Here we go, the second chapter. Hope you all read, enjoy, and review!
–
When Hermione awoke the next morning, she groaned and stretched in her bed. That was one weird dream she had. Time travel, Harry being an alien calling himself the Doctor, for whatever reason, time-machines that one grew instead of built... She had to stop eating so much before bed. It always gave her strange dreams...
Hermione got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower. When she was done, she headed out of the bathroom and back into her and Ginny's room, to find that the ginger had already woken up and left the room. Then, as she was going to get dressed, she noticed something.
The pink sweater was there... and the jeans, which she had not owned until she took a trip in the TARDIS...
Did that mean... last night had been real? She could travel in time, and to other planets?
"Oh my..." Hermione muttered, absentmindedly putting on new clothes while staring at the clothes she wore last night. Then, she realized it. It was real... It was real!
Hermione excitedly made her way down the stairs. After finishing her breakfast, she immediately charged outside and made her way to the back of the chicken coop, where the blue box stood uncloaked. Smiling brightly, she opened the door and went inside.
The Doctor sat cross-legged on the floor , fiddling with his sonic screwdriver. Next to him lay his wand, which was cracked open. Hermione's eyes widened when she saw it.
"Doctor," she said, slowly approaching him. "What have you done with your wand?"
"Oh, good morning!" the Doctor said brightly, looking up at Hermione. He twirled the sonic screwdriver in his hand. "I've upgraded it. Look. Reparo," he said, pointing his sonic screwdriver at the wand shell, which repaired itself. "Magic screwdriver!"
"You can't use metal as a magical guiding rod..." Hermione muttered, to which the Doctor gave a bark of laughter.
"You also supposedly couldn't travel forwards in time, either," he said, getting up. "So, ready to make another trip?"
Immediately, Hermione's shock was washed away in favor of excitement. She nodded energetically.
"Hold on, then!" the Doctor said excitedly and started working at the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers. The grinding sound was heard again, and the TARDIS started shaking something fierce. Hermione stumbled and fell, getting up again and stumbling over to the console.
"Pull that lever!" the Doctor ordered, pointing to a red lever on the other side of the console. Hermione did as ordered, precariously walking over to the lever and pulling it. "Hold it down, and hold onto your knickers! It's gonna get bumpy!"
With one last energetic shake, the TARDIS stopped, and the Doctor exhaled, letting go of the console.
"There we go, not so bad, right?"
"Where are we?" Hermione asked, finally letting go of the lever, which slid back into its original position.
"Oh, Godric's Hollow, though it's not called that yet," the Doctor said with a teasing grin, which only made Hermione's excitement grow.
"Alright, then," she said slowly, an excited smile on her face. "When are we?"
"Oh, around the forties, tenth century," the Doctor said, looking pleased with himself. Hermione's smile brightened, and she charged toward the door, only to be stopped by the Doctor calling out to her. "Hold up there, where do you think you're going, dressed like that? You'll cause a riot. To the wardrobe you go."
"What about you? I don't know if the regeneration scrambled your brains slightly, but leather jackets weren't exactly fashion in the tenth century. Aren't you going to dress up?"
"Excuse me," the Doctor said, pointing at his shirt underneath the leather jacket, a white shirt this time. "New shirt."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
–
"Wow, will you smell that air?" the Doctor said as the two stepped out of the TARDIS. Hermione was now wearing a long, flowing red dress, and her hair, not at all as bushy as it was when they were younger, was now tied back into a ponytail much like the Doctor's hair. "It's so... fresh!"
"Not at all many buildings, are there?" Hermione asked, looking around the empty, green landscape. "It's hard to believe that this whole place will have a bunch of houses in a few years, once Gryffindor helps found the school. Has he?"
"Not yet. I think he's in his late teens right now. He won't found Hogwarts for another few years," the Doctor said, still looking around with an excited look on his face.
"Halt!" came a strong voice as the two started walking, and the clapper of hooves was heard approaching them. They looked over to see a brownish-red haired man come riding toward them atop a horse. He looked young, in his late teens, yet fit and strong, holding his head up high. Although he had no beard yet, Hermione recognized him immediately from a Hogwarts painting. Godric Gryffindor himself, with his historical sword at his side.
"Who dares trespass on Gryffindor land?" Godric Gryffindor demanded, drawing his sword and pointing it at the two. "Speak now!"
"Good morning, good Gryffindor!" the Doctor said happily, taking out his psychic paper and showing it to the horse rider. "I am Sir Doctor of TARDIS, and this is my companion Lady Hermione. We are merely passing through. We apologize, we didn't know this land was owned by anyone. Right, Hermione?" he asked, nudging Hermione, who cleared her throat.
"Uh, verily, we did naught knoweth-"
"Don't..." the Doctor said, shaking his head. "Just... Just don't do that..."
"I apologize, Sir Doctor," Gryffindor said as he sheathed his sword. "My father tells me I am too eager to draw my sword, and I suppose he is right."
The man got off his horse and gave a bow of his head.
"I am Godric Gryffindor. Please accept my apologies and feel free to quench your thirst at my house."
"Oh, much obliged," the Doctor said happily.
"I can't say I'm an expert at time travel," Hermione whispered to the Doctor as Godric started walking away with his horse, gesturing for them to follow, "but I'm pretty sure Gryffindor spoke Anglo-Saxon, not new English..."
"That's the beauty of the TARDIS," the Doctor said with a pleased smile. "It generates a telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates for you."
"It's inside my brain?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Well, in a good way."
Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable at the prospect of the TARDIS entering her brain, but she followed the happily smiling Doctor nonetheless.
"You will have to forgive me for acting so rashly, Sir Doctor," Godric said apologetically. "But there has been a string of murders around here. Some say that the dead are walking again, putting curses on the living. Rubbish, I say, but I know there is something out here."
"Is there a village nearby, Godric?"
"Aye, about ten kilometers north from here," Godric said, nodding. "That is where all the murders have taken place. The village is panicking, thinking it is some form of witchcraft. Curses and rituals and voodoo magic, they say."
"What makes them say that?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow. Godric looked a bit uncomfortable with the topic, but answered nonetheless.
"One man, the mayor, died in the middle of the street, no water anywhere. He just started jerking and collapsed, as though lightning was going through him."
"Magic can't do that," Hermione said, then clapped her hands to her mouth, getting a surprised look from Godric.
"You are magical?"
"Yes, I am a wizard, and Hermione is a witch, quite capable, too, if I may say so myself," the Doctor said, clapping a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"So am I," Godric said, his face turning a bit forlorn. "The people suspect that I am magic, and therefore blame my family for what has happened. They have no proof, of course, and therefore will not act on their suspicions. I wish there was some place I could go where people need not be afraid of persecution, where they can learn magic in peace."
"Perhaps you should make a school somewhere?" the Doctor suggested, making both Godric and Hermione go wide-eyed.
"A school..." Godric mumbled to himself. "A place where people can learn magic without having to worry about persecution by the non-magic folk... That is a very good idea, Sir Doctor. It is only too bad that I cannot make that dream reality."
"Oh, you'll find a way, I'm sure," the Doctor said brightly. "It's a brilliant idea, after all. Maybe you can get some friends to help you?"
"Well, Salazar, my best friend, has been wanting to find a quiet place where he can find an apprentice and teach them magic," Godric said thoughtfully. "Thank you, Sir Doctor! In return for this idea, I shall lend the two of you a horse, so that you can make your way to the village!"
"Thank you kindly," the Doctor said. Godric nodded, and they walked in silence for a while, until they reached a moderately sized hour. Godric led them to the stables, and gave the two of them a horse, a black stallion named Aldin. Hermione sat behind the Doctor on the horse, and unlike the time she went horse riding in France, the dress forced her to ride sideways.
"Go north, and you will find the village, Sir Doctor," Godric said, waving. "Good luck."
"Thank you, Godric, and good luck with the school idea," the Doctor said, and Godric nodded, waving at them as they rode off.
"Was that wise?" Hermione asked as she watched Godric's house shrinking into the distance. "Telling him about the school, I mean? Isn't that called altering the past?"
"Not at all," the Doctor said. "Merely guiding them on their way. Who knows, maybe the reason the school was founded in the first place was simply because I suggested it to Godric after going back in time?"
Hermione rubbed her temple with the hand not wrapped around the Doctor's waist. "I'm going to blow a fuse wrapping my head around this whole thing, I just know..."
"Yeah, probably. Now, what I want to see is this supposed voodoo magic," the Doctor said, humming. "Smells alien."
"Alien? What makes you say that?" Hermione asked, only to get a look from the Doctor as if she had just dribbled drool on her dress.
"I told you, the smell."
"You can smell that?"
"Apparently. Curious, isn't it?" the Doctor said with a smile. "I'm still getting used to this new body."
"My friend is a two-hearted alien who can travel through time and space and smell other aliens..." Hermione muttered, screwing her eyes shut and shaking her head. "Are you sure I'm not just going 'round the twist?"
"Pretty sure, yeah."
Within a ten minutes, they reached the quaint little village, filled with stone cottages, most of which had smoke rising from the stone chimneys. People stared at them, mostly the Doctor, as they passed through the village. Obviously, strangers were less than welcome there.
"Hello!" the Doctor said happily to a passing villager, flashing his psychic paper. "I am Sir Doctor of TARDIS. Could you, perchance, tell us where we can find an inn?"
"Just down the street, sir," the wide-eyed villager said, gesturing down the street. It's the large house with two chimneys, sir."
"Thank you," the Doctor said with a smile, before urging Aldin on. They headed down the street and found the inn right away. Handing the horse to a stable handler, they went inside.
"Ready for an adventure?" the Doctor asked Hermione, who sighed.
"We're going to investigate the murders, aren't we?"
"Of course we are," the Doctor said as they reached the bar of the inn, which was warm and cozy, and looked very much like the Three Broomsticks. He approached the bartender, flashing his psychic paper. "Excuse me, sir, I am Sir Doctor of TARDIS, and this is my companion Hermione Granger. We have come to investigate the series of murders that have taken place here."
The bartender, a big, bear-like man with a great bushy beard much like Hagrid's, flinched at the mention of the murders, and Hermione noticed how the entire inn had quieted down, no doubt listening in on them.
"We know who it was," the bartender whispered, narrowing his eyes and leaning closer to the Doctor. "Them Gryffindors... They're a strange lot, they are. Always keeping to themselves, always doing mysterious things... We've seen strange-colored lights come from there at night..."
"I suggest, good sir, that you leave the accusations to me. Wouldn't want to burn the wrong person, right?" the Doctor said, tilting his head to the side. Then, he scrunched up his nose, looking to Hermione. "Barbaric, isn't it? Witch burnings, I mean."
"Indeed," Hermione said distastefully. The Doctor turned to the bartender, smiling again.
"Anyway, we would like a room. We were told that our accommodations would be paid for?"
"Er, yes, of course, Sir Doctor, anything you need, feel free to call for me, or the barmaid, Erlene," the bartender said, gesturing for a buxom beauty currently waiting tables, with long, blond hair tied into a ponytail, a beautiful, heart-shaped face, and a pair of captivating, blue eyes. "Erlene!" the bartender called, catching the attention of the barmaid. "Will you take these two up to a free room?"
"Right away, Eorl," the barmaid said, coming over and gesturing for the pair to follow her. "Right this way, sir, miss," she said, walking over to the back of the pub and up a set of stairs. "It's right up these stairs here."
Erlene led them to an empty room with only one bed inside it, and curtseyed them.
"If you need anything, I'll be downstairs," she said, before leaving the room.
"There's only one bed," Hermione said as they were left alone in the room.
"Don't worry," the Doctor said, as he moved over to the window, opening it. "I don't grope in my sleep. I think. Oh, yeah! Can you feel that?" he asked, holding his hands out the window. "That's alien. Definitely, definitely alien."
"You can sense that?" Hermione asked, not really surprised by anything the Doctor did anymore.
"Of course I can. Who do you think I am? I am the man who's saved hundreds of planets, including the world, hundreds of times. Of course I can sense an alien presence..."
"Hey, I've been thinking," Hermione said, approaching the window. "Is the TARDIS safe? I mean, won't someone break in?"
"Oh, don't worry, it's locked, and not even the hordes of Genghis Khan can break into it. And believe me, they've tried," the Doctor said, still staring out the window. "Oh, hello, will you look at that, two historical figures in one day."
Hermione immediately poked her head out to look down into the street, her jaw dropping at what she saw. There, atop a horse, rode none other than the blue-dressed, black-haired, diadem-wearing Rowena Ravenclaw herself. Hermione gasped rather loudly.
"Oh yeah, this must be the day when Ravenclaw meets Gryffindor," the Doctor said with a hum. "Yep, there he comes now," he said, gesturing down the street, where Godric Gryffindor came riding into town atop a black steed. He looked very imperious, holding his head high, despite the fact that people were flinching away from him.
The two watched as the two legendary wizard and witch got of their horses and went inside the inn, one to no doubt drink, and the other to probably find lodgings.
"Come on, let's get downstairs!" the Doctor said excitedly, grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her out of the room and down the stairs, where they saw Godric sitting alone at one of the tables. Rowena Ravenclaw was standing at the bar, and getting a tankard filled with something, she made her way over to Godric, who looked honestly surprised to see her.
"We're watching history in the making," the Doctor whispered to Hermione, who nodded in excitement. Never had she ever imagined that she would ever get to meet not only Godric Gryffindor, but possibly Rowena Ravenclaw as well. "Let's go and say high."
"What? Wait, no, Doctor!" Hermione hissed as the Doctor walked over to the table, and sat down without asking.
"Hello, Godric! Fancy meeting you here!" he said pleasantly, making Godric's eyes widen.
"Sir Doctor," he said, sounding surprised. "I wouldn't have expected you to stay around for too long."
"Ah, we have nowhere else to go, and thought we might investigate these murders that have been happening around here," the Doctor said, shrugging, and gestured for Hermione to come over. She did so, shyly.
"Lady Hermione," Godric greeted with a bow of his head.
"Just Hermione," Hermione said shyly as she sat down next to Godric, across from the Doctor.
"And just Doctor," the Doctor said, winking.
"Very well. Doctor, Hermione, this is Rowena Ravenclaw, who has also come to investigate the murders, apparently," Godric introduced. "She doesn't seem like much of a fighter, though."
"Looks can be deceiving, Godric Gryffindor," Rowena said huffily. "I'll have you know I am quite capable at defending myself, thank you. Besides, brute force isn't everything. Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure, I always say."
Hermione could barely contain her giggle hearing the famous quote from Rowena Ravenclaw herself. Instead, she disguised it as a cough, and the Doctor smirked knowingly at her.
"So, we're all here to investigate the murders, then?" the Doctor asked, looking around. "Why don't we join forces? Four heads are better than one. Plenty of both brawn and brains."
Godric and Rowena looked thoughtful, and Godric nodded.
"I concur, it would be best if we joined forces."
"I don't know..." Rowena said hesitantly. "I would rather you not see my... investigative methods..."
"What, magic?" the Doctor whispered, making sure no one heard him, and saw Rowena's eyes widen in alarm. "It's alright, we're all magic here. Your wand is sticking out of your sleeve a bit."
No point in telling her that he knew she was magic because he was from the future and went to a school she helped found with Godric, after all.
Rowena discreetly tucked her wand back into her sleeve and silently thanked the Doctor with a nod.
"So, how about it?"
"I guess... I can go with you," Rowena said, nodding slowly. "Whatever this is, I am sure you people can help me, for some reason."
"It's nice to be needed, isn't it?" the Doctor asked Hermione, who nodded as they all got out of their seats and left the inn.
"So, where do we search first?" Hermione asked, looking up and down the street.
"First, I will need to see the spot where the mayor died," the Doctor said adamantly, and Godric nodded.
"It was just up here," he said, leading them down the street. "It happened about two days ago. The mayor had just had a few drinks at the pub, then as he went back to the town hall, he started jerking, and then just collapsed."
"Indeed?" the Doctor said, humming. Then, he came to a sudden halt, as if he has just walked into a wall. "Woah! Smell that?"
Hermione sniffed, and so did Godric and Rowena.
"I smell nothing," she said, getting nods of agreement from the other two.
"Smell harder. Can't you smell it?"
Hermione took some great big sniffs, feeling rather silly doing so, and then she smelled it. "It smells... metallic? Kind of like rusted metal?"
"Exactly, remote controlled electrical charges," the Doctor said, seeing how he had completely lost Godric and Rowena. "They found nothing on the body?" he asked Godric, who shook his head.
"No, the main theory among us magic folk is the killing curse, but people don't jerk when they are hit by it."
"Must have implanted the receiver in his skin while he slept or something," the Doctor said to himself as he looked around. "Question is, who or what was it that pushed the button?"
"Um, Doctor?" Hermione said, leaning in to whisper to the Doctor. "Are you sure it's so smart to talk about these things in front of them? Won't it, I don't know, alter the past or something?"
"Not at all. They're bound to find out about this sooner or later, and considering you can't see anything in the history books, they've either ignored it, or I may have snapped off the time-line and made a completely new one..." the Doctor said, then shrugged happily. "Either or!"
Of course, the Doctor knew to be cautious enough not to make any really great changes in the time-line, but Hermione didn't need to know that. He could amuse himself with the horrified look on Hermione's face for a while.
"You are a very confusing man, Doctor," Godric said, looking bewildered. "However, for some reason your words seem to make sense, therefore I shall not question them, but I do have one question. Have you any idea what we're dealing with?"
"I have a hunch, though those usually prove to be correct," the Doctor said, humming as he held his hand out. "Hm, yes, but where did you come from?" he muttered and took out his now magic screwdriver, holding it out and pressing a button. Luckily, there was no one around to see it. The tip glowed blue, and he read the readings on it. "Alright, let's follow the trail."
"What is that metal wand?" Rowena asked, and the Doctor smiled brightly.
"My magic screwdriver. New design. Don't ask. You wouldn't understand, anyway."
"Try me."
"No, no, you wouldn't understand."
Waving her off, the Doctor walked away, magic screwdriver in hand. Rowena looked at Hermione.
"Is he always this frustrating?" she asked, and Hermione nodded.
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Ooh, yes, you beautiful thing, go!" the Doctor said happily as he ran through the village, following the readings of his magic screwdriver. He weaved in and out of alleys, Hermione, Godric and Rowena following closely.
"Is it some sort of tracker?" Rowena wanted to know of Hermione, who shrugged.
"I didn't even know he had it until this morning," she admitted.
"This is it!" the Doctor said, stopping outside a rundown house at the outskirts of town.
"No one lives there," Godric said. "This house has been abandoned since it's previous owner died five years ago."
"Evidently, someone moved in," the Doctor said. "Wands out."
The three behind him did as they were told and pulled out their wands. The Doctor raised his leg, and kicked down the door.
"Oh," he said, his mouth forming an O-shape as he saw the inside. Then, a hesitant smile appeared on his face, and he waved. "Hello."
Inside were a large group of naked, humanoid creatures with baby-like heads and three fingers on each hand. Each finger had a half-foot long claw on it, and the creatures stood at a good two meters.
"Bloody hell..." Hermione mumbled, gaping at the creatures, who stood, watching them.
"Language," the Doctor chided, before clearing his throat. "I am the Doctor. Who are you?"
"Humans!" one of the creatures in the front said, raising what looked like a very futuristic pistol. The others did the same, and Godric exploded into action. Drawing his sword, he charged in and cut down three of the creatures and Stunned another before the other three could even raise their wands.
Godric attacked, swung his sword and flung curses with a skill that neither the Doctor nor Hermione had ever seen before. Within moments, the creatures were all stunned or dead, allowing the Doctor to take a good, long look at them.
"Slitheen," he said, getting strange looks from the others.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"These guys," the Doctor said, gesturing for the creatures on the floor. "They are the Slitheen family, criminal exiles from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius."
"There's a mouthful..."
"Quite."
"Wait," Godric said, holding up his hands. "Are you telling me that these creatures are... from beyond the stars?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," the Doctor said with a nod.
"But why would they come here?" Hermione asked, prodding one of the Slitheen with her foot. The Doctor shrugged.
"To conquer the planet, wipe out the human race, war profiteering, you name it."
"Well, whatever they are, whatever they are here for, these creatures will be put to death in the square for everyone to see," Godric said, glaring down at the Slitheen. The Doctor sucked in a breath.
"Yeaaaah, about that... You can't tell anyone about them," he said. "The human race isn't ready for the implications of life on other planets. They need to be kept in the dark for now. You aren't advanced enough to handle the threat of alien races. It's best if they think you're just a bunch of incompetent monkeys for now."
"For now..." Godric growled. He looked like he really didn't like it, but would go along with the Doctor for now.
"Well, our job here is done," the Doctor said, clapping his hands together. "It's about time for Hermione and I to move on. Come along, Hermione."
Stuffing his hands in his pocket, the Doctor walked off, whistling.
"It was nice meeting you both," Hermione said, curtseying the two of them, before following the Doctor.
"Wait! What do we do about them?" Rowena said, gesturing for the Stunned and dead Slitheens on the floor. The Doctor stopped, and got a cold look in his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of them when we leave..."
–
"So, what did you do with them?" Hermione asked, standing in the TARDIS with the Doctor, which was now standing next to the rundown building where the Doctor had picked up the Slitheens. He had left without Hermione, and then come back for her, having done something with the Slitheens.
"Never you mind," the Doctor said. Then, he smiled. "So, home?"
"Actually, I'd like to go somewhere else," Hermione said, smiling excitedly. The Doctor grinned and turned a dial on the console.
"Somewhere else, it is!"
–
So, what did you guys think? Please review!