In the Room of Requirement, Tom Riddle sat in a black leather armchair, his gaze fixed on Katarina Markova. She stood over him, looking down at him with a mix of excitement and nervousness, about to tell him the secrets she'd been keeping since meeting him. With a deep breath, Katherine sat down in her own armchair, and began her tale.

"Everything began at Durmstrang," she said, and a look of nostalgia came over her.

"Before my arrival there, I was a merely another child of the Wizarding nobility. My life consisted of etiquette training, frivolous social gatherings, and familial obligations.

When I came to Durmstrang, the whole world of magic appeared before me, laid at my feet for the taking. I found that I was talented, perhaps more so than any other witch or wizard in my class. Being skilled at something, it made me ambitious. I felt I could achieve anything, could compete with anyone for any prize and win.

Leo was my closest friend. Rather than feel threatened by a witch with magical prowess, he encouraged me, and challenged me. We were both hungry for knowledge. While other children played games and socialized, he and I spent hours in the library, reading magical texts that were highly advanced for our age. When we exhausted the main section of the library, we moved on to Durmstrang's restricted section, which contains more books on dark magic than any library in the world. We didn't think about the ethics or morality of the things we were reading – we simply viewed it as more knowledge, and ours for the taking.

In our later school years, we started a dueling club in secret. All the older students would attend each week, battling one another for the simple prestige of having won. When my skill advanced well beyond that of any other student, I began dueling two or three students at a time, to continue bettering my skills. I was addicted to progress – I wanted nothing more than to continue learning everything I could about every domain of magic.

Unfortunately, one of the teachers at Durmstrang found out about the duelling club. The school wrote letters home to all of our parents, informing them of our activities, including the practice of dark magic.

When I returned to my family's home that summer, they were furious."

Finally, Katherine paused, looking at Riddle. He was leaning forward in his seat, focused on her tale.

Riddle took advantage of the brief pause to ask a question. "Why would your family care about you performing dark magic? Aren't the Markovas famous for their mastery of the Dark Arts?"

Katherine laughed. "They couldn't have cared less about the dark magic. They were furious that I was duelling at all. They felt that pure-blooded witches should not be seen to perform any combative magic, and should certainly not be duelling with men. They were angry that I had embarrassed my family, and tarnished my reputation."

Riddle scoffed. "How could being a skilled witch bring shame to your family? Power is a virtue above all."

A sad smile graced Katherine's features. "I'm glad you think so, Riddle, but you know nothing of the pressures and constraints imposed by old pureblood families."

Katherine held Riddle's gaze, a fervent intensity in her eyes. "I have so much power, Riddle. I can feel it vibrating in me when I cast spells – this immense energy that fills my whole being. I knew even then that I was more powerful than any of my peers at Durmstrang."

She continued, angrily. "And what did my parents want me to do with my life? Marry a pureblood wizard, because that would bring our family prestige in a way that being a breathtakingly powerful sorceress never could." She paused, looking down. "A housewife. That's what they wanted me to be."

Riddle spoke, his voice full of passionate intensity. "I hope you told them to screw off."

"I did, in a way." Katherine stood, and began pacing. When she next spoke, a nervousness tinged her speech. "I did the thing I knew would disgust them most of all: I began sleeping with a muggle from the village near our estate."

Riddle's features contorted in disgust. He rose from his chair, and neared Katherine, standing with his face mere inches from her own. With a sneer, he spoke. "I did not come here tonight to listen to sordid stories and petty gossip. I had thought you were better than the snotty pureblood tarts I know, but apparently I was mistaken."

He began to turn towards the door, when Katherine's hand shot out to grip his shoulder. When he turned to face Katherine, her eyes were burning with rage.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle, sit down," she said, her voice cold. "Your name doesn't come from a Wizarding family. You grew up in a Muggle orphanage. You do not get to judge me for my involvement with Muggles."

Riddle roughly shrugged her hand off of his shoulder. His hand tightened around his wand, and every inch of his body was shaking with fury.

Katherine took a step back, raising her hands to signal surrender. "I'm not trying to fight you, Riddle. You wanted to know my story, I'm just trying to tell it to you."

Riddle returned to his seat, and gave a stiff nod, indicating for her to continue. He remained wary, and as Katherine continued her story, a faint look of contempt returned to his face.

Katherine remained standing as she continued her tale. "After I'd been seeing the muggle boy for a few weeks, my sister, Veselina, grew suspicious, and followed me into town."

Katherine paused, realizing that she'd never before spoken of her sister to Riddle. "Veselina was two years my younger. My relationship with her was always tense, to say the least. Veselina was the perfect daughter to my parents – completely devoted to upholding pureblood etiquette and hierarchy. As a result, whenever she became aware of any of my activities that did not meet her standards for pureblood behaviour, she would inform our parents."

Riddle interrupted. "Given her past behaviour, didn't you suspect she might try to follow you?"

"Of course," Katherine smirked. "I wanted her to follow me. What's the point of doing something to enrage your family if they never find out?"

Riddle chuckled, and motioned with his hand for her to continue.

"Veselina followed me, and I allowed her to catch me with the muggle boy. As expected, she immediately went home to inform my parents. When I returned shortly after her, my parents were waiting for me," said Katherine, pacing back and forth across the wooden floor of the small room.

She continued, speaking quickly and monotonously, in a failed attempt to hide the emotion in her voice. "They called me a whore, and told me they wished Veselina was their only daughter. They said they wouldn't allow my mistake to disgrace the family, and that they would kill the muggle and ensure no evidence remained of my transgression. And finally, they made it clear that if I continued to behave poorly, there would be consequences. They said they would rather have a dead daughter than one who embarasses the family."

Riddle spoke quietly. "Was that when you killed them?"

Katherine shook her head. "I suppose the pureblood sense of familial obligation had not been completely bred out of me. I returned to Durmstrang, intending to complete my final year of schooling in a manner that would not cause my family to disown me."

Katherine finally returned to her chair, although she remained unsettled, shifting back and forth in the seat. "I ceased all my extra-curricular studies, and aimed for mediocrity in my classes. After a few weeks, Leo confronted me, accusing me of wasting my potential. I told him I felt there was no point in further developing my knowledge when my only worth was in my marriageability. What's the point of learning powerful magic if you have no opportunity to use it, because you're too busy planning social gatherings?"

Katherine smiled, slightly wistfully. "That's when Leo said something that changed everything. He told me that over his summer break, he'd been introduced to a powerful wizard, someone with ambitious plans to change the Wizarding order."

Riddle exhaled softly. "Grindelwald."

"Yes," Katherine nodded. "Grindelwald was looking for talented witches and wizards to join his forces. Leo told me that he didn't care if you were a man, woman, or toad, so long as you were powerful. For me, that was a dream come true. I begged Leo to introduce me to him. Leo was reticent. He wanted to tell me more about Grindelwald's beliefs, to make sure I knew what I was getting into. I told him I didn't care. Grindelwald was looking for powerful witches, and I was looking for someone to appreciate my power."

Riddle nodded, understanding. "When did you meet Grindelwald?"

"In December of that year," answered Katherine. "The few weeks I waited before meeting him were the longest of my life. I felt that everything I'd always wanted was just out of reach. Finally, Leo arranged for me to meet Grindelwald when he and his followers were traveling through Bulgaria."

"As soon as I met Grindelwald, I knew I needed to join him. Rather than ask about my family or make small talk, he asked for a demonstration of my duelling skills," Katherine smiled cheekily. "I think after I disarmed him in our duel, he knew he needed me too."

Riddle inhaled sharply, surprised. "You disarmed Grindelwald in a one-on-one duel?"

"I did," said Katherine, eyes lit up with excitement. "And just think, Riddle – I've never been able to disarm you, which would suggest that you are, in fact, a far more powerful wizard than Grindelwald."

Now it was Riddle's turn to glow with excitement. He sat up straight in his chair, his mind spinning with this new information.

"I hate to interrupt your self-congratulatory reveries, Riddle," said Katherine teasingly. "But my story isn't over."

Riddle laughed, and re-focused his attention on her.

Katherine continued. "After meeting Grindelwald, I dropped everything, and began travelling with him, recruiting more followers. As we spent time together, he learned more about me, including the family I'd left behind when I joined him. I believe he was charmed by me, and a little awed by my powers. But he also saw an opportunity in me, something to take advantage of."

"You see," said Katherine. "Grindelwald wanted to create a horcrux, but he knew it was a highly dangerous act of magic that hadn't been performed successfully in centuries. He wanted someone else to take the risk first, so he set about convincing me to create one.

I wasn't naïve to his intentions, but the idea of creating a horcrux did appeal to my ambition, so I went along with his scheme. Grindelwald had done extensive research on the topic, collecting sources from around the world during his travels. One particular book he found in Albania contained detailed instructions on the creation of horcruxes, including suggestions for making more powerful horcruxes. This book suggested that a powerful magical object could be used to create a more powerful horcrux. It also suggested that the murder of someone known to the person would create a stronger horcrux than the murder of a stranger.

Grindelwald had a large collection of magical artifacts, and he was willing to part with one for me to use to create my horcrux."

Riddle interjected. "The Slytherin locket!"

"Yes, Riddle," said Katherine. "Grindelwald gave me the locket, and the book with instructions on Horcrux creation, and he sent me back to Bulgaria to murder my family."

Katherine paused, reflecting for a moment. "I killed my father first, with a simple killing curse. Veselina began shrieking and crying. My mother begged me to let her live, at any cost, including Veselina's life. She promised that if I killed Veselina, she wouldn't tell anyone about my crimes, and would ensure the whole of the Markova family fortune would come to me."

Riddle scoffed. "An inspiring mother, offering up her daughter's life in exchange for her own."

Katherine shrugged. "It was what I'd come to expect from my family. I killed my mother next, and when her body hit the floor, Veselina stopped screaming. I think she realized then, that there was no chance of her surviving that day. I cast an immobilization curse on her, leaving her completely unable to move. I asked her then, with our parents' bodies lying on the floor beside us, if she regretted focusing on fashion and frivolities instead of the kind of magic that could have saved her life. She didn't answer me, of course, given that she couldn't move, but I must say that her robes did look very becoming, so perhaps she did die satisfied."

Riddle spoke softly. "How did you kill your sister?"

Katherine smiled, but it was a twisted bitter smile that held no impression of happiness. "I set the house on fire, and left her there, unable to move, waiting to burn to death. If only she'd bothered to learn basic defensive magic, she could have removed the curse and survived."

Riddle raised his eyebrows. "I suppose I should have guessed that any murder you committed would be laden with dramatic irony." Riddle paused, waiting for Katherine to continue.

"Go ahead, Riddle," she said. "I know you don't care about my family or my background. Ask the question you want so desperately to ask."

"The horcrux," said Riddle. "Did it work?"

"I believe so," responded Katherine. "When I finished the steps outlined by Grindelwald's book, I felt an excruciating pain, and I passed out. When I awoke, the locket was around my neck, and I felt…different. It's hard to explain, but I felt a sort of clarity, a lack of the messy stew of emotions I'd experienced before. Of course, I still feel emotions, I'm not inhuman. I just…experience them from a distance."

Riddle nodded, but he continued to look somewhat perplexed.

Katherine shrugged. "Of course, the only way to know with any degree of certainty if it worked would be to try to kill me. I knew that Grindelwald would want to test the limits of the horcrux to preserve life, and I didn't particularly feel inclined to be his test subject. I knew if I ran, he would have followed me across the earth. So I wanted him either dead, or locked up in Azkaban."

"Of course," said Riddle, a realization dawning on him. "The night we first met, you told me to leave Grindelwald's party early. You knew the Ministry of Magic was coming to capture him, because you tipped them off."

Katherine smirked. "Very good, Riddle. Although actually, I didn't tip them off myself. I had my old friend Leo tip off the ministry, so that I wouldn't be implicated in Grindelwald's activities, and Leo would remain safe from persecution, given his role in Grindelwald's arrest."

Riddle shot her a crooked smile. "How very generous of you."

Katherine laughed. "Yes, well, Leo didn't think so. He was questioned by the Ministry at length before being found innocent. In the end, he did go free, but I imagine he's not very happy with me."

Riddle's interest was piqued. "Perhaps that's why he's taking so long to respond to your request to facilitate an audience between myself and the werewolf leader he's acquainted with."

Katherine bit her lip. "Well noted, Riddle," she said guiltily. "But I have no doubt Leo will come around eventually."

Riddle was pensive again. "So you tipped off the Ministry to Grindelwald's location via Leo, but how did you know exactly when they would show up?"

Katherine smiled. "I had also cultivated an admirer with friends in the Ministry of Magic's defense department. He let me know on the night of the party that the Ministry planned on mounting their attack imminently. I believe you met him briefly, before his unfortunate demise that evening."

Riddle smirked. "Unfortunate, indeed, but also quite convenient for you, I imagine."

"Quite," Katherine agreed, with a chuckle.

The two paused, sharing a moment of silence while Riddle sat deep in thought, pondering all the information he'd heard that night.

Finally, Riddle stood from his chair, and walked up to Katherine. Offering her a hand, he pulled her up to stand facing him. "Katarina, will you show me how to make a horcrux?"

Katherine smiled, and brought her hands up to hold either side of Riddle's face. She held his gaze intently. "Riddle, I am the only person in the world to have successfully created a horcrux. The last person to do so died several hundred years ago. If knowledge is power, that makes me a very powerful person. I would love to help you create a horcrux, but I have some demands to make first."

Riddle placed his hands over hers, and removed her hands from his face. "What exactly is it that you want?"

Katherine laughed. "I want what I've always wanted, Riddle. Power, glory, opulence – the world on a platter. But I also want someone to share it with. Imagine what we could accomplish – the most powerful witch and wizard in the world, side-by-side, linked by their immortality. It would be like nothing the world has ever seen."

"What are you suggesting?" asked Riddle, tersely.

Katherine spoke firmly. "I want you to partner with me publicly. I want to shape an image of the two of us as inseparable partners, two powerful figures working together to change the world."

Riddle's expression soured. "I'm not willing to share the spoils of my ambition, Katarina, and I never will be. I'll figure out how to create a horcrux on my own."

Katherine shrugged, and sat back down in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I wish you the very best of luck, Riddle. It will certainly be difficult without the book containing the instructions, or someone who's done it before, but perhaps you'll surprise me and succeed. If not, you know where to find me, and you know what I want."

Riddle walked towards the door of the Room of Requirement, but paused before he left.

He looked back at Katherine. "Even if I don't want a partnership with you, it doesn't mean I'm not impressed with everything you've accomplished. Thank you for sharing your story with me."

Riddle turned back around, and opened the door to the hallway beyond.

As he exited the room, Katherine called after him from her armchair. "Don't get all sentimental on me now, Riddle!"

She smiled, shaking her head, and climbed out of the armchair to trail after him, back to the dormitories.


AN: Thank you for everyone who wrote reviews on the last chapter! Definitely motivated me to keep going with this story. I know this was a lot of backstory – hopefully you were all interested to learn about Katarina's past!