Intro: What if another Time Lord had survived the Time-War, an exceedingly familiar Time Lord, an old enemy who hadn't escaped quite as far as the end of the universe, but a little closer to Earth. As for Harry Potter, well he's is about to discover the truth, what was kept from him, both of what he truly is, and of the universe itself. When he opens the watch, then it will begin…

Pairings: Doctor/Harry!Master, Harry!Master/Hermione, Ianto/Jack, (one-sided) Rose/10th, (one-sided) Martha/10th, Luna/Neville.

Disclaimer: Neither Harry Potter nor Doctor Who belong to me…

'Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.'--- Douglas Adams.

Chapter 8

The Timelord who'd once been the fear of countless galaxies and broken the laws of multiple others without even a secondary glance, tiptoed through the darkness. And though he was pretty secure in the knowledge that he was unnoticeable within the underground complex, which was pretty impressive when you knew someone had built it without anyone realising (they must have had literally no social life); the fact still remained that one of the idiot-patrol that appeared to be guarding the…whatever world ending device it was this time, might notice them..

He slipped, silent as a cat into the shadows of the main area, a cavern held up by steel girders and glowing panels which made it difficult to blend in. Fortunately being sneaky was his forte. All it had taken was some simple telepathic suggestion and he was past the gun toting muscle and made his way into the far cavern his screwdriver informed him was the focus of the temporo-electrical static charge.

With a small motion to the girl he knew would be following, he peered through, noting with wry amusement that The Doctor and his little companions were as usual in the thick of things. All caged up in force fields- one each- and forced to listen to which ever moron the Black Guardian had as his dogsbody this time, and his insane ramblings.

Insipid little creature, he mentally sneered at the sight of the figure with bland, ken-doll features and a distinctly plastic sheen to his currently rather crazed smile.

Millionaire with too much time on their hands, to much money and a grudge of some description. Good to see some stereotypes were being kept to in this pathetic little solar system.

The old classics were the best after all.

Though how he'd managed to build…this, was something Harry would have enjoyed to know the answer to, but he could already hazard a guess that the Black Guardian had been involved in the scenario somehow. Ergo it was probably some kind of DIY rig-up that the nutter pacing wildly had simply been given a basic route map for. Tab A goes in slot B and all that nonsense.

No way in hell some stupid little monkey had made this.

DIY rift-manipulator, who have thunk it.

With a snort he wondered if the manufacturer had forgotten to include any of the necessary connectors.

However, his gaze narrowed thoughtfully at the circuitry that lay before him, it really would be a shame to let it all go to waste.

"What now…" Hermione hissed as she crouched beside him, peering into the room beyond and its odd structure, with the three people trapped in what seemed to be beams of light in the centre and the walls were lined with beeping and whirring machines, the central control panel of which had gone a rather ominous red.

"Well, reasoning is out of the water. Blackie's got that guy good, he's definitely not going to be gracing the covers of 'Sanity Fair' any time soon." Harry chuckled softly, before his face turned serious. "Need to get close enough to the consol to plug in this baby." He hefted the…whatever it was she'd seen him create back in the Chamber of Secrets. "So I need you to distract the guy, magic, back-talk (you're good at that)- whatever it takes." He shrugged distractedly, handing her the torch with a wink.

"Oh great." Huffed the brown haired witch with a sigh. "I'm the sacrificial lamb."

"Nope, you're the bait." Harry reassured her with a smile that looked vaguely shark-like.

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She growled through gritted teeth.

"We-ll…You could think about all the people that'll die if we don't do this?" Harry suggested lightly. "Doesn't do much for me, but you never know- to each their own. Good luck. And do watch out for The Doctor. You cant miss him, he's the one with the brown coat, far too many layers, floppy hair and a rather weaselish cast to his appearance."

"But…." Hermione began, but the Timelord had already shifted forward, like an uncoiling snake. Keeping to the darkness of the corners, which seemed to embrace him like one of its own. "Honestly, no matter how advanced the species, idiocy apparently remains the essence of the male mind."

Steeling herself and raising her wand in her right hand, Hermione Jane Granger stepped forward.

Once again wondering how the hell she got herself into these situations.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Martha Jones wasn't having a very good day, having met an old friend of The Doctor's- Captain Jack Harkness, and having to hear about how wonderful Rose was had been bad enough.

Then as they attempted to figure out a way to discover and prevent whatever insidious plan that the Black Guardian had thought up, The Doctor discovered Jack worked with some government alien-hunters called 'Torchwood' and had stopped talking to the handsome American, muttering about how he should have 'let that wolf eat Victoria'?

Needless to say, they'd been sloppy and been captured by the miniature army of human thugs under the pay of Marcus Cavendish, IT millionaire and by the looks of things- completely insane. Seeming to believe that should he open the Rift he'd ascend to a new plain of existence.

Having created what a frowning Doctor had described as a rift manipulator.

And here they were now in this random underground cavern, watching the ominous red machinery, helpless behind their own unique beams of what looked to be light falling from the ceiling. They were in fact, according to The Doctor, highly advanced force fields.

After Jack's bullets ricocheted and killed him, leaving Martha to experience his 'coming back to life' first hand, which had left The Doctor looking a tad green.

It was then that the pretty brunette in her late teens and with a wooden stick clutched in her hand, staggered into the room looking bewildered…

"Hello? Is anybody there?" She queried, and broke into a smile at the sight of them. "Oh, hello there. I'm sorry to bother, but I got lost in the cave systems. I don't suppose if any of you know a way out?"

"Run!" Martha yelled, accompanied by Jack and The Doctor.

The girl just blinked in bewilderment.

"What exactly are you doing down here?" The girl questioned aloud saying the magic words that made even The Doctor groan aloud as Cavendish gleefully started his monologue all over again.

Half-way through the 'I will rule' speech re-run, Cavendish paused to even his minion's gratitude, tilting his head thoughtfully.

"Hang on, how on Earth did you get here?" He stared at the brunette who shuffled awkwardly.

"Ah…I was hiking…" She stammered.

"In those clothes?" Cavendish sneered, suddenly obtaining brain cells and making Martha wonder if The Black Guardian was whispering to him.

"I like to look stylish." The teen smiled weakly.

"Cute." Sneered Cavendish, raising his gun even as The Doctor worked frantically to get out an help the girl with his sonic screwdriver, but it seemed to be…'deadlocked'?

"But I'm afraid I can't let you go my dear." Cavendish continued, as the girl suddenly held her stick in front of her making him laugh. "Oh honestly, do just give up now, my might cannot be stopped by…"

Oh God he was rambling again?

Martha was almost thankful when the explosions began to shake their way through the compound.

It got him to keep quiet, if only in shock.

The blatantly manufactured explosion rippled through the chamber making Cavendish scream his crazed outrage.

"Who the fuck? Who dares do this?" The human with clear mental issues shrieked, waving the pistol around in a way that made The Doctor, Martha and the young woman who was clearly not a 'hiker who'd gotten lost', step back. Jack remained unconcerned what with his whole 'not dying' problem.

"Well…I suppose if you're looking to play the blame-game, I guess it'll have to be me." Drawled a voice, smooth as dark chocolate, and with a resonance of something that The Doctor found familiar.

"It bloody well took you long enough." Sniffed the bushy haired young woman, folding her arms utterly unimpressed. "Bait, I'll give you bait."

"Ah Mi, you know I'd never let anything happen to you…" The voice chuckled lowly, sending shivers down The Doctor's spine.

"Show yourself…" Cavendish swung wildly, shooting off a few randomly directed bullets.

"So says the man who's been living underground like a rat." The voice was scornful. "Besides, I'd like to look into the face of the one who would attempt to kill that which is mine to destroy."

And it was then that the man emerged from the shadows and The Doctor felt his breath catch, knowing on sight who the figure before him was, even without the mental voice all but screaming 'It's me, it's me, it's me'.

The Doctor would know him anywhere.

Always had.

Always would.

"Because let me tell you sunshine, no one kills The Doctor, but me!" The emerald orbs glowed eerily, emphasising the golden ring that his regenerations always held.

The madness ever-present held within those orbs terrified and excited The Doctor all at once.

"Who the hell are you?" Snarled Cavendish.

"I am known, universally, as The Master." The dark haired figure tipped a finger to his temple in a mock bow as he walked forward, as elegant as a cat and as smooth as a serpent.

Giving The Doctor a chance to study this incarnation of his old friend in all its glory, and oh how it was glorious.

Messy black hair; delicate, fine-boned face; piercing emerald eyes with the beginnings of a rough goatee that seemed to suit him more than the old beard; a single silver ring glinting in one ear; black suit jacket tossed casually over an emerald pinstriped black waist coat, white shirt and an emerald silk cravat, which was slightly loosened to reveal that tempting hollow beneath the Timelord's Adam's apple where his pulse throbbed. Contrastingly, a black trilby tilted rakishly on his head gave him a roguish look that had Martha fluttering between nerves and attraction as was visible out of the corner of The Doctor's eye.

Koschei.

Koschei so very young.

The youngest that he'd seen him since their childhood, with the other preferring the older and more distinguished incarnations.

Though, he couldn't talk, this was one of his youngest yet, in fact, only five had any hope of competing youth wise.

"Kos…" The ancient nickname slipped past The Doctor's lips unhalted in the moment of utter shock, breathed with such a level of need and hope that The Doctor saw Jack gape at him in shock.

Of course, Jack had known Nine best, the one that was pretty much allergic to expressing emotions for fear of the dreaded 'domesticity'.

Unsurprising that he would be, well…unsurprised.

The figure halted, his emotionless face turning to stare at The Doctor, ice in that emerald gaze.

"Tsk-tsk Theta, you know as well as I, we don't go by our childhood names anymore." The lips curled into a wicked smirk. "Use my name Doctor."

"Master." The Doctor breathed, pressing his hand to the barrier that held him in place.

"Mnnn, I love it when you use my name." The Master rolled his neck in satisfaction.

"You chose it, psychiatrist's field day." The Doctor scorned aloud, in an attempt to distract his companions from the connotations in those particular words. Though Jack in his overly sexed way was already eying the two of them with an interested and smug manner.

"So says 'The Doctor' I mean really how sanctimonious can you get? Why not just call yourself 'The-man-who-makes-people-better' and be done with it?" The Master's voice dripped with pure sarcasm.

"I…"

"Shhh!" The Master pressed a finger to his lips as though The Doctor were a child, before a grin filled with madness crossed those beautiful features. "The grownups are talking Doctor. I'll deal with you later." And with that spun on his heels, turning his back to The Doctor. "Speaking of adults, why not show yourself? This little puppet show has gone on for far too long."

"WHO ARE YOU TO ORDER ME, TIMELORD?" The Black Guardian rippled into existence, scorn crossing the entity's face.

"Timelord?" Martha breathed, her gaze shooting to The Doctor, filling with understanding over his reaction.

Or what she thought was an understanding.

She knew nothing, still just a child.

"He's The Master, honestly. He just told you that, weren't you listening!" Sneered the brunette woman who was apparently working with The Master, a small smile playing about her features as The Master sketched her a small bow, holding out an arm to escort her along side him.

"You'll have to ignore him Mi. His type have a tendency to be a tad self-absorbed." The Master smiled, amusement glittering in those eyes as he looked at the human woman on his arm.

The Doctor felt a sudden upsurge of jealousy.

The Master had never really had a companion, at least none that he looked upon with anything but scorn. Let alone The Rani, those two had squabbled like cats.

But this one…

"YOU SURVIVED?" The Black Guardian tilted it's head, almost thoughtfully.

"Your powers of observation are astounding." Drawled the Master, staring critically at his nails. "Aren't you supposed to be all-seeing and all that boring nonsense?"

"YOUR FATE HAS NEVER BEEN DETERMINABLE, CONSTANTLY CLOUDED BY THE DRUMS WHICH HAUNT YOU." The Black Guardian sounded somewhat miffed in The Doctor's estimation.

"Of course it is." The Master scoffed to himself as though having expected the response, as The Doctor was left bewildered, what drums was The Black Guardian talking about?

The hallucinations Koschei had always had since he'd looked into the schism? Was it possible that they were something other?

"Now, really, what are we going to do about this? Because affirmative action is going to have to take place. The question only remains: What?" The Master gave a mock-thinking pose.

"YOU COULD AID IN MY DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCTOR'S FAVOURED PLANET. YOU WERE NEVER ONE TO TURN DOWN ACTS OF CHAOS AND BLOOD." The Black Guardian responded dryly.

The Doctor swallowed nervously, knowing how difficult it would be for him to stop Koschei, not because the other Timelord was better than him, indeed The Doctor was pretty much the undefeated winner of their little game of inter-stellar catch. Though he'd never realised how much he enjoyed matching his wits with, and being chased by The Master, until he thought him to be gone forever.

Because he no longer wanted to run anywhere but to the other Timelord, hold him and beg him to never to leave again.

Though he had enough pride to restrain himself from doing so.

"Hmmmn, how about, NO!" A vicious grin crossed The Master's face as a cylinder emerged in his free hand, pointing towards Cavendish who'd been edging towards the odd machine, designed to shatter the rift's moorings within reality.

The blast emerged from the tube and incinerated a yelling Cavendish in seconds.

"Laser screwdriver, who'd have sonic?" Smirked his favourite enemy, twirling the screwdriver like a baton and tossed The Doctor an amused grin.

"You killed him!" Martha yelled in horror.

"Well, yes." The Master responded bluntly. "But in my defence, he was planning to destroy all life and creation ever. Priorities would be nice girly."

"But he was human!" Martha spat.

"Oh, I see." The Master tilted his head thoughtfully at Martha Jones, as The Doctor couldn't help but gaping in surprise at his companion words. "It's okay to stop anyone destroying anything as long as they're aliens. How very bigoted Ms. Jones, Doctor your assistants are getting more and more irritating. I almost miss President Romana."

"I was rather racist isn't it?" The girl at The Master's side pointed out lightly. "Or would it be species-ist?"

"I-I didn't mean…" Martha began to hiss but was cut off by a derisive snort from The Master.

"Of course you didn't." With a shake of his head The Master turned to The Black Guardian. "Now then Casper-the-not-so-friendly-ghost, I'd advise you to take a hike."

"YOU WOULD STAND FOR THIS PLANET'S PROTECTION? INTRIGUING, NOTHING LIKE HEARSAY WOULD HAVE OF YOU…"

"What can I say, I like this planet, it grows on you…almost like a fungus really…Nevertheless, its got…Led Zepplin, Quidditch, those little biscuits with the icing sugar in them…and you have no idea how difficult it is to get a good cuppa away from England…Plus, if you destroy the universe, that kind of messes with my dastardly plans of universal domination and all that…And that's really not on the agenda mate." The Master all but bared his teeth. "This planet is mine, and you rea-lly don't want to push me. I don't share well."

"You really don't, do you?" Chuckled the brunette called 'Mi'.

"Only Child syndrome." The Master clicked his tongue casually.

"YOU CANNOT THINK I WOULD FEAR YOU TIMELORD, YOU WILL PERISH AS EASILY AS THE DOCTOR." Snarled the Black Guardian, unused to being ignored, he was after all, a being that thrived on being paid attention to and manipulating with his words.

The Master overdramatically turned to look at The Doctor, back to the Guardian and back to The Doctor once more.

"Huh…For someone so easy to kill, he looks surprisingly non-corpse-like." Goaded The Master. "How long have you been trying to off him anyway?"

"300 years, since my 4th Regeneration." The Doctor piped up helpfully.

The Master momentarily blinked, before bursting into laughter. "Like fuck Doctor. Rassilon, you've cut off quite the 'few years' there. Next thing you know, you'll be telling your companions you're 900."

Martha and Jack both shot The Doctor a surprised look, making him look pointedly at the nasty scuff on his favourite white converse.

That would need to be cleaned.

He commented as such, earning an eye roll from most of the people in the room.

"Moving on past The Doctor's mid-life crisis…" Snorted The Master.

"I'm not having a mid-life crisis." The Doctor all but yowled in discontent.

"Of course not." The Master replied, patronising and utterly unsympathetic. "Now if you could just run along back to whence you came, it would be oh so appreciated." He returned his attention to The Black Guardian, making a shooing motion with his hands. "Go on, shoo."

"YOU DARE, I WILL BRING DOWN MY ETERNAL EMNITY UPON YOU TIMELORD." Boomed The Black Guardian.

"That's a lot of enmity." 'Mi' muttered aloud, impressed.

"Yup. And notice me not giving a damn, chuckles. For the simple reason that I have, for the past…" The Master pulled out a fob watch that was oh so familiar and made Martha choke on a yelp of surprise. Lightly checking the time, though The Doctor knew he didn't need too (such a showman). "6 minutes, been keeping you distracted so that my additions to the rift manipulator could come into play."

"Additions?" Jack spoke up for the first time, worried over the affect on the part of the world that the immortal had assigned himself to protect.

"Oh don't get in a tizzy Handsome Jack, nothing will damaged TORCHWOOD, impressive work by the way, I mean seriously. Your lot have caused so much chaos it's fun for me to watch. I mean awakening Abbadon, tell me you didn't expect that of them? They seemed like such good kids, it's the divorce I suppose; their home life hasn't been the same since Daddy got a new girl after shooting the old." The Master gave a wide grin as Jack pounded on the walls of their holding pens.

"How the hell do you…?" Demanded the 41st century guy.

"Your records are disappointingly easy to hack, you should look into it. UNIT too…" The Master bounced on his heels. "Though The Brigadier still has me on his 'most wanted' Doctor, how precious is that?"

"I'm not surprised." The Doctor replied dryly. "After all the trouble you've caused for them in the past."

"Well that's just mean." Pouted The Master. "I haven't maimed or killed a single one of them in this regeneration. A perfect gentleman, I've been."

"Lies." Snorted Mi, earning a scolding look from The Master not the swift death The Doctor would have expected once upon a time.

And there was that jealousy again…

He really shouldn't be upset that The Master wasn't hurting someone.

And was it just him or was the Black Guardian looking particularly transparent.

"Oh…" The Doctor blinked his sudden realisation. "Oh, that's brilliant…" He breathed, impressed despite himself.

"Good isn't it." The Master smiled widely at him, emerald eyes gleaming wickedly and making The Doctor smile back, almost reminded of their pranks on Gallifrey as children, when they'd been partners in crime.

Rebels of the Pyrodinian academy.

"Wha…?" Martha questioned, bewildered.

"Oh pander to the ape Doctor, explain my utter brilliance." The Master preened, lightly waving a hand.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF TIMELORD!"

"Ah, right….well…." The Doctor pulled at his ear awkwardly. "The rift manipulator is designed to lock onto specific signals in order to create the widening tear, pulling it apart to two different loci either side of time and space."

"I AM AWARE OF THAT DOCTOR, AFTER ALL I'M ITS CREATOR." Snorted The Black Guardian derisively.

"Pity he didn't put safety-measures on it then." The Master stage whispering to the girl beside him, as she snorted quietly.

"It wouldn't have kept you out the way, you'd have just hacked it and then used it in more vicious and experimental ways having thought them up in your frustration." She snarked, and The Master laughed loudly; tossing back his head in maniacal laughter, making Jack and Martha glance at one-another and edge back as far as they could in the holding pens.

"He does that." 'Mi' shrugged nonchalantly.

"I like to think it adds to my repertoire." The Master sketched a bow, before turning to The Black Guardian. "Anywho, Blackie-boy, what The Doctor is trying to say in that rambling, overly pompous way of his; is that you may not have corporeal form but you certainly do have an energy signature- you're made of the stuff. Li-terally oozing with it."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE…" The Black Guardian demanded, looking worried for the first time as he faded in clarity.

"All it would take would be The Master recalibrating the vectors to lock onto your energy signature and another point in space and time. And seeing as you're weaker than the power of Time…" The Doctor picked up where The Master finished off, with a sniff.

"And someone is currently resembling a hooked fish. Are your ties to this reality unravelling yet, you should be feeling it by now." The Master gave a mischievous smile.

"NO!" The Black Guardian began to flicker in and out of reality, a look of total loathing on his features. "TIMELORDS…A CURSE ON YOUR THRICE-DAMNED RACE. YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME."

"Um, I think I did." The Master nodded condescendingly. "So TTFN." He gave a mocking little wave as The Black Guardian was finally ripped away from his ties with a shriek.

Then nothing.

"Well…That was…anti-climactic." Jack commented lightly, staring at where The Black Guardian had once posed.

"And thank Rassilon for that. I hate monologuing, especially when it's not me doing it." Snorted The Master.

"Where did you send it anyway H…Master?" Mi queried, stepping up beside the other Timelord.

"End of the Universe, should take him a while to find his way back." The Master waved a hand airily, before pausing thoughtfully. "Now, what was I…" His dark gaze fell on The Doctor. "Oh yes, I remember. I think it's time you and I had a talk Doctor."

The Oncoming Storm, defender of freedom, time traveller and Timelord found himself swallowing nervously at the look in those eyes.

"You've regenerated." The Doctor ran a hand through the impressively chaotic mass he called hair, a nervous twitch in this particular regeneration, Harry noted.

"Well…yes, aren't you the little bright spark. Though, mentioning regeneration, like the hair." Harry drawled lightly. "I had a slight case of 'the dying' in case you din't remember."

His face twisted angrily.

The Drums urging him to kill his enemy, nownownow.

It took all the significantly impressive strength of will he had not do follow the Drums suggestion. The Doctor would suffer, and he- The Master- would win this game of theirs this time around.

"How…?" The Doctor struggled for how to continue, mouthing wordlessly.

"How did I return to this state of living? Those senators talk a good game about nobility and justice but as far as they were concerned I was the perfect soldier for the Time War." And wasn't Harry's voice dripping in utter contempt for his species who'd thought to use him as a pawn. "As to how I survived said war? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With relish Doctor." His teeth pulled back into a wolfish smile.

"Master, please…Just think. We're the only ones left." The Doctor pleaded all wide puppy-dog eyes and pathetic expression.

"Yes, and what exactly has happened to Gallifrey?" Harry demanded. "Because, if you're still here then that means that it was you that…"

"I was the only one who could." The Doctor's voice had never sounded so…broken, and wasn't that interesting. "I used The Moment…everything burned…Daleks, Timelords…Gallifrey."

Harry's soft chuckles grew louder and louder, bouncing off the walls as he ran a hand through his own hair, the irony was hilarious.

"Why are you laughing? It's inhuman!" Martha, the Doctor's latest 'assistant' stepped forward angrily to her dear Doctor's defence, ignoring the fact that her hero had just admitted to double genocide.

Slight double standards there.

"Once more Ms. Martha, I'm not human. And as to why I'm laughing and who I am…I am the Moriarty to the Doctor's Holmes if you will." Harry smirked wryly, sharing an amused look with The Doctor, after all Conan Doyle had based those tow characters on them.

At some point during one of his beard-y regeneration's and when The Doctor was very polished and partial to cricket (though his memory may be a bit off) they'd run across the old chap during one of their epic face off's.

The Master had almost been flattered at that particular representation:

Napoleon of crime. It would do…Though he'd always seen himself as more of a Caesar.

"As for my amusement, the irony is a tad hilarious. The council was always going on and on and ooon, in that irritatingly patronising manner of theirs, about how dangerous I was. And yet the very one they always got to keep an eye on me was the one to destroy them. So you see it's rather poetic." Harry smiled widely.

"There was no other way." The Doctor interjected, a level of desperation in his voice that seemed surprising to even his companions.

"You must have felt like a God." Harry breathed in awe, gazing at what his old friend had become.

"Stop it! Please stop this. It doesn't have to be this way. We can leave this planet. Together, you and me? Together in the stars. Please." The Doctor pressed himself as close to the barrier as he could, almost resembling a fly trapped in a glass.

"That's it? That's your big plan to stop me? Asking me on a date? Let me ask you Doctor, how much have you been drinking lately?" Harry replied, amused.

This wasn't how things went in their little game and The Doctor knew it.

"Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat where I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me, I don't think!" Harry snorted, pouring scorn on the mention of their meetings during their youth, before The Doctor had betrayed him.

"Master…" The Doctor dropped to his knees in utter desperation and Harry decided he didn't like this Doctor.

His Doctor fought tooth and nail and was far too tenacious for his own good.

Someone had broken The Doctor and that damn well wasn't on. The Doctor was his to hurt, his to break and his…

Well it just wasn't on to defeat another person's arch-nemesis.

There were rules and common courtesy about this sort of thing.

"In case you didn't get the memo Doc. I'm not one of the good guys." Harry smirked, disguising his thoughts behind his mask as he once more drew his laser screwdriver and pointed it at the other Timelord.

It said a lot that The Doctor merely shut his eyes in preparation, and then Harry understood. The Doctor was trying to repent of his crimes to the only other Timelord left, and wasn't that new.

"Stop!" Jack Harkness threw himself at the barrier of his own cage in an attempt to 'save' The Doctor, as 'Martha' pounded her fists against the force field of hers, futile.

At the last second he shifted the angle of the beam and with a spluttering of light The Doctor's force field faded into nothing, leaving The Doctor blinking up at him in bemusement as The Master stepped forward to stand over his best enemy.

Kneeling beside the crumpled Gallifreyan, Harry used two fingers under The Doctor's chin in order to tilt the other's head so that Harry could look into deep brown eyes patterned with lines of gold, that looked into him with such confusion.

A smile quirked Harry's lips upward, this was familiar territory- messing with The Doctor's mind. And this he could work with.

"I'm changing the rules." He gleefully informed The Doctor, before leaning to brush his lips against The Doctor's ear, words in their ancient language, words just for The Doctor.

Before he sprung to his feet, reaching out a hand for Hermione, who swiftly linked her hand with his without complaint- she was becoming quite the second-in-command.

"My dear Mi, we shall have to bid our friends here adieu. Our work is done, the universe is safe once more, for cuddly puppies, fat-cheeked brats, blah blah blah." Rolling his eyes he placed the vortex manipulator between their clasped limbs, watching The Doctor's eyes widen in realisation.

Fill with a fire The Master knew well- determination.

The Doctor was back, and the chase had begun.

And with a flash of blue light the pair returned to Hogwarts once more…

"Doctor…Who was he?" Martha questioned later, after he'd released his two friends.

"An old friend from my home." The Doctor muttered.

"The way the old UNIT case files read he was pretty much your mirror opposite." Jack commented lightly.

"He's nothing like that…" The Doctor trailed off, he wouldn't tell them of The Game, no one but he and The Master were the only ones who knew. It was their secret and just for them.

No-one else.

"Then who is he?" Martha questioned. "You see, I get he's a Timelord but, you see, I thought you said all of them were dead except for you..."

"Apparently one survived. And it would be him, it's just like him." The Doctor found a warm feeling bubbling in his hearts. If he'd hoped for any to survive, no matter their enmity over their significantly long lives, it would have been Koschei.

"So what are we going to do?" Jack's hand brushed his gun and The Doctor repressed the urge to yell at the thought of Jack, who though his friend was so completely utterly wrong, using it on Koschei.

Or what had once been Koschei.

"I'm going to find him." The Doctor replied, feeling so much more alive than in a long time. Excitement welling within him.

"How? He had a vortex manipulator Doc. He could be anywhere." Jack pointed out . "Anywhen, do you know how difficult it'll be to find him?"

"Oh…Very difficult I should think…." The Doctor's grin began to spread across his features, gleeful at the thought, The Master's secret Gallifreyan words echoing in his mind like a challenge.

'Catch me if you can Theta.'

FIN