Down the Rabbit Hole and Through the Mirror

Chapter Three: Finding Your Place

By BlackBlade

Disclaimer: I do NOT, and sadly probably never will, own Harry Potter or Doctor Who, nor am I profiting in any way shape or form from this entirely fictional story involving the characters in the aforementioned Book/Series, which belong to J.K. Rowling and the BBC respectively. Thank you.

Summary: Harry manages to save Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, but ends up falling into the Veil in his place. The Veil is nothing more than an opening into the Void between realities; and it is just Harry's luck that at the same time in another universe, the Void had been opened. He suddenly finds himself trapped in said universe, with no way to go back and only a crazy man and his blue box for company.

~ oooOOOooo ~

"So the school is in a castle? Brilliant! And moving staircases! That sounds like my kind of castle…Actually it sounds a bit like my TARDIS, she likes to move stuff around too!"

"And there are wizard pubs and wizard shops and wizard schools? What about wizard libraries? Or wizard carnivals, or amusement parks? Wizard restaurants? Oh! Or a wizard museum, maybe with art, like the moving pictures you told me about!"

"Post owls! That's just brilliant, that is. Bit messy, I imagine, but probably a lot cheaper than hiring an army of postmen. Post owl! Hey, what about post eagles? Or hawks? Or sparrows, if you're just sending a tiny little note? It could be a sparrow telegram! Or pigeons!...no wait, that already exists."

"Pumpkin juice? Seriously, as in juice made from pumpkins? Never tried it, and when you've lived as long as I have and have had so many different mouths, that's saying something. I'm not sure I'd like it though, but I guess I could try it first. Banana juice, now that is a brilliant invention. Maybe I can convince your people to drink that instead."

"What do you mean, soul-sucking monsters?! And the government approves of this?! Harry, I am having a very long, serious conversation with your Minister. I've started revolutions and toppled governments for less than this."

"That's rubbish! Not allowed to use 'magic' out of school, well, what do you have 'magic' for, then? Though I suppose it does make a bit of sense. Can't really have teenagers blasting things left and right during the holidays, can we? Hmn, now that I think about it, it's actually a rather sensible law. You've broken it, haven't you?"

"So, where to?"

~ oooOOOooo ~

For as long as Harry Potter could remember, he'd always had one wish; it was a simple wish, but one that – even in a world full of magic – he knew to be impossible. Harry wished for his family, to meet – as more than echoes in a graveyard during a highly dangerous situation – his mother and father.

He might have a chance to have that wish fulfilled now.

Oh, it wouldn't be exactly the same as meeting his parents, the Doctor had warned him that each universe – and its version of people – was different and so the James and Lily Potter of this universe might not be entirely like his parents, or they might already have a son – that might or might not be this universe's version of him – or they might not even be married to each other at all. Still, the chance to see them living and breathing, maybe even get to know them, was more than he could have ever hoped to get.

Maybe being stuck in this universe wouldn't be quite as horrible as he'd imagined before.

"Harry?" The Doctor's slightly worried voice broke him out of his thoughts and made him remember that the man had asked him for directions before Harry had completely spaced out on him. Well, the wizard was more than happy to provide them.

He smiled at the older man, letting him know that he was alright, that he was actually happy. "Godric's Hollow. I remember someone saying they…we used to live in Godric's Hollow."

The Doctor nodded, returning the boy's smile with one of his own manic grins, and made his way towards the ship's console. He was all ready to start setting coordinates when he suddenly paused and turned back to his passenger, his expression more than a bit sheepish. "Ah, would you mind telling me where Godric's Hollow is? I'm afraid I've never heard of it or been there myself."

That actually stumped Harry. He'd never really asked – or been told – the location of his parents' home. All he knew was that it was in a village called Godric's Hollow. In his defense, Wizarding modes of transportation more often than not made knowing the location of the place you wanted to go to unnecessary; you could just call a name and go through the floo network, or remember the place and Apparate (though you had to be seventeen to do that), or maybe get a portkey.

Actually, that gave Harry an idea.

"I don't know, I don't even remember the house and I haven't been there since…" He paused awkwardly there. He would really prefer not to mention the death of his parents; he didn't want the Doctor's pity or something. "…Since I was a baby. But if you take me to other wizards they could help me get there."

"Alright." The man said, manic grin still there and all. "So where do we find more wizards?" He sounded as excited as a little boy who'd just been told they were going to Disneyland or something.

It was easy to see that the Doctor was very much looking forward to seeing the hidden magical society Harry had told him about – probably looking forwards to scan them all with the screwdriver as he'd done to him. Harry actually found himself a bit excited about showing his world off to the Doctor – it would be nice to, for once, be the one to know what was going on and sharing that knowledge with others – so perhaps the man's manic energy was rubbing off on him a bit.

"Diagon Alley would be best, I think. It's hidden in London, Charing Cross Road."

The Doctor actually looked a bit stunned at that, and even more excited if that was at all possible. "Really? I've been there many times, never even saw it! Clever, your lot!" Even as he spoke, his fingers were already almost a blur as he turned dials, pressed buttons, turned a wheel, and pulled levers.

The TARDIS started to do her groaning-wheezing noise and Harry suddenly had to hang on to the nearest available thing – in this case one of the coral struts – as the whole room started doing what he considered a very good impression of some amusement park ride…probably the kind where you had to be a certain height to go in, too.

It was only a couple of minutes before the ship landed – calmly as you please even though of the bumpy ride – and the Doctor was halfway to the door. "Well, come on then! Places to see, wizards to meet!"

The Doctor's good mood was definitely infectious because Harry found himself almost skipping to the door. The alien and the wizard left the ship to find themselves on an ordinary London Street. Harry took a careful look around and, after a moment, recognized the place; it was a bit changed, with some of the shops being completely different to what he was used to, but the general layout was the same.

"The Leaky Cauldron is just around the corner. It's a pub that's invisible to anyone without magic and it's also the entrance to Diagon Alley." He explained, knowing that the Doctor would appreciate the information since he seemed so very interested in the Wizarding world.

"Alright then, Allons-y!" And with that, the man was off. Harry – who couldn't help but chuckle at the man's antics – followed soon after and the two made their way towards the famous Leaky Cauldron.

Which was not there.

It, understandably, completely baffled Harry. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared horrified at the place he knew the pub should be. There was a shop instead, one of those that sold all kinds of electronics that Harry had only ever seen from outside and never gone into – electronics and magic really didn't mix – and definitely not a dingy pub that hid the entrance to one of his world's most iconic places.

"Harry?" For the second time in the last few minutes, the Doctor tried to bring him back to reality; it didn't work all that well this time. "Really? Are you going to drool over the latest computer or videogame or whatever while we could be finding wizards?!" He sounded rather incredulous.

He also sounded rather insane, if the looks he got from the people walking near them were anything to go by.

The accusation was enough to break Harry from his trance. "It's not there." He sounded a bit breathless, he noticed, but could anyone really blame him? "The pub is supposed to be right there!" He was pointing at the computer store almost accusingly, as though it were its fault that the Leaky Cauldron wasn't there, and practically glaring at the place.

"Ah" The Doctor sighed, his excitement all gone now, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder to gently turn him away from the store. "It's a different universe, Harry. Maybe they just put it somewhere else."

It was possible now that Harry thought about it. The Doctor had said that each universe was different from others even if they looked similar and even had the same people inhabiting them, so for all he knew the entrance to Diagon Alley was in a completely different part of London, maybe not even in the city at all. Comforting as the thought was, it did present another problem.

"Then how are we going to find it?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment, considering the possibilities and making up plans. Finally, after a moment or two, he grinned. "Well, is this alley the only place to find wizards? We might not need to go there at all if we can find your people somewhere else."

That was actually a very good idea. "Hogwarts! The school I told you about." The excitement was back now, with the possibility of seeing his beloved school once again. Sadly, that's when he recalled a little detail he'd conveniently forgotten and deflated again. "Oh…but I don't know where exactly it is. I know it's in Scotland, but I couldn't point out where exactly in a map and it's completely hidden from muggles so it's not like we can ask around for the great big castle." His voice – and the sarcasm – easily gave away the frustration he was feeling.

It really wasn't fair, to have his family so very near and so unreachable at the same time. The Wizarding world really shouldn't be this inaccessible to a wizard, even one from another universe.

The Doctor came to stand next to him, his arm gently bumping Harry's shoulder, trying to cheer the boy up. "Well, there's still something we haven't tried yet." He said, his voice subdued but hopeful. It got Harry's attention. "The TARDIS can probably scan for wizards, with your help. If you give us something to work with, she might be able to find energy similar to your 'magic', which will hopefully be some of your people. Or using your biosignature she might even find people related to you."

That actually stunned Harry. Sure, he knew that the Doctor's ship was amazing – it traveled in time and space, for Merlin's sake, how could it be anything but amazing? – but he hadn't realized that it could be that useful. It was pretty advanced technology alright, if it could find magic just like that.

"Let's do that then." He said, determined to find his parents one way or another.

~ oooOOOooo ~

Once they were back in the ship, the Doctor had first ordered Harry to use a spell ("Not the one that blasts things!") while he had the TARDIS scan it to find the specific energy signature his magic gave out. After that the man had proceeded to very quickly – and painfully – pluck a bit of his hair, which he inserted into some apparently random slot in the ship's console to get his biosignature – whatever that was.

"Right!" The Doctor, by now running around the console once again pressing and pulling and turning things, sounded and looked quite a bit like what Harry imagined a mad scientist did, but the boy kept his opinion to himself and stepped back to let the man do his work.

"She's scanning for both similar energy and genetics all over Britain. We should have the results in a little bit." The man was gently patting the console as he spoke, as though encouraging his ship to work faster, and bouncing on the balls of his feet. The anticipation was almost tangible by the time a soft bell-like noise filled the room. The scan was complete.

The Doctor practically leapt towards the monitor, grinning all the while.

When the grin suddenly disappeared, Harry knew that the news couldn't possibly be good, but he still gathered enough courage to ask. "So?"

The Doctor turned around, and once again Harry was struck with how old the man's eyes looked. It was something that got lost when the doctor was running around, or grinning madly, or shouting excitedly, but it was back now and Harry didn't like it.

"I'm sorry" He said softly, his eyes not leaving the boy's, before he cleared his throat and continued. "There is nothing. The TARDIS couldn't find other wizards, or relatives of yours…there just aren't any."

Harry nodded numbly and – without quite knowing how he got there – sat on the battered jumpseat, his legs threatening to give out under him. Not finding his parents was hard, since he'd been so very hopeful just minutes before, but it was a pain he could have dealt with since being an orphan was nothing new to him. Finding out that witches and wizards didn't exist, the whole world he'd been part of since he was eleven didn't exist…it was a bit too much.

"I'm the only one." He was thinking aloud now, saying the words as his mind came up with them. "In this whole universe, I'm the only wizard."

If Harry had looked up then, he would have seen pain, so very similar to the one he felt, in the Doctor's expression, in his eyes, in his whole body language. Harry didn't look up, but he still felt it, that sense of companionship that came from sharing the suffering, when the man came to sit next to him and gently put his arm around the teen's shoulders. Harry was both physically and emotionally exhausted after the day he'd had; he easily gave up trying to look strong and composed and just let his head fall on the Doctor's shoulder.

It might have been minutes or hours that the two spent there, both hurting but together – and that somehow did make it a bit better – before Harry's eyes finally closed and he drifted off into troubled sleep. He wasn't sure he wanted to wake up.

~ oooOOOooo ~

As it was, he did wake up. He wasn't sure how long he slept but it felt like a few hours at least – and it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't once been disturbed by nightmares – so he felt rested and definitely better than before. The situation was still the same, of course, but he could at least think about things logically and not fall into depression or panic quite so easily.

The main issue was of course what would happen to him now. He could stay in London, he supposed, and get a job or something to get money for food and shelter. But who would hire a fifteen year old? Worse still, a fifteen year old with absolutely no papers to prove he is who he claims, no home and no schooling – magic school really didn't count now, did it? – since he was eleven? Plus he was underage, didn't that mean he would be taken to an orphanage? He barely suppressed a shudder at the thought of the orphanage, remembering the horror stories his uncle used to tell him about such places.

Thankfully, he was distracted from his morose thoughts by a knocking sound. Finally, for the first time since waking up, he looked up. He was in a completely different room – a very nice bedroom decorated mainly in earthly greens and browns, rather relaxing really – lying on a very comfortable bed (and how that had escaped his notice before, he didn't know), and hearing someone knocking on the door.

"Come in." He said hesitantly, still a bit unsure of even where he was. He might have considered the possibility that the Doctor had taken him somewhere else, out of the TARDIS, and left him there – and really, why would the alien do anything else with the human he had no responsibility over? – but he could still hear the ship's gentle humming all around him. For a machine, the TARDIS made a surprisingly comforting sound.

As though the ship's noise wasn't enough of a clue, the Doctor walking into the room certainly would be proof enough that he hadn't been dumped somewhere…yet. Compared to yesterday's – if it was indeed yesterday, it was ironically a bit hard to tell the time while on a time ship – manic, excited frenzy, the man looked very subdued. That was alright with Harry, he really didn't feel like dealing with an over-excited hyperactive Doctor right now.

"I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry." The Doctor's eyes were downcast, not looking anywhere near Harry as he apologized.

"What for?" The boy's voice sounded a bit rough, but he could probably pretend that was from sleep. It wasn't, but the Doctor didn't need to know that. "It wasn't your fault. And if you hadn't opened that hole I'd have died, you said, so I guess you even saved my life" 'For what it's worth now' He really couldn't help but add the last part in his mind, his mental voice sounding a lot more bitter than Harry could ever remember it being.

"Well, yes, maybe. But still, I should have known better than to get your hopes up like that, especially after you told me about your people. I've been to Britain in just about every century of its history and I've never met a wizard before. I thought, at first, that maybe they were just very good at hiding themselves and, well, even I can't know everything in the universe so it was possible that they'd just escaped my notice. I should have known better." Finally, the Doctor's eyes made contact with Harry's, letting him know through that gaze alone that he was feeling truly guilty over this misunderstanding.

Part of Harry wanted to blame the Doctor, just to have someone he could lash out at, something to focus on other than the desperation and utter loneliness that being in this universe brought. He didn't. To be truthful, it really hadn't been the man's fault, he had probably just been much too excited at the chance of meeting an entirely new aspect of human society he had never even heard of before to truly pay attention to the signs of said society's complete absence. That and the Doctor was right too, he really couldn't be expected to know everything in the universe.

"So…" The Doctor started awkwardly, absentmindedly running his hand through his hair and making it stick up even more than it usually did.

"Yeah…" Harry answered just as awkwardly plus with a nice bit of bitterness. "If you're going to drop me off, could you please do it somewhere on Earth? I don't really want to get lost on Mars or something." And he was not sulking. Much.

The Doctor looked taken aback by that. "Right, of course. Yeah." He paused for a moment, once again looking at Harry as though he were trying to figure the boy out. "You can stay anywhere on Earth you want. Or, well, maybe you could…you know, come with me." The Doctor's gaze, once so insistently on Harry, finally turned away as he started to inspect the apparently fascinating walls.

Harry wasn't sure why, but a small tiny little ember of anger he'd been carrying around for quite a while now suddenly flared into a blaze. To hell with not lashing out. "You don't have to do that." And for a boy with such hot rage running through his whole being, he sounded frighteningly cold at that. "I've had enough of being a burden for other people and I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself!"

And that, he knew, was entirely his uncle Vernon talking. For so long now – most of his life, really – he'd been made to feel as though he was an unwanted burden in his relatives' home, the little orphan they took in because there was no one else to dump him with. Never again. He was not going into a situation like that ever again. If the Doctor didn't want him it was better to be left behind than to be kept out of pity and then resented for it.

The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise at this sudden outburst and he raised his hands in the universal sign for surrender. "I know you can." His voice was soft again as he regarded the still angry teen carefully. "You more than proved that yesterday. It's not about you being unable to look after yourself, and you would certainly not be a burden. It's just, well it's your choice if you want to come along or not, but the offer was made honestly. I just…I like to have people to travel with and I've never had a wizard for a companion before." The Doctor was smiling now, not his manic, excited grin, but a small soft smile, an honest smile.

Harry stared at him. Was he actually being honest? The boy's eyes narrowed as he carefully studied the man still standing by the door. The Doctor met his eyes without the slightest hint of reluctance. There was nothing in his expression or even his body language to make Harry suspect him of being dishonest at all.

He really did want Harry's company.

Well, that was certainly enough to very thoroughly douse his anger. The young wizard visibly deflated, his shoulders relaxed and his body seemed to sink into the extremely comfortable mattress. He was welcome in the TARDIS after all.

"So, what do you say? Ready to see the stars and walk worlds a thousand million light years away a million years ago?" The Doctor's energetic grin was back, and the man's brown eyes sparkled with what Harry could only call mischief and the anticipation of adventures to come. Once upon a time – when he'd first been to Hogwarts and was all wide-eyed in wonder – he had seen that very same gleam in the mirror. This last year – with its awful teachers, social ridicule and nightly visions from the Dark Lord – he had lost that and now that he once again saw it, albeit in the eyes of a slightly insane alien, he wanted it back.

"Yeah" And if there was a smile on his face, well, that was probably the first step towards healing and happiness.

~ oooOOOooo ~

It didn't take all that long for Harry to decide that the Doctor's English must be somewhat flawed – and he had yet to find out about the TARDIS's translation circuit – because surely 'see the stars and walk worlds a thousand million light years away a million years ago' could not possibly mean this.

London. The man had a time and space ship and he took them to London. And not just London either, oh no, the two of them were currently in a shop. A bloody big one too.

"So, what are we doing here?" Harry tried to keep his tone casual and unconcerned – despite his utter confusion at the Doctor's choice of destination – as he glanced around and occasionally studied the variety of items, mostly clothing, that surrounded them.

The man was mostly looking at either the ground or the ceiling and didn't seem any more enthusiastic about this little trip than Harry himself was. "Hmn? Oh, yes. Right, well seeing as how you're going to be traveling with me I figured it was best to get you things before we started our magnificent journey through time and space."

"Things?" Harry repeated, his look of puzzled incredulity probably saying more to the Doctor than the words did. "What kind of things?"

The Doctor looked up then and made a vague gesture that may or may not have meant something along the lines of 'This and that' as he answered distractedly. "Oh, you know, just things. What kind of things do 21st century humans your age need? Clothes I guess, the TARDIS has quite a collection in the wardrobe room but I suppose you might want to have your own. What else do teens need? Skateboards? You don't skate, do you? Because there will be no skating in my TARDIS, let me tell you. A computer or an iPod? I guess you might want those though I don't see why you would need them. Phone! You need a phone, bit of jiggery-pokery and you can get a signal anywhere and when, that might be useful." The Doctor ranted on, occasionally raising his voice in excitement or realization and making other people stare at them oddly. For some reason, it gave the impression that the man was trying very, very hard not to be silent, almost to the point of outright false cheerfulness.

Harry raised an eyebrow, curious and more than a bit amused. "I've never skated in my life. I don't know how to use a computer and I'm not even sure what an i-whatsitsnamet is, and I also don't have anyone to call even if I had a…jiggery-poked phone."

Now it was the Doctor's turn to look as Harry as though he were the one who made no sense. "Really? What kind of human teen are you then?...Now that we're on the subject, how old exactly are you?"

For a moment, the wizard considered being offended at the insinuation that he wasn't a normal teen, but then he realized that he truly wasn't one. He was a wizard from another universe, he could hardly be expected to conform to the standards of normal young humans. He decided to simply answer the question and let the almost-offense go. "Fifteen, almost sixteen now."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully. "You're really young."

Harry bristled just slightly at that. "I'm not a kid." There was a warning there, buried beneath an apparently neutral tone.

"I know, that's not what I meant. Though compared to me everyone in this planet is a kid. You're young, but like I said, you've already proven to be perfectly capable of looking after yourself…and others even." The Doctor stopped then and finally took a look at their surroundings, inspecting the shop curiously.

"Well, clothes, phone and any other stuff you see and might need. Better hurry now, this is starting to border on the domestic side of things and I'm not sure how much of that I can handle." He paused for a second there, glancing around the shop with an expression of mild annoyance and distaste. "Also, I don't like these shops all that much. The last time I was in one of these, I blew it up…" He trailed off there, becoming suddenly silent as his eyes took on that faraway lost look that Harry had already seen on him more than once.

The boy had been about to call him when the Doctor suddenly shook his head and blinked. It was like flipping a switch, the way he was all nostalgic one moment and then enthusiastic-bordening-on-manic the next.

"Ah! Clothes, yes! Allons-y!" And with that, he was off, bolting between racks of varied clothes and picking stuff up apparently at random. Harry was very quick to follow, he had quickly learned that it was best not to leave the Doctor alone and unsupervised for long. And there was no way he was wearing that bright yellow shirt the man had taken. Yup, definitely better with supervision.

~ oooOOOooo ~

Author's Notes:

Because you guys voted for it, Harry is now stranded with the Doctor! It should be amusing to see what kind of trouble two trouble-magnets can get into. -_^

The first part of the chapter is made of bits and pieces of the Doctor's conversation with Harry as he explains the wizarding world. I was very tempted to write the whole conversation but ultimately decided not to; it would only make for an extremely long chapter that would take me a loooot longer to write and I really don't have the patience to explain every little aspect of magical culture as I know the Doctor would like it explained, plus it might've been a bit tedious to read. In the end, I just couldn't resist the temptation of writing what I imagine the Doctor would say about wizard inventions and customs.

I've now got another decision for you guys to make. Should Harry's first adventure with the Doctor be in a different time [and if so, past or future?] or a different planet? Or both? Let me know your thoughts and remember that majority wins so make sure to vote! :D

A great bit, heartfelt "THANK YOU!" to all the lovely people who were kind enough to review….and to all those who didn't: it's never too late XD

JoojooBrother: You know, I'm very, very tempted to use that idea of yours about the message; I could actually see it happening. Unfortunately it interferes a bit with one of the few 'fixed points' of the story but if I can figure out a way for it to work, I might add it. Thank you! ^_^

crazyjim87: Thanks for your review! To be honest I don't think there will be much of pairings in this story. Sure there will be flirting and stuff but nothing serious I'm afraid, it just isn't part of this particular plot. This might change later, but it's not likely.

Kawaiider-Phantaku: Sure Martha will be making an appearance later and I am also excited about writing Harry's encounter with space rhinos, but that might actually be because I just love traumatizing poor Harry with the utterly bizarre things that happen to him XD. Thank you for your review!