AN: I'm glad everyone's been liking the story so far! I was along the same line of thinking as most of you, as to how everything was going to fit together, but I'm pleased it has. Enjoy!
The TARDIS had landed with a crash, and Hermione sprang up from the seat.
"Where are we?" she asked sulkily.
"One minute," the Doctor promised, going over to a monitor. "It seems we've landed in France, pre-revolutionary?"
"Really?" she breathed, in spite of herself. "Can we take a look?"
"I thought you wanted to go home?" he smirked.
"One glance couldn't hurt." She shrugged. "Besides, we're already here, aren't we?"
"Yeah, s'pose," the Doctor said. "Stay away from anything that looks like clock droids," he warned.
"Clock droids?" Hermione asked. "What are those?"
"Nevermind," he shook his head. "It's a long story. Just...be on your guard."
They both stepped out of the TARDIS, and to the Doctor's surprise, they landed near the Seine River.
"Wow," Hermione said, "it's even more spectacular than I imagined." She watched all the fancy clothed people walk by them.
"It's not all this great," the Doctor lectured. "There still is-"
"Poverty, I know," she cut him off with a flick of her hand.
The Doctor turned red. Did she always have to show him up?
"There's also another me wandering around, probably."
She turned to face him. "Isn't that dangerous?"
He shrugged. "As long as I avoid myself, we should be okay. Besides, I was in the Palace of Versailles last time." His face clouded over at the thought.
Hermione touched his arm gently. "Was it when you were with Rose?"
He nodded. "I was a stupid git."
"What'd you do?" she asked curiously.
"I left Rose and Mickey behind, intending for her to take him back home if I never came back."
"But you left her," Hermione said, backing away from him. "You left her in pre-Revolutionary France!"
"Technically it was on a spaceship. Those clock droids I was telling you about-"
"Who cares about clock droids or spaceships! You still left her!" Hermione exclaimed, accusing.
"I don't need you to remind me," he muttered. "I got chewed out enough, thanks."
"As well you should have!" she chastised. "If you ever leave me behind, I will hex your nose off."
The Doctor looked at her in horror. "You wouldn't."
"Don't try me," she said.
He harrumphed and stalked off towards the river. "Are you hungry?" he called back to her.
It was just then that Hermione's stomach let off a loud grumble. "I suppose I am," she called back.
"Then follow me!"
….
"Are you impressed?" the Doctor asked. "Tell me you're impressed."
Hermione sniffed. "A little."
"Only a little?" He looked crestfallen.
"Okay, a lot," she admitted, and the Doctor looked quite chuffed. "But don't go getting a big head."
"Too late!" he sing songed, smirking gleefully.
Hermione did have to admit, the place the Doctor chose was lovely. The cafe was right on the river, the food was delicious, and they were being treated to a fireworks display.
"You planned those!" she accused, to which he admitted later.
Still, all things considered, Hermione had to admit it was a nice dinner. She had been starving, and with no alcohol to take the knaw of hunger away, she was painfully aware of that fact.
"What do you think drinking will help?" he asked her suddenly as they were digging into a particularly good chocolate mousse.
"Same thing as you think it will, I suppose," she acknowledged.
The Doctor chewed thoughtfully. "Yes, but I'm a Time Lord, which means-"
But she never got to find out what that exactly meant, because at the same moment, a scream sounded from across the river.
He looked at her, a manic grin on his face. "Would you care to go on a proper adventure, Miss Granger?"
She couldn't help but to smile back. "Let's!"
…..
It turns out, the scream was a scream of delight.
"That is really top-notch makeup!" someone cheered from the crowd.
The Doctor and Hermione wormed their way towards the front, and she could see him stiffen beside her.
"What is it?" she whispered to him. "What's wrong?"
"Those aren't humans," he told her. "Those are autons."
"What?" Hermione asked confusedly. "They just look like mannequins to me. But where did they come from?"
"They aren't mannequins," the Doctor said. "They're aliens, operated by the Nestene Consciousness."
"The Nestene what?" she asked.
"Oh, honestly!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. "What are you for?"
"Beg your pardon!" Hermione said. "I'm sorry I don't know alien language! Earth lingo, would be nice!"
He chuckled at that. "You sound like Rose."
"Aside from your amusement," she chastised, "what do we have to do? I mean, what do they do?"
"They could attack this unsuspecting group at any moment," the Doctor said. "Whenever they are prompted to. The fact that they are moving is a bad sign."
"So, how do we stop this Nestene Consciousness thing?" she asked.
"There's a beacon of some sort. We have to think about what would be the most important symbol of pre-Revolutionary France."
Hermione looked at him. He groaned.
"Oh, no. This just got a whole lot more difficult."
…
"So, you're trying to tell me, you had no idea that this would happen?" Hermione asked. "You don't have some kind of sense about this sort of thing?"
"Not a clue," he told her. "Trust me, I wouldn't choose to cross myself on purpose. That being said, make sure we aren't seen by my previous self."
"Where do we have to go in the palace anyway?" she asked him. "Is there a specific point?"
"I'm glad you mentioned that," the Doctor said, "because this is where the difficult part comes in."
"And that is?" she asked.
"We have to enter Reinette's room at the palace, and Rose should be coming in soon to warn her about the clock droids."
"And the consciousness is what, under her bed?" she joked.
The Doctor scoffed. "Don't be so ridiculous. It's in her closet."
"Oh, yes, because that's less ridiculous." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Just try to stay quiet until we reach that closet, alright? And try to keep yourself unnoticeable, you're not exactly dressed for pre-Revolutionary France."
"As if you are," she protested.
He held up a hand to quiet her. "Shh, we're going into the palace now."
…
They managed to make it to the room unnoticed, but the room was a different matter entirely. While Madame de Pompadour had her back to them, the other woman did not. Based on her choice in clothes, Hermione guessed this was Rose.
She had to admit, the woman was pretty in her own way, blonde hair and brown eyes that looked like they could comfort anyone.
"Don't suppose you have any ideas?" Hermione asked.
"What about that stick of yours in your back pocket? Do anything useful?" the Doctor asked.
"It's a wand, thank you very much. And it's there?" She frowned, and stuck her hand in the place he pointed out to find it. "I do have a plan now," she informed him.
"Delusio!" she whispered, pointing her wand at the Doctor, and to her delight, but not surprise, he was invisible.
"What is that you've done?" he wondered out loud. "Am I invisible?"
"Yes," Hermione answered, in the voice that indicated she was about to brag. "Seems I'm good for something, doesn't it?" She quickly performed the spell again, pointing her wand at herself.
Now invisible, the duo moved towards the closet, opening the door as quietly as possible, and then, they were on a ledge.
Hermione gasped, and clutched onto the door handle. The Doctor glanced at her disapprovingly.
"It's only a ledge."
"That's impossible for a closet," she told him, "and I'm afraid of heights. One of the reasons I was rubbish at flying lessons."
"Can't be impossible, if it's here, can it?" the Doctor asked, gently pushing her hand off the knob and closing the door behind them.
"I-" but her words were cut off when she caught sight of what she assumed was the Nestene Consciousness.
It was red, it was glowing, and it was directly below them.
"Don't suppose you've got any ideas?" Hermione asked.
"I might," he said. "But first, you've got to make us appear again."
She quickly muttered "Aparecium!" and they materialized.
"Doctor!" the consciousness exclaimed. "How are you here?"
"I should be asking you the same," he said.
"And where's that girl that was with you? That doesn't look like the same."
"She isn't. Listen-love to stay and chat, but we both know that's not an option," the Doctor shrugged. "I think this will be over quite quickly, actually." He rummaged around in his coat pockets until he produced a small vial of liquid. "Remember this?" he asked the consciousness.
"Yes," the consciousness said calmly. "But I'm not as weak as before." The Nestene Consciousness shot a bolt of heat at the Doctor knocking the vial out of his hand onto the ledge, and the Doctor falling over the ledge.
"Hold on!" Hermione shouted. "I have an idea! It might work! Incarcerous!" she yelled, pointing her wand at the Doctor, and concentrated her efforts on keeping the ropes attached to her wand until she made it to the door. She quickly tied the other end to the doorknob, and looked down.
To her relief, the Doctor was swinging around wildly, but he was alive.
"What do I do with this?" she yelled down at him. "Pour it in?"
"Yes!" he yelled up to her.
Hermione pocketed her wand and uncorked the vial and was about to pour it before the consciousness knocked her down with a heat wave as well. She screamed as she twisted through the air before she landed in the Doctor's arms.
"Gotcha," he said.
"Well, that was rubbish," Hermione said.
"Agreed," the Doctor said.
"If I could reach my wand, I could freeze it," Hermione said.
"Why can't you?" he asked.
"Afraid of heights, remember?" she asked.
"I got you, don't worry," the Doctor promised.
Hermione breathed in deeply. You've fought Death Eaters, you fought in the worst Wizarding War in the history of the world, you can do this. She shifted her arm to grab the wand, and fought against every scream inside her head as she looked down.
She pointed her wand at the Nestene Consciousness. "Glacius!"
To her relief, the consciousness froze below them until all that was left was a sheet of ice.
"That won't melt, right?" the Doctor asked.
Hermione sniffed. "Please. Magic is more capable than that."
He shook his head. "Can you put that away and climb now?"
…..
With the closet just being a closet once more, the Doctor and Hermione returned to the TARDIS once more. Once the door was closed, the Doctor turned to her with a knowing smile.
"D'you want to go back home?"
She sighed. "Not yet, I suppose."
He grinned at her. "Good. Because you were brilliant, you were!"
"Thank you," she acknowledged. "Now can I catch some sleep somewhere?"
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "I'll have the TARDIS make you your own room."
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Hermione asked him.
"Don't need much," he shrugged her off. "Superior Time Lord biology."
"Have a feeling I'm going to be hearing that a lot," she grumbled.
"Your room is ready," he informed her. "Just go down that hallway," he nodded at one to their right. "She'll help you find the rest."
"Thank you," she said sincerely. She walked out of the console room down the hallway he instructed.
On the right of her was a pale pink door, with Rose painted in gold. She stopped, reaching out to touch it hesitantly. Rose had been important to the Doctor, and it made Hermione sad to think someone was as broken as her. If there was a way to find her, she would. She would make her new friend happy.