Chapter 5: TARDIS hijack

"Do you trust him?" Ron whispered to Harry, as they stopped the car outside the Forest of Dean. "He claims that only he can stop this TARDIS thing, but what if he's lying?"

"We have no choice but to trust him," Harry muttered. "If that thing doesn't stop leaking, it could become dangerous and I can't have something like that leaking into the countryside. The Minister would have our heads Ron."

"As he would if we handed a powerful weapon back into the hands of a Dark Wizard after having both in custody."

Clara felt awkward, listening to them decide her fate. The Doctor was oblivious of course, already rushing off to try and get into the TARDIS. Clara turned to the gentlemen. They eyed her suspiciously.

"Sorry," she smiled. "Bit star-struck. You're Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. I read about you when I was a child. My mum told read the books before she…" Clara faltered. "I mean, where I'm from, you're just a story. You're not real. It's one thing, meeting people you never thought you would. It's something else meeting people you never thought you could…"

"Clara!" The Doctor was shouting for her.

"I've got to go home now. But I just wanted to say, this is like a dream come true…"

"Clara Oswald! Do you want to be stuck here for all eternity?"

"Gotta go."

Clara jumped out the car and ran after the Doctor. He was opening the TARDIS door and she followed him inside. The TARDIS was still black and wheezing painfully. Clara stroked the console tenderly, hoping The Doctor didn't notice but he had opened up a door beneath the console and was desperately working.

"Clara!" he yelled. "Sonic the console. Now!"

Clara went to grab the sonic but the TARDIS had already flared into life. She looked up, to see Delores Umbridge standing there, wand in hand. The Doctor popped up and glared furiously.

"How did you get in?" he snarled.

"You left the door open," Umbridge replied. "You said to the Potter boy that this machine ran on time energy, which is something I've been working on. The science behind Time Turners is incredible. They were all destroyed in the war, save the one I kept safe. I studied it and I realised that if I could utilise it, I could open a gate to another world. Another time. One that didn't understand magic…"

"You mean Earth?" Clara turned to the Doctor. "She's the one who opened the dimension gate."

"Yes," The Doctor replied, standing one step in front of Clara but still next to her. "She used all the magic she could muster and combined that with the natural science in a time turner and used it to rip a hole in the cosmos. She opened the tunnel to trap the TARDIS and now that she has, and she knows she can operate it using her wand…"

"What do you mean?" Clara wheeled to face him.

"I said the TARDIS would run on magic, the energy inherent in this world. I've shored up the leak, so it still will operate, we just need to power her back up and flood her with energy, then she can take off. And Umbridge is using her wand to do just that."

"But she can't operate the TARDIS, can she?" Clara looked hopefully at him. "I mean I couldn't do it."

"Yes but you're an idiot," The Doctor snapped, and Clara gave him a look. "Umbridge is clever and you're not. She'll understand telepathically, through her wand. The TARDIS appreciates genius, she'll help her out. Now back off Clara. She could kill us with that wand."

"Of course I could. And there's nothing you can do to stop me Doctor. I will take planet Earth and finally be rid of the curse that has plagued me since the War. I have been hated but not feared for too long now. If I am to be hated, then I will also be feared."

She stepped in front of the console and The Doctor guided Clara away from her, winking at her as he did. Clara, still confused, realised what he was doing.

"She won't close the tunnel until we're on the other side," he whispered. "Trust me; I know what I'm doing."

"Let me," he offered. She shot him a fierce glare. "We both want the same thing," The Doctor told her. "Let me get us through the tunnel and then I'll back off. I'm way too scared of that wand of yours."

She stepped back and The Doctor patted the TARDIS lovingly as it took off. Just as it had done before, the TARDIS was pulled into the dimension tunnel, spluttering and gasping and exploding as it did so. Clara squealed and grabbed on to the rail. The TARDIS groaned and came to a stop. The Doctor stepped away from the console and looked at Umbridge.

"The TARDIS has arrived. We're in our universe again. But she needs repowering. Umbridge, let Clara go and I'll take you somewhere to power it up."

"Oh no, Doctor," Umbridge laughed. "Like you said. The girl's an idiot, she can't operate it. But I'm not an idiot, I can operate the TARDIS perfectly well. It's guiding me, inside my head, see."

She flipped a couple of switches and the TARDIS lurched horribly.

"Grab onto me," The Doctor whispered to Clara and she did so.

Umbridge continued to flip switches and the TARDIS doors opened. Umbridge scowled and made one last mistake, flipping one more switch. The TARDIS tipped. Clara was holding onto the Doctor, who was holding onto the railings but Umbridge yelled out, as she fell, grabbing onto the doors at the last second and reaching for her wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Clara yelled, brandishing the sonic that had been in her hand the entire time. The wand flew from Umbridge's grasp and the TARDIS spluttered as she let go of the doors to the TARDIS, falling into the deep space. The doors shut behind her and the Doctor reached for the console, righting the TARDIS with a few flourishes. The gravity settled and Clara breathed a huge sigh of relief, grinning at the Doctor.

"Did you have to call me stupid?" she questioned.

"It was the only way to make that arrogant cow think that was the reason she could fly the TARDIS and you couldn't," The Doctor laughed. "I knew this old girl would telepathically tell her to open the doors and turn off the artificial gravity. Smart work with the sonic, but you know you didn't have to say Expelliarmus right? It's telepathically tuned to you so you could access the field without saying anything."

"I know," Clara grinned. "But I couldn't resist. When am I ever going to get another chance to disarm Umbridge." She handed him back the sonic. "Does this mean we can do magic now? Like proper magic?"

"Nah, once the TARDIS has refuelled the energy field will dissipate and the sonic will go back to normal. No more magic wand. So, Clara Oswald, to Cardiff?"

"To Cardiff."

He grinned and she laughed and then they embraced, a fierce hug with his hand in her hair and hers wrapped around his shoulders. They gazed into each other's eyes.

"You know," The Doctor said. "For a minute back there, I thought I was going to lose you. Again."

"Nah, you're never going to be able to get rid of me," Clara grinned, kissing his cheek. "I've got a Doctor. He's very good, can heal just about anything. And he's never let me down. My Doctor."

"My Clara," he replied, stroking her cheek lovingly. "Also, I might have told Harry Potter that I love you, which is interesting. I hope that in stories they tell of this they don't mention that I love my companions."

"Why?" Clara pouted. "Don't you love your companions? Don't you love me Doctor?" she winked and kissed him, on the lips this time. He flailed for a moment, his arms waving around crazily before he finally placed them on Clara's shoulders and she broke apart, grinning and breathing heavily.

"What the hell was that?" he spluttered. "I mean, hello Clara."

He was trying to do a sexy pose. She laughed. "Nice try Doctor," she chuckled. "I told you this was a snog box. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap."

She wandered out of the main room, glancing back briefly to crook her finger.

"Aren't you going to join me?"