Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

47. Broken Promise

Over the next few months Genevieve noticed many changes in her appearance that she wasn't too happy about.
Her hair turned grey and became coarse and rough.
Genevieve's skin was noticeably whiter, and her bones were more prominent than ever.
Her blue eye had also turned so dark, that it was almost completely black.
Tom insisted that she was still beautiful, but Genevieve felt sure he was lying, because she cringed every time she saw her own appearance.
She was also more grouchy and irritable than normal. But she wasn't sure if that was because she had made a Horcrux, or because she had lost her sons.
Genevieve had also stopped menstruating, but she wasn't sure at first if that was because of her age, or the Horcrux, or a whole other reason.

In order to make her life more bareable, Genevieve began spending as much time as possible out of the house.
Since no one would recognise her, she felt it was safe enough to walk the streets.
Only Dumbledore would be able to tell it was her, and he was the headmaster of Hogwarts, so Genevieve didn't think she would bump into him in Diagon Alley.
She no longer cared about spending time with Tom, so she didn't care if he stayed away from their home for days at a time.

Genevieve began distancing herself from Mathilde, because she didn't want her daughter to see her when she looked so hideous.
She also didn't want Mathilde to follow down the same path as her brothers. And she thought that if her and Tom stayed away from Mathilde, she would be less likely to want to become a death eater.
But Genevieve didn't want her daughter to hate her, like she had hated her own father.
Which is why she made sure to eat dinner with Mathilde at least once a week.

After spending all day in Diagon Alley, Genevieve returned home one evening and headed straight for the dining room, where Mathilde was waiting.
To Genevieve's suprise, she wasn't the only person sat at the dinner table.
"Forgive my lateness, I didn't realise we were having guests" said Genevieve as she took her seat opposite Tom.
"I'm not exactly a guest. This is my house too" reminded Tom.
"Is it? Well, since you spend so little time here, I was beginning to wonder if you still called this place your home" replied Genevieve coldly.

"It is you who asked me to stay away. I would be here more often, if that is what you wanted" admitted Tom.
"I doubt it" mumbled Genevieve.
"I would come every day, if I knew you were going to be here. But I happen to know that you spend most of your days away from here at the moment" informed Tom.
"Are you going to ground me, and forbid me from leaving the house?"
"Of course not. If leaving here makes you happy, then who am I to stop you from going out. I was simply saying that you can't expect me to spend time at home, if you aren't here either"
"No, I can't".

"The maids asked me again if they could be allowed into the boys rooms, to clean" revealed Tom.
"No! It is still too soon. I'm not ready to let anybody besides myself, go into the boys rooms" Genevieve said quickly.
"The staff are worried that the rooms will fill with dust" replied Tom.
"I don't care how dusty they become, I'm not having anyone touch my sons things. And I'm not going to discuss it anymore!".
Genevieve saw Mathilde flinch at her tone, making her feel bad about raising her voice while her daughter was in the room.

"Mathilde, why don't you take your dinner into the next room, so that your father and I can talk in private" suggested Genevieve.
"Yes mother" mumbled Mathilde politely.
She picked up her plate and left the room, so that Genevieve and Tom could glare at each other from opposite ends of the table.
"I'm suprised that you let her out of your sight. I would've thought that without the boys, you would grow fonder of the girl" admitted Tom.
"Well, you thought wrong. I was too close to the boys, and they ended up dead. If distancing myself from Mathilde keeps her alive, then that is what I will do" announced Genevieve.

"I thought that you didn't want to become like your father. He refused to spend time with you, because he wanted to keep you safe. You promised me that when we had kids, you would not raise them, like your father raised you" reminded Tom.
"I show Mathilde more love than my father ever showed me. I have never lied to her about my identity either. Nor have I dragged her across Europe and forced her to listen to me give speeches on the superiority of pure-bloods. I am not my father" insisted Genevieve.
"You can keep telling yourself that. But you are becoming more like him as time goes on" admitted Tom.
"Am not".

"Your father would've sent Mathilde out of the room, just like you did, when the conversation turned nasty" pointed out Tom.
"I am not like my father. And don't pretend that you care about Mathilde, because we both know that you like her even less than the boys" snapped Genevieve.
"I may have not cared for her in the past, but things are different now, because she is our only remaining child. She is the last heir of Slytherin, and the only one to carry on our pure-blood lines. I must start to pay her a lot more attention from now on" informed Tom.

Genevieve frowned, "What are you saying?".
"I'm saying that she will have to step up, now that her brothers are gone. She will have to become more than she ever thought she would be. Mathilde will have to become the perfect pure-blood child, and remind people of our families superiority" announced Tom.
"But you promised me that she could stay out of all this" reminded Genevieve.
"Times change. And now that she is our only child, she will need to be shown off to the world. I must start training her to be my protege, now that Salazar and Gellert are dead".

"Are you saying that when she is of age, you are going to make her a death eater?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Yes. When the time comes, I will need her at my side" answered Tom.
"But you promised me that that would never happen. You gave me your word!" Shouted Genevieve.
"At the time, I had two sons to take on the responsibility of leadership, when I get too old. But now that the girl is all I have, she will have to become a death eater, and serve at my side".

"No! I will not allow it. I lost my sons because they joined your cause. I will not let my daughter become a death eater. I would rather die than put her life at risk" revealed Genevieve.
"That's an empty threat, because you can't die anymore, not now that you've made a Horcrux" reminded Tom.
"You are not taking my daughter from me. I won't let you turn her into a weapon and risk harm coming to her. I was willing to give you everything, and stop fighting you. But this is the one thing I will stand up for. My daughter means the world to me, and I will do anything to keep her safe".

Tom stood to his feet, "I don't want her to get hurt either. But she has to become my protege, it is her responsibility as a Slytherin, to carry on the legacy of our ancestor".
"But she didn't ask for any of this. She should not have to fight for a cause that is not her own!" Yelled Genevieve, as she too stood up.
"She has no choice. She is our only child, so she is the only one who can take over from us"
"You're wrong. She isn't going to be our only descendant... I'm pregnant again"
"You can't be. We haven't had sex since-"
"Since I made a Horcrux. But as you must know by now, once is all it takes. And since I haven't hit menopause just yet, I have ended up getting pregnant again, despite my age".

Genevieve headed to the door, but before she could reach it, Tom grabbed hold of her arm.
"If this child is a boy, I will leave Mathilde alone. And one day, he will become my apprentice. But, if you have another girl, I will take Mathilde and train her to become the most powerful dark witch alive" warned Tom.
Genevieve pulled her arm free, "I will not let you touch my children. I allowed you to make Salazar and Gellert your apprentices, and now they are both dead. I will not lose anymore children because of you. You are not going to walk all over me and get your own way on this matter. I will defend my children, until my last breath".
"We'll see" mumbled Tom, as Genevieve left the room, intent on getting as far away from him as possible.