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Chapter 7

The defeater of death

„Welcome back Tom!" These were the words that greeted Riddle as he woke up twelve hours after his death. With a start he sat up from where he was lying – Katherine must have laid him back into bed after he had died – as he felt this strong burning in his throat. His mind was trying to find out what the cause for this pain could be as Katherine held a glass filled with red liquid under his nose. The sweetest and delicious smell he could imagine reached his nostrils as he grabbed the glass with shivering hands and downed its content at once. Almost immediately the pain subsided and a pleasant warmth ran through his body. Until he felt a new pain in his mouth. Like something sharp was growing there and with a start he realized that it must be his vampire teeth. A look in Katherine's direction confirmed his assumption. He was now a vampire! He had defeated death!

To Katherine's surprise Tom very quickly came to terms with his new abilities and they worked day and night so he could perfect their use.

The days flew by and Katherine and Tom spent the days completely happy with the world and each other. It could have stayed this way forever if it wasn't for a letter to arrive at the Riddle manor addressed to Katherine.

The handwriting on the envelope was unfamiliar to her so she opened it cautiously. As she began reading all blood drained from her face.

Dear Katerina,

Kiril informed me about your betrayal a few months ago and the Inner Circle and I have decided immediately to exclude you from our organization. But now I feel I should write to you and try to make you realize your mistake.

Katerina, I don't know what Voldemort has told or promised to you but I must warn you again! He is a through and through evil person! He won't show mercy to anyone and although it seems that you have his trust – or whatever – at the moment I can tell you it won't be for long!

I beg you to reconsider your change of sides and come back to the Circle!

Vilhelm

"What's wrong?" Riddle's voice made Katherine snap back to attention. He must have seen her worried expression. With a halfhearted smile she tried to hide her surprise. "Oh, it's nothing!" She was just about to stuff the letter into one of her pockets as Tom held out his hand. "Give that letter to me!"

"No!" Katherine almost screamed and jerked away from his hand. Now Riddle's brows were furrowed in question. "Why? What can be so important that you wouldn't show it to me?" With growing fear she noticed the suspicious tone in his voice. A tone she hadn't heard from him in a very long time.

Katherine immediately got up and walked towards the door of the mansion's living room. "I already told you Tom, it is nothing! Believe me!" And with that she walked out of the room and as soon as the door had closed behind her she broke into a run to reach the mansion's tower from which you could watch the stars. Thanks to her vampire abilities she reached the tower in no time and pulled her wand out of her pockets. With a muttered Incendio she set Vilhelm's letter on fire and watched it burn.

He is a through and through evil person! This sentence seemed to glow in the flames and captured her attention. Katherine had the feeling as if these words seemed to burn themselves into her brain as she watched them being eaten up by the yellow flames. As the letter had fully turned into ash Katherine took the grey and black dust into her hands and threw it into the cold night's air. She watched the small particles being carried away in the night but still she had only one sentence on her mind. He is a through and through evil person!

Riddle was also haunted by a sentence someone had said to him a long time ago. She is your one and only weakness! He had refused to believe this at first but after the incident with the letter a few minutes ago the only thing he could think about were Regulus Black's last words. Are you really sure she is on your side?

Suddenly all the mysteries concerning Katherine Pierce came up in his mind. The letter and how she had refused to let him read it, how he had found out that her last name didn't exist back at Hogwarts and how she had danced around the answer. And he recalled seeing something in her eyes everytime he looked at her. Something that signaled that she knew something. Something he did not.

Maybe Black was right…

In July of the same year Tom finally found out in which part of the Albanian forest Rovena Ravenclaw's diadem was hidden. He didn't hesitate and travelled with Katherine once again to Albania. They didn't plan to stay over the night because they now knew which area they had to look in.

Tom and Katherine had decided to split up and look for the diadem in opposite directions. They were now in the forest for hours and no one had found anything.

Suddenly Katherine saw a glittering a few feet above her head. Could that be-? Without thinking twice she climbed the hollow tree to find the Ravenclaw diadem hidden in a knothole. Finally! After she had gotten down she yelled: "Tom, I've found it!"

Thanks to his new vampire speed Riddle was beside her in no less than a second and triumphantly took the silver sparkling tiara in his hands. After he had inspected it for a while he put it in a bag and then he took Katherine's face in his hands to pull her in for a passionate kiss. "Thank you, my dear Katherine." He murmured against her lips and smiled. Katherine was very happy. Just like she was every time when he was around.

Tom stroked her cheek with his thumb and continued in a low voice: "And I am so sorry." Confusion appeared on Katherine's face as she searched his for an answer: "For what?" Now his voice was as cold as steel: "For this!" And with these words he pulled a wooden stake out of nowhere and Katherine was too surprised to do anything, so he drove it through her heart.

The brunette gasped in shock and she felt her body grow weak. With an evil smile on his lips Riddle watched her skin turn grey and as she made her last breath he said: "You won't be my weakness anymore!"

He waited until he was sure that she was dead and then he turned and walked away out of the dark forest of Albania.

One hour later Katherine opened her eyes and gasped for air.


Okay, what did you think of that?

Now you can start guessing what will happen in Volume IV, the last one by the way... :(