AN: In terms of Doctor Who, set after "The Snowmen". In terms of Harry Potter, set during the summer holidays after Fourth Year, before Harry, Ron and Hermione all meet at the Burrow.

1 – Strange People, Strange Places

'CLARA! OSWIN! OSWALD!' yelled the Doctor, running around the TARDIS console pushing buttons and flicking levers. 'Watch me run.'

. . .

Hermione Granger walked down the street. It was the summer of 1994. She could see Big Ben rising above the buildings around her, and she had no idea what to do with herself. The start of Fifth Year was more than six weeks away, she'd already done all the revision she could think of, and she wasn't due to go to the Burrow for several days yet.

Hermione turned a corner and paused, listening carefully. On the edge of her hearing, just above the noise and bustle of London, she could hear a strange wheezing, groaning noise. She began to run, following the sound. Anything to take her mind off the lack of homework she had. She turned a corner, then another, and almost collided with a boy running in the same direction as her.

'Colin?!' she said, surprised.

Colin Creevey looked up and grinned. 'Hi, Hermione. Did you hear it too?'

'Yes,' said Hermione, who was a little unsure how to respond to the situation.

'It was coming from down here,' said Colin. He set off at a run, camera bouncing against his chest.

Hermione followed him as he ran down the street and turned into a small alley. They stopped and looked at the large blue box blocking the road.

'What's that?' asked Colin.

'It's a police box,' said Hermione. 'They were common in the 1960s. Citizens who found a criminal could push them inside and then call the police from the phone.'

'Cool,' said Colin. He raised his camera and snapped a picture. 'Why is it here?'

'No idea.' Hermione walked forward and knocked on the door. It opened and a young man wearing a bow tie stuck his head out.

'Hello,' he said. 'Do either of you know anyone called Clara or Oswin?'

'No,' said Hermione.

'Oh. Am I in London?'

'Yes.'

'What year is it?'

'1994. Have you been drinking?'

'No.'

Hermione remembered what she'd told Harry back in Third Year when they'd used the Time Turner. Horrible things happen to wizards who meddle with time, Harry.

'Are you a wizard?' she asked. 'Have you been messing with time? Is that why you didn't know what year it is?'

'I have been meddling with time, but I'm not a wizard,' said the man. 'So you're sure you don't know a Clara? Or an Oswin? Or an Oswald?'

'No,' said Hermione. 'Why are you trying to find her? Or them?'

'I met her twice before, and she died both times, so I'm trying to find her again.'

'You can't meet someone who's already dead.'

'Tell the Universe that.'

'Who are you?'

'I'm the Doctor.'

'Doctor who?'

'Just the Doctor. Say that again.'

'Say what?'

'What you just said.'

'Doctor who?'

'One more time.'

'No.'

'Oh.' He looked a bit deflated. 'OK. Who are you?'

'I'm Hermione,' said Hermione. 'That's Colin.'

'Really?' said the Doctor, brightening. 'Colin, do you have a goldfish?'

'No,' said Colin.

'Thought not,' said the Doctor.

Colin lifted his camera and took a photo of the Doctor. Then he started craning his neck, trying to see past the tall, skinny man blocking the small amount of open doorway. 'Do you live in that box?'

'Yes,' said the Doctor.

'Cool.'

The Doctor frowned, obviously puzzled by this reaction. 'You don't think it's a bit small?'

'Depends what it's like on the inside,' said Hermione.

The Doctor grinned and swung both doors open, revealing the inside. Hermione looked at it curiously. There seemed to be a lot of levers and buttons and flashing lights and silver metal.

'What does it do?' she asked.

'I know, I—,' said the Doctor. 'Wait, you didn't say "It's bigger on the inside".'

Hermione shrugged. 'That's not so weird. A year ago I was sleeping in a tent that was bigger on the inside, though yours looks a lot bigger than the tent. What does it do, though?'

The Doctor looked panicked. 'A tent that was bigger on the inside? Did it belong to the Master? Is he back?'

'No, it belonged to Mr Weasley. I've never heard of anyone called "the Master".'

'I think this "Mr Weasley" might be a dangerous alien in disguise,' said the Doctor.

'I don't think so. I'm best friends with one of his sons, and I've been to their house, and they seem like a normal wizarding family.'

'Wizarding?'

'Yes,' said Hermione. 'You said you weren't a wizard, but looking at your police box, you must be.'

'It's a TARDIS.'

'What?'

'The police box. It's called a TARDIS. It's Time Lord technology, nothing to do with wizards.'

'Come on. It has to be magic. Humans can't build things that are bigger on the inside.'

'TARDIS's aren't built, they're grown. And you're right, humans can't grow TARDIS's, but I'm a Time Lord. Who are you too? Are you wizards?'

'Technically, I'm a witch,' said Hermione. She pointed at Colin. 'He's a wizard though.'

'You know, in 1200 years I've never met a wizard before. I did meet witches once. That was a bad day for Shakespeare.'

'You're not making sense.'

'I could say the same thing about you.' He looked the two of them up and down. 'You look like interesting people. Do you want to help me find Clara Oswin Oswald?'

'The dead girl?'

'She died twice. Maybe she's out there somewhere else.'

Hermione looked back at Colin, who had a big, idiotic grin plastered all over his face. 'I can't,' she said. 'School starts in six weeks, and I know that once I go to the Weasley's I'll have my work cut out making Harry and Ron study.'

The Doctor put one hand on the box. 'This is a TARDIS. It can go anywhere in time and space. I can get you back five minutes before you left.'

'It's a time machine? Like a Time Turner?'

'I have no idea what a Time Turner is, but I guarantee that a TARDIS is much more impressive.'

Hermione's mind went into overdrive. If this really was a time machine, there were so many famous people she could visit, wizards and muggles. And she'd have so much extra time to study for the O.W.L.s. 'I'll come,' she said.

'What about you, goldfish?' asked the Doctor.

'My name's Colin,' said Colin.

'Right, Colin,' said the Doctor.

'I'll need to get some more film for my camera,' said Colin. 'But I'll come.'

'Then let's go,' said the Doctor, leading them into the TARDIS. The doors clicked shut behind them.