Too Close For Comfort, Doctor
byxXx MissHaunted-MoonLight xXx
Nothing New, but Still a Complication
Hogwarts Castle was in turmoil. Loud bangs and crashes echoed up towards them from the lower levels, as Rose and The Doctor, now fully clothed and alert, followed Ginny through the endless maze of corridors and hallways crowded by terrified students. Even the many shortcuts behind hidden tapestries and doors did little to speed them along.
None of them spoke.
As they neared the Entrance Hall, a heart-stopping crash rocking the entire frame-work of the building harder than an earthquake, The Doctor suddenly stopped.
"Wait!" he called quickly. Both Rose and Ginny turned to him, staring in desperation.
"Rose, how are you supposed to fight them? We don't have wands, we can't do magic!"
Rose bit her lip and turned to Ginny.
"Where's Harry now?" she asked.
"Still fighting in there, I think," Ginny replied hurriedly.
"I thought you said he was injured!"
"He is! There was blood everywhere, but he's still fighting."
Rose turned to The Doctor. He smiled slightly at the sheer determination. Her face was glowing with it. She nodded once, and he understood what she was saying perfectly. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice slightly.
"Right, here's what we do. Ginny, you go in first and help out. We heard you're an excellent fighter, so they need your help! They don't know who we are, yet, and I think it's probably best we keep it that way. No point in drawing attention to ourselves. I've got the Sonic Screwdriver, and there's a pretty powerful setting on there… they might be wizards, but they're still human. Rose, you stick close behind me and I'll clear a path to Harry. You'll have to get him away quickly, though. I don't want you hanging around, alright?"
"But what if the Order attacks us?" Rose asked, quickly. The Doctor frowned but Ginny spoke up first.
"It's alright; McGonagall told them there were a few unregistered guests at The Castle. You're not wearing Death Eater Outfits, so they won't attack you."
"Ok, good. Right, let's get in there, then."
Ginny and Rose nodded in agreement and ran through another door into the Entrance Hall. They were standing atop the large Marble Staircase, staring down over a huge banister at the commotion below. There must have been at least fifty people crammed into the hall.
The Doctor quickly scanned the room and spotted Harry just behind the oak doors. He was bleeding profusely from a large gash in his side, but it didn't appear to be fazing him. He was still standing proud, wand raised and almost steady in front of him. A mysterious fluttering was growing around him, whistling picking up, almost the rustling of wind. The Doctor watched in wonder as a bright red beam emerged from his wand and launched itself into a crowd of cloaked people, most of which had been cornered and were beginning to be grouped into the centre of the hall. One stumbled and fell forwards, illuminated by the red light, immobile.
Wild lights were flying around the room, each of multiple colours, and each having a different effect on the person it hit. Teachers, Order members, Death Eaters and even students were shooting wherever they could, seemingly regardless of who their spells met with. A vibrant looking green streak whizzed dangerously close past Rose, and she screamed and ducked out of the way, clinging to the banister.
"If you have to get hit by anything, make sure it isn't green!" Ginny called desperately, as a white streak swept across her head, causing her hair to flutter into her face. She pushed it away absently, pulling out her wand and shooting a random spell at one of the masked men who had spotted their newest company. He was quickly halted. The Doctor turned to Rose, who nodded encouragingly and moved to crouch behind him as he prepared to enter the fray.
Ginny charged down the stairs, spell after spell leaving her wand and attacking the mass of black. The Doctor followed, the customary blue light blazing at the end of his sonic screwdriver, Rose closer than was possibly wise. One of the hooded men noticed him and turned his wand onto The Doctor, but he was too quick. A low whirring echoed numbly throughout the Hall, and the Death Eater dropped to the floor, dead. Rose glanced hurriedly at The Doctor and spotted the fire blazing within his usually indecipherable eyes.
What was it that the Daleks had called him? The Oncoming Storm. Well, he was certainly living up to that reputation, now. He looked lethal.
Two young men moved across and stood themselves back to back with The Doctor, encircling Rose and shielding her from view. She let out a vehement gasp, but a nagging thought silently counted her now increased chance of survival, and shut her up. The Doctor glanced at them questioningly, and they smiled identical smiles. Twins. He took in their wild red hair and freckles, and grinned.
"Related to Ron, by any chance?"
"Oh, so you've met our youngest brother, then?" one replied, pointing his wand absently at an advancing Death Eater.
"Fighting over there, I believe," said the other, nodding towards Harry. The Doctor saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing beside him, surrounded by Death Eaters. He smiled as he watched their apparently soundless connection. They were helping each other without any knowledge of it, attacking those who were attacking them. A blue streak narrowly missed Hermione's head, only to be immediately deflected by Ron into an advancing Death Eater. A connection to be envied. They worked flawlessly with each other. Four friends. Connected in ways unexplainable, even to a nine-hundred year old Time Lord. Almost like clockwork.
"Yeah, we need to get over there," Rose called to her guards, pulling The Doctor back to the situation at hand just in time to deflect a white beam directed at his heart. The red-headed Weasley brother on her left glanced at her, eyeing her briefly, while his twin sent a spell ricocheting from one of the walls into four Death Eaters. She smiled faintly, and he beamed back.
"Not a problem, your Ladyship," he called back airily, steeping into a small mock-bow. That might have been to avoid the flash of blue that shot over his head and hit the staircase behind them, but she grinned anyway.
They began to clear a path through the carnage, Rose keeping her head as low as possible while her entourage attacked with indifferent ferocity. But a loud bang and a series of long swishes from amidst the sea of black had them halting in their tracks. Four flashes of orange hit Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny respectively, and the four fell to the ground, motionless. There was a triumphant yell, and a loud Crack that Rose recognised as somebody disapparating. The remaining Death Eaters ceased their fires, and turned on their heels, disappearing with a swish of their cloaks.
Everyone lowered their wands, letting out sighs and gasps. The twins and three other male red-heads ran towards Ron and Ginny, dropping to their knees beside them. The pale man Rose had met briefly earlier, along with McGonagall and a witch with pink hair stopped beside Harry and Hermione.
"What did they do to them?" The pink-haired woman asked, quietly.
"I don't know, but they're not dead," the man replied as he checked Hermione's pulse.
The Doctor hurried forwards, kneeling down beside Harry. Rose approached cautiously, her heart beating dangerously hard against her chest as watchful eyes followed her movements. She watched nervously as The Doctor reached forwards, grazing his hand across Harry's cheek.
"Cold," he muttered. "What on Earth –?"
"I thought you said they weren't dead!" McGonagall cried, almost hysterically.
"No, they're not," The Doctor sighed. "Freezing to the touch, but they're still breathing. Have you not seen this before? It was a spell, after all."
"No, no spell we've seen or performed has ever done anything like that. It must be something new. So -"
"- Voldemort's been experimenting, then," the pale young man finished. There was a collective shudder, and Rose felt the atmosphere tense instantly.
The Doctor wasn't listening. He was examining all of them now, checking everything he could with the minimum of movement. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver again, and watched with narrowed eyes as it glided over Ginny's immobile body.
"I wonder…" and he began to adjust the settings. The whirring sound increased, and the onlookers gasped in shock as Ginny twitched slightly, before falling limp again.
"Hypnosis," he sighed as he pulled himself to his feet. "Nothing but an intense state of slumber. Their minds have just switched off completely. Unfortunately, that's humanly impossible… unless someone has forced them to do it."
"You mean… they're just sleeping?" Rose muttered, studying Harry. The Doctor nodded.
"Not by choice, but yes." He began pacing, wild thoughts chasing themselves around his head. "And I only know one magician powerful enough to impose such a trance-like state upon four fired-up wizards. The trouble being… I thought he was dead."
"This wouldn't turn out to be another conspiracy-loving, evil genius bent on overthrowing the universe and destroying you, would it?" Rose asked, trying to sound more annoyed than apprehensive.
"Well… he was the ultimate in irritating enemies, yes. The bane of my existence. Oh, and a Time Lord to boot, so he had all of the tricks that I possess along with a few of his own. In short... yes, Rose. He was an evil genius whose life's ambition was to dominate everywhere and dispose of me. Nothing new, but still a complication."
"Nothing new?" one of the twins asked, eyes wide. "What, does this sort of stuff happen a lot with you two?"
"You couldn't even begin to imagine the things we've been through," Rose smiled. "So who are you, then?"
"George Weasley, your Highness," and he bowed as his twin had minutes before. The sudden lift in spirits had Rose grinning. These two were clearly well-loved comics if they could impose smiles in such a disturbing situation. "This is Fred, Bill, Charlie and our dad, Arthur Weasley," he added, pointing his family members out as he spoke. "And this is Remus Lupin and his girl-friend, Nymphadora Tonks. We call her Tonks, though."
"Hi," she smiled. "Rose Tyler. Nice to meet you."
"Wotcha, Rose! Nice of you to drop in. Sorry about the mess, we haven't managed to clean up one particularly stubborn lump of dirt. It's been hanging onto our broom for the past eighteen years."
"Dragging on a bit is he?" Rose smiled back. "He must be bad."
"Nightmare, honestly," Lupin muttered, shaking his head and stepping forwards to shake her hand in welcome. "Do you intend to… ah… hang around here?"
"Yes, I think so. We can't leave yet, anyway. Our transport's encountering a few 'technical difficulties', and not even The Doctor can repair them this time."
"Well, I must say I'm rather relieved. The more we have working alongside us, the sooner this ends." He smiled faintly, and his pale complexion became more noticeable. Rose watched him in concern.
"Er, are you alright? You don't look all too good." Lupin nodded grimly and moved over to Tonks, grabbing her hand distractedly.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just not feeling all myself at the moment. Don't worry, it's a normal thing for me," he assured her as she raised her eyebrows slightly. Tonks watched Lupin sympathetically, and Rose fell silent, quelling her curiosity as best she could. She turned to The Doctor, but couldn't miss the wide smiles adawning both Fred and George's faces. She stared at them in suspicion.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing!" one of them smiled.
"We just wondered if the skies were missing something -"
"-Because the Sun seems to be shining inside this Castle." Rose felt herself blush scarlet as they stepped forwards, each kissing her hand lightly. She remained silent, unable to think of anything to say. She glanced hurriedly at The Doctor, who was staring at Ron. She could tell he'd tensed, though. He was holding himself a lot straighter than usual, and his face seemed to have misplaced its' usual joviality. He remained silent, not looking at her, even though he could feel her watching him.
"Now, boys, keep yourselves focused, please," Arthur Weasley called suddenly. "Your mother would do her nut if she found you distracted, especially these days."
"An angel, surely... your voice is like the chorus of a thousand -."
The Doctor cleared his throat and dropped down beside Harry again.
"I don't wish to intrude upon your heart-felt welcomings, but I'm thinking that lying on a cold stone floor isn't going to do this lot any good."
Immediately, the group huddled around them and reached ahead, wands pointing at their sleeping company. The twins smiled at Rose and stepped forwards, moving to help the adults. The Doctor glanced at Rose quickly before turning away. Rose felt her breath catch in her throat as she noticed the emotions burning within his eyes, emotions she knew he'd been trying to hide from her. Had that been jealousy? She felt flustered, her face burning, but she composed herself quickly and coughed slightly, grabbing their attention again.
"Erm, I don't want to sound… traditional, but could you not leave out on the magic stuff for a few minutes? Only I'm beginning to forget that you lot are actually humans. It's like I'm on another planet, and I don't want Earth to become another conquest for me."
Rose was suddenly swamped by raised eyebrows.
"Time-travellers," she added simply. "So, would you mind carrying them instead of sending them flying?"
Ten minutes later, Rose and The Doctor were sitting in chairs beside four occupied beds in The Hospital Wing. The Order members had left to alert others and set up precautions, checking and double checking everything they could at every possible moment.
Rose sighed, her feet swaying gently as she rocked backwards and forwards on her chair.
"We've only been here a day and I've already seen more of this room than I wanted to."
The Doctor said nothing, watching Hermione's even breathing. He'd been strangely quiet since his last request in The Entrance Hall. Rose knew she should have felt a little guilty about that, but she was silently overjoyed, and couldn't bring herself to admit that his jealousy was a bad thing. It just proved his love for her, and she believed him more now than she ever had. He was definately still the same Doctor. She desperately wanted to talk about it, but she couldn't. Instead, she drew her mind to more urgent matters. Namely, four unconscious teenagers. Rose paused, daring herself to ask. Before she could think of a positive argument not to, her curiosity got the better of her.
"So tell me, Doctor. Who is it that you think's doing all this?"
The Doctor turned to her, frowning. He was silent for a moment.
"He liked to be called 'The Master'. I can't see why, but that was his title."
"A Time Lord called 'The Master' and another called 'The Doctor'. Do Gallifreyan parents not know how to name their children?"
"It won't work, Rose," he practically sang, smiling at her incapability of dropping a subject until it was answered. "I'm not going to tell you my name!"
"But why not? Surely it can't be that bad!" she responded indignantly. He simply shook his head once, his lips tight shut. "Fine, but I'll make you tell me sooner or later. It just depends on how... painful... you want it to be."
"You know, 'Blackmail' is a terrible word."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" she smiled. He grinned, shaking his head slightly, and returned to watching Hermione. Something on her arm caught his eye, and he stood up and moved towards her, reaching out.
"What is it?"
"Markings," he replied, quietly. "Words, I think." He groped for her sleeve and pulled it upwards, revealing two words written in black ink upon her white skin.
Nocens lupus
He stared at them, eyes wide. Rose watched as he tensed, wondering what it was about two short words that had upset him.
"I'm guessing that whatever they mean is a bad thing," she muttered, staring at them herself. Her eyes lingered on the second word, as her brain tried to catch up with her imagination. "Hold on. That word, 'lupus'… it means wolf, doesn't it? Isn't it Latin for wolf?"
The Doctor seemed too stunned to speak. Rose felt her heart freeze. She swallowed hard, dreading his conformation. He nodded numbly, and a shiver ran dangerously down her spine.
"It's happening again," she whispered. "It's Bad Wolf all over again… But I thought we solved it? It was my way of getting back to you! How can it be happening again now?"
"This is a different Time-Line, Rose," he replied, his voice almost inaudible. "Things happening in our world might not have happened in this. Unless something knew we'd end up here. I'm beginning to doubt if we are here by accident. The longer we hang around, the more likely it seems that we've been brought into this war. But how can it be Bad Wolf again? It was that one battle, and that's got nothing to do with this... I'm not going to let it happen again…" and Rose watched as he slumped forwards, his head in his hands.
Rose remained silent. After her vision that afternoon, she didn't need to ask what he was talking about. She already knew. She was Bad Wolf. He didn't want to go through seeing her so close to destruction again. At one time in her past, she might have wondered if he had meant he wouldn't let it happen to avoid regenerating again, but she knew him better now. He would willingly die himself to keep her safe. She wasn't going to let that happen, either.
Rose sighed, twirling a stray lock of hair around her finger as she stared beyond the room, trying to think of something to say.
"Maybe… maybe it's just a coincidence," she tried, her excuse sounding more feeble as she said it than it had when she'd thought it. "Maybe Hermione just wrote it as a reminder. Maybe it's nothing to do with Bad Wolf at all."
"Maybe…" but he didn't look convinced. He was watching her now, his face pale and his eyes full of worry and concern. She smiled weakly.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to be doing anything like that any time soon. I couldn't anyway. We don't have the TARDIS."
She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist and holding him close. After a moment, he hugged her back, sighing into her hair.
"You just promise me you'll look after yourself," he said softly, stroking her hair gently, his eyes closed against the injustice of everything, as his mind envisioned another situation in which his Rose dissolved into Golden Light...
"Promise," she replied. She gasped suddenly and pulled away as though she'd received an electric shock. He stared at her, eyebrows furrowed, as she glared at one of the many pockets he possessed these days.
"What's that in your trouser pocket?" she asked quietly, walking cautiously forwards.
"I didn't think I had anything in my pockets," he replied, automatically lowering his hand towards the offending pocket. "Why?"
"Don't touch it, something's hot!" she cried, stepping forwards, but she was too late. He'd already reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny key. He dropped it instantly, his fingers blistering.
"Jesus!" he cried, his face scrunched against the throbbing pain, cradling his hand. Rose snorted, but her attention fell upon the now glowing key on the floor. Glowing?
"Erm, Doctor? The TARDIS Key's glowing again." She spoke calmly, staring at it. She'd seen the key like that once before, the day her dad had died.
The Doctor glanced down, and his eyes widened as he saw it. A tremendous smile graced his features and he quickly forgot about his injury, stooping down and stretching the sleeve of his coat enough to allow him to pick it up.
"Fantastic!" he whispered.
"So the TARDIS is alright, then?" Rose asked breathlessly. He nodded, and she breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God! Well let's go check, then!" and she bolted for the door.
"Hold on! What about Harry and the others?" Rose stopped and turned, staring guiltily at the four beds. She sighed.
"Is there nothing you can do for them?" she asked quietly. The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, his head already halfway through it's shaking motion, but he shut it and stopped his movement before he had spoken a word, a look of utmost concentration washing over his face as he watched Ron.
Without speaking, he hurried to Harry's bed and pulled out his sonic screwdriver again. The strange whirring and blue light bounced around within The Hospital Wing. Rose watched with bated breath. The Doctor muttered something, and stopped what he was doing. Still without uttering a word to Rose, he replaced his sonic screwdriver into one of his coat pockets and snapped his fingers once.
Harry's eyes ripped open. He gasped and tumbled sideways from the bed with a strangled yell. The Doctor beamed and moved over to Ron in the next bed. A moment later, Ron was lying sprawled on the floor, groaning as he picked himself up and rubbed his head. An indignant screech announced Ginny's return to reality, and finally Hermione's.
"What the Hell's going on?" she asked, unable to keep the quaver from her voice. She sat up with a little more grace than her companions had and slid from her bed, backing herself against the wall, reaching for her wand as her back hit the stone. "Who are you? Where are we? What's going on? I swear I'll hurt you if you don't start talking!"
"Hermione, it's us!" The Doctor called hurriedly, raising his hands. Hermione blinked, shaking her head slightly. "Relax. You're in The Hospital Wing." Hermione lowered her wand and blinked again. She heard a low groan and spotted Harry, slumped on the floor in front of her.
"Oh my God!" she cried as she darted forwards and helped him up.
"Oh, my head," Harry muttered as he stumbled clumsily to his feet and leant against Hermione, rubbing his head vigorously. Ron was pulling Ginny into a standing position two beds down. "It feels like someone's been bashing it with a ten foot barge pole." He glanced around nervously and spotted Rose. "They haven't, have they?" he asked, anxiously. She smiled weakly and shook her head.
"Nope!"
"Of course not," he muttered. "That would be the easy answer, wouldn't it?" He paused, and turned to The Doctor, who was smiling. "So what happened? Last I knew we were in The Entrance Hall." He straightened up immediately and pulled out his wand, tense and ready. "Where are they? Did you get them?"
"No, they left, right after someone attacked you," The Doctor replied, the grin wavering slightly. "Someone hit you lot, laughed, and disappeared. The rest followed."
"Oh, he's going to be unbearable next time, Harry," Ron muttered, vaguely checking his sister, despite her constant hissing. "He's finally got one over on you."
"After that trick, he isn't going to have the chance to gloat about it," Harry replied darkly.
"How's your side?" Rose asked in concern. "It looked painful from where we were standing."
Harry glanced down, and gasped, clutching at his waist.
"Painful," he mumbled, gritting his teeth. The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver again and adjusted a setting with a small click. He walked up to Harry and knelt down in front of him, pointing the blue light at the large wound. Harry backed away.
"Wait a minute! What are you doing?"
"Fixing you up," The Doctor replied, a rather insane looking grin lingering across his face. Rose giggled as Harry stared at him in shock.
"Don't worry, Harry. He's a Doctor. He knows what he's doing… most of the time," she added, shrugging her shoulders. Harry glared at her but said nothing, backing away as far as he could without knocking over Hermione. Ron and Ginny were grinning, too. Harry shot them a venomous look and continued to retreat.
"What's the matter? Scared of the doctor?" The Doctor asked innocently. Harry shook his head.
"No. Scared of the thing in his hand," he shot back. The Doctor smirked and waved the sonic screwdriver in the air. "You've killed people with that thing!"
"Yep. Believe me, it won't hurt a bit." Harry paused, glancing at Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who had identical glints within their eyes, and wide smiles dawning their faces. He glared poison at them before stepping anxiously forwards towards The Doctor. He grinned up at Harry and resumed the strange buzzing. Harry closed his eyes waiting for something to hurt, but nothing but a peculiar tingling interrupted his internal cries of horror. The whirring sound stopped, and he opened his eyes, bracing himself for the worst.
He looked down and felt his jaw drop. The skin was completely repaired, not a scar, not a bruise. He looked up at The Doctor, who was grinning in an 'I told you so' way. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all burst out laughing, and Harry rightly dropped his gaze, feeling slightly ashamed of himself.
"Don't worry, Harry," Rose smiled, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'd have been nervous if it was me, too. I've seen a lot more of what that thing can do that you have, and when it's The Doctor who's holding it, I'd feel even less confident about it."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," The Doctor called from the doorway. Five heads turned in his direction and stared as he walked through the open door. They shared a glance, until Rose suddenly realised where he was going and ran after him.
"Hey! Doctor! Wait!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stared at each other, shrugged, and charged after them.
Barely two minutes later, they'd skidded to a halt beside the strange Blue Box on the outskirts of The Forbidden Forest. The Doctor turned and stared as they stopped behind him, their faces flushed and gasping for breath. Ginny was clutching at a stitch in her side.
"Has anyone got a glove or a bit of fabric, or something?" he asked quickly. Hermione pulled out a small cloth from her jeans pocket and handed it over, panting. He took it and reached into his own pocket, wrapping the cloth around his hand. He pulled out the key again and shoved it roughly into the keyhole, holding his breath. Rose inhaled sharply, closing her eyes in hope. Harry and Ron shared a look before turning back to watch.
The key turned with a click, and The Doctor pushed the door open. He laughed with delight, and bounded into his ship, hugging the console as though they'd been apart for years. Rose let out a thankful 'Yes!' and ran in after him, leaving four teenage wizards staring in awe through the doors, jaws hitting the floor and eyes wider than dishes.
"Right," The Doctor called firmly after he'd grabbed his bearings, "do we need to be at that meeting or can we leave?"
Harry stepped through the doors, gazing around entranced.
"It's huge on the inside… but it's a police box on the outside," and he stepped out again, staring at the small wooden box. "And you did this without magic?" he called through.
"Yes," The Doctor smiled. "I'm guessing you could probably do something like this with magic, though." Harry nodded, but couldn't tear his eyes from everything within the blue police box. Hermione was even worse. She was circling the console, muttering and pointing, her hands gliding across switches as she past them.
"This technology… it's unimaginable… it's so alien!" The Doctor's smile widened, and Rose laughed.
"They're not as bad as you were, Rose!" he called. It seemed to pull them from their musings and they snapped their attention back to The Doctor. Rose beamed at them. He sighed.
"I wonder why we can use it again. I thought electricity didn't work around here."
"It doesn't," Hermione muttered vaguely, still examining everything. "But maybe someone's made an exception for you."
The Doctor stared at her, watching her thoughtfully.
"Like who?"
"Like whoever brought you here in the first place," was the response he received. He watched her questioningly, but she seemed too engrossed in his equipment to notice. He turned to Ron instead.
"Never expect a straight answer from Hermione Granger," Ron muttered so that only The Doctor could hear. Rose stepped forwards and the teenagers turned to her, smiling.
"Impressive, yes?"
"Completely amazing!" Ron cried.
"Unbelievable!" Ginny whispered in amazement.
"What did you ask before?" Harry asked suddenly, "Can we leave?"
The Doctor nodded. Harry paused, thinking. "Well, I suppose we can. The meeting's probably been cancelled now, anyway, after that attack. Why?"
The Doctor remained silent, considering how best to phrase his next move.
"Well, we heard you're intending on making a journey, and I could take you there if you want."
Harry stared at him, considering his face with those unfathomably green eyes. The Doctor returned the gaze, never blinking, willing Harry to see whatever it was he was searching for. Harry blinked and turned away, looking at Ron and Hermione.
"What do you think?"
"The sooner we go, the sooner we get back," Hermione said. Her face was pale but determined, and Ron nodded his agreement as he stood beside her and reached for her hand. They both turned to Ginny, who was watching the trio in silence. Harry, Rose and The Doctor stared at her too.
"Well, tell me then," she muttered in a resigned voice, watching Harry. "Tell me to go, because I will." Harry held her gaze, thinking. The Doctor was internally screaming his opinion that she should be allowed to travel with them, but he didn't dare speak it out loud. Harry glanced at him, as though he had heard what The Doctor was thinking. The Doctor nodded once, his eyes wide and staring. Harry sighed.
"It looks like you're coming, Gin," he said, softly. "But only on one condition," he added as she squealed with delight and threw herself at him. She straightened up, her smile faltering slightly. "Look after yourself."
Ginny beamed and nodded.
"Thanks, Harry," she whispered, hugging him.
The Doctor clapped his hands briskly.
"Right, do you need anything? Should you not tell someone where you're going?" he asked. Harry grinned ingenuously.
"I think they know us well enough, by now," he replied mischievously. "McGonagall knew where we were planning on going, but she had to arrange transport. Can you not just leave a message stapled to a tree, or something?"
Hermione suddenly raised her wand and scribbled words in mid-air.
Made the journey. Will return soon with answers. Watch over things here. Golden Trio.
Rose raised her eyebrows.
"Golden Trio?" she laughed. "I highly doubt you three were ever innocent!"
"Oh, we had our moments," Hermione replied airily. She waved her wand once more, and the words floated out through the open door and up towards the castle. With that, she ran to the doors and pulled them shut.
The Doctor grinned at them, the light of adventure sparkling in his eyes.
"To The Underworld!"
Cheers again! Much love to y'all readers! Reviews are yummy …
Blessed Be,
xXx MissHaunted-MoonLight xXx