Of Greatness and Grandeur

Chapter 8

AN: Big thank you to mmolinari for reviewing! I greatly appreciate the feedback.

This is a long chapter with lots of action. I hope you all enjoy, and please review!

Katherine arrived at the Transfiguration classroom flanked by Celeste and Adeline, all three girls with matching red lips. On each desk sat an ordinary rock, of the variety you could find in any garden or park. Charles and Victoria already sat at one pair of desks, arguing in hushed tones.

"Hey, Celeste?" Thaddeus appeared next to the group of girls, fiddling with his wand. "I was wondering if you'd like to partner up," he said sheepishly.

"Sure!" Celeste smiled giddily at Katherine, who shot her a knowing look in return. Celeste darted off with Thaddeus to snag one of the remaining back row desks.

Katherine turned to Adeline and gestured with her head towards one of the other pairs of desks. They began to walk in that direction, when a voice called Katherine's name.

Looking up, Katherine spotted Riddle sitting nonchalantly on top of one of the front row desks, his feet on the seat of the chair. He beckoned her over with an imperious wave of two fingers.

"You'd better go see what he wants," said Adeline. "I'll work with Antonin this class."

Katherine sighed and walked to the front of the room. Riddle dropped down to sit on the chair of the desk, and patted the chair next to him condescendingly. "So I can keep an eye on you," he murmured.

Katherine sat, and turned her attention to the front of the room, where an auburn haired wizard in bright purple robes had arrived. He had a long beard and half-moon spectacles, behind which two light blue eyes twinkled at the gathered students.

"Good morning, students! I trust you have slept well and arrive well refreshed for the study of Transfiguration. If not, I can only hope that you are well-caffeinated, at the very least," he said, smiling cheerily. He approached the front row of desks.

"You must be our new student. Miss Morrigan, correct?" he inquired lightly. Katherine nodded, smiling warmly.

The red-haired professor continued. "Alas, now I possess knowledge of your name, and you are left in the dark with regards to mine. This inequity must not be left uncorrected… I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, although I have also been known by less flattering names." He paused. "Though perhaps those are best left untold." His eyes sparkled with humour.

Katherine laughed along with the rest of the class, while Riddle remained straight faced beside her.

A slight frown marred Dumbledore's lighthearted face. "It appears you have already settled into your house," he said, glancing at Riddle with an inscrutable expression.

"Perhaps we ought to mix up our usual partnerships to encourage interhouse relationships. Katherine, you may work with Frederick Marshall. Tom, you may work with Hannah Brightley."

Katherine stood up and turned around to see a boy in Gryffindor robes with medium brown hair, a spattering of freckles, and a polished silver prefect's badge waving her over. She walked over to join him, while his partner, a plump blonde witch with pink cheeks and Gryffindor robes, came forward to join Riddle. With no other students exchanging partners, it seemed clear to Katherine that Dumbledore's intent was to separate her from Riddle. How curious.

"Much better," exclaimed Dumbledore. "Now we may proceed to today's lesson."

"As you are likely aware, transfiguration cannot be used to create living things from inanimate objects. The creation of life is one mystery that remains unsolved, even by means of magic. One may, however, use advanced transfiguration to create once-living things, such as cut flowers, from non-living objects. This morning, you will attempt to transfigure the ordinary rocks on the tables before you into any cut flower of your choice. When you are finished, you may place your creation in this vase. Together, we shall create a unique bouquet!"

He paused to transfigure a nearby pencil into a large crystal vase. "Do not be discouraged if your flowers appear somewhat less flower-like than would be accepted by a florist. This is a difficult act of magic, and will require considerable practice. You may begin!"

The students drew their wands and began work on their transfigurations. Frederick was evidently chatty in nature, as he launched immediately into a story about the hydrangeas in his garden at home, which were apparently infested with bowtruckles. Katherine feigned interest, nodding politely and laughing when it seemed appropriate. Frederick decided to transfigure his rock into a hydrangea, apparently inspired by his tale of pestilence, but only succeeded in making his rock somewhat lumpier.

Riddle was the first to finish, placing a long-stemmed crimson rose in the vase on Dumbledore's desk. The rose was perfect, with red petals gently overlapping one another atop a thorny green stem.

"Well done, Tom," said Dumbledore mildly.

"Thank you, Professor," Riddle replied tightly, seeming to fight the urge to sneer.

Katherine looked over at Thaddeus and Celeste. Thaddeus was looking miserably at a pile of dirt on the desk in front of him, while Celeste was attempting to revive a cluster of extremely wilted and grey forget-me-nots.

Smiling to herself, Katherine quickly cast the cutting charm, Diffindo, on her rock, splitting it into four even pieces. Working quickly, she set about transfiguring each rock into a snow-white, dew-covered gardenia blossom. By the time she was finished, the room was full of the rich sweet scent of the blossoms.

Picking up the four blossoms, Katherine stood up from her desk and walked over to Celeste. "Here," she said. "I thought you might like one of these."

Celeste's mouth popped open, and her eyes shined bright. "Oh, wow! This is so beautiful, Katherine, thank you!"

Katherine then turned to the desk behind her, at which Adeline sat staring at a daisy-shaped rock. "I made one for you, too, Addie," she said, smiling warmly.

She then continued towards the front of the classroom, several pairs of eyes watching her to see who the last extra flower was intended for. Katherine paused at Victoria's desk, on which lay a pink tulip, slightly misshapen but otherwise intact.

"That's beautiful, Victoria," said Katherine, gesturing at the tulip. Victoria sniffed huffily, turning a shoulder away from Katherine.

"I thought you might like one of these," added Katherine, placing the third gardenia blossom on Victoria's desk. "It would look lovely in your dark hair."

Victoria turned back around to face Katherine. Holding eye contact, she moved a hand over the gardenia blossom, and clamped it shut. She then slid her hand off the desk and released her fingers, dropping the crumbled blossom onto the floor.

Katherine paused, looking at Victoria appraisingly. Without saying a word, she walked to the front of the room and placed the final gardenia blossom in the vase before returning to her seat next to Frederick.

After dinner in the Great Hall, Katherine retreated to the library, where she spent several hours working on an essay for charms. She finished just as the librarian, Madam Flint, was calling curfew. Katherine rolled up the parchment, slipped it in her bag, and left the library. She walked slowly back to the Slytherin common room, talking the time alone to ponder the events of the day and the multi-faceted nature of relationships in Slytherin.

Emerging from the stone passageway into the dark common room, Katherine headed immediately for the stairs to the girls' dormitory, intending to catch up on her lost sleep from earlier that morning. As she wound her way among the ornate chairs and desks, a shrill voice called her name.

Looking up, Katherine spotted Victoria sitting in one of the green armchairs. Her black hair blended into the shadows, leaving only her pale skin visible, ghostly in the moonlight.

"Oh, hi Victoria. I didn't see you there," said Katherine. "Do you need something?"

Victoria scowled and stood up from the chair. "I wanted to tell you that I see through your little act. Everyone thinks you're so nice, but I can tell that you're a fake. You don't belong here, " said Victoria, walking slowly towards Katherine.

Katherine breathed deeply, and then exhaled through her teeth in exasperation. "Victoria, I have made every effort to extend a hand of friendship to you. Take it. You do not want me as an enemy."

Victoria crinkled her nose in disgust. "I would never be friends with a w***e like you," she spat.

Victoria continued, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "I don't even believe that you're a pureblood, and yet you walk around here as if you were royalty. Someone needs to show you your place." She drew her wand, aggressively jabbing it in Katherine's direction.

Katherine frowned, disappointment evident on her face. "Last chance, Victoria."

The statement appeared to enrage Victoria further, as she fired a bolt of purple magic at Katherine, who neatly sidestepped the curse. Katherine immediately drew her wand and fired a series of stunning spells at Victoria, who managed to dodge or block several before one of the spells hit target on her left shoulder.

Katherine did not pause, taking advantage of Victoria's temporary incapacitation to disarm her using Expelliarmus. She then cast Everte Statum, throwing Victoria backwards onto an armchair, followed by Incarcerous, causing ropes to appear and tie Victoria firmly to the chair.

The dark haired witch struggled against her bonds, opening her mouth to scream. Quick as a flash, Katherine cast Obstruo, causing a gag to appear in Victoria's mouth. "It's my turn to talk, Victoria," said Katherine, eyes cold and mouth pinched in a firm line.

"You…are becoming…a problem," she continued, punctuating each word with a flurry of red sparks from her wand, which landed on Victoria's skin where they sizzled like bacon in a frying pan.

Shaking her head, Katherine twirled her wand in her hand. "I didn't want to have to do this you know. You chose this. I gave you the option to be my friend; you could be enjoying your red lips and flower right now, like Celeste and Adeline," she said.

"But you just had to be difficult." Katherine flicked her wand, and the ropes binding Victoria to the chair tightened painfully, the rough fibers cutting into Victoria's flesh. Victoria squirmed in discomfort, but could barely move given the tightness of the restraints.

Katherine paced back and forth in front of the chair. "You see, I have something to accomplish here, Victoria, and I can't have you interfering." She stopped in front of Victoria, running her walnut wand along the girl's cheek, leaving a thin cut dripping blood in its path.

"The good news for you is that if you behave yourself, this is as bad as things have to get. The bad news is that if you continue to bother me, I will take away everything you love, including Charles Avery. I will plunge you so far into despair that you will forget the feeling of a smile on your face. Do you understand?"

Victoria nodded vigorously, her head fighting the restraints.

Katherine smiled. "Excellent. I'm going to let you go now, Victoria. Don't think you'll get lucky another time and be more successful. I am the better witch, and I always will be. The best you can hope for now is to avoid displeasing me."

Katherine flicked her wand, non-verbally removing the gag and ropes binding Victoria to the chair. The girl remained frozen in place, pale and battered.

Katherine paused as she walked up the stairs, turning to look over her shoulder. "Sleep well, Victoria. And clean yourself up. You look horrible."

In the early hours of the next morning, when the sun had yet to rise, Katherine awoke with a start as a pair of rough hands jerked her upright in bed.

Although still hazy from sleep, she managed to identify Antonin Dolohov and Thaddeus Lestrange as her assaulters, although the hoods of their robes cast shadows on their features. Katherine opened her mouth, intending to scream, but gave up on alerting other students as Thaddeus cast Silencio.

With immense effort, Katherine swung her left arm in a semi-circle, dislodging Thaddeus' arm from her shoulder and bashing him in the chin in one motion. She rolled sideways to the opposite side of the bed and stood, looking frantically left and right.

"If you're looking for your wand, we grabbed it before waking you," said Antonin, holding Katherine's wand aloft in his left hand, while pointing his own wand at her in his right. Thaddeus stood next to him, rubbing his chin and looking quite disgruntled.

Katherine tugged the hem of her nightgown downwards before crossing her arms. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" she snapped.

"You need to come with us, Katherine. Riddle wants to speak with you," said Antonin. He remained in his position, wand aimed at Katherine, while Thaddeus began to edge slowly around the bed, cornering her.

Katherine scowled, eyes still darting around the room, searching for an escape route. "Tell him he can speak to me at breakfast. I need my beauty sleep."

"Look, Katherine, we don't make the orders, but we have to carry them out," said Thaddeus, hands held out in front of him as though approaching a wild animal. "It would be best for everyone if you came quietly, but if you struggle, we're going to have to use force."

Katherine hissed, forcing air out between her teeth. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice," she conceded. Antonin flinched slightly as Katherine reached across the bed, grabbing her school skirt. She rolled her eyes as she quickly stepped into the skirt, and tied a knot in her nightgown to shorten it to shirt-length. "Lead the way, boys," she said bitterly.

Thaddeus grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her towards the door. He drew his wand from within his robes and pushed it against her ribs, ensuring she couldn't escape. Antonin followed, shutting the door to Katherine's room behind them as they proceeded down the dark hallway, through the common room, and into the dungeon beyond.

They proceeded through the dungeon hallways, their footsteps echoing softly in the eerie quiet of the early morning. Not a word was spoken to break the heavy silence.

Reaching a door, Antonin stepped forward to open it, and proceeded through. Thaddeus shoved Katherine forward, gesturing with his wand that she should enter the classroom. He followed her in, shutting the door behind them.

Riddle sat atop one of the desks, leaning casually against a wall. Upon Katherine's entry, he closed the book he'd been reading and hopped down from the desk, wand in hand. "Ah, Katarina. Please, have a seat."

With a flick of his wand, he sent a chair flying across the room. The chair skidded noisily to a stop next to Katherine, who stepped in front of it and sat lightly upon its edge.

"I must confess, Katarina, I am rather disappointed," he said, strolling slowly towards Katherine's chair. "I'd thought our earlier conversation lead us to a point of mutual understanding. You were going to keep your head down, be an unobtrusive student."

He paused, tilting his head to one side in mock-confusion. "Instead, you duel Victoria Carrow in the middle of the common room. Apparently, you did not understand our agreement."

Riddle swiped his wand in a quick arc, sending the chair flying across the room once more, this time with Katherine in it. It crashed forcibly against the wall, Katherine's head smacking roughly against the stone wall. She fell to the floor of the classroom, breathing heavily, broken pieces of the wooden chair scattered around her.

Katherine let out a vicious snarl, wincing in pain. "I told her to clean herself up. It's not my fault she drew attention to herself with her incompetence," she said, looking at Riddle with eyes burning with fury.

Riddle frowned slightly. "For a girl who does so well in her classes, you seem to have a great deal of difficulty grasping the severity of your situation." He crouched down, using his wand to brush a piece of hair behind her ear. "You should be very frightened, Katarina," he whispered.

Springing back up to standing, Riddle pointed his wand down at Katherine. "Crucio!" he exclaimed, a jet of red light leaving his wand. As the spell hit her body, Katherine let out a guttural scream. Her body convulsed uncontrollably, her head smacking into the stone wall again and again.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Riddle released the curse. Katherine remained on the floor, taking shallow, shuddering breaths. Suddenly, her head snapped up. Staring desperately at Thaddeus, she opened her mouth to speak. "I was the one who encouraged Celeste to give you a chance, you know. You have me to thank for that." She spoke rapidly, her eyes drilling relentlessly into his. "Help me, Thaddeus," she begged.

Thaddeus shuffled his feet, eyes looking down. "I'm sorry, Kat," he muttered.

Riddle roared, turning to face Thaddeus. "Did I tell you to apologize?" he demanded. "Consider where your loyalties lie, Lestrange! Crucio!"

Thaddeus doubled over in agony, managing to stay slumped over against the wall briefly before collapsing down to his knees. By the time Riddle lifted the curse, Thaddeus lay prostrate on the ground, whimpering softly. Antonin stood silently by the door, looking as if he hoped to disappear.

"Leave. Both of you," hissed Riddle, opening the door to the classroom with a wave of his wand. The two Slytherin boys hurried out, Antonin supporting Thaddeus as he struggled to walk. Riddle shut the door behind them immediately, and turned back towards Katherine.

"Victoria was right about one thing," said Riddle, smiling politely. "You really do need to learn your place." He kicked her viciously in the gut, a loud crunch emanating from one of her ribs. Katherine groaned and curled up on the floor, hands clutching at her stomach.

Riddle drew his wand and began swiping it diagonally through the air. Strands of orange light flew from the tip, leaving angry red welts where they fell on Katherine's body. She gasped and flinched as they hit, but did not cry out.

"This is a spell of my own creation, you know," said Riddle conversationally. "It's similar to the one I used on you earlier. Both are curses that prevent any magical healing of the wounds they inflict, although you appear to have disguised your previous injury quite well."

He crouched again, reaching a hand out to touch Katherine's neck. "Right here, wasn't it?" He dug his thumb into the spot where the burn mark remained on her neck, disguised to sight, and she whimpered softly.

"Shhh, shhh," he hushed her, gently stroking her blood-matted hair. "I didn't want to hurt you, darling. You forced me to do this." He smiled angelically at her, every feature of his face seeming sincerely apologetic.

He stood up, maintaining his cherubic faade. Katherine began to tentatively sit up, shakily propping herself up on one elbow. Before she could get any further, Riddle's foot flew towards her in another vicious kick, this one landing directly on her rib cage. She fell to the floor, moaning, and brought her hands to her face, coughing brutally. When she pulled her hands away, they were covered in dark, sticky blood.

When she looked up, Riddle was wiping his shoe with the corner of his sleeve. "Now you've gone and made a mess," he said patronizingly. "Clean yourself up, Katarina. Let's hope you're more competent at it than Victoria."

He tossed Katherine her wand before sweeping out of the room, leaving Katherine in a crumpled heap on the floor.