Chapter 12. Flesh and Stone Part Two.

A/N: Told ya! Double update! I most definitely do not own Harry Potter or Doctor Who. Enjoy.

Hermione could not believe this was happening. Amy had sent her away! She was not a child! She was an adult. And had been for nearly a year! She was only trying to help, Hermione wiped the angry tears from her eyes, she knew Amy was worried, and she could understand why. So if she understood, why did Amy send her away?

Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder, she stiffened and swung around, a spell on her lips.
"Hey! It's just me. Okay just me!" The Doctor raised his hands, slightly intimidated and worried.
Hermione lowered her wand. "Please don't do that again." She whispered as she rushed ahead and caught up to the others.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, there was something about Hermione Granger, only a teenager, yet old and wise beyond her years. What had happened to make her this way? And the bigger question.
Could he trust her?

"You okay?" Hermione turned at River's question.
"Yeah of course, why wouldn't I be?" Hermione asked like nothing was wrong.

"What's that?"
"Er, readings from a crack in the wall." The Doctor explained sonicking Rivers computer.
"How can a crack in the wall be the end of the universe?"
"Don't know, but here's what I think. One day there's going to be a very big bang. So big every moment in history, past and future, will crack." The Doctor informed them seriously.

"How is that even possible? Isn't that a paradox?" Hermione challenged.

The Doctor ignored Hermione and instead turned to River "How can you be engaged, in a manner of speaking?"
"Well, sucker for a man in uniform." River winked.

Hermione facepalmed. Now, were they really going to flirt now?!

"Doctor Song's in my personal custody. I released her from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago and I am legally responsible for her until she's accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. Just so we understand each other." Father Octavian said wiping the smile off Rivers face.

"You were in Stormcage?" The Doctor demanded.
"What's Stormcage." Hermione asked.
"A prison." The Doctor replied shortly.

Before anyone could respond the computer made a chirping sound.
The three of them huddled around the computer. "What? What is that?" River pointed at the symbols that flashed along the screen.

"The date. The date of the explosion, where the crack begins."
"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?" River asked pointing between herself and Hermione.

"That's tomorrow!" Hermione gasped.
The Doctor nodded gravely. "Yes Hermione, yours and Amy's time."

"It doesn't open it from here, but it's the Primary Flight Deck. This has got to be a service hatch or something." Father Octavian grunted.
"Hurry up and open it. Time's running out." River told him; gun raised in the direction of the forest.
"What? What did you say? Time's running out, is that what you said?" The Doctor asked her.
"Yeah. I just meant…" River glared at The Doctor.
"I know what you meant. Hush. But what if it could?" The Doctor theorised.

"Are you suggesting that time itself could run out?" Hermione questioned and almost dreaded the answer.
"Time. What if time could run out?" The Doctor answered her question with another question.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that, was just the answer I was looking for." Hermione responded sarcastically.

"Got it!" Father Octavian grunted opening the hatch, ending the conversation.

"Cracks. Cracks in time. Time running out. No, couldn't be. Couldn't be. But how is a duck pond a duck pond if there aren't any ducks? And she didn't recognise the Daleks." The Doctor theorised.
"The who now?" Hermione asked. 'What the hell was a Dalek?'
"A Dalek, Hermione they were everywhere, the planets in the sky?"
Hermione shook her head. "I have no idea what you mean. I've been very… isolated this past year."

The Doctor looked stunned. "That's impossible! Okay, time can shift. Time can change. Time can be rewritten. Ah. Oh!" The Doctor smacked his hand to his head as the realisation hit him.

"Doctor Song, get through, now!" Father Octavian ordered, pushing River through the service hatch.
"Hermione come on!" River yelled from inside.

Hermione climbed through the hatch and nodded gratefully to River as she gave her a hand up.
"You okay?" River asked.
"Of course, I am why wouldn't I be?" Hermione replied not looking River in the eye.
River gave Hermione a long stare. "Because you don't look okay, far from it actually. He'd understand you know. The Doctor if you told him, you don't have to do this alone Hermione."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Just how well do you know me in the future Doctor Song? Because you speak of things you shouldn't even know about!" Hermione snapped.
"Spoilers." River told her sadly.

"Everything okay?" The Doctor asked as he climbed through the hatch, startling both women.
"Fine." Hermione told him shortly.
"There's a teleport. If I can get it to work. we can beam the others here. Where's Octavian?" River asked ignoring The Doctors question.

"Octavian's dead." The Doctor retorted.
Hermione looked the ground, she didn't like Father Octavian, far from it, but that didn't mean she wished him dead. Hermione could only hope it was quick.

"So is that teleport. You're wasting your time. I'm going to need your communicator." The Doctor told River as he ripped the communicator from her hands.

"Amy? Amy? Is that you?" The Doctor asked.

"Doctor?" Hermione breathed a sigh of relief hearing her cousins voice at last. Maybe she should've stayed with her…

"Where are you? Are the Clerics with you?"
"Ames are you alright?!" Hermione demanded cutting across The Doctor.
"I'm fine Mya, Doctor the Clerics, they've gone. There was a light and they walked into the light. Doctor, they didn't even remember each other." Amy answered them both.

"No, they wouldn't." The Doctor sighed defeated as he looked over a control panel.
"What is that light?" River asked walking over to the control panel adjacent.
The Doctor closed his eyes, "Time running out. Amy, I'm sorry, I made a mistake. I should never have left you there."

"Well, what do I do now?" Amy's frustrated voice crackled across the communicator.
"Wait there. Im coming to get you." Hermione told her voice brokering no arguments and walked toward the hatch which they came through.

"Hermione, absolutely not!" The Doctor scolded her which stopped her in her tracks.
"Amy I'm so sorry but you have to come to us. The Primary Flight Deck, the other end of the forest."
"But Doctor she can't see!" Hermione protested.
"I can't see. I can't open my eyes." Amy agreed.

"One of you is already at great risk, I will not risk another Hermione! Now move away from the hatch!" The Doctor's mind flashed to his conversation with Amy and the promise he made her.

"Turn on the spot." The Doctor said abruptly into the communicator.
"Sorry, what?"
"Just do it. Turn on the spot." The Doctor commanded as placed his screwdriver against the communicator. "When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver, that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound."

"Come on Amy! You can do it! I'm so sorry Ames, I never should've left." Hermione confessed emotionally.
"Mya, this isn't your fault, I told you to leave okay? Im just happy you're with the others where you're safe." Amy cut Hermione off before she could argue. "If I know you, which I do, you're going to try and argue. It is MY job to protect you!"
"Ames…" Hermione whispered tearfully.

"Amy. You have to start moving now. There's Time Energy spilling out of that crack, and you have to stay ahead of it." The Doctor told her seriously.
"But the Angels, they're everywhere." Amy's voice trembled, conveying just how scared she was.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you." The Doctor murmured.
"What does the Time Energy do?" Amy asked.
"Just keep moving!" The Doctor shouted, avoiding the question.
"Tell me!" Amy demanded.
The Doctor put the communicator to he forehead. "If the Time Energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all." He stated. "Now, keep your eyes shut and keep moving." The Doctor pleaded.

Hermione was horrified. Never had existed. Hermione couldn't imagine what her life would be like if she didn't have Amy. Would she have died in the war? Would she have left the muggle world behind for good? The possibilities were endless. Would she even be the same person? Hermione shuddered; she couldn't even fathom not having Amy in her life. And she never wanted too.

River shook her head. "It's never going to work."
"What else have you got! River! Tell me!" Hermione and River flinched at the pure anger in The Doctors voice.

"It has to work! It must. Because I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't." Hermione told them both grimly.
She then raised her wand, (and ignored how both flinched,) and pointed it at the mangled remains of the teleport, "Reparo!" She whispered, a beam of white light leaving her wand. It didn't do much, (magic and technology really didn't mix,) But Hermione watched with a smile as some of the wires knitted themselves back together.

Hermione looked at both River and The Doctor eyebrow raised. "Think you can get that teleport working now Doctor Song?"
River smirked. "You bet."

A loud clanging could be heard from above them. All three of them looked up as the clanging sounded louder and faster.
"What's that?" River asked as she looked up from the mangled teleport.

"The Angels running from the fire. They came here to feed on the Time Energy, now it's going to feed on them. Amy, listen to me. I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. it'll beep if there's something in your way. You just manoeuvre till the beeping stops. Because, Amy, this is important. The forest is full of Angels. You're going to have to walk like you can see." The Doctor explained to her gravely.

"Well, what do you mean?" Amy asked incredulously.
"Look, just keep moving." The Doctor told her impatiently ignoring her question.

"Doctor? Can I have the communicator? I want to speak to Amy." The Doctor gave the communicator to Hermione who walked to the back of the room.

"Ames?" Hermione spoke hesitantly ignoring River and the Doctor's conversation.
"I'm here Mya." Amy reassured. "It's a bit dark though."
Hermione laughed shakily. "Amy I'm so sorry. I never should've left you. What good is me being a witch if I can't do anything!" Hermione muttered frustrated.
"Hermione, I told you to go. Don't beat yourself up about it okay. You're doing your best in a messy situation, besides I'll be there soon." Amy didn't promise this and Hermione didn't expect her too, because both girls knew from previous experience that you couldn't promise to come back. Sometimes you just don't.

"Like me, for instance!" The Doctor roared suddenly. Hermione turned toward The Doctor, who was glaring harshly at River. A continuous beeping noise from the communicator in her hand caused Hermione to draw her gaze away and run to The Doctor.

"Doctor!" She shouted handing him back the communicator. "It won't stop beeping!"
"What's that?" Amy questioned; she had a gut feeling it wasn't anything good.
"It's a warning. There are Angels round you now." The Doctor informed her grimly.

The Doctor closed his eyes. "Amy, listen to me. This is going to be hard but I know you can do it. The Angels are scared. And running, and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do is walk like you can see."

"Well that sounds like a piece of cake." Hermione muttered to herself, she couldn't lose her grip on the situation, not now.

"Just don't open your eyes. Walk like you can see." The Doctor pleaded. "You're not moving. You have to do this. Now. You have to do this!" The Doctor demanded banging his hand on the console.

River put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. When the younger girl flinched River could see just how tense Hermione was. She was trying to put on a brave for those around her, but River wasn't fooled. Hermione was terrified for her cousin.

A distant thump was heard. "Doctor? I can't find the communicator. I dropped it. I can't find it, Doctor. Doctor!" Amy called distantly.

Hermione jumped. "Amy? Are you alright?!" She demanded running her hand through her hair when she received no answer.

"Got it!" River yelled triumphantly and pushed a lever upwards. A bright light engulfed the room. Hermione shielded her eyes. When the light died down Hermione saw River with Amy in a tight embrace.

"Don't open your eyes. You're on the Flight Deck. The Doctor's here, Hermione's here. I teleported you." River released Amy and walked toward the Doctor. "See? Told you I could get it working." River told The Doctor smirking.

"AMY!" Hermione slammed into her cousin and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Amy hugged her cousin back just as tight.
"I'm okay, Mya, really. Hermione breath." Amy soothed, rubbing Hermione's back.

The lights flickered and a loud alarm blared through the ship. "What's that?" River asked almost dreading the answer.

"Well." Hermione said wryly keeping a tight grip around Amy's arm. "That doesn't sound very good..."

The Doctor turned to the group eyes wide. "The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power." He explained. "Which means… The shield's going to release."

The bulkhead that led into the forest began to rise, which revealed a vast array of Angels, and one in the middle of the group which held a communicator firmly in its grasp.

The Doctor took a step forward. "Angel Bob, I presume."
"The Time Field is coming. It will destroy our reality." Hermione winced at hearing the dead Clerics disembodied voice coming from the Angel.

"Yeah, and look at you all, running away. What can I do for you?" The Doctor questioned coolly. "There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close, and they will be saved." Angel Bob answered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could do, could do that. But why?"
"What are we chopped liver?" Hermione muttered to Amy who snorted.

"Your friends will also be saved." Angel Bob stated.
The Doctor nodded his head and seemed to consider it. "Well, there is that." He allowed.

Hermione's eyes widened and felt Amy tense beside her. He wasn't going to do it was he?

"I've travelled in time. I'm a complicated space time event too. Throw me in!" River shouted moving to his side.

The Doctor scoffed. "Oh, be serious. Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you, and it would take every one of them to amount to me." He told her arrogantly. "So, get a grip."

"Doctor, I can't let you do this!" River yelled.
"No, seriously, get a grip." He repeated.
"You're not going to die here!" River screamed.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I mean it. River, Amy, Hermione get a grip!" He shouted.
"Oh, you genius." River breathed and moved back to the cousins.

"I don't think I'm going to like this am I?" Hermione asked a knot forming in her stomach as an idea struck her. If the whole ships power was about to fail. That meant the gravity too…
River laughed and shook her head as she grabbed Amy's arm. "Probably not."

"Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now." Angel Bob stated.

The Doctor smirked. "Thing is, Bob, the Angels are draining all the power from this ship. Every last bit of it. And you know what? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the gravity of the situation. Or to put it another way, Angels…"

A loud alarm blared, Hermione looked to one of the monitors which read; GRAVITY FAILING.
Hermione sighed, she really wasn't going to like this, and grabbed the railing next to the monitor she was stood near and held on for dear life.

River watched as Hermione held on to the railing and directed Amy to do the same. "You hold on tight and don't you let go for anything." She instructed forcefully. "You too Hermione."
Hermione nodded. "Don't worry Doctor song, this railing is my new best friend."

The Doctor smirked as the alarm got louder and turned and held on to his own railings. "Night, night."

Hermione looked at the monitor the screen now reading; GRAVITY FAILED. Hermione screwed her eyes shut as her feet left the floor. She could feel the spaceship tilt. She opened her eyes a slightly to see the Angels falling into the crack which then sealed itself shut.

Before Hermione could panic about being stuck, the back-up power came on, which restored the gravity. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when her feet touched the ground.
"I never want to do that again!" Hermione whispered.

"Come on Hermione!" The Doctor laughed, watching her as she helped her cousin get her bearings. "It wasn't that bad!"
Hermione glared at him. "I'll beg to differ thank you!"
"Amy, you can open your eyes now." The Doctor told her.
"But the Angel?"
"The Angels all fell into the Time Field. The Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now." The Doctor explained.

"The only question is how are we getting back to the beach?" River asked pointedly.

Hermione smirked. "I might be able to help with that…"

"I never want to do that again!" The Doctor shouted bent over clutching his stomach.
"I agree!" Amy and River agreed weakly.
"Come on Doctor!" Hermione mocked the only one of them standing upright. "It wasn't that bad!"

"Hermione, what was that?" The Doctor asked ignoring Amy and River roaring with laughter. "Were back at the beach!"
"Apparation, going from one place to the other, and before and before you ask. I need to know exactly where I'm going." Hermione lectured. "I couldn't fetch Amy that way because I didn't know where Amy was, or were the Angels could be. The beach however? We were here for quite a while, all I needed to do was picture it in my mind and look…" Hermione nodded to where a blue box was standing.

"The TARDIS!" The Doctor cried joyfully.
"Also having 1960''s Police box on a 51st century planet helped too" Hermione smiled.

Maybe her and The Doctor could get along after all…

Hermione conjured a blanket and threw it over her cousin.
"You never cease to amaze me Mya." Amy smiled softly at her cousin who smiled back. The cousins looked at The Doctor and snorted at the shocked look on his face at Hermione's blatant use of magic.

"How you feeling Ames."

Amy winced. "Ah. Bruised everywhere."
"Me too." The Doctor and Hermione replied in unison.

"Doctor if the Angels fell through the crack, then why do Mya and I remember it at all? Those guys on the ship didn't remember each other." Amy asked looking at The Doctor for an explanation.

"You're time travellers now. Amy." The Doctor explained. "Well you are at least, Hermione already is." Hermione smiled innocently not taking the bait, as she knew he wanted an answer about how she had already travelled in time before she even stepped foot into the TARDIS.
The Doctor rolled his eyes not buying Hermione's innocent look for one second. So instead he answered Amy, "It changes the way you see the universe, forever. Good, isn't it?"

Amy's smile faded. "And the crack, is that gone too?"

"Yeah, for now. But the explosion that caused it is still happening. Somewhere out there, somewhere in time." The Doctor told them. "Excuse me a minute." The cousins watched as The Doctor walked over to River.

"Did you see her walk off?!" Hermione demanded.
Amy laughed. "Nope, but that's River song I suppose." Amy nudged her cousin. "You okay?"
Hermione sighed. Well that was a loaded question wasn't it? "No." She admitted finally. "But I will be." Hermione only hoped she was right.
"Come on, let's say goodbye to River"

The cousins walked arm in arm toward River and The Doctor.
"Bye River." The cousins said softly.
"See you, Amy, Hermione." River smiled and looked down as the handcuff she was wearing started to beep. "Oh, I think that's my ride."

"Can I trust you. River Song?" The Doctor called back to her.
"If you like." River laughed. "Ha, but where's the fun in that?"
The three of the watched as River was beamed away in a whirl of sand.

"What are you thinking?" Amy asked him, as the three of them walked in the direction of the TARDIS.

"Time can be rewritten." The Doctor smiled.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I need a shower." Hermione said as she walked into the TARDIS. "Ames, show me the way?"
"Sure Mya." Amy smiled.

"Is Hermione okay?" The Doctor asked as Amy sat down on the chair near the console. "Yeah. She's jumped in the shower." Amy replied ignoring the double meaning to his words. "I want to go home."

"Okay." The Doctor nodded sadly.
Amy rolled her eyes and smiled. "No, not like that. I just, I just want to show you something. You're running from River. I'm running too." She confessed.

Hermione jumped out of the shower feeling refreshed. She grabbed a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans from her beaded bag and put them on. Not knowing how the TARDIS would react to her using magic, Hermione placed a towel over her head and made her way back to the control room.

After what felt like years, Hermione walked into the control room to see The Doctor muttering about a date and Amy sat guiltily in the chair.

"Have I missed something?" Hermione raised an eyebrow when she saw her cousin sink even further into the chair the guilt written all over her face.

Just what was going on?