Of Greatness and Grandeur

Chapter 11

AN: Here's a long chapter, and an important one! Hope you enjoy. Please review!

The morning of October 31st, 1943 dawned crisp and clear. Sunlight shone brightly down on the Hogwarts grounds, but the air remained cool as it swept briskly through the castle. Students pulled their robes tightly around them to ward off the chill as they walked quickly from class to class, leaning into the cold. The upper year students travelled in close-knit clusters, voices raised against the whistling wind as they talked excitedly about their plans for the evening.

For the younger students, Halloween meant a delicious feast at dinner, surrounded by seasonal decorations and treats. For the older students, however, the night held something altogether more delicious: The annual Halloween Dance. A night of school-sanctioned dancing and socializing was enough to provoke a certain level of excitement, but what really mattered were the parts of the evening that weren't school-approved: drinking, debauchery, and (if someone was well-connected) drugs.

Unlike other school dances, for which most students had dates, the Halloween dance was a decidedly single-status event. At the first big party of the year, everyone wants the freedom to do exactly what they want, whatever that may be. Just because people didn't arrive with dates to the party, though, doesn't mean that they'd be leaving alone.

With so much excitement building up to the evening's events, classes seemed to drag by at a snail's pace. As soon as the last class was over, the older students all rushed to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. While this was the highlight of the younger students' night, the older students just wanted to chow down their food as quickly as possible so they could duck out to get ready for the dance.

As soon as the Halloween feast appeared on the table, Adeline, Celeste, Victoria and the 7th year Slytherin girls all grabbed a few of the more portable food items and headed out the door. Seeing the older girls leave so early, most of the 5th year Slytherin girls exchanged panicked looks and decided to follow suit, not wanting to miss out on a moment of dance-preparations. The male Slytherin students remained at the table, more concerned with dinner than beauty rituals, although they would be changing into dress robes later.

Orion's honey brown eyes peered quizzically at Katherine, who was the only 6th year Slytherin girl remaining at the table. "Don't you want to go get ready for the dance?" he asked.

"I would," she smiled ruefully, "but I promised Clara Potter that I would help put up the decorations once the feast is over."

Orion gave her a sympathetic look, while Abraxas took the opportunity to flirt, to no one's surprise.

"It's probably best that you're giving the other girls a head start. Gives them a chance to look half as good as you do already," said Abraxas, running a tan hand through his shaggy white-blond hair.

Katherine rolled her eyes, but her smile let Abraxas know that he was off the hook. She glanced up the table at Riddle. "Are you coming to the dance tonight, Riddle?"

Riddle looked up from his dinner, slightly furrowing his eyebrows. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just don't seem much like the dancing type," said Katherine with a shrug.

Riddle took a sip of his pumpkin juice, taking his time before putting it down. Turning towards Katherine, he plastered a practiced smile on his face. "I'm Head Boy, and it's a school event. Of course I'll be there," he said sunnily. "And anyways, it's Halloween. How could I not celebrate the most magical night of the year?"

"That's the spirit!" cheered Antonin. He turned towards Abraxas, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Speaking of which, what are the spirits going to be?"

"Don't ask so loudly," hissed Abraxas. "Unless you want all my hard work confiscated."

"Sorry," muttered Antonin, dark eyes darting side to side.

Abraxas leaned forward, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I managed to get hold of some prime Firewhiskey, some Daisyroot Draught, a couple bottles of Knotgrass Mead, and some champagne."

Charles groaned audibly. "No butterbeer?"

Abraxas smacked him on the head with a breadstick. "Get it yourself next time, then."

Katherine cleared her throat lightly. "Anything stronger, Brax?"

His grey eyes widened in momentary surprise, before a look of begrudging admiration took over his face. "I appreciate the sentiment, darling, I really do. Riddle's not a fan of the hard stuff though." He jerked his head towards Riddle.

Katherine quirked an eyebrow upward, and looked questioningly at Riddle.

He held her gaze calmly. "Drugs diminish one's ability to make rational decisions, and I don't like to spend time with irrational people."

A gleam of deviltry appeared in Katherine's eyes. "They also make a boring evening endlessly more fascinating. But I guess I'll just have to serve that purpose myself."

Just then, Clara Potter appeared, hovering anxiously behind Katherine. "Are you ready to start setting up? I think we're already running late."

Katherine smiled at her. "Don't worry, Clara. We'll get it done." She paused. "You boys had better run along though, so we can get started with the decorations."

Katherine rushed up the stairs of the Common Room towards her bedroom, hoping to make the most of her limited time before the start of the ball. As she reached the top landing, she passed the Greengrass twins, who were already decked out in their finest robes. Adeline wore a long forest green gown trimmed with gold, while Celeste wore an identical dress with the colors reversed. Their long blonde hair and pale green eyes complemented their dresses beautifully, and the gowns draped elegantly on their thin frames.

"You both look absolutely lovely!" exclaimed Katherine, looking them up and down.

"Thank you!" chimed the girls in unison, before looking at each other and giggling. Adeline looked fretfully at Katherine's school uniform. "You'd better hurry and get ready, though, Kat. The dance starts really soon!"

Katherine nodded fervently. "That's the plan," she said, starting to move past the twins towards her room.

"Did you want us to wait for you?" asked Celeste.

Katherine didn't bother turning around, continuing towards her room. "No, you go ahead. I'll meet you in the Great Hall!"

The Great Hall had been completely transformed by the time the Greengrass twins arrived to join the other 6th year Slytherins. At the far end of the hall stood a grove of shimmering golden trees, from which golden leaves grew and fell continuously. As the leaves fluttered down through the air, they dissolved into nothingness, so as not to clutter the floor. Along the sides of the hall were tables constructed from twisting vines, with pumpkins at the foot of each leg. The tables held various foods and drinks, and were illuminated by floating candles. The ceiling of the Great Hall, normally reflective of the outside weather, was completely obscured by a dome of silvery spider webs, knit into delicate lacework patterns. Overall, the effect was one of melancholy glamour.

Celeste and Adeline made their way across the hall to the grove of golden trees, eyes roving over the beautiful decorations. The Slytherin boys all wore black or green dress robes, while Victoria wore a lilac gown that looked striking against her black hair and pale skin.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" said Thaddeus, upon the twins' arrival.

"This is…incredible," said Celeste, reaching up to touch a golden leaf, which burst into a cloud of shimmering particles. Adeline nodded wordlessly in agreement.

"Katherine must have done all this; the decorations have never been this good before," said Orion, visibly impressed.

"How did she do it?" wondered Charles, turning to look questioningly at Riddle.

Riddle was leaning against the trunk of one of the golden trees. "You wouldn't understand; it's fairly refined magic," he said haughtily.

"Well, it's beautiful, even if I don't understand it," said Adeline, looking up at the canopy of golden branches.

"Speaking of beautiful…" said Abraxas, turning to face the doors at the other end of the hall.

Katherine had arrived, in a low-cut gown that hung to the floor. The dress was made of a black fabric that shimmered softly when she moved, like stars peeking out from behind a dark night sky. The dark colour was striking against her golden skin, and her usual red lipstick had been replaced with a soft neutral shade, allowing her smoky eye makeup to draw attention to her large dark eyes. She was mesmerizing, and walked with the languorous, confident steps of someone well-aware of their own beauty.

As she crossed the Great Hall, she stopped to chat with students from all the Houses. Many compliments were offered for her work on the decorations, all of which Katherine dismissed with a nonchalant wave of her hand, as if to say, 'it was nothing'. Julian Fawley asked her to save him a dance, as did Frederick Marshall. She promised both of them that she looked forward to the opportunity immensely.

Finally arriving at the golden grove of trees to which the 6th year Slytherins had laid claim, Katherine smiled broadly at her housemates.

Abraxas took her hand and brought it to his lips, bowing low. "You're an absolute vision."

Katherine's face lit up in a beguiling smile, while Orion and Charles stuttered out significantly less suave greetings. Antonin stared lecherously at her cleavage.

Thaddeus continued to look longingly at Celeste, undistracted by Katherine's appearance. Celeste seemed to sense his gaze, and looked up, meeting his eyes for a moment before blushing and looking down.

Adeline was the first to mention the decorations, waving a hand around the room. "These trees and the cobwebs…everything is fantastic! You did an amazing job."

"Well, a good party is all in the preparation," said Katherine with a wink. "And speaking of preparations, would you be kind enough to make me a drink, Abraxas?"

Abraxas pantomimed tipping his hat to Katherine, before walking off to fiddle with some bottles hidden behind the roots of one of the trees. Meanwhile, Victoria whispered something in Charles' ear and the two of them slipped away to dance. Victoria had been spending as little time around Katherine as possible since their confrontation in the Common Room a few weeks prior.

Abraxas returned a few minutes later with a silver goblet of mead for Katherine, but had to wind his way through a group of newcomers to reach her. Once he did, Katherine thanked him for the drink, then immediately turned her attention back to the small crowd of students gathered around her.

Riddle, Abraxas and the other 6th year Slytherins stood watching the scene unfold. Various Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors had arrived to express their gratitude for Katherine's wonderful decorations. Riddle also noticed several students thanking Katherine for helping them with homework assignments, finding a missing pet, and even curing one girl's acne! It was as if Katherine were running for mayor in some Muggle town; she would be kissing babies if any were available.

Riddle decided to intervene. He pushed himself forward from trunk of the golden tree and strode towards the crowd. As he approached, the students stepped aside to clear a path for him. Several girls began to whisper and giggle into each other's ears, clearly talking about him. Riddle smirked, always pleased by the effect of his appearance on women.

"You look lovely tonight, Katherine," he said charmingly as he arrived at her side. Several girls watched the exchange with jealous eyes, wishing to be the focus of the Head Boy's attention. "Would you do me the kindness of a dance?"

"You once told me you didn't dance if you could avoid it," she said teasingly, looking up at him through a fringe of dark eyelashes.

"That was before I knew that a woman could look as beautiful as you do tonight," he said, extending his hand.

Katherine took the offered hand, stood, and allowed herself to be lead onto the dance floor. As Katherine walked through the small crowd of students, she heard several girls sigh, either overwhelmed by Riddle's romantic comment, or disappointed at not being chosen as his dance partner.

Once they reached the center of the hall, Riddle turned to face Katherine, placing one hand on the small of her back, and the other supporting her right hand in mid-air. He began to lead her in a waltz. His movements were elegant and precise, and together they moved gracefully across the hall.

With his lips close enough to her ear that every breath caused her dangling silver

earrings to sway, Riddle spoke. "I believe I've ascertained your goal is in befriending students in all the houses."

"So you didn't want to dance because of my overwhelming beauty? How disappointing…" tutted Katherine sarcastically.

Riddle ignored her comment. "You want to surpass my reputation in the school, thereby gaining more social power than me and securing a top position in the Slytherin hierarchy." He extended his arm, spinning Katherine around before returning to the closed position.

When she faced him again, she wore a cryptic expression. "I suppose you're generally correct, but your specifics are off, Riddle." She paused, tossing her head slightly to move her hair behind her shoulder.

"You're correct to think that I'm building a reputation at Hogwarts, but I'm not doing it to usurp you. Quite the contrary," she said mysteriously.

Riddle lowered Katherine in a dip, looking penetratingly into her eyes before lifting her up again.

Once she was upright, Katherine continued. "I merely hoped to show you that I'm skilled in the art of manipulation. It comes naturally to me, as dueling does to you. You simple have to notice people's loose strings, and pull at them until they're completely untangled."

Riddle looked perplexed. "And why do you wish to show me this skill of yours?" he inquired, speaking softly into her neck.

Katherine smiled over Riddle's shoulder, knowing she had captured his interest. "Because it is clear to me that you are destined for greatness, Riddle. I wish to offer my services in helping you achieve your goals, whatever they may be."

Riddle stiffened immediately, stopped dancing, and stepped back from Katherine. He stared intently at her, trying to assess how much she knew of his plans. He paused, considering his next words carefully. "Do you think you could manipulate me?" he asked quietly, voice intense.

Katherine held his gaze for a moment, before shaking her head slowly. "I'm not sure. I think you see the world the same way I do. You see the cracks in people that you can dig your nails into. You and I, we're the puppeteers in a world full of puppets."

At this, Riddle chuckled softly, clearly enjoying the metaphor.

Katherine looked appraisingly at him. "No, I don't think I could manipulate you. But I think if you take me along for the ride, together you and I could entrance the world."

Riddle reached forward, tucking a strand of hair behind Katherine's ear, before lifting her chin gently with his fingers. "And what if I can do that on my own?"

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Then be prepared for some competition." She paused. "I'd much rather be working with you than against you, Riddle. Think about my offer. I could be a valuable asset, rather than an enormous pain in your ass."

With that, Katherine turned and strode away, leaving Riddle standing on the dance floor with much to think about.

Both Riddle and Katherine spent the rest of the night socializing with students from all the houses. They danced and chatted for several hours, each keeping a wary eye on the other but not continuing their earlier conversation.

Eventually, many of the students went to bed, leaving just a handful of Slytherin students in the Great Hall. Any attempt to hide the alcohol had long since been abandoned, since the teacher chaperones had left after Riddle promised he'd keep an eye on the remaining students. Ah, the perks of being Head Boy.

Charles, Abraxas, and Orion lounged against golden tree trunks, laughing obnoxiously and taking swigs of firewhiskey out of silver goblets. Adeline was curled up at the base of one of the tree, snoring softly, her high heels kicked off beside her. Riddle stood leaning against a tree, while Katherine sat facing the semi-circle of trees with her legs tucked under her.

"Hey, Brax, top me up?" asked Charles, holding out his goblet.

Abraxas reached for the bottle and tilted it over Charles' glass, but just a few lonely drops came out. "Aw, man," he muttered.

"Did we drink all the booze already?" Orion said, shocked.

Abraxas scowled. "Apparently, we Slytherins party hard."

"Some harder than others," Riddle quipped, gesturing at Adeline's snoozing form.

Charles dropped his empty goblet on the floor, and watched lazily as it rolled away from him. "What about Dolohov? I thought he had some more firewhiskey."

Orion shook his head. "He left an hour ago, with that 5th year girl…Elinara? Elona?"

"Eleonora Burke," said Katherine, mostly to herself. Riddle glanced up at her curiously. Katherine's attention to detail was impressive; she noticed almost as much as he did.

Adeline stirred, and slowly sat up, looking very groggy. "Where's my sister?" she murmured, looking around confusedly.

Orion reached out and patted her reassuringly on the back. "She drank too much, so Thaddeus brought her back to the dorm. You should probably go to bed, too."

Adeline nodded sleepily, rubbing at her smudged eye makeups. Orion stood up and tried to lift her over his shoulder. She flopped over uselessly, having passed out again. "A little help?" said Orion, looking pointedly at Charles.

Charles sighed. "Fine." He stood up, swaying slightly, and he and Orion managed to lift Adeline up between the two of them. The staggering group began to make their lumbering way out of the Great Hall and towards the Slytherin dorm.

Katherine reached a hand towards Abraxas, who pulled her to her feet. "You heading back?" asked Abraxas.

"Yeah, it's pretty late." Katherine yawned, one hand placed lightly over her mouth. Are you coming, Riddle?" Riddle nodded his assent, and began to walk across the hall.

"I still have to clean up all these bottles," said Abraxas, gesturing at the mess the other Slytherins had left behind. "But if you wait a bit, you and I could keep talking, maybe head back to my room." He placed a hand on Katherine's upper arm, rubbing lightly with his thumb. It was a clumsy and obvious move, even for Abraxas.

Katherine pretended not to notice. "I would love to, but I'm exhausted. Maybe another time?"

Abraxas nodded, disappointed but not crushed. It seemed to him that his proposition had not been rejected, but merely postponed.

Katherine stepped forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for a fun night, Abraxas." She turned and strode quickly across the Great Hall.

Katherine caught up to Riddle as they were passing through the doors of the Great Hall, turning right to head down to the dungeons.

They walked in silence for a minute, before Katherine spoke. "I know you have your concerns about me, and that's fair. You'd have to be a fool to trust someone you barely know, especially given where we met."

Riddle looked sidelong at her, apparently agreeing with her assessment of the situation. He said nothing, but waited for her to continue, watching her with his emerald green eyes.

"Even so, I'm glad we met in Prague. You're brilliant, Riddle, and I am too. It's rare for two such talented people to exist at the same time, and even more rare for their paths to cross" She looked up at him, pursing her full lips. "We could accomplish great things together."

Katherine's dark eyes were bright with genuine excitement, but there was something else in them as well. Behind them burned a ravenous hunger, a smoldering desire to accomplish the great things of which she spoke. The ambition for which Slytherins are known radiated from Katherine with a dazzling ferocity; she wanted the world, at any price. Riddle could relate.

Still, he hesitated. Riddle knew that such ambition did not foster loyalty or trustworthiness. Katherine would betray him if it were to her benefit; that much was clear from her past behaviour in Prague.

As they neared the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, Riddle pulled Katherine into an alcove. He looked intently at her, assessing her closely as if trying to decipher a complex puzzle.

"Grindelwald himself told me to stay away from you, Katarina," he hissed, grabbing both her shoulders. "He told me you would lead me down all the wrong paths."

Katherine scoffed. "I didn't take you for one to blindly follow orders," she said scornfully.

Riddle spoke in measured tones, hands still gripping her shoulders. "A fool blindly follows orders. A wise man takes advice when he's offered it."

Katherine tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Riddle. "Grindelwald is rotting in Nurmengard, defeated by Dumbledore. Perhaps he was not a wise man," she said mildly.

Riddle dropped his hands to his side, leaning back against the cold stone wall. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it backwards off his face. "Or perhaps he fell in love with far too clever a woman."

Katherine stepped forward, narrowing the distance between them. She leaned towards him, tilting her face upwards towards his. "So don't fall in love," she said softly, her breath warm on his face.

Riddle laughed quietly, looking down at her. "Trust me, there's no risk of that."

"Good," whispered Katherine. "Because I would never love you back."

She closed the gap between them, brushing her lips softly against his. She pulled back momentarily, before kissing him again with increased intensity, capturing his lower lip between hers and pulling at it gently with her teeth.

Riddle responded instinctively, bringing one a hand to Katherine's lower back, and the other to cup the side of her head, his fingers tangling in her brown curls. Katherine brought her hand up to snake through Riddle's dark hair, grabbing it firmly. She began to trail her kisses away from his mouth and along his jawline, creeping towards the pulse point at the side of his neck. Riddle inhaled deeply, taking in Katherine's scent. She smelt of roses and smoke and sweet wine. It was intoxicating.

When Katherine's kisses reached the spot where jaw becomes neck, she lingered there, suckling gently. Riddle moaned quietly, and tilted his head back in pleasure. The back of his head hit the stone wall behind him with a thud.

With a jerk, Riddle seemed to realize what he was doing, and pushed Katherine off of him roughly. She stumbled backwards, unsteady on her feet from the combination of kissing and firewhiskey. Steadying herself with one hand on the wall of the alcove, Katherine snapped her head up, giving Riddle her best scalding look. Unfortunately, Katherine's effort to express her annoyance was wasted, for Riddle had already turned and left the alcove.

Katherine watched as Riddle's figure retreated down the hall, his black dress robes swirling around him with each step. As he disappeared into the darkness of the dungeon hallway, Katherine's irritated look relaxed into a thoughtful one. A slow smile crept onto her lips as she turned to follow Riddle down the hallway to the Slytherin Common Room.

This is going to be interesting.

AN: Please remember to review!