Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

10. A Mother's Love

"What did you just say?" Questioned Genevieve, who was praying that she had misheard Mathilde.
"You are my mother" repeated Mathilde.
"What makes you say that?" Asked Genevieve.
"I- I don't know. I can just feel it. The moment you touched me, I just knew. Please tell me I'm right, and don't lie to me. I'm not a child, so I deserve to know the truth about who I am, and where I came from".
Genevieve sighed and sat back down in her seat, "I won't lie to you".
"So, I am right, you are my mother?" Quizzed Mathilde.
Genevieve said nothing, but nodded her head.

Mathilde slowly sat down, taking it all in.
"If you are my mother, and you are alive, then why do I live with my grandmother? And why did you both lie to me all this time, and make me believe that you were dead?" Demanded Mathilde.
"It's complicated" admitted Genevieve.
"Did you not want me?" Mathilde asked quietly.
"Of course I did. I loved you from the moment I realised I was having you. Giving you up was the hardest thing I have ever done. It broke my heart to hand you over to someone else. But I had no choice, I had to keep you safe"
"Why was I in danger?"
"Your father wasn't exactly a family man, and he was going to turn you into a weapon to make himself more powerful".

"I don't understand. You wanted to hide me from my own father, yet you placed me with my grandmother. That doesn't seem like the best hiding place" commented Mathilde.
"No. But Arabella Figg is not your grandmother. She raised you, and I am forever in her debt for that. But you are not biologically related to her. I also had Dumbledore place protective magic around you, so that me and your father would never be able to find you. I couldn't see you, in case he read my mind, and saw you there. It was best for everyone if you grew up with someone else, and forgot about the life you had with us" informed Genevieve.

"Are you saying that Dumbledore erased my memories of you?" Questioned Mathilde.
"Yes. He didn't want to. But I told him that you would never be able to have a normal life, if you remembered who you used to be" answered Genevieve.
"You had no right to do that. You had no right to take away my memories and mess around with my life" snapped Mathilde.
"I'm sorry. But trust me, you are much better off, not knowing about where you came from"
"You can't know that for sure"
"I can. You see, my father was also a powerful and dangerous man. So, I knew that you would be much better off without your father in your life".

"I can't believe that my whole life has been a lie. Everything I knew was fake, it was just an illusion. I mean, is Jenny even my real name?" Quizzed Mathilde.
"No, it's not. Dumbledore picked your name, I had no input in it" answered Genevieve.
"So? Are you going to tell me my real name, or not?" Demanded Mathilde.
"No, I am not. I can't risk breaking the memory charm Dumbledore placed on you, by telling you your real name".

"Look, I am not a child in need of your protection. I am an adult, and I deserve to know who I am" insisted Mathilde.
"Trust me on this, you do not want to know the truth" replied Genevieve.
"I do. That's why I am sitting here, pleading with you to tell me. How can I live the rest of my life, not knowing who I am or where I come from?" Asked Mathilde.
"My own father hid his identity from me, for my whole childhood. I grew up believing he was my uncle. When I found out that he was really my father, it turned my whole life upside down, and I don't want that to happen to you"
"Isn't that my choice to make?"
"No, I'm your mother, and it is my job to protect you, no matter how old you get".

"Please! If you were me, wouldn't you want to know the truth? If you also grew up not knowing who your father was, then you know what it is like to be me right now. And if you don't tell me, then I will find the truth out for myself. I will not rest until I get the answers I need" announced Mathilde.
"No, don't do that" begged Genevieve.
"I will, if you don't have the guts to tell me yourself" replied Mathilde.
"If your father finds out about you, he will come for you, and you will never be able to live the life that you want to... And if he finds out that I was the one who hid you from him, he might kill me"
"He might be angry with you, but I think that killing you would be a step too far".

"You don't know him like I do. He's a killer. I couldn't even tell you how many people he has murdered. That's why I had to keep you from him. I didn't want him to make you a killer too" admitted Genevieve.
"I am all grown up now, so he can't change who I am. A child can easily be influenced, but I am not a child" replied Mathilde.
"No, you're not... Are you sure you want the truth?" Asked Genevieve.
"Yes"
"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you".
Genevieve pointed her wand at her own face and removed the charm she had used to alter her appearance.

"I- I recognise you" said Mathilde.
"Do you remember where from?" Questioned Genevieve.
"You were in the Daily Prophet recently. You escaped from Nurmengard prison" answered Mathilde.
"I was rescued from that hell hole, by my husband"
"The paper said that your name was Genevieve Grindelwald, and that you were the wife of You-Know-Who"
"For once, the Daily Prophet was correct. Lord Voldemort is my husband, and my birth name was Genevieve Elodie Grindelwald"
"If You-Know-Who is your husband, then that means...".
Mathilde faltered as she began putting the pieces together.

"I'm the daughter of You-Know-Who" mumbled Mathilde, a few moments later.
"Now you see why I didn't want to tell you who your father was" sighed Genevieve.
"No. It can't be true. I can't be his daughter" replied Mathilde.
"He was a very different man when I first met him. He was charming, and brilliant. The two of us were soul mates"
"He was a killer"
"He still is. His years in hiding have not made him kinder"
"Are you saying that he really is back?"
"Young Harry Potter has been trying to tell everyone for nearly a year now. But yes, Lord Voldemort is back".

"This can't be happening" muttered Mathilde, as she placed her head into her hands.
"I'm sorry. I really did not want you to find out the truth when I came here today. I just wanted to make sure that you were happy and healthy, before leaving you alone to continue your life. I didn't want to ruin the life you have built for yourself" insisted Genevieve.
"I can't live with this knowledge, I need to know who I was before you wiped my mind" admitted Mathilde.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. There is a lot of suffering in your previous life, that you probably don't want to remember".

"How old was I, when you gave me up?" Questioned Mathilde.
"You were 8 years old" answered Genevieve.
"Then that's 8 years of memories I would like back" informed Mathilde.
"I don't think I can remove the memory charm, for I was not the one who placed it. I could destroy your mind if I try to break the enchantment that Dumbledore placed"
"That's a risk that I'm willing to take, for I cannot go on like this".

"I cannot guarantee your safety, or what you will be like once the enchantment breaks, and your two lives try and combine in to one" warned Genevieve.
"I don't care, I want you to do it. You owe it to me. This is all your fault afterall" replied Mathilde.
"Alright, fine. I won't do it down here though. I will get Aberforth to take us up to a private room, so that I can perform the spell without anyone watching"
"O.K then, let's do this".