The next morning, the Saturday sun rose bright and early, the days growing longer as spring arrived. The Slytherin Common Room remained quiet and empty for much of the morning. A few younger year students played Exploding Snap in one corner, and several fourth-year students were gathered together working on a particularly onerous group project for History of Magic. The older Slytherin students, though, were nowhere to be seen, remaining in their rooms for much of the day as the recovered from the previous night's events.

Katherine came down the stairs around noon, looking a little groggier than usual but otherwise in good spirits. She carried a few books with her, intending to get a bit of studying done while awaiting Riddle's arrival. She also held a tightly rolled piece of parchment, bound with a thin black velvet ribbon. She called for a house elf to bring her some tea, and settled in to read, carefully placing the parchment across the table to avoid any chance of spilling tea on it.

A few minutes later, she heard someone coming down the stairs, and looked up to see Adeline descending from the girls' dormitory. Katherine eagerly waved her over to her table.

Adeline looked around nervously, but after realizing the common room was empty aside from some younger students, walked up to Katherine's table.

"Any word from Abraxas?" asked Katherine. "Riddle made it pretty clear that I couldn't stay to help him last night, but I want to make sure he's okay."

Adeline bit her lip nervously. "I haven't seen him. Riddle talked to us for a bit after the main meeting last night, and afterwards we all went straight back to our rooms."

"Do you know if he left the Room of Requirement?" asked Katherine.

Adeline nodded. "He left sometime while we were talking. Riddle didn't make any move to stop him, I guess he was satisfied that he'd made his point." She paused for a moment, hesitating. "I'm pretty freaked out, Kat. I'd heard the boys talking about Riddle's goals before, but I would never have thought he could be so cruel. It seems like such an overreaction for messing up a potion in class!"

Katherine sighed. "I know. Although I don't think that's what it was about, actually. Just an excuse Riddle used to punish him for something he didn't deserve."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute, as they both thought about the events of the night before.

Adeline was the first to break it. "Honestly, I don't know if I want to be a part of this. I definitely think that Mudbloods are gaining too much power in our society, something needs to be done to protect Pureblood traditions. But I don't think I can handle being a part of whatever Riddle's planning. It all just seemed so…ugly."

Katherine frowned. "Addie, do you really think you have a choice? Riddle's not going to let you walk away, you know too much already."

Adeline's eyes widened, as she realized the truth of what Katherine said. "Maybe I could leave Hogwarts," she said, her voice quavering.

"Your parents would disown you if you dropped out. And anyways, Riddle could find you if he wanted to," said Katherine. "Revolution is always ugly, Addie. Someone needs to be willing to make a mess, so that change can be made."

Addie still looked unsure.

Katherine watched her for a moment, then continued. "Listen, last night was horrible. But most meetings aren't like that. As long as you keep your head down and do what Riddle says, you'll be fine."

Adeline nodded, but still looked concerned. "I guess I don't have a choice."

"It's not all bad, Addie," said Katherine. "This is a chance to be a part of something great, you know. Riddle's going places. We're lucky he's chosen to include us."

"I doubt Abraxas is feeling very lucky this morning," responded Adeline, sourly.

"You might be surprised," Katherine replied. "Abraxas knows Riddle as well as anyone, and he knows what he's gotten himself into. I wouldn't be surprised if he sees last night as a price he's willing to pay to be a part of Riddle's plans."

Adeline seemed doubtful. "Maybe. Anyways, I'm going to lie low this weekend while I think things over."

Katherine stood and gave her a quick hug. "Okay. You know where to find me if you need a friend. I've got your back."

Adeline smiled, tightening the embrace, and then waved goodbye as she left the Common Room.

Katherine returned to her book but was soon interrupted again. Thaddeus Lestrange was trudging down the stairs. She waved him over, and he scowled at her, but acquiesced despite his evident displeasure, walking over to her table.

Katherine wasted no time. "Listen, I know we've had our differences in the past Lestrange, so I won't pretend to be friendly with you. I just want to know how Abraxas is doing."

He shrugged. "He's still breathing. Not having a great morning, obviously."

Katherine nodded. "Riddle's going to expect him at the Slug Club meeting tonight. Will he be able to come?"

"Not my problem," said Thaddeus. He turned and started towards the door of the Common Room.

Katherine stood and called after him. "Oh, my mistake, I thought you were friends."

Thaddeus turned. "We are, but I'm not going to stick my own neck out after what Riddle did last night."

"Typical cowardly response," replied Katherine, rolling her eyes. "Let me re-phrase. I need you to make sure Abraxas is recovered enough to attend the meeting tonight, because if he's not, people will ask questions, and Riddle won't like that."

"Yeah, and I'm not going to let myself be a target when Riddle gets pissed again," said Thaddeus.

Katherine smirked. "I told Riddle I'd meet him this morning. If you don't go help Abraxas, I'll be sure to make clear to him that I had to miss our very important meeting because you refused to pull your weight for the team."

Thaddeus scoffed. "It didn't seem like you were in Riddle's good books last night. In fact, he seemed pretty pissed at you. So I don't think he's going to listen to you."

Katherine smiled. "Oh, I don't know about that. It sure felt like I was in his good books last night." She pulled her hair to one side, exposing her neck, which was covered in scattered bite marks and hickeys.

Thaddeus scowled. "Okay, so he wants to fuck you. Doesn't mean he cares what you think."

Katherine narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "You really want to risk that? Do the safe thing; go make yourself useful, Thaddeus."

He exhaled heavily, trying to contain his anger. He glared at her for a moment, but then turned and went back up the stairs to help Abraxas recover from being tortured the night before.

As he reached the top, he passed Riddle coming in the other direction. Riddle looked appraisingly between Thaddeus and Katherine. He descended the stairs and settled himself in the armchair across from her. "Playing politics already? It's barely noon."

"One must take advantage of opportunities as they arise," said Katherine with a smirk, before taking a sip of her tea. "Anyways, you scared people last night. Who knows how long it will be until someone else ventures out of their room."

Riddle shrugged casually. "They need to know I'm not playing idle games. I intend to see my plans through to fruition, whatever it takes."

"A certain degree of fear can certainly be useful," replied Katherine. "But it was the first meeting for the girls, and I worry it was too much of a shock. You've got Adeline thinking about leaving Hogwarts."

Riddle narrowed his eyes. "That would be a problem. She knows too much, and the Greengrass fortune is too valuable to let go."

Katherine waved a hand dismissively. "I think I've convinced her that's not an option. I'll keep working on it. But maybe tone things down for the next little while?"

Riddle smirked, his eyes glancing suggestively over her body. "You want me to tone things down?"

Katherine leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Don't you dare," she said. "Not with me, anyways."

"Good," said Riddle simply. "Is that the letter?" he asked, gesturing towards the rolled parchment sitting on the table.

Katherine nodded, and Riddle picked it up, unfurling it to reveal a letter written in an elegant cursive handwriting. It was written in Bulgarian, but Katherine reached across the table with her wand, tapping on the parchment, and the letters began to curl and shift, arranging themselves into an English translation.

"My dear Katarina,

I received your letter some weeks ago, but only recently decided to reply. I apologize for the delay, but I was kept quite busy trying, fruitlessly, to convince myself to despise you. I reminded myself of how you betrayed me, leaving me to fend for myself when Grindelwald fell, without so much as a warning. But instead I found myself thinking fondly back upon our time together at Durmstrang. Try as I might to focus on your flaws, I couldn't help but remember all the reasons I adore you. I thought about the way your eyes are alight with joy when you master a new spell, the way you can make me laugh on the darkest of nights, and the way your confidence makes any foolhardy plan seem like a brilliant one. You are cruel and cold-hearted, Katarina, but I suppose I've always known that, and so it is in part my fault for allowing your betrayal to surprise me.

In short, know that you still have my friendship and my loyalty. I will follow you to Riddle's side, but make no mistake – I am following you, not him, just as I have followed you since we were children.

Nicolai Farkas is the leader of most of the werewolves in Central and Eastern Europe. He has agreed to meet on the summer solstice, if that is agreeable to you and whatever associates you would have present. The meeting can occur at my family's summer home in Verona – my parents will be away on their travels in Algeria at the time. I trust you remember how to get there.

Yours, as always,

Leo"

When Riddle had finished reading the letter, he rolled the parchment back up and set it on the table. He said nothing for a few moments, twirling his quill in his fingers as he sat in thought. He then set the quill down and looked up to meet Katherine's steady gaze.

"This is the boy who you started the duelling club with at Durmstrang?" he asked, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

"Yes," she answered.

"The same one who introduced you to Grindelwald?" Riddle asked.

"Yes," she said again, cautiously, unsure of Riddle's intent.

He nodded slowly. "He's in love with you," said Riddle, watching closely for her response.

There was no hint of a question in his tone, and so Katherine didn't bother to argue, but merely held Riddle's gaze, waiting for him to continue.

"Are his feelings returned?" said Riddle. He was trying to keep his voice light and casual, but the tension in his shoulders belied his discontent.

Katherine shook her head. "Leo has loved me for almost as long as I can remember. I care for him as a friend, certainly, but I've never returned his affections beyond that."

Riddle's shoulders relaxed, and his characteristic smirk returned to his face. "He must not be a very good friend, if you abandoned him to fend for himself at Grindelwald's party when the aurors arrived."

Katherine smiled, relieved that Riddle has apparently accepted her answer. "I had intended to warn him," she said ruefully, "But I was caught up in conversation with a very charming new acquaintance."

"Oh?" asked Riddle, one eyebrow quirking upwards. "Should I be jealous of this mysterious person who you found so entrancing?"

"Probably," Katherine said with a playful grin. "I found him so captivating, in fact, that I uprooted my entire life to follow him to another country after just one meeting."

"Frankly, that sounds ill-advised," said Riddle, leaning back in his chair.

Katherine shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. It seems to be working out alright for me so far."

There was a brief pause in the conversation as Riddle looked at Katherine appraisingly, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly. "That was very well done, Katarina."

Her brows knit together in confusion. "I'm always willing to accept a compliment, but I'll admit, in this particular instance, I've no clue what you're talking about."

Riddle narrowed his eyes. "Don't pretend to be less intelligent that you are, Katarina. It's not becoming."

Katherine bit her lower lip, looking confused.

Riddle sighed. "I'm referring to the manner in which you redirected our conversation just now. In a matter of seconds, you managed to switch the topic of conversation from my concerns about your relationship with Leo, to complimenting me to soothe my ego and assure me of your loyalty."

A slow smile crept onto Katherine's face. "Fine, you caught me. So, did it work?"

"Consider my concerns assuaged for the time being," he said lightly, before shifting to a more business-like manner. "You should write your friend back. Tell him we'll attend his meeting on the summer solstice, as he suggested."

Katherine scoffed. "Hold up, Riddle. Have you forgotten your end of the deal? I'm not writing Leo back until you give me what I want in return."

Riddle scowled. "Are you still on about that? What, you want me to take you out on a date?"

Katherine shot him a withering look. "What I want is for you to acknowledge our relationship publicly. I want to be seen as your partner."

Riddle sighed, irritated. "I already asked you to the Yule Ball."

Katherine smiled. "A good start. But not nearly enough."

Riddle shook his head. "I need more time to decide."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "You've had weeks, Riddle. What are you waiting for, an omen sent by God himself?"

"Patience, Katerina," he said with a smirk. "I'll let you know by tomorrow. There's just one more thing I need to determine before then."

"And that is?" she prompted, leaning towards him over the table.

"None of your business," he replied, standing up from his armchair and moving to stand over her. He reached out with his hand to brush the hair away from her neck. Katherine held her breath, barely moving.

Riddle's fingers brushed the outline of a bite mark he'd left on her neck the night before. "Beautiful," he murmured, leaning down towards her ear. She shivered out of some combination of apprehension and excitement, goosebumps rising on her skin, as Riddle turned to stride out of the Common Room.

"Riddle," she called after him, having composed herself. "Am I to be your date to the Slug Club again this evening?"

He rolled his eyes, barely pausing to glance at her as he continued walking. "Fine," he called back, begrudgingly. "Meet me here at eight."

Katherine didn't see Riddle again until the Slug Club meeting that evening. She'd spent most of her day catching up on schoolwork in the library, and when she returned to the Common Room, it remained unusually empty, aside from some younger year students. It appeared the elder Slytherin students were taking a day to themselves to recuperate from the tense events of the evening prior.

Katherine had decided to wear an elegant set of dress robes in a shimmery lilac material decorated with silver embroidery. She chose it in part because it came with a matching shawl that she could drape across her chest and shoulders, reducing the number of bruises and bite marks that she needed to disguise using charms. After pinning up her hair in a few loose twists, as was the fashion lately, she descended the stairs to meet Riddle in the Common Room.

He was there waiting for her, impeccably dressed as usual in a set of simple black dress robes with silver clasps. He wordlessly extended his arm to her, and she took it, allowing him to lead her out of the Common Room.

They walked through the dungeons towards Professor Slughorn's office, chatting about classes and homework assignments of no particular importance. Katherine was in the midst of describing a particularly laughable error made by a Hufflepuff student in their last Herbology class, when Riddle suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly into a passageway branching off of the main hallway.

He grabbed her roughly by the hips and forced her backwards until she was pressed against the stone wall. He ran his hands up her side slowly, tracing her curves. Katherine exhaled in a breathy sigh and brought her hands up to rest around his neck, pulling him closer. Riddle looked into her eyes hungrily for a moment, then kissed her with a fervent intensity. He pulled her towards him, so that her waist was pressed firmly against him.

He pulled his lips away from hers, and Katherine inhaled a shaky breath. His hand came up to rest at the back of her head. Suddenly, he twisted his fingers through her hair, pulling downwards so that her head tilted back. He brought his mouth to her exposed neck and exhaled for a slow moment, his warm breath tingling against her skin.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked, her voice breathy.

He pulled his head back to meet her gaze. "Because we have somewhere to be," he said, his fingers still tangled in her hair.

Katherine pouted and pushed him off of her. "Great. Now I'm going to be thinking about that kiss all night."

Riddle smirked. "Well, at least you'll have something to occupy your mind during boring conversations."

Katherine rolled her eyes and adjusted her hair, before stepping out into the main hallway. "You're incorrigible. And I do mean that as a compliment."

Riddle followed her, taking her arm as they walked the rest of the way to Slughorn's office. When they arrived, most of the other guests were already there. Charles Avery spotted them from across the room and waved them over to where the other Slytherin invitees were already gathered. Victoria Carrow sat next to Charles, while Abraxas sat across from them, next to Eleonora Burke. Upon seeing Abraxas, Riddle gave him an approving nod, before heading off to get mugs of pumpkin juice for himself and Katherine.

Katherine sat down in an unoccupied chair next to Abraxas and leaned in to speak to him. "You okay?"

Abraxas nodded. "Thank you for prodding Thaddeus to come help me. I wouldn't have recovered in time to be here otherwise."

Katherine shrugged. "Of course. I knew Riddle would want to see you here."

Abraxas leaned back in his chair. "He likes his supporters to be resilient."

Riddle returned with the drinks a moment later. Katherine thanked him and took hers, then raised it aloft. "To resilience!" she said cheerily, clinking her glass against Abraxas' with a wink.

Riddle gave her a knowing look, and opened his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted by a horrible screeching sound. The three of them turned their heads to identify the source of the sound and found themselves looking at a Ravenclaw student with mousy brown hair. She had spilled her pumpkin juice on her robes and was now throwing a fit. "Typical Myrtle! It's no wonder no one likes me," she cried, "I bet no one would even miss me if I died!"

With that, she ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face.

There was a moment of hushed silence, before students around the room began to speak again, undoubtedly about the scene they had all just witnessed. "That was…entertaining," said Katherine, a twinge of a smile playing at her lips.

"That's Myrtle," said Abraxas, rolling his eyes. "She's basically insufferable in every sense, but is apparently very good at charms, so Sluggy invited her."

Riddle grimaced. "Apparently, proficiency at charms does not make one charming."

Nearby, Julian Fawley, the Ravenclaw prefect had arrived and asked Eleonora to dance. Subsequently, Victoria dragged Charles out to the dance floor, whining that it was his duty as her fiancé.

Katherine watched them go, a pensive look on her face. "You know, Riddle, it's great that you involved them in your meetings…"

Riddle sighed. "I'm sensing another demand coming my way."

Katherine smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "It's not a demand, just a suggestion," she said. "The girls are only going to be helpful if you train them to be helpful."

Riddle raised an eyebrow. "So what are you suggesting, my dear Katarina?"

"That you let me train them to duel," she said eagerly.

Riddle scoffed, leaning back in his armchair. "I'm not going to let you train your own guerilla army."

Katherine scowled. "Oh, come on, Riddle, I –"

He cut her off, raising a hand. "Can you not stop pestering me for one night?"

Abraxas chuckled. "Pretty girls are used to getting what they want, Riddle. A girl as pretty as Katherine isn't going to give up easily."

Katherine shot him a withering glare. "Pretty girls only get what they want if they want the things pretty girls are supposed to want."

"Relax, Kat," said Abraxas lightly, "All I'm saying is that pretty girls have a certain power over men, and sometimes use it to get their way."

"Oh, is that all you're saying? Well, that's fine then," said Katherine, in a tone dripping with venom.

Abraxas and Riddle were both staring at her, unable to find the words to respond to her outburst.

"Idiots, both of you," said Katherine, rolling her eyes. "Being pretty doesn't give you any real power. It's just provides you with a means of leveraging someone else's power, and that only lasts as long as you hold their favour. When that favour fades, you can find yourself feeling extremely powerless, extremely fast."

"It sounds like you speak with the wisdom of experience," said Riddle, speaking softly, as if to a wild animal.

"I do," said Katherine, fiercely. "And I've seen enough women suffer at the whims of men to believe that we should know how to protect ourselves."

"Alright," said Riddle, throwing his hands up. "Train the girls to duel. If you can make them as fearsome as you, it will truly be a sight to behold."

Katherine's countenance instantly brightened upon realizing that she'd gotten what she wanted. "Excellent. I'm going to start with Victoria Carrow and Eleonora Burke."

Abraxas snorted. "Okay, now I'm the one who's surprised. Don't you hate Victoria?"

"It's not personal," said Katherine. "We've had our disagreements, but she undoubtedly has the best spellwork and the most ambition of the group."

"And Eleonora?" prompted Abraxas. "She did macerate my leg with a kitchen spell last night."

Katherine gave him a pointed look. "Exactly. Any witch who can do that with a cooking spell, is a witch I want on my side." She paused. "Not to mention, Riddle seemed quite smitten with her at the meeting."

Riddle smirked. "I appreciate talent."

"I'll take that as having your approval," said Katherine, with a self-satisfied look. "Now, shall we dance?"

Riddle stood up but gave her an apologetic look. "Unfortunately, I need to have a private conversation with Slughorn. Perhaps later." He took her hand and bent down, brushing his lips against her knuckles, before setting off to find Slughorn.

Katherine sighed. "He's an incredible wizard, but a terribly unreliable dance partner."

Abraxas smiled. "Well, you're in luck, because I'm a terrible wizard, but a highly reliable dance partner. May I have this dance, Miss Markova?"

She stood and dropped into a deep curtsey. "It would be my honor, sir," she said, taking his hand.

In the back room of Slughorn's offices, Riddle was leaning over Slughorn's shoulder, looking eagerly at a book that the professor had pulled out of a thick leather envelope. The noise of the party outside was leaking in through the door, but Riddle had ensured they would not be overheard by placing several silencing charms non-verbally upon his arrival.

"Now, Tom," said Professor Slughorn, his voice hushed, "I really shouldn't be sharing this with you. This book has some very dangerous, dark aspects of magic described in it."

Tom nodded solemnly. "I understand, Professor, I do. It's just…I want to be able to combat dark magic, and to do that, I must understand it."

Professor Slughorn sighed. "I still think you'd find great success in politics, my boy, but if it's a career as an Auror you're after, you'll make a fine one."

Riddle smiled, running his fingers along the spine of the book. It was a black leather-bound tome, with gold letters spelling out "Magick Moste Evile".

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat nervously. "Make sure that book doesn't leave your hands, Tom. And I'd, uh, appreciate if you didn't tell anyone that I was the one who gave it to you."

"Of course, Professor," said Riddle, still gazing at the book. "This will stay between us."

Back in his room that evening, Riddle eagerly removed the book from his robes and began flipping through it. He rapidly arrived at the section he was looking for, and found only a brief entry, a few phrases long.

"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction -"

Riddle slammed the book shut. "Damn it," he cursed.

Riddle had been searching for months for any books that might contain information on how to make a Horcrux, with no avail. This book had been his last hope of finding written instructions on how to conduct the ritual. With his last lead exhausted, he was left with only one choice. He'd have to seek the aid of the only living person to have successfully created a Horcrux: Katerina Markova.

AN: Thanks so much for reading. I make no promises about when I'll update next, but I do plan on finishing this story eventually. I appreciate all reviews!