Leap of Faith
second.
While the Doctor went exploring, warned to steer clear of the top floor by Barty, Gwen stayed behind. She followed the man who looked so much like her Doctor down the hall to a sitting room, where he sat in an old armchair. He ran his hands over his face, seeming to be a bit stressed out.
"Who are you?" Gwen asked.
Barty looked over the tips of his fingers at her. "I told you my name."
"Yeah, but that doesn't really tell me who you are. Do you have a family? What about friends? Do you live here?"
"You honestly don't know, do you?"
Gwen shook her head. "Nope. The Doctor and I travel all over, but I've never heard of you. Or this place, to be honest, and I lived in England my whole life."
Barty stared at Gwen. She was a plain girl, but there was something in her personality that brought a glow to her. Her straight brown hair fell to her shoulders. She had dark brown eyes that almost looked black, though, that could have been due to the lack of light in the room. Freckles were splattered across her nose and cheeks. Her teeth were small and white, and she showed them when she smiled. There were a thousand feelings and knowledge Barty knew was beyond him in her eyes. And yet, she didn't know anything. Nothing about his life, nothing about where she was.
"You don't know who the Dark Lord is either."
For a split second, Gwen stopped breathing. Her heart stuttered and she was worried. She wasn't as good as the Doctor, but she knew how to pick apart a small bit of information she was given to make it into a larger bit. Whoever the Dark Lord was, you did not want to be on his bad side. And you didn't want to be on the bad side of one of his followers. "How do you know that?"
He pulled up his left sleeve, revealing an odd tattoo that seemed to be slightly pulsating. It depicted a skull with a snake running through it. "All of the Dark Lord's followers are branded with this. I don't know about your Doctor because he's wearing that suit coat, but from what I can see of you, you haven't got one of these."
Gwen looked down at the rug beneath her feet. "He hasn't got one either." She paused for half a second before continuing. "You're not going to hurt us are you?" She looked back up at him.
He looked at her eyes, and that's what did it. He should have pulled out his wand right then and there and killed her. That's what the Dark Lord would have wanted. He should have killed them back in the bedroom where he'd first seen them. Her eyes showed her emotions; each and every one of them. She was terrified. She wasn't from here and she did not want to die here.
"No," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Thank you." Silence, and then, "You still haven't told me who you are."
"I'll give you a brief summary, alright?"
She nodded.
"My name is Barty Crouch, Jr. I'm a Death Eater. That's one of the Dark Lord's followers. You seem to have landed yourself in the wizarding world."
"Oh! Is that why you asked us if we're wizards? We're not, by the way. What do you do in your free time?"
"Help the Dark Lord regain power."
"What happened to him?"
"Thirteen years ago he had to save himself."
"Save himself? From what?"
Barty looked at her and saw genuine curiosity in her eyes. "There was...a prophecy. It said that he was going to be killed by someone. He wanted to stop it before it was even a possibility. But his spell backfired. It hit him and he became very, very weak."
"Is he okay now though?"
"He will be soon."
"That's good then, right?"
"You are one of the strangest girls I've ever met, Gwen Marshall."
Gwen smiled. "I get that a lot. You must be lonely. Is it just you and him in this house?"
"No, there's Wormtail, but he's about as much company as a rock."
She stared at his face, just as he had done to her only ten minutes before. "You look so much like him," she whispered. "How is that even possible? You aren't related in any way. You have the same face. Same eyes, same nose, same mouth. Your hair's the same. You're even the same height, I noticed." She smiled with her eyes. "I don't understand it."
"What don't you understand?"
Gwen looked at the doorway and saw the Doctor leaning against the frame, smiling at her. She stood up and skipped over to him. "How'd exploring go?"
"It went pretty well, I think. Now what is it that you don't understand?"
"What I don't understand is how you and Barty look exactly like. How is it possible, Doctor? There's no way you could be related. He's human and you're a Time Lord. You're 900 years old and he's...well, however old he is."
The Doctor shook his head. He looked over her shoulder at Barty. "I don't know. Maybe it's just a coincidence."
The two men stared at each other for the longest time and they realized something as they did. No matter how much they looked alike, and they did look alike; right down to the very last freckle, they could never be more different. They stared at each other, not knowing that their lives would be very different in just one day. Not knowing that it was all because of the small girl that stood between them.
"Who are you?" Gwen asked.
Barty looked over the tips of his fingers at her. "I told you my name."
"Yeah, but that doesn't really tell me who you are. Do you have a family? What about friends? Do you live here?"
"You honestly don't know, do you?"
Gwen shook her head. "Nope. The Doctor and I travel all over, but I've never heard of you. Or this place, to be honest, and I lived in England my whole life."
Barty stared at Gwen. She was a plain girl, but there was something in her personality that brought a glow to her. Her straight brown hair fell to her shoulders. She had dark brown eyes that almost looked black, though, that could have been due to the lack of light in the room. Freckles were splattered across her nose and cheeks. Her teeth were small and white, and she showed them when she smiled. There were a thousand feelings and knowledge Barty knew was beyond him in her eyes. And yet, she didn't know anything. Nothing about his life, nothing about where she was.
"You don't know who the Dark Lord is either."
For a split second, Gwen stopped breathing. Her heart stuttered and she was worried. She wasn't as good as the Doctor, but she knew how to pick apart a small bit of information she was given to make it into a larger bit. Whoever the Dark Lord was, you did not want to be on his bad side. And you didn't want to be on the bad side of one of his followers. "How do you know that?"
He pulled up his left sleeve, revealing an odd tattoo that seemed to be slightly pulsating. It depicted a skull with a snake running through it. "All of the Dark Lord's followers are branded with this. I don't know about your Doctor because he's wearing that suit coat, but from what I can see of you, you haven't got one of these."
Gwen looked down at the rug beneath her feet. "He hasn't got one either." She paused for half a second before continuing. "You're not going to hurt us are you?" She looked back up at him.
He looked at her eyes, and that's what did it. He should have pulled out his wand right then and there and killed her. That's what the Dark Lord would have wanted. He should have killed them back in the bedroom where he'd first seen them. Her eyes showed her emotions; each and every one of them. She was terrified. She wasn't from here and she did not want to die here.
"No," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Thank you." Silence, and then, "You still haven't told me who you are."
"I'll give you a brief summary, alright?"
She nodded.
"My name is Barty Crouch, Jr. I'm a Death Eater. That's one of the Dark Lord's followers. You seem to have landed yourself in the wizarding world."
"Oh! Is that why you asked us if we're wizards? We're not, by the way. What do you do in your free time?"
"Help the Dark Lord regain power."
"What happened to him?"
"Thirteen years ago he had to save himself."
"Save himself? From what?"
Barty looked at her and saw genuine curiosity in her eyes. "There was...a prophecy. It said that he was going to be killed by someone. He wanted to stop it before it was even a possibility. But his spell backfired. It hit him and he became very, very weak."
"Is he okay now though?"
"He will be soon."
"That's good then, right?"
"You are one of the strangest girls I've ever met, Gwen Marshall."
Gwen smiled. "I get that a lot. You must be lonely. Is it just you and him in this house?"
"No, there's Wormtail, but he's about as much company as a rock."
She stared at his face, just as he had done to her only ten minutes before. "You look so much like him," she whispered. "How is that even possible? You aren't related in any way. You have the same face. Same eyes, same nose, same mouth. Your hair's the same. You're even the same height, I noticed." She smiled with her eyes. "I don't understand it."
"What don't you understand?"
Gwen looked at the doorway and saw the Doctor leaning against the frame, smiling at her. She stood up and skipped over to him. "How'd exploring go?"
"It went pretty well, I think. Now what is it that you don't understand?"
"What I don't understand is how you and Barty look exactly like. How is it possible, Doctor? There's no way you could be related. He's human and you're a Time Lord. You're 900 years old and he's...well, however old he is."
The Doctor shook his head. He looked over her shoulder at Barty. "I don't know. Maybe it's just a coincidence."
The two men stared at each other for the longest time and they realized something as they did. No matter how much they looked alike, and they did look alike; right down to the very last freckle, they could never be more different. They stared at each other, not knowing that their lives would be very different in just one day. Not knowing that it was all because of the small girl that stood between them.