Too Close For Comfort, Doctor
by
xXx MissHaunted-MoonLight xXx

Sigh, only the 'Death' concept is mine. Everything else has been created by geniuses with flash cars, big houses and wads of cash (though they don't boast half as much as they could. They're all very modest, I'm sure).

The last time I checked, that wasn't me.

Thanks for all reviews guys!

Chapter 7

Time Meddlers

"Right…does this place have tea, or what?"

Rose glanced at the Doctor with a wide-eyed expression on her face.

"I thought you preferred coffee?" she asked, surprised.

The Doctor stared at her, a playful smile sliding onto his handsome features.

"Well, if one considers the fact that a cup of tea helped to speed up the regeneration process, I think one could safely presume an element of fondness for it." Spotting the look on her face, he winked and mock-pouted, crossing his arms in defiance. "Hey, I did say personality change, too!" he added as she stared at him with one eyebrow raised. "You'll probably find that the things I used to dislike become the things I like. Look at your mother, for instance…"

Rose glared and opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off before she could even start.

"Oh, sorry, that was rude. No, I only meant that I couldn't do domestic before, but you saw me! I actually sat down with you, Jackie and Mickey for Christmas Dinner! Now, would I have been up for doing something as domestic as that, if I were still the other me?"

Hesitating, his companion flashed him a contemplative look, and nodded.

"Fair point," Rose said, smiling. "I never really thought about it at the time, but you seemed a lot more comfortable around her. I just thought it was because she helped in saving your life."

"Well so did I, but apparently I can cope with being in her company…for a bit anyway." He paused, but then realising what he had just said, quickly caught her eye and jumped to his own defence. "That doesn't mean I'll be taking you home more often than we used to, mind. I haven't changed that much!"

"Absolutely not!" Rose replied, laughing at his sudden flare of indignation.

Satisfied, he grinned back and shifted slightly, a hand running absently through his unruly locks.

"Right, where was I? Oh, yes. Tea. Do Brits still drink tea these days? Or has it gone out of fashion? Oh, and that reminds me…what time are we in, again?"

Ron and Hermione shared a look of amazement, but Harry and Ginny simply smiled knowing smiles and shared an expectant look with Rose. She nodded, grinning back and winking.

It was time for Ron and Hermione to learn the truth.

Ginny clambered onto Harry's bed and sat beside him, cross-legged, with his hand clasped gently in hers. With identical smirks on their faces, the two watched in fascination as Hermione began to piece together what was going on.

But Ron, unfortunately, looked as oblivious as always, and was simply staring at the Doctor as though fearful for his sanity.

"1997… have you got a hangover or something?" he asked, curiously. Harry and Ginny stifled snorts but resolutely said nothing else. Rose was shaking her head in mild disbelief. And the Doctor merely grinned in response, shaking his head whilst mentally deciding that he liked this kid's attitude. Deciding not to comment, however, he turned to running over the facts instead, in the hopes of uncovering something else that might help him make sense of what had happened.

"So this is Britain in 1997… I'm guessing September if you lot have just come back to school…September 1997, Modern Day Britain…and it's a school for magic. Well, we're in your time line, Rose...sort of...you'd have been a little younger, but I don't think we're in London anymore. We've jumped back a few years…came from Christmas 2005 and landed in September 1997. Something important must be going on around this time. And I'll bet it has something to do with this war that's going on."

"You mean I've grown up amidst a war and we knew nothing about it?" Rose asked, astonished.

The Doctor nodded, a small frown eating away at the corners of his mouth.

"A magical one, yes. I'm quite surprised that no-one's noticed anything, to be honest. London didn't seem all that bad when we were there at Christmas…well, apart from the giant spaceship parked above the Powell Estate - that was a bit strange, even if I do say so myself. I doubt that's got anything to do with this, though, seeing as how Harriet Jones decided to order its destruction. And the Sycorax most certainly do not – did not, even – have the technology for Time Travel. Did nothing happen when you were younger? Nothing unusual on the news? ... Magical, even?"

Rose shook her head.

"That's really strange ... has it not been affecting the … 'Muggle' world?"

Ron imitated Rose's head-shake with the addition of a bewildered stare.

"Ok, that must be one Hell of a hangover! Do you even know who you are, mate?" he asked in shock. The Doctor studied him with amusement.

"Honestly? I would have to say no…not yet, anyway. I'm…oh, sorry, Rose…we're still trying to work that out. So is it affecting Muggles?" he pressed, curious.

"Yes. World-wide actually. It's on the news, like, every day – there are always stories of disappearances and deaths, natural disasters, and the fog caused by Dementors that's been sweeping the streets," Harry informed him, mood dropping slightly.

"So time's gone wrong ... again," the Doctor muttered, shaking his head. "But why have they brought us here? I don't understand it, Rose. How does it involve us?"

"What were you doing before you came here?" Ginny asked suddenly.

The Doctor looked at her and frowned.

"Erm…we - well I say 'we' but I actually mean Rose – were saying our goodbyes …and then I asked you," he turned to Rose, a look of the utmost concentration on his face, "where you wanted to go … and you asked for some concert or other. We returned to London afterwards to drop off the photos and gifts at your Mum's." He shook his head in frustration and ran his hands through his hair.

"We went back into the TARDIS and had just closed the door..."

Rose nodded, racking her brain for details and watching in her mind's eye as the Doctor gently kick the door closed behind them.

"And I asked you about the whole Regeneration thing, but you never really had the chance to explain. You assured me it was over, and that you were alright and stuff, but just left it at that and started fiddling with the controls."

"Oh, yeah...You'd asked me if I'd take you to Barcelona just before we entered the TARDIS, so I was sorting that out," the Doctor confirmed.

"You started setting co-ordinates and the TARDIS sort of…shook…I remember you saying 'that's not supposed to happen'…and you started pulling levers and pressing switches...you said something about the TARDIS being intercepted...and then, I woke up here. I remember everything that happened in the TARDIS with you yesterday, about your injury…but nothing between the shaking and that. It's like that Transmat Beam thing that took us to Satellite Five…and the Daleks…" and she fell silent, gazing at the floor.

They sat in silence for a few seconds until Rose looked up at him again.

"Could it have been another Transmat, Doctor?" she asked. He shook his head and sighed.

"No, I've made adjustments to the TARDIS since then. I didn't want to have to go through all of that again, not when I only have a few regenerations left to play with. I'm running through them pretty quickly, these days. Nothing like that could get into the TARDIS again."

His expression was hard but determined, and Rose knew it was the truth.

As the pair fell gravely silent, each puzzling over what could possibly have happened to drag them into such an unusual time and place, Hermione chose that moment to enter the discussion. She smiled and looked at him with large eyes, giving Harry and Ron a fleeting glimpse of the eleven-year-old Hermione that they had grown to love. She looked so innocent...so honest...

"Sorry, but what's a 'TARDIS'?" she asked, politely.

The Doctor's frown slipped and he grinned at her.

"My ship…time machine…our home," he replied, sighing happily as he thought about it. Rose beamed at him.

'He said 'our home'! No, wait...don't jump to conclusions! That might just be because I'm staying with him for now...or it may be something else...oh, come on, Rose, focus!'

Blinking beadily in an attempt to compress her wandering thoughts, Rose couldn't suppress a snort of delight as she spotted the awestruck look being beamed her way from a certain red-haired, freckle-faced teen.

"Whoa! No way … Time Machine?" Ron cried. "As in the 'clock' sort of time ?! That is so cool! Who are you then? Are you working with the Ministry? Working on inter-galactic magical transport, or something? I've heard talk of things like that happening in the Department of Mysteries. Unspeakables reckon they can get to distant galaxies if they work hard enough."

"And where'd you hear that?" Harry asked, smiling. "Luna?" Ron blushed and nodded.

"Thought so…no, Ron...they're not wizards."

"You Muggles, then?" Ron asked in wonder.

"Sort of. She is, I'm not." The Doctor paused, wondering if he could get away with leaving it there. He wasn't sure about divulging into his life with a group of suspicious seventeen year-olds who could be directly involved in dragging them to where they were. But as he spotted their eager faces, he knew he couldn't get away with that. Even Harry and Ginny were watching him with interest now. They knew he was an alien, but that was about it. He was cornered.

He sighed heavily and switched from eyeing Ron and Hermione to contemplating Harry and Ginny. "I'm a Time Lord," he said finally, preparing for the onslaught of hushed, amazed questions that were bound to accompany that bombshell.

But in fact, they weren't needed. For the reaction he received was one he couldn't ever have expected, let alone prepare himself for.

The gasp of disbelief caused his head to spin round in surprise, and the Doctor stared in wonder as Hermione's expression darkened considerably. She tensed where she stood, her eyes narrowed and her appearance menacing. She moved closer and reached for Ron's hand, pulling him sharply away from the bed, despite his muttered protests.

"Well, that just isn't possible, Doctor," she stated matter-of-factly, watching him as she would a potential jewel thief, apparently dead certain that he was lying through his teeth. Stunned by her reaction, the Doctor himself remained mute, eyes wide in disbelief.

"The Time Lords were destroyed years ago. The entire race was struck down during the Time War. None survived."

Throat constricted and hearts racing, the Doctor's astonished expression was slowly replaced with a look of complete confusion, his darkened eyes betraying the apparent disregard for her blasé summery of the events that unfolded. Rose considered his face, anxiety eating away at her insides, but the protective shields she knew too well were up and securely barricading him safely out of reach of raw emotion.

"How do you know that?" he asked, voice eerily calm and level. Rose knew better, though, and she bit her lip, watching Hermione intently as she silently prayed that the girl was smart enough to fix her colossal mistake.

At first, Hermione steadily glared back at him, reluctant to back down, sure she was right; but her expression soon changed to one of wonder as she finally caught his eye. Really caught his eye.

She wasn't sure she had thought this through, which was most unlike her. His eyes spoke volumes, reflecting a lifetime of agonising pain and suffering, of unbearable loss. But for her, there was only one way to find the truth. She'd give her account. If he was who he said he was, then he would understand. If not, she would challenge it.

"Simple…I read. There's a large book in the Library that holds the legends of time. Stories of travellers, aliens, creatures from other worlds, and legendary historic occasions. There was a page on the Time War, not much but there was enough to piece things together."

The Doctor seemed momentarily at a loss for words. Finally, swallowing hard and suppressing a shudder, he blinked his eyes away from hers and contemplated the Grounds outside through the window beside them.

"But how could they write about something that doesn't concern man-kind?" he asked, more to himself than to the rest of them.

Hermione looked down and immediately softened, feeling incredibly guilty, all of a sudden. He knew his stuff, it seemed.

She'd been wrong.

"No-one witnessed it, no-one survived, and it happened well away from here. Alright, the Human Race was affected slightly, but how could there be records of the Time War when there was no-one around who could write about it?"

"Maybe you weren't the only survivor," Rose suggested slowly, watching him, her eyes wide. "Perhaps you're not as alone as you thought…"

The Doctor dismissed that notion with a sharp shake of his head.

"No, there couldn't have been… like I told you, I'd have felt it if anyone else had survived…"

His eyes narrowed as he ran a trembling hand yet again through his disorderly locks.

"No, it's something else. Something worse. Someone is manipulating this entire time-line...and it has something to do with me…"

His face darkened considerably as he said that. His voice became deadly, challenging and powerful. "Someone wants me here, and they've been twisting this time to get me here. Humans know about the Time War, and that isn't possible. Someone's been planting evidence... they want me…"

The Doctor suddenly jumped from his bed and reached for his clothes without so much as a sideward glance, dragging the bed's curtain around to hide him from view. The abruptness of the movement sent Hermione jumping backwards with a small squeak of fright. Rose's elbow slipped off the cabinet beside his bed, but she covered the resulting bang up with a small cough and quickly scrambled to her feet, blushing.

"Rose, grab your coat quickly, we're going to the TARDIS."

Rose did as she was told without question, shooting Hermione a furtive glance and frowning as she shrugged into her jacket. The girl seemed rather subdued, her eyes brimming with guilt. Apparently, she was taking the Library's betrayal to heart, berating herself for doubting the Doctor and internally dismayed that a book had lied to her. Harry and Ron appeared to have noticed, for both simultaneously reached out to her and grasped a shoulder each. She shot them both a grateful look and stared apologetically at the Doctor as he emerged - fully-dressed in pinstriped suit and chucks - from behind the curtain.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered reassuringly, pulling on his tan trench coat and staring at her solely while Rose pottered about grabbing her possessions from the cabinet. "I know it's an impossible thing to come to terms with. Really, you should be right. I should have died with them, but I didn't. And by rights, you shouldn't even know about us. I don't blame you for becoming defensive."

Hermione shook her head and stared resolutely at her shoes.

"It was uncalled for of me to judge you so quickly," she simply replied, perfectly happy to be angry with herself. "Forgive me. I'm not usually so tactless."

The Doctor nodded, a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Ready," Rose called, regaining his attention and dissipating the looming awkward silence before it could manifest. Without a word, the Doctor grabbed her hand and tugged her after him, already sprinting towards the exit.

"We'll be back in a bit!" he yelled over his shoulder, not bothering to wait for a response from the four teens standing, dumbfounded, where he had left them.

Together, the Doctor and Rose ran the length of the Hospital Wing and charged as fast as they could towards the Entrance Hall, followed through the corridors by wide eyes and manic whispers. Completely ignoring the protective wards, they ripped through the large doors as quickly as they could and ran flat out towards the lake, near to which they had talked the previous night. Following the shoreline, they soon spotted the TARDIS, concealed slightly behind a large tree but still pretty noticeable.

It didn't seem to be attracting attention yet, though. That was a good sign.

They skidded to a halt outside it and the Doctor reached for the key, fumbling slightly in his haste. He shoved it roughly into the keyhole and turned.

Rose nearly cried out in shock.

But the Doctor simply stood where he was, face emotionless, his arm falling limp at his side, the key slipping from his slackened grasp only to land on the dew-drenched grass with a soft thud.

"What's happened?" she whispered in disbelief.

The Doctor bit his lip, unable to tear his eyes away from his precious machine.

The once magnificent Time Machine that was now little more than a cramped, useless wooden box.

"Remember when I took you to see your dad?" he asked faintly. She nodded, dumbstruck. "Well this happened then. There was a fault, a glitch in the timeline, and everything just stopped. It must be happening again…"

"You mean the Reapers?" she muttered. The Doctor shook his head.

"Oh no, this isn't them. This isn't some tiny wound in time… this is a great big, gaping hole… someone in this place is messing around with time and space, and they've altered something. And it's gone wrong. I think that's why we were pulled here. There's something huge happening, and because we've got a time machine… we're connected through the time vortex. It's how she moves: the vortex is linked to time itself. And because this is such a large hole, it's sucking in anything and everything it can that has a connection with the vortex, trying to bridge the gap..."

Rose clicked her tongue against the inside of her cheek and let out a low whistle, blinking away her anxiety and turning to consider the Doctor, instead.

"So, now we're stuck in 1997, in the middle of a huge war that we have no connection to nor no nothing about, with an empty blue police box from the sixties, and no way of getting home," she concluded for him.

Sensing something other than despair in her voice, the Doctor turned to face her, and for some reason not understandable to him, she smiled, the very last thing he felt like doing at that moment. He blinked at her, frowning.

"What are you so happy about? This is deadly serious!"

Her smile broadened and she patted his arm consolingly for a moment, before reaching down to pluck up the Doctor's abandoned key. After sparing a few seconds to contemplate it, she held it out to him.

"New world... New danger… New Doctor… I think it's time we put this 'new' you to the test," she beamed.

The Doctor considered her for a few moments, then felt a grin break across his face despite the circumstances. He reached for the key and locked the TARDIS once more, before replacing it in his trouser pocket.

He sighed, and glanced once more at his best friend, the icon of his life, the once magnificent specimen that now seemed to be nothing more than an empty shell as it stood alone, a small of blue dot against the vast grounds. His child in all respects, suddenly broken and ill- completely useless and devoid of the life it should have had. Now, here, it was nothing more than a police box. With a shake of his head, he turned to Rose.

And smiled.

"Ready to save the world?" he asked innocently.

"Always," she replied, grinning broadly. He took her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and together, they ran back towards the castle, heads buzzing with questions that needed immediate answers.

"What's taking them so long?" Ginny asked impatiently. "We need to go!"

"They'll be here," Harry replied, placing his arm on her shoulder in a reassuring way. She smiled at him, but dropped her gaze almost immediately.

"Gin, what's the matter?"

Hesitating, she shot him a sympathetic glance and absently twirled a loose lock of hair around her index finger.

"You're not comfortable with this, are you? With us?"

Harry sighed and quickly turned away, staring out of the open window into the grounds. The fog had taken over again. Last night's hurried glimpse of the moon was apparently to be the only bit of clear sky he was going to see for a long time. Suppressing a shudder, Harry shrugged nonchalantly, plucked his glasses from the bridge of his nose and ran a hand tiredly over his eyes before replacing them again.

Neither of them noticed the Doctor and Rose stop outside the door.

Rose had been all for opening the door and entering the ward, but the sounds of voices from within caused a sense of trepidation to eat away at her nerves, and she hesitated. Ginny was talking, and by the sound of it, it wasn't a conversation that they could just walk in on. The Doctor turned to her.

"Let's just leave them…" he murmured, reaching an arm out to her, but then he heard Ginny's voice and stopped as curiosity welled inside him. Rose raised her eyebrows and spotted the conflict inside his head. He motioned for her to let go of the handle and stood still, debating with himself. Rose inched ever closer to the door as her curiosity peaked, and was soon standing right next to it. She smiled slightly as the Doctor appeared at her side, listening intently.

"...still think I'd be safer away from you. I know what the battle going on in your mind is about, Harry. I can read it in your face. And I need to apologise. I know that you kept me away for my own safety, and I know that you didn't want to, but felt you had no choice. I respect that… sort of… and I need to tell you how sorry I am for the way I've been treating you. It wasn't your fault, you were just doing what you thought was best. I know that now."

The Doctor smiled.

"That's what you were talking with the Doctor about, isn't it?" Harry asked, quietly. Ginny nodded and returned to staring at her feet.

"I am sorry, Gin. Really I am, but I think we're just going to have to wait, that's all. Wait until the War's over, then we can see where to go from there. We aren't going to be able to have a proper relationship until then. And besides, I'm going away in a few days, anyway, and I don't know when I'll be back, so there's not really any point in starting again now."

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly.

Both Rose and the Doctor tensed then, listening hard. Half of the Doctor was itching to pull away, or to clamp his hands over his ears and hum loudly, but that wasn't really a possible option. But as had always been the case with him, the curiosity got the better of him, and he remained resolutely where he was, feet glued to the floor and ear glued to the door.

"The Underworld," Harry sighed. "We need answers that we think only He can provide. The sooner we get answers, the sooner this thing ends…the sooner we can be together."

There was a pause, during which Harry stared anywhere but at her. Rose glanced at the Doctor and raised her eyebrows in puzzlement. 'Underworld?' she mouthed. The Doctor shrugged and motioned for her to come over to him. Eavesdropping wasn't right, but it seemed to be one of his newest traits. He couldn't help himself. Backing away from the door, he shook his head, ashamed of himself for doing it, turned and made to walk along the corridor again, thinking they could return at a more appropriate time. But he was stopped once again as Ginny's voice floated through the half-open door.

"I'm coming with you," she said calmly, flatly.

The Doctor froze, eyes wide and hearts beating impossibly fast. While he hadn't been completely sure of the details, he was damn certain that wherever Harry had been planning on going was life-risking. Rose, too, looked dumbfounded, her mouth dropping open in surprise as she stared at the door, unable to believe what she was hearing.

And judging by the ten seconds of complete and utter silence that followed Ginny's announcement, neither could Harry Potter.

"What? Gin… No!" he stammered, staring at her as though fearful for her sanity.

Though they were well clear of the door, the Doctor could almost imagine Harry's gaze right at that moment; desperate and pleading, boring into Ginny's face in the hopes of making her see sense despite her mind being set, unchanging, made up.

And then he could imagine Ginny's reaction – her determined glare as she took a step towards him, arms crossed over her chest and expression grim.

"Yes, Harry. I'm sick of being pushed away! I'm not a child, and you can't protect me forever. Really, us breaking up has made no difference to Voldemort whatsoever! He isn't interested in me, he hasn't been since this thing started. And I've had enough of hiding! I won't run anymore Harry! I want to fight with you, alongside you. I'm coming!"

"Ginny … are you out of your mind?" he practically shouted. "Do you have any idea how dangerous my life is right now? I thought last night might have been enough to show you, but you don't seem to have grasped the message yet! I won't let you come, Gin! It's suicide!"

"Well that's too bad, Harry," she shouted back, voice as loud and steady as his own, "because it isn't up to you! I'm making my own decisions, and I've decided that I'm coming with you no matter what you say! I don't care about the risks! I don't care about dangers! I've seen enough to know that my life isn't worth living while I'm stuck here, waiting! Well I'm not waiting anymore, Harry! I've had it with waiting around for you, worrying constantly, praying that you'll stay safe!"

The Doctor slapped a palm against his face as he shook his head in dismay. Rose glanced at him questioningly, but most of her attention was focussed on the arguing couple mere metres away from her. She was listening, but not completely following, having to strain to hear everything.

But the Doctor was. He could hear it all perfectly. And he knew what was bothering Harry the most, knew that the kid was so overworked, right about now, that a breakdown was damn near inevitable. And Ginny was simply adding unneeded fuel to the proverbial fire. Dropping his hands, the Doctor bit his lip, clenched his fists and held his breath, waiting for the onslaught.

Only to be rewarded seconds later as Harry's nerves were finally shattered, the last straw well and truly overstretched.

"Why won't you listen to me?" he yelled out, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Why won't anyone listen? This is nothing to do with you! It's between me and Him, and nothing can change that! Do you think I enjoy it? Do you think my life looks easy? Hey, he's famous, life's a snap for him! Well newsflash for you… I hate it! I hate being me! I don't want to be 'Famous Harry Potter' any more! But I'm stuck with it! I've no choice! There's nothing I can do about my own life, that's out of my hands. But I won't stand by and watch you run head-first into the end of your life! I couldn't cope with that!"

"But you've just said it! There's nothing you can do about your own life! That doesn't mean we can't help you cope with it! What do you think friends are for? I want to help but every time I come close to getting into your head you push me away and I've had enough of it! If you won't accept help, then that's your choice. But I'm not waiting anymore. If you can't open your mind to the possibility that I could actually help you, then there's no point in me hanging around!"

Silence fell.

Rose stared at the Doctor's immobile form, mouth open in disbelief, and watched as he visibly trembled, his pale skin seemingly glistening against the dim lighting of the hallway, a small droplet of red glinting at the corner of his mouth where a tooth had punctured his lip. He seemed not to have noticed it, so focussed as he was on trying to pluck up the courage to enter the Ward, to help them.

"Please, Harry," Ginny whispered, at last, breaking the silence. She sounded tearful as she spoke. "Alright, I'm sorry... I didn't mean that... it was heartless, stupid. But I can't just sit back and watch you waste away. You're becoming obsessed, this War's taken over your life, and okay it isn't your fault, but that doesn't mean you should just lie down and make it easier for them. If you don't start shifting some of the weight, you're going to be buried by it! You're trying too hard, and it's eating away at you, bit by bit. Please let me help! I want to help, Harry," she pleaded.

It was then – as the silence spiralled horrifically, the atmosphere thick enough to choke him – that the Doctor settled his resolve and hurried quickly and purposefully towards the door. He knocked once, twice, three times, eyes brimming with concern, Rose catching up to him just as his arm dropped to his side. Offering him a tentative smile, she reached out for his hand and held her breath, mutely wondering if the two emotional teenagers inside would even acknowledge their presence.

Apparently, they would.

"Who is it?" Ginny called, hastily wiping at her eyes and trying to keep her voice steady. Trying to mask it all.

Harry didn't bother. He knew better, knew it would be pointless to pretend it hadn't happened. Even more so when he heard who was on the other side of the door.

"It's us, Gin. Can we come in?" the Doctor called through, gently.

Harry and Ginny swapped identical looks of despair, before Harry shrugged his growing disinterest and dropped into a chair beside one of the unoccupied beds, eyes closed and a hand rubbing at his head. He could feel a migraine coming on.

Great. Just great.

Refusing to look at him, Ginny sniffed quietly, and turned to stare out of the window before calling softly back.

"Yes, it's alright."

The Doctor pushed the door open a little more and entered without another word, eyes immediately staking out the distraught couple – though they were trying their hardest to hide just how distraught they were. Rose was still clinging onto his hand as she, too, considered them both with a look of the utmost sympathy.

"I'm guessing you heard that," Harry muttered at last as he idly considered at the expression adorning the Doctor's face.

The Doctor nodded. Stopping just in front of Harry, he stared the boy dead in the eye, concern and worry alight within his own auburn orbs.

"She's right, Harry," he said finally, hoping beyond hope that the kid would listen to him, this time. "You're doing too much. Have you seen yourself lately? You look ill, but you're still pushing yourself beyond your boundaries. Everyone has a limit, and I think you've gone way beyond your own. I think you need to open up to your friends a little more."

Harry sighed and gazed at the floor.

Rose felt her heart ache for him. The anger had all but dissipated from his face, and for the first time since she'd met him, she could truly appreciate just how young he really was, how vulnerable he was, how fragile his spirit had to have been.

"I know," Harry whispered finally, looking anywhere but at the Doctor. "I know I do, but it's hard. They shouldn't have to put up with my problems. It isn't fair on them. They've already helped me so much, and I couldn't ask any more of them."

"You don't have to. We'll do it," Rose said firmly.

That got his attention. Taken aback, he stared at her in mild disbelief.

"Why you? You don't know anything about this," Harry replied, slowly.

Rose and the Doctor shared determined glances, before she crouched down in front of Harry and took both of his hands in hers, their gazes locked, so as to prove her sincerity.

"Because we're involved now. And we want to help, too. You deserve a little assistance, Harry. Besides, we're stuck here until this is sorted, so what better way to pass the time than to help out the natives?" she asked, smiling.

Harry sighed heavily.

"Well I'm not doing anything yet. We need to go see McGonagall now, anyway. We'd better hurry up, too. We're already late."

"Are you just trying to change the subject?" asked the Doctor, a frown lacing his worn and knowing features.

Harry rolled his eyes, apparently trying to appear disinterested, but the Doctor caught the shiftiness in the way his fingers were knotting themselves together. After what seemed like an age, he straightened up and fixed the Doctor with a pointed stare, trying to ignore Ginny who was glaring at him from just over the Doctor's shoulder.

"Look, can I talk with you about it later on? You're not going to leave me alone until I ask, so…"

"Yes, of course, whenever you want," the Doctor replied. Harry nodded and left the room without another word, expression grim and a hand pressed against his head as though he could push the pains straight through and out of the back of his skull.

The Doctor watched him leave in silence, then turned to Ginny, who held up her hands in an expression that said quite plainly, 'that's Harry. Good luck!'.

Walking towards her, shaking his head, eyes brimming with sadness and sympathy, he gripped her shoulder comfortingly as both turned to stare at the now open – and empty – doorway.

"Don't worry. I'll talk him round, Gin. I Promise," he said sincerely.

"I hope so," she whispered back, shaking her head. "I hope so for both our sakes."

Nodding his understanding, he hugged her quickly, then turned and left the Hospital Wing in silence, leaving Rose and Ginny to drift along wordlessly in his wake.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for reviewing! Love to you all!

Blessed Be,
xXx MissHaunted-MoonLight xXx