A/N: This started as a doodle and morphed into a story from there. It's not so much a crossover as an AU—Doctor Who characters in the Potter 'verse. As for the story? Welllll…. You'll find out.

Chapter 1

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That morning, Rose saw her first owl in three years. A large black and grey thing, it waited outside the window of their small flat, a newspaper and a letter clutched in its sizable claws. Rose glanced at her mother's bedroom door and slid the window open, pulling out a small tin of biscuits for the owl as she collected the papers. She winced as it hooted disdainfully at the stale gingersnaps.

"Look, I'm sorry, but it's all we've got. It's not like I'm able to pop over to Diagon Alley and pick up owl treats, y'know."

"Rose? Who're you talking to?" Her mother's door opened and Jackie Tyler stepped out, cinching her dressing down shut. She paled as she saw the owl at the window. "What's that doing here? Rose, get that thing out of our house—"

"Mum." Something about her daughter's voice caught Jackie's attention, and she closed her mouth quickly. Rose had paled, her brown eyes wide. "It's over."

"What?" Jackie hurried over to her 15-year-old daughter, staring over her shoulder at the front page of the Daily Prophet.

LORD VOLDEMORT DEFEATED—Death Eaters Scattered

Harry Potter's Victory: details, page 2

She raised a trembling hand to her mouth. "Oh, my god."

The owl hooted, glaring at Rose, and she came back to herself with a blink. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, just a mo'." She hurried to her room and came back a few minutes later with a small bronze coin that she tucked into the small pouch on its leg. "Here you go."

With a grave look, the owl turned and swooped out the window, leaving a small black feather floating behind it.

Jackie cleared her throat, holding her gown shut tight at the neck. "Where'd you get that?"

"Where'd I get what?" Rose flushed and widened her eyes, going for innocent. Judging by her mother's expression, she didn't succeed.

"That was one of those wizard coins, a galleon or a nugget or whatever. Where did you get that?"

She stared down at her polka dot socks, scuffing the worn out toes against the carpet. "It's nothing, mum."

"Rose Marion Tyler, don't you tell me that's nothing. That coin is a part of that whole messed up world, and I want to know where you got it from." Rose mumbled out an answer, and Jackie crossed her arms. "What was that?"

"I said, I got it from Mickey's gran. She gives me somethin' for helping out with chores, sometimes."

Jackie lowered herself onto the couch, her grey eyes wide. "Oh my god, Rita's a witch?"

Rose ducked her head, biting her lip. If Jackie was upset to hear Rita-Anne Smith was a witch, she'd be furious to hear about the lessons she'd been giving Rose while Jackie was at work. She cleared her throat. "There's a letter, too."

Jackie blinked and stood up, picking up the heavy parchment envelope. Rose tightened her hands in the long sleeves of her jumper. She'd recognized the crest on the envelope immediately—it was the same as the one on the letter she'd received four years ago, the same as the one that was emblazoned on her father's diploma.

Jackie read the letter and paled, her grip crinkling the ivory paper. Rose swallowed. "Mum? What is it?"

Jackie stood abruptly, heading into the kitchen, and soon Rose heard the familiar noises of the preparation of her morning tea. She swallowed and picked up the letter herself, scanning it eagerly.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall

Dear Ms. Tyler,

We are pleased to inform you that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will once again be open to all who have been accepted to the school. The past few turbulent years have been hard on all of us, but in this new era we must look to the future. It is with this goal in mind that we once again offer you a place at our school. Placement exams will be available for those whose schooling has been disrupted by the recent conflict. After the results have been received, a list of necessary books and equipment will be made available. Term begins September 1. We await your response no later than August 15.

Yours sincerely,

Pomona Sprout

Deputy Headmistress

Rose bit her lip, her eyes widening in excitement. It was safe again. She could go back.

"I don't know what they think they're doin'." Jackie stood in the doorway, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea and her eyes blazing. "Playin' at everything being safe, pretending everything's okay."

Rose's heart sank. "What do you mean?"

Jackie strode in and grabbed the letter, tossing it in the rubbish bin. "I already lost my husband to that lot. I'm not losin' my daughter, too."

"But, Mum!"

"Don't you 'But, Mum!' me!" Jackie set down her mug, her hands shaking. "I thank god every day that you weren't old enough to remember what happened to your dad, but I was. I saw what they did to 'im, and I'm never gonna forget it."

"Mum, it's over! Voldemort is gone!"

"Yeah? An' what about his followers, then? What about the Death Heads or whatever their name is?"

Rose set her jaw stubbornly, straightening until she was eye-to-eye with her mum. "It's safe at Hogwarts."

"Yeah? That's why that boy died in the Tournament your first year, 'cause Hogwarts was so 'safe'?" Rose opened her mouth to protest, and Jackie raised her hand. "No, Rose. I'm not lettin' you go back."

"But, Mum! How am I s'posed to learn about magic, then?"

Jackie's jaw tightened, and she turned her gaze to the window "You won't. You've managed the last three years without any of that madness, you can keep goin'."

"But I can't." Rose narrowed her eyes and a breeze began to rise around her, sending her hair whipping around her head. Jackie yelped and held her dressing gown closed, her mouth hanging open. "I'm a witch, Mum, no matter how much you want to ignore it." She scowled and tugged her jumper down as it began to flutter in the swirling air. "I don't fit in here, Mum. I can't just go to a normal school an' pretend I'm not who I am."

As Rose calmed, the air around her stilled. Jackie stared at her, her eyes wide. "How'd you do that?"

Rose's face crumpled. "I don't know, Mum. All this stuff's just waiting in my fingertips, beggin' to be let out." She stared into her mother's eyes. "Please, Mum. I need to go back."

Jackie bit her lip and pulled Rose into her arms. "Sweetheart, please. Can't you just forget all this? I don't want to lose you, too."

Rose blinked back the tears that were filling her eyes. "Mum, I can't forget it. It's who I am. An' you're not going to lose me. You got through my first year, didn't you? I wrote you every week."

Jackie's breath hitched. "It's not the same. Oh, Rose, darling, you're my little girl. I just want to protect you."

Rose scowled. "I'm fifteen, Mum. I'm not a little girl anymore."

Jackie stepped back, cupping Rose's cheek gently. "That's where you're wrong, sweetheart. You'll always be my little girl." Rose protested, and she raised her hand. "But… you're right. I can't just wish this away." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Pete tried to give up 'is magic, after we got married. It wasn't a week before he was near tearin' his hair out, an' he didn't have much hair to spare in the first place." She looked up and met Rose's eyes, looking exhausted and resigned. "Now I never understood all this magic stuff, but I did understand him. He needed it. And you're his daughter, through and through." She ran a hand over her eyes. "So if this Lord What's-it is really gone, then… then I guess you're going back."

Rose hugged her tight, feeling like her grin would near split her face in two. "Thank you."

"Yeah." Jackie stepped back and retreated to her bedroom, her cooled tea in hand.

Rose spun a little, laughing. After three years of waiting, she was going back. She had to tell Mickey.

Half an hour and a quick shower later, she pounded at the Smith's door, still grinning. A strident voice called from inside. "Hold your horses!" A few minutes later the door creaked open, and Rita-Anne Smith looked out. "Who's there? I've got pepper spray, and I'm not afraid to use it."

"It's me, Ms. Smith."

The older woman blinked behind her thick sunglasses. "Rosie? Is that you? Come in, child. You sound happy."

Rose slipped past her, spinning as the door shut. "Oh, I am. I've got the most amazing news—you won't believe it."

"The Dark Lord is dead."

She stared at the older woman, confused. "Wait, how'd you know? You don't get the Daily Prophet anymore."

Ms. Smith chuckled and walked into the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of tea. "I may be blind, child, but that doesn't mean I can't See."

Rose winced and ran a hand over her hair. "I'm still a bit rubbish at Divination."

"That's because you don't take the time to really look. Now, have you been practicing your incantations? We were working on Transfigurations, weren't we?"

"We were—but I haven't told you everything! I got a letter this morning. Hogwarts is opening up again. I can go back."

"Oh, but that's marvelous!"

Another voice broke in from the doorway and Rose turned to see Mickey standing there in a rumpled sweatshirt, his eyes stormy and his voice heavy with sarcasm. "Well, that's just brilliant." He stormed out the front door, and she bit her lip and jumped up.

"I'd better go talk to him. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Ms. Smith just nodded, looking troubled, and Rose hurried after Mickey. She found him at the grimy playground near the estate, on the swings. She joined him there, drifting back and forth in the breeze. "Mickey?"

He glanced at her and threw a pebble to the ground. "Oh, so you came after me. That's a nice surprise."

"Listen, what are you so mad about?"

"You're leavin' again, aren't you?" He glared at her, and she stared evenly at him. "No matter what we had, it's not enough. You get a chance to get out of here, and poof. You're gone."

"I'll still write, an' you know I'll be back on holidays."

He thrust out his jaw. "It's not goin' to be the same."

She tightened her grip on the chains of the swing. "Is that such a bad thing, Mickey? I can learn stuff there that I'd never get a chance to hear about around here."

He snorted. "Yeah, 'cause it's not plain enough already that I weren't enough for you. It's never enough to just be here, is it? No, it's all about that damn magic."

Rose frowned. "Mickey, don't be ridiculous. I'm not leavin' 'cause you're not enough for me."

"Right. I believe that, with the lessons with Gran every chance you got. Why were you even goin' out with me, Rose? Was it just 'cause I was convenient?"

She stood suddenly, her eyes nearly sparking in anger. "How can you ask me that, Mickey Smith?"

He glared stonily back at her. "How can I not?"

"You wanna know why I was goin' out with you? It's not because you were convenient. It was because you were nice, an' funny, and I always knew I could count on you. Guess I was wrong." She spun and ran off, heading back to her flat. He caught up to her at the stairwell, his breathing labored.

"Rose, wait."

"What for? So you can tell me more about how I don't care about you? No. I've had enough of talkin' to you, Mickey. Leave me alone."

"But I—"

"Goodbye, Mickey." With that, she slammed the door in his face and leaned against it, sniffling back the tears that were threatening. A soft meow came from her feet, and she looked down at the handsome dark grey tomcat at her feet. With a sob, she slumped to the floor and cuddled him to her chest. "Oh, Captain Jack."

"Rose? What was that?" Jackie came out of her bedroom, hair blown out and makeup fully done.

"That… that was the sound of somethin' ending." She held Jack tighter, and he blinked his big blue eyes up at her as he cuddled closer while she closed her eyes. It's only three more months. I can handle three more months.

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