And yet another chapter! This won't keep up but it's helping me get into the writing mood! So thank you so much for your support!
Warning: Platonic again, and it's fair to say that timelines are messed up, and Harry's timeline is pushed forward a few years in this drabble series.
The Tales of the Time Keeper and Time Taker.
Chapter 3: In Diagon Alley
When the Doctor landed he knew immediately what day it was. And that's why he was quick to throw on his jacket and make his way towards the leaky caldron.
The last time the ninth doctor had seen Harry, the boy had been heading to his fourth year care of magical creatures class. But today was a few years earlier than that. Today was the day that Harry got his wand, and his owl.
Now it really wasn't hard to find Harry, Hagrid had brought him from those awful humans and Hagrid wasn't hard to find. Harry fit snugly beside Hagrid, weaving in and out of crowds in the half-giant's wake with very little effort. He looked unhappy though, which was worrying.
They were heading towards the book store in the middle of the alley, though Hagrid remained outside and so the Doctor took his chance. He may look extraordinarily muggle –like the best kind of muggle though with his perpetual grin –the air around the Doctor was enough that wizards brushed him off as an excessive noble. With just the right kind of scowl, the Doctor slipped into the book store and found Harry staring blankly at a wall of books.
"This one's good I reckon, for extra reading to catch up on the wizarding world." He smiled when Harry froze for a second, but those brilliant green eyes found the Doctor's face and that smile was infectious.
Eleven year old harry had so many fewer dark spots in his eyes than fourteen year old harry.
"Doctor!" Harry hugged the Doctor quickly but pulled back quickly to look at his friend's face. "I knew you'd be here, but I didn't think you'd actually show!"
The Doctor smiled and started pulling books down. He knew the Hogwarts booklist like it was his own, at one point he'd helped write it. Long ago though, when he was in his second or third regeneration, and then later right after the time war. "Did I tell you that or someone else?"
"Actually I told myself." Harry grinned cheekily. "Older me said that I'd see you on my day out to diagon alley, though I didn't know what that was before today. I wanted to believe him…well me, but you know. Sometimes time doesn't let you keep promises."
And that made the Doctor so very sad.
"Well, I do my best, so here I am." He explained. "But how does meeting your older self even work?"
Of course Harry knew this and he grinned broadly as they walked towards the checkout. "Don't you know Doctor? I'm a wizard, different you and older me said that they had loopholes fort some reason."
The Doctor knew this, knew the strange rules for wizards with time travel, but he liked seeing this cheeky side of Harry. The little marauder didn't get to be cheeky often enough.
As Harry was heading out, the Doctor slipped away, though he stuck close. So when Harry went to get his wand, and Hagrid went to the owl emporium the Doctor made his move.
Hagrid was brilliant he was, truly loved the obscure and unloved creatures in the wizarding world. In another life the Doctor was sure they'd have been great mates. However Hagrid was really a bit overzealous especially about the Doctor's boy. The Doctor appreciated Professor McGonagall giving Hagrid money to buy Harry a gift, but some direction wouldn't have been unfounded.
So the Doctor, as usual, took it into his own hands. "You know the Barn owl is great, very smart, but I have a better suggestion."
Hagrid looked at the strange man with a raised eyebrow. "Oh? I think I know a good owl."
"Oh yes yes, I'm sure you do. But have a look here." The Doctor pointed to a beautiful snowy owl with time-vortex-golden eyes. "But aint she a beaut. Very intelligent, the perfect first owl, perfect for letters, perfect as a gift don't you think?"
The Doctor knew this in fact, because this little beauty was in fact party googlymorte and was in fact hyper intelligent. A race that liked to appear avian, and trick unworthy species into gathering food for them. But, the googlymorte were especially fond of young wizards and if paired correctly often formed familiar bonds, especially if the bond was established young.
So, with a Time Lord's blessing, and the power of an incredibly young wizard, the Doctor was sure this little snowy would adore Harry, and vise versa.
Hagrid looked at the beautiful owl and was struck with the same thought as the Doctor. "You are right! Ain't she a beaut indeed! Thanks stranger, my young friend will love her."
"I'm sure he will."
The look on Harry's face when Hagrid gave Harry his present more than made up for the fact that the Doctor couldn't give Harry the present himself.
The Doctor hated that he couldn't be there for Harry, the boy had a rough fourth year, and god knows what might happen before then. But he had the next best thing.
"Now, remember what you said earlier about promises?" He asked when he arrived at the room above the leaky caldron –because as if he was going to let Harry go home again.
"Yeah?" Harry responded, he had been reading one of the books the Doctor had suggested, a good overview of the political state of the wizarding world, blood status, and sports. "What of it?"
"I can't promise to visit you while you're in Hogwarts, because you're right, time sometimes just doesn't give me a break. However I got you the next best thing."
Harry sat up, curious when the doctor walked over to Hedwig and brought the bird to the bed. He sat on the edge and sat Hedwig on his knee, then he pulled a small chain with a small pendant out of his pocket.
"This right here is a ROPD." The doctor's smile was so big and proud, when Harry didn't react the smile fell and the young boy couldn't help but laugh.
"And that is?"
"A Relative Owl Placement Device." The Doctor pouted a little. "Basically it'll let your owl reach the TARDIS with letters at some point in relative time."
"SO I can send you letters?!" Harry jumped up violently jostling Hedwig from her perch when he threw himself at the Doctor to hug the man. "That is the best thing ever! Can I send them all the time? Once a day? Please?"
The Doctor just laughed and picked up the tales of Beedle and Bard. Harry was far too old to be reading him books, but the Doctor remembered doing it when Harry was a baby, not long after he first met the boy and he was feeling nostalgic.
"How about we start with once a week, that way your Hedwig doesn't get tired, and I don't distract you from your schoolwork."
Harry looked entirely offended, "But you said that school isn't everything!"
The Doctor smirked. "I did say that, but that doesn't mean it isn't something."