Doctor Who_ Wolfsbane - Jac Rayner [60]
About twenty minutes later, they heard the front door open again. Harry crept out of the bedroom, and peered stealthily over the banisters.
It‟s George Stanton,‟ he whispered when back in the room with the others, although it was very unlikely anyone from downstairs could hear them. „He looked - well, normal. Went into the dining room.‟
„Good, good,‟ said the Doctor.
„Perchance he does not know that his mother, the sorceress, has had to flee?‟ suggested Godric.
„It‟s possible he doesn‟t even know she‟s behind it all,‟ the Doctor said.
„They have never seemed to me to be of a closeness,‟
Emmeline added.
„But he didn‟t seem that bothered about his girlfriend being killed,‟ said Harry. „I thought that seemed suspicious at the time.‟
„We‟ll just have to ask him,‟ said the Doctor.
Harry was taken aback. „What, just like that? Do you think he‟ll tell us?‟
„He might.‟
„So, we‟ll stick a table lamp in his face and shout, that sort of thing?‟
„No, no, no, we don‟t want it to look like an interrogation,‟
said the Doctor.
„Oh,‟ said Harry. „I was rather looking forward to doing the
“nice cop, nasty cop” routine. Mind you, I hadn‟t decided which one I wanted to be.‟
„I think the best thing to do is for you, Harry, to go and have a chat with him.‟
„Me?‟ said Harry, alarmed. „Just me?‟
„You are his guest, after all. He may feel obliged to be polite to you.‟
„I think he‟ll smell a rat,‟ said Harry.
Godric looked extremely confused. For a change. „I mean, he‟ll be suspicious of my motives,‟ Harry clarified.
The Doctor shrugged. „It depends how much he knows. As I said, it‟s possible he‟s entirely in the dark.‟
„Do you think that‟s likely?‟
„To be perfectly honest, no. But does anyone have a better plan?‟
Unsurprisingly, no one did. Well, that wasn‟t strictly true -
Harry‟s plan was for the TARDIS to materialise right then and there, and for the Doctor - the proper Doctor - to sort this all out. But that probably came more under the category of
„dream‟ than „plan‟.
„Anyway,‟ said the Doctor, „let‟s just play this calmly.‟
„As long as the trees don‟t come back to life…‟
„Animation, you mean.‟ Harry, although appreciating the Doctor‟s point, nevertheless thought he was being a bit of a smart alec with that. „No, I think we should be safe. Unless we start spilling a load of blood around the place and chanting spells. That‟s what causes the land to react so strongly, I‟m fairly certain. Hence the greenery explosion at what must have been the time the last murder was committed, and the relative serenity since.‟
„Oh well, there go my plans for the day, then,‟ said Harry, attempting a joke. But no one laughed.
George was sat at the dining table, eating a plate of cold ham.
He held it out to Harry. Want some? Cook seems to have vanished, so there isn‟t anything, well, cooked, I‟m afraid.‟ He seemed oblivious to the destruction around him.
„Er, no thanks,‟ Harry said. „Look, I wondered if I could have a word with you.‟
George waved at one of the chairs that was still upright. „Of course, old man.‟
Harry sat where indicated.
„It‟s about all these happenings. Er... did you know that your mother has vanished?‟
„Has she?‟ George looked barely interested. „Well, she‟s got a lot of preparation to do, you know.‟
„Preparation for what?‟ Harry asked, realising that asking things straight out wasn‟t a very subtle interrogation technique, but hoping it might seem like idle curiosity.
„For tonight, Lieutenant, for tonight. Big things going down tonight.‟
„What sort of things?‟ said Harry, carrying on in the same vein.
George tapped the side of his nose. Ah, that would be telling.‟
„Well, quite. But between us chaps...‟
„Man‟s word is his bond, Lieutenant, man‟s