Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

36. An Unusual Threat

In no time at all, it was time for Gellert to go to school, just like Salazar.
Genevieve gave him the choice to go to whichever school he wanted to. And like his older brother, he chose Ilvermorny.
Since it had been over a decade since her father's downfall, Genevieve wasn't worried about sending her son to school, even though he shared the name Gellert with her father. Because she felt that enough time had passed since then, and that the world had moved on.
Unlike Salazar though, Gellert ended up being placed in Thunderbird instead of Horned Serpent, so the two would grow up in separate school houses.

With both of her sons at school, and her daughter being cared for by Wendy the maid, Genevieve began to feel very lonely again.
So she decided that she was going to try and be as involved in Tom's life as possible.
She also hoped that her involvement in his illegal activities, would save her children from having to pick up the slack when they were older.
Genevieve would do anything to protect her children, even if it meant supporting Tom's cause.

"I was thinking, that I want to start attending your death eater meetings with you again" informed Genevieve one evening, while her and Tom were having dinner together.
"Really? I thought that you wanted to put the children above our cause" admitted Tom.
"I do. But now that the boys are at school, it gets very quiet in this house without you, and I also have a lot more time on my hands" replied Genevieve.
"What about Mathilde?"
"She has Wendy to look after her. Besides, she is still too young to be a big part of my life yet, as she's still a baby. Once she's older I will get closer to her, and attend less meetings. But right now, I think you are the one who needs me most".

"You know that I'm not going to say no to you coming with me" said Tom.
"Good. I feel like I can be of use to you and our cause. I'm more than a simple housewife. I was one of the most talented students at Hogwarts, alongside you" reminded Genevieve.
"Yes, you were" smiled Tom.
"I want the chance to show your followers exactly why you married me. I want them to have a reason to respect me"
"Very well. When I leave in the morning, I will bring you along with me. I also have a couple of new death eaters I can introduce you to. One of my new recruits seems very promising"
"What's his name?"
"It's a girl actually. Her name is Bellatrix Lestrange".

Genevieve frowned, "I didn't think you had any women in your ranks".
"I have a few. But most of my death eaters are men. Bellatrix on the other hand is very powerful, and she is very dedicated to me and my cause" revealed Tom.
"Is she related to my old friend Tessa?" Questioned Genevieve.
"No, she wasn't born a Lestrange. Her birth name is Black"
"Oh, she is probably related to Artemis then, not Tessa. The Black's have always had strong pure-blood beliefs"
"Yes they have. Bellatrix and her new husband Rodolphus have recently joined my ranks. As has his brother Rabastan"
"Well, I look forward to meeting your new death eaters and showing them why I am to be feared".

****
Genevieve wore one of her best dresses the next morning, as she wanted to make a good impression.
None of her gowns fitted as well as they once had, since she'd had 3 children. So, she had been forced to buy a more mature wardrobe, that fitted properly, now that she was a mother in her 40's.
To make herself appear more intimidating, Genevieve put on her most exquisite jewellery, hoping it would make her look younger and more beautiful.

Tom took them both to the secret location he was having his meeting in, and Genevieve found a dozen or so death eaters waiting for them.
She knew he had a lot more followers than that, but she was glad that they weren't all there, as that would have made her nervous.
All those in the room, wore the masks that she had designed.
And some of the masks she had never seen worn before, as they were new, because Tom had told her that he needed more made, as he was constantly recruiting new followers.

The death eaters all bowed, when they saw that Tom had arrived, and Genevieve saw that this made him happy.
Tom pointed at three death eaters, and ushered them into the next room.
He then offered his arm to Genevieve, and escorted her in after the death eaters.
Once in the smaller room, Tom instructed his death eaters to remove their masks, so that Genevieve could see their faces.
"These are my new recruits; Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix  Lestrange" informed Tom.

Genevieve looked at the men for a few moments, before turning her attention to the young woman.
Bellatrix had long curly black hair, and Genevieve couldn't deny that the girl was beautiful.
She also seemed to be much younger than Genevieve had originally thought.
"Have you just finished Hogwarts?" Asked Genevieve.
She didn't realise she had spoken aloud, until she saw Bellatrix smile.
"No, I'm 21, I've been out of school for a while" informed Bellatrix.
"I see" Frowned Genevieve, who wasn't pleased by the lack of respect Bellatrix was showing her.

Tom grinned, before placing his arm around Genevieve's waist.
"Forgive me, I'm being rude. This is my wife; Genevieve Grindelwald" announced Tom.
"You're related to Gellert Grindelwald?" Questioned Bellatrix.
"Yes, he was my uncle. And in future, you should show me the same respect that you show my husband. You should call me, my lady, just like the rest of my husbands followers do" informed Genevieve coldly.
"Forgive me, I didn't know, my lady" apologised Bellatrix.
Genevieve could tell that Bellatrix's apology was not sincere, but Tom wasn't paying enough attention to notice.

Genevieve had never been worried that Tom would leave her for another woman, for he had never shown an interest in other women before.
But she wasn't getting any younger, and she wasn't as pretty as she had been when they were in their 20's.
She'd never thought that Tom would become that close to his followers, especially not a female one.
But Bellatrix Lestrange seemed too close and obssessed with Tom, and that made Genevieve anxious about her own position as Tom's wife.

"Right, now that that's done, it's time we rejoined the others, and started this meeting" announced Tom.
"Yes, let's" agreed Genevieve.
She leaned closer to Tom, encouraging him to plant a kiss on her lips.
As she had hoped, this made Bellatrix frown and look away.
"Masks on you three" instructed Tom, as he looked back at the death eaters.

The boys put their masks back on immediately, but Bellatrix glared at Genevieve before placing hers on over her face.
Although Genevieve felt intimidated by Bellatrix, she tried not to show it.
With someone like Bellatrix spending a lot of close time with Tom, Genevieve knew she was going to have to step up her game, if she didn't want her husband's eyes to wander.