Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

23. Why?

Genevieve and Tom hadn't fully made up the following morning, but they had decided to put the argument behind them and move forward.
It was clear that Tom was not going to change his mind about Draco. So Genevieve just hoped that Dumbledore would stay on his guard around the boy, and not allow himself to get killed by Draco.
Genevieve spent most of the day alone, getting used to her new wand.
But that evening, she apparated to Mathilde's house for the first time in several weeks.

"I was getting worried about you" admitted Mathilde, as she led Genevieve into the living room.
"I'm sure that if the Ministry do catch up with me, they will put my re-capture in every newspaper. So, you will definitely know the second I am caught. Which is why you don't need to worry if you go a few weeks without seeing me" replied Genevieve.
"It is not the Ministry I am worried about causing you harm" revealed Mathilde.
"Your father would never hurt me"
"Are you sure? Didn't he hit you once?"
"He raised his hand, but stopped himself before me actually hit me. And he never came close to doing it ever again. While it's true that we do argue a lot, he is not physically abusive to me, I promise".

"So, why haven't we seen you recently?" Questioned Hannah, as Genevieve sat down on the sofa.
"With everything going on, I've just been busy" answered Genevieve.
"Busy blowing up bridges" mumbled Hannah coldly.
"Han, don't" hissed Mathilde.
"For your information Hannah, no, I was not involved in the destruction of that Muggle bridge. In fact, I didn't know it was going to be destroyed, until I saw the wreckage in the Daily Prophet" admitted Genevieve.
"You really expect me to believe that? You are married to You-Know-Who, surely he keeps you up to date with all of his murderous plans" replied Hannah.

"My husband does not tell me everything he gets up to. He doesn't keep secrets from me, but sometimes he just neglects to mention certain things" informed Genevieve.
"Lots of bad things have happened since the attack on the Ministry. So many deaths and disappearances" Mathilde said quietly.
"We didn't attack the Ministry. We were only after a prophecy which was being kept in the Department of Mysteries" revealed Genevieve.
"Why were you after a prophecy?" Quizzed Mathilde.
"The prophecy was about Harry Potter and your father. When it was first made, we only ever heard the beginning. This time around we wanted to hear the whole thing, before rising to power".

"Is what they say about Harry Potter really true? Is he really the chosen one, and the only person who can defeat You-Know-Who?" Asked Hannah excitedly.
"That is what the prophecy seems to suggest" sighed Genevieve.
"What exactly did it say?" Quizzed Hannah.
"Well, as I said earlier, we only heard the beginning, which was recited to us by one of our spies. It went like something like this, the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches. Born to parents who have thrice defied him. Born as the 7th month dies. And that's all we heard"
"So, there is a chance that Harry Potter will succeed in killing him?"
"Maybe".

"This is the best news I've heard in ages" admitted Hannah.
Genevieve frowned at her, "Careful. That is my husband you are talking about".
"But he's a killer, mother. He's a bad person" reminded Mathilde.
"He is also the love of my life, and your father. Do you really want him to be murdered?" Questioned Genevieve.
"For the sake of the wizarding world, yes. I don't really want him to die. But if it's a choice between my father, and hundreds of innocent people, then I would let my father die"
"And I guess that's the difference between us. Because I will always put him first".

"But why? He is a terrible person, so why do you love him so much?" Questioned Mathilde.
"It is hard to explain matters of the heart. But I love him, and I know that he loves me in return, despite all my flaws" answered Genevieve.
"But he's evil, and you are not" insisted Mathilde.
"I am not a good person"
"Yes you are. You saved me. You did the right thing, despite the personal cost"
"I protected my child from her father. I wouldn't say that makes me a saint"
"You are not like him. You're human just like everyone else, which is why you make mistakes. But he is not human. He's a monster".

"I am a monster too... I killed again this week" revealed Genevieve.
Hannah gasped, "You did? Who did you kill? Was it a Muggle-born like me?".
"No, I have never killed a Muggle or a Muggle-born" reassured Genevieve.
"Then who did you murder?" Demanded Hannah.
"Igor Karkaroff"
"Wasn't he the headmaster of Durmstrang?"
"Yes. But he was also a death eater. He betrayed us after the first wizarding war. And it was because of him that I ended up in Nurmengard"
"So, you killed him to get revenge"
"Not exactly".

"Tell us what happened" Encouraged Mathilde.
"We've been searching for him for over a year. The death eaters found him, and we all came together to punish him. He was tortured and humiliated for over an hour. By the end of it he was barely alive. I was forced to kill him. I couldn't have refused, not in front of all of those death eaters. If I had, the consequences would have been disastrous" explained Genevieve.
"You had a choice, and you chose the easy path" replied Hannah.
"I didn't have a choice! Besides, he wasn't going to be allowed to live. I killed him to end his suffering" insisted Genevieve.
"So, it was a mercy killing? How generous of you" mocked Hannah.

"Ignore her... I'm sorry you had to do that" Mathilde said softly, as she squeezed her mothers hand.
"Every time I kill someone, I feel like a part of me dies too. I wish there was a way to ensure that I didn't have to do it ever again" sighed Genevieve.
"There is. You can become a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, and help bring him down. Or, you could just run away and leave him. You could even stay here with us, we'll keep you hidden" promised Mathilde.
"It's a nice idea. But I could never leave him" admitted Genevieve.

"Why? Why does he have such a hold on you? You've seen him do awful thing, so how can you willingly stay by his side? How can you love a man like that?" Questioned Mathilde.
"And don't say that you stay with him because he loves you, because I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel emotions" added Hannah.
"He does love me. If he didn't, we wouldn't have had 4 children" pointed out Genevieve.
"Gross" shuddered Hannah.
"Even if I wanted to leave, which I don't, he would never let me go. He wouldn't rest until I was back at his side" admitted Genevieve.
"Dumbledore could protect you, like he did for me" replied Mathilde.

"Dumbledore is old and probably doesn't have long left to live. Whereas Lord Voldemort gains power every single day. Besides, I don't deserve to be protected by Dumbledore. I may not be as bad as my husband, but I have done bad things in my life as well. Which is why we are perfect for each other. We are soul mates who are meant to be together" insisted Genevieve.
"I get why you stayed with him in the past mum, but why stay with him now? Surely he has become a different person to the man you once knew, all those years ago?" Asked Mathilde.

"He has changed a lot since I first met him, it's true. But it's too late for me to swap sides. I am 70 years old, so it is too late for me to become someone else... I was always going to fall for a man like him. I grew up surrounded by Gellert Grindelwald's supporters, who believed they were better than everyone else. I then went to school and shared a room with other Slytherin girls who had the same views. I fell in love with a boy who felt like an outcast, like I did, and that boy become Lord Voldemort. Since we were 11 we haven't been apart, except for when I was in prison. We belong together, and I don't know how to exist without him. He is my other half and the only person who understands me. Which is why I cannot betray him" announced Genevieve.

"But you already have. You met with Albus Dumbledore, his enemy, several times. And you hid me from him. You have done plenty of things behind his back" reminded Mathilde.
"There is a difference between protecting you, and telling the Order about his plans and future missions. Unlike you, I do not want him to die. Without him I would be all alone, until the end of time. And I can't be alone again, like I was in Nurmengard" replied Genevieve.
"You wouldn't be alone, you'd have me"
"Only until you died. And then I would be all alone once more".

"You really think that you will outlive us?" Frowned Hannah.
Genevieve looked at the Horcrux on Mathilde's wrist, before nodding her head.
"I think you will find that killing me, is just as hard as killing him. Like my husband, I delved into dark magic to increase my life span. This was not something I wanted to do. But my husband wanted the two of us to live forever" revealed Genevieve.
"But that's impossible. No one can live forever" replied Hannah.
Genevieve smiled sadly, "I guess we will see who is right in the end".