Chapter Text
Jack was, of course, grateful the Doctor decided he was worth saving after all. He was less amused when, mid-dance, the Doctor's time machine decided it no longer wanted any passengers.
"She's trying to shake us out!" He shrieked, gripping the rails for dear life. And no, he did not sound girlish, whatever Rose tried to argue otherwise.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" The Doctor snapped, barely audible above the caterwauling alarms. The cloister bell began to chime, adding to the cacophony. "We're just Dimension hopping."
"Just?" Jack exclaimed. "Just?"
Rose and the Doctor were laughing. Jack knew he was going to be black and blue with the amount the Tardis was throwing them around. Dimensional travel was impossible for most species, everybody knew that! Where was the Doctor and Rose's concern for their welfare?
He'd chosen to be saved by crazy people. If he'd known, he would've refused their offer to save his life. Well, he probably wouldn't. But knowing his luck, travelling with the two idiots would likely end in him becoming immortal, or getting stuck in a parallel universe or something. Never mind if it were impossible.
They landed hard, the impact causing Jack to lose his grip on the railings and skid across the floor. "Ow." He complained, rubbing his arm where he'd hit the control panel. "Is she always this bumpy? I think you need a new ship."
The Doctor, who had offered him a hand up and was midway through pulling Jack to his feet, dropped him promptly. The Doctor was the only one still standing, even Rose had been thrown unceremoniously to the ground in the crash.
"It's okay love, the mean little boy didn't mean it." The Doctor crooned, stroking the Tardis. Jack hauled himself upright, looking at Rose.
"Does he always talk to her like that?"
"Yup." Rose smirked, brushing invisible dirt off of her trousers. "It's creepy, but you get used to it. Come on, I guess Harry needed us sooner than we thought." She led the way out of the Tardis, the Doctor right behind her. Jack shook his head, took one last look at the smoking Tardis, and followed them outside.
"Earth." He said, nodding approvingly. "Quite warm, but looks like England. Who is Harry?"
"I told you, we Dimension hopped." The Doctor jogged up to a seemingly random house, ringing the doorbell. "This isn't your Earth. Hello Mrs Dursley!" He greeted confidently, as a woman opened the door. She had a long neck and a sour expression. The Doctor shook her hand vigorously. "It's such a displeasure to see you again! Can we come in?"
"No." The woman snapped, snatching her hand back. "Take your ghastly box and get out of here." She nodded at the Tardis with obvious disdain.
"I won't be doing that." The Doctor shouldered his way into the house. Rose followed him, eyebrows creased together in concern. Jack had no clue what was going on, but he followed anyway, smiling apologetically at Mrs Dursley. She glared at him.
"Who are you?" She asked suspiciously.
"A friend of ours." Rose replied coldly. "Where's Harry?"
A quiet knock echoed down the hallway. Mrs Dursley's face paled at an alarming rate when the Doctor turned to face her.
"I can explain." She said hurriedly, hands raised surrender.
"No." The Doctor said sharply. "You can't." He crouched down by the cupboard under the stairs and tried his screwdriver on the lock. "Doesn't do wood." He muttered to himself. "Oh well. Harry, can you hear me?"
"Yes sir." Jack's eyebrows shot upwards. Why was there a child locked in the cupboard?
"Good. Shuffle back as far as you can." Without hesitation, the Doctor ripped the door off its hinges and discarded it behind him, helping a small child climb out of the cupboard.
"Harry, go with Rose and Jack to the Tardis." The Doctor said with a stony expression. "I need to have a little chat with your aunt."
Harry obediently stepped closer to Rose, who took his hand and led him away from Mrs Dursley. Harry flinched as he walked past her. Rose pulled Harry out of the house, Jack following a respectful distance behind. Harry kept turning around to shoot him curious looks, but Jack just winked at him.
"What happened?" Rose asked as soon as they were in the Tardis. "I thought they'd given you a bedroom? Where are all the clothes we got you?"
"Vernon burned them." Harry twisted his hands together as Rose ushered him into a conveniently placed sofa in the control room, that had definitely not been there when they left. Jack whistled quietly. The Tardis must really like this kid. "I'm sorry, I know they cost you lots of money."
"Not your fault." Rose tilted Harry's chin back and forth, then rolled his sleeves up. Jack had the oddest feeling she was checking for bruises. "Why were you back in that cupboard?"
Harry looked away, but answered the question regardless. "Vernon thought you wouldn't come back." He mumbled. "So he said I had to go back as punishment for bringing you here. He said if I did it again, he would-" Harry cut himself off, shaking his head slightly. "Never mind."
"Harry." Rose said slowly. "How long has it been for you since we were last here?"
"Three weeks." Harry whispered. Rose hissed a breath. "But they only put me back in the cupboard a week ago, I promise!" He hastened to add.
"I'm going to kill them." Rose snarled. "Jack, stay here and look after Harry."
"No, Rose!" Harry burst out, grabbing her arm. "Don't leave me, please!"
Before Rose could reply, the Doctor stormed into the Tardis.
"Right then, Harry!" He said with a clap of his hands. "Next stop, social services. Let's hope they're not as useless as they are in our Dimension, hey?"
Harry swallowed but didn't argue. Jack had never been so confused in his life, but knew he wasn't going to get straight answers. He decided not to even bother trying to ask.
Social services were, in fact, just as useless across dimensions. After the Doctor had dropped Harry off, he hopped forward a day to make sure he was settling in at his new foster families' home. Rose explained everything to Jack in hushed whispers as the Doctor raged. When he knocked on the door of a pleasant looking cottage, the couple inside had no idea who the Doctor was talking about.
"You're a social worker?" The man at the door had asked politely. "I'm sorry, we've not had any new fosters in over a month. Are you sure you're at the right house?"
They found Harry right back where they had left him. When the Doctor questioned Petunia, they discovered she had no memory of Harry ever leaving.
"They put me back in my bedroom." Harry explained as he followed the Doctor back into the Tardis. "They think you threatened them and then left, they don't remember me being gone. I went to sleep at Mr and Mrs James' house, but woke up in Dudley's second bedroom. I don't understand why."
"Neither do I." The Doctor replied through gritted teeth. "Oh well, second time lucky I suppose. We'll stop at the shops first, you need replacement clothes. Did Dudley break your glasses again? We'll get you a new pair and a spare pair, just in case."
The second time was not lucky. The same thing that happened the first time happened the second, then the third, and the fourth. By the fifth try, the Doctor was losing what little patience he still had left.
"Alright, desperate times call for desperate measures. Harry, name a country, any country."
Jack and Rose shared a look. They'd had to sleep for a while after the first 5 efforts, having been awake for almost 36 hours trying to get Harry somewhere safe. Apparently the Doctor had escalated his efforts in the time they'd slept.
Harry wrinkled his nose. "Australia?" He supplied. The Doctor grinned.
"Excellent choice!" He praised. Harry's face flushed. "Down the stairs we go." Jack was rather familiar with the Dursley's house by now, especially the bedroom that Harry seemed to be borrowing more than claiming as his own.
Rose and the Doctor persuaded Vernon and Petunia to enrol Harry in an international boarding school extremely easily. The Doctor naturally offered to take Harry himself, so they did. It was a gorgeous school, all pearly white buildings and sports courts and very friendly teachers. Jack had a marvellous time flirting with the headmistress.
Harry seemed nervous at first, but when they left he was chatting happily to a group of his new classmates. The Doctor had the foresight to take him shopping again, so he wasn't in the scruffy rags the Dursley's seemed determined to make him live in.
"Quick hop to the morning." The Doctor said, mostly to himself. "Just to ensure he's still there. Then we can go."
Harry had woken up back in Privet Drive. The Doctor was beyond furious.
"Why don't we just ring the police?" Rose suggested as they left the house.
"It won't work." The Doctor sounded very sure. "But by all means, we can try."
The Doctor was right. The police were useless. Jack tentatively brought up fake identities, which the Doctor latched onto the idea of immediately. Again, it didn't work. It seemed like the harder they tried to remove Harry from his relative's clutches, the more determined magic was to keep him here. That's what Rose said, anyway. Harry didn't seem very certain that magic existed. Jack was inclined to agree.
Rose and the Doctor believed it whole heartedly.
In a last-ditch attempt, the Doctor gave Harry yet another fake identity and took him ten years into the past, then ten years into the future.
"Surely magic won't transport him back through time." The Doctor said to Rose, who just shrugged. She looked just as lost as the Doctor did.
"If it does, I'll believe you." Jack said.
Harry woke up back in Privet Drive the very next day, the Dursleys having no idea he'd ever even left. They hadn't put him back in the cupboard either, not when the Doctor was showing up every day and threatening them. The Doctor had, very reluctantly, given up on removing Harry from the Dursleys.
"You two sleep." He told Jack and Rose. "The Tardis will be ready to make the journey back when you wake up. She's flying all right within this dimension but she's still a bit sensitive. We'll say goodbye to Harry in the morning."
When Jack returned the console room after a full ten hours of sleep (the beds on the Tardis were the comfiest he'd ever experienced) he found the Doctor in a frenzy.
"They're gone!" He explained as he darted around the control panel in a whirlwind of panic. "All of them, gone! I don't understand!"
Rose frowned. "Gone? Have you checked inside the house?"
"Yes, Rose, I'm not an idiot!" The Doctor snapped. "I scanned the house and checked the Tardis' thermal cameras - no signs of life to be found. Also, their car is gone!"
Rose rolled her eyes, pulling on her leather jacket and beckoning Jack forward. "Come on, there'll be clues inside. He'll follow us when he's ready to stop panicking."
Jack, keen to impress his new travel companions (he owed them his life, why wouldn't he want to impress them?) tried his best to pick the lock. It was a relatively simple design, but nothing clicked when it should. He frowned, pushing the hairpin he'd borrowed off Rose further into the lock.
"Strange." He murmured. "I'm definitely doing it right."
Rose smirked and grabbed the door handle, twisting it gently. The door swung open with ease. "You're just as bad as the Doctor." She laughed. "Why don't you blokes ever just try the handle?"
"I resent that." Jack put a hand on his heart as he followed Rose inside. "Um, Rose? Where's the floor?" Jack looked down at his feet. Where the floor should've been was instead hundreds and hundreds of envelopes. "Huh, the paper in this dimension looks strange. Why is it so yellow?" He picked up an envelope, turning it over in his hands.
"Is that parchment?" Rose asked curiously, picking one up for herself. "Odd, they're all addressed to Harry. There's even a wax seal, look!"
"H." Jack frowned. "H for what?"
Rose sighed. "Are you kidding me? I'm surround by idiots. Just open the letter and read it! It should tell us everything." Rose had already torn her own envelope open, scanning the contents. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? The Doctor was right, Harry does actually have magic!"
"I'm guessing that the Dursleys weren't too happy about it." Jack commented lightly, nudging the sea of envelopes with his foot. "Hence the repeated delivery."
"So they ran away." Rose scowled, kicking the letters into the air. "Forgetting to lock the door. Typical."
The sprinted back to the Tardis, both of them having the foresight to bring an envelope with them. The Doctor studied it thoughtfully, pacing backwards and forwards.
Without explanation, he ran out of the Tardis and towards the house.
"Doctor!" Rose chased after him. Jack didn't bother, flopping onto the sofa that had decided to stay in the control room since Harry's first visit. He re-read the letter carefully.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Magic? We await your owl? What sort of crazy Dimension was this? He was shaken from his thoughts by Rose and the Doctor returning.
"Either Harry or one his relatives touched this one." He explained as he tossed the letter onto an empty surface on the control panel. "If I can replicate the DNA echo on the letter, I can magnify the signal and try and attune it to the telepathic circuit, and..." The Doctor clapped once. "Got it! Rose, stick your hand in there for me, it won't hurt."
Rose did as she was told. "Ow!"
"I lied. Think of Harry, now. Close your eyes if it helps."
"Okay. Why?"
"I'm connecting the Tardis to your mind. With the added DNA echo, I should be able to lock onto a signal. Gotcha!" The Doctor cheered, pressing a button. "Rose Tyler, don't move a muscle."
They landed within ten seconds, the quickest flight Jack had ever been on.
"This can't be right." Jack frowned as he stepped out of the Tardis. "We're on a rock. In the middle of the ocean."
"There's no way Harry's here." Rose added, eyeing the hut in front of them with distaste. "The Dursleys would never stay somewhere so..."
"Primitive?" The Doctor suggested, imitating Petunia's accent with a mocking grin. "Scared people do strange things, Rose, remember that. Come along, onwards and upwards!"
The wind howled around them as the door slammed open, almost flying off its hinges.
"Doctor!" Harry exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Close the door, and don't wake Dudley." He sounded glad to see them, if a bit surprised.
Jack snickered at the loud snores coming from the room at the back of the hut.
"Hello Harry." The Doctor whispered. It took all three time-travellers to push the door closed. "Why are you on the floor of a hut on a rock in the middle of the ocean?"
Harry bit his lip. "I got letters." He explained quietly, gesturing pointedly at a large lump on the sofa. Jack's eyes widened when he realised it was Dudley. "Uncle Vernon didn't want me to read them."
"Here." The Doctor handed Harry an envelope. "Three minutes."
"Until what?" Harry frowned up at him.
"Your birthday!" The Doctor whispered with a bright grin. "It's almost officially been a year since we met!"
Harry ignored him, too busy staring at a letter. "Are you pranking me?" He asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes at the Doctor. "If this is your way at getting revenge on the Dursleys, then it didn't work. They just blamed me instead."
"Harry, I promise you this wasn't me." The Doctor knelt down on the floor beside the young boy. "You must be freezing, here." He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Harry, who was shivering.
"So I really am magic?" Harry whispered, holding the letter reverently. "Really and truly?"
"Really and truly." Rose smiled, crouching on Harry's other side. Jack grinned as he joined them on the floor, giving Harry a fist bump in congratulations.
Overall for Harry, it had been ten months since they had arrived and started trying to remove him from the Dursleys. For Rose, Jack and the Doctor, it hadn't been more than four or five human days. Harry seemed much more comfortable with Jack than he had when they first arrived. Jack also felt rather fond of the kid.
"Ten seconds!" Rose pulled Harry into a side-hug, pointing at the watch on Dudley's wrist. They watched as the seconds ticked by, getting ready to celebrate Harry's birthday quietly. Jack spotted a small drawing on the dusty floor in a shape that closely resembled a birthday cake.
"3, 2, 1! Happy Birth-" A loud bang made them all jump. Harry curled in on himself, Rose screamed and pulled Harry closer to her protectively. Jack leapt backwards but in front of Harry and Rose, pulling a gun from his pocket.
"Put that away!" The Doctor snapped, jumping to his feet and pushing past Jack. "No guns!"
"Wha- AHHH!" Dudley rolled off the sofa, scrambling backwards. "Mum, Dad! Help!"
The door had been ripped from its hinges, landing on the ground outside with a deafening crash. Something large stepped through the doorway, the wooden wall splintering to make room. Jack frowned. Two legs and 2 arms, like a billion other species. Too large to be human, chances of being an alien probably not very high.
"'ello 'arry!" The stranger greeted. "'appy birthday!"
Vernon and Petunia barrelled into the room, Vernon holding a large rifle. The Doctor tutted disapprovingly. Dudley screamed when the stranger ambled towards him. To be fair, the stranger was huge. If Jack had woken up to something that large practically charging at him on a rock in the middle of the ocean at eleven years old, he would have screamed too.
The stranger did seem friendly enough, though.
"I'm not Harry!" Dudley wailed. "Please don't eat me!"
"Eat yeh! Why would I do tha'?" The stranger asked, looking genuinely puzzled. "Where's 'arry then? I want to wish him a happy birthday and give 'im his letter."
"Who are you?" The Doctor asked, scanning the stranger with his screwdriver. "What do you want with Harry?"
"Get out!" Vernon roared. "Get away from my son!"
Jack and Rose watched with varying levels of amusement as the Doctor, Vernon and the stranger began to argue. As their voices rose, Harry shuffled closer to Rose, covering his ears.
"SHUT IT!" She yelled. Harry jumped and she ran a hand through his hair, keeping him close. "All of you, shut up!" The three bickering men blinked at her. Petunia pulled Dudley away from the stranger. "Can someone please explain who he is -" She pointed at the stranger, "-and what is going on?"
The stranger was called Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper of Hogwarts. He didn't seem surprised to know Harry knew about magic, having assumed the Dursleys told him. No one corrected him, the Doctor's glare enough to shut the Dursleys right up. They didn't protest when the Doctor introduced himself as John Smith, family friend. Nor did they argue when Rose and Jack introduced themselves the same way.
"Odd place teh live." Hagrid commented.
"Do you like it?" The Doctor asked innocently. "It's our vacation home! We invited Vernon, Petunia and the kids to come stay with us after their house was flooded with letters. They thought they had a stalker."
"It's alrigh'." Hagrid replied, not sounding at all sure. He sat down on the sofa, taking up the majority of the room. The Doctor sat cross legged on the floor opposite him, Harry immediately shuffling closer to him. Rose let him go - Harry gravitated towards the Doctor like a moth to flame, most people did. It was one of the first things Jack had noticed about the strange man with the telephone box.
When it became apparent everyone was waiting for answers. Hagrid began to explain. He told them about Hogwarts and magic, which they had deduced for themselves, but then he told them all about Harry's parents, a dark wizard he refused to name (Voldemort, the Doctor pulled it out of him) and exactly why Harry was so famous.
"Not a drunken car crash, Harry, hey?" The Doctor nudged him with a soft smile.
"Car crash?" Hagrid bellowed. "A car crash kill the Potters? Who told 'im that?" The Doctor pointed at the Dursleys with a bright grin, laughing when Hagrid stormed over to give them a talking to. Jack's eyes widened as Hagrid snatched the rifle from Vernon's grasp and tied it into a knot, discarding it with a snarl.
Vernon whimpered. Rose smirked.
"I made yeh summat. Mighta sat on it at some point, but it should still taste alrigh'." Hagrid handed Harry a large box. Inside was a very pink birthday cake, with green writing on the top. Harry thanked Hagrid profusely, setting it gently to the side as he peppered Hagrid with questions about his parents. Hagrid was more than happy to oblige.
The Dursleys disappeared off into their bedroom, leaving the others to sleep in the draughty main room. Hagrid fixed the door and made a fire in the grate with magic, warming them up considerably. Harry slept under Hagrid's jacket so the Doctor gave his to Rose, who was not dressed for the weather.
Jack assumed the Doctor didn't want Hagrid knowing about the Tardis. Otherwise they would definitely be in their soft and warm beds by now.
Jack didn't sleep, far too uncomfortable on the cabin floor. Instead he watched over the others, hand on his gun just in case Hagrid did decide to turn on them in the night. He was friendly enough, but impressions could be deceiving. The Doctor also didn't sleep. He sat with his back against the wall, watching Harry and Rose sleep with hypervigilance.
In the morning, Hagrid made them all sausages whilst he explained owl post, Diagon Alley, and informed them that he would be taking Harry shopping. Vernon opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced with one dangerous glare shot his way by the Doctor.
"Can Jack and Rose go with you?" The Doctor asked politely. "I'll take these three home, now that we know the stalker threat wasn't real."
Hagrid nodded in understanding. "O'course. But there's only one boat! Want me ter send it back for yeh?"
"Please." The Doctor nodded sincerely. "That would be most helpful, thank you."
Jack and Rose flanked Harry for the journey back to land, Hagrid taking up half the boat by himself. He didn't seem to notice the Tardis despite the bright blue standing out on the dreary slab of rock.
Harry tilted his head as he tried to read the paper Hagrid was holding, the giant muttering to himself every couple of minutes. Rose seemed content to sit in silence, so Jack followed suit. Hagrid sped the boat up with magic then sent it back to the hut on the rock. They managed to locate the nearest bus stop without much fanfare, then took two trains to London.
Harry's London looked much the same as the London on the 20th century Earth that Jack was familiar with in his own Dimension. The streets were heaving with people, but Hagrid's size cleared them a nice path through the crowd, that also prevented them from being jostled about too much. Rose kept a tight grip on Harry's arm, but Jack didn't comment on it.
Poor Harry was practically swarmed upon in the pub. Rose did a valiant job at navigating him through the sudden fan-club. Jack barged people out of their way where he could, doing his best to help them get through the crowd as quickly as possible.
Diagon Alley was gorgeous. It wasn't quite like the markets on Akhaten, but it was still pretty magical. Harry had an absolute blast. Once they'd seen his vault (Harry was rich, Jack was only a tiny bit jealous) and picked up a mysterious package for Hogwarts' elusive Headmaster, Rose let Harry go a bit wild before they knuckled down on the school supply list.
Hagrid chuckled; he clearly had no inclination to stop them. Jack smirked and followed suit.
"Fancy a drink?" Hagrid asked him quietly whilst Rose chatted to the tailor in the robes shop. Harry was talking to a blonde kid, who was there alone but seemed quite uncomfortable. "I need a pick-me-up."
Jack liked Harry, he really did, but he hadn't had a drink in a pub for a very long time.
"Go." Rose laughed when she caught his torn expression out of the corner of her eye. "We'll be fine. Meet us at the book shop in an hour?"
Jack grinned and happily accepted Hagrid's offer, jogging to keep up with him as they headed to the pub. He behaved himself, he only had one drink (Firewhiskey they called it, Jack had never had such a delicious alcoholic beverage in his life) then sweet-talked the bartender into selling him three bottles for future consumption.
After flirting with one or five people, playing far too many games of cards and making a couple bets with Hagrid on something called Quidditch, it was time to go. They found Rose and Harry in the bookshop, but Harry was far quieter than he'd been at the beginning of the trip. Rose bit her lip, watching him worriedly.
"His wand has a brother." She explained in a hushed tone. "It belonged to that evil wizard Hagrid was talking about last night. Voldewart?"
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Jack reassured her, but Rose didn't look persuaded. "We'll tell the Doctor as soon as we get Harry back home, he'll know what to do."
The Doctor didn't know what to do. Rose called him, unable to wait, but he wasn't able to reassure her either. As a matter of fact, he made it worse.
"It could be nothing." He said, Jack only just able to pick up what he was saying with the phone pressed so tightly against Rose's ear. "But then again, it could be everything."
They ate dinner in the pub and then parted ways with Hagrid, Rose getting them on the right trains and buses back to Surrey.
"Ah, there you are!" The Doctor greeted them cheerfully from the Dursley's kitchen. "The Dursleys aren't back yet."
"I thought you were bringing them back?" Rose asked, putting the kettle on.
The Doctor's grin was sharklike. "I never said that, did I? Hagrid sent the boat back, so I let them make their own way home."
"What've you been up to, then?" Jack wished Petunia believed in comfortable kitchen chairs - the wooden seats didn't even have a cushion!
"Frolicking in meadows of daisies and singing the Sound of Music!" The Doctor grinned. "Just kidding. Tardis maintenance, mostly. Then I thought, you knows what this house really needs? A much nicer bedroom for it's youngest inhabitant!"
Harry's eyes widened. "Doctor, you didn't swap our bedrooms did you? The Dursley's will-"
"Do absolutely nothing." The Doctor finished for him. "Relax, Harry, I didn't swap any rooms. I just reorganised a little. Come and see!"
Jack followed the Doctor and Harry up the stairs. The Doctor opened Harry's bedroom door with a flourish. Harry gasped.
The room had been painted a soft sage green. The bed's mattress was thicker and the pillows were fluffier. The bedclothes were light grey, with a mixture of dark green and grey cushions propped up against the pillows. A brand new set of pyjamas (tardis blue and covered in stars, naturally) lay folded at the end of the bed.
A brand new desk had been built right in front of the window, a matching chair with a dark green cushion tucked neatly in front of it. There was a new wardrobe in the corner, as well as a new set of bookshelves. Dudley's old stuff was nowhere to be found. Brand new books lined the shelves, as well as some random knick-knacks Jack recognised from the Tardis.
"If they do something to destroy anything in here, I'll replace it." The Doctor promised. "I gave them a pretty good talking to before I left them on the island, so I'm hoping they'll leave your bedroom alone. I know you don't like asking for help, Harry, but if they try anything just call for us, alright? We'll come back, we'll fix whatever it is that needs fixing."
"I- thank you." Jack looked away as tears filled Harry's eyes, giving the kid a moment to compose himself and hug the Doctor. "I love it, so much!"
"Good." The Doctor patted Harry's shoulders affectionately. "It feels much more homely in here now, doesn't it?"
"Tea!" Rose called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Fantastic!" With one last grin at Harry, the Doctor took off. "Last one to the kitchen is a smelly sontaran!"
"What's a sontaran?" Harry asked, panting as he flopped into a chair at the kitchen table. Jack, now dubbed a smelly sontaran, grimaced.
"They're warriors back in our Dimension. Very unpleasant, including bad hygiene. Speaking of unpleasant species, your relatives are home."
Harry stiffened as they listened to the car pull into the drive. Rose snorted quietly, sipping her tea.
"We never did get that first cup." She said to the Doctor. "They owe us this one."
The Dursleys were less than pleased to see them. They were even less pleased to discover that the Doctor had no plans on going anywhere until Harry was due to start school. He escorted Harry to the station himself.
Well, he made Vernon drive, criticising him very loudly from the passenger seat. Jack had a feeling he made Vernon drive on purpose, as when he asked why they couldn't just take the Tardis, the Doctor winked at him and refused to answer.
Harry sat in the middle between Jack and Rose, his Hogwarts things in the boot. He kept his new snowy owl, Hedwig, in a cage on his lap. Hagrid had bought her for him as a birthday present.
Once in the station, Harry checked the ticket. They couldn't find Platform 9 and 3/4 anywhere, nor did the Doctor let Harry ask a security guard.
The minute hand ticked closer to eleven. Harry began to worry, his frown becoming more prominent.
"There's energy here." The Doctor said, pointing with his screwdriver at the pillar between platform 9 and 10. "Magical energy." He flattened himself against the wall, listening intently.
"Um, excuse me sir, do you mind getting out of the way?" A redheaded, bright-eyed woman asked, tapping the Doctor on the shoulder politely. "I need to get my children through to school."
"So it is a secret doorway!" The Doctor grinned. "I thought as such. I'm John Smith, a pleasure to meet you ma'am."
"Molly Weasley." Molly Weasley smiled warmly, shaking the Doctor's proffered hand. "Are you from the muggle world, dear?"
"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "Just escorting Harry here to the station, his relatives were indisposed today. Say hello, Harry."
"Hello Harry." Harry echoed.
Two of Molly's sons, identical twins, snickered. Harry flushed, looking quite proud of himself.
"It's nice to see him come out of his shell a bit." Rose whispered to Jack, who nodded in agreement. They'd only started see the cheeky side of Harry in the last few weeks they'd spent living in the Dursley's garden (in the Tardis, of course). It was nice to see him act his age instead of like a mini adult.
"It's quite simple, really." Molly gestured at the very solid pillar. "Just run right at it, it will let you through. Best do it at a run if you're nervous. Muggles cannot get through to the platform, I'm sorry dear."
"Really?" The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "That feels a bit exclusive."
Molly tutted loudly. "Tell me about it." She said, shaking her head in disapproval. "It's awfully unfair on the poor muggle born-and-raised students, who most likely need their guardians to wave them off more than magically-raised children do!"
"You'll be alright, won't you Harry?" The Doctor clapped him on the back. "Have the best year, call if you need anything. We'll be here." Harry nodded at the hidden message. If anything happens, summon the Tardis. "We'll let your relatives know you got here safely, okay?"
"Be safe, kid." Jack winked at him. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Rose laughed. "You're giving him way too much freedom, Jack." She pulled Harry into a hug, whispering something in his ear before releasing him. "Go and be amazing, can't wait to hear all about it next time we see you."
"Don't be silly, dear, students are allowed to write." Molly corrected her with a smile. "You go after Percy, dear." Molly's eldest ran at the barrier, vanishing just as he connected with the wall. Harry took a deep breath, gave the Doctor, Rose and Jack one last shaky smile, and ran after him.
The Doctor led them back out of the station. Vernon, inexplicably, had actually waited for them.
"I thought we'd be making out own way back." Rose commented.
Vernon scowled, but didn't elaborate. Unfortunately for him, the Doctor did.
"I locked his wheels." He said proudly. "This old thing might not do wood, but it works wonders on rubber and metal. On we go then, Dursley! Do try to drive more smoothly this time."
Went they returned to Privet Drive, they followed Vernon back into the house. Petunia watched them go upstairs with pursed lips, but didn't try and stop them.
"It doesn't work on wood." The Doctor muttered to himself. "So how to stop them... aha!" He ran into the Tardis, which had been parked in Harry's room at some point prior. Jack had no idea when. "This should hold it." He held up two metal discs, attached by a metal rod.
He stuck one to the door and one to the wall, effectively locking the door from the inside. An invisible sheen of energy rippled around the door. "It'll work like a deadlock. I've timed it to unlock itself when he returns from Hogwarts. He'll have to summon me before he returns to Hogwarts for his second year to reapply it. I'll leave him a note to let him know, give me a minute."
They didn't bother saying goodbye to the Dursleys. Instead, they left Harry's dimension directly from his bedroom. All in all, Jack's first adventure with the Doctor and Rose had been pretty successful. He hoped they were all a bit more like this one from now on.