Okay, I wouldn't blame you if you had plans to set the basilisk on me... Oh my god, when was the last time I updated? Almost two months ago? Oh well... I survived the last exam period of this school year and now I finally have time to write again. Yay!

As I wrote this chapter, I kept deleting and editing a lot more than usual and I guess that's because this chapter sees the reunion of Riddle and Katherine after almost 50 years and I think I just wanted it to be perfect... I don't know if I succeeded though.

A huge thank you goes out to all my reviewers from last time, which are ChocolateBeth, thaliagrace16 and LUCY! Hope you (and everyone else who readys this) enjoy this update!

Lots of love

watercave

Chapter 6

A lot of lies and a little bit of truth

Katherine could almost hear the thousand questions swirling around all Death Eater's minds as she simply turned to Bellatrix, who had collapsed into a chair and was obviously trying to comprehend what was going on. When she saw the brunette casually coming her way, a look of pure horror appeared on her face. As Katherine stepped closer, all the other Death Eaters standing near her backed off and only a few seconds later Katherine was standing right in front of the woman who had tortured and insulted her. Regard this as your punishment!

With a smile as fake as a three pound note the vampire pulled a small dagger out of Bellatrix's robes and handed the weapon to her, looking deep into her eyes. Then the brunette started compelling the only female Death eater. "Take this dagger and stab yourself."

Voldemort was still in slight shock because of the appearance of Katherine, but his eyes seemed to gleam with glee. That's the Katherine I know!, he thought proudly and felt like he was back in 1949, when she had been his Dark Lady.

Meanwhile, Bellatrix had stabbed herself with the dagger, blood dripping down from the wound on her thigh. Her lips were pressed down hard to conceal the cry of pain that she didn't want anybody to hear.

Katherine had raised her own wrist to her mouth and cut open a vein with her sharp fangs. Then she carelessly pressed it against Bellatrix' mouth, who drank the acid liquid reluctantly. "Good girl, drink up!", the vampire mused, as if she was talking to a pet. The moment she withdrew her wrist from Bellatrix' lips, the Death Eater's wound started to heal rapidly. A sly smirk appeared on Katherine's face.

Then she caught the woman's gaze with her brown eyes. "You won't stop until I tell you to. Understood?" As a response Bellatrix shot the brunette a hateful glare and stabbed herself for the second time, this time a low moan of agony could be heard.

A satisfied look on her attractive features Katherine walked a few steps away from the chair the Death Eater was sitting on and made her way towards where the Dark Lord stood, following her every move with his dark eyes. Halfway there, the vampire turned on her heel and once again addressed Bellatrix in a casual tone. "Oh, and if you get bored: switch legs!"

Then she turned her full attention to Lord Voldemort, whose expression was now composed, cold and distant again. "Merlin, somehow I had hoped for a little bit… well, nicer welcome. But here I am, getting only silence." Katherine twisted a strand of brown hair around her finger. Voldemort didn't answer, he was again staring out of the window and Katherine was slowly getting frustrated. "Oh, come on Riddle! Or should I call you Lord?" She took one step in vampire speed towards him and planted herself right in front of him. He kinda looks like a snake…

"Open your mouth!", she demanded. Now Voldemort's eyes came to life as they moved away from whatever he had been looking at to Katherine and he frowned. "What the hell?" After that, the most beautiful sound came to his ears: Katherine's laugh. "I was just going to check if your tongue had been cut out, but now that you've decided to talk to me, this won't be necessary anymore." Her voice was full of joy as she shot him one of her cunning smiles, as she made her way to one of the black leather armchairs by the cold fireplace. While she took a seat Voldemort addressed his followers – he had found his cold voice again. "Leave! And no one is to enter this room until you are told to!"

Within a split second all baffled looking Death Eaters complied with their master's wish and soon the Dark Lord and the vampire were all alone. He still stood by the window but eventually decided to join her by the fireplace. Slowly he sat himself in the chair opposite her, his hands gripping the arm rest tightly. There was a moment of total silence before Voldemort eventually asked: "How is it possible that you are still alive?" Katherine shot him one of her looks, which made him still shiver even after almost 50 years. "You can only stake an ordinary vampire, Tom. But not an Original vampire." She hiked both her thumbs at herself and winked. "Which I am."

Voldemort shot her a questioning glance. "Which means…", he trailed off. "Which means", Katherine picked up his sentence. "That you can't kill me. There is no way to kill an Original." She interpreted the look of shock and surprise on his face the wrong way because she shot him one of her fake smiles as she said sweetly – but with a cold edge to it: "Yeah, I know. You can't get rid of me. Sorry to disappoint." Katherine elegantly got up from her chair and casually strode towards a desk where bottles of whiskey and some glasses were on display. She poured herself a glass and offered Voldemort one too, which he declined.

"Well, seems like you are stuck with me for all eternity… You and me both, sweetheart!" The 'sweetheart' had been a bad idea, because a few moments later she was being pushed against the solid wall of the room, the Dark Lord's face only inches away from hers, pure rage written all over his features. Katherine wasn't frightened at all; in fact, she looked quite bemused. "Feeling better?" She raised one eyebrow at him. And so quick that Voldemort only saw a blur of colors, she freed herself from his grip and switched positions – now she was the one pinning him against the wall. "If you want me to treat you like your pathetic little minion before, all you had to do was ask!" Then she lifted him up and swirled him through the air, aiming and throwing him back into his armchair. A shocked and angry look on his face, the Dark Lord pulled out his wand in lightning speed but Katherine didn't even move an inch.

Instead a seductive smile appeared on her face, which painfully reminded him of their history together. Memories started to surface. Memories of Katherine ripping out the heart of one of his early followers in Hogwarts, her tormenting him over and over again and always getting out of the situation without so much as a scratch. He knew that one must not make the mistake to underestimate her. Especially since she seemed to be even more powerful than a normal vampire. As if she had read his thoughts Katherine said: "Do we really have to do this again? We both know that I could rip you to shreds and do my nails at the same time."

The brunette tossed her long curls over one shoulder and looked at him nonchalantly. "But on a more serious note: it's a shame it took you 13 years to regain a, well… more or less human body…" Voldemort looked at her with that piercing glare of his, which could make every so strong person bend to his will – but it didn't have any effect on Katherine whatsoever. "You know about how I was reborn?" He sounded a little surprised. "Maybe. Maybe not.", Katherine teased him and laughed a little before her face was serious again. "But it wouldn't have taken you that long if you hadn't staked me in Albania all those years ago…" She didn't have to look at him to know that she had his full attention. With a small smile on her lips, the vampire strolled over to the floor-length window, looking out into the night. "You would be surprised at what vampire blood – let alone the blood of an Original – can do…" Lie number one.

The Dark Lord slowly followed her to where she stood as he thought about what she had just said. Then he realized something. "Katherine?" The brunette vampire turned around upon hearing the slightly suspicious tone in his voice, fearing that her plan - everything – would be revealed in an instant. Voldemort kept an ice cold look on his face. "Why were you caught with some random rebels in the forests surrounding Malfoy Manor?" Oh shit!

Thankfully Katherine was always able to hide what was going on in her head, so she simply shrugged. "Well, I like to make an entrance… You of all people should know that after all those years!" A shudder ran down Voldemort's spine. He didn't like the fact that she could still make him feel like that. She still made him weak in that aspect! But yet, hadn't he thought so before he had staked her? And look what happened after that: You were defeated!

The dark wizard flinched inwardly at the thought of the Chosen One, this boy, destroying everything he had achieved. But then a thought crossed his mind. If Katherine had stayed by his side, everything would have been different. She just said so herself that she could have resurrected him in no time. If he had her by his side this time… nothing could go wrong!

Katherine was aware of the fact that he just had had an idea. The years with him had enabled her to read parts of him like a book. The gleam in his eyes was all that gave him away, but that was enough for her. Pretending to not have noticed anything, the vampire carried on in her speech. "I thought about visiting you anyways, you know, since it has been so long…"

At that he suddenly realized something, something he hadn't thought of before. "But if you were alive all those years… Why did you come just now and not earlier?" Thank god Hermione advised me to think up possible answers beforehand, in case he gets suspicious! "Regard my absence as some sort of revenge for not trusting me and – literally – backstabbing me… But I couldn't be mad at you anymore after almost 50 years so yeah… I thought you could use some help regarding the war and everything. You know, just like old times…"

A thin smile appeared on his features, which made her freak out a little bit. Did I get caught? "You are right." He sat himself in his leather armchair once again. "I could really use your help Katherine… My Dark Lady."

At that moment the doors to the room burst open and three quite angry looking Death Eaters came rushing in, pulling a struggling Wormtail behind them. "The other prisoners escaped! They are gone! And we found Wormtail in the empty dungeon, continuously saying 'I set them free. I set them free.'." There was an ice cold and merciless silence after that and Katherine as well as the Death Eaters were only waiting for the volcano that was Lord Voldemort to erupt! And when he finally did, throwing Cruciatus curses at his followers, Katherine was left alone to smirk. After all those time it still astonished her, that she could even compel people without looking at them or speaking to them… That had been exactly what she had done with Wormtail as he had led her from the dungeon to the main hall. To free Harry, Ron and Hermione while she was busy talking to Voldemort… And it had worked!

Yeah, that's it for this chapter... How did you like the meeting of Kat and our favorite villain? ;)

I want to reassure you that you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter as you had to for the last two updates, because chapter 7 is already finished and I am just about to complete chapter 8 as we speak ^^ I will upload them soon...

Since today I decided on the final version of the plot and I made up my mind about the ending, which was still kind of open for me, and I know that I won't be able to let go of the Tom Riddle/Katherine Pierce pairing just yet, I will update 'Volume V - The deleted scenes of The King of Slytherin' after Volume IV is done. Also I want to ask you, if you have an idea for a TomxKat oneshot or a short story. If you do, leave me a message and I will write it just for you :D

Hoping to hear from you all soon

watercave