Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

1. After All This Time

After 14 years in a cell in Nurmengard prison, Genevieve was convinced that she had lost her mind. For she spent most of her days talking to the walls and mumbling to herself.
Her happy memories seemed like they belonged to someone else, for all she experienced on a daily basis was pain and suffering.
She hadn't spoken to another person in a long time, since there were no other prisoners on the same floor as her.
The Ministry of Magic had wanted to keep her isolated, just like her father Gellert, which is why she was always alone.
And the prison guards who brought her food, weren't exactly very chatty.

Genevieve felt like she was getting what she deserved, for she had committed many evil acts over the years, and turned a blind eye to all the awful things her husband had done.
She tried not to think about her recent memories of Tom, preferring to remember their time at school together, as those were much happier times.
Her sons had been murdered by aurors, and she had miscarried her last child. Her only living child had been placed into hiding and given a new identity by Dumbledore.
Although hiding Mathilde had been Genevieve's idea, she longed for her daughter and wished that she could see her one last time.

One evening in late October, Genevieve was talking to herself as normal, when she suddenly heard the prison door swing open behind.
Since she had already had dinner brought to her, she had no idea why she was being visited.
She listened as the footsteps of the stranger got closer, and even though she could not see him, she sensed who her visitor was.
"Vee" mumbled Genevieve, as she turned away from the wall, to look at the figure on the other side of the prison bars.
"It's been a long time since anyone has called me that" replied the figure.

As the man lifted up his wand to illuminate his face, Genevieve saw that it really was her husband; Tom Riddle.
He looked rather different to the last time she had seen him, as his nose was gone, and he now only had two snake like slits as nostrils.
His skin was also more alien looking that she had remembered.
But despite all that, he was still the person Genevieve loved. And as she looked at him, she felt the years slip away.
"After all this time. You finally came for me" said Genevieve, as she placed her hands around the bars.
She longed to reach out and touch Tom, to make sure that he was real, and not a fragment of her imagination.

"Of course I did. Once I had returned to full strength, I came for my wife" informed Tom, as he stroked the back of Genevieve's hand.
"I was beginning to think that you really were dead" admitted Genevieve.
"You know that I cannot truly die. My body was destroyed 14 years ago, it's true, but my soul lived on" replied Tom.
"Why did it take you so long to get your body back?" Asked Genevieve curiously.
"Without a body of my own, I could not perform the magic required to bring me back to full health. Luckily I was found by Wormtail, and he brought me to Barty Crouch junior. The three of us were then able to devise a plan to get me back my body".

"And once you had done that, you came to find me?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Not straight away. I had a few things to sort out first. But once that was done, there was nothing to stop me from coming to get you. I also thought it was poetic to come today, on Halloween, for it is the day I was taken from you all those years ago" answered Tom.
"How did you know where I was?" Quizzed Genevieve.
"It is easy for Lord Voldemort to get the information that he requires, especially when he has so many loyal servants".
Genevieve frowned, "Some of your servants turned me in, and are the reason I am here. Others pretended to have been under the Imperius Curse, to avoid being sent to Azkaban".
"Those who denied me, are now so eager to prove their loyalty, which makes them very useful. And the ones who betrayed you, will be dealt with, don't you worry, Gen" promised Tom.

Tom stepped away from the cell, and flicked his wand at the bars, causing them to swing open.
"I haven't got my wand anymore. Or my wedding ring" muttered Genevieve sadly, as she watched Tom perform magic.
"I will get a new wand made for you. And I will enchant new wedding rings for us both, since I lost mine as well. Now, come to me" instructed Tom, as he stretched out his hand.
Genevieve took a tentative step forward, as she left her cell for the first time in years.
She then threw herself into Tom's arms and kissed his lips.

"I have missed you" murmered Genevieve.
"And I you. There are many things I have been longing to try out in my new body" admitted Tom.
"I bet there are" grinned Genevieve as she released Tom.
"I must say that it was very clever of you to get the Ministry morons to send you here instead of Azkaban"
"I'm very good at manipulating people, as you know. And since they already knew I was a Grindelwald, I decided to use that to my advantage, since I had no intention of being thrown to the Dementor's".

Tom stroked Genevieve's cheek tenderly, "You are a genius, my beautiful comrad. And I'm sorry I left you alone for so long".
"I forgive you. You're back now, and that's all that matters. And I don't intend on being parted from you ever again" admitted Genevieve.
"Well then, let's leave this wretched place and start the second chapter of our lives" replied Tom, as he offered Genevieve his arm.
Instead of taking it, Genevieve shook her head.
"No, not yet. There is something we must do, before we leave" she said, as she looked to the ceiling.

"And what is that?" Questioned Tom.
"We must free my father" announced Genevieve, as she thought about Gellert, who was sitting in the cell above her.
Tom sighed, "Do we have to?".
"Yes. He is my father, and I'm not leaving him in this prison to rot, while I make my escape" answered Genevieve.
"But I don't want a rival dark wizard running around. People will be talking about his escape and not my rise to power. I want them to fear me, not him"
"My father is an old man. He's 112 years old. He's not a threat to anyone".

"As long as he's alive, he's a threat" informed Tom.
"Look, we can drop him off in some European country in the middle of nowhere, and then he won't be a threat to us. He doesn't even have a wand right now, so he's in no position to rise to power again. Besides, he's been in this prison even longer than me, so I expect he is very weak. And possibly not of sane mind, as living in this place makes one go a little mad. I don't want him to get in the way of what we have to do, but I don't feel comfortable leaving him here either. So please, free him, for me" pleaded Genevieve.

Tom groaned and threw his arm around Genevieve's shoulders.
"Alright fine. Let's go and free dear old daddy, before we make our way back to England" sighed Tom.
"Thank you, Vee" replied Genevieve.
"You're lucky I love you so much" mumbled Tom, as they headed out the door.
"I know... And after we've freed my father there is one place we have to go before we do anything"
"And where's that?"
"Home".

*************
Suprise!
I decided to finish this trilogy before writing all the other fanfics I have in mind.

So, buckle up and get ready for the final installment of Riddle and Grindelwald.

After a lifetime of suffering, will Genevieve finally get her happy ever after? Wait and see...