VI. Window of the Past

If he had been smarter at the time, or perhaps not so rough, then maybe she wouldn't have slipped into the state of unconsciousness. He wasn't sure if it was her fault or Moody's, but the fact was she was in this state and he hadn't done much to help prevent it. But maybe he couldn't. He sighed in frustration, raking his hand through his hair as he sat beside the large bed watching Rose. It was halfway through dinner by now, he suspected, but he wasn't hungry.

There was a knock at the door. It wasn't surprising, he was expecting the students to show up after the lesson and be bombarded with questions about how he knew what he did, where he came from, and on and on. None the less he stood up and walked to the door, opening it to find the infamous trio (although Hermione was supporting both Harry and Ron) looking up at him. He opened the door for them, allowing the wobbling trio inside the room. They made themselves comfortable as he closed the door.

"Is she alright?" Harry asked once Hermione had sat him in an extra chair. He brushed some of the bread crumbs from dinner off his robes, looking up at the Doctor. The Doctor nodded, sitting down on the bed beside Rose facing the three as Ron was able to get himself on the floor and Hermione sat between him and Harry. The Doctor glanced behind him, looking at Rose for a long moment before turning and looking at the three.

"She'll be fine." He said simply.

"That was….bloody hell; I don't know how to describe it." Ron spoke up. "I mean…..just, how he just …"

"I understand what you mean, Ronald." The Doctor spoke softly. "Moody is very skilled in the Dark Arts field, he knows what he is doing."

"Are you going to go to Dumbledore about this?" Hermione leaned forward. "He was just supposed to put the curse on us and …"

"I'm not even sure he was allowed to do that." The Doctor cut her off. "No one should have any of those curses on them, even for a test of character. They are evil, Hermione, pure evil. Only people who have no love and respect for any living thing would use one of those curses on another…believe me." Ron went to ask for further information, but Hermione silenced him with a whack in the arm. "But, yes I will be seeing Dumbledore about this. Tomorrow."

"When is she goin' to wake up?" Ron gestured to Rose. "I mean, soon that is….you did, well, kinda knock her hard…"

The Doctor's eyes flickered from dull to dark. His tight and serious face fell to that of a weary man, tired and defeated. He moved his gaze to the sleeping blond that lay under the large quilt, her chest slowly rising and falling as her breathing slowed in her sleep. She looked so peaceful, but he knew under her mask she was having nightmares, horrific dreams about being controlled and attacking anyone against her will. But her mask covered it well, it covered everything so well, all her emotions from the regeneration up until now….

"Doctor Sigma?"

He looked back at the three students, all showing worry that Rose would not be fine.

"She'll be fine." He restated. "She is like this because of the curse, not because of anything I did. If it was of my fault, she would have fallen into an unconscious state at the time. Moody used too much power in the curse. Rose wasn't expecting it. She has no experience with magic."

"No experience with magic?" Ron whispered. "She's not a wizard?"

"It would explain why you never see her with a wand, Ron." Harry commented. "Is she, a muggle then…"

"She could be a Squib." Hermione interjected before the Doctor could answer. "And because of that she could have been brought up in the muggle world, I mean it would make sense, though usually Squibs are informed…." She trailed off in thought but looked at the clock on the wall. "We should go."

"But we just got here!" Ron protested, gesturing to his legs. "Bloody hell Hermione do you know how hard it is to walk?"

The Doctor rose. "No, she's right Ronald. All three of you should be heading to bed now before whoever is on night duty tonight decides to drag you down to the dungeons with Snape for detention." All three gave a shudder. Hermione helped Ron and Harry up, giving them aid to the door. The Doctor opened it for them, but Harry lingered behind his friends, turning and looking at the Doctor.

"Doctor," Harry looked at him. "I'd like to talk to you, when you have the time that is, about…."

"Your parents?" he asked. Harry slowly nodded, glancing away for a moment. "Or is it more on how Avada Kedavra is….so you can understand your parent's final moments better?" Harry slowly nodded after a moment. The Doctor sighed, looking away for a moment. "How about this, Harry? Meet with me during lunch tomorrow, we'll talk then. I'll come and get you from lunch."

Harry glanced behind the Doctor. "You are going to be taking care of Miss Tyler then, all day?"

"I promised her mother I'd take care of her." He said softly. "I promised her I'd take care of her." He smiled, and leaned against the door frame. "You be off to bed now, Harry. Don't let what happened in class trouble you too much; I don't want to hear Snape gloating about how you weren't paying attention in Potions tomorrow. Is that understood?" Harry smiled with a silent laugh and slowly wobbled off to his friends that were waiting for him at the staircase. The Doctor slowly closed the door once they were on their way, walking back to the bed. He sighed as he sat down, and then lay down, looking at the ceiling.

The next day at lunch Harry ate as fast as he could. No one had seen the Doctor or Rose that morning, and Harry had been forcing himself to stay patient through History of Magic (which was more enjoyable when the Doctor taught it) and Charms just so he could eat and head out. He wasn't sure why he was so excited, maybe it was because he would finally get to know his parents more. The Doctor had a way of explaining people for who they were not just their actions and legacies.

He told Hermione and Ron he would see them at Potions, and nearly ran out of the Great Hall. He quickly walked up the stairways until he was at floor four, heading to the room. The Doctor didn't show up like he had promised, but Harry wasn't too downhearted, he could understand why. He fixed the way his robes sat and knocked on the door, waiting for a response. There was rustling inside before it swung open, the Doctor standing there looking tired as ever and like he would collapse at any moment.

"Harry?" he asked, blinking and looking at the watch on his wrist. He blinked again, looking closer at the hands before down at the fourth year. "I suppose I'm a bit late, yeh? Sorry about that…I ahm, was reading. Come in, no point in standing outside." He moved aside and closed the door as Harry entered. Immediately the boy's eyes went to Rose.

"Still sleeping," The Doctor explained, leading him to a seat. "Rose has had a difficult time these last few weeks, outside of what happened yesterday. An emotional issue is all," he explained before Harry could ask and took a seat beside the teenager. A silence passed between them.

"Well," he said. "Go on, ask."

Harry looked up at him, a small smile on his face and a life in his emerald eyes. "How did you know them? My parents, that is."

The Doctor sat back in his seat, rubbing his chin in thought. "I met them during the days we were fighting against Voldemort," he paused to see if Harry would object to the name, but the teenager said nothing. "By we I mean another friend of mine, not Rose, her name was Romana. We decided to help, and met them through one of my personal friends, Remus."

"Remus Lupin?" Harry's eyes widened. "You knew him as well?"

"And your godfather, I believe he is, Sirius Black." The Doctor reflected, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "Romana was the one that was friends with your father and mother, really. I knew Remus, Dumbledore, and McGonagall much better….but, I did spend some time with them." He looked back at Harry, seeing the wonder in the boy's eyes, and smiled. "Your father was very much like you, Harry. He loved getting into trouble, so childlike at heart but a brilliant and brave man as well. No matter how things were, how bad they were, you could always depend on your father to lighten the mood and keep the moral up. He was a good man, and I have no doubt in me at all, Harry, that he would have – and was – a wonderful father."

Harry sat quiet for a long moment. He let the feeling sink into his heart, the solemn and yet happy feeling that filled the room as the Doctor spoke of his father. For one brief moment, it felt as if he were there beside his father and that he knew him better than anyone else. Even though he had been told by so many people he was a near reincarnation of his father, Harry felt closer to him now than he had ever before. Somehow the Doctor could bridge the gap and share that moment in time.

The Doctor noticed this. He sat there silently watching the boy stare at the wall with a small smile on his face. But the moment passed and Harry looked back at him.

"What about my mother?" he asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Ah, Lily." He took a moment to reflect, to bring the red hair and emerald eyed woman to mind. "She was the perfect match for your father. Calm and steadfast in life, not about to go racing off into adventures around the world and such. But, James rubbed off on her from what I had seen, but she had rubbed off on him as well. I didn't know her as well as I knew your father, but from what Romana told me, Lily was a wonderful person, brilliant even. I know for a fact, Harry, that she was a wonderful mother and loved you very much. Both of them did."

"You think they still do?" Harry asked softly.

The Doctor looked at him with a frown. "That depends, Harry, if you believe there is a life after this. If you believe they are standing by watching over you, and then I have no doubt that they love you more now than they ever did. From what Dumbledore tells me you have done many things to make them proud. But," he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "I would like to hear your tales from you, Harry Potter. The true story is always different from the myth. Would you do that for me, Harry? Tell me about your adventures?"

Harry was silent for a moment, confused and yet feeling his cheeks redden. People never wanted to know about his adventures, minus Dumbledore of course. He wondered if it was because he was a legend, a celebrity before he was even two, but the Doctor shook his head. Harry looked over at Rose for a moment, before turning his attention back to him.

"Why not?" Harry smiled softly. He went to speak, but the bell rang signifying the end of lunch. He frowned and looked at the Doctor, hoping that the man from the Ministry could get him out of going to Potions. However the Doctor smiled and shook his head, standing up and walking Harry to the door. Harry gathered his books and nodded, running off towards the staircase and nearly tripped a few times.

He closed the door after her was sure that Harry had left. His eyes went to the bed as Rose slowly sat up, stopping every few seconds when her arms would wobble in pain. He was by her side in an instant, leaning against the bed silently looking at her. Rose was able to steady herself and looked over at him with a triumphant smile on lips. He however frowned, looked her over, and then up at her.

"You heard it all then, all that?" He gestured to the door with his eyes. Rose glanced at the door, then looked at the chair Harry was had sat in just a few minutes prior and met his eyes. She managed a small smile.

"I suppose, you noticed?" She asked with a small smile.

"Aye," he sat down beside her, one arm rested on his leg and the other on the bed. Rose gave another smile. "So, what do you think?"

Rose looked at him before biting her lip then turning her gaze back to him. "He's a good kid," he nodded. "And….his parents…?"

The Doctor leaned back against the bed, arms behind his head. "Killed, October thirty-first nineteen eighty-one by none other than Lord Voldemort," he paused and looked over at her. "I bet you haven't heard of him."

"Don't know anything about him no,"

He sighed, inching at his eyes. "Lord Voldemort was a very evil man, Rose." He looked at her. "He was a student here, at Hogwarts, when he was still known as Tom Riddle. He according to what I've heard from Dumbledore, found a secret chamber underneath the school – the Chamber of Secrets,"

"Oh that's an original title."

He smiled. "Stop interrupting, Rose." She gave a guilty smile. "This was where a foul creature was kept, a basilisk, waiting to be released so that it would destroy any Mudbloods." He paused. "Those are wizards born of human parents, instead of wizard parents. You see the man who founded the Slytherin house was a very prejudice man, hated anything that wasn't pureblood. Sound familiar?" There was a stifling silence.

"Daleks." Rose whispered and her voice wavered, the Doctor nodded slowly.

"It's a very human trait, even if the Daleks wouldn't have admitted it." He looked forward at the wall across from them, shifting against the headboard. "Tom released the basilisk. The school was almost shut down, but instead Tom was able to frame Hagrid – yes, the teacher – into being the one that opened the chamber. Hogwards remained open and Hagrid was expelled, but Dumbledore was able to convince the headmaster at the time to keep Hagrid at the school. However after he graduated he eventually started his followers, which became known as Death Eaters. They started the Dark Years and there were several people killed….several." he looked at Rose.

Rose looked at him, her eyes shaking slightly. "What about his parents? Mr. and Mrs. Potter?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I left before then; I didn't even know they had a child until now…they were killed by Voldemort himself, ratted out by one of their closest friends who later framed Harry's godfather as the culprit. To make a story short, Harry's mother used an ancient form of magic without knowing it to protect her son from Voldemort. Voldemort killed Lily with," he paused for Rose to answer but she didn't. But she knew the answer. "With the killing curse. He moved to strike Harry with the same curse, but the protection spell – love – rebounded and destroyed Voldemort's physical form. The only mark made from the attack was…" he tapped her forehead. "That lightning bolt. That's the only mark left from it. And he's famous for it."

A silence filled the room, except with the occasional footsteps from the outside. Rose looked at her arms, finding small purple bruises on her forearms and wrists. She looked at the Doctor who turned away instantly, standing up and walking around the room. Rose sighed, looking down but a smile found her way on her lips as she looked at him.

"I'm hungry."

The Doctor turned and looked at her. "You just missed lunch….but; I suppose I could call a favor." He smiled and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He was gone for a few minutes but Rose attempted to make herself comfortable in the bed which was proving to be more of a chore than it needed to be. When she finally got herself propped up against the headboard with a pillow, the door opened and he returned with a small platter of food. He closed the door with his food then plopped down on the bed, offering her some of the left over chicken that was served. Rose glanced at the sweets with her eyebrow raised but he simply smiled gleefully.

They ate in silence for the first time since the first day of his regeneration. But this silence was a comfortable one, unlike the eerie and stiff atmosphere that filled the TARDIS for those twenty-four hours. Instead of worrying about the other they simply sat and enjoyed each other's company in wonderful silence. After Rose had finished the food she was given, which she presumed he haggled off the house-elves in the kitchens, she placed the tray down at the foot of the bed and leaned back against the pillow with a frown. The Doctor looked over at her, with half a cream pie in his mouth as her face scrunched up in silent protest.

He frowned. The only time someone was reported to have any pain under an Imperius Curse was when they had been hurt during the time they were under it. He didn't look strong, but he still held the same strength he had through all of his previous incarnations. The Doctor finished the cream pie quickly then took Rose's arm and inspected the bruises he had given her, but figured that most her pain came from being slammed into a stone wall and hard wood floor. His eyes went to hers and she tilted her head in question, only to be answered by the Doctor pulling her forward and placing her head on his chest. Rose froze by natural instinct, but relaxed when he started to massage her neck and shoulders with one hand. She released a content sigh.

"You know," he looked down at her and waited for her to make eye contact with him. "I think that if it had been under different circumstances, we both would have rather enjoyed rolling on the floor together!" he smiled.

Rose's mouth opened slightly in surprise but she managed to hit him in the arm. "You cheeky bastard!" she said through her giggles. The Doctor mocked a pout, but continued to release the tension in her back.

"You didn't deny it." He mentioned a few moments later but that only earned a smile. "Well look whose being cheeky now, Rose Tyler. I think you're rubbing off on me."

Rose snorted. "You're cheeky enough without my help, Doctor."

"Oh, yeh." He smiled and ruffled her hair with his free hand. "But I suppose everyone needs to be a bit cheekier now and then."

After Rose had fallen asleep again the Doctor threw on his pinned stripped jacket and his coat and made his way to Dumbledore's office. He had been entrusted with the password to the office – along with all the house passwords – for easier access to do his duty from the Ministry. The Doctor truly had no more intention to stay at Hogwarts after he received his pardon to use the TARDIS. He was going to leave and take Rose with him, maybe go to Barcelona like they had planned.

The Doctor stood in the doorway and found Dumbledore pacing as always. They shared good greetings and how the day had gone but the conversation did touch on the tournament for a bit. Finally he addressed the issue of the curses, but Dumbledore trusted Moody to teach as he saw fit. However, Dumbledore did agree it was out of line for him to place the curse on Rose, and would see to it that it was made clear to Moody not to attempt casting anymore curses on Rose – or the Doctor for that matter. Dumbledore also kindly asked that he try and restrain himself from fixing the History of Magic class – even though he knew how much the Doctor loved time. The Doctor left the tower only slightly pleased and in despite need of something sweet.

He made himself comfortable against a wall in the Main Hall and watched the students as they all piled to the Great Hall for dinner. He stood there for a few moments before standing and making his way back to his room, passing Harry and his friends on the way. The Doctor and Harry made eye contact for a second before he continued on. After her was in his room he took off his jacket and coat, removing his tie and tossing it on top of the other clothing. Rose was awake looking at the ceiling in thought.

"If you want to see the ceiling change, then you might want to be at the Great Hall." He mentioned and sat down beside her. Rose rolled her eyes and smacked him with the closest pillow. He chuckled and took the pillow, hitting her softly in the face with it. Rose stuck out her tongue and pouted. The Doctor smiled and patted her arm as a knock came. He looked over at the door. "Come in!"

The door opened slowly, Harry, Hermione, and Ron slipping in with food. The Doctor raised his eyebrows but Rose smiled at the three as they pulled chairs up.

"Good to see you up and about, Miss Tyler." Ron greeted her and handed her a roll from his pockets. Rose smiled and took it.

"Please don't call me 'miss', I'm just a few years older than you lot." She smiled and ate the roll. "How was Potions?"

"Dreadful." Harry and Ron muttered together but Hermione just wrinkled her nose.

"Nothing new then." Rose nodded and took the apple from Hermione as she offered it.

"There has been talk on when the other schools are arriving, though." Hermione mentioned and looked at the Doctor who shook his head. All three seemed to slouch and pout at the fact he wouldn't be revealing when the students were coming.

"But Dumbledore said something about Halloween." Harry recalled. "They'll probably be arriving at least a week before then…."

"It's a month away, isn't it a bit early to be thinking about it?" the Doctor asked. The three shrugged. "How are your knees doing, Harry? All better?" Harry nodded as he stuffed his face with a roll of his own. "Good to see that. It wouldn't do you any good in anything with fractured knee caps."

"Dunno," Ron muttered. "Professor Trelaweny might see it as a good sign that death is upon Harry and I."

"She thinks that even if we breathe, Ron." Harry sighed.

"She probably just picks on you Harry because of your history, and Ron because of you being his best friend." Rose mentioned. "I mean, she can't really be able to see into the future with a crystal ball can she?"

"Well, she is the great grand daughter of a famous person who could." The Doctor shrugged and took another cream pie from Ron. "Sometimes you can just get lucky and hit the mark spot on. Speaking of which," he stood up and shoved the rest of the small pie in his mouth as he fished for the Sonic Screwdriver in his coat pocket. He turned it on and changed a frequency, walking over to Rose and sat down beside her again. He held it up with a smile, and Rose's eyebrows went up.

"What kind of wand is that?" Ron asked.

"Not exactly a wand," Rose smiled softly as the Doctor placed the screwdriver at the back of her neck, moving it along her spine slowly. He never ceased to amaze her, because as the screwdriver moved down her back the tension in her muscles seemed to disappear. The pain lingered, but she could at least move now. She smiled at the Doctor who nodded and continued on. The trio had gathered around the bed to watch – amazed.

"If it isn't a wand, then what is it?" Harry asked.

"Sonic Screwdriver!" the Doctor replied happily. "Made it all by myself. It comes in handy every now and again," he ruffled Rose's hair again who sighed. "And don't go around thinking you can make one of these, they are extremely hard to make – even with magic. Besides lets just let everyone think it's a wand, yeh?"

Hermione let out a sound of frustration and pointed to it. "But it doesn't even look like a wand!"

"Well how do they know that?" The Doctor asked, slightly offended. "Just because all the wands look like some stick doesn't mean that there aren't wands that don't look like some stick. Honestly, Miss Granger, open your mind to the impossible a bit more."

Ron laughed. "Hermione? I don't think so, Doctor Sigma, Hermione here goes by the rules and books. Probably would have been like any other muggle if she wasn't born a wizard." Hermione gave him a glare and Harry split the two up.

"Either way I'm fairly certain she would be bright." The Doctor smiled, catching Rose's perked eyebrows from the corner of his eyes. He placed the screwdriver in his pocket and folded his arms behind his head, looking at the trio. "Miss Granger here is a bright young lady; she'll be a brilliant woman someday. Whoever is going to be marrying her will have a good life." He grinned as Hermione flushed but winced as Rose smacked him in the arm with a pillow. "That's deadly you know!"

"That's the point." Rose muttered.

The rest of dinner time was spent talking about classes. The Doctor offered the assistance in any way he could, ranging from ways to focus on casting spells and how to arrange homework time. Hermione refused the offer kindly but Ron and Harry jumped at the opportunity to get help for their Divination class assignments. Rose laid her head against the Doctor's arm as the two boys explained their newest and most horrid assignment yet, which of course they admitted wasn't as horrid as having to sit through a Potions class. The Doctor wrapped his arm around Rose as they talked through the dinner, both only slightly worrying about what events the upcoming tournament would bring about to history.