked at Harry again, the full importance of what Sirius had said popped to the forefront of his mind. "Um, Doctor, what did Sirius mean by sword brothers?" he asked. "And why is he calling Harry 'Sir Harry'?" he added.
"They were both knighted by Arthur Pendragon," the Doctor replied in an offhand manner.
Arthur swallowed hard. To him it sounded like the Doctor was describing just an ordinary, routine occurrence. Chills went down his spine as he realized that to the Doctor, it probably was. It was also quite probable that his daughter was going to end up living her life just like his. Arthur wandered back over to his family, his mind numb from trying to grasp exactly what a Time Lord was.
The festivities were interrupted by the arrival Kreacher as he popped into existence in the room. He was holding a freshly purchased tea set (not wanting to soil the good set with Muggle born contact.) "As you requested, Master Black, tea for the blood traitors and Muggle born," Kreacher spat out. He turned his head slowly so he could sneer at the people his beloved Mistress would have sent flying out of their house. When he finally got around to looking at the Doctor, he dropped the tea set to the ground in shock, smashing the cheap porcelain. Kreacher screeched in anger and then spun around to glare at Sirius. "What is that… that… abomination doing in the Mistress' house?" he demanded. "How could young Master let something so unnatural in the house so loved by his dear, dear mother?" he yelled.
Jack got up from the couch and started to walk into the other room. He made eye contact with Sirius and gave him a sad smile. "I'll leave," Jack offered. "I get that reaction sometimes," he told his host. Jack was glad when he saw the look of embarrassment on the Doctor's face.
Kreacher rolled his eyes at Jack. "Not you!" he insisted. "You are just a fixed point in space and time," he told Jack. "Kreacher gets woozy when he looks at you, but you don't sicken him like he does," he spat, turning to point a long, skinny finger at the Doctor. "Kreacher refuses to be here as long as Wormhole is here!" he decreed and popped out of existence.
Sirius looked around the room at his friends and tried to smile. "Please forgive Kreacher, he was never the same after my mother passed away," he apologized. Sirius found a real smile and nodded towards the Doctor. "However, I must admit that was rather strange, even for him," he added.
Hermione cocked her head to the side as she ran through what she knew of House Elf idioms. "Wormhole?" she muttered. "That's an odd choice for what I assume was meant to be an insult," she mused out loud. She looked up suddenly as she felt the Doctor's hand tremble as he leaned against the doorframe for support. "Doctor, are you all right?" she asked him softly.
The Doctor shook his head like he was trying to clear his mind. "I haven't been called 'Wormhole' in close to 900 years," he told Hermione. "It was nickname my cousins in the House of Lungbarrow used to make fun of me," he explained.
Harry walked over to the Doctor to offer his support. He knew exactly how it felt to have others call you degrading names while you grew up. "Why did they call you 'Wormhole'?" he inquired.
The Doctor smirked at Harry's question. "I have a navel," he replied.
"A naval what?" Ron blurted out.
George slapped Ron across the back of his head. "He means a belly-button, you twit," he scolded his younger brother.
The Doctor felt everyone's eyes on him. "Time Lords couldn't reproduce naturally, so a great machine was built that housed thousands of artificial wombs," he told them. "It was called 'The Loom' and ever since the three founders of Time Lord society set things in motion, all Time Lord children come from it," he stated. "Since the process is artificial, the children do not have navels," he explained.
"But you do?" Hermione asked for clarification.
"Yes, but it's a strange story as to why," the Doctor replied. "Just a bit after the dawn of our civilization, something happened between two of the founders, Rassilon and one we only know as the Other," he stated. "Things became so bad, the Other threw himself into the loom, vowing to return someday," he said. The Doctor ran his free hand through his hair. "After a very, very long time, the Loom recreated the Other as a child, right down to his belly-button," he told them.
The Doctor squeezed Hermione's hand and looked into her eyes. "I'm the Doctor, but I was once someone else – someone who's memories I only have small fragments of," he told her. "Pretty much all I managed to retain were subconscious feelings, like how I knew I was once married to a woman named Patience and how I always felt the great Rassilon was a complete git," he Doctor frowned as he tried to make sense of things. "What I don't understand is how a House Elf from Earth would know the name I was teased with as a child," he stated.