The Doctor sipped his coffee reluctantly, as it was weak and bitter, but a source of heat nonetheless. He had barely slept after his long watch outside, but there were better things to be doing than sleeping at the moment.

"I need to get my TARDIS working again – is there any chance our good friend left a Horcrux in Cardiff?"

"A what?" Ron peered up confusedly.

"My big blue police box over there."

"What's that got to do with Cardiff?" Harry turned from washing their dismal array of dishes to look at the Doctor with interest.

"There's a rift in space and time – oh alright, for want of better a better word, some "magic" left there that my police box needs to in order to work." Ron's eyebrows raised. "Are we phoning the police?"

"No, Ron. It's not really a police box, is it?" Hermione directed her gaze towards their visitor, who nodded in response. "It's the Doctor's form of transport. Like Apparition, but in a box," she determined.

"Very clever you are, Hermione. You're completely right. Except for one thing."

"Oh? What else does it do?"

"It can travel through time."

A plate shattered. Everyone turned to look at Harry, who seemed not to have noticed the broken shards at his feet as he was still holding the tea towel up to where the plate would have been. His eyes were wide with shock, and his mouth was agape.

"Travel through time?" he managed, his voice vacant but his face stunned with disbelief.

"Harry are you okay? Here, let me help…" Hermione began clearing up the mess off the floor, but instead of assisting Harry took a seat closer to the Doctor. "Yes, TARDIS stands for time and relative dimension in space. It's an ancronym." He smiled.

"How fast is it?"

"Much faster than those Time-Turner things you were talking about, if that's what you mean," the Doctor replied, taken aback. "Why?"

"Don't you see? This is exactly what we have been looking for. If we can get far enough in the past, we can learn where You-Know-Who hid his Horcruxes and come back here to destroy them. That way it doesn't mess up the whole time continuum thing – and we'll get a one-up on him."

"That's brilliant mate," Ron exhaled. "Better still, we can just kill the bugger before he becomes a murderous nut-case."

"For goodness sakes, Ronald." Hermione placed the newly repaired plate back on the table and sat down with them. "You know we can't do that."

"Yeah, but it's a nice thought."

"Yes, well this is all very exciting isn't it? Except that my machine is dying, and we need to get it to Cardiff. I'm not even entirely sure that it will work here, but I'd like to have it running, seeing as it is the only way I have to get - well, close to home. Do you think we can manage that?" the Doctor huffed impatiently. Harry was quick to respond.

"Why don't we have a look at it? I'm sure Hermione might be able to help."

"Yes, maybe. Anyway it'd be fascinating to see an actual time machine. I thought they were just made up in stories."

"Well, all stories have got to come from somewhere," stated the Time Lord, draining the last of the liquid from his mug. "I'm not sure if your technology is compatible, but it's worth a try." Hermione frowned at the Doctor's last sentence, but as everyone was getting up to leave the table she merely shrugged it off. The troop meandered over to the edge of the trees, chatting aimlessly until they reached the extent of the protective enchantments. "So," Ron said, looking around at their companion expectantly. "Where is it?"

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks. The TARDIS was there just yesterday; and he was fairly sure he was the only one on this planet who knew how to operate it. So where had it gone?

"I – I –" he stammered. "I don't know! It was here right where I'm standing!" The trio shared a look of concern between themselves, and glanced back at the Doctor questioningly. How did we not hear it leave? he thought. It's too heavy to move on foot, and it doesn't just fly off on it's – oh. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the TARDIS silently landing behind Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Found it," he grinned.

They whipped around to see the blue box standing in what moments before had been a clump of bushes. "Does it do that often?" Ron inquired. "Disappear and go for a walk when it feels like it?"

"Of course not, don't be daft." The Doctor strode forward. "In the future – or the past, I've left a message for myself here by transporting it from this time to another. I would use a signal, but this universe doesn't have that type of technology. So who better to call than my old girl?"

"But it didn't make a sound," Harry remarked. "When it first arrived it was so loud we thought we were being attacked."

"Oh, yes, well; I left the brakes on. A thousand year-old habit, you know. Apologies." He pushed open the doors and stood back to give his companions a good look inside. "Now, gentlemen and lady, welcome to the greatest ship in existence."

"Hello, sexy," he whispered inaudibly but endearingly upon entering. The wizards strolled in, mildly surprised but not reacting the way most people would. True – the power was out and the cavernous room was freezing, that made it significantly less impressive – but the trio were fairly unfazed by the "bigger on the inside" aspects. Instead, they were interested in the control panel. Perhaps a little too interested.

"What's this do then?" Ron probed one of the levers with his wand.

"Oh no no – don't touch that one. That activates the chameleon circuit."

"Ouch!"

"Hermione, please do try to avoid those wires."

"Sorry."

Everything felt a bit out of place and overcrowded, even though the TARDIS was meant to be controlled by six pilots; no one really fit properly.

"So? What does everyone think?"

"It's brilliant," Ron stated, fiddling with the navigational buttons. "Like one of those Muggle cartoons you see, except it actually works."

"Do you think you can transport it?" the Doctor turned to Hermione.

"I'm not quite sure. There must be dozens of undetectable extension charms in here, and moving it with other magic could quite possibly destroy them." He winced at the mention of magic, but ignoring it for the time being he directed his attention to their remaining friend, who had been quietly concentrated on something else for a while now.

"And you, Harry?"

"I think you ought to see this, Doctor."

He realised that Harry had been staring at the control screen for almost the entire time they had been back in his TARDIS. He stood next to the boy, looking up at the monitor and pulling it over into a better angle. As he read the flickering words, a dead weight dropped in his chest. This was more than just another message left in his own kind stead – this was a warning. His eyes grew wide and his hearts beat rapidly as he read the four words;

BEWARE OF THESE ANGELS

A/N:

Sorry this chapter is so short - but there you go, a nice cliff hanger for you. Not sure when i can next update as I'm moving house and might not have internet for a while ]: But thanks so much for your reviews and follows - I really could not be more grateful.

~tIM