Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

23. Perfect Host

A few weeks later, Genevieve was preparing to host her first gathering in their manor.
Charlotte would be looking after Salazar for the whole evening, which meant that Genevieve's focus could be on impressing the pure-blood families.
Around 30 people had been invited to the first meeting, not including the death eaters and Genevieve's old roommates.
They were all from pure-blood familes, and Genevieve recognised all of their surnames as they came from the Sacred 28.
People from the families of Black, Malfoy and Carrow, filled the room, as they were some of the biggest believers that pure-bloods were better than everyone else.

Even though Tom would be at the party, it was Genevieve's job to welcome and impress their guests. Which is why she was feeling so nervous.
"Relax, you look beautiful" whispered Tom, bringing Genevieve's thoughts back into the present.
She had pulled out all the stops to impress the pure-bloods, and was wearing a black sequin dress, with the highest heels that she owned, and a green and black tiara.
Her and Tom two were hovering outside the dining hall, and Genevieve was mentally preparing herself to step inside.

Their servants were already handing out food and drinks, to occupy the guests, but now that everyone had arrived, it was Genevieve's turn to greet them.
"Are you coming in with me?" Asked Genevieve.
"No. I think you should enter alone, to make yourself appear stronger. I will enter the party later" answered Tom.
"Alright, here I go then" sighed Genevieve, before pushing open the doors and stepping inside the room.

As she made her way through the room everyone stopped talking, and began to stare at her, making her feel very anxious.
Her roommates smiled at her, as she passed them, and the death eaters bowed their heads respectfully as they always did when seeing her.
Genevieve raised her head as she walked, trying to look more intimidating than she felt.
Eventually she reached the small stage that had been set up for her, and she stepped onto it carefully, so that she didn't fall over.

"Thank you all for coming. Some of you know me well, and others have only seen me from a distance, or heard my name in passing. For those of you that don't know, my name is Genevieve Slytherin, and I am married to our gracious host; Lord Voldemort, who himself is a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin. But before I married him, my surname was Grindelwald" revealed Genevieve.
There was a murmering in the crowd as the guests digested this piece of information.
Genevieve gulped before taking a deep breath and continuing with the speech she had rehearsed many times that week.

"I am the niece of Gellert Grindelwald, for my mother was his sister and my father was one of his followers. I attended Hogwarts under a false name, but during the holidays I followed Gellert around the world, taking part in his rallies. I recognise some of you in this room, from those rallies that I attended as a child... When my uncle was defeated by the Muggle lover, Albus Dumbledore, I thought that those of us with magic were doomed to spend the rest of our lives in hiding. But I was wrong" continued Genevieve.
She looked to the far corner of the room, where Tom had just entered, and he gave her an reassuring smile, encouraging her to go on.

"I didn't think we would find another powerful wizard who shared our beliefs, in our lifetime, until I met the dark lord, who later became my husband. I knew Gellert better than anyone else, and I can tell you that Lord Voldemort is more powerful than him. I loved my uncle, but he had many faults, for one, he was too soft. But unlike him, the dark lord is not afraid to do what is necessary to achieve his goals. And he doesn't just wish for those with magic to live freely, he wants us pure-bloods to rise above other witches and wizards. He wants to eradicate Mudbloods and make a better world for the future generations to grow up in. And I fully believe that he will achieve this, for there is nothing he can't do. I have seen him perform feats of magic that I have never seen another human do. I admired him before I fell in love with him, so you can be sure that love doesn't cloud my judgement" informed Genevieve.

She had to stop herself from gushing about Tom's achievements, for boasting about what he could do, wouldn't win him followers.
"If you, like I, wish to change the world for the better, then give the dark lord your support. If you don't want to pledge your allegiance, then you do not have to, no one is going to force you to do anything. The dark lord is powerful enough to overthrow the Ministry, without the help of hundreds of supporters. But change will happen faster, if he has your support... The dark lord will visit you all in the coming weeks, to see if you will stand beside him, in this fight against oppression. He will try and convince you to join our cause, and I hope to see you all become his followers. But if you do not wish to join him, then you will still be welcome in my home. I plan on having many gatherings like this one, where like-minded people can come and drink, without having to be worried about Mudbloods ruining the party" said Genevieve.

"Hear hear" Shouted a voice from the back of the room, that Genevieve could tell belonged to Tom.
She smiled to herself, but tried not to let herself get distracted.
"Right, I think that is about enough from me, for the band will be here any minute, and I'm sure they will be far more entertaining than me" admitted Genevieve.
Several people laughed at this, filling Genevieve with confidence.
"There should be enough food and drink to keep us going all night. So please, help yourself and enjoy the evening" continued Genevieve.
As she stepped off the stage, the room burst into applause, making her blush.

When the clapping stopped, conversation ressumed, as people began talking amongst themselves.
"Did I do well?" Asked Genevieve when she reached Tom.
"Better than I ever could have expected" answered Tom.
"I'm glad I made you happy" replied Genevieve.
"You've made me more than happy. I am so proud of you"
"Thanks, it honestly wasn't that hard, since I've heard Gellert give similar speeches ever since I was born"
"You had to change his speech to appeal to a new set of people. And you did it amazingly".

"Don't get too ahead of yourself though, for we still don't know if any of them will join you" said Genevieve.
"After a speech like that, how could they refuse? Trust me, when I talk to them all individually at their homes, they will all want to join our cause" informed Tom.
"I hope you are right, because I lied in my speech, as we can't actually do this without their help" admitted Genevieve.
"Don't forget that I can persuade anyone to do anything. I will have them all bowing to me within the month"
"I think you need to do something big to get their attention, and let them know that you are serious, before you ask them to join you"
"You're right, it's time to step out of the shadows and start our assault on the scum of this earth; Muggles, and those who associate themselves with them".