The murderer with my face

Chapter 3

Jack would not sit down. He was cold, tired and his blue great coat, though chosen for a certain swish and style, was heavy with moisture and mud, not to mention that his knees had taken this moment to tremble. Possibly an after shock of the ‘big spidery beasties’, as the doctor had so eloquently put it to Snape, who had merely sneered and looked a little puzzled. He shifted against the wall, locking his knees to keep his balance, and re-fixed Snape with the death glare. He was not about to admit he was in shock. It didn’t suit his image, he decided. He was ‘Capt’n Jack Harkness’ – hard as rock’ – in his head this was always said in the typical movie trailer, booming and overly threatening voice of Hollywood. And he was not going to sit in this Jerk’ s overly-polished furniture, despite the fact that the doctor was practically lounging on one of the green leather armchairs as he and Snape chatted (well, the doctor babbled on enthusiastically while Snape watched Jack suspiciously, his eyes narrow and cold. He would not sit on the luxuriously quilted chair by the huge, inviting fire, despite, nah, especially since Snape had practically ordered him to when they arrived.

‘Sit’ he’d said to both of them. ‘Sit’ – as if they were two stinking pups! The doctor had flopped happily into the nearest armchair, his trench coat fanning out around him like a cape. But Jack had refused, offering a clipped “no, thanks”, preferring to stay close to the door. Snape’s brow had knitted so firmly you would have thought Jack had told him to piss off, rather then simply declined a seat, but had said no more.

Jack smirked at that now. Didn’t know how to handle me, huh? Well, tough shit, buddy it doesn’t get easier with Captain Jack.

So, here they were, Snape perched tensely on the edge of his desk, arms folded over his high necked, buttoned black robe and eyes darting angrily between Jack and the Doctor. Jack glared back – looking every bit the petulant child, but the doctor continued to chatter on, unaffected by the greasy twat’s hostility. Jack bristled for the Doctor’s sake – for how damn rude this ‘old friend’ was being to him, and snarled at Snape. But the lanky figure wasn’t looking his way.

“….and that’s when it fell of in my hand!” The doctor concluded his reminiscence and Jack realised he hadn’t heard a word the doctor had said. Neither, it seemed, had Snape, who coughed carefully and said

“Quite”.

The doctor grinned at some unknown joke and looked between the two edgy men in the room with him, gauging their faces. The grin was forced from his face slowly, but remained in his eyes.

“So, Snapey-boy, how’ve you been?”

Snape gave him yet another withering assessment with eyes. “Just spiffing, thank you kindly, Mister Doctor”

“Oh please, just ‘Doctor’ will do. Never been a Mister in my life, unless you count John Smith, but you know me too well for that. No no, ‘Doctor’ it is! You can call me ‘Doc’, like Jack, if you want” He winked at Jack, who opened his mouth to object – that was his pet name! But was cut across again by the Doctor.

“Or Doccy, Doc-love, sweetie, DocBob, darling. Anything you wish really. Though I’d steer clear of the whole ‘Mater, Lord, Oh-great-one’ thing, only that tends to go to my head just a touch. Hope you understand, Sev.”

“Very well, Doctor” Snape bit out, attempting to halt him in his ramblings.

“Wonderful,” the Doctor lavished, flopping back in his chair “Any tea, Severus? Or should I play mother?”

“Doctor.’ Severus snapped. “Would you be so kind as to please explain yourself, and your…assistant’s presence in this school, and indeed, now in my rooms before you begin demanding such trivialities as tea from me!” Snape was now standing in front of his desk, arms rigid by his sides and his long, pale hands in fists. The Doctor said nothing, only studied ugly the man from his seat, frowning slightly.

“Jeez, I thought you two were meant to be old friends.” Jack muttered from his position by the door. Snape turned his head to look at him, his hair swinging lankly in his eyes, but the Doctor didn’t turn– his eyes remaining resolutely on Snape’s face. Jack raised an eyebrow at Snape and stepped forward.

“So did I”. The voice came from the chair, before Jack had the chance to continue. Snape kept his gaze firmly on Jack, his lips tightening. Jack frowned at both if them.

“Professor Snape? If the Doc’s your pal, surely he deserves a little more hospitality from you, seeing as we’ve already made it pretty damn clear that we’re both stuck here and came to you for some fucking help.”

Snape cocked his head, his more than adequate nostrils flaring dangerously. “We are not, nor were we ever ‘pals’. We have met before – on that you are correct, congratulations, but the circumstances of that meeting are neither relevant, nor any of your bloody business.”

“That’s ‘Captain’. Captain Jack Harkness.” Jack preened

“Captain of what, exactly?” Snape's eyes gleamed and he turned his body to face Jack, pulling himself to his full and considerable height – which was ever so slightly taller than Jack. Jack stepped forwards.

“RAF for one of many.”

“Well, Captain, despite your wonderfully charming accent, forgive me if I gave you the impression that I wanted to be, or ever would be impressed by anything you have to say. Believe me, you have already proved your wholly arrogant, self-obsessed, undeniably Yanky attitude. You and I will never see eye to eye, thank Merlin, so why don’t you make it easier for me to ignore you and save me a worse headache than I already have?
“It is beyond me why you think the doctor’s and my past dealings are any of your business. Whatever kind of travelling ‘eye-candy’- as you Americans say- you are to him now, that was then, and this is now. I have already stated that what was then, to me, has absolutely no bearing on what is now. Neither you, nor the Doctor know me, nor are my ‘pals’. So kindly desist from asking, or attempting to shove your obtusely chiselled face into my business again” He stepped back and to the cabinet on the wall. “Scotch, Doctor?”

Jack reeled very slightly. “Did you just compliment me?”

Snape made no move to show he had heard Jack, but simply handed the doctor a cut crystal glass with a generous amount of amber liquid swishing in the bowl of it. The Doctor took at and swirled it on his knee and looked up at Jack, a fleeting grin and expression of barely contained amusement on his face. He sipped his scotch, breathed in sharply at the burn, sighed in pleasure and turned back to Snape.

Snape took the seat opposite the doctor, elegantly folded his long legs and looked over the rim of his glass and into his eyes. They sat like this for an age, simply staring at each other. Jack had no idea what to do. He wanted to talk back to Snape, protect his honour and bring the asshole down off his high horse. But the Doctor didn’t seemed fazed in the slightest by Snape’s acerbic diatribe, and suddenly Snape was sitting there, happy to talk and accept the Doctor’s as an acquaintance, if not the friend the Doctor had claimed he was . Leave you two to it, then, shall I? thought Jack, settling himself on Snape’s desk and watch the pair. This was no doubt going to take a while with Snape being almost as prickly as – well, as Jack could be himself.

With the glasses re-filled and the atmosphere in the room at little warmer, Snape finally gave up the waiting game.

“Well?”

The Doctor looked at him. “Well what?”

Snape clenched his jaw, but answered blandly. “Why are you here? Why can’t you simply leave? I’ve explained the dangers of you being here.”

“Actually you haven’t. And anyway, I’ve already explained why Jack and I are here. We got knocked, well…more like shoved off course and ended up here.”

“And the…blue box?” Snape inquired carefully, as if unsure his information was correct.

“The TARDIS?” The Doctor’s face was blank for a second and he swirled his drink again. From his un-obtrusive seat on the desk, Jack desperately wanted to comfort the Doctor again. Even if it was just with a strong hand on his shoulder. Maybe Snape would understand. Unlikely.

“She’s not here. Well…” The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, and for a second, Jack felt both a rush of lust at the masculine gesture, and a strange feeling in his chest. Aw Doc, cheer up... “She left. The…um…the spidery beasties set off her primal protective instincts. Unfortunately, she only saved herself, not her owners.”

Snape watched the doctor carefully as the young face quickly formed back into a mask of blank indifference. “I see. Where do you think it might be?”

“Well Jack and I guess she’s probably gone back to her last destination, which is Cardiff in 2008 in our universe, no yours. And a guess with mine and Jack’s experience is pretty near definite.”

Snape continued to gaze frustratingly, clearly waiting for the Doctor to ask, unwilling to offer himself.

“Could, I mean…would you help us?” The Doctor looked uncharacteristically vulnerable and Jack mentally threatened Snape. This better be the right answer, buddy. Just look at him…

“The ‘could’ part is by far the most important part of your question. Whether I will or not is irrelevant. If we have the ‘technology’, then even if I don’t care to aid you, I’m sure someone else would, despite your face.”

“Yes.” The Doctor seemed to mull this over. “Yes. I’m sorry, what is this about my face, Sev? You never had a problem with it before.” The Doctor winked.

Snape’s face remained shuttered, but Jack boggled. Oh come on, no way!

Snape gave a small cough, then asked “Do you not care to inquire whether I think I can get you – both of you,” he added, glancing at Jack, “home?”

The Doctor grinned, ruffled his own hair and leant back. “Come on, Severus, I know you. And you’re an astoundingly intelligent man. From the moment I explained mine and Jack’s predicament, if you’d known you couldn’t help, you’d have thrown us out straight away. The fact that we’re both still here, invading your space – and I know how private you are, Sev – means you know a way to help. And I trust you. Normally I trust only one man and one man alone,” Jack’s heart skipped a beat, “Myself. But I trust you. You know you can help us, therefore, you will. And I need not ask you anymore about it.” Jack was stuck somewhere between shock at the Doctor’s open trust and an attempt to hide his disappointment that that ‘one man’ hadn’t been him.

Snape looked openly shocked, his moth slightly open and brows slowly knotting. “Very Well.” And he swallowed down the rest of his scotch with one gulp.

The Doctor gave a small smile. “So, about my face?” He struck a ridiculous pout and half-lidded eyes, his hand coming up flat and palm down, fingertips resting under his chin like an armature model. Jack couldn’t resist snorting. Both men turned to look at him. The Doctor smiled at him, his face full of affection and despite himself, Jack felt his stomach filling with pleasure, as it always did when the Doctor smiled at him. But Snape looked at him as if he’d forgotten Jack was there, and severely wished he wasn’t. Despite himself, Jack almost blushed with frustration that Snape was privy to his and the Doctor’s continuing flirting tête-à-tête. That was his, the doctor was his, and it was private.

“You face is dangerous,” Snape replied flatly.

“You didn’t think so before.”

Snape glared at him. “As I have said, ‘before’ has absolutely no relevance to ‘now’.”

“But I was here before and you had no problem with my face. I haven’t been here since, have I? And done something terrible?”

Snape looked at him blankly. “I don’t know, have you? Surely you would know that, not me?”

The Doctor shrugged. “Future me could have been here between now and the last time I saw you.”

Snape frowned. Then in seconds he was on his feet, wand in hand and pointed between the Doctor’s eyes.

“Woah buddy, the Doc’s done nothing!” Said Jack, jumping to his feet.

“Jack! The doctor said quickly, rising to his feet and lifting his hands above his head. “For all we know, I could have done”.

Snape narrowed his eyes and gripped his wand tighter, moving it swiftly between them. After a pointed look from the Doctor, Jack raised his hands too.

But, after a moment, Snape shook his head. “No. No that can’t be it.” And he slowly slipped the wand back up his sleeve. “You’d have to had returned here, into a woman’s womb, been born and grown up in the public eye for everyone, including me, to be able to recognise you as Barty Crouch…he’s not you, as I first suspected he might be, but he bares a striking if not exact resemblance to you

This was getting stupid!

“Who does?” Jack demanded from the desk.

Snape studied him. “Barty Crouch. Junior.”

Jack made a face to show that made things no clearer, but the Doctor’s eye’s had widened and he was rubbing his jaw.

“Doc?”

The Doctor held his knuckles under his nose. “Oh… that’s just not good”

“Quite.” Snape agreed.

“Care to explain, anyone?” Jack was getting damn fed up of being left out of the conversation.

“Not really,” said Snape without looking at him, but the Doctor cut in.

“Sev, let me explain to Jack. Correct me if I’m wrong because I need to get this straight in my head too.”

Snape said nothing, only looked at the Doctor, then nodded.

“Jack, come and sit.” He signalled the other chair, next to his, forming the three men into the points of a triangle. Jack hesitated, but complied, too frustrated to procrastinate about a seat anymore. “Right,” the Doctor began, taking a deep breath and sitting up in his chair, suddenly eager and obviously about to flip into rant-mode.

“Go slow Doc, I’m just a pretty boy. Not much up here,” Jack added, knocking his head with his knuckles. The Doctor shot him a cheeky warning glance at the sarcy comment, muttering his name in admonishment. Jack threw his hands up in a mock surrender, smiled and put his hands on his knees, ready to listen. Across from them, Snape watched with a frown, his face unreadable and there was something very slightly wistful in his cold black eyes. But the Doctor had started talking, so this went unnoticed.

“When I was here last time, Severus here was twenty years old, and had just joined the ranks of a sort of cult…lead by a very powerful, but very evil wizard.” The Doctor shot Snape a quick imploring look, but Snape neither said nor did anything, just blinked once slowly to show the Doctor it was okay to continue. He looked shuttered and distant. The Doctor turned back to Jack and opened his mouth, only to be interrupted.

“Wait, this powerful evil dude, that’s Lord Voldemort, right?” Jack questioned.

“You don’t pronounce the ‘t’, but essentially, yes. Wait! Do I actually need to explain any of this to you?”

“I only read the first book,” Jack admitted.

“Ah, what? But they’re brilliant! Good against evil, pure humanity and humanity twisted, magic, friendship, mystery, prophesy, some damn sexy characters? It’s just like you and me, Jack!”

Jack grinned. “Reading’s not my thing”.

Snape snorted, and when the two men looked at him, he brushed aside the disapproval of Jack and raised his eyebrows at both of them. “What are you two babbling about? And how in Merlin’s name does he know about the Dark Lord?”

The doctor’s mouth hung open and his eyes went wild and darted to Jack. His mouth opened and closed a few times and his hand rose to do his trademark comfort-ear-pull. “Uh…long story, Sev. I’ll explain another time. Don’t worry,” he added quickly “Jack’s not been here before, have you, Jack? Jack?”

It took a second for Jack to realise he was being spoken to. His eyes had been drawn, bizarrely, to Snape’s ankle. The man had uncrossed his legs and leant forward when talking to the Doctor about Voldemort, and his robe had been swept to the side to show a small strip of ankle and calf above buttoned up black boots. The man was wearing sock-suspenders over clearly outlined, tight muscle. Jack gulped quickly.

“What, sorry? Uh, no. No I haven’t.” He swallowed again. Sock suspenders on a greasy jerk. Who knew Captain Jack Harkness could find that a turn on. Jesus, was he ill?

The Doctor was smirking at him and Snape’s ankle had disappeared from view.

“Anyway,” said the Doctor, leaning back in his chair and gesturing with the hand holding his scotch. The amber liquid swished dangerously within the diamond cut glass. “When I came here before, again, by accident, I helped Dumbledore, just a little, convince Snape to re-think his actions and become a spy for the light. He would remain a deatheater – one of Voldemort’s followers, but a faux deatheater, and a genuine spy for the Order of The Phoenix – Dumbledore’s army against evil.” He took a large gulp of scotch and grimaced “Is that right, Sev?”

“Correct. And I have continued to play this part, with much personal risk. And a lot of very personal pain. But, I suppose, far less than if I had no comrades on the side of light.” The Doctor watched him for a second, Jack noted. Something like sadness playing in his eyes. But then it was gone and he had turned back to Jack.

“I stayed here for a while. And I fought. A secret member of the order, known only by Severus. Voldemort, as you know, was defeated by a child – one Harry Potter.” At this, Snape made a strange noise – somewhere between a snort and an ‘eugh’. The Doctor smirked. “When it seemed Sev here could live a normal life again, I left. That’s the story, and the details are private, Jack.” He looked up at Snape’s detached expression. “And irrelevant, as Severus says.”

The Doctor still looked at Snape. “But,” he added to the black clad man, ‘never once did you say I looked like someone else, recognised me as someone I wasn’t, or warned me that others would do so. I remember that you simply wanted to keep me to yourself.” The doctor inclined his head and they seemed to share something between their eyes.

“Back then you were simply the Doctor to me. A mysterious stranger who helped me and who I begrudgingly trusted. However, since then, I met a man whom I had known, but whose face I had never seen.”

“Barty Crouch Junior”.

“Indeed. He was a fellow death eater, and a close one to the Dark Lord. The son of a man high up in the ministry, reported by Igor Karkafroff to be, in fact, a murderer and evil supporter. He was tried and jailed by his own father, put in wizarding prison, where he died. I saw him in court when I was tried – before his deatheater status was revealed – and I believed he was you. But he would not speak to me – obvious enough now that he was terrified to be seen associating with a known deatheater. But I simply assumed you wanted nothing more to do with me. I was freed, thanks to Albus Dumbledore, and left.
“It was afterwards I found out the man I’d thought was you, was in fact Barty Crouch Junior. I never fully understood what happened, but in the back of my mind, somehow I knew you were not the same person. I hoped maybe you would have some sort of explanation. Either way, if others who also knew Barty Crouch Junior, see you, there will be mass panic when people start to imagine that somehow, Crouch did not die, but escaped. The man you look so very like is a maniac. He has committed the most heinous of crimes, mostly murders of defenceless innocents, and enjoyed it.”

The Doctor nodded solemnly, his eyes intense.

“Do you understand, Jack?” the Doctor asked with a sigh.

“I think so.” Jack stared blankly at the Doctor “But you’re not him, right?”

The Doctor took Jack’s hands tightly. “No. I’m the Doctor. Time Lord Extraordinaire! Your friend. Owner of the TARDIS. Lover of humans. Maniac, yes, but not that one.”

Jack squeezed the Doctor’s hands back and smiled. “Okay.”

The Doctor turned to Snape, who didn’t move, but looked directly into his eyes. “It’s fine,” Snape said. “I don’t need to comforting affections. I said – I knew he wasn’t you.”

The Doctor frowned, leant back and nodded once.

The room seemed to settle into a reflective sort of peace.


“Captain Harkness?” The rich voice spoke his name with no malice. Well, with less malice anyway. Jack looked up from the carpet that he’d been staring at without seeing.

“Yeah?”

“Scotch?”

Jack blinked. “Uh, sure. Thanks.”

Snape rose and swept over to the drinks cabinet and Jack took the chance to give the Doctor an incredulous look. The Doctor cocked his head as if to say ‘There you go. Told you so.’ Jack smirked and took the glass that was stiffly being offered to him. He sipped.

“Mmm-hm, that it gorgeous.”

“Please control yourself and the noises you wish to make in your pleasure in my chambers – or would you prefer to be left alone with the whole bottle?”

Jack almost chocked on his next sip, and the doctor laughed out loud. Jack wiped his mouth and caught his breath. From ramrod stiff and anal to dirty in seconds! This man was interesting. Snape smirked, and there seemed to be true mirth in his eyes.

This seemed to mark the end of the silence.

“I will…help you.” Snape said carefully. “Or at least I will attempt to.”

“No reservations about your skill, Sev. You’ll do it. Bet you my sonic screwdriver he’s got it sorted within the week” The Doctor nudged Jack with his elbow, his eager grin firmly plastered back on his face. “Ah Sev. You, you are fantastic!”

“One second.” Snape held up a single potion-stained finger to make this clear. “I guarantee nothing, but I will do my best. But I must ask for one thing in return.”

All Jack’s initial reservations about the man came flooding back and he leant forward aggressively in his chair. “I knew it. Has to be something in it for you doesn’t there, buddy? Can’t just help the Doc out like he did you?”

“Jack, stop,” the Doctor cut in. “What is it, Severus?”

Snape was not perturbed. He gave Jack a fleeting glimpse, but it lacked the antagonism of before. “You must understand how much this mystery has frustrated me. Seeing as I never thought I would see you again to question you, I wish to take this opportunity. While I am working on how to get you home, would you do me the favour of thinking how and why you and Barty Crouch are the same person, visually?”

~*~

The Doctor didn’t hesitate. “Of Course! Not a problem! I mean, there are plenty of simple explanations I can think of right now – an alternate universe often has a different version of the same person – so a human version of this face, instead of a time lord one. Plus, this isn’t my only face!” The Doctor grinned, showing his current face off to its best, Jack considered. But Snape frowned.

“As in, I don’t die – I regenerate – same man in a new body.” He explained to Snape leaning forwards, his elbows on his thighs, gesturing with his hands “So his face isn’t my only face…it’s complicated.”

“I can tell. Nevertheless, please consider this. I don’t want a guess; I want an educated answer.”

“Of course. Jack and I will put our best thinking hats on!”

“Indeed. As there is an obvious issue with sending you off to sleep somewhere else, you must stay here tonight and I will sort out glamour – a spell to make you look completely different - for you tomorrow, so you can do your research around the wizarding world, un-accosted.”

“Sounds good to me! Just do one thing,” he added, massaging his face roughly. “Make me good looking for a change, would you? I’m sick of these teeth.” He winked at Snape, whose lips quirked very slightly.

“What a pair we’ll make, eh, Doc?”

“Oh yes!” The Doctor bounced on the balls of his feet.

“Well, then.” Snape studied the two, as if deciding something. “ I will configure you a bedroom and get the house elves to bring you some dinner.” With this, Snape left through a door to the left of the fireplace. They heard him saying an incantation and he returned.

“I hope a shower will do in the en-suite, instead of a bath. I’m afraid a bath takes up more space and I’m rather fatigued.”

“An en-suite? Ah man!” exclaimed Jack, rushing into the newly created room to take a look.

“Thank you, Severus. I know you don’t like strangers in your rooms. And thank you so much for saying you’ll help,” the Doctor added, sincere gratitude etched in his eyes.

Snape gave a genuine, if tight smile, and nodded slightly.

“Goodnight, Doctor”.

“Goodnight.”

Snape locked the door, cast protection and silencing spell on the wards of his rooms and left through the other door.

The Doctor stood in the middle of the room, coat pushed back and his hands shoved in his trouser pockets, looking after Snape and thinking.

“Uh, Doc?” came the hesitant voice from behind him.

“Yes, Jack, that’s a house elf. Please don’t shoot it.”

“No, it’s not the bat eared lil fella. Its just that… um, he’s uh… only given us one bed...”

The Doctor, unseen to Jack, smiled ever so slightly.


Phew! B*tch chapter done and dusted!

Thank you again to my dearest Beta Sugargrazed, who aided me with some blaring issues in this chapter and assisted me with plot-age  *Glimps*

Read and Review please and thankyou!