"Wingardium Leviosa." Hermione said, slower this time, so Ron could better hear her pronunciation.

"One more time."

"Seriously?"

"Just...once more, please!"

"Win-guard-e-um Lev-e-oh-saw." She enunciated each syllable.

"Okay, got it. I got it this time." He raised his wand over the quill they were practicing with.

It was early Saturday morning, before dawn even. Hermione and Ron were the only two in the common room, and Hermione was attempting to tutor Ron in charms. Their end-of-year exams were coming up in less than two weeks, and, being Ron, he'd saved all his studying for the last minute.

Ron cleared his throat. "Wingardium...Leviosa!" He swished and flicked his wand over the quill, but it only quivered, raising a few inches. Ron's eyes lit up, but as soon as they did, the quill fell back onto the floor between them, stock-still. "Dammit!" He tossed his wand down and threw his arms up in surrender.

"It's getting better! You've almost got it!" Hermione encouraged, but Ron looked dejected.

"I'm hopeless. We learned this first year, and two years later I still can't do it!"

"Don't give up yet! Just focus more. Try again."

"No."

"Humour me."

Ron sighed and picked up his wand again. He exhaled forcefully, glaring at the quill with murderous eyes. He poised his wand... "Wingardium Leviosa!" The quill trembled, and raised a few inches off the ground. Ron continued to glower at it, and several seconds later, it was a few feet off the ground. It remained there until he broke his concentration, letting it fall back onto the floor. "Ha!" He called out triumphantly.

Hermione smiled. "Nice! Want to try it one more time?"

Ron shook his head. "I'm going to take a nap. See you, Hermione...you're a miracle worker, you know that?" He yawned as he stood up, and Hermione secretly beamed with pride.

"I know. See you later,"

Once he had disappeared up the stairs to the boy's dormitories, Hermione stood up and stretched. She wasn't wearing her school robes, but a pair of sweat pants she'd brought with her to Hogwarts from a muggle shop back home, and a Gryffindor tee shirt from last year that was too small for her. She had on black converse, which she'd also brought to Hogwarts from a muggle shop she'd been to over the summer, and her bushy hair was pulled back into a ponytail that crooked to the right. However sloppy, she decided to go down to the Great Hall and get some breakfast. It's not like she'd run into very many people at this hour, anyway.

As she descended the steps to the Great Hall, she found it to be deserted, so she made her way to the grounds instead. Maybe Hagrid was awake, she thought.

The sun was just starting to come up, peaking out over the horizon and just barely lighting her way.

On her way down the cobblestone path that led to Hagrid's hut, she felt a strong wind start to blow from behind her. It was sudden and noisy, but nothing in front of her was moving...she only felt the wind on her back and saw it kick up the leaves directly under her.

When she turned around, she jumped back and lost her footing, slipping on the cobblestones and landing on her back. She propped herself up just in time to see a large, wooden, blue box materialising in front of her. She blinked a few times, thinking she must have hit her head when she fell, but the more she blinked, the clearer the image became. After several more seconds, the wind had stopped, and there stood before her a blue police box.

One of the doors gave a low creak and swung inwards to reveal a man, who stepped out looking confused.

"Well that's not where I meant to go…" He began muttering to himself. He was wearing a brown suit jacket with white pin stripes down the front and matching pants. Flowing all the way to the ground was a light brown trench coat that looked dreadfully heavy. He had a pile of messy, vast brown hair that stuck up in the front. He was pacing back in forth in front of the doors of the blue box, talking to himself. Hermione was still on the ground, staring up in awe. It took him a while longer to notice her, but when he did his face brightened. "Oh, hello there!" All of a sudden, the brightness on his face vanished, replaced with animate perplexity...as if he wasn't the one who'd just appeared out of thin air. "What are you doing down there?"

"I...fell over."

"Really?" He sounded amazed, like the idea was awe-inspiring. His eyes even widened. "Why?"

"Well, I...I didn't do it on purpose..." She spoke slowly, not sure quite how to react to the man.

"Oh, of course not! I mean, people don't just fall over." He started laughing, like the idea was hilarious. "I mean, it's not like you're walking along and you think, I think I'll fall over! Yeah! And then you fall over. I mean that'sridiculous."

"I...quite agree, yes..." She said mystically, though she wasn't entirely sure with what she'd just agreed.

"And yet you fell over! Funny how these things work out, isn't it?"

"I already told you, I didn't fall over on purpose." She hoisted herself up and brushed herself off.

"Oh, right. 'Cause people don't do that, yeah." He nodded furiously, as if everything made sense now, and put his hands in his trench coat pocket.

She was silent for a moment, staring at him in disbelief. I'm dreaming, she thought. I fell asleep after helping Ron study and now I'm dreaming.

"Where are we?" He asked suddenly, lifting a hand to his chin and stroking a non-existent beard.

"Er…Hogwarts." She answered slowly. He stared at her blankly for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. She furrowed her brows together. "Hogwarts?" He asked incredulously through valley-girl-esk giggles.

"Yes, Hogwarts!"

"Oh, what a horrid name, how unfortunate...almost as bad as Pigfarts!"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, never mind." He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "So when are we, then?" He asked her. She raised a sceptical eyebrow as she told him the date and he nodded.

"Who are you?" She asked just as he asked what Hogwarts was.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Hogwarts is a school," They both answered in unison. A bright grin appeared on his face. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Hermione asked first.

"The Doctor? Doctor...what?"

"The Doctor, that's all."

"Er, well what's your actual name?" She asked, curious as much as sceptical.

"The Doctor. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have said it after you asked who I was, duh," he replied easily, studying Hermione with a curious expression.

"Well...you're first name can't possibly be 'the'." She challenged

"Well aren't you nosy." He accused in a mocking tone before speaking again. "But I suppose if you must know, technically my name is John Smith."

"Doctor John Smith, then?" She clarified, realizing that none of this told her who he really was anyway.

He seemed to be waiting for her say that so he could reply triumphantly, "Nope, just the Doctor! Didn't I already say that?"

Hermione watched with a slightly open mouth as he stood rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. When she didn't speak, he did.

"What's your name?"

"Hermione Granger."

"Hermione..." His voiced trailed off, and his eyes glazed over looking into the distance. Then he snapped back and his eyes widened, gawking at her. "Hermione! Of course you are!"

"Of course I am..." She mocked his excitement, looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"So this place is a school? Boarding school?" He changed the subject.

"School of...magic," She answered after a second of hesitation. "How did you get here if you didn't know that? It's protected."

"TARDIS can get me anywhere, protected or not. Magic? Like, magic magic?" He alleged, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What other kind of magic is there?"

"Oh, loads. I've never met a witch before. Or at least not one that goes to a school." He was leaning up against the side of the blue box he had called a TARDIS.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She finally asked.

"That I've never met a witch who isn't...you know, on a broomstick, or with a wart on her nose, or, you know...green. Or all three," he added thoughtfully, nodding meaningfully.

"Oh." Her confusion was increasing with every word he spoke.

"So if you're a witch, can you prove it to me?" He asked suddenly. She felt her wand in her pocket. Her first instinct was to tell him no, but then she shrugged. She never missed a chance to show off.

"I guess." She took her wand out of her pocket and aimed it at a leaf on the ground. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She incanted as she swished and flicked her wand toward the leaf. It immediately rose from the ground and floated gracefully upward until it was level with their faces.

"Oh, come on! Cut the crap, seriously? That's impossible, so what is this, some kind of trick?"

She looked at him, but kept her concentration so the leaf would remain hovering between them. She wanted to point out that he was the one who'd just materialized out of thin air in a blue police box, and that he'd shown up on grounds protected with enchantments...but she was impossible?

"You're joking right?" She let the leaf flutter back to the ground, and put her wand back in her pocket.

"You can't just...defy gravity, it doesn't work like that!"

"What doesn't?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Life! Well, life on Earth, anyway...well, unless you can fly, I suppose..."

His aura of carefreeness suddenly got on her nerves and she put her hands on her hips. "You can't be serious! You literally just appeared out of nothing onto the grounds of school of magic that is protected by enchantments that should've stopped you from getting in, and you're telling me that what I just did, a simple levitation spell, that's what's impossible here?"

He studied her with suddenly narrowed eyes and reached into his inside pocket, digging around before taking out what looked like a small wand. He pressed a button on the top and the device made a low humming sound as he pointed and scanned Hermione with it.

"And now what do you think you're doing?" She snapped, whipping her wand out and pointing it at him in defence. He glanced at the wand and smiled, twirling the object between his fingers before replacing it in his pocket.

"Looks like it is possible…" His voice trailed off slightly, and she raised a questioning eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and got the device back out. "Sonic screwdriver. Sort of...scanning device, if you will. Like a computer. Do you have computers at Wizarding School?"

"I know what a computer is." She replied simply.

"Oh alright, well, anyway, this screwdriver basically tells me everything I need to know about whatever I scan."

"So you're telling me you have a genius screwdriver that carries all the answers?" She crossed her arms across her chest and shot cynicism at him with her eyes.

"Mhm! It also opens doors," He nodded impressively, as though she should be astounded by the fact.

"Okay."

He took up pacing again, back and forth in front of the 'TARDIS'. He started mumbling, more to himself than her. "Hogwarts, Hogwarts, I've never heard of it, it doesn't ring a bell… but what would have drawn me here? If it's a school of magic...tell me, Hermione, and be honest, 'cause it's important… have you ever travelled through space and time?" He raised an eyebrow as she gawked at him. He was completely serious. She put a hand to the gold chain around her neck and fiddled with the end of it. She knew she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the time-turner, and she wasn't about to betray McGonagall's trust.

Instead, she burst into a fit of fake laughter. "What?" She demanded, as though the idea were ridiculous.

"Oh, don't play games with me. I saw the way your hand shot to your neck. What's your secret then? Vortex manipulator?

"I'm sorry?" She asked, now thoroughly confused. He took an uninvited step toward her and picked the necklace up off her chest. She backed away slightly, but he took no notice.

"Yes, it's got to be...vortex manipulator, with a perception filter so as to look like a necklace...it is pretty brilliant, I'll give you that..."

She pried his hand off the time-turner and took several steps away from him. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh come on, I know you know I know, so just tell me." He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Why don't you ask your genius screwdriver?" She leered.

"Oh, excellent idea!" He grinned, as though the idea hadn't occurred to him before, and took out of his pocket the 'sonic screwdriver'. It made that weird buzzing noise again as he pointed it at her neck.

After several seconds, he brought the sonic screwdriver to his face and examined it carefully.

"Ooh, fascinating..." He sounded mesmerised, staring at the sonic screwdriver like a mad scientist. "Not a vortex manipulator, then...but a...time-turner?" He replaced the sonic screwdriver in his pocket and stared at her expectantly.

"Okay, that's really disturbing."

"So tell me, then...what is it that you use this timey-wimey necklace for?"

"To defy gravity..." She mocked, not wanting to disclose the real reason.

"Oh, my God, just tell me!" He sounded like a teenage girl begging her best friend to tell her who she had a crush on.

"Alright, fine… I travel a few hours back every day, so I can take multiple lessons at once." She admitted with a light shrug.

"Oh, interesting, yes– it seems something about that must have attracted my TARDIS, that'd be the only explanation…cause you see this isn't where I meant to end up, but your timey-wimey necklace must have drawn me here..."

"What are you on about?" Hermione stared at him blankly. He smiled, a brilliant, radiant smile, and for a split second forgot what he was supposed to be answering.

"TARDIS, that's T-A-R-D-I-S. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. I travel through space and time, and this here," He gave the side of the 'TARDIS' an affectionate stroke. "Is my spaceship. Did I mention I'm an alien?"

"Oh, please. That's impossible."

"So is defying gravity, but you did that a few minutes ago. So is simply materializing out of thin air," he added quickly before she could interject. "But I did that several minutes ago, too."

She gaped at him, and he studied her, for several awkward seconds before he suddenly inhaled sharply.

"Sorry, did you say that you travel back only hours to take...multiple classes at once?" He inquired, pointing to the time-turner around her neck. She nodded. "You're going back into your own personal time line, you can't do that!"

"Just like I can't defy gravity?" She smirked, surprised at how smoothly all the snide remarks were rolling off her tongue. It's not like it really matters, I'm only dreaming, anyway, she thought to herself.

"Ha, ha. No, seriously, though you can't."

"No, seriously, though, I can."

He exhaled, scowling and furrowing his brows together. He looked like he was pouting, but she was too taken aback by everything to say anything.

"Okay, fun's over. Who are you?" She tried again, but he only looked exasperated.

"I told you, I'm the Doctor!"

"Right. Well, you said that, and then you said John Smith, and then you said an alien, so excuse me if I'm having a little difficulty keeping everything straight."

He opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it again, looking at her as though she were a tricky math problem he couldn't find the solution to. "Huh." He finally said. "Who are you then, Miss Granger?"

"Me? I told you, I'm Hermione Granger. Human. Witch. Top of my class," she added, simpering conceitedly. He stared at her for a moment before replying.

"Yeah? Well I'm the Lord of Time," He challenged, as though sizing her up.

"So then, Mr. Alien-Doctor-John-Smith-Lord-of-Time-with-a-genius-screwdriver, you would know, that I can travel back in time to fit in more lessons."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you shouldn't."

"Why not? Because you say so?" She smirked, placing one hand on her hip.

"Do you need another reason?"

"Well if I shouldn't time travel, even just a few hours back, then you shouldn't travel through space and time either. That is what you said, isn't it? You travel through space and time?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" He said, shifting his position against the TARDIS.

"All inside that little blue box?"

"Yep." He stroked the side of the box again and Hermione's eyebrows rose.

"Time...and space. Twice as dangerous. Amounting to twice the risk."

"Twice the fun!" They stood in silence, observing one and other. He glanced around and let his eyes fall to the ground. "And twice the heartbreak..."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and waited for him to say something else, but he seemed to have said the last bit unconsciously, like he meant to think it and said it out loud instead.

"Is something wrong?" She finally asked.

"Sorry?" He asked perplexedly, returning his eyes to her.

"You...sort of just said you were heartbroken." She crossed her arms.

"Sorry?" He repeated. He crossed his arms in perfect imitation of her. Normally, she would've left it that and changed the subject, but since she was only dreaming and would likely wake up any second anyway, she tried again.

"You look upset."

He furrowed his brow and looked down at himself. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No, not your body, your face. Your eyes. They look sad."

"Oh, now you're acting nice." He said with a playful grin. Hermione chose to ignore this.

"What's wrong?"

"I lost someone. Friend of mine." He said plainly.

"I'm sorry." She nodded slowly. He sighed and looked out at the horizon, at the mountains surrounding the castle. The sun was almost completely up, and a few orange and pink streaks in the sky remained from the sunrise.

"Me too." They were quiet for another minute until he spoke again, all trace of sadness from his voice gone now. "Anyway, I best be off! It was nice see- I mean, meeting you." He turned to enter the TARDIS again, but then turned around and poked his head out of the doors. "Oh, and... No more of that." He pointed to the gold chain around her neck and her fingers encased the hourglass as her eyes narrowed. "Don't go back in your own personal time line, you can't do that. Don't ask why, just don't do it. Understand?" Hermione let a small smile creep up around her lips, and she nodded. "Defying gravity, on the other hand," he began as he started to shut the doors on himself. "That you can do as much as you like. In fact, I encourage it!" He gave her a final grin before shutting the doors behind him. His ship began dematerialising, just as it had materialised, kicking up a somewhat strong breeze just around its perimeter and making an odd noise somewhere between an elephant's cry and the howling of the wind. She blinked, and it was completely gone, leaving her standing in front of nothing but the grounds.