A/N: And here I give you the second part of the chapter. As well as a special thanks to the super speedy reviewers: x The Life of a Cheez It x and nehimasgift. Thanks and here's the second part of your Friday two chapter update! Hope you likes.

Chapter 17 – Siren Hollow Cliffs

Hermione and Tom broke apart, both short of breath and red in the face from flushing. Hermione inhaled deeply and was about to lay her head on his shoulder when he backed away from her, breaking off all touch. She gazed at him in a puzzled way, but something in his eyes clarified everything for her. There was a sparkling that seemed to say that he wasn't moving away out of disgust, but out of consideration for the both of them.

'Slow, Hermione, slow,' she coached herself mentally as she closed her eyes and bowed her head while adjusting a small, polite smile on her face.

"Shall we go check on Meg?" she suggested.

"Yeah, sure," he replied as he walked past her and into the cave.

She followed only to have the blush in her cheeks deepen when Meg spoke to them.

"Finished, or should I leave the cave?" She looked back and forth between them with a knowing, amused expression before Riddle sat down and began poking around in the ashes of the dead fire. He ignored the two women, becoming engrossed in the patterns he was making with the stick among the black soot.

"So... what is that you're working on now?" Hermione asked shyly as she sat down next to her female companion.

"I thought about the time turner concept combined with a Portkey Charm," Megalise answered triumphantly.

The Gryffindor Head Girl said nothing as she stared at the pocket watch in Meg's lap as she seemingly thought on the topic.

"That just might be possible," Hermione finally spoke up.

"Then we'll work on it tomorrow," Tom suggested. "We really need to get back; it's getting late. It looks as though the sun is going to set in an hour or two, and we don't need the King sending out a search party and finding us here. He'll have my head for not keeping you at the university."

"He's right," Meg agreed as she stood up and stretched. "I'll see you all tomorrow," she bid as she lit a fire; preparing for them to put the boulder back over the cave entrance, and the darkness that would follow that.

"'Bye," Hermione said as she stood and left with Riddle following behind her after a curt nod to Meg.

They exited the cave before Tom replaced the large rock and then they mounted their horses. However, they forgot one important thing. As they rode away, they left the large, circular patch of grass missing, and the dead branch was still sticking up from the ground, making it look as though a tiny tree was beginning to grow there.

"You know, it's strange," Hermione sighed as she stood in the sun room watching the sun set as Tom sat at the piano playing with three of the keys.

"What's strange?" he asked without looking up as he sat up and began to place his fingers in the proper position.

"There's time travel all around, and yet we're having so much trouble with it," she replied.

"What d'you mean?" he inquired as he pushed all his fingers down and caused a loud, awful tone of noise to issue from the piano.

"The sun for instance," she stated as she grimaced at the noise. "We're actually seeing as it was in the past and not as it is in the present."

"You're not making any sense, Hermione," Riddle informed, surprising her once more as he used her first name, though she didn't show it.

"See the sun right now? It takes eight light minutes for its light to reach us. So we're really looking at it as it was eight minutes in the past," she explained.

"You mean we would have to travel eight minutes into the future to see it as it is right now?"

"Yeah," she said with a faint smile.

Tom stood and moved over next to her in front of the large bay windows. They leaned against the piano, side by side, just enjoying the beauty of the sunset and each other's company.

"You know, Granger, you're just full of useless information some times," he joked after a minute.

She gave a soft chuckle before standing up straight and heading for the door, leaving Tom to watch the last of the sunset by himself.

As Hermione walked down the hall, she saw the General and Porthos step into a room and shut the door. 'Wonder what they're up to?' she pondered as she quickened her pace and stood outside the room with her ear to the door. The voices were muffled at first; Hermione was only able to make out the words 'strange', 'circle', and 'out'. Then the General's enraged voice came through loud and clear like the gong of a bell.

"What d'you mean by it, boy?" he bellowed. "She couldn't have been out!"

Hermione's eyes grew wide. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew what this was about. Megalise.

"I told you! There was this weird circle made in the grass in the meadow next to the cave, and there was this dead looking tree sprouting from the center of it. I went into the cave with Connor and Marshall and there she was sitting on a rock poking at a fire with a stick," Porthos snapped. "How much clearer can I make it?"

"I knew she was a witch, but this is troubling. What if she gets free? She knows of a great deal... especially about our plans and such," Mardon growled.

Porthos began to speak, but she could only hear a hum of his voice now. Hermione pushed further against the door, becoming alarmed when it pushed ajar, but neither the General nor the blond soldier in the room with him noticed. Hermione listened hard and found that the opening made it much easier to hear now.

"I think someone has been helping her," the sapphire-eyed boy confided.

"Who?" Mardon spat.

"Aramis D'Artagnan," Porthos replied.

"Nonsense," the General sibilated. "He helped us bring the witch in."

"He's never shown insubordination like he did today though."

"Insubordination? How?" Mardon quizzed.

"See this?" Porthos asked as he showed his neck to the older man. "He did that to defend the Princess. The damn fool knows of our plans! Now he's trying to stop them? I think he's in love with the little brat, and he plans on helping the witch escape to get us in trouble."

"As I said before, we'll just have to take care of him," Mardon stated threateningly. "But first, we'll get rid of that witch... tonight."

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat and knew then and there that she must warn Tom. She turned and ran back for the sun room, catching him just as he was about to leave.

"What is it, Granger?" he asked as he caught her and saw the panic on her face.

"Up to my room. Quickly," Hermione ordered as she grabbed his hand and began dragging him for the room.

Once they were shut inside the four walls of her quarters, she pushed Riddle down into a sitting position on the bed and took a deep breath.

"I hardly think this is the time or place, Granger," he said with a puzzled and slightly worried expression as he looked at the bed.

She shook her head frantically and took a few calming breaths to steady herself before blurting out what she had heard.

"Mardon and Porthos are going to get Meg tonight, and they're after you, too!"

"Wait," Tom said firmly. "What?"

"I overhead them. Porthos told Mardon he thinks that you're helping Meg because of how you stuck up for me today at the library," Hermione explained. "So, now they're going to get rid of Meg tonight and then try and get you."

Tom said nothing as he stared at the floor for a moment in thought. He stood slowly without speaking and headed for the door.

"Where're you going?" Hermione asked urgently.

"To stop them at all costs," he responded simply before walking out into the corridor.

"Wait! I'm coming!"

"No, you're n-"

"Tom. Don't argue. I'm going," she stated with a tone of finality.

"Very well," Riddle sighed in frustration. He knew it was no use arguing because she could either go with him and be somewhat safe or go by herself and bumble things up greatly. 'She'll only land herself in a world of trouble if I don't take her with me. Let's just hope she doesn't get us both in a world of mischief.'

"Let's not just stand around then. C'mon," Hermione urged as she headed down the corridor.

He followed her through the castle to the front door and then outside. She was headed for the carriage, but Tom grabbed her sleeve and shook his head.

"This way," he said as he nodded.

She followed him quickly to the stone stable out back, but when they got inside they found that they had more problems than just going to save Meg. There was only one horse.

"Mardon's got them out being prepared for tonight. Look," Tom directed as he nodded toward the castle where several horses were being led to the front. "Damn him."

"Then we had best hurry," Hermione added as she pulled the remaining horse from its stall.

"Wait. We?" he repeated.

"Yes, I told you I was going, and I need your help, so you're not staying behi-"

"And just how are we getting there? I'm not walking, and I know you won't," he pointed out.

"We have a horse, don't we?"

"But that's one horse for two people," Riddle complained. "And there's not even a saddle for it," he added.

"Are you going to complain or get on?" she asked haughtily as she held the reins and looked at him pointedly.

He grunted and rolled his eyes before huffing and grabbing a stool from the corner of the stable. He climbed up onto the stool and mounted the horse before holding his arm out for Hermione. She grabbed his arm, a bit surprised at how securely he held her own as she stepped up onto the stool to assist him in hoisting her up.

She sat behind him, holding on to his waist as he looked around while trying to figure out how to get out.

"What are you doing?" she asked while trying to look at his expression.

"We can't very well go out the front gate," he replied, clearing her bewilderment.

"Oh, this is stupid; we're wasting time," Hermione huffed as she let go of Tom's waist and fiddled with something behind him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, but she needn't respond as he saw her pointing a wand at herself and him. "Are you mental?" Riddle snapped as he grabbed her arm and made her put the wand down out of sight. "That's why I didn't use magic to help you up here; anyone could see!"

"Who's really watching?" she asked cockily as she wrenched her wrist free and quickly disillusioned them and the horse. "Now let's go."

He snapped the reins and grinned as he felt Hermione grab tight to his waist. He felt like one of those knights that he had seen on the covers of the books laying around the orphanage. The ones that rode in, saved the Princess, and then swept her off to a far away, sunny place where they lived happily ever after. 'Wonder if we'll get anywhere near happily ever after?' Tom pondered. He then mentally slapped himself for such a thought and set his mind to getting out of the castle. They passed the band of horses for Mardon and his men and then moved to the front gate which was unguarded at the moment as the soldiers stood helping saddle the horses. Hermione charmed it open, and she and Riddle rode quickly down into town.

It would seem that it this was their evening for obstacles and troubles as they entered town and found the streets positively crowded.

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered to Tom.

"Your stupid father is having a parade through town... Nice damn day for it," Riddle grouched as he steered the horse into a little walkway.

The horse neighed and people surrounding them looked around curiously for the source of the sound. Tom snapped the reins, and they trotted down the walk before emerging on another street that was completely unoccupied. He snapped the reins again causing the horse to go into a slow gallop, but that still wasn't fast enough for Riddle.

By the time they figured out a way out of town, the first few stars were out. Tom felt a growing anxiety in the pit of his stomach that Mardon and the others had set out already. 'They've got to be advancing on us,' Tom assured himself nervously as he snapped the reins again and felt Hermione tighten her hold on his waist.

They made it to the cave and saw a light coming from inside. The rock was moved over a crack, and Riddle wasted no time in moving it gently. The ground shook as the boulder landed, and they removed the Disillusionment Charm. That's when Hermione noticed something she hadn't earlier that day.

"Oh no!" she muttered.

"What?" he asked as he tried to pull her into the cave.

"We're to blame," she answered as she pointed to the circle of missing grass and the dead tree branch that they had left.

The two exchanged looks and then reality came flashing back to them as they realized that they were wasting time. Meg screamed as she stood up from where she had been laying beside the fire when they came dashing inside; she hadn't been expecting them, or anyone for that matter.

"Meg!" Hermione gasped. "C'mon! Now!"

"What? Why?" Megalise asked frantically.

"Questions later, let's go!" Tom ordered.

"But the stuff," Meg argued in a worried tone as she pointed to the things scattered about the floor of the cave in the back.

"Get it quickly," he instructed through gritted teeth; his patience was thinning. If Mardon found Hermione and him there with Meg, he would surely kill them along with her. And even though witches and wizards could preform a Flame-Freezing Charm, Tom imagined it would be hard to do that if they didn't burn them. 'I can't exactly freeze bullets from a firing brigade,' he thought as he watched the two females throw things into a basket. Then something alarmed him. It was the jingling and rattling of reins as voices sounded outside.

"The cave's open!" someone yelled.

"Check if she's in there," Mardon ordered. "If not, scour the surrounding woods immediately. She can't get far!"

"Move!" Riddle ordered as he dashed toward Hermione, throwing a spell at the flames of the fire to extinguish it as he saw shadows coming into the cave.

He grabbed Hermione's hand and thought hard about the woods not far from the cave. Hermione bellowed as they Disapparated with a loud, echoing crack, leaving Meg behind.

"No!" Hermione screamed.

"Quiet!" Tom commanded as he put a hand to her mouth and watched the cave from their new position in the woods.

He and Hermione were just on the edge of the forest watching Mardon and what had to be Porthos and four other men. Among the group was another, a woman's figure who was struggling as they bound her and sat her up on a horse. Two guards rode on either side of Megalise as they started off, Mardon's booming voice reaching even Hermione and Tom's ears.

"Siren Hollow!" he directed.

"Move quickly and stay low," Riddle instructed as he grabbed Hermione's hand and led her toward the cave. "Now where's the damn horse? Why didn't we remove that charm from him, too?"

"We were in a bit of a hurry," she grumbled as they searched for the horse.

They finally found it around the side of the cave, munching on the tall grass, and still very much disillusioned. Hermione lifted the spell, and they climbed quickly onto the horse while moving as fast as possible to keep up with the General. They took off at a gallop down the dirt road, Mardon's group just in sight in the growing darkness.

"It's getting impossible to see, but still, can they see us?" Hermione asked as she shivered; it was growing cold and being on a horse only made it worse because of the biting breeze.

"There's a wooded area up here that we'll be able to hide well enough in," Tom replied softly as she hunched up against his back to block some of the wind.

Before long they were in the woods, and the sounds that filled it reminded Hermione of the Forbidden Forest, and her walk through it in her first year. There were owls hooting; their big glowing eyes watching them as they passed. Twigs breaking here and there as leaves rustled along the ground and then there was the sound of a stream nearby that made Hermione shiver a bit more as she imagined the cool water within its tiny banks. But as she listened to the stream, she thought it strange that the sound of water was now growing louder. 'Surely that stream isn't that large,' Hermione thought as she looked up and saw that they were emerging from the woods. The sight that met her eyes alarmed her.

There was a grass beaten path off the dirt road and along the path was stone statues of angels, crosses, and some of courageous knights kneeling. The Gryffindor Head Girl bit down on her lip as Riddle slid off the horse and helped her down. They were leading Meg to the cliffs. Hermione moved to rush forward, but Tom held onto her arm.

"Stay put," he said firmly, but quietly as he drew out his wand and began to aim it at Mardon. "He's moving too much... and now he's behind that damn statue."

Hermione too pulled out her wand, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate enough to cast a half decent spell.

They were now binding Meg to a large stake in the ground just at the edge of the cliff.

"They're going to burn her," Hermione whispered in horrified awe.

"No, they're not," Riddle said as he sat up a bit. "They're going to shoot her."

"Stop them!" she commanded with her voice on edge.

Tom aimed and shook his head.

"I need to get closer."

They moved forward, Hermione's heart beating madly one moment and then feeling as though it wasn't beating at all the next. She could hear her breathing; it was rapid, heavy, and uneven as they now hid behind a statue, and Tom took aim. He whispered something Hermione couldn't heard and then she watched as one of the three guards who was going to shoot went flying through the air.

"You horrid witch!" Mardon bellowed as he moved forward.

"Now's your chance," Hermione whispered urgently.

Tom aimed and hit Mardon who flew through the air, landing hard on the rocks. He got up quickly though and stormed off toward Megalise.

"Apparate!" Hermione gasped worriedly.

"She can't," Riddle said. "Mardon has a hold of her and that stake is probably one hell of a thing to Apparate with."

Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, the unthinkable happened. The very thing that Hermione and Tom had come to stop went into motion. Mardon jarred the stake, and it toppled perilously over the cliff. Riddle's breathing stopped, and Hermione jumped up quickly while lunging forward. He grabbed her and held her back by her waist as they watched Mardon himself teetered on the edge before Porthos and two others grabbed him, pulling him back to safety.

"Meg," Hermione spoke in a broken voice.

Tom frowned and pulled her to him. He let her bury her face in his shoulder as her body began to convulse with sobs.

"C'mon. We better get out of here," he whispered as he led her back to the horse.

Once there, he levitated her up onto its back and took the reins, leading the steed back towards the woods. Both of them hung their heads as a defeated feeling blew over them like the chilling wind that was now howling.