A/N I'm getting excited! This is the second to last chapter! Last chapter will be up on Monday, I hope! I'm going to start writing it later today and my muse is excited.

Thanks to Krystle, Jesh, and Beka for helping me flesh out my werewolf headcanon, and the royal family headcanon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Doctor Who.

Episode Spoilers: Tooth and Claw S2E3

Rejected Bonds - Chapter 8, Tooth and Claw

[Tardis]

It was a week after the events on New Earth, and Hermione had managed to avoid the Doctor and Rose by and large. She'd stayed in her room, monitored the progress of the time turner repair, and researched how to make it go forward in time instead of just back. She had some solid theories and ideas, but without magical texts to verify some of her equations and suppositions she couldn't be sure.

The TARDIS had a phenomenal library but was sorely lacking in magical texts. The fairly expansive library she carried in her beaded bag was certainly useful, but unfortunately didn't seem to have the tomes she needed. No matter, she'd be able to find them when she returned to her proper time in a few days time. She had considered asking the Doctor to make a trip to the Library, but decided against it, not wanting to potentially deal with the Vashta Narada again, plus the place held bittersweet memories now. Best to wait.

The TARDIS kindly hummed to her to let her know the Doctor was approaching her room with the intention of speaking to her. She was really going to miss the sentient ship. The ship seemed upset with the Doctor, and the past week she had refused to cooperate fully when he'd picked places to go and things to see. She would most frequently land in the slightly wrong time, just to spite him. He couldn't understand what she was so upset over but hoped that it would clear up and his ship would behave, for the most part, once Hermione left.

A knock on the door had Hermione opening it, staring blankly at the Doctor. He fidgeted and finally asked her to join himself and Rose. "I figured the time turner will be ready soon, and why not have one more adventure with us, just for old time's sake?" he asked slightly sheepishly. Truth was, over the last week he'd realised he did actually have a connection to Hermione. He could feel what he was assuming was a fraction of her pain, and was appalled to think of what the full scope of it must be like. But he was still unconvinced he was her soulmate or vice versa. She was a human, and a Time Lord just couldn't have a human for a soulmate as far as he knew. There really wasn't much about it in the TARDIS library, and if he stopped off on a planet to find out more information Rose would start to wonder and get jealous.

He was aware the blonde got jealous easily, especially of her cousin, and he was trying to keep the peace the best he could. He'd missed having Hermione around the last week, but he couldn't admit that to either girl, for various reasons.

So despite acknowledging there was some kind of a connection between them, he continued to ignore it. He wanted Rose. He'd been in love with her for so long now, since soon after he'd met her really, that he just couldn't fathom not spending the rest of her life together.

"Well, I guess that depends on where we're going," the witch replied to his question.

"I'm aiming for 1979. TARDIS has been acting up to I'm not sure where we'll land, but that's the general time I'm looking for, then see what we find. What do you say?"

She looked at him for so long he thought for sure she was going to say no and close the door in his face, but finally, she nodded slowly. "Alright, one more hurrah. The time turner should be ready to enchant tomorrow."

He swallowed and they agreed to meet in the console room in ten minutes.

Hermione summoned a long dress with sleeves from the Wardrobe Room, wanting to be prepared for any number of different weather possibilities, and met the others in the console room. Rose walked in at the same time from her rooms dressed in denim mini-dungarees.

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" Rose asked the Doctor.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this." He put a CD into the player and a punk song started playing, causing Rose and Hermione to both laugh at him.

Soon the TARDIS had landed and the trio headed towards the doors. "1979. Hell of a year. China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Urgh. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb," he rambled as they stepped out. "And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to-" the sound of rifles being cocked distracted him, "my thumb." He looked at the Redcoats that surrounded them and raised his hands, the girls following suit. "1879. Same difference."

The officer on a horse demanded, "You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl," referring to Rose's short skirt.

The Doctor quickly switched to an almost natural Scottish accent, "Are we in Scotland?"

"How can you be ignorant of that?" the officer demanded.

"Oh, I'm, I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this, this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya timorous beastie?"

Rose nodded. "Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot."

He looked at her pityingly and shook his head. "No, don't do that."

"Hoots mon."

"No, really don't. Really." He was embarrassed for her.

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" the officer questioned.

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may." He took his psychic paper out of a pocket and held it up for the soldiers and officer to see. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."

A posh voice with an upper-class English accent came from a nearby carriage and asked for the group to approach. The officer, Reynolds, advised against it, but the voice insisted.

Reynolds straightened on his horse. "You will approach the carriage, and show all due deference."

Hermione knew from history classes who to expect in the carriage if they really were in 1879, but the Doctor turned to Rose. "Rose, might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith."

Rose's eyes widened and she gave a slight curtsy, "Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies for being so naked."

Queen Victoria merely raised an eyebrow. "I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." He handed it over immediately and she read it. "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector, along with your assistant, a Miss Granger. You are she I presume?" she asked of Hermione.

The Doctor was surprised. "Does it? Yes, it does. Good. Good. Then let me ask - why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"

"A tree on the line."

"An accident?" he asked doubtfully.

"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned."

"An assassination attempt?"

Rose was shocked. "What, seriously? There's people out to kill you?" Hermione wanted to cringe at her cousin's use of language, but refrained and kept a passive face.

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun," the Queen replied.

Officer Reynolds interrupted as politely as possible. "Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow."

Victoria addressed her officer, "This Doctor, his assistant, and his timorous beastie will come with us."

"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving - it's almost nightfall."

"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"

The trio walked a bit behind the carriage with the soldiers and Rose and the Doctor were chatting quietly. "It's funny, though, because you say assassination and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her," Rose commented.

"1879? She's had, oh, six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else. We just met Queen Victoria!" the Doctor exclaimed excitedly.

"I know!"

"What a laugh!"

Rose was excited. "I want her to say we are not amused. I bet you five quid I can make her say it."

"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of a traveller in time."

"Ten quid?"

"Done."

Hermione just rolled her eyes at them and kept wondering what the Queen had meant by wolves and why it was so important for them to be inside before nightfall. They surely couldn't have meant werewolves?

A few hours later they had reached the courtyard of a fairly sizable country estate. Hermione noted that the sign above the entranceway said Torchwood, and wondered if there was a connection the organisation Jack worked for in the future. With a jolt, she remembered that Jack had been stuck in 1869 when his vortex manipulator burnt out and wondered where he was and what he was currently doing in this time period. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man coming forward to greet the Queen.

"Your Majesty."

"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?"

"She's indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on."

"Oh, not at all. I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is charming, if rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girl."

Rose apologised once more for her lack of proper dress, and the Doctor elaborated on his tale a bit. "She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It's was her or the Elephant Man, so-"

Rose glared at him but cut him off. "Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?" she asked, addressing Victoria.

The Queen barely even twitched an eyebrow. "It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?"

"So close," Rose whispered to the Doctor.

As her Majesty went inside, Reynolds was instructing two of his soldiers to take a box inside.

"So what's in there, then?" the Doctor inquired.

Reynolds stiffened. "Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir. The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions."

As they all went inside Hermione reflected on the odd looking servants of Sir Robert, and the man's own reluctance to allow them to stay the night. She decided it would be best to stay on her guard. Something didn't feel right.

[Observatory]

The Doctor and cousins followed Victoria on a brief tour of the house, which ended in an observatory. The Queen was impressed. "This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour," she said, gesturing to a truly massive bronze telescope.

Sir Robert elaborated to the group, "All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself."

Both the Doctor and Hermione were in awe of the beautiful workmanship and ingenuity. "I wish I'd met him. I like him. That thing's beautiful. Can I?" he inquired, gesturing towards the eyepiece.

"Help yourself."

"What did he model it on?"

"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories."

After looking through the eyepiece and fiddling with the adjustments a bit, the Doctor stood up, frowning. "It's a bit rubbish. How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's kind of stupid," he paused and looked to Rose, "Am I being rude again?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yep."

The Doctor shrugged. "But it's pretty. It's very pretty."

Queen Victoria was still admiring the telescope in whole. "And the imagination of it should be applauded."

Rose saw an opportunity. "Mmm. Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful? You could easily not be amused, or something? No?"

The Queen merely looked at Rose rather blankly. "This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."

The Doctor smiled at that. "Stars and magic. I like him more and more."

Hermione was smiling too. She'd quite enjoyed Astronomy class even if she hadn't continued it after O. , and of course she was partial to magic.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe-Coburg. When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."

"So, what's this wolf, then?" the Doctor asked, insatiably curious.

"It's just a story," Robert tried to deflect.

"Then tell it."

"It's said that-" but he was interrupted by a bald, strange looking servant.

"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark."

"Of course. Yes, of course," Robert conceded.

Victoria stood even straighter. "And then supper. And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."

"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose tried once more, putting emphasis into her words. Hermione rolled her eyes and even the Doctor cringed a bit at the attempt.

"Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf. After all, there is a full moon tonight."

"So there is, Ma'am."

Hermione got a chill at the news of the full moon. This was going to be an interesting dinner, she was sure.

[Dining room]

The Doctor, Hermione, Reynolds, Robert, and Queen Victoria were all assembled in the dining room when the strange servant, Angelo, apologised for Rose's absence, citing clothing difficulties.

After a bit of witty banter, the Queen finally told Robert, "Come. Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters."

"The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and devoured."

Officer Reynolds scoffed, "Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves. Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that."

Robert protested, "But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead."

Hermione and the Doctor were both very interested at this point, for slightly different reasons. The Doctor asked, "Are there descriptions of the creature?"

"Oh, yes, Doctor. Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal."

"A werewolf?" he asked, somewhat sceptically.

Hermione managed to hide her gasp. She'd done extensive research on werewolves. Doing the math quickly in her head, the tales would have begun around 1579 or earlier, according to Roberts, which eerily coincided with the first recordings of werewolves in the magical world.

Roberts continued, "My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose. I should have listened. His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations."

Victoria postulated, "Perhaps they thought his work ungodly."

Robert agreed, "That's what I thought. But now I wonder. What if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet? What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?"

The Doctor noticed that Hermione had gone pale and was staring at Angelo who was chanting in front of a window. When he finally heard the words of the chant, "lupus deus est" he went a bit pale as well. "And what if they were with us right now?"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife."

The Doctor's eyes went wide and he leapt from his chair in a panic. "Rose! Where's Rose? Where is she? Sir Robert, come on!"

Hermione paused long enough in the room to hear what Angelo claim they wanted, the crown. She bit her lip in worry as she raced to catch up to the Doctor who was flying down the stairs towards the cellar.

The Doctor and Robert had just managed to kick in the door to the cellar when she caught up to them, and she heard Rose shout at the Doctor, "Where the hell have you been?"

Soon they were all in the gun room and the Doctor had locked the door to the cellar with his sonic screwdriver, and Hermione had locked it with magic to give them more time. He used his screwdriver to release the shackles from all of the previous captives while guns were being handed out to all of the men.

The Doctor was racking his brain, trying to think of what kind of creature they were facing. "It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths. Did it say what it wanted?"

Rose piped up, "The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it."

Hermione nodded and said that's what she'd overheard in the dining room right after the Doctor had raced away.

There was a loud crash as the wooden door finally gave way, and the Doctor went into the hallway to investigate. Seeing the werewolf at the other end he ran back in, grabbed Rose, and dragged her out of the way as the men all fired upon the beast.

The Doctor stepped forward once more as the smoke cleared. "All right, you men. We should retreat upstairs. Come with me."

The steward of the house scoffed, however, "I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!"

"And I'm telling you, sir, I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." The steward stepped into the corridor and looked back at them, "It must have crawled away to die."

However, that was the moment he was hoisted up to the ceiling and the sounds of snarling, screams, and ripping flesh filled the room.

The Doctor ushered everyone out and up the stairs as quickly as possible. He was hunting for a way for them to escape the house but announced his discovery to the group when they ran across the Queen on the staircase, "The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut. Pardon me, Your Majesty. You'll have to leg it out of a window."

As they piled into a nearby drawing room Robert stepped forward. "Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress."

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh."

The Doctor was getting impatient and reverted back to his previous London accent from his faux Scottish lilt, "Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?"

As Robert opened a window the monks outside opened fire and he quickly scrambled back.

Victoria was outraged, "Do they know who I am?"

Rose spoke up then, "Yeah, that's why they want you. The wolf's lined you up for a, a biting."

"Stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf." But the Queen was disturbed to hear a haunting howl echo throughout the house.

Rose turned to the Doctor, "What do we do?"

"We run."

"Is that it?"

"You got any silver bullets?"

"Not on me, no," the blonde shook her head.

"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog. Good for the health. Come on!"

They headed up the staircase as quickly as possible for such a large group, but the sound of the werewolf smashing its way out of obstacles and following them made him urge them to go faster.

They were in the corridor outside the library when Rose shoved into Hermione, knocking her down while the rest of the group hurried into the room and shut the doors. Hermione was left sitting in a daze from the knock to the back of her head connecting with the wall behind her. I'd bet anything that was on purpose!

Livid at her cousin, and seeing the werewolf rounding the corner she thought fast. She could hear the door being barricaded and knew they wouldn't have time to move the furniture and get her inside, so she twisted sharply and appeared in the library with a loud crack, startling the occupants.

Inside the room she spotted her cousin and stalked over to her, hair sparking in her fury. "You vicious little blonde harpy!" In a flash, she had Rose pinned the wall, wand at her throat and fire in her eyes. The Doctor panicked, not having seen what happened because he'd been barricading a second entry into the room with Robert but he threw himself between the girls and shoved Hermione backwards. "Oh sure, take up for her, again. She's only tried to kill me twice now, but I suppose that would make you happy, wouldn't it Doctor?" she snapped at him viciously to hide the recoil of pain in her chest. More of the bond had snapped when he'd defended her cousin.

"Now hold on a minute there, Hermione! I'm sure it was just an accident. Rose would never try to hurt you." He couldn't see Rose smirking behind him, but he felt a sharp tug in his chest when Hermione stepped back further, lowering her wand and shaking her head.

"No, I get it. Let's just try and sort this out and then I'm gone. I'm done with you, Doctor."

He felt like he'd been stabbed with ice, but dismissed it, checking on Rose who suddenly had a fearful and teary-eyed expression. She really had feared for her life for a moment when Hermione had confronted her, but she was elated when the Doctor defended her.

They heard sounds from outside of the room, snuffling and scratching. Rose was confused, "I don't understand. What's stopping it?"

"Something inside this room. What is it? Why can't it get in?" the Doctor wondered aloud.

"I'll tell you what, though," Rose said, breaking into a smile.

"What?"

"Werewolf!" she laughed.

"I know. You all right?"

"I'm okay, yeah," she assured him.

Sir Robert was attempting to apologise to the Queen, though. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should have sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. I thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?"

The Doctor couldn't resist saying, "Well, they were bald, athletic. Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy."

Rose couldn't help herself either, "I'll tell you what, though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now."

"Do you think this is funny?" Queen Victoria snapped. Hermione silently agreed that they were being childish as she glowered at her cousin from across the room.

"No, Ma'am. I'm sorry," Rose mumbled sheepishly.

"What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?"

The Doctor thought it best to explain. "You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform."

The Queen glared at him. "And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?"

"Oh right, sorry, that's-" But Her Majesty wouldn't let him finish.

"I'll not have it. No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it. This is not my world."

Hermione stepped forward and addressed the Queen as politely as possible. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but you're familiar with the magical world, correct?"

Victoria shrewdly sized up the curly-haired woman in front of her. "Yes, I am. What of it?"

"Well, ma'am, there are werewolves in the magical world as well. The ones I've encountered are a bit different, but they exist, and I'm sure the Ministry gave you a briefing on at least the basics of our world, and if they hadn't mentioned werewolves I'd be very surprised."

"True, but where is your ministry now? Aren't your kind supposed to deal with this sort of thing?"

"You're right, ma'am, and I don't know what's happening here, but I intend to find out."

"Do."

The Doctor was shocked that apparently, the Queen knew of the magical world. He sidled up to Hermione, completely forgetting that she was upset with him to ask about it. She put aside her anger to explain how the Queen had the knowledge she did.

"The Statute of Secrecy was enacted in 1692, and since then the magical world has made a point of only telling heads of state the secret, for diplomacy and collaboration issues mainly. So as reigning Queen she would have been informed soon after her coronation, just like the Prime Minister is when they're elected."

"Oh, well I suppose that makes sense."

"Plus, historically, squibs from high ranking pureblood families were sometimes married into royal lines in order for the purebloods to retain power in both worlds more or less legitimately when the wizarding world went into hiding. So chances are she has family who are either married to or descended from a squib somewhere. I can't recall her entire family tree right now but I know there were several squibs married into the more minor branches of the British royal families."

He nodded in understanding, and once her explanation was over she once again turned her back on him, still angry. As the Doctor went over to Robert to figure out why the wolf wouldn't enter the library, Hermione started looking through the books lining the shelves. It was soon determined that the monks had trained the wolves to at least think they were allergic to mistletoe as a way of controlling them. It was doubtful they were actually sensitive to the substance, but there was a lot to be said for the power of suggestion and generations of training.

The group was soon looking through the books, trying to learn about the creatures. Finally, the Doctor found a book that seemed the have the information they were hunting for. "Something fell to Earth."

"A spaceship?" Rose asked.

Robert shook his head. "A shooting star. It reads, 'In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.' That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the monastery."

Rose looked puzzled. "But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?"

The Doctor pursed his lips as he thought. "Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host."

"But why does it want the throne?" Robert wanted to know.

"That's what it wants. It said so. The Empire of the Wolf," Rose repeated what she'd been told while in the cellar.

The Doctor's eyes went wide. "Imagine it. The Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake."

As the rest of the group discussed the Koh-I-Noor Diamond that Queen Victoria wanted to be protected at all cost, Hermione was reading the passage in the book and doing some quick math in her head. If the Doctor was right, and only a single cell survived the crash, passing from host to host, eventually it may have met a magical host. The first records of werewolves in the magical world begun around the 1600's, which fit the timeline. But why did this werewolf look more or less like an actual wolf, while magical werewolves looked so sickly? Perhaps, she mused, it was a mutation. The parasitic alien organism seemed to be looking for power if it's goal of infecting the Queen was accurate. So maybe if it was satisfied with the inherent power of a magical person it no longer felt the need to take over the whole planet per se but was content with strengthening its power base by infecting more magicals. If so it was a more or less a weakened and mutated version of the original, which would explain why the two wolves appearances were so different. Oh well, it's an interesting theory and I'd like to look into it more when I get back to the Department of Mysteries, she thought to herself. Maybe this will lead to a cure.

She was pulled from her mental musings by the Doctor rambling again. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, and your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head, my head. What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?"

"Obviously," Victoria said imperiously.

"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?"

"Explain yourself, Doctor."

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true, and they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you but for the wolf."

Plaster dust fell upon them from the ceiling causing them to all look up at the domed skylight. What they saw was the werewolf carefully creeping across the glass.

As they quickly ran out of the room, the glass cracked and the wolf crashed through.

"Get to the observatory!" the Doctor shouted.

Moments later the group were running through the doors to the observatory, which the Doctor quickly inspected. "No mistletoe in these doors because your father wanted the wolf to get inside. I just need time. Is there any way of barricading this?"

Robert stood tall, "Just do your work and I'll defend it."

"If we could bind them shut with rope or something. Hermione! Can you magic them shut?"

She nodded but Robert insisted, "I said I'd find you time, Sir. Now get inside."

Nodding at the man's bravery, the Doctor simply told him, "Good man."

They shut the doors and barricaded them with what little moveable furniture was in the room, and Hermione sealed the doors with magic, but it wouldn't hold long against the incredible strength of the creature.

"Your Majesty, the diamond," the Doctor implored, holding out his hand.

"For what purpose?"

"The purpose it was designed for."

After a moment she handed it over and the Doctor went over to the control wheels to start raising the telescope up, having Rose and Hermione help him.

"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose asked, groaning from the strain of pushing the heavy wheel.

"Yes, it is."

"You said this thing doesn't work," Rose reminded the Doctor.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is. It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up."

"It won't work. There's no electricity," Rose complained. Looking out the top of the observatory at the full moon she figured it out finally, making Hermione wish her hands were free to at least elbow her cousin. "Moonlight. But the wolf needs moonlight. It's made by moonlight."

"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on! Come on!"

As the moonlight shone down into the telescope lens, it bounced between the prisms in the chamber, magnifying each time.

The werewolf finally broke down the doors and was lunging for the Queen when the Doctor slid the diamond over to where the light was hitting on the floor. As the light refracted upwards it caught the wolf in its beam, lifting it up. The light managed to purify the wolf back into a young man, who was hanging spread out in mid air. "Make it brighter. Let me go," he pleaded sadly.

The Doctor adjusted the eyepiece a bit, causing the man to turn back into a wolf that gave one last howl before it vanished into nothingness.

Hermione saw Victoria looking at her wrist and approached the Queen. "Your Majesty? Did it bite you?"

"No, it's, it's a cut, that's all."

The witch wasn't convinced, and neither was the Doctor. "If that thing bit you-" he started.

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart. It's nothing," she insisted.

"Let me see."

"It is nothing."

[Drawing room]

Later, in the morning, the Doctor, Rose, and Hermione kneeled before Queen Victoria in the drawing room, where the Queen was armed with a sword.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor of TARDIS. By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. By the power invested by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Hermione of Hogwarts. You may stand."

"Many thanks, Ma'am," the Doctor said with a small smile, honoured.

Rose was in awe. "Thanks. They're never going to believe this back home."

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond. I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave."

She merely nodded slightly. "Indeed. Then you may think on this also. That I am not amused."

"Yes!" Rose whooped, Hermione glaring at her to shut her mouth.

"Not remotely amused. And henceforth I banish you."

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, completely shocked.

"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor, and now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the three of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death, and I will not allow it. You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you will survive this terrible life. Now leave my world, and never return."

[Highlands]

Out on the highlands once more, the trio got off the back of a cart they'd managed to hitch a ride on back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor was still musing about their latest adventure. "No, but the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood. It's historical record. She was a haemophiliac. They used to call it the Royal Disease. But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it. It came from nowhere."

Rose was attempting to keep her hair out of her face and mouth from the wind blowing. "What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?"

"Well, maybe haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism."

"For werewolf?"

"Could be," he shrugged.

Rose stopped and stared at him as Hermione opened the TARDIS doors with a wave of her wand. "Queen Victoria's a werewolf?"

"Could be. And her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip."

"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?"

"Well, maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take a hundred years to mature. Might be ready by, oh, early 21st century?"

Rose burst out laughing. "Nah, that's just ridiculous! Mind you, Princess Anne."

"I'll say no more."

"And if you think about it, they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They could schedule themselves around the moon. We'd never know. And they like hunting!" Rose exclaimed as they joined Hermione inside the TARDIS. "They love blood sports. Oh my, God, they're werewolves!"

Hermione shook her head in disgust at the pair as they howled and set the controls to go back into the vortex. Regardless if werewolves originated as an alien parasite, the people that were infected didn't deserve to be mocked, in her opinion. She would always be a staunch supporter of those who had been discriminated against. Ignoring the laughing duo she returned to her rooms.

A quick spell told her what she wanted to know. The T.A.R.D.I.S-turner was finally repaired! The protective containment spells had condensed once more to repair the cracks and it looked good as new. Now she had only to charm it once more as an unlimited portkey, and then ask the Doctor to take them to anywhere in the future from early August 2005, and then she could use her device to return to when and where she'd started this journey.

She set the time turner back into its stand on the table of her lab and stood back. She had a bad feeling the backlash of casting the spell as the sole caster was going to be harsh, but it's not like she had a choice. There were no other witches or wizards on board, and she wanted to get away from the Doctor as soon as possible. Pushing the torrent of thoughts and emotions away lest she be distracted she closed her eyes and centered herself for a moment.

With complicated wand motions, she focused all of her magic through her wand and chanted in a strong, sure voice, "Portus spatium immoderatus!" She could feel her magic draining quickly, but she pushed harder, sweat beading across her forehead and upper lip. Her hair frizzed out wildly and her limbs began to shake under the strain. Finally, just when she thought she was going to fail, unable to cast the spell alone, the time turner glowed the bright blue of an active portkey. Success! She smiled proudly at her accomplishment before a rushing sound filled her ears and the edges of her vision darkened ominously. Oh bugger, was her last thought as she collapsed in a graceless heap upon the hard floor.

The TARDIS had been monitoring Hermione, of course, and panicked when the girl collapsed. Scans indicated she was unstable and needed attention immediately. Seeing that the Doctor was in the console room, alone and that Rose was off in her own rooms taking a shower, the ship mentally nudged the Doctor to get his attention. When he brushed it off she mentally shoved him so hard he actually swayed and clutched his head. "Blimey! What was that for?" As he sifted through the images his ship was showing him his face drained completely of blood and he ran down corridors as fast as he could, praying Hermione hadn't warded the doors against him, or that if she had the TARDIS could open them anyways.

Finally gaining access to her room, and then her lab next to it, he felt both of his hearts stutter at the sight of the witch sprawled in a heap. Her hair was a wild mess, but more worryingly she was pale as milk, clammy to the touch, and her pulse was weak and thready. He scooped her up, not even noticing the warmth that filled his chest as he did so, and ran with her to the infirmary. Scans indicated her electrolytes were dangerously low and he did what he could to stabilise her. Eventually, her breathing and heart beat regulated to something more akin to normal, and he collapsed into a chair next to the biobed and stroked the hand he was holding unconsciously. As his panic faded he felt his eyes growing heavy and ended up laying his head down on the bed next to his patient. He drifted off to sleep quickly, never letting go of her hand, no one awake to witness the small amount of golden energy Hermione exhaled in her sleep.

It took almost an hour of looking because the TARDIS wasn't cooperating when Rose would ask where the Doctor was, but she finally found him and her cousin in the infirmary. Her blood boiled and she saw red when she saw him holding Hermione's hand, fast asleep, a worried crease between his eyes but a tiny smile upon his lips.