Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

24. Little Dragon

Genevieve thought a lot about what Mathilde had said about sides, when she returned home to Tom.
She knew that she loved Tom, and would do anything he asked of her.
But after everything she'd seen him do, Genevieve wasn't sure that she wanted him to successfully take over the wizarding world.
She didn't want him to die or be taken from her, but she wasn't sure that she wanted him to overthrow the government either.
If Tom did manage to take control of the Ministry, so many innocent people would be killed.
Muggles and Muggle-borns would be tormented and stripped of their dignity.
And Genevieve wasn't sure that she could really just stand by and watch while so many people suffered.

She had accepted her fate as Lord Voldemort's wife, a long time ago, and she knew that she was a bad and selfish person.
Good people did the right thing, no matter the cost. They would rather die than betray their loved ones and their ideals.
Genevieve knew she was not like the noble and brave people in the Order of the Phoenix.
But deep down, she wasn't as cruel as Tom or Bellatrix.
She didn't enjoy hurting people, and she hated it every time Tom made her kill someone.
However, she wasn't sure what she would do if she really had to choose between Tom, and the safety of the wizarding world.

The first person Tom's new regime was going to hurt, was young Draco Malfoy.
So, the day before Draco would return to Hogwarts, Genevieve turned up at the Malfoy Manor, unannounced, to talk to the boy.
"I'm just coming mother" shouted Draco, as Genevieve pushed open his bedroom door.
"I said I..." Draco faltered as he spun around and saw Genevieve standing before him, instead of Narcissa.
"You're not my mother" continued Draco.
"No, I'm not" agreed Genevieve.

Draco seemed to be in shock, and he wasn't sure how to react.
Genevieve and him and never spoken to each other before.
And they had only seen each other a handful of time, during which Tom was always by Genevieve's side.
"Forgive my rudeness, my lady" apologised Draco, as he bowed his head.
"You are not rude. I turned up unexpectedly in your room, it is I who is at fault, not you. Anyway, please call me Genevieve, for so few people do, and I would like it if you addressed me by my name" insisted Genevieve.

"How may I help you, Genevieve?" Questioned Draco, as he raised his head to look at Genevieve.
"I came here this evening, because I wanted to talk to you" informed Genevieve.
"Do you wish to talk to me about the mission the dark lord gave me?" Questioned Draco.
"Yes. And there is no need to look so afraid, for I mean you no harm. I have no grievance with you. It is only your father whom I do not particularly like"
"Why don't you like my father?"
"Him and his friends were disloyal to my husband, after the first wizarding war. They chose not to try and help me when I was arrested, because they were more worried about their own freedom and reputations".

"So, you don't like the death eaters who avoided Azkaban?" Quizzed Draco.
"No, I do not. But I don't particularly like those who did go to Azkaban. I have a long lasting feud with your aunt Bellatrix. Anyway, I didn't come all this way to talk to you about that deranged woman" admitted Genevieve.
The corner of Draco's mouth moved into a smile for just a moment.
"I take it you have no love for your mother's sister?" Continued Genevieve.
"She's a very powerful witch, and she's been teaching me Occlumency" revealed Draco.
"That is a useful skill, and one I use a lot myself. But your aunt's amazing skills don't make her a pleasant person. And you certainly don't need to pretend to like her, around me" replied Genevieve.

"She is my mother's sister, so I must get along with her" sighed Draco.
"She's not your mother's only sister though. Narcissa is the youngest of three sisters. Bellatrix is the oldest, and Andromeda is the middle child. However, since Andromeda married a Muggle-born, and was cast out of the family, I don't expect you know much about her" admitted Genevieve.
"Mother has never mentioned her" revealed Draco.
"That's not surprising, given your parents views on blood supremacy... But like I said, I'm here to talk about you, not your family. It is your mission that I wish to discuss with you".

"Do you have any updates for me, regarding my mission?" Asked Draco.
"Not exactly. I'm here to give you some advice" answered Genevieve.
Draco's face lit up at this news, "You have information that you think will help me?".
"I tried to help you, by getting my husband to change his mind about giving you so much responsibility. Alas, I was not successful. So, I am here to give you a little nudge in the right direction. While it's true that you were given two tasks to complete. You only really need to do one".

Draco frowned, "I don't understand".
"I want you to focus on getting death eaters into the castle. We want to take Hogwarts, because it means so much to us. It's the home of our ancestors, which is why we want it under our control and not the Ministry. Only someone on the inside of the school can let us in, which is why this mission was given to a bright and trustworthy student like you" replied Genevieve.
"But what about Dumbledore?" Questioned Draco.

"Dumbledore can be killed at any time, by anybody. There is no rush to have him killed. And he certainly does not need to be dead by the end of your school year" informed Genevieve.
"But the dark lord said-" started Draco.
"My husband wants Dumbledore dead, it's true. He gave you the mission to kill your headmaster, because it would please him if you did kill the old man. But your dark lord does not actually expect you to kill Dumbledore. And I don't want you wasting time and energy trying to come up with ideas to kill him, when your time could be better spent figuring out how to get death eaters into the castle" interupted Genevieve.

"So, the dark lord really won't be angry with me if I don't manage to kill Dumbledore?" Questioned Draco.
"No, he won't be. And you don't need to worry about repercussions if you fail at getting death eaters into Hogwarts, for I will protect you and your mother. I made a deal with him, to keep you both safe" lied Genevieve.
"Why? You don't owe my family anything. So, why would you want to help us?" Quizzed Draco.
"I lost my sons when they were not much older than you. Since then, I have stepped up to protect young boys who serve our cause. So that we don't lose any more talented young people on dangerous missions"
"I'm sorry about your sons"
"Thank you... I must be on my way now, since I think I can hear your mother calling you for dinner. Take care Mister Malfoy, and don't forget what I told you".

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The title of this chapter is a reference to another fanfiction I wrote. I wonder how many people can remember in which fanfic I referred to Draco as a Little Dragon.