An almost unfamiliar emotion started to rise within him then. One that he had not felt in so long that he could hardly recognize it. It was hope!
She would understand. I could tell her! he thought. No! came the next immediate thought. She trusts you now, but if you tell her that, she will know you for the monster that you are! Those opposing thoughts continued to battle each other until Hermione's soft voice interrupted them.
"Doctor? Are you alright?" He looked up, startled, into her concerned eyes as she continued to speak. "I think that you got lost in your thoughts. I know that I have a tendency to do that, too – especially lately. It's been so nice to have a new friend to lean on, however. You have been so amazing to me through this ordeal – even though I was a perfect stranger to you. I just want you to know that I am here for you, too! The TARDIS is pretty fantastic, but I bet I can give a much better hug than she can!" With those words, she leaned forward and demonstrated by wrapping her arms around him.
He allowed himself to accept her embrace and buried his face in her amazing hair for just a moment. Just a moment was all that he was willing to risk before he knew that he would decide to stay there forever! Thankfully, though, just that moment was all that it took to reestablish his equilibrium. There was just something that was extremely soothing and so tempting about her – the Essence of Hermione, he called it to himself. He then forced himself to pull back slowly and realized how much calmer he felt as he looked at her.
"Thank you," he said quietly. Then he remembered that he had a job to do and morphed back into the man with the manic energy and grin. "Now, let's set up the DR again for your arm. What do you think of the job that it did on your big scar?"
Hermione looked at him seriously for just a moment before she realized that he was just trying to change the subject. He was uncomfortable and not ready to talk about his issues, yet. That is okay, though, she thought, I still have plenty of issues for both of us! Therefore, she just decided to play along with him for the time being. Maybe it would be better for us both if we just handled one thing at a time, anyway.
However, the smile that crossed her face when thinking about her scar was genuine. "I saw it in the bathroom mirror and it looks amazing! It is still there, obviously, but it is very faint now. Did you get a chance to see it?"
At the shake of his head, she leaned back on the bed again and untied the sash on her dressing gown. Then she unreservedly pushed it open in order for him to look upon the DR's handiwork.
"Fantastic!" he exclaimed, as he traced the now much fainter scar with his fingertips again. At her sudden intake of breath at the action, he seemed to realize what he was doing and their eyes met again. He noticed that even though hers still shone with emotion, they were much calmer now. She noticed that his suddenly seemed more intense. She gave him a small gentle smile and reached up to stroke his cheek again. As she lowered her hand back down, he caught it in his own, and placed a single kiss on her palm before replacing it at her side.
Not a single word had passed between them, though…and when Hermione dropped her eyes in order to close up and tie her dressing gown, the Doctor quickly returned his attention to the DR as if nothing had happened. The thumping of his hearts told him otherwise, but he forced himself to focus on the job at hand. He reset the DR into healing mode and programmed it into a smaller flexible rectangle to drape over her forearm. He motioned for her to pull up her sleeve and then put the DR into position and turned it on.
"This time you will feel a warming sensation, as well as the tickling one," he explained, finally breaking the gentle silence between them.
"Does the heat signal the healing process then?" she asked once she felt the warmth on her arm. Even though her hand still tingled from where he had kissed it, she knew that it was not the time to focus on that. At any rate, her curious mind was eager to exercise again and a ton of questions flooded her mind about the work at hand. When he nodded, she smiled hesitantly. "I hope that its scientific basis allows it to work, then. I know a few healing spells, but since it is a cursed wound, magic can't cure it completely."
"Cursed?" he asked feeling a mixture of both curiosity and anger at her words.
She calmly nodded, but the Doctor saw the momentary flash of panic in her eyes. "B…Bellatrix used a cursed knife to do it." Hermione explained as she struggled with the memory of her torture. "It is a dark magic designed to never let the wound fully heal, so it will stay painful and keep reopening, bleeding, etc..."
He nodded his understanding, but his lips pressed tightly together. Her explanation had reawakened his fury on her behalf. However, he did not want to upset her right now, so he decided that it would be best if he kept quiet about it for the time being. Therefore, even though he did grab her hand and hold it for a few moments to comfort her, he also forced himself to move onto the next issue at hand – looking into her memories.
"Are you ready then?" he asked quietly instead. "I am assuming that you know how this will work." She nodded. "Just remember that we won't be able to talk, but we can send thoughts and feelings if we need to – much like the way the TARDIS communicates with us." She nodded again. "It would be easier if I touched you. Would that be alright?" he then asked softly, since he knew that this whole experience would probably make her uncomfortable and he did not want to add to her unease, if at all possible.
"Yes, that's fine," she whispered with some trepidation, but not at the thought of his touch. She felt comfortable enough with him that it didn't bother her at all! However, she dreaded the thought of having to relive those particular memories. She knew that it had to be done, though. Therefore, she heaved a heavy sigh of resignation. "I will have the relevant book waiting for you on the table."
He looked at her curiously for that cryptic statement, but she had already closed her eyes. Probably preparing for my intrusion, he thought grimly. He leaned forward, put his fingertips on her temples, opened his mind, and almost gasped in surprise as he slipped easily into hers with no resistance whatsoever. She had opened up to him freely. He was momentarily amazed by the amount of trust that such an action would take. However, other emotions then started to wash over him.
Of course, he had known and communicated with other telepathic species before - especially since there were many throughout the universe. However, this experience was different. This felt like coming home! Hermione's mind wrapped around him, and while he could feel some initial uneasiness at the thought of what memories he would see from her painful past, the overall feeling was of welcome, comfort, and intimacy. That last one was a surprise. He knew that the two of them were becoming very close, very quickly, but her mind should not feel this comfortable and familiar to him this soon.
However, he knew it was a gift and he received it gratefully. He welcomed it like a man in the desert welcomes water. He had not felt a mind touch him like this since he had lost his people and even before then, it was a rare event. Therefore, he took just a moment to bask in her telepathic signature - which was only made more special by what he guessed was the unique feel of her magic itself! He finally remembered that he had a job to do, though, and reluctantly turned away from the welcoming warmth to face her… library?
He was a bit surprised to suddenly find himself in a giant library. He could not help but to smile at the coincidence - especially since he had also organized his mind in a similar fashion. He looked around, impressed. Hermione's mind library was huge and looked a bit like the one on his TARDIS. Therefore, he was willing to bet that she had modeled it after the one from her schooldays at Hogwarts. After all, she had mentioned that the two of them were comparable.
He had to find that particular set of memories dealing with the battle, though, so he focused his attention on the books on the shelf closest to him. To his surprise, he found himself in front of a series of First books. Apparently, he was standing in a very interesting section because right in front of him were several volumes labeled as First Crush, First Boyfriend, First Kiss, First Sexual Experience, and First Orgasm. He swallowed hard as he read the title of that last one. Just then a feeling of slight indignation and embarrassment surrounded him and he realized that he had been caught. He quickly sent back apologetic thoughts and turned away from that shelf.
Just as he wondered where he would be able to find the memories of the battle, he felt her slightly amused exasperation and a spotlight appeared out of nowhere to highlight a very large book on the lone table in the middle of the room. Her earlier comment suddenly made sense to him, then. He walked over and read the title to make sure. It was labeled as The Final Battle and it was exactly what he was looking for!