Fourteen – Bye, bye, Potters.
The walk to the Great Hall was a long one. The Doctor kept his arm around Amy for the entire journey, and she wondered if the contact was as comforting for him as it was for her. With each step she felt guiltier and guiltier; walking away from Hogwarts felt an awful lot like she was just leaving Lily and James to die. She kept thinking of Harry,the son they'd barely get to meet, and all of the things he'd have to go through without them. She couldn't fully equate the words printed in the book in her pocket with the youthful faces of her new friends, despite knowing that they were one and the same, but she still felt she was abandoning them.
The Doctor slowed down as they passed the Hospital Wing. The door was slightly ajar, and the two of them paused to peek inside. James and Lily were still in their hospital beds, side by side. They appeared to be fast asleep.
"Do you want to say goodbye?" The Doctor asked.
Amy took a long look at the young couple; they were smiling contently, even in their sleep. "No," she said, turning away, "Let them rest."
The Doctor nodded and they continued on their way. From his expression Amy half expected him to say something to her, perhaps a comforting anecdote - but he remained silent until they entered the Great Hall.
"River Song, what do you think you're doing to my TARDIS?" He exclaimed, stomping down the dusty but otherwise clear aisle.
River was standing atop the staff table, balancing precariously in her heels to reach the light on top of the phone box. All she said was, "You're cutting it fine, aren't you?"
The Time Lord huffed. "I had things to do. Get down from there."
"The bulb on top needed changing." She held out a hand, and with a roll of his eyes the Doctor took it and helped her step down from the table. She smiled at him and kept hold for just a little longer than necessary once she was steady. "Thank you, sweetie."
The Doctor looked at her carefully, eyes crinkling in the corners. "What have you done now, River?"
She batted her eyelashes at him in a display of false innocence that rivalled even Amy's. She purred, "What makes you think I've done something?"The Doctor was leaning in awfully close to River now, so close that when he spoke Amy had to lean forward slightly to hear what he said. "Because you always do."
"And you love me for it."
"Do I?"
Amy saw, for the briefest second, River's air of nonchalance vanishing. Her face almost crumpled, and Amy was stunned by the show of vulnerability. Just as quickly, however, the other woman recovered herself, clearing her throat, straightening her spine and reaching a hand into the pocket of her jacket. She pulled out a roll of parchment, tied with a red bow, and held it out for the Doctor. "In case you ever feel like writing me."
He took the parchment and turned it over in his hands. He untied the ribbon and unfurled the paper just enough to see that it was marked with the Hogwarts crest.
"This is how you found us?"
River nodded and smiled softly. "And you had the most authentic delivery method, too."
The Doctor chuckled and tucked the parchment inside his inner coat pocket, which seemed to Amy to be about as endless as the TARDIS. "Where am I dropping you, Professor Song?"
"Oh, anywhere along the way," River replied, shrugging a shoulder.
Amy couldn't help but interrupt. "Why don't you travel with us for a while?"
Both time travellers turned to look at her, and she was thoroughly alarmed to see equal amounts of sadness in their eyes.
"Oh, Amy," River sighed, almost motherly.
"It doesn't work like that, Amy," the Doctor said quietly.
"But why not?" she pushed. "We wouldn't have won today if it weren't for River -"
"And I'm not debating that," the Doctor cut her off. "But she can't travel with us, Amy. Our timelines won't allow it."
"Spoilers," River said with a hollow laugh. Amy wanted to hug her, but before she could the other woman was tossing her hair over her shoulder and heading inside the TARDIS doors. "Besides, he'd get mad having a better driver around all the time."
"What did you just say?" the Doctor exclaimed, moving to follow her in. "The nerve of that woman!"
Amy paused for just a moment, turning to take one last look at the Great Hall. It was in pretty bad shape, but she had no doubt that the enchanted ceiling would be repaired soon, and life at Hogwarts would go on. She was going to miss this place.
She turned around, placing a hand on the frame of the TARDIS doorway as she stepped inside. Until she felt someone watching her, and instinctively turned around to see who it was.
And there were Lily and James, making their way slowly down the centre aisle. James was limping and Lily's face was still quite pale, but for two people who had just been through near-death experiences they appeared to be in remarkably good health.
"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.
"We couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye," James said, drawing her in for a hug as soon as he was close enough.
"But how did you know -?"
"We heard you in the Hospital Wing earlier, speaking to Dumbledore. We're just glad we caught you before you left," Lily replied.
Amy wrapped her arms around Lily in a gentle hug. "I'm glad you're okay."
"All thanks to you," Lily said. "I wouldn't have made it if you hadn't gotten me to the med bay. I don't know how to thank you…"
"You don't have to," Amy said hurriedly, eager to put her mind at ease. "You would have done the same for me."
Lily smiled. "Great minds do think alike."
[[...]]
When the Doctor heard Lily and James speaking to Amy, he couldn't decide if he was relieved or frustrated. He supposed he could be both at once, if that was what his emotions were going to do, but he hoped that his relief would win out. Goodbyes were hard, you see, and he had never been a fan of them. Never been much good at them, either, despite over nine hundred years of practice. If it made Lily and James feel better, however, he could put his own feelings of sadness aside and give them the closure they were after.
"Ah, if it isn't my favourite Head Boy and Girl!" the Doctor exclaimed joyfully as he stepped out of the TARDIS.
He swept both of them into a hug at once, but it was lacking his usual enthusiasm on account of the two of them still being quite fragile.
"Thank you for all of your help," James said. "We would have been lost without you."
"Oh, I don't know," the Time Lord replied, "I think you can do alright on your own."
"Regardless, your help was invaluable," Lily insisted.
The Doctor waved away her compliment. "Oh, it's what we do."
"So that's it then - you're off to save the next place from alien invasion, I suppose?" James said, leaning on Lily's shoulder.
"I suppose so," the Doctor replied.
Amy laughed. "That's usually how it goes. Never a dull moment."
"Come back and visit, if you can," James said eagerly. "We'll make sure that Hogwarts is always open for you."
The Doctor smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't think we'll be coming back here again, unfortunately."
James looked as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite find the words. It was Lily who broke the silence when she turned to the Doctor and asked, "Could I have one last look inside the TARDIS, please?"
The Doctor held out his hand. "Come along, Evans."
She gave him a smile that was so Amy and followed him inside, leaving the other two just outside the still open door.
Lily's eyes still widened as she saw the central console and the vast space that was the inside of the TARDIS. "Does it ever get old, stepping through the doors of that tiny little police box and walking into this?"
"It never gets old seeing people do it for the first time," the Doctor replied, flicking a switch just to hear the noise it made.
Lily walked beneath the glass floor, and he watched her idly swing the hammock seat back and forth. "I'd never imagined a place like this could exist, let alone that I'd get to visit it. I mean, magic is one thing, but a time machine that can take you anywhere - that's something else entirely."
The Doctor jumped down the steps to join her on the lower floor. He tilted his head to the side to peer at her under the glass. Before stopping to think about it, he heard himself say, "You could come with us, you know. See the rest of the universe."
Lily smiled sagely. "The rest of your universe, you mean."
He hung his head, lifting his arms to grip the edge of the first-level floor. "Right."
He heard Lily's footsteps before he saw her feet directly in front of him. He lifted his head to find her standing much closer than he'd been expecting. "I think one Amy Pond per dimension is enough, don't you?"
The Doctor drew her into a hug, chuckling into her hair. "Yes, I think you're right."
"Besides," Lily said, drawing back. "I'm needed here. And James is here."
"That he is."
"Can you thank Amy for me, please? I didn't realise how much he meant to me until I spoke to her about it, and I'm not sure if she knows how much she helped me."
The Doctor looked from Lily to Amy, who was still talking to James outside the open door. "Of course."
He went to walk outside again, but Lily grabbed his forearm and pulled him back. "Wait," she whispered, nodding towards them, "Just listen."
Confused, the Doctor did as she said.
"Take care of Lily," Amy was saying.
"You know I will," James said. He pointed to her pocket, where the corner of the paperback was just visible.
She tucked it fully inside and gave him a warning jab on the chest with her index finger. "Don't tell anyone about that, okay? And don't go using it to your unfair advantage."
"It's not unfair advantage, it's just a confidence boost," he replied, which made Amy laugh.
"Just… be good, okay? Have fun, and take care of yourself."
"Only if you'll do the same."
Amy's smile almost broke the Doctor's heart. "Never."
Now it was James's turn to laugh. "Good to hear."
They hugged again, and this time he squeezed her just a bit tighter. When they parted, James kissed her ran her fingertips lightly over the soft skin, suddenly speechless. A single tear rolled down the opposite cheek, but she hardly seemed to notice.
"You'll figure it out eventually," James said softly.
Amy frowned at him. "Figure what out?"
"What you're crying for." He reached out and gently wiped away her tears before cupping her face in his hand. "I'm sorry, Amy."
"What are you sorry for?" she asked, voice choked.
Before James could reveal anything more, the Doctor propelled himself forward and stepped between the two. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're running out of time. We have to leave before the crack closes, Amy."
"Alright," she said, hurriedly wiping her eyes.
He bopped her on the nose, and was relieved when she gave him a genuine smile.
"Well, Lily Evans and James Potter, it's time to say goodbye. Thank you for all of your help."
The two students beamed at him. James looped an arm over Lily's shoulder. "Same to you."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Here you go," the Doctor pulled a small vial of yellow liquid from his pocket and tossed it to James, who caught it with one hand. "Medicine, to help you heal faster."
"What is it?" Lily asked, watching as James turned the vial upside down and the liquid dripped like honey down the sides.
"It's good, that's all you need to know."
"A mysterious potion; I can't think of a better parting gift to receive."
"Lily Evans," the Doctor said fondly, "you would make a brilliant companion" James made a sort of wounded noise, and he added on, half joking, "And James too, I suppose."
"You suppose correctly," James said. "And I was being serious before - come back and see us, if you ever can."
It was at that moment that the cloister bell started to ring, loud and clear. The sound sent a panic through the Doctor's bones, ingrained as it was in his unconscious fears, and he grabbed Amy's hand.
"Time to go!" he said, pushing her back towards the TARDIS.
River poked her head out the door. "I said before you were cutting it fine, but this is ridiculous."
"Coming, dear!" he yelled without thinking, and he and Amy hurried inside.
"Goodbye!" the three time travellers called, delaying departure for as long as possible. Amy was the most reluctant to leave, waving out the door even as River and the Doctor prepared the TARDIS for flight. "Goodbye!"
At the last second, the Doctor clicked his fingers and the doors shut on their own. The central column pumped up and down, and with a slight shake the time machine took off. There was just enough power to get her into the vortex, and with one final shudder the TARDIS left Hogwarts and the Wizarding World behind.
[[..]]
Lily Evans and James Potter stared at the empty and ruined great hall. Mere seconds earlier a big, blue phone box had occupied the sapce right in front of them, but now there was just a clean patch of tile in the perfect shape of a square.
Taking her boyfriend's hand, Lily said, "No one's ever going to believe this."
"Who'd have thought we'd ever meet a Time Lord?" James replied.
The two students remained standing with their arms around each other, trying to take in everything they'd experienced over the last few days - or weeks, depending on which timeline you looked at.
Eventually the reality of the TARDIS's departure sunk in, and they began making their way back to the hospital wing.
"Hey, Lils," James said casually as they exited.
"Yes, James?"
"What do you think of the name Harry?"
Lily gave him a strange look, but answered anyway. "Uh… I quite like it. It's not a bad name. Why?"
James smiled and kissed the top of her head. "No reason."
a.n. so there you have it! finally, the end of this fic. i already have a couple of sequels planned, but they'll mostly be one-shots so i promise you won't have to wait as long for closure with those. as this is the final chapter it would mean the world to me if i could hear your thoughts on it, and on the story over all, or any requests you have for a sequel! thank you so so so much for reading and sticking with me. i hope you've enjoyed the ride - it was long, and often bumpy, but i had a lot of fun and i hope you did too.