Hermione wept. Her frizzy hair was put into a disobeying ponytail, and her nails were painted a relaxing pink. She looked around her muggle bedroom, longing for the grasp of Ron's firm hands and Harry's awkward words. Hell, Hermione missed even Draco. Her mind flashed back to a month earlier to her tear sodden day.

"No, Hermione." Her mother, Mrs Granger, said firmly, her hands grasping a coffee mug. Dr Granger, Hermione's father was shaking his head behind his daughter. His relaxing voice came suddenly.
"Hermione, dear, you can't go back. It's too dangerous." He rested his hand on his daughter's shoulder and sighed. Both Dr and Mrs Granger were refusing to let Hermione go back to Hogwarts for her eighth year. Hermione's face was screwed up in anger, her wand in her bundled fist.
"No! It's safe! We made it safe!" Blotches of red spread across her cheeks. "I'll Apparate then! You can't stop me!"
"Nobody can Apparate onto Hogwart's grounds." Mrs Granger said sarcastically.
"You don't belong in their world, Mione." Dr Granger tried to soothe his fuming daughter.
"I'm a witch! I belong in their world- my world- just as much as Harry and Ron!" Tears started leaking down her face.
"Do not argue with me!" Mrs Granger looked stern, and placed her mug down.
"I- Oh fine!" Hermione threw her arms up in the air, and stomped to her bedroom. Angrily, she picked up Hogwarts, A History, and began flicking through the pages to find another way into the school. If only Harry would lend her the map... She sighed. "Fine," she muttered irately, "if I can't go back, then I don't want to remember." Shakily, and through furious tears, Hermione raised her wand to her temple, and whispered; "Obliviate." Nothing happened. Shocked, she tried again. And again, and again. Still, nothing happened, except a slight headache, which she cured with asprin.

The latch on her back door shut, and Hermione knew she was finally alone. Her parents would be gone to dinner for a few hours, so she was left in peace. Her wand rested on her bedside table, and she picked it up ungracefully. "Obliviate." She whispered, her hand steady. Deliberately, she drew her wand around her head, and repeated the spell. "Why won't you work?" Her voice was hoarse and strained, and yet Hermione still had the courage to shout. "Why the hell won't you work?!" She panted heavily, and threw her wand out of her window, sobbing loudly. She flung herself onto her perfectly made bed, and hugged her pillow. "Somebody help me." She cried out to thin air, perfectly aware that nobody could hear her. "Please?" A wooshing noise came from somewhere, and Hermione assumed that it was the wind. Getting up clumsily, she slammed the window shut. She slumped back onto her bed, and wiped her nose on the back of her white sleeve. "Please..." She repeated desperately, "help me." Ten mintues of silence passed, and Crookshanks had moved from her bed, to onto Hermione's chair. A loud bang came from downstairs, and Hermione heard hushed cursing. Suddenly forgetting her sadness, she equipped her wand, and tiptoed down her wooden staircase. "Who- Who's there?" She asked confidently, though her snotty nose made her stutter.
"Ah!" A man's voice came from the bathroom. "Sorry!" Hermione heard two doors unlock, and a tall man, with dark hair and a pointed chin came out of the toilet. He held up a piece of paper that said 'Royal Bathroom Inspector' to Hermione's face.
"Who are you?" Hermione held her wand to the man's stomach area, and glared at him angrily.
The man, however, did not glare back. In fact, he barely looked at Hermione's agressive stance and armed wand. Instead, her peered at her face, making Hermione recoil slightly. "Doctor." He said slowly, not looking at Hermione, more inspecting her.
"Doctor who, exactly?" She asked, catching his eyes by jerking her head up suddenly. "And why are you dressed so strangely?" She added, looking distastefully at the man's beige tweed jacket, red braces and bow tie, and smart suit shoes.
"Bow ties are cool!" The Doctor protested, looking slightly insulted. Hermione sniffed loudly, making a trail of soggy snot shoot back up it. Her eyes were sore and red, and her voice still croaked when she spoke. "A better question," the man stepped sideways, into the hallway, "who are you?" The man looked desperately at Hermione, as if coaxing a certain answer out of her.
"Hermione Jean Granger." Hermione muttered, as if rehearsed. She relaxed her wand arm slightly, and flicked on a light with her other. "Why were you in my bathroom?" She tried peering around the Doctor, but he moved to obstruct her view.
"I told you, I'm inspecting. Very neat. Well done." The Doctor finally noticed Hermione's wand, and jumped. "Ah!"
Hermione, as if to test the man, turned her wand to a plant pot on a stand, and made it levitate. Her eyes focused, and a little lively light flickered in them. And with one sudden memory, the plant pot shattered on the floor, and she was shaking again. "Is that all?" The Doctor was sat on Hermione's cream sofa, looking rather unimpressed. "Hover?" Tone unimpressed, his eyes were otherwise. In fact, the Doctor seemed to hiding a very large grin. "I had a dog that could do that." Hermione stifled a derisive snort, and peered into the bathroom.
"Why is there a police box in my bathroom?" Hermione said, monotoned.
"Ah, well, now I'm sure you'd love me to lie and tell you it's not there, but you just smashed a plant pot with a stick, so I shan't anger you further." The Doctor stood up, and walked into the kitchen. The 'further' made Hermione think, though her thoughts were interrupted. "Where am I, exactly?"
"Earth." Hermione said.
The Doctor looked as though he finally got the answer he was looking for. "You're curious, Hermione. I did not say what planet, and I did not travel through the Void. Most people would tell me what street I was in, and send me on my way. Why not you?" The Doctor strode up to Hermione, and peered into her reddening eyes. Hermione, as if to answer the Doctor, waved her wand.
"Scrougify." The kitchen was clean. Her eyes were locked firmly with the Doctor's, and she was not scared. "That," she pointed to the bathroom, "was not there when my parent's left a half hour ago, and now it is. You jump out and expect me to think you're sane?"
"You just made a plant pot shatter!" The Doctor's voice was high and defensive. "The question is, why am I here?"
"Why are you here?" Hermione put her hands on her hips, and sighed.
"You called me." The Doctor began to inspect the now clean kitchen.
"I..." Hermione's forehead furrowed, and cogs began to whir. "Are you a wizard?"
"Are you?"
"I asked first."
"Men just before."
"I..." Hermione pouted angrily. "I am a witch. Why I'm telling you this, I don't know, but you're lucky enough to get away from this with your memory intact. I can't perform a simple memory charm." She sat on the sofa and sighed.
"Sensing a back story here." The Doctor smiled comfortingly.
"I can't go back to Hogwarts- too dangerous, my parents say- and if I can't remember, then I won't know what I'm missing." Hermione stroked her wand lovingly
"What would you be missing?" The Doctor looked sincere for the first time since he walked out of the Granger's bathroom.
"Witches and wizards and magical beasts." She sighed. "Goblins and ghosts and magical beasts." She tightened her pony tail and frowned. "Ron... Harry... Ginny... Ron..." Her voice trailed off as she imagined her boyfriend's arms wrapped around her fondly.
"Ron." The Doctor smiled. "Tell me about Ron, Hermione."
"Oh..." She blushed, making the blotches match the rest of her face. "He's tall and strong and handsome. He's got amazing ginger hair..." She trailed off once more, and sighed sadly.
"Ginger?" The Doctor too, looked sadly. impulsively, he hugged Hermione tightly. Donna, Rory, Amy... He sniffled loudly, and took Hermione's free hand. "Come along, Granger!" He stopped, and turned to Hermione, "that won't do. Um... Herm. I shall call you Herm."
"Where are you taking me?" Hermione demanded, "this is my house!" She was being pulled along quickly, and the Doctor ignored her until they were both squished in the bathroom.
"Now, Herm, welcome to my snog box!" He beamed proudly, then turned to Hermione, realising the problem of this phrase. "Well... A friend used to call it that. Never mind!" He grabbed Hermione's hand, and pushed her through the TARDIS doors.
"Merlin's beard..." Hermione's mouth dropped, but the grip on her wand only tightened. "But I was in my bathroom! Is this a portkey?"
"What's a portkey? They sound fantastic!" The Doctor pointed to a car seat for Hermione to sit on. He then walked to his storage compartment in the control room, ducked into it, and pulled out 'P' for Pond. Opening the trunk, he began to look sad. When he finally found the small crimson engagement box for Hermione to look at, he began to shake with silent tears. In one movement, he stood up, threw the box to Hermione and faced away from her. "I've met countless people." He began, "and if there's one thing I've learnt," he breathed shakily, "it's that nothing is ever truly forgotten." Looking at the control panel, he smiled at the Galifrean word for 'Rose'. "You, Hermione Jean Granger, of Hogwarts school, dating Ron, are so very smart. So very important. You mentioned a memory charm, yes? Do you know why you can't perform it?" Hermione shook her head. "Your thoughts are too powerful to forget. I know how that feels." He motioned to the box. "I've met countless people, Hermione, and some travel with me. I met a girl. Donna Noble. The sassiest person you'll ever come across. If she remembers me, or anything I've done, her head'll explode. She was ginger." He smiled vaguely, "I met a couple- Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Bright ginger hair and oh so in love. He proposed to her, and they got married. I was erased from existence, Hermione, and her thoughts alone brought me back. Magic!" He grinned, "I took back their engagement ring. She forgot him once. He died- complicated," he added at Hermione's confused face, "and that ring brought him back." He walked next to Hermione, "now, Miss Granger. Deep down, you don't want to forget. Because forgetting magic and Hogwarts means forgetting Ron and Harry and Ginny and everyone else you'll leave behind. I can tell, Hermione. You love that world. You love Ron, and you'll do anything to stay with him, yes?" Hermione nodded. "Now, where does he live? I do love a ginger. Van Gough was ginger. Lovely man. Troubled, but oh so lovely. And Shakespeare! He was fabulous! Saved the world with words, that man, and I'd have it no other way!" The Doctor looked shocked at Hermione's still face. "Shakespeare is dead, right?"
"Yes."
"Why aren't you shocked?"
"I had a time turner a few years ago."
"You're no fun."
"Stay here, I need to go do something." Hermione walked slowly out of the TARDIS after putting down Rory's box, and placed her wand in her pocket. Coming out of the bathroom, she wiped her eyes, and locked the door behind her.
"Hermione? Dinner's ready." Her mother called. Creeping as quietly as she could, she took out her wand once more, and lifted it behind her mother and father's heads, which were both by the kitchen sink. "Obliviate." It rolled off her tongue and slid down her wand, silent silver sparks shot out and collided with the Granger's heads. Pictures of Hermione became blank, and even books of hers disappeared from the shelves. Like a shadow, Hermione went back, unlocked the bathroom door, and slid into the TARDIS. "Thank you for staying." She murmured, and sat back down. "The Burrow." She touched the floor of the TARDIS, and Apparated the whole thing to the building site of the Burrow.
"We've moved." The Doctor grunted.
"I know." Hermione took the Doctor's hand and led him outside. "Ronald?" Hermione called. The midday sun was beating down on the field. Footsteps came thundering out of the Burrow's small shed, and Ron looked dazzled.
"What's that? Who's he? How did you get here? Why are you holding his hand?" Ron shot out questions, and stared at the Doctor.
"Hello," the Doctor said, unlinking Hermione's hand, and embracing Ron, "I'm the Doctor."