Chapter 13
After The Doctor told Hermione his plan, Hermione said, "Well we better get started."
The Doctor gave her a serious look, saying, "No, I've but you in enough danger. You wait here with the rest and leave when you can."
Hermione gave him a look of her own, "No Doctor. Neville and McGonagall can help the survivors. You'll need my help more then them."
The Doctor, with the memory of Rose leaving everyone to help him, only to get trapped in the other dimension, said his voice growing as he spoke, "No. Too many people have died today. Not one more person will die today."
Hermione could see the recognition of some memory in the Doctor's eyes. She assumed it had something to do with him losing his friend, and understood why he was reluctant for her to help him.
Hermione held The Doctor's hands in her own, looking him in the eyes saying, "Look at me. I'm not her. I'm not saying she did anything wrong, I wasn't there. But I am saying that I am not going to die. Did she trust you?"
The Doctor broke eye contact for a moment before looking back at her saying, "Yes she did. And she is not dead, she is so alive."
Hermione smiled, "Good because I also trust you. Now I'm going to help you, alright?"
The Doctor smiled, "Well… if you must."
As they turned to leave the Room of Requirements, Neville turned to Hermione saying, "Where are you going?"
Hermione said, "I have to help the Doctor stop the Slitheen. I need you to stay here Neville. Once McGonagall gets the protections down I need you to apparate and get help."
Neville, worried for Hermione, who was his first friend he ever made at Hogwarts, turned to the Doctor, saying, "You take care of her, you hear? Or you'll have to deal with me,"
The Doctor smiled at Neville saying, "I give you my word."
This being good enough for Neville, said, "Good. Now give Slughorn hell for me Hermione."
She smiled and nodded
After The Doctor and Hermione made it out of the Room of Requirements, The Doctor grabbed Hermione's hand, said, "Allonz-y" followed by sprinting down toward to fifth floor corridor.
As they ran, Hermione asked, "Shouldn't we be trying to be quiet and sneak around the castle?"
The Doctor said, "No need. Slitheen have excellent sense of smell. They more then likely know exactly where we are, and are on there way to kill us."
Hermione gave a sarcastic laugh, "That's encouraging."
As if to prove there point, a loud roar sounded throughout the corridor. As they turned around they saw two of the three remaining Slitheen running toward them.
Hermione turned to leave, but the Doctor pulled her back.
Hermione said, "Come on, they're catching up."
The Doctor, with urgency in his voice, said, "No we can't outrun a Slitheen. They are faster then humans."
He handed her the bomb and said, "They are not after you. Take this and head to the 5th floor. I will buy some time and join you shortly."
Hermione said, "You better." And then ran down the corridor.
The Doctor watched her run, then took a deep breath and turned to face the aliens putting on his best smile, "Hey gang."
The Slitheen stopped in front of the Time Lord, and slowly paced around him.
Not dropping his smile, The Doctor said, "What not mauling? No clawing? No biting, tearing, swearing, kicking, eating, and or possibly smelling?"
The female Slitheen said, "We wait for our brother before we gut you."
The Doctor said, "Gutting! I forgot that one. So…. I assume Slughorn isn't too happy how our last encounter went?"
A loud booming voice said, "No Doctor I am not."
The Doctor turned to face Slughorn saying, "There you are Slughorn. Did you have any problems finding the place? Is it my turn to find you?"
Slughorn yelled, "Enough!"
The Doctor put his hands in his pockets, saying, "Hmm I seem to struck a nerve."
Slughorn yelled to his family, "Grab him"
The Doctor said, "I wouldn't do that."
Slughorn, being a Slitheen and not the brightest stars in the galaxy, said, "And just why not?"
The Doctor chuckled and took out his sonic screwdriver and Malfoy's wand, and said, "Well…. before dieing. Do you know what happens if you hold a wand and a sonic device against each other?"
After a moment of thought, Slughorn said, "No"
The Doctor smiled, "Nor me. Lets find out." And he pressed his screwdriver near the wand and it let out a loud sonic noise which was so powerful the make all three Slitheen, with there canine like hearing, wither in pain. The Doctor smiled like a maniac while he continued to cause the noise. When it got to the point of breaking glass, he stopped and put both objects in his pocket and ran down the corridor toward where Hermione had gone.
Hermione had just gotten to the statue of Boris the Bewildered, when she heard the Doctor behind her running like hell itself was at his feet. She quickly turned to the statue and said the password, "Lemony Fresh" and the statue came to life moving to reveal the Prefects' bathroom.
As soon the Doctor ran thru the doorway, she ran in and the statue came back to life closing the doorway.
Hermione turned to the Doctor, "What did you do?"
The Doctor smiled his mischievous grin, "Nothing. Well…. created a sonic feedback by amplifying my screwdriver against Malfoy's wand."
Hermione amazed, asked, "How did you know to do that?"
The Doctor gave her a grin, "Elementary Dear *Watson."
Then they heard a roar coming from the other side of the blocked doorway.
The Doctor said, "Well…. better get to work. Allonz-y."
Hermione had placed the bomb at the bottom of the giant swimming pool like tub of the Prefects. The Doctor had found the water facets, put on his brainy specs, and soniced the facet undone and messed with pipes inside. He had taken the goblets he had taken from the Great Hall, and placed them near the facet.
Hermione asked, "What are you doing?"
The Doctor, not turning to look at her, "I'm going to wire the technology in these goblets and into the pipes so I can turn the running water into vinegar."
Hermione asked, "How can you do that to goblets?"
The Doctor said, "There not just goblets. There are using short distance voice-printed de-maritalzation technology. And I've got a screwdriver. What better way to use a screwdriver then on plumbing."
After several minutes of a quick sonic, The Doctor stood up, "Done. Molto bene. Had to do the wiring in a pinch, not my best work. Going to get the job done but will be pure hell to the plumbing. Won't be a problem to your average plumber." He turned to Hermione, "Do wizards have plumbers?"
Hermione gave The Doctor a duh face, "No"
The Doctor said, "What no plumbers? Oh I love plumbers. Plumbing is an important job. Saved my life on occasion, good plumbing."
They then heard boom as the Slitheen tried to blow open the doorway.
Hermione yelled, "Doctor!"
The Doctor yelled back, "Oh right. Just get in position. Going to plumbers then yell at me like I'm the crazy on."
When Hermione and the Doctor got in position for the trap, Hermione covered herself and The Doctor in the invisibility cloak and they waited.
After Slughorn vaporized the statue with his molecular repurposing bracelet, the Slitheen stormed into the bathroom. At first glance no one was in the room. But Slughorn could smell the Time Lord. Before he could hunt down his enemy, he saw his missing bomb laying in the middle of the pool. Not believing his good fortune, the Slitheen jumped into the pool and grabbed the bomb. Immediately the bomb started glowing.
Slughorn laughed, "Did you drop something Doctor?"
The Doctor threw open the cloak and approached the railing to the pool.
The Doctor spoke in his loudest, scariest voice, "Slughorn, leader of the family Slitheen, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find a place for you, your family and the rest of the universe to co-exist. Take this offer and end this now."
Slughorn and his family laughed.
The Doctor said, "What is you answer?"
Slughorn yelled, "I would assume that would be a no."
The Doctor said, "Then what happens next is your own doing."
Slughorn yelled, "I tire of this. Kill him."
The other two Slitheen turned to go back up and out of the pool but where met by and invisible force blocking them from leaving. The Doctor turned his head to see Hermione pointing her wand at the pool's exit, and having a Protago shield charm block the way.
Slughorn yelled, "What treachery is this?"
The Doctor said in his voice that sent shivers down Hermione spine, "I warned you. You did this." Then he pulled out his sonic screwdriver at the pipes, and water immediately poured out.
The water already having mixture of vinegar, burned the Slitheen's skin at the touch. They all let out yells of pain as there molecular structure melted. Not only was water coming out of all the facets at the same time, but one of the pipes burst spraying vinegar water throughout the room and adding flame from the burst into the room. But still The Doctor just stared at his enemy, all of his rage from the war and the lost of Rose practically flowing from him, as the Slitheen screamed.
Hermione stared at The Doctor, and knew any sane person would have asked him to stop what he was doing. But Hermione wasn't a sane person anymore she realized. She was just as broken as the Doctor was, from the war, from losing everyone she had ever cared for. When most people would have grabbed his hand and led him out of the room of his carnage, she relinquished in it. She loved the sound of the Slitheen's screams.
Only when she realized that the Doctor and her were both broken people from there years of loss and tragedy, did she notice that the bomb still clutched in the dieing hands of Slughorn, was starting the countdown to the explosion.
The Doctor, still staring at the dieing creatures, his rage transfixing him to the scene, didn't notice the bomb. Hermione quickly pointed her wand at the bomb and yelled, "Protago" and casted a shield around the bomb. She preyed that she could contain the explosion.
When the bomb finally went off, Hermione felt her energy being drained into the force protecting them from the blast. Hermione knew she couldn't hold the spell much longer. The bomb had already spent most of the nuclear energy that it had, but still had enough energy to destroy the school, killing them all. As blood dripped down Hermione's nose, she felt the protections around the school, and she knew the survivors were quickly leaving the school.
Still holding the spell as long as she could, Hermione gripped the Doctor's hand as tight as she dared, looking him deep in the eyes. And then they apparated.
The Doctor woke up on the ground. He's head felt like it had been ripped in two. The Doctor realize that Hermione must have apparated them out. The pain, he deduced, was from the apparition. It must be like traveling with a Time Bracelet. Traveling distance like that without a capsule that's a killer.
Only then did the Doctor feel the heat. He looked up and noticed Hogwarts was on fire. Hermione had not been able to contain the entire blast and even if result wasn't as deadly if Hermione had not contained what she did, the bomb still had the energy of a normal bomb going off in the castle. The Doctor stared at what was left of the old castle burning and it brought back memories of Galifrey after the war.
Only then did The Doctor realize that Hermione wasn't with him. He guessed that due to the apparition that he had been thrown away from Hermione when they landed.
The Doctor fearing that he might have lost Hermione like he had lost Rose, yelled, "Hermione!" Don't let her be dead, he thought.
"I'm here" came back a weak reply.
The Doctor turned and saw Hermione slowly rise from across the field they were on. The Doctor could see that she was hurt, so he ran to her.
As he ran to her, he didn't notice that two wizards in black hoods apparate onto the field.
One wizard said to the others, "You heard the Minister. No witnesses."
The other wizard, not seeing Hermione, pointed his wand at The Doctor, and yelled, "Avada Kadavra" Then the two wizards apparated out of the field.
The Doctor saw the blast as he ran, almost in slow motion. The curse hit him in the arm and he twisted and then fell to the ground.
Hermione saw the Doctor get hit and yelled, "DOCTOR!" and she ran/limped toward him.
When she reached him, he wasn't breathing. Hermione thought, as she cradled the dieing man. "Not him. I can't lose him too." Then The Doctor's eyes fluttered open.
The Doctor was in pain. He felt his entire cells structure start to die. He knew he was dieing. He looked up as a small frame cradled his body. His eye sight was blurry, and he thought the figure was Rose.
Hermione heard The Doctor whisper, "Rose?"
Hermione said, with tears running down her face, "No Doctor it's me Hermione."
The Doctor let out a chuckle, "Hermione. Told you I'd protect you." Then his body convulsed with the pain.
Hermione cried, "Don't die Doctor. Please don't die. I can't lose you too."
The Doctor muttered almost inaudibly, "Get me to the Tardis." Then he lost consciousness.
Hermione gripped his body and they apparated to the Tardis. When they arrived at the Tardis doors, the doors open on there own, The Tardis sensed the Doctor dieing.
When Hermione left The Doctor laying on the Tardis floor, she said, "What do I do? Is there medicine or something?"
The Doctor had regain consciousness, and he lifted his hand that had started glowing. He breathed, "It's starting."
The Doctor clawed his way up the consol till he was almost standing.
He said, "I'm sorry. I'm regenerating."
Then he spread his arms out, looked straight up, as energy flowed off his body.
Hermione shielded her eyes as the energy washed over her.
And then the Doctor bent over and directed the energy into the spare hand he kept handy. He had lost the during his duel with the Emperor of the Sycorax. He had just regenerated before this fight, and had enough energy to grow himself another hand. After the duel he had collected the hand and kept it in a jar in the Tardis**.
When all of the energy went into his other hand, he stopped the regeneration without losing his form.
He took a deep breath, looked Hermione right in the eye and said, "Now where were we?"
Author's notes:
*This is a Harry Potter pun i came up with accidently. Doctor said, "Elemtary Watson" which is Sherlock Holmes but is funny because Waston is the last name of the actress who plays Hermione. Didn't mean to come up with it but i thought it was funny.
** I know Captin Jack Hartness is the one that found The Doctor's hand and put in the jar, but i had forgotten that until I had already came up with the ending of the story and i didn't want to have to write him into the story. So just imagin that Doctor found it after the duel.
Thanks for reading the story. It sounds like it is done but i have two more chapters coming. I will wrap up all lose ends of the story and then end it. But then i will put out the sequel i'm writing, The Time Lord, The Witch, And The Police Box.
Stay tune
Dex