Chapter 24 – Ghosts of Future Past
Romana wasn't sure how long she stayed by the lake with the Doctor, it could've been minutes of possibly hours. Despite their different philosophical opinions during the War, the Time Lord would always be her best friend. At some point they had been more than friends, especially during her second life. Maybe they would be again in future but not right now. Romana wasn't in the right place mentally to think about romance and neither was the Doctor. The mental exchanges revealed the depth of the Time Lord's feelings for a human, Rose Tyler. She had been trapped in a parallel universe, forever separating the pair. It was especially tragic, if the High Council of Gallifrey still existed they could open a window into the other universe.
The Time Lord began to shift against Romana's embrace signally that it was probably time to move, "I should go find Martha", the Doctor began, "before she gets too comfortable in the castle".
Offering his hand to Romana, which she gratefully accepted, the pair began to slowly meander towards the castle. They passed another large pile of rubble on the way, one that hadn't been cleared away after the battle, "How did the books end?" Romana asked, "was everyone happy in the end?"
"Course they were", the Doctor replied breezily, "it would be a pretty bad story if there wasn't a happy ending".
"That wasn't quite the question I was asking Doctor and you know it", the Time Lady stated snippily.
The Time Lord sighed loudly before responding, "Does it matter Romana, there's a lot of truth in the books but they were just a work of fiction". Romana knew this but was she was clinging onto the notion that there was more fact than fiction in the series. She had to desperately know if she had made a difference, "People on both sides died Romana let's just leave it at that". The Time Lady snorted, distinctly unhappy with that response. Surely the Doctor knew that she would just find her own copy and read for herself. Being obstructive wasn't really solving anything.
Knowing the Doctor was a stubborn individual, Romana chose not to press the argument further. The last thing she wanted to do is annoy the only Time Lord left who she would class as friendly. As the walk towards the castle continued, it was the Doctor who offered a small nugget of information, "One thing I will say is that in the books all the Horcruxes were destroyed".
"I know what you're going to say Doctor", Romana sighed, "and it's something I'm working on". She shook her head before added, "I couldn't risk anything happening to Harry, I don't know what I would've done if he had died".
Romana slowed her pace her head bowed at which point she was hit with an overwhelming emotion from the Doctor, empathy, "Oh Romana I know exactly how you feel", the older Time Lord practically whispered. "Want a small piece of advice", the Time Lady nodded vigorously, "don't isolate yourself, you need people around you even if it's to call you an idiot".
Romana snorted with laughter, "Sound advice which probably means you didn't come up with it". The Doctor looked guilty and scratched his head nervously, "Who gave you that advice Doctor?" she asked.
"You did", the Time Lord smirked.
"Really?" Romana's memory wasn't perfect but she couldn't recall having that conversation with the Doctor.
"Maybe it's a conversation you haven't experienced yet", he added cryptically, "oh now this is more like the Hogwarts I remember", he quickly changed the subject as they entered the courtyard. Romana wanted to direct the conversation back but something told her the subject was closed, "I helped Godric and Rowena put that turret in place", the Time Lord continued, "Just before the White Guardian put us together".
The Time Lady watched the misty eyed Doctor's get lost in his memories, "The good old days", she recalled, "when our only job was to put together a mystical and powerful artefact to prevent the universe from plunging into chaos".
"Sounds like an average Saturday to me", the Doctor smiled. He pointed up at Ravenclaw Tower, "Rowena fancied me you know, she cornered me at the top of that tower".
"As modest as ever Doctor", Romana nudged him in the arm, "there was something likeable about that man, even if he wasn't much of a looker", she added with a cheeky smile.
"Oi", the Doctor cried, "didn't stop you if I recall correctly", Romana blushed furiously, turning her gaze away from the Time Lord, "if we're going to start that game, how about those ridiculous dresses your first used to wear".
"Ridiculous", Romana huffed, "you wouldn't know style if it slapped you around the face Doctor".
The Time Lord snorted, "Wearing heels to visit a boggy marshland, not very bright for someone with a triple first from the Academy".
Romana was lost for words for a moment, she had to admit the Doctor was right. Trying to traverse Boscombe Moor in heels probably wasn't her best idea, not that she wanted to admit that to him though, "Yes well", she huffed, "need I remind you about your decorative vegetable phase".
"That served a purpose-"
"Or that ghastly outfit your sixth wore", she sniffed, "tell me, how many clowns did you have to strip in order to construct that monstrosity".
"Clowns?" the Doctor cried in a surprisingly good impersonation of his sixth incarnation, "well what about your third? Wearing heavy boots, dark eyeliner, berets and trench coats together like an emo Barbie doll".
The Time Lady was about to retort but she found herself lost for words, "I have no idea what that means", she stated in confusion. The two children of Gallifrey looked at each other for a moment before the Doctor burst out laughing. Romana couldn't contain herself and she too began to laugh, "Look at us, bickering like children about our fashion choices".
"Ridiculous isn't it", the Time Lord replied and Romana had absolutely no argument to that. As the laughter continued, Romana realised that she hadn't smiled this much in a long time. It was amazing that something so mundane had brought such joy to her hearts, "Keep hold of that feeling", the Doctor interrupted her thoughts, "keep hold of the little things in life, trust me they will keep you going".
Romana smiled gratefully at the Doctor's advice as a mischievous smile flashed across her face, "You weren't all bad Doctor, number five had a certain boyish charm about him". Unknowingly she began to close the gap between them, "And eight certainly was the romantic, several times over", she added with a saucy grin.
"Yes him and your second really meshed together well", he added before realising how awkward that sounded. Romana watched the discomfort on his face and laughed, "This one isn't so bad either", he added with a small smile.
"Please Doctor I look like a child", Romana sighed, drawing a small laugh from the Time Lord, "alright maybe not a child but it'll be hard to get respect from anyone looking like a teenager".
"I dunno, you earned my respect earlier", the Doctor inched closer himself, "that fiery speech, that passion, definitely something attractive about that".
Romana became aware of how close they now were, close enough for her to reach out and touch his spiky hair, "I like your hair", she stated.
"Doesn't make you sound shallow at all", the Doctor teased.
The Time Lady cursed herself as she looked into the Doctor's dark eyes. They were sad eyes but there was something else there, a small spark of hope whenever he looked in Romana's direction. Old memories and feelings stirred, however, they were quickly shut down by a loud cough, "Are we interrupting something?" Ron asked.
The Time Lords jumped apart in embarrassment to see Harry, Ron and Martha staring at them. Romana wasn't sure but she thought she could see a hint of jealousy behind the human woman's eyes, "How long have you been standing there?" Romana asked, straightening out her coat.
"Long enough to see you flirting with each other", Harry replied with more than a hint of mirth.
"Harry we're centuries old members of the most advanced species in the known universe", Romana huffed, "we are above such frivolities as flirting".
"You were totally flirting", Ron sniffed with a slightly bitter tone, "could we have a word?"
"Absolutely", the Doctor couldn't move quickly enough, "need to have a word with old Dumbles anyway, is the Headmaster's office still in the same place?" When Harry nodded in confirmation, the Doctor lead Martha away quickly without another word.
As Romana watched him walk away she was a whirlwind of emotions and confusion. Sure, she and the Doctor had the semblance of a relationship in the past but that was a very long time ago. She wasn't a young, inexperienced Time Lady anymore, she was the former President of Gallifrey. Plus she didn't think her current incarnation was going to be much of a romantic, certainly not in her current mental state anyway, "Romana, you feeling alright?" Harry asked.
"Course I am", she replied briskly, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Could we talk inside your TARDIS?" Ron stated. Romana huffed but slowly led the teen wizards back towards her ship, "So you and the Doctor", Ron continued, beginning a conversation that Romana didn't really want to have, "is he your boyfriend or something?"
"I think the Doctor's a little old to be called a boyfriend Ronald", Romana snorted. "If you must know we had a relationship once but that was a very long time ago".
"Looks like he was keen to continue", Harry added.
"Relationships are different between Time Lords", Romana answered, "on Gallifrey you rarely married for love. Marriages were political conveniences or to join two houses together".
"Sounds like pureblood politics to me", Ron shrugged. Romana hadn't really thought about it like that before but the red head had summed up Gallifrey pretty well. Romana knew that the Doctor had been married before but it wasn't a particularly happy marriage. That was about all she could get out of him about his former betrothed. The only good thing he had to say about that period of his life revolved around his granddaughter. "But you and the Doctor weren't on Gallifrey at the time though", he continued.
Romana grumbled, this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have with Harry and Ron, "Can we drop it", she snapped, "I refuse to talk about my ancient history with you two".
The awkward silence returned as the trio wandered towards the TARDIS. Romana's thoughts drifted again to her past, wondering what her life would've been like if she hadn't been paired with the Doctor to locate the Key to Time. Nowhere near as exciting she mused and she probably wouldn't have ascended to the Presidency. Her association with Gallifrey's most famous son made her well liked amongst the average Time Lord. It was a bitter irony that without the Doctor, she probably would've been a faceless Time Lord slaughtered by the Daleks or would've burned with the rest of the planet when The Moment was used by the renegade.
As she approached her TARDIS, Romana could see a group of people gathered outside. A frown etched into her features as she recognised some of the people in the crowd, "Dare I ask what this is about?" she hissed, her mind instantly going to a dark place.
"We've been talking to the Order", Harry began, "and they want to know more about you, the real you that is".
"They've been filled in on the basics, about how you came to be Hermione", Ron continued, "but they want to know about who you were before".
"They want to know if I'm dangerous", Romana replied darkly, "well I can save them some time, I'm extremely dangerous".
"Romana that's not true", Harry stated, "you're hiding behind some dark and brooding mask. Letting some people see behind it might do you some good". Romana grumbled, trust Harry to choose this moment to become emotional perceptive. His comments echoed the Doctor too, it wouldn't do her any good to become isolated from people who only wanted to get to know her.
Getting closer to the red telephone box that disguised her TARDIS, Romana could see a fair crowd gathered outside. There were the familiar faces of Neville, Luna and Ginny along with Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt. The rest of the Weasley's were there too, including a reluctantly looking Molly and Bill's wife Fleur. Mr Weasley was slowly circling the TARDIS trying to find his way inside, "This is utterly amazing", he began, "it looks just like one of those fellytone boxes I've seen in the village".
"I think you mean telephone Mr Weasley", Romana greeted with a smile. Mr Weasley's enthusiasm for all things muggle was truly infectious, although if a basic telephone amazed him he was in for a surprise when smartphones arrived in about fifteen years time. "The TARDIS is meant to disguise itself as something native to the area to avoid detection", Romana continued, "quite why she insists on a phone box is anyone's guess".
"You speak as if it's alive", Fleur asked curiously.
"All TARDIS's are alive in a sense", Romana answered the Frenchwoman, "the artificial intelligence indeed to traverse the time vortex is so powerful that it develops sentience". Seeing that she had lost many people with those words, she decided to move on, "What is it you're all looking for?" she asked.
"Answers", Kingsley replied simply.
"Very well", Romana placed a key into the TARDIS lock, "and what if you don't like the answers I give?"
"We'll cross that bridge if necessary", the new Minister of Magic replied with his deep voice.
Romana wasn't sure if she liked that answer but trusted that she had enough allies to prevent any serious harm from coming to her. She pushed the TARDIS door open and stepped aside, "Welcome aboard and please don't touch anything", she aimed that more towards Mr Weasley, "you could do some serious damage to the universe by pushing the wrong button". Romana realised that wasn't the best thing to say to a group of sceptics but she wasn't going to lie to them. Allowing an apologetic looking Harry and Ron into the ship, Romana took a deep breath and followed after them.