Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

19. Escalating

Since the Ministry now accepted that Tom was back, the Daily Prophet could begin warning people, instead of writing fake propaganda.
In the weeks that followed the break in at the Ministry, Genevieve noticed many changes in the wizarding world.
Tom had escalated his attacks, and she could tell that people were beginning to fear for their lives once again.
Despite some of his death eaters being locked in Azkaban, Tom made no attempt to rescue them, for he felt that they deserved to be punished for failing to retrieve the prophecy.

The Dementors had left Azkaban as soon as Tom had offered them a place in his army.
Giants and werewolves had also joined their ranks, despite Genevieve's disgust for such creatures.
With his army working so effectively, Tom felt powerful enough to start attacking those at the Ministry.
And because of this, the death toll began to rise, just like it had done in the first wizarding war.
Although Genevieve did not agree with him killing so many people, like always, she could turn a blind eye to his wrongdoings, because she loved him.

"Well, you certainly aren't being subtle anymore" commented Genevieve one evening, as she put down her Evening Prophet and looked over at her husband.
"What makes you say that?" Questioned Tom, who was sat in the armchair opposite her, tenderly stroking Nagini.
"You blew up the entire Brockdale bridge, causing the deaths of several Muggles. That is the kind of thing that gets you noticed" replied Genevieve.
Tom shrugged, "So? I warned Fudge that I would go on a mass killing spree, if he didn't give control of the Ministry over to me. He refused, so I had my death eaters destroy a bridge. No big deal".

"You knew he wasn't just going to step aside and allow you to take over" said Genevieve.
"Yes. But by threatening him publicly like that, I guaranteed that people would lose faith in him once I went through with my threat. And I was right. The whole magical community has been begging Fudge to resign for weeks, and now he finally has" admitted Tom.
"I don't think his resignation is anything to celebrate. The man was an idiot, who we could easily manipulate. And he has been replaced by a much more competent wizard; Rufus Scrimgeour, who used to be the Head of the auror department. He will be a harder opponent to beat than Fudge" sighed Genevieve.

"Scrimgeour may be an ex-auror, but he is still a Ministry official. I will be able to scare and control him, just like I did with every other Minister who came before him" reassured Tom.
"You've certainly made the people of this country very scared of you, that's for sure" admitted Genevieve.
Tom smiled and placed his hands together, allowing Nagini to slither away.
"I do have a talent for inspiring fear in my enemies" grinned Tom.
"The general public have no idea who you will attack next, as your murders seem to be entirely random" replied Genevieve.
"That is exactly how I want it to be. I don't want anyone to be able to predict what I am going to do next".

"You know that I'm not exactly a big fan of all this killing and destruction" Genevieve said quietly.
"I killed dozens of witches and wizards in the first war, so why are you so put off by me killing people now?" Questioned Tom.
"The last war went on for years. Whereas this time around we've only been attacking the Ministry for a month or so. And it feels like a lot of death in such a small space of time. Last time you would only cause chaos like twice a year, so it didn't effect me so much" admitted Genevieve.
"I promised you that I would do things differently this time. I'm not going to wait around and waste time like before. And I will overthrow the Ministry by the end of the decade, just like I swore to you I would. Which is why things seem to be happening a lot faster this time".

"Did you really kill Amelia Bones, yourself, like the papers are suggesting?" Asked Genevieve curiously.
"I did. I didn't trust one of my death eaters to do it for me. I knew she would be hard to kill, just like her brother Edgar. She was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, afterall. And after one of my death eater placed that weak Imperius Curse on Herbert Chorley; the man close to the Muggle prime minister, I feared that I cannot trust them to do my dirty work for me. Which is why I killed Madam Bones myself" answered Tom.

"You say you don't want your death eaters to do your dirty work for you. Yet you allowed your followers to wreck havoc in the West Country along with a bunch of giants" reminded Genevieve.
"There was no harm in that. It was just a little bit of fun. And an exercise to remind people how powerful I am. I didn't need to be involved in that event since it was not an important mission. I just needed them to create some chaos. So, I may have allowed my death eaters to run a little wild in Somerset, I admit" replied Tom.

"What about Emmeline Vance? Did you kill her too, or did you relegate her murder to one of your not so trustworthy followers?" Asked Genevieve.
"No, I did not feel the need to kill her personally. So, I sent someone I trusted to do it for me" informed Tom.
Genevieve frowned, "Was this trustworthy person Bellatrix Lestrange, by any chance?".
"No. I know how much Bella likes to play with her food, so to speak, and Emmeline Vance is a pure-blooded witch who I felt deserved a cleaner death. Which is why I didn't have Bella kill her" revealed Tom.

"You know Bellatrix is crazy right?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Her time in Azkaban may have changed her, but I do not think she is insane" answered Tom.
"She is a deranged lunatic, who will do anything to please you. Spending all those years in prison, made her even more warped and twisted than before. Which is why I don't like how much trust you put in her" admitted Genevieve.
"She may be rather eccentric, but she is loyal to me, and that is all that matters. Now, please change the subject, because I don't want to get into another argument with you over Bella" replied Tom sternly.
"Fine" grumbled Genevieve.

After a few moments of silence, Genevieve felt safe enough to continue questioning Tom about other things she had read.
"The papers say you had Florean Fortescue killed, is that true?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Some death eaters heard him making rude remarks about us, so I let them kill him. He is also related to Alice Longbottom, who was in the Order of the Phoenix, so there's a chance he was in it too" answered Tom.
"And Ollivander has also disappeared, did you have something to do with that?" Asked Genevieve.
"Yes, I had him kidnapped".

Genevieve frowned, "But he's not in our basement".
"No, he's currently locked in the cellar at Malfoy Manor. I didn't think you would want a prisoner in our home, which is why I gave him to Narcissa and Bella to watch over" revealed Tom.
"No, I wouldn't have appreciated having him in my house... Why kidnap him though? Why not just kill him like you did with everyone else who was a threat to you?" Quizzed Genevieve.
"I didn't take him because he was a threat. He has information I need, which is why I ordered my death eaters to take him. I also thought I could use him, and force him to make everyone who spent time in prison, new wands. Including you, if you'd like one".

"It would be nice to have a wand made specifically for me. Because then I would be its master" smiled Genevieve.
"Then I will put your name at the top of the list" promised Tom.
"I would also like it if I didn't have to learn about what you get up to, in the papers. I want to know when you have caused chaos, or killed somebody, before everyone else" replied Genevieve.
"I kept my actions from you, because I didn't want to upset you. But if you want to know everything that is going on, then in the future, I will tell you".

"Good... What information do you need from Ollivander anyway?" Asked Genevieve.
"Back in the graveyard, my wand and Potter's seemed to connect for several moments, and I want to know why. Ollivander is an expert on wand lore, so I am sure he will be able to answer all my questions, if I torture him enough. For if I am going to kill Potter, without hearing the whole prophecy, I need to make sure that nothing stands in my way. The next time we meet, I will kill him!" Announced Tom.