Hermione was so deep in thought that she barely noticed where her feet were headed as she wound her way back across the ship to the galley. She realized later that the TARDIS must have been guiding her subconsciously the entire way because she certainly would have gotten lost, otherwise. In fact, she had been all but oblivious to her surroundings because she had been completely immersed in her newfound understanding of the mystery that surrounded her dear friend. She now suspected that she knew exactly why the Doctor was alone…and why he had just become so emotional over something as simple as a tree. The realization was heartbreaking!
In fact, the horrifying discovery put her losses – as catastrophic as they were – into perspective and she realized that the Doctor actually probably needed her even more than she needed him. That was certainly saying something, however, because every day she was more and more aware of exactly how much that was!
She also knew that she would have to eventually face down her own demons as soon as she felt strong enough. She did not really know how that situation would end or where it would lead her. Nevertheless, until that time actually came to pass, she promised herself that she would be here for the Doctor whenever and in whatever way that he needed her!
...
Hermione partook of a simple meal in the silent, but comforting, presence of the TARDIS. However, Hermione could tell that the ship's main consciousness was elsewhere. Therefore, she also knew, without a doubt, that the Old Girl was still keeping vigil over the Doctor, as well.
After she had eaten, she waited for as long as she could until it became clear that he was not going to join her in the galley. She was disappointed, but she also completely understood. She knew that there were just some things that you had to do on your own…and that you could not rush them. Therefore, the witch just sighed and put the Doctor's food under a stasis spell so that he could eat it whenever he was ready.
She then decided that, while she waited, it would be a good time for that run she had planned. Consequently, she left the galley and headed in the direction where she remembered finding the gym on the previous day. She was happy to discover that she was able to make her way back there without any problems whatsoever.
Once inside, she glanced over at the sparring mats and was gratified, and a little embarrassed, to see that someone - probably the TARDIS - had cleaned up the mess that she had made the night before during her emotional breakdown. None of that today, she promised herself, and looked at the running track instead. While she did her mandatory pre-run stretching routine, she allowed herself a moment of regret that she had not arranged for some kind of workout music beforehand. At that moment, however, she felt the TARDIS touch her mind and the upbeat strains of her favorite exercise tunes filled the air. Hermione was able to send the ship her sincere thanks before the Old Girl's consciousness left again, just as quickly as it had arrived.
The witch allowed herself a small smile at the thought that the TARDIS seemed to be keeping an eye on both of her occupants in turn. She only hoped that the Doctor was doing okay and that he would feel up to joining her soon. She then forced all of the negative thoughts out of her mind, focused on the music and the track instead, and just ran! She ran until she just could not run anymore. She knew that such actions would cause her to be sore the next day, but she also knew that it would be worth it in the long run when her endurance levels were finally back to where they used to be.
She then proceeded to do her cool down stretches while she looked longingly at the pool and wished that she had remembered to bring a swimsuit. However, she soon realized that her sports bra and panties would work just as well – especially since she was alone. Therefore, she slipped out of her sweaty clothes and slid her overheated body into the crisp coolness of the water. She sighed at the sensation of being gently enveloped by it before she completed a few leisurely laps - careful to not overexert herself again after her hard run. Consequently, it was an indeterminate amount of time later before she climbed out of the pool and smiled at the sight of the large towel waiting for her there. Apparently, the TARDIS had visited her again and anticipated her need – even though she had been too wrapped up in her exercise to notice.
Even though the gym was equipped with shower facilities, she decided to head back to her room to clean up there. After all, she did not have any clean clothes with her and she did not want to take the TARDIS's attention away from the Doctor by asking for some nor did she want to parade around the ship naked. Therefore, she decided to just keep her wet undies on and to dry them with a useful spell she had learned after the Weasley twins had gone through a period of thinking that charmed water buckets on the tops of doors was a hilarious idea for a prank.
Hermione paused in surprise as she realized that she was actually able to smile at that memory, rather than cry over it. Maybe I am beginning to heal, she thought optimistically. Then she wrapped the towel around herself before she muttered the same spell to dry the floor behind her as she left the gym and headed back to the corridor where the bedrooms were located.
After a hot shower, she felt fantastic – physically, at least. She was tired after her workout, but her body also practically thrummed with excess energy. Her mind then drifted as she thought of some very pleasant ways in which she could expend all of it – if she just had the right partner. That, of course, made her think of the Doctor, as well. Just as soon as she thought of him, however, sadness and self-recrimination quickly descended upon her as she realized how inappropriate those kind of thoughts were at the present time.
She squashed the naughty ideas that had just started forming in her mind as she remembered that the Doctor was obviously in mourning. Plus, the fact that the TARDIS was still preoccupied, proved that he was still working through his…problems…as well. Therefore, Hermione was torn. Even when she disregarded the physical nature of her previous thoughts, she still wanted to go to him and comfort him as a friend. However, she also wanted to respect his privacy at the same time. She knew, however, that she really did not want to inflict her presence on him if he did not want to see her.
Consequently, she decided to play it safe and go prepare some dinner instead. Once she arrived in the galley, though, she frowned when she found his lunch, still in stasis, on the table. She left it there, however…just in case. Then she went ahead and prepared her dinner, ate it right there at the small table, and then left the Doctor's dinner in stasis – right next to his lunch. That way he could decide what he wanted to eat – whenever he was ready to do so.
After she cleaned up the mess that she had made, she decided to retire to the library for the evening. She knew that the Doctor would know to look for her there if he wanted to see her. Once there, she browsed the shelves until she found a multi-planetary cultural section. As she remembered the blue, four-armed, and extremely polite alien that she had met on the previous day, she selected a book about the Tripurlians. With such entertainment, she was able to distract herself for a couple of hours as she relaxed on the comfortable sofa and read about the interesting and courteous species. By the time she had finished the book, however, it became painfully obvious that the Doctor was not going to put in an appearance while she was in the library, either.
The knowledge saddened her and she reluctantly decided to go to bed instead of continuing to wait for him. She headed to her room, and after she had performed her usual nighttime routines, she slipped between her sheets. She soon fell asleep to thoughts about how she was going to approach the Doctor on the next day. After all, she refused to allow him to spend another day in solitude – whether he wanted to or not!
Fortunately, however, she did not have to put any of her tentative plans into motion because, just a couple of hours later, the door to her room slowly swung open. The small sound caused Hermione to awaken instantly because, even though she had healed physically, her survival instincts were still battle-sharp from her year on the run. Accordingly, she was awake enough to be able to repay the previous night's favor by wordlessly holding up the edge of her blanket to allow her visitor access to her bed instead. Once he had slid in beside her, she silently wrapped her arms around him and even hooked her leg over his in order to pull him as close as she could and to give him as much comforting body contact as possible – all while he buried his face into her hair and tried not to lose his composure again. Without a word, she held him that way until his even breathing proved that he had finally fallen asleep. Only then did she allow her grip on him to loosen slightly as she slipped back into slumber herself.