[IC] Magic in the Space Between

[Genkai]

His company was welcomed, though she would have understood if he had work to do or felt like having another night in. Having been outside for a while, she was remembering how nice sunsets could be. On the run with Harry and Ron made her overlook such things. And with the war over, having swallowed its casualties, she needed to get back to enjoying life. It would take time but Hermione knew she couldn't stay in the dark forever. The deaths she had witnessed didn't mean she had to resign herself to her own early grave after all.

"Alright." Hermione responded. "I'll go get ready then." She said and set her tea aside and headed back up to her room.She changed out of her usual clothes and slipped on some jeans and a simple gray long sleeve shirt. She brushed her hair out and tucked her wand in her boot, under her jeans, just in case. She wasn't sure if they would be dining in the muggle world or not but she wanted to take precautions either way. She glanced at the work she had left to and figured it wouldn't be too bad if she went out and enjoyed herself. It had been so long since she had even considered such a thing. Hermione headed back down and pulled on a scarf and waited for Remus.

- - -

It was very interesting. The Doctor looked around and smelled the air. It seemed a little off but it was that typical smell that came along with Earth itself. He leaned over to Rose and smelled her too. Just checking. He listened to the woman talk about the weight and how it was gone every morning. On top of that, there was a noise too? He held back a grin as it didn't seem professional to grin at the notion of a clue. "I see. I see." He nodded and glanced to his blond partner in crime. In his mind, he was already thinking about how something could be making noise at night which also related to weight just falling away so fast. It didn't make sense.

And that excited him. He decided the best way to figure it out, would be to witness it first hand. He was fine with that, even if waiting could be boring. Having time pass as it usually did wasn't the most fun thing in the entire universe. The Doctor folded his arms. "Well thank you." He told her. "You shouldn't worry about anything, it's perfectly normal." He assured her, not wanting to alarm her. "We best be off now, plenty to talk to and all that, come along!" He waved to Rose and headed for the door. "I think we better return later and see this for ourselves." He muttered into her ear. The brown haired alien stepped outside and looked around. What to do until then? Grab some tea perhaps?

[ladyonyx04]

Taking long to get ready was never Remus' thing. He had left that to the two: James and Sirius the 'pretty boys' of the group. He merely choose a different shirt to pull over his head and got muggle money and some Galleons not certain where Hermione wanted to go so got both. As well as his wand in easy access in his left sleeve. Although the war was over he couldn't feel easy without it these days anyway. He went downstairs two minutes later, and found the young clever witch waiting for him and opening the door for her an automatic show of chivalry.
"After you." He says with a small smile.
- - -
Rose thanked Jennifer and went out the house walking when The Doctor suggested that they come back later to see what was going on. She was shocked that he had whispered that so close to her ear not at all expecting that. Though, she didn't really know this universe's him as well, and not to mention he had regenerated so she really should have known there would be a character change. She rose an eyebrow at him as if questioning his patience. She knew that he wasn't that able to sit still for the life of him if there was an adventure to be had. "This I have to see." She said with a smile giggling. If he could be patient enough for the early hours of the morning she would be surprised. In a good way of course.

She saw him looking around as if thinking on what to do to pass the time. "I know of a good place to get a cuppa. An' if you want to ask your questions I'll answer them there." She suggested having gotten this London pretty memorised for she didn't want to get lost. She looked at him getting this him's features in her head. He wouldn't be hard to spot in a crowd with his Oxford get-up and that chin of his. But he was handsome in his own way, as she always thought.

[Genkai]

When Remus showed up not long after her, he pulled open the door. "Thank you." She brightened up a bit as she stepped outside, into the night. She looked around and then over her shoulder to see Remus come out. The building quickly and smoothly hid itself so they didn't have to worry about anyone sneaking in or something. "I wasn't sure where to go." She admitted as they stood on the sidewalk. The streets weren't too crowded but there were still people out and about. While she thought taking a trip into the wizarding world might be fun, she wasn't sure if it was safe. Sure, the war was over, it had been for some time. But still, Hermione felt a little safer in the muggle world. "How about we walk around the area and see watch catches our eyes?" She suggested and began to walk. Looking around, she saw a few pubs and restaurants. Smelling the air, she glanced to Remus. "Something smells good, doesn't it?" She jogged to the corner and saw an American style diner. "Is this okay?" She asked him, stomach suddenly craving a burger and chips.

- - -

He stopped spinning around and looked to Rose when she voiced an idea of where to go for a cuppa. The Doctor smiled, "Excellent!" He said. "Let's go then." He waved at her. The Doctor followed Rose along, making mental notes of how things had changed. The time lord had been up and down, in and out of London throughout many decades. He knew its future and its past but the present was always changing because he was. And of course because time was changing in its wibbly wobbly sort of way, as his past self might say. "So how did you and I first meet?" He couldn't help but let his curiosity get the better of him. Rose seemed comfortable with him so it led him to believe that they had traveled together for a while in the other dimension. How interesting. When they found the place Rose spoke of, he patted his tweed jacket. "You might have to pay. Sorry." He smiled a little.

[ladyonyx04]

"What sor' of date are you? Alright then tea is on me tight wad." Rose teased a fond smile on her lips as she thought on her first meeting with the man in the leather jacket and the accent from the North. "Well, I'm from a different universe, so I didn't meet you exactly. I met another version of you. You wore leather, had big ears, and a bigger temper." Especially when I had those 'pretty boys' after me. She thought the fond smile fading as she continued. "For the first nineteen years o' my life I was just another girl who had dropped out of school for a bloke, and cause of tha' had no A-Levels, and had a guy I was kinda sorta dating. I worked at a store, Henrik's. I was told to give the lottery to Jenkins the electrician and went to the basement. There I found plastic mannequins that began to walk on their own. I thought it was some sor' o' prank done by students. But then they started to corner me and would'a killed me if you hadn't taken me by the hand and told me one word. Just one. Run." Rose explained having sat down while explaining her story and had accidentally tugged on her ear once. It was an automatic gesture she had picked up when dating Jonathan

Hearing it like that was a bit bonkers. Then again, it had been her life and she figured he'd understand and believe her. After all, she was willing to bet that his life had been just as bonkers as well.
- - -
Remus walked by Hermione's left as they walked through the muggle town, as they searched for the perfect place to go. He had smiled though when she admitted she had no idea where to go. He was sure that by walking either one of them would find the perfect place. And he was proven right as he took in the smells of the American style diner.
"Is this okay?" She questioned looking at him. He smiles a true one which was hard to get on his lips these days. Usually it was the sad smiles he would give or very small smirks if his pupils had done well.
"This is just fine." He reassures once more opening the door for her and requested a table for two once they walked in. It was a while since he had been to a muggle diner and he gazed around in interest without seeming to gawk.

It didn't take that long to sit them, probably about a few moments and pulled out Hermione's chair. He might be exceeding the gentleman thing but he hadn't had much chance to do so before as Tonks had been a strongly opinionated woman who could: "do things herself thank you very much". He had the thought that so could Hermione, but she seemed to appreciate his acts of generosity and for that he was grateful.

[Genkai]

It was a bit shameful that she still wasn't sure what he liked to eat and drink. They had such little communication between them that Hermione wasn't sure if he even knew what her favorite color was ever since the war had ended. It was violet. For a while it had been pink, then baby blue. During the war all she saw was grey and red, smoke and blood. But now she saw a deep purple and it was somehow comforting to her. She liked violet. The name itself was soft and soothing and made her think of smooth velvet drapes and couches. "Alright, great." The witch replied and walked inside when he held the door open for her. The pair were seated quick enough which amazed Hermione since she had been bracing for a bit of a wait since it was the general time for dinner.

Hermione noticed Lupin looking around, she assumed he hadn't been out in a while. Having grown up in a muggle household, she was used to most things which witches and wizards might not be accustomed to. For a moment she thought of Ron and the look he'd get when she'd show him old things from her childhood like pictures that didn't move or toys that didn't talk back to you due to enchantments. "Thank you." She smiled wide when he pulled her seat out for her. It was very sweet of him. She had been so close to Harry and Ron that neither of them were really courteous around her. They saw her as a friend more than a female friend which she could understand. Sort of. She picked up one of the menus on the table and looked it over.

Her stomach was craving something like a burger and chips. That sounded good. Then again, she wasn't sure if she would want that or something like fried chicken and chips. Hermione looked over and tilted her head towards the ex-professor. "What looks good to you?" She asked him. They could share something if neither of them were confident about being able to eat a portion on their own. As far as drinks went, a milkshake would be a delightful treat. "I think I'll get a chocolate milkshake." It could be a nice reward for the hard work she had done, even if it meant her time turner had to have been put on hold, it was for a good cause after all. "But I'm not sure about what I'll eat..." Her voice trailed off a little as she looked at the menu again, thinking about breakfast now. A good hearty breakfast would be good too.

- - -

The Doctor's lips curved up in a smile at Rose's comment. The girl then proceeded to fill him in on what he was missing, or rather what he had missed out on. From the sounds of it, they had made an interesting team and that he had also regenerated. that's what he could gather anyway. The man sat down with Rose as she continued to talk, she seemed happy when she spoke of their meeting though in his own timeline, he had seen so much death, so many got left behind or left him and some even died. He could remember every name and face of everyone he encountered, good or bad. And it didn't matter if he only met them for five seconds and moved on to save the day, he still remembered them.

Though his adventures were dark and sometimes made for epic storytelling, the Doctor took his life seriously. It was long and twisted, spanning for centuries. He had met some incredible people, everyone of whom was important in some way. Everyone he met changed him and gave him hope for something. He closed his eyes for a moment and remembered his past lives, some of his faces were faded while some were still clear as day as if he was looking into a mirror right in front of him. When he opened his eyes, Rose had stopped speaking and he took the cue to get up and get them something to drink, as well as a snack. "I'll be right back." He told her with a crocked smile and got up, his long limbs moving with him to the counter.

He made a simple order, trying to not be too frivolous with Rose's money. He went to sit back down when someone said they'd bring him the order and check in a couple minutes. The Doctor took his seat across from Rose again and crossed his legs. It was so weird, so puzzling to meet someone who already knew him, or another part of him. And yet there was also a medical mystery afoot. Somehow it felt right. "I haven't had a companion in quite some time, i can only talk to the TARDIS for so long." He commented to Rose. "So how did you come into this timeline?" He asked her, it must have been quite a tricky feat. "Couldn't I save you? Or was this intended?" He wondered, his pale face frowning slightly.

[ladyonyx04]

Remus realized when Hermione began to wonder what she prefered that he had lost touch with one of the few that shared in his thirst of knowledge, not to mention someone he rather did like that he had no idea of how her tastes differed. The comment about wanting a chocolate shake got a small chuckle. That sweet was the best made thing in history to both muggle and wizard kind. Honestly, he wouldn't had made most of his years if chocolate didn't exist. It was soothing and a good remedy for most ailments of wizard kind. That or he was biased.

He looked through the menu biting the inside of his cheek as he considered the choices. Either something had too much to offer or wasn't appetizing in sight. He puzzled over the question of what he wanted much like he would puzzle through a difficult question, which was also rare for the intelligent man. It was then that he really could have used the 'muggle insight' of either Sirius or Lily had. He took a sniff of the food and decided that some chips with chocolate shake would be good.
"I may just be following in what you are getting. I haven't been to somewhere like this for a long time." He informs with a small wry smile.

- - -
"Uh....no. Not really wha' happened." Rose admitted as he asked and her nose scrunched up in thought. "I think my coming here was intentional but I just don't know. One moment I am at Pete's World going my normal walk, the next I'm here. And you were...but weren't around. Yer hand had been chopped off by the Sycorax and Jack had kept it...for whatever reason I don't know. But the stars had been going out, and I went through different universe and planet by different universe and planet doing my best to find you. I did once...but you had died. I had to convince Donna Noble to turn left otherwise all the good you did would amount to nothing and be horrible event after horrible event. And then I finally made it to my original universe and there you were at the end of the street talking to Donna, and like some cheesy romance film we ran for the other although the planet had been taken by Daleks." Rose says this part a bit harder for her to go through again. But he deserved to know.

"Then the Dalek shot you. You had healed and the regeneration started but you shot the rest of it to the hand that Jack had kept stopping you from completely regenerating. Which confused the heck out of me. Daleks capture us, Jack gets shot yet gets back to life which is something that I apparently had done, don't even ask I don't remember much but the singing, we meet up with Martha who threatens to use the Hosterhaggen Key because the Daleks needed twenty-six planets and what would happen if it became twenty-five. Then Sarah Jane, Mickey, my mum, and Jack have this star that could blow the Crucible to bits. Donna had been locked inside the TARDIS and it had been sent to the energy source to broil. Then Dravos comes in and traps all of us at one place then the TARDIS the beauty that she is appears and out comes Donna who gets shot by electricity. It starts the DoctorDonna half human half Time Lord up. She saves all the planets and makes the Daleks into her remote controlled ballet dancers. Then a second you comes out and destroys the Daleks as that is what the mad Dalek had predicted and we all rush into the TARDIS and tow the Earth back to its place. Then one by one, you drop all of us off, until once more we are at Pete's World and there are two of you. One in a blue suit. The other in a brown that I had come to associate you in. Then I ask what now and the first you says that the one in blue, Jonathan, had to stay here and needed me. And that Jonathan had the same memories, same thoughts, same everything only that he was human and would live one life with me. If I wanted. And told me something I so wanted to hear." Rose says sighing.

She toys with a lock of her blonde hair. "Course...tha' didn't work out as planned. In Pete's World there is a younger version of Sarah Jane and we both agreed that the relationship thing wasn't working. And we mutually broke up, but Jonathan gave me one last gift. A bigger on the inside bag which I have all my valuables." Rose says with a small smile. "Oh...I do remember hearing a voice before my vision turned gold. 'We need your help' was what I heard." She says when that came to mind. The part before was still a bit cloudy to understand.

[Genkai]

If she didn't get breakfast, she could find a balance somewhere in between that and dinner. The man fell silent and she wasn't sure if he was still looking at the menu or if his mind was elsewhere. While she was a witch, she was not a mind reader. Hermione pursed the menu once again and decided to get fried chicken and chip and maybe that would be enough of a comfort for her stomach. She thought the fried food would warm her up while the milkshake would be able to keep her calm. In a way they balanced each other out. "Alright." She just set the menu down, not sure if he should copy her. In her mind, it might be more suitable for him to get something different so they could share, but it was just dinner so she dropped the matter.

When a waitress came by to take their order, she gave her chocolate milkshake order and her chips and chicken and then asked to double the order since Remus hadn't given any other indication that he wanted something else to drink. The waitress wrote it down and left them alone since the diner was beginning to get a bit more busy. "It seems we got here at a good time." She commented cheerfully. She looked around and saw that most of the people were muggles but she didn't mind since she grew up with them. It made her curious about how Lupin grew up. She could only read so much about someone and sometimes it was better to ask and create dialogue. "What was your childhood like?" She asked him and then realized it may have sounded as if she was a therapist. "Sorry...I was thinking about my life growing up and I wondered what yours was like." She tried to explain.

- - -

As the blond woman began to babble about and explain to the best of her ability what had happened, he found it easy to follow along but names like Jack and Donna didn't mean anything to him, which saddened him. He was the Doctor and met so many people but he knew he couldn't feel bad for not knowing another timeline's version of companions and friends and enemies. She continued to talk about a very expansive plan created by Davros. Now that name did stand out to the floppy haired alien. He sat back and glanced off for a moment. It sounded like Rose had been through a lot and came out of it as a much stronger woman. That was a relief at least. He had come across so many companions who had died or had their lives turned upside down.

Of course his intentions were usually good but there were times when he couldn't stop suffering or was the cause of said suffering. It seemed like she had some unanswered questions but her life was otherwise, good. Which was good. Their items were brought over before the Doctor could say anything. He smiled in gratitude and looked back to Rose. "Thank you filling me in." He told her. "It was a very cool story, I must say." The difference was that her story was real, where some were fictional. But in his experience, most were real, even those to believed to be myth or fiction. "And the mystery we've got on our hands...very cool too." He smiled to her as he began to take a drink of his tea. Mmm.

[ladyonyx04]

Rose smiles at The Doctor glad she had told him everything she could while leaving out the fact that her Doctor had been a PTSD survivor of the worst War ever. "Hearing it out loud I could publish a book." Rose says amused. With how he was fascinated by 'cool' things she wondered about what exactly he liked in this body. How he liked his tea, to what his favorite food was. And she was curious to know if he still loved bananas. She took her tea and drank some after cooling it down a bit smiling. It might not be the kind she could make at home but it was still good.
- - -
Remus smiles at Hermione. "Well it wasn't easy but it was...alright for the first eight years of my life. He hadn't been much of an issue but was starting to get infamous. I got my particular...illness at around eight and had hiding it to an art when I got the letter to go to school. I didn't expect to make any friends. I was and am a whole lot like yourself. Studious, and into anything I can read. That was before James came into the compartment as everywhere else hadn't enough room positively bouncing. I could almost tell then that he would be trouble." Remus says with a fond smile not minding at all the question. "My parents taught me manners but when I got the illness they were the first people to drive into my head how frightening I can be and how monsterous I am." He says but he knew that despite that he had gotten true friends and that he was cared for.

[Genkai]

Hermione had surprised herself by forgetting about Lupin's condition. She didn't think forgetting was a bad thing per say, since she just viewed him as a normal person like anyone else. But she was still interested to know more about him as long as she wasn't prying or anything. He began to talk about how he grew up like her and how he loved to read and how James came into his life. She thought about Ron, he was trouble too. Harry wasn't as much trouble, even though some outsiders might think otherwise. She was sorry to hear that his parents scared him but his condition was a serious one. In her mind, things had turned out okay, he was still pretty successful and happy. Sort of. “I think all things considered...you’re very accomplished and your parents would be very proud of you, at who you’ve become and helped along the way.” Hermione said carefully.

- - -

“A book?” He repeated. The Doctor wasn’t sure if any of his previous companions had ever written a book but it would be pretty interesting. Though he also wasn’t sure if he liked the idea. It could be a very cool book but at the same time, something about the idea didn’t sit well with the man. He took another drink from his tea, watching Rose. Hearing about what happened had been quite an earful but he was a lot happier to know a bit more backstory with everything that had taken place. Still, it was just a story to him, since he hadn’t been there to experience it all with her, even if he had been in another dimension. The Doctor grabbed a small cherry sort of pastry and popped it in his mouth. “Mmm, very good.” He sand and slid the other one toward her. "Try one." He said. "Unless...you're allergic?" He asked her, a bit curious.

[ladyonyx04]

Remus was surprised at Hermione's theory and smiles a true one and the very first since the war to stretch across his face and warm his eyes. "Thank you. That was very kind of you to say." He says grateful for her saying that. He'd like to think so, and also liked to think that they'd be happily surprised at how well he got on even with that werewolf part of himself. He had seen her react to his life's story. It was as if she didn't really care or worry about that side of himself he kept from others. And it was the only time since Sirius came back that he truly from others felt like it really didn't matter.
- - -
Rose laughs shaking her head. "I tried many things on many different places and times. Haven't reacted badly to much anything." She says amused taking the tart and trying it automatically licking her hand free of the sugar. He was right it was really good. She had only been kidding about writing about her adventures. Having needed to keep the secret of time travel from her mum and being a Torchwood operative taught secrecy. So she would never do so unless there were a few factors. But seeing that this man did in fact live here, that ruled all of them out...unless he didn't want her to come around with him.