Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

12. Brave Boy

Genevieve found it strange to be reunited with her daughter, but have to return home without her.
She wished she could take Mathilde with her, but that would be impossible, for Tom would quickly work out that Genevieve was the one who hid their daughter.
Mathilde had her own life, and Genevieve didn't want Tom ruining it.
Tom was a skilled Legilimens, who could read almost anyone's mind, and Genevieve couldn't risk him reading Mathilde's.
Only her thoughts were safe, for Genevieve had been practicing Occlumency for so many years, to keep Tom out of her head.

Several weeks after meeting Mathilde, Genevieve found a shocking article in the paper, regarding Tom's resurrection.
This article was not in the Daily Prophet, but a less well known paper called the Quibbler.
It had been written by the journalist Rita Skeeter, and Harry Potter was the one who had given her the information to write her article.
"He's brave" mumbled Genevieve, during breakfast.
"Who's brave?" Questioned Tom, as he looked up from the Daily Prophet.
Genevieve bit her lip awkwardly, for she hadn't intended to speak aloud.
"Harry Potter" answered Genevieve.

Tom frowned, "And why exactly is Potter brave?".
"He had an interview with Rita Skeeter, who has just published her findings in the paper" explained Genevieve.
"I thought the Ministry were stopping the Daily Prophet from writing anything about me, because they don't want people to know the truth" replied Tom.
"They are. But the Daily Prophet isn't the only wizarding newspaper in this country. And we get all the papers sent to us each morning, so that we can keep up to date with what is going on in the wizarding world".

"Why does Potter giving an interview make him brave though?" Asked Tom.
"Because he knows that the whole wizarding world thinks him and Dumbledore are dangerous liars. He gave that interview, knowing full well that there was going to be a big backlash. He had to fully accept the consequences of his actions, before going public with his story. He did the right thing, despite the personal cost. It can't have been easy for him to talk about Cedric Diggory's death, but he did it anyway. The boy is only 15, yet he did something most adults would struggle to do, he put his own reputation on the line, for the benefit of others. And for that, I think he is brave" announced Genevieve.

"You almost sound like you admire the boy" said Tom through gritted teeth.
"Don't you? I know he is our enemy, and supposedly the only person who can kill you. But you don't have to like someone, to admire them. Despite losing everyone he cares about, the boy is still pure of heart. He always wants to do the right thing, which is why I admire him" admitted Genevieve.
"He has a knack for staying alive, I admire him for that, since not dying is something I have personally tried very hard to do" sighed Tom.
"He's good at other things as well, not just not dying. He is an incredible young boy, who has accomplished so much in his short life"
"Alright, stop singing his praises, he is the enemy, remember... Which paper published Potter's interview anyway"
"The Quibbler".

Tom chuckled, "That's alright then. No one is going to take anything he says seriously, if the article was published by the Quibbler. Since that paper only published nonsense articles. The only reason we read it, is because it makes us laugh. Most people view it as a completey fictitious newspaper, so no one is going to believe anything Potter said in his article".
"You might be suprised. He may have succeeded in making more people believe him. And after the Azkaban breakout, more and more people are starting to lose faith in the Ministry. A lot of people are beginning to believe Harry and Dumbledore. It won't be long before everyone knows that you really have returned" admitted Genevieve.
"Well, we knew it was only a matter of time before the Ministry accepted that I was back. I couldn't stay hidden in the shadows forever. But the Ministry's refusal to believe that I was back, for all these months, has given us a big advantage" replied Tom.

"It has. The Ministry have forbidden the students of Hogwarts to learn any real magic in their Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Which means that none of the children will be prepared to fight the death eaters" said Genevieve.
"Fudge's paranoia really has worked in my favour" grinned Tom.
"Yes. His fear of Dumbledore, has made him stupid. He sees enemies in allies. Dumbledore is the most powerful person they've got on their side, and the Minister turned him into an enemy. Instead of unifying together to beat us, they decided to fight a war against each other. Fudge stopped the students from learning offensive magic, because he didn't want Dumbledore to make an army, which could be used against the Ministry. The man is an idiot" replied Genevieve.

"His loss is our gain. We have been able to achieve great things because of his stupidity" admitted Tom.
"Yes, we have" sighed Genevieve.
"But even if everyone realises we are back, it doesn't matter, for it was about time for us to make ourselves known. I want the world to fear me, and they can't do that if they don't know I really have returned. So, in a way, Potter has done us a favour by doing that interview with Rita Skeeter" replied Tom.
"I guess. But Harry didn't just mention your return, he also told Skeeter the names of everyone in the graveyard that night. So the death eaters identities are compromised, and they won't be able to leak us Ministry information to us anymore".

"That is unfortunate. However, I have been recruiting new followers to make up for the ones I lost. And Potter doesn't know about them, so they can become my new spies" revealed Tom.
"New followers are never as loyal as old ones" replied Genevieve.
"I know you are worried about being betrayed again. But you don't need to be afraid, for I will not allow another Igor Karkaroff into my army. Only the loyalist in my army will be branded with the dark mark, and will be told confidential information. I won't make the same mistake twice" reassured Tom.

"I hope not... It's a shame that only the good guys get loyal followers, whereas the villians henchmen are always so quick to turn on their masters. It's one of the reasons I hate being a villain" mumbled Genevieve.
"You forget that I used to have a spy in the Order of the Phoenix, which proves that even the so called good guys, can turn on each other when it suits them" reminded Tom.
"Yes, but Wormtail's information led you to the Potter's house that night, and got you killed. So, your informant wasn't as much help as you thought he was going to be"
"It was Wormtail who helped us kill so many Order members in the first war".

"But we don't have Wormtail as a spy anymore" sighed Genevieve.
"No, we have someone much more reliable. We have Snape" smiled Tom.
"I guess that's true. And Severus Snape is a far greater wizard than Peter Pettigrew ever was. But everyone knows that Snape used to be a death eater, so I don't expect those in the Order truly trust him" replied Genevieve.
"Dumbledore trusts Snape, completely. That man loves giving people a second chance. His ability to see the best in people, will be his undoing".