Lost Student (Doctor and Othala)

The Doctor was more than a little bit angry at the Thormund family for taking their daughter Othala out of school before the end of term. Normally this would be enough for a school professor to visit. However, the return was not only sudden but something that Othala had resisted strongly.

They had even gone to the trouble of taking her out of school when he was in a meeting with Leon Becker.

Standing at their door, The Doctor knocked and waited. And waited. And waited.

It was childish really. He knew that they were in the house and they knew that he wanted them to answer the door. Deciding that he was tired of being ignored, The Doctor gripped his stave tightly.

The front door exploded into a thousand tiny pieces, each of which simply disappeared. The Doctor stepped into the hall with a fake cheery smile,

"Hello there! You seemed to miss my knocking so I'll just ask you in person..." he paused and his face immediately darkened as magic began to visually run through his stave, "Where. Is. Othala?"

Othala was sitting in her small little room and she was sniffling lightly to herself, she had been crying almost none stop because the nice man, the Doctor had told her that he would try everything that he could to make sure that she wasn't taken home but now she was here again and it didn't look like she was ever getting out.

Hearing something explode, Othala hurried up to the door and she hammered on it, it was pretty thick but she didn't know if she was going to be heard through it but she could give it a pretty good go, her parents would be hurting whoever it was by now and she wanted to warn them to go away.

"No no go!" she shouted before she pushed her ear to the door and heard who it was "Doctor! Doctor!!"

The Doctor was an intimidating guy when he wanted to be and right now Othala's father was trying to act tough and order him to leave while her mother was hiding behind the man. He thought he heard something but Othala's father immediately started shouting louder. Annoyed, The Doctor gestured with his stave. The man went flying across the room, his wife shrieking after him,

"You're too loud." he muttered, "Shut up or I'll put you down."

Listening intently, The Doctor followed the quiet sounds to a door. What was strange was that it was not only locked traditionally but had dozens of locking rune sequences all around it. Seeing that opening the door was impossible without the key, The Doctor thrust his stave forwards and then pulled it back.

The entire door frame, still holding the door, broke free of the wall and floated to the side, leaving a gaping hole where the door had been. He immediately smiled at Othala,

"Told you I'd visit." he greeted her before going down onto one knee to hug her to him, "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner Othala."

Othala squeaked when she heard the door coming off its hinges, she blinked in the sudden light and she couldn't help but feel very scared about what would happen now that her family knew that she was being taken away, she didn't want the Doctor to be hurt.

Running towards him she wrapped her arms around his neck and she buried her head in his neck, crying softly when she knew that she was safe now, the Doctor would protect her and she would be able to go away from this place now, back to Durmstrang.

"Doctor!" she squeaked, hugging him even tighter "Watch for fambly! No get hurt!"

Gently she kissed his cheek and moved slightly away from him so that she could look into his eyes with a happy smile on her lips;

"Knew you come, you promise."

The Doctor smiled in relief when Othala ran towards him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back with one arm while still holding his stave with the other. Even as he rested his chin on her shoulder he was checking around for the family, in case they were going to take this opportunity to attack them,

"Don't you worry Othala, I'm not hurt and they won't hurt you anymore." he told her quietly, "Your mother and father seem to be in a heap in the living room so they're no threat. Other family members do not appear to be here."

He grinned at her and ruffled her hair affectionately,

"Of course Othala. I promised you and I'll never break my promises to you." he promised her with a wide grin, "Now... do you have anything you want to collect?"

Othala happily clung to the Doctor, she was too scared to move for fear that some magical picture would react and she would get hurt, biting her lip when she heard that her mother and father were out cold in the living room, she still felt a little sad for them.

"They...get up again?" she asked cautiously "They no dead are they? Me no like if they dead."

It was strange, but after everything they have done, now that she was safe, she realised that they were still her family even if they did want to harm her when they had her back in their care.

Giggling when the Doctor ruffled her hair, she grabbed him by the hand and began to run up the stairs to her room, wanting to show him the place that she used to sleep;

"Come my room?" she asked happily "You come with me to make sure no people up there, yes?"

The Doctor chuckled a little bit, with Othala's almost infectious enthusiasm he felt like he wasn't in the middle of what was hostile territory. He cast a glance at the two figures in the living room. To be honest he really didn't care if they did die. But Othala did. He cast a quick spell,

"No... they're alive. They'll be fine." he told her with a small smile, "Nothing to worry about, just sleeping."

It was odd that she seemed to care so much for a family that had shown her nothing but contempt. So odd that he didn't really think it was her real feelings. She must have had some emotions building up inside over this whole affair.

Chuckling, The Doctor allowed himself to be lead upstairs by the hand towards he room. He nodded,

"I'd love to see your room Othala." he told her with a smile, "And to make sure no one is there to hurt you."

Othala nodded a little bit when the Doctor told her that her family wasn't dead, she was glad of that because it would mean that they would be okay as soon as she was gone, however they would not be able to get her back, because she was going to live with the Doctor now, and be safer there!

"Okay that be good, I like it when they just be sleeping, they look nice when they sleep." she hummed, nodding her head with a small smile on her lips as she gently tredded past the two figures sleeping on the floor of the living room.

When they had gotten up the stairs, Othala grinned and looked at her old room, it smelled of dust because she had not lived in there in a while, however she grabbed some small things, and some clothes, placing them in a bag.

"Me not have much stuff to bring Doctor, we ready go now." she said with a smile.

The Doctor would rather have killed the family if he was honest. It would hurt Othala he knew but the pain would go away. Or at least dull to a mild ache instead of raw pain. But he couldn't do it now, she'd see him do it and he wanted to avoid that. So he'd let them live. Cockroaches had an annoying habit of living after all,

"Yes they do." he agreed, thinking of how much better they look because they looked closer to being dead. Of course that was a very dark train of thought, "They'll probably be sleeping for quite awhile too I suppose."

When they reached Othala's room, The Doctor was quietly disgusted. It was so coated in dust that he doubted she had lived in it for years. The idea that a family could have done this almost made The Doctor's blood boil,

"Are you sure that's all you want?" he asked her with a small smile, "We can take any family things you think will make you happy. I'm sure they won't mind."

Othala smiled happily and she shook her head when the Doctor asked her if she wanted to take anything else, she had all of the things that she wanted, her pretty dress, but it was a few sizes too small, most of her pretty clothes were, she stopped getting bought them when she was five after all.

"No no this is all I want." she smiled gently "Family thingies have tracking pictures on them, it not good to take them, they know where I am if I take."

Hopping down the stairs, Othala waited by the front door and she tiled her head to one side, waiting for the Doctor to come down the stairs and take her to wherever it was that she was going to be staying from now on.

"Where we go now Doctor? We go back Durmstrang?" she asked with a happy smile on her lips "Me like it there, apart from a few thing that change since we last speak."

Seeing that her clothes were a few sizes too small for her, the result of being old clothes, The Doctor enlarged them to be closer to her size now. It was only closer because he was guessing her sizes here. Thankfully they would resize when she put them on to fit perfectly. A handy little charm to be sure,

"Well I could probably get rid of them if you wanted some of them badly enough." he told her with a smile, "But if you don't then we can get going now."

The Doctor wandered down the stairs to stand beside Othala at the door. He'd checked in on her parents and aside from her father groaning a little bit there was no change. He chuckled and ruffled Othala's hair,

"My my you are an impatient one aren't you? Yes we're going back to Durmstrang." he told her before holding out his hand for her, "Take my hand alright? We'll take a little walk and you can tell me what problems you have yeah?"

Othala blushed a little bit and stubbed her toes on the floor, she didn't want to seem impatient, but she would feel a lot safer if she was not at home, even if her parents were asleep, they could wake up any moment and she didn't want to be here when they woke up, they might put her back in the room again!

"I sorry. I just want to leave in case fambly wake up soon, me nervous." she said, biting her lip lightly as she went to open the door to the house, instead merely stepping outside, with a grin on her lips "Me like being outside more than inside."

When he said that they were going for a walk, Othala nodded her head and she hopped down the front steps it was a lovely day and she really wanted to be outside now that she knew that she was going to never be going home again.

"What Doctor want know?" she asked, tilting her head to one side "What problems you want know about?"

The Doctor could now tell, with her blush as evidence, that her impatience was a cover for her sadness and her fear of being here. Hearing it as well confirmed it and he couldn't help but feel a stab of anger at her parents again. What kind of family made it's members afraid of each other? It didn't make any sense and it was a horrific thing to put Othala through,

"It's alright Othala, I understand. We'll be off then, before they have a chance to wake up." he told her with a small smile before following her outside. The door was still destroyed so it was a simple matter of stepping over the remains, "You enjoy the freedom of the open spaces and the breeze?"

The Doctor waved his wand and the front door he'd destroyed rematerialised where it had once been. He was not, however, going to have the door to Othala's "room" repaired at all,

"Well whatever is troubling you the most Othala." he told her with a smile, "Just whatever pops into your head alright?"

Othala smiled happily and she twirled herself around as she walked down the garden path she really did enjoy being outside and it was such a nice day, the sun was shining, of course she hadn't known that because there had been no windows in her room for her to look out of to see the weather.

"Me like being outside, when it's sunny and bright I like it even more, I really hope I can be outside more and more!" she giggled happily, pulling her hair back from her face, it felt a little bit lank and she pouted slightly.

Tilting her head to one side, Othala pouted gently and she sniffled, holding the Doctors hand tightly in her own, she did want to tell him but she didn't want to seem silly when she told him exactly what was going on in school.

"I no have friends in school, me think they all think I'm silly, and I not silly!" she rubbed at her eyes "I not!"

Seeing Othala twirling around so happily in the garden brought a smile to The Doctor's face. It was as if being freed from the confines of the room freed her to be the child that she always had been, inside. Of course it helped that it was a beautiful day, everywhere you looked it was bright and sunny,

"Well when you're not in classes you can be outside all you want Othala. The summer has been kind to Durmstrang after all." he told her as he too enjoyed the sunshine, "Don't pout Othala! This isn't the type of weather for pouting, only for smiling!"

The Doctor gave Othala's hand a reassuring squeeze. He knew that school was tough for her. Not only was she different to the other children but she was different in a pretty obvious way. He frowned a little bit,

"That's terrible Othala! You're definately not silly." he agreed with her before frowning, "Well then we'll just have to change their minds and show them won't we?"

Othala giggled happily and she felt like lying on the grass and rolling around in the lush green strands, she never had enough time to be outside when she was home, and she missed the lovely gardens, but as they walked away from her house, she pointed to the nearby park.

"We go there?" she asked with a hopeful smile "Pweese? Then we go Durmstrang? I not been in a park for long long time, I would like to swing on the swings again."

Feeling the reassuring squeeze that he gave her hand, Othala smiled happily and she squeezed right back, but then she frowned lightly and pouted once more, the people at school were always mean to her, even if they never said anything.

"How we show them Doctor? They hear me speak and think I silly before I tell them I not. What I do to show them I not silly?" she asked confused.

As they were meandering, for there could be no other term for what they were doing, The Doctor breathed in the fresh air deeply. When she pointed towards the park, he raised an eyebrow. Seeing no reason why they could not spend some time in the park, he nodded with a smile,

"Why of course we can go to the part Othala!" he told her before chuckling a little bit, "We'll go to Durmstrang when you're all tired out from playing in the park."

Deciding that a reassuring hand squeeze was not enough, The Doctor wrapped an arm around Othala's shoulders and gave her a one armed hug. He didn't like to hear about one of his students being bullied but children were cruel sometimes,

"Well Othala I've been working on something that might be able to help." he told her with a smile, "One of those special pictures. It'll help you so that you speak like them. After all, you're not silly or unintelligent. You're smart, you just aren't used to speaking all that much or for as long as them right?"

Othala squeaked happily and she dashed over to the park, looking around she saw that there was no other children there and they had it all to themselves for the time being, sitting down on one of the swings she pushed herself lightly on it.

"I like sound of that! It sound good." she nodded with a smile on her lips "Durmstrang be my new home? I live there now? I no go back to my house...you speak to the important people yes?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

Blinking Othala's smile grew when the Doctor said that something was going to help her, with a slow decrease in her smile, Othala looked more horrified than anything else. He wanted to give her special pictures too?!

"Y-you want give special p-picture?" she squeaked, frightened, as she slid off the swing and held her hands in front of her body to protect herself "No no no! Me don't want more pictures! I want learn properly!"

The Doctor laughed happily as Othala rushed off to play in the park with enthusiasm usually reserved for children younger than her. But then again she had not been able to enjoy the park as much as other young people had, with such limited time out of her "room" from what he understood,

"Well then if it's good enough for you then it's a good enough plan for me Othala!" he told her with a grin, "Yes I'll speak to important people so that Durmstrang will be your home. If you want to live with me that is."

The horrified expression that Othala wore confused The Doctor for a little bit. All he'd meant was to make a runic sequence that would help her with her grammar by reading it out loud for her to repeat,

"I'm not suggesting I put it on you Othala..." he assured her gently, "I was on about making you an educational toy or gadget to help you get more experience talking and using bigger words..."

Othala felt much happier knowing that the Doctor was definately going to speak with the important people so that she would never have to go back home again, she really wanted to be able to live in the lovely big castle that was Durmstrang.

"Of course I do! I want to live with Doctor, in Durmstrang, in a big castle, me like a princess, princesses live in castles, I've never been a princess before...can I be one?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

Shaking her head more and more, Othala placed her hands over her chest, folding herself in on herself, she became a little more wary of the Doctor now, maybe he was tricking her, and he would put more pictures on her when they got to Durmstrang.

"No." she said firmly "You no say that you say you want a special picture! I want to learn properly, with no special pictures! Like proper person."