Author's Note: Hello again and happy holidays! I hope that you are enjoying this collection so far! Here is yet another festive crossover story for you, this time featuring the Tenth Doctor and Hermione! Happy readings!
This story was prompted by and written for MykEsprit who always comes up with super creative tales of her own. I'm so thankful to you for this prompt. I had a lot of fun having reason to write this pairing again! I hope you enjoy this festive tale!
Thank you to SquarePeg72 for alpha reading and GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly subscription to beta read. You two are lovely! Any other mistakes you find are definitely my own. Much love, xxDustNight
Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to those at Marvel Studios, Warner Brothers, or J.K. Rowling. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.
The Sleigh of Gallifrey
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Hermione Granger
Rating: T
Summary: In which Hermione has a bit too much to drink and ends up on a Christmas Eve adventure that leads her to meet someone completely out of this world.
Prompt: Hermione sneaks on board Santa's sleigh, hoping to see the North Pole. She falls asleep on the way...when she wakes up, Santa's final destination takes her by surprise.
. . . .
The Sleigh of Gallifrey
. . . .
Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that brought Hermione to this level of recklessness. Thinking back, she would later have to admit it was the copious amounts of holiday punch at the Ministry party that caused her to abandon her usual graces. Whatever it was, when Hermione saw the random sleigh sitting on the street, her first thought wasn't, "Who put this here?" but rather, "Let me crawl on the back and wait for Santa Claus!"
So that's what she did. She slipped into the back behind the large sack of wrapped presents, pulled her jacket closer around her shoulders, and promptly fell asleep waiting for whoever owned the sleigh to come return. Next year she would have to insist they put a limit on exactly how much alcohol was allowed in the punch. If she remembered. While she snoozed, an odd sort of man with a long coat boarded, never knowing she was there and promptly flew off into space.
. . . .
Sitting up, Hermione rubbed at her eyes. She'd somehow fallen asleep in the sleigh and had no idea where she was. Once she was awake enough, she took a look around and felt her jaw go slack. "Is that the bloody Golden Gate Bridge?" she gasped, now struggling to get free of the back of the sleigh.
"You bet," a man replied, removing his glasses as he came into view. "We've travelled all the way to San Francisco! I'm the Doctor, and you are my stowaway!" He held out his hand and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Uhh-" Hermione had no idea who this doctor was, but she had no option but to trust him for the time being. Her wand was safely tucked into her coat pocket, but she didn't want to reveal who she was in case this man was a murderer. Obviously, he had some type of magic or else they wouldn't have been able to fly from London to San Francisco in a single night. "Oh hell," she gasped. "Are you Santa Claus?"
The man laughed, smoothing a hand down his rather slim frame. He ignored that she hadn't shaken his hand. "Nah, just his helper. I told you, I'm the Doctor. Who might you be?"
"I'm Hermione…" she managed to say, completely in awe as she watched the Doctor fold up the empty toy sack that she'd been hiding behind. "Have you delivered all the presents?" she inquired, glancing around. Finally climbing out of the sleigh, she brushed out the wrinkles in her clothes.
"You slept for nearly eight hours," he pointed out, gesturing to the night sky around them. "Give or take an hour or so. Of course, I delivered all the presents. Now, let me get rid of this sleigh."
The Doctor gently pushed Hermione to the side so he could see the sleigh properly. Withdrawing a strange silver and blue gadget from inside his coat, he aimed it at the sleigh and pushed a button. An electronic sound emitted as the end lit up and then the sleigh turned into a blue police box, complete with telephone and light on top. He grinned stupidly at Hermione shocked face and then gestured to the door.
"Was that a glamour charm?" Hermione asked stepping up to the door and putting her hand on the wood. She hadn't sensed magic from this man, but apparently, he had some sort of wand.
"Something like that," he replied, tucking the tool back into his pocket. "Go on then, open her up and have a look."
Giving him a curious stare, Hermione opened the door and stepped inside only to stumble backwards again. She whipped her head around to stare at the suddenly amused man. "That's impossible."
"I assure you, it isn't," he replied, striding forward and placing a hand on her lower back. "This is the TARDIS, and she can travel in both time and space. That's how I was able to get from London all the way across the United States so quickly. What do you think?"
"That's pretty impressive," Hermione began, crossing her arms and walking around the brightly lit, if not a bit grungy, golden console room. "So where is Santa? Do you always deliver presents on Christmas Eve?" Hermione inquired, stopping right in front of the Doctor.
"Santa?" the Doctor said with a smirk. "Ah, Good Ol' St. Nick, he and I go way back… And forward… It's complicated. Timey-wimey and all that. Either way, I was helping him out tonight. Got a bit behind, he did. He popped off to the other side of the world, and I took care of this one. Got it done in the end, I think."
"I'm sorry," Hermione muttered, holding up a hand and shaking her head. "You're saying Santa Claus is real?"
"Well, of course, he is," the Doctor said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "And he travels not just all over the Earth, but the universe as well."
"This is crazy," Hermione whispered, running a hand through her curls. She took a step back from the sleigh in disbelief. "Are you sure I'm not still asleep?"
"Perfectly sure," the Doctor said with a rather large grin. "Now, I should probably take you back to London before your absence is noticed."
"That's true. Are you some sort of wizard?" she asked, uncrossing her arms and watching as the Doctor played around with some of the nobs and wheels on the console.
"A wizard? Nah," he said, throwing a smirk over his shoulder. "I'm a Time Lord. The last of my kind, actually." And then he threw the switch, but nothing happened except a rather massive explosion that caused them both to duck.
When the smoke cleared, Hermione was panting slightly. "What was that? What happened?"
"She short-circuited. Happens all the time. Easy fix," he muttered, waving away the smoke and then dropping to the floor. He rolled under the ledge and began to tinker with the wires there. "Tell me more about you, Hermione. You asked if I'm a wizard. Does that make you a witch?"
"Actually," she said slowly, trying to decide how much she should reveal. "I am a witch." she pulled her wand from the pocket of her coat and showed him.
His eyes went wide, but then he smiled and returned to his work. "I knew witches and wizards existed here on Earth, but I hadn't yet had an opportunity to meet one."
"Are you not from here?" Hermione asked, a slight fear taking hold of her.
"Nope," he said, biting his lip in thought as he crossed some wires and began to tie them together. "I'm from a planet known as Gallifrey. Although, it doesn't really exist anymore…" He frowned, cleared his throat, and then soldiered on. "That's the short story. I travel the universe, trying to make things better than they were. I save a lot of people… Sometimes it doesn't go so well, but I do my best. That's all I can do."
"You are the Doctor, after all," she said with a grin of her own, finally relaxing a bit. "So you travel all over the place, even to other planets?"
"Yup," the Doctor said, now using his tool to try and fix the console.
"What is that?" Hermione asked, kneeling down to have a better look.
"My sonic screwdriver. I don't carry a weapon, so I use this to help me fix and figure things out." As there was a popping sound, he pulled his hand away and shouted in success. "Nearly there now!"
"Hermione smiled and stood back up so she could walk around the TARDIS some more. "This is really fantastic, Doctor," she said honestly. "I've always wanted to travel…"
Pausing, the Doctor rolled slightly out from underneath the console. "Would you like to come with me?" He waited patiently for an answer but then moved back underneath to keep working.
"Ron used to say that-"
"Who's Ron?" The Doctor paused long enough to glance her way. After a second, he went back to rewiring the TARDIS.
"Ron? Oh, he's my ex-boyfriend. We're still friends, but sometimes he likes to show off his new girlfriend in front of me," Hermione explained, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "I'm sort of used to it by now. Anyway, he used to say that I didn't know how to be spontaneous."
"Is that why you ended up in my sleigh?" Something shorted out, and the Doctor pulled his hand back before it could get burnt.
"Um," Hermione stammered. "Perhaps it had something to do with the amount of holiday punch I consumed, yes. He brought around his new girlfriend and wouldn't leave me alone all night."
Finished with his work, and slightly satisfied, the Doctor slid out from underneath the console and stood up. Leaning on the edge, he fixed Hermione with a most flirtatious stare. "It sounds like this Ron fellow needs a lump of coal in his stocking."
Hermione laughed, unable to hold back. "That, he does," she said and then pointed at the console. "So maybe if I come with you, I can prove him wrong. I can do something different with my life and take a chance."
The Doctor smiled, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder and squeezing. "I would love to have you as a companion."
Something in Hermione's chest fluttered at that. Here she was thousands of miles away from home, making plans to travel with a handsome stranger. She really was a lot different than she used to be.
"Alright then," she said reaching out and gripping his hand. She was glad when he didn't pull away but rathered squeezed back. "I would love to travel with you on the Sleigh of Gallifrey."
The Doctor laughed and tugged Hermione close. He took a rather bold move and kissed the top of her head. He was going to like this girl. Releasing her, he focused on the console, grabbing the lever. "It's a date. Now shall I return thee to Ol' London town?"
"Sounds perfect to me," Hermione replied, grabbing hold of the rail so she wouldn't fall down.
This time, when the Doctor pulled the lever, the TARDIS did as it was supposed to. Hermione was safely returned to London with a promise from the Doctor that he would return soon to take her on a proper adventure. When he said goodbye, she kissed his cheek and enjoyed the way he blushed. There was something brewing between them, and she couldn't wait to find out more when they finally met again. As the TARDIS whirred and disappeared from sight, Hermione bundled up her coat and hurried home in the early morning light. It was Christmas, and she had a party to get ready for at the Burrow.
. . . .
Later that evening when Hermione was starting to think that the entire night before was just an alcohol-induced dream, she overheard Ron talking about how he'd received a lump of coal under the tree instead of the other gifts he expected. Smirking to herself, Hermione glanced out the window at the sky and said, "Thank you, Doctor."
She didn't know when she'd see the Doctor again, but she couldn't wait. They had so much more to explore together, especially the possibility of growing feelings. If he kept his promise, perhaps she wouldn't have to wait so long. Just as she was about to return to the Christmas festivities in the other room, she heard it- The tell-tale whirring noise that signalled the TARDIS was near.
Dropping the plate of cookies she held onto the counter, Hermione dashed for the door. Throwing it open, a grin grew on her face as the TARDIS appeared right there on the back lawn. Not even worried about her friends inside, she ran outside as fast as she could. As the blue door opened and the Doctor's smiling face was revealed, Hermione threw herself into his arms and held on as he pulled her inside. His promise was true, and together they would travel the universe for as long as they could.