Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

40. Trust The Snake

Tom was in a bad mood when he and Genevieve returned home from killing Gregorovitch, because he had failed to retrieve the Elder Wand. And he was even angrier when Genevieve told him that Harry Potter had been inside the Ministry, and still managed to escape.
Genevieve made sure to hide all the photos she had of her father that day, so that Tom would never be able to figure out that the thief was Gellert.
She made sure to hide the photos using magic, so that only she would be able to gain access to them. This would stop Peter getting into them, and Tom seeing them by accident.

Genevieve hid the photos while Nagini was on the other side of the building, because she didn't want the snake to snitch on her to Tom. For she knew that Nagini was loyal to Tom, and not her.
Although Genevieve could speak Parseltongue, she found it much harder to understand the language when it was being used by a snake and not a human, for she hadn't been born a Parselmouth.
She didn't like Nagini, and she hated how fond of her Tom was.

"I wonder what Potter was after in the Ministry of Magic" said Tom, after dinner that evening.
"I don't know. It can't have been the prophecy, because like us, he knows that it was destroyed over a year ago" replied Genevieve.
"I've heard from those at the Ministry that he never went near the Department of Mysteries, so he can't have been after anything in there" admitted Tom.
"Well, since assassination isn't really Harry's thing, I can't imagine he was there to kill the Minister, even though he did go up to that floor"
"I'm glad that you didn't go into work this morning, otherwise you could've bumped into Potter".

"He couldn't have hurt me. I'm immortal remember. Besides, like I said earlier, Harry is not a killer" reminded Genevieve.
"I know that, it's one of his many flaws. But I still don't like the idea of you bumping into him" replied Tom.
"It's a good thing I was at the Malfoy Manor then, far away from the Ministry... There's only one idea that comes to mind, as to why Harry decided to break into the Ministry, and that's to see how much information we have on him. He knows that's he's wanted for questioning, so he probably wanted to see how close we are to catching him".

"We are further away than ever now. We know he was hiding in Grimmauld Place. But since that hideout has been compromised, he won't be going back there again. So, we are back to square one, and we have no idea where Potter is or what he is up to" groaned Tom.
"He will show himself again soon. The boy cannot stay hidden for long, for he is not as good at being a fugitive, as we are. So, we will find him" reassured Genevieve.
"He will come out of hiding again soon, and when he does, I must have the Elder Wand in my possession, so that I can kill him" announced Tom.
"I really think you are putting too much faith into this Elder Wand. It may be slightly more powerful than the average wand. But it doesn't work miracles. Possessing it, won't make you a God".

"I know that. But since I can't use my own wand to kill Potter, I might as well use the Elder Wand to do it. And if there is a wand out there more powerful than mine, then I must find it, to become as strong as possible" said Tom.
Genevieve sighed, "You always say that you keep your promises, which is true. But I honestly don't see how you are going to keep this one. The Elder Wand was stolen like 100 years ago. We don't know who took it, and for all we know, it has been stolen a dozen times since then. Finding it is going to be impossible".

"That's what they say about everything else we have achieved, yet we always manage to succeed. We found the Chamber of Secrets. We both split our souls and made Horcruxes. We discovered who our ancestors were. And we killed the Minister for Magic. All these things would have been impossible for anyone else. But not for us. We achieve what is impossible, no challenge is too great. I will search for this Elder Wand, and I will not stop. I'm not going to die, so I have all the time in the world to find it" announced Tom.

"We don't have all the time in the world to kill Harry Potter though. As each week passes, the boy becomes stronger and more of a threat. We cannot allow him to get older, because if he reaches middle age, there is a good chance that he will be able to destroy you, just like the prophecy says he will. We've beaten him so many times before, because he is just an inexperienced boy. But if he gets much older, I worry that somehow he will be able to defeat you" admitted Genevieve.
"I am immortal, just like you. No matter what the prophecy says, nothing can change the fact that I have Horcruxes. Besides, the only spell Potter really knows, is Expelliarmus. So, there is no need to worry about my safety" reassured Tom.

"You seem to know Harry, better than anyone else, because your minds are connected" commented Genevieve.
"That is true. But ever since that incident at the Ministry, I have been using Occlumency against him. To stop him from seeing into my head" reminded Tom.
"Yes, but you still know him very well. So, where do you think Harry has gone?" Questioned Genevieve.
"He will have gone off the grid, he might even be moving locations, to limit the chance of us finding him"
"Where will he go? What places mean a lot to him?"
"Hogwarts is the only home he has ever had, but even he isn't stupid enough to go anywhere near there"
"No, he wouldn't even risk going to Hogsmeade. Not now that Severus Snape is headmaster".

"Potter wants to go to Godric's Hollow, I'm sure of it. It's where his parents lived and died, so it means a lot to him" admitted Tom.
"Yes, but everyone knows he was born there, so surely he isn't dumb enough to visit Godric's Hollow" replied Genevieve.
"Maybe, maybe not. We both know he's not the brightest bulb in the box. You and I both achieved perfect OWLs and NEWTs, but I don't think he could ever achieve such a thing... If there is a chance that Potter will head to Godric's Hollow, I must leave a trap for him".

"Will you place more death eaters outside his parents house, like you did with Grimmauld Place?" Quizzed Genevieve.
"No, that plan failed, so this time I will have to use a different tactic. I will disguise someone I trust, to look like someone whom Potter would recognise, so that the boy lowers his guard. Once his back is turned, my death eaters can attack, and capture him" answered Tom.
"That sounds like a good plan. Who will you send?" Asked Genevieve.
"I'm not sure yet... Do you know anyone who lives in Godric's Hollow, whom I can use?"
"The only person I can think of who lives there, is Bathilda Bagshot, the magical historian. But she must be like a thousand years old by now. And I've heard she's started losing her mind. She is also loyal to Dumbledore".

Tom smiled, "That's perfect. You always come up with the best ideas, my little comrad. Potter will lower his guard around someone who was loyal to Dumbledore... I will transfigure Nagini into this Bagshot woman, and have her wait in Godric's Hollow, in case Potter does eventually turn up".
"Why Nagini? Wouldn't it be easier to transfigure a human, using Polyjuice Potion?" Questioned Genevieve, who hated the idea of relying on a snake, to catch Harry for them.

"It would be easier, yes. But I need someone who has no prior engagements, who can wait in Godric's Hollow indefinitely, until Potter comes. My death eaters can't drop everything and move to Godric's Hollow, for the foreseeable future. No, Nagini is my best option. I also trust her completely, and since she and I are connected through my Horcrux, she can alert me, the second she has Potter cornered. If the boy does show up in Godric's Hollow, we shall finally get our hands on him" announced Tom.
Since Genevieve didn't like Nagini, she realised that having the snake out of her house, was actually a blessing, for it meant she wouldn't have to put up with the reptile for a while.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's do it" agreed Genevieve.