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2020-11-05
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The Child of Time

Summary:

The Doctor decides to muck around with the time line, by giving the Boy-Who-Lived a family.

Work Text:

The Child of Time

 

 

There was one thing that was consistent about humans, no matter what time or planet they were on. They had the potential for such great things, were capable to survive in just about any situation and had the knack of thinking around corners. A truly creative, wonderful species, and one that the Doctor had the utmost fondness for.

But give one a little bit of power and a bit of fame and, presto, you have a problem.

Oh, it didn't happen all the time. Quiet a few humans were able to have those things and either ignore it or use that power and fame for the good of all humanity. Look at that Gandhi chap for example, remarkable man. And then look how he was treated for trying to bring equality and peace to his people. Shameful thing.

And now he was standing in the shadows, watching another travesty happen. This time though, the Doctor had decided to step in and change things. He'd met Harry Potter, saw how he'd been used time and time again by people who had claimed to care about him. He was a sad young man who, after being made to fight in a war, was being pressured into a life of working for the Ministry of Magic and a marriage he didn't want.

The young, quiet man who had helped him get out of a pinch at the Ministry of Magic had intrigued him. So much so that the Doctor had watched his life go around the first time, starting with his entry into Hogwarts. He'd finally stopped watching after his Fifth Year, angry at how the young lad was manipulated and used. Quite frankly, it had made him bloody well pissed off and the Doctor tried to keep his temper under lock and key at all times.

He knew what he wanted to do, and knew that by taking the child it was breaking the rules. So he had to go back, before he'd started watching and decided that this night, the night of his parent's death, was the best time to do it. The only problem was that to Headmaster Dumblebore, or whatever his name was, had contrived that only someone of his mother's blood could remove him from Private Drive, at least until Harry reached the age of eleven.

 

That had prompted him to go off in search of someone who wasn't connected to the wizarding world but would be accepting of Harry's heritage, and who was a blood relative of Lilly Potter. Thankfully the Tardis had gone a step further, and found someone the Doctor not only knew, but trusted implicitly.

Well, unless one was playing cards. Or any game of chance really.

"So ... when is it all going to happen?"

The Doctor turned to look at his companion for a moment before checking his pocket watch. "Oh, I'm sure the cat is here somewhere or other but the old man should be coming along right about ... now."

They watched silently, hidden in the shadows as an old man with a long beard used a device to turn off all of the street lights up and down Privet Drive. As he reached Number 4, a cat morphed into the form of a woman with a pointed hat, but neither the Doctor or the other man even blinked. They'd both seen odder things in their long years.

When a giant rolled up in a flying motorcycle, the only comment his friend made was. "Cool." The Doctor silently agreed. The Tardis was a most wondrous machine and a good friend but it would be rather fascinating to fly above London at night in the open air, see all the sights.

That fascination was pushed away as they watched the three adults leave the small child on the doorstep of relatives that would hate him for what and who he was. In the middle of a very cold autumn.

"A note! What the hell are these people thinking, Doctor? It's bad enough leaving the kid on a doorstep this time of year but with a note?"

The Doctor was grim as he led his friend across the street and up the paved walkway. "I told you that you wouldn't like what you saw, Jack. You know I wouldn't mess about with the time line if it wasn't for something dreadfully important."

"Yeah, but still, who the hell leaves a toddler outside like this? Dropped off like a sack of laundry in the middle of the night!"

The Doctor found himself smiling wryly. Captain Jack Harkness was a bit of a cheat and a letch. He'd been the consummate con-man when he and Rose had met the man in 1940's London, and was a scoundrel and a rouge as one might say. But he had grown up in the 51st century, and they were not only more open-minded about sexuality, they loved and cherished their children. It was unheard of for a child in that era to go hungry or be abused. Jack would no more let a descendent of his grow up in the Dursley household than the Doctor would kiss a Dalek.

The two men looked and found the small boy bundled up in a blanket. His little chubby cheeks and nose were red with the cold and the baby was fussing ever so slightly. Jack bent down and picked up the boy, bouncing him once or twice before setting the child in his arms.

"Hey there, little man. I'm your Great-grandpa Jack. I'm gonna be taking care of you, what do you think of that?"

The babe stirred slightly, opened sleepy green eyes and blew a spit bubble. Seeing this, the Doctor couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, will you? Just you wait, I'm sure this little guy will get Tardis sick or whatever and you'll be cleaning up spew."

The Doctor grinned. "Come now, Jack, I've seen worse things than a bit of baby spit. Bring young Harry and come along, I think it's time we left."

Jack brushed the small shock of black hair out of the child's eyes and traced the lightning bolt scar with his finger. "Guess he takes after me, huh?"

They turned and left Number 4, walking down the street to the park at the end of Privet Drive where the Tardis was hidden. The Doctor smiled at the man and child. "Actually, I think that may be why he lived. It appears that while you are Mr. Potter's grandfather on his mother's side, you are his great-great-great-great grandfather on his father's side. Probably why the little bugger didn't die when the killing curse hit him."

"Hey! This is my kid, no calling him names!" Jack grinned as the Doctor unlocked the door to the Tardis. He'd been alive well over two centuries, and he always got a kick out of being a dad. Even better, he wasn't the one carrying the little tyke. That one time he'd been pregnant had been one time too many.

As they entered the Tardis, Jack stopped and put a hand on the Doctor's arm. "Doc? Thanks. For ... well, everything. I'd hate to think one of my descendants could be cruel to a child but ... and for sticking around and helping me out with him."

The Doctor was oddly serious when he answered. "No worries, Jack. I owe young Harry here, and I owe you. I left you behind once, I don't think I could do it again."

They entered the console room and Jack went to secure Harry in the car seat they'd jury rigged to one side of the room so that when they traveled he wouldn't get jostled. "So ... where are we going? It's not really safe in Cardiff in 2007 right now, and I know if I went to move in with, well, the me of 1980 the universe might explode."

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth in his tennis shoes. "Hmm, I was thinking we might spend the next ten to fifteen years on Rigel II. Nice, quiet pastoral culture, no war or famine. Fabulous fishing spot. I haven't been fishing since ... wow, my fourth regeneration actually. Dunno why. Used to love fishing. We can hang about, stay there a few years until Harry is old enough to start school. Then we can travel around. Teach him to read, write, sub-atomic chemistry ... all the things a young lad needs to know. Instead of book reports we can take him to meet the actual authors. Except for Conan Doyle, he got a bit odd there at the end of his life. Thought fairies were real, if you can believe it."

Jack started laughing. "Doctor, you're an alien with two hearts, I'm from the future and can't die and we've just kidnapped my who-knows how many times grandson so we can train him to be a wizard and you're having fits about the author of Sherlock Holmes seeing fairies?"

"Well they weren't done well. Could see the pencil outlines if you looked."

Jack just shook his head. "Whatever. Just as long as I don't have to live through the Eighties again, I don't think I can stand seeing everyone in A Flock of Seagulls hairdo's yet again."

"Right-o! Here we go!" The Doctor stepped up to the console and pushed a few buttons and soon the familiar wheezing sound of the Tardis dematerializing filled the room. "Rigel II here we come!"

 

 

~Fini~