Chapter One: All Mixed Up

Author's Note: This story is sort of a sequel to my The Elusive Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, but it's not really necessary that you read that before this one considering that the references are rather small.

Ginny awakened with pain pulsing through her head. She blinked at the bright golden light pouring down from the unfamiliar ceiling. Her body stirred against the floor and there was a jolt of spastic discomfort that passed through her. Slowly, she worked her hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out her wand.

The ceiling came into focus over time. It was high and domed with balls of lights set into its dark brown surface. The floor was cold, grated and metallic. She rolled over to glance toward a wooden blue door with the word Police etched above it. Ginny squinted at the sign trying to make sense of what she was seeing and where she could be.

A chorus of electronic beeps and button presses filled the air suddenly and she wrenched her neck around to see a man in a tweed coat standing over a round console. Ginny's arm was too heavy to raise the wand to attack. The man suddenly turned and saw her.

"Ginevra Weasley!" he yelled. "I see you're up and looking spry as ever," he said running back to squat down next to her. He poked his abnormally long face down over hers, his light blue eyes scanning over her. Though the man was clearly human there was something odd about him. He had to be the most awkward man she'd ever seen—and she'd just come face to face with Voldemort for the first time.

"Wait a minute…something's not right," said he said as he plucked at a tendril of her deep red hair and examined it. "You're still ginger, so…" the man produced a metal rod with a green light atop it and flashed the light in Ginny's face. The rod chirped as he shone it on her.

Ginny scampered away from him. "Get away from me! Who the bloody Hell do you think you are?" she leveled her wand at him. "What is that think you're shinning in my face?"

"Lower your wand Ginny," he said as he held his hands down in a calming fashion and approached her. "I was just," he held the metal rod up and examined the side of it, "checking you with the sonic screwdriver—it's totally harmless."

"Don't come a step closer! Why do you think I know you?" Ginny raised an eyebrow as she looked him over.

"Know you? You're my third favorite ginger!" he said through a sudden burst of joyous laughter. His expression quickly faded to a peculiar glance and then rushed over to her. "Wait, you're younger. Why are you younger?" he said.

"I'm…not? I'm fifteen you, git! People don't—don't age backwards. What the Hell is wrong with you?"

He raked his hands up through the brown tuft of hair that swooped out over his forehead. "Fifteen…fifteen…fifteen…" he repeated over and over. "Birthday! That's it!"

"What?"

"The last time I saw you, you were an adult and you stood about…here," he held his hand up just above the top of her head to demonstrate. "You were over at your boyfriend's for his birthday—Arnold…no that's not it," he paused putting his hand to his chin. "Harold! Yes Harold something or other. Shoemaker?" he said. She could tell by his expression he was mulling over the idea in his head. "Well it was a name with a job in it…Cobbler?"

Ginny's face brightened. "My boyfriend?" she asked. "Harry…Potter? My boyfriend?"

"Potter! Brilliant! Wait, you two not dating yet?" he slapped a hand over his face in embarrassment.

"I was out of school? How are you able to travel so far into the future…that seems, impossible," Ginny said.

He laughed. "It's impossible with magic, I used something a good deal older than magic, Time Lord technology. But I do know how you love your magic Miss Weasley," he smiled. "I got to see a Patronus Charm and you even picked me up and dangled me upside down the first time we met," he said.

"So you do know about me…but I don't know you because it was the future," Ginny's head was already beginning to hurt.

"Sometimes I met people in the wrong order. My first meeting with them could be their last with me or vice versa," he said in a quick rambling tone. "In your case you had two first meetings with me because the you I met before didn't remember meeting me now…"

Ginny shut her eyes, trying to clear out the thoughts about what he was saying. "Who are you? And why are you dressed like that?" a confused expression spread over her freckled face. He had long, lanky arms concealed beneath a brown tweed coat. His shirt was maroon in color and he had on dark brown pants held up by suspenders. It might not have looked so odd if it hadn't been on him or included a bowtie.

"I'm the Doctor. And the last time you saw me you called them Muggle Clothes."

"I've seen Muggles, you just look like an idiot," she said coldly. "And is your name the Doctor, like…"

The Doctor was straightening his bowtie as he cut across her. "…like those Muggle nutters who cut on people, yes I remember what you and Ron thought of the word."

Ginny looked taken aback as she climbed to her feet. "Well you already know me…why am I here in this…where is this?" she asked.

"Correct question is when is this," the Doctor said. "And I need your help, that's why I picked you up—though I sort of…bumped into you when was doing it," he said shyly. "Right now we're in the year 1942…"

"Did you say you bumped me? Is that why my head hurts?" Ginny asked.

The Doctor sighed. "You were sort of walking and the TARDIS may have hit me in the head," he said.

"What the fuck are you throwing TARDISes at people's heads for!" Ginny yelled.

"This ship is a TARDIS, you're inside of the TARDIS right now…" the Doctor explained flailing his arms out to acknowledge the ship around them.

"YOU RAN ME OVER WITH THIS…THIS…THING?" Ginny screamed.

The Doctor pinched at the air, holding his fingers up to illustrate his point. "It was just a little bump," he explained giving a little chuckle. "Now calm down—you gingers and that temper thing you've got…"

"Oh I'll show you a temper," she said raising her wand. "You're going to need a doctor when I'm through with you!"

Ducking behind the center console, the Doctor sprinted for the door before she could get her curse off. He hit the door, knocking it open and sprinted out into the open field before the TARDIS. Ginny followed him out into the grass and she had a sudden urge to glance back. When she looked over her shoulder she found that the TARDIS was little more than a phone booth, no bigger than the one she had used to enter the Ministry of Magic with Harry and the others.

"What is this?" Ginny said.

The Doctor eased up behind her, cautiously moving across the grass. "That's the outside of the TARDIS…I know it's bigger on the inside."

Ginny stared at the tiny blue phone booth with the same lettering of the word Police that she had seen from the inside now taking up the entire front of the ship. Magic could do this easily, but this seemed different somehow and it was the biggest extension she had ever seen. "I thought you said you didn't do magic?" she asked.

"It's not magic, it's Time Lord Technology," the Doctor said.

"What's a Time Lord?"

"Ancient race of…well, it's complicated," he said with his hands tucked behind his back.

She inched over to him, pocketing her wand. "You said that Harry and I…were dating?"

"Yes, forget I said that, spoilers…you know," said the Doctor told her. "Now our destination is just over…" the Doctor glanced around them in all directions, "…just up there, through the fog," he said pointing.

Ginny turned to where he was pointing to see the looming form of Hogwarts atop its high hill, shrouded in fog. She glanced back to the TARDIS and suddenly realized. This is the same spot Hagrid's hut is supposed to be in.

The Doctor was already on his way up the hill. "Come along Ginny, I'll explain what we're going to do on the way," he said. She ran to catch up and he began to tell her what was going on. "Now there's something wrong at this time and place," he started. "It's now…" he glanced down at his watch. "…1942. I've already got us set up as a Professor of Muggle Studies and his adorable niece from somewhere or other—"

"I'm supposed to be your niece?" asked Ginny.

"Exactly. And I signed you up to transfer here as whatever year you tell them—you're going to be in Slytherin, I just picked it at random…" the Doctor said before being cut off again.

"Slytherin? You picked it at random? What were you thinking?" Ginny said.

The Doctor glanced back at her as they traversed the hill up to the school. "We're only sticking around until we figure out what's causing the problem here," he said.

"Then we better get this sorted fast," said Ginny. Suddenly Ginny planted her feet in the grass and stopped. "Wait. Why am I following you? What if you're some kind of kidnapper claiming to know me…"

Turning back to her, the Doctor marched back down the hill. "You're following me because you know deep down inside that its right. Even though the you that's you now hasn't met me yet—there's a connection of sorts," said the Doctor.

"This is all so confusing," Ginny said. "I can't be stuck in the forties—I'm going into my fifth year…"

"…And you can start your first term here!" said the Doctor. "Come on, it'll be exciting and I can promise to have you back before it even matters. Don't you want to see if there's anyone you know here? A grandparent or teacher?"

Ginny stared at him blankly.

"There's obviously some need for you to be here," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS chose to seek you out for this."

"It's alive?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded.

"Well, my mum told me never to trust me anything that I can't tell where it keeps its brain," Ginny said.

"Your mum sounds like a smart bird, but if you saw the TARDIS's brain you'd most likely go insane with knowledge and die burning," he trailed off. "Okay, now I'm asking you Ginny, do this for me—do this for future Ginny—after we've found the problem if you want no part of this I'll take you back home."

"Ugh," Ginny said rolling her eyes. "I'll do it, I just hate it when blokes beg."

"Not begging and also not a bloke."

"Sure, I'm betting you've done this before. Running around in your time machine picking up beautiful women to seduce with your crazy future Muggle gadgetry," said Ginny.

The Doctor threw his hands up with a horrified expression. "Who am I trying to seduce?"

"Not sure yet," Ginny said narrowing her eyes. "That's why I got my eyes on you, Mister," she poked her finger into his chest and heading off up the hill.

"It's Doctor!" he called rushing after her.

Author's Note: I have too much fun writing the Doctor, seriously and after his last set of interaction with the Doctor I had to do at least one more go at the two of them.