A/N: I suppose now would be a good time so say I'm sorry for the extremely long gap in updating and tell you that I've been really busy with things. I won't waste your time in telling you everything, but I will say sorry again and thanks to all reviewers!

Chapter 18 – The King's Antidote

Hermione's head drooped, and she slid to the left on the horse. She was half asleep and very cold. Before she knew it, her body gave a violent shiver, and she slid completely from the horse. Tom, startled but ready, caught her and groaned a bit before falling to his knees. He too was tired and a little cold. His uniform was becoming highly uncomfortable – as usual – and thunder was sounding in the background.

"Hermione," Riddle said with an urgent and tired irritation.

"Hmm?" she mumbled as she turned her head.

She shivered in his arms as the bottom of her dress lay in the small stream they had crossed early. She sat up, cupping some of the cold water in her hands and splashed it on her face. She shivered once more as Tom followed suit.

They definitely were no longer on the forest path and had long ago been passed by Mardon and his men.

"Tom?" she spoke softly. "Can we go back and see if Meg's there... please?"

"Tomorrow, Granger," he replied in a exhausted way before standing up and yawning with a large stretch.

She sighed, feeling her throat close tight. She wanted to retaliate, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. Her throat was a little sore, and her head was beginning to ache from fatigue. 'No. Now. Meg might still be there, and if she is, she's going to need our help now and fast,' she thought to herself. She stood quickly to Apparate, but the quickness of her movements gave her a rushing feeling in her head, and she staggered. Tom reached out and grabbed her to steady her before walking over to a tree and using it to climb up onto the horse.

"C'mon," he directed as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at her. "Wingardium leviosa!" Hermione felt herself begin to lift off the ground, but her feet only floated about four inches above the ground for a second or two before she was once more on her feet. He got an angry look on his face and gripped his wand harder. "Wingardium leviosa!" he cast forcefully. Once more she lifted from the ground and floated toward him. She could tell he was tired by the way she dripped every once in a while as she made her way through the air to him. Hermione finally landed on the horse in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around her as he held the reins.

She yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and drifting to sleep as she felt the movements of the horse start once more.

Hermione rolled over and stretched her neck, not wanting to open her eyes; she was still very tired. Her body was aching, but mostly her neck hurt from having fallen asleep while riding home last night. She grimaced; the pillow she was sleeping on wasn't helping the pain she felt. She pushed on it to try and soften it, but it only groaned. 'Groaned! Wait! Pillows don't groan,' Hermione thought in a panic as she sat bolt upright and looked to her right.

Next to her in the bed was Tom. She gasped, her heart almost stopping as she ripped back the covers to see that she was still fully clothed. She exhaled heavily in relief as she stared down at her dirty dress. She soon found herself smiling as she realized what he must have done. He had to of carried her up to the room, whether by magic or not, put her in bed, removed her shoes, and covered her up.

She looked over at him and bit down on her bottom lip as she felt butterflies form in her stomach. She laid back, propping herself up on her right elbow as she reached over to his face with her left hand. Hermione brushed back a piece of jet black hair from his eyes and felt her hand tremble nervously. She inhaled deeply before laying down with her head on his shoulder. She was about to close her eyes when she sat back up as the thought of being caught like this occurred to her. She and Riddle would be in big trouble if that happened, so she decided to ensure their privacy. She reached up her sleeve to retrieve her wand, but found that it wasn't there. She felt panic set in as she looked around frantically, but she soon spotted it on the nightstand next to the bed.

She picked it up and charmed the door so that it was locked. Laying her head back down, Hermione sighed contentedly before closing her eyes and drifting back to sleep in the early morning light. If only she had looked up, her chocolate eyes would have met ebony ones as they glittered a bit uncertainly before a smile cracked across the pale face those eyes belonged to.

Tom closed his eyes and draped his arm over Hermione before going back to sleep himself.

"Eat my dear," the King said cheerfully as Hermione sat there staring down in a daze at her plate.

Waking up with Riddle this morning had been a comfort, but when she had awoke the second time, it wasn't such a joy. She had dreamed about the night before. About Meg and about the things that Mardon and his son might do to Tom as well as Hermione, herself. When she had awoke after the nightmare, she had fought off the urge to cry; hiding it from Tom who awoke when she sat bolt upright in the bed. They didn't spend much time discussing anything; he knew what her plans for the day were, so they headed off to Siren Hollow Cliffs once more, but had come home three hours later with no trace of their newly lost friend.

Hermione had been sullen and quiet ever since. Her only responses when spoken to were to nod.

"Anastasia? Are you ill, dear?" the King inquired as he laid down his utensils and grabbed her hand.

Hermione nodded as tears welled in her eyes. She stood up and left the table while leaving her plate completely untouched. She moved through the hallways quickly as she heard footsteps behind her. She was in no mood to be stopped and questioned by the King or anyone of his court. She came to a door she knew well. The same one she had come straight to when they had returned earlier that day; the door to the butterfly room. She opened it quickly and was getting ready to dash in and shut the door when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, Granger, wait up," Tom said as he turned her around slightly.

He ushered her in the room and shut the door before she wiped her eyes quickly and turned to him fully. A frown flinched momentarily on his face before he lead her to the butterfly cage and to the center bench. They sat down, and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. She wiped away more tears and sniffled a bit before looking away from his direction.

"I want to go home... now," she muttered in a choked way. "I don't want to be here anymore, Tom."

"Believe me, I know more than anyone how you feel," he sighed as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

There was a pause and then Hermione spoke. Her voice was on the edge of breaking off into tears once more.

"There's not hope of us ever getting home, is there?"

Riddle looked back at her. Her eyes sparkling with tears that threatened to fall fast and many. He leaned back and sighed while looking her straight in the eye after a moment of analyzing the floor.

"I don't know... truly, I don't," he breathed. "I mean, I hope we'll get back. I know we must, but how well things will work is uncertain."

She wanted nothing more than to smack him in the back of the head and tell him that it was all his fault, but a strange reasoning came to mind. 'It wasn't really him. It was his older self, so he wouldn't have really had a say in things. He was trapped in the diary... sort of an innocent bystander.' She laughed inwardly at her thought. 'Him? Innocent?' She looked at him for a moment as though contemplating this. Was he innocent? 'No,' she thought. 'He has already killed people... But can't people change?'

She watched his hand move slowly into the air, pale fingers reaching up and letting a butterfly land gently on his fingertips. He looked to her out of the corner of his eye as she watched the paced, soft flutter of the creamy wings on the tiny creature; they were almost like a heartbeat. He smirked and turned towards her a tad, raising his hand in such a way that the butterfly almost didn't know it was moving.

The wings touched her jaw bone and brushed up her cheek before they took to the air, carrying with them a small, sort of fuzzy dark brown body. The butterfly Tom had been holding became lost among the thousands of others. Just like how Hermione's thoughts became lost in the depths of Riddle's dark, enchanting eyes. 'There is something redeeming about him...'

Hermione ran down the corridor of the second floor of the castle. Her heart was thudding in her chest, and her eyes were streaming with tears. She had just left the second floor study where the King had been laying upon the floor. He was wounded to the stomach and gasping for air as a deadly poison took over his body.

She needed to get out; they were after her too. She could hear them behind her. Their loud, ominous footsteps clopping behind her as they carryied with them the sound of a cruel laughter that was sinister, cold, and panic-inducing. She had heard it many times before.

Rounding the corner, she made to descend the stairs, but found her path came to a startling end. The stairs were no more. There was a gap in the center as though they had been blasted away. She became even more wide-eyed with fear. Without her wand and no way to go but back, she looked around frantically.

Below, just at the foot of the broken stone steps, lay a figure she faintly recognized. A stark military uniform and jet black hair made a groaning noise from the ground. She felt her heart break as she realized who it was.

"Tom!" she screamed as though willing him to rise and be perfectly fine as if this wasn't happening. Instead, a horrid, twisted chortle crept closer to her, bringing with it a pair of icy, pale hands that gripped her upper arms just below her shoulders. Fearing she might see the usual ghastly, glowing red eyes that she had saw when that laughter came near, Hermione shut her eyes as she was whipped forcefully around in a jerking motion.

"I can't have my bride not look at me when I kill her. Open your eyes," the cruel chuckle voiced.

She, realizing that this wasn't the voice that usually accompanied the laughter and vivid red eyes, opened hers as she was told and stared at a face that now held all the horror a parchment white one used to. The face of Porthos smirked manically down at her as she watched soldiers, lead by Mardon, close in around them.

"I shall finally have my kingdom," the blond whispered in a crazed way. "And you... shall finally see death, just as your father and lover did."

"NO!" Hermione screamed as the soldiers drew their swords.

Each soldier, their eyes without an iris or pupil, thrust their weapons at her. She screamed once more and felt her body shake; startled to the core. Her eyes closed tight and then opened suddenly. She looked around the darkened room, a cold sweat drenching her body, and a tingling sensation that remained from her nightmare. She rubbed her arms and sat up in the bed while huddling herself up as she wrapped her arms around her legs and held them to her chest.

"It was just a dream... only a dream," she coached herself as she began to rock.

She looked to the balcony and frowned. She had hoped to see a tall, dark, security figure there, but her hopes were dashed. Yet something in that hope amazed her. She was awed a just how quickly her dreams had went from cottages in the country with Ron and last battles with Harry and the Order where Voldemort lurked around every corner, scary and ready to kill, to a young man named Porthos and his insane general father chasing after her as she searched out the man who would grow up to be the one she had feared from previous dreams and realities. 'Odd,' she mused before sighing heavily and deciding to lay back down. If she was lucky, she would have the dream she had a few nights prior to this one. The dream where a soldier with dark hair, even darker eyes, and pale skin rode up on a black stallion to whisk her away from this castle where she stayed with danger in every stone.

"Princess!"

"Princess!"

"Oh! Do wake up, please?"

Hermione rolled over and blinked sleepily at Mary and Janessa who were shaking her awake. Groaning and rubbing her eyes, the false Princess sat up and grunted before dropping back on the bed. Last night wasn't the most restful night she had ever had, and she was hoping to sleep in today.

"C'mon, sleepy head," Janessa urged. "You must get ready."

"For what?" the Gyrffindor Head Girl grumbled as she pressed a pillow to her face in hopes of making it dark once more.

"To go shopping. What else?" Mary explained.

"Shopping for what?" Hermione continued to question.

"A gown for the ball. It's only two nights away now."

"You're father, the King, just announced it this morning at sun up. He's got messengers out placing notices in town right now," Janessa informed.

"What in the name of sanity is this ball for?" Hermione asked.

"Surely you're joking, dear Princess," the other maid laughed, but the bewildered look on Hermione's face made her stop.

"You truly don't know?" the second lady in waiting muttered as though surprised.

"No, I don't. Should I?"

"Why, your father is throwing a ball for your eighteenth birthday. We overheard him this morning while taking your laundry down," Mary began.

"He said he was only going to take you away to Paris for a week, but that you seemed ill, and he figured a surprise ball would help," Janessa finished.

"Well, it's not much of a surprise now, is it?" Hermione pointed out.

"And what's more," Mary said, ignoring Hermione's comment, "your father, the King, is inviting the young men from the militia!"

"He's hoping you'll find a suitable suitor there," Janessa enlightened Hermione as Mary went off into sighs. "He thinks that will cheer you as well."

"A... suitor?" Hermione almost choked.

"Yes! Just imagine all the handsome young men... and not to mention the princes from other kingdoms!" Mary droned dreamily.

"Oh no," Hermione mumbled as she laid her forehead in her hand and closed her eyes.

"No time to dawdle then," Mary chimed excitedly. "Eat up and get ready to go into town."

"So this is his idea to cheer you up?" Tom asked Hermione as they looked through a dress shop.

He pulled a lacy, ruffly dress off the rack and grimaced before tossing it to the floor.

"Yeah, I know," Hermione sighed as she leaned against a wall. "And what's worse... he wants me to pick a future husband."

Riddle said nothing to this as he burst out laughing.

"What?" she hissed. "Will you quiet down? You'll have those two over here."

"He wants you to find a husband?" Tom snickered.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled. "Right now, let's concentration on getting one of these Merlin awful dresses."

"How about this one?" he asked as he picked up the one he discarded on the floor.

"Put that down before I hex you," she sibilated as she sighed heavily and shook her head.

She was on her way to the door when she spotted a royal blue dress hanging on a shelf in the corner. She narrowed her eyes and got a half smile on her face as Riddle passed her and said something about waiting outside. She ignored him and went straight to the rack, grabbing the dress and smiling even bigger when she saw that it wasn't completely covered with some kind of ruffle, lace, or sequin.

"Find anything yet, Princess?" Mary asked as she came over carrying two dresses.

"Yes, actually," Hermione said as she headed for the clerk.

"Mary and I found some nice ones," Janessa pointed out as she pointed to the two dresses in Mary's arms.

Hermione frowned at the poof-like shoulders and itchy looking under skirt.

"That's okay. I'll just get this one," Hermione muttered.

"Excellent choice," the clerk beamed at her.

"This one just came in," his assistant added as she took the dress from Hermione and left the clerk to get the money.

"Whatever it is, just put it on my father's tab," came a voice from across the shop.

Hermione turned around, and Mary and Janessa sighed dreamily as Porthos made his way over. The way he walked reminded her very much of Draco; cocky and tailed by two large goons.

"Thank you," Hermione said as she let Mary take the dress. "Sorry I haven't any time to stay and chat. I've got to be heading back to the castle for lunch with my father."

"Very well, m'lady," Porthos said as he bowed, grabbing Hermione's hand and kissing it.

Hermione thought seriously about spitting on his head as she tried not to cringe at his lips on her hand. Forcing a smile and nodding, she left the shop quickly, Mary and Janessa in tail, both giggling and staring back at Porthos who smiled and waved.

"What did that stuff shirt want?" Tom snarled as he helped Hermione up into the carriage.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go," she mumbled to him as she stepped into the carriage followed by Mary and Janessa and finally Riddle as well.