Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

30. School Summons

Since Tom had an army to command, he knew that he had to be the leader that they expected him to be.
He stopped showing affection to Genevieve and the boys in public, for he didn't want his family to make him look weak.
Tom also began making more attacks on Muggles and Mudbloods, with his death eaters at his side, which made him a much darker and colder person.
As the years went by, Genevieve noticed a great change in his personality, and it wasn't a change that she liked.
By Salazar's 11th birthday, Tom had become unrecognisable to his teenage self, and had lost all of his hair. His skin was waxy and pale, and he had lost all of his former beauty.

Although Genevieve loved Tom, no matter how he treated her, she kept her distance from him, so that her heart didn't break each time he was cold towards her.
With Tom away so often, Genevieve began spending a lot more time with her boys. And since they were older, she could have proper conversations with them.
But she still longed for Tom, and she missed the time when it had just been the two of them in their flat together.

Genevieve was going through the letters they had received one evening, when she came across a letter adressed to Salazar.
This concerned her, for there were only a few people in the world who knew of his existence.
She opened the letter on his behalf, and discovered that it was his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Genevieve had never had one herself, since she hadn't been born in England. But she knew that every magic child in Britain received a letter around their 11th birthday.
She couldn't wait for Salazar to get the chance to go to Hogwarts. But then it hit her, that Salazar was no ordinary boy, as he was the son of Lord Voldemort, so he would be unable to attend school.

Genevieve wanted her children to have everything she'd had, so she picked up the letter and apparated to Tom's side to discuss it with him.
She had no idea where he was, but since they wore matching enchanted rings, she could always apparate to him.
When she opened her eyes and looked around at her new location, she found that she was stood in the Riddle manor, where Tom had murdered his father and grandparents.
"You shouldn't be here".

Genevieve turned around and saw Tom standing behind her.
"Neither should you. This house is currently owned by someone, who is not you" reminded Genevieve.
"A Muggle owns it, and after the mysterious murders, no one will come near this place, not even the owner" admitted Tom.
"Well, we both know that there was nothing mysterious about those murders" replied Genevieve.
"No, there wasn't. But since this building is abandoned, it is a good place to hold secret meetings... What do you want, Gen? You don't normally apparate directly to me, you usually just wait until I return home to tell me something"
"Well, I haven't seen you in 3 days, so I had no idea when you would be home next"
"I've been very busy".

"Too busy to visit your own wife? It almost feels like you are actively avoiding me" admitted Genevieve.
"I promise that that is not my intention. But leading an army takes its toll. And certain things must be sacrificed" replied Tom.
"I don't need reminding of what has to be sacrificed... Look, I didn't mean to interrupt your important work, but this can't wait" informed Genevieve, as she handed Tom, Salazar's letter.
After reading it through, Tom frowned.
"How did Dumbledore get his address?" He Questioned.
"It is not Dumbledore who sends out letters, it's the deputy heads job" corrected Genevieve.

"Well, how did the deputy head even know of Salazar's existence?" Asked Tom.
"I don't know. But the Quill of Acceptance writes down the name of every magical child born in Britain, into the Book of Admittance, and all of those children recieve a Hogwarts letter on their 11th birthday. The quill and the book were enchanted by the founders of Hogwarts, which is why they are so powerful. So, the quill and book would know of Salazar's existence" answered Genevieve.
"Well, let's just hope that Albus Dumbledore doesn't get involved in the sending of the letters, for we don't want him knowing where we live. But since an army of aurors hasn't descended on our home, I think no harm has been done" replied Tom.

"So, Salazar can go to Hogwarts?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Of course not, that's out of the question" scoffed Tom.
"But why can't he go? He doesn't share either of our real surname's, and as long as he doesn't tell Dumbledore his middle name, the headmaster won't work out that he's our son" replied Genevieve.
"You honestly think that a boy named Salazar Slytherin will be able to attend Hogwarts, without it raising any red flags?"
"But I want him to go"
"You should have named him something normal then, if you were that desperate to send him to Hogwarts".

"I wasn't thinking about Hogwarts when him and Gellert were born. But if their names are a problem, then they can just use my old surname, Walden, to hide their true identity" suggested Genevieve.
"That wouldn't protect them, for Dumbledore knows who you are, so would instantly recognise your old fake name" reminded Tom.
"He might not. It's been like 20 years since I used that surname" replied Genevieve.
"We both know that Dumbledore doesn't forget anything. Besides, Salazar looks exactly like I did when I was his age, so some of the teachers, like Slughorn, will figure out that I am his father".

"But our boys deserve to go to Hogwarts, just like we did. They need to learn how to do magic, and make friends. We never would have met if it weren't for Hogwarts. And the boys will be so lonely if they don't get to make their own friends. They need to grow and become their own person. Which they won't be able to do, if they spend their whole lives at our house. I want them to have everything we did, which is why they have to go to Hogwarts" insisted Genevieve.
"It simply can't happen, for it is far too risky. We can't allow anyone, especially Dumbledore, to figure out who Salazar is. So, I will not allow him to go to Hogwarts" replied Tom.

Genevieve frowned and placed her hands on her hips.
"Who says you get to make this decision alone? We are a team, and you don't get to decide our child's fate all by yourself" announced Genevieve.
"You're going to make the decision for me then, are you?" Questioned Tom.
"I don't want to. But I don't want your fears to stop Salazar from having a normal life" informed Genevieve, as she snatched the Hogwarts letter back from Tom.
"I am trying to protect him, just like your father did for you. He didn't send you to Durmstrang, because he knew people would figure out that the two of you were related".

"That's it" mumbled Genevieve, as she realised what she had to do.
"What?" Questioned Tom.
"Salazar can go to one of the other schools like Ilvermorny, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang. The name Slytherin won't mean much in any of those schools. And Dumbledore has no influence in the foreign schools, so he won't ever see Salazar, which means that our son will be safe" explained Genevieve.
Tom sighed and ran his fingers over his bald head, "If you are so desperate to send him to school, then I won't stop you, as long you don't try and send him to Hogwarts. I will have no influence over which school you choose. It's up to you to arrange it all".

"It shouldn't be up to me, because it's not my life. I am going to talk to Salazar, and ask him which school he would like to go to" informed Genevieve.
"You do that. Just make sure he knows that he can't ever reveal who we are to anyone" replied Tom.
"Salazar isn't an idiot, he knows that he can't talk about us to anyone"
"You were given the same instruction, before you went to Hogwarts, yet you told me who you were in our very first year of school".

"That was different, for me and you were meant to be together. We were soul mates" reminded Genevieve.
"Were, are we not still?" Asked Tom.
"A lot has changed since then, Vee" Genevieve said softly.
"Has your affection for me faded over the years then?"
"It's hard to be affectionate to someone who never spends anytime with you. But rest assured that my love for you will never completely fade"
"I will try and spend more time with you in the future, but I can't make any promises"
"I know you can't"
"I am returning home tomorrow, so I will see you then. But right now, you need to leave, because I have a meeting in a few minutes"
"Very well then, I will see you tomorrow".