Okay! You can stop growing mushrooms in the corner, I've written a new chapter! I am SO SORRY it has taken this long but…. Pre-AP classes and reports and I'm in high school okay? I'm strewn with hormones and things called emotions and laziness and procrastination. I apologize for taking so long to upload, but I hope you like this chapter! Review and remember to go to the poll on my page to vote for pairings. Currently the results are as follows;

Luna/Neville- 35

Harry/Doctor (whut?) 28

Harry/Ginny- 23

Hermione/Ron- 23

Harry/Draco- 20

Hermione/Doctor- 19

Doctor/Master?- 15

Doctor/Snape- 9

So…. vote for your favorite and I'll see about it. Alright, DFTBA, you guys. Blair out.

"Severus, how long...?"

"Not very long, I'm afraid." Snape told him. "I've trapped it in your hand, but it will keep creeping up and eventually kill you."

"At least the ring is destroyed." The Headmaster looked at the seemingly harmless bit of jewelry lying on the desk. "But there are many more."

"Sir, you can't go looking for them." Snape cautioned. "You weren't in good health before, and you certainly aren't now."

"But they must be found, Severus." Dumbledore urged. "I must go!"

"Rest for a few months yet." Snape pleaded. "Then see if you are strong enough."

"Alright." Dumbledore opened his desk drawer and slipped the ring inside, on top of the damaged diary.

-line break-

Severus rubbed his forehead as his students hurried out of the classroom. After two weeks of them, he decided that this batch of first years were probably the most rowdy, if somewhat intelligent. An interesting and annoying combination.

The Doctor popped his head in. "Severus? Can I get an opinion?"

"Certainly, Doctor." Severus gestured to come in. "What is it?"

The Doctor sat on one of the desks. "I'm trying to figure out if juniper could replace alihotsy in the Frightbayer Concoction. There's no alihotsy to be found at a reasonable price anywhere in the town. I looked at various replacements and juniper seems the best candidate. What do you think?"

"I agree, it's tricky finding alihotsy." Severus muttered. "Let me think... I believe that primrose roots would be better. Juniper would make the potion clump. Not too bad, but primrose acts just like alihotsy as long as you chop them into bits."

"Thank you, that would be horrid." The Doctor fiddled with his strange device. "Can't have it clumping. That's a bit of a strange word, don't you think? Clump. Sounds like an insult. You're mother was a clump and so are you! See?" He chuckled to himself. Snape half-smiled. He was fond of this madman.

"Glad I could be of service."

The Doctor winked at him, tapping his device on the desk. He pulled out his wand. "You know, I rather like this wand. It works on wood. My screwdriver doesn't, I really should fix that, but I don't think I'll need to now that I've got this. It really is remarkable, you know. I mean, it's a big universe, everything happens somewhere, and now hear I am, fiddling with a bit of a tree that can cast spells. I love it! Rose would be so excited, she loved Har... um, she... She loved magic." The Doctor almost blurted out that this was a classic novel. That would be a bit not good.

"Rose?" Snape inquired. The Doctor looked up, twisting his lip.

"Rose, my... friend. We traveled, her and I, all over the universe and all through time." He smiled sadly. "She's gone now, long gone. I had new friends, companions, but most of them are gone now, too."

Snape noticed this was one of those subjects that made the Doctor seem as if he was the oldest being alive. "You'll always have friends at Hogwarts, Doctor. I hope you do know that."

The Doctor smiled at him. "Thank you, Severus. Now, I should go before class starts. I've got the seventh years next. Lucky me."

"Goodbye, then." Severus flipped open a textbook as the Doctor made his exit. Perhaps there was some sort of potion to cure the mark of a Horcrux.

-line break-

Hermione stalked past, her nose in the air. She let out a "Hmph!" to Harry's questioning glance and joined the Parvati twins, who gave each other knowing looks and walked with her to the girls' dorm.

Harry stared, bewildered, after them, until the portrait opened up and Ron almost tumbled in, out of breath. "Where'd she go?" He huffed, looking around for, presumably, the brunette.

"She went to her dorm." Harry answered. "What, did you call her a hag? Tell her she talks like a banshee?" He gave Ron a look. "Did you call Hogwarts: A History garbage again?"

Ron shook his head. "I dunno, she's so confusing! I tried to apologize and she just went off on a rant about how I never take anything seriously, then she stormed off. Nearly took my head off with a jinx, too."

"Well, unless you want to brave the giant slide, you can't get to her now." Harry patted him on the back. "Nice try."

Ron groaned and sank down onto one of the couches. "I don't know what to do!"

-line break-

"Where are you going, Neville?"

Neville almost dropped the bag of dragon dung he was carrying. "Oh, Luna. I'm taking this fertilizer to the greenhouses. Would... you like to come?"

The blonde girl was reading a Quibbler outside, but she closed it and stood up, brushing off her skirt. "Of course. That bag looks heavy."

"A little, but I've got it." Neville said, hoisting it higher over his shoulder. Luna smiled, pulling out her wand and casting a hovering charm on the sack.

"Just thought you might like some help." She explained.

Neville was grateful, as the bag had been incredibly heavy, but he just nodded and said "Thanks. So, um, what were you reading about?" She fell into step next to him as they made their way to the greenhouses, her gait almost a skip.

"A very interesting breed of gnome that can have intelligent conversations over tea." She chuckled. "My father discovered it."

"Oh. That's neat." Neville didn't know what to say to that, but luckily Luna asked the next question.

"Why do you need dragon fertilizer? A special plant?" She looked behind them at the giant sack. "There is a lot of it."

"Professor Sprout needs it for the mandrakes." Neville explained. "Some of them are unhappy with the soil we have."

"Ah, I remember the mandrakes." Luna smiled fondly. "Mine was very loud. I named him Chester."

Neville remembered his own experience with mandrakes and grimaced. "My mandrake was also loud, but I didn't hear it for long."

Luna laughed. "You should help Professor Sprout when she's potting them. It'd be a nice refresher. I'm sure you can do it this time."

"I don't know... I don't think that would be a great idea, with my luck." Neville said, thinking of uncomfortable earmuffs and shrieking plants.

"I'll do it, too." Luna offered. "We could pot them together."

"Oh..." Neville looked down at her. "Really?"

"Sure!" She said brightly. "I'd love to help."

Neville grinned. "Alright then. I'll tell you when it's time to plant them. Thanks!"

"Of course, anything for a friend." Luna said in her dreamlike voice, and Neville blushed.

-line break-

"Mr. Potter! A word, if you will." Harry turned around, to see the Doctor waving at him from his classroom door.

"Um, I'll catch up with you guys." He said to Ron and Dean, before going to meet the professor in his classroom.

"Yes, sir?" He asked. The Doctor gestured for him to have a seat.

"I'll write you a note for tardiness to your next class." He said. He leaned against the desk. "Harry, can I call you Harry?"

"I guess, sir."

"Good, now, Harry, I believe you have had a rather unpleasant encounter with Professor Trelawney?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Did she tell you, sir?" Perhaps they had talked.

"So you did." The Doctor nodded to himself. "No, she did not tell me, but she did give me a prophecy that I believe is about you, which you have just confirmed for me. What did she tell you, exactly?"

"Well, there was something about terrible danger," Harry explained, "that could only be stopped with the help of someone who had seen countless battles and fought countless enemies. Is that... you, Doctor?"

The Doctor's face darkened. "I believe so. At least, it sounds like me. The prophecy that Trelawney spoke to me of mentioned a boy I had to find and help, unless a snake took over the world. I think you can guess which snake she means."

"Voldemort." Harry understood. "Why you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"What?" The Doctor looked up, curious.

Harry blinked. "Well, I just wondered why you in particular is supposed to help me. Are you familiar with Voldemort?"

"I've never met him, actually." The Doctor said. "But now I think I see why the TARDIS landed here. It seems there was a reason. And I would say, Harry, I'm supposed to help you because that's what I do." The Doctor sighed. "I try to create peace."

Harry shook his head. "I don't think there can be peace before war, Doctor, not in this case."

"No, I don't think so." The Doctor agreed. "But then, we will have quite a bit of work ahead of us, don't you think?"

"If you can help, sir, I would be very much grateful." Harry said. "I wish I wasn't part of this, but I've been marked, you see."

"Yes, your scar. I've heard the story." The Doctor smiled. "Well, I'll be in touch then. Do your homework."

"Yes, sir." Harry nodded and left.