Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

22. Happy Families

The months that followed were some of the happiest in Genevieve's life.
Tom was back to being a doting husband, and they had a beautiful baby boy who brought them both such happiness.
Baby Salazar was looked after mostly by Charlotte the maid, who had been assigned to be his nanny.
Charlotte took care of Salazar during the night so that Tom and Genevieve could rest. And she also removed him from the room that they were in during the day, if his screams got too loud.
But for most of the time in the day, Genevieve held him tight in her arms.

Genevieve had been reluctant at first to let the servants assist with raising him. As she had hated her own childhood, since she had grown up unloved, and always felt like a burden.
But after several sleepless nights, Genevieve was happy to let Charlotte care for Salazar, so that she could get some rest.
When her baby was with the maids, Genevieve was able to spend more one on one time with Tom, which she greatly enjoyed.
She also hadn't liked being pregnant, so she was glad to have that part over and done with.

"I think he might be the most spoiled baby in the whole world" admitted Genevieve one evening.
Salazar was lying on his back on the floor of his bedroom, surrounded by all the toys that money could buy.
Genevieve and Tom were sat on the floor beside him, looking fondly down at the child they had created.
Charlotte was stood on the other side of the door, giving them some privacy, but she was ready to enter the room and step in when necessary.
"I think you might be right" smiled Tom.

"We've also both adapted to parenthood better than we thought" said Genevieve.
"Yes. Having a child wasn't as big a change as I feared" agreed Tom.
"I'm not sure other parents have it as easy as us though" replied Genevieve.
"Well, not everyone is lucky enough to have a house full of servants, to look after their child for them"
"I don't think luck had anything to do with it, since our servants are under the Imperius Curse"
"No, it is not luck that brought us here, it is our amazing skills and determination that put us where we are"
"And your courage when it comes to dark magic. Not everyone is as brave as you at performing powerful dark magic"
"I am pretty impressive"
"Yes, you are".

"You are impressive too. You carried our child inside you for 9 months, and then pushed him out of you. You succeeded where our own mothers failed. You survived childbirth" praised Tom.
"Well, I wasn't going to just leave you on your own, for I love you too much" replied Genevieve.
"I love you too. And I am so proud of you" admitted Tom.
"Good. Because childbirth is not easy"
"I'm sorry I was so hard on you when I found out that you were pregnant. I was scared of losing you, and I'm sorry I took my fears out on you"
"You've apologised enough, Vee. There is no point getting stuck in the past, we have to look to the future".

"Speaking of the future, I was thinking about ways to get more pure-blood families to join our cause" informed Tom.
"Go on" encouraged Genevieve.
"Well, I was thinking of hosting dinner parties at our house. It would give all the like-minded pure-bloods, a chance to interact, and talk about the future, without feeling like they are breaking the law. It would also give me a chance to show them how good life could be, with me in charge" explained Tom.
"Sounds like a good idea to me. You never turn down the chance to show off, so I bet you are itching to show people around our manor to try and make them jealous".

"I'm glad you like the idea, because you will be the one hosting these events" revealed Tom.
"Why me? Why not you, since you are the one who actually wants to rule the world?" Questioned Genevieve.
"I am the elusive, powerful, unnamed wizard. So I can't be hosting dinner parties, even for my followers. I may attend these gatherings, but you will be the host, for you are a real person whom they can connect to. I am the mysterious figure behind the scenes, pulling the strings" answered Tom.

"I suppose I've heard enough of my father's compelling speeches to be able to give my own ones" sighed Genevieve.
"I knew you would be able to do it" smiled Tom.
"You had better buy me a whole new fancy wardrobe, if you want me to impress these pure-bloods" informed Genevieve.
"Whatever my queen wants, she shall have"
"Good. For a woman can't wear the same dress twice. Fashion says a lot about a person, and since none of these people know who I am, I need to make a good impression".

"Have you decided yet who you are going to be, when appearing in public like this?" Asked Tom.
"What do you mean? I am Genevieve Slytherin, your wife. Isn't that enough?" Frowned Genevieve.
"No. These people will want to know who you were before you married me. You have several options available to you. You could be Genevieve Walden. Or you could be Genevieve Grindelwald. But if you choose Grindelwald, you will have to decide whether you want to spread the lie that you are Gellert's niece, or whether you want to reveal the truth that you are his daughter. Or you could invent a whole new identity for yourself if you want. It's up to you" revealed Tom.

"I am never being Genevieve Walden ever again, I put that name behind me when we went on the run. And I hated using it with the doctor. When I married you, we told my old roommates that I was Gellert's niece. I felt happy spreading that lie, for it is something I thought was true for most of my life. So, I think I should introduce myself as Gellert's niece. I shouldn't have any trouble reinforcing the lie, as I'm an expert at playing the role of Gellert's niece" admitted Genevieve.
"If that is who you want to be, then I will fully support you" replied Tom.

Genevieve leaned forward and picked up Salazar, holding him tight in her arms.
"I will have to tell him the truth one day. When he is old enough to understand, I will tell him that I am really Gellert Grindelwald's daughter. But until that day, I will continue hiding the truth from everyone but you" informed Genevieve.
"You know that I will always keep your secrets" replied Tom.
"Yes, you remain, as always, the one person in this world that I can always trust and rely on" smiled Genevieve.
"And I will never do anything to make you distrust me"
"I know that you won't".