Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

63. After All This Time

Albus Dumbledore was the angel Genevieve knew she didn't deserve.
He fought for her in court and got the Ministry to agree to her terms. She would confess to all her crimes of her own free will, if they sent her to Nurmengard and allowed her to see her father one last time, before she was incarcerated.
Unlike the last time she saw her father, she was not accompanied by only Dumbledore, for two guards stood by her side, to stop her from escaping.
"Setä" Genevieve said quietly when they reached Gellert Grindelwald's cell.
A figure stirred inside the cell and shuffled to the bars to meet her.

It had been around 30 years since Genevieve had seen her father, but despite this, they both recognised each other, due to their shared physical trait; Heterchromia. And their matching golden eyes shone in the dark as they approached each other.
"Genevieve, what are you doing here?" Asked Gellert as he stepped further into the light.
Genevieve was disturbed to see just how old he looked, for he wasn't half as well kept as Dumbledore was, despite them being the same age. But she tried not to show her emotions, for she knew she didn't look too good herself.

"I'm keeping my promise" answered Genevieve.
"After all this time, you never forgot me" replied Gellert.
"Never. You are my father, and I never once forgot about you"
"Why are you wearing handcuffs though?".
Genevieve smiled sadly, "I'm here to join you, permanently. I am being sentenced to life in prison for my crimes. We won't be cell mates exactly, but I am going to be placed in the cell below you, as the top floors of Nurmengard are for the most dangerous witches and wizards. And the daughter of Gellert Grindelwald is certainly a dangerous threat to the world".

Gellert frowned and took hold of the bars, "They have no right to imprison you here, just because you are my daughter. You didn't choose to be a Grindelwald. And being my daughter isn't a crime".
"But being married to Lord Voldemort is a crime. I am to spend the rest of my life in prison, for my crimes against the wizarding world. Which includes the murders of Alec Wilde and Caradoc Dearborn, and being an accomplice to at least a dozen other murders and crimes. I'm not as innocent as you think I am father" revealed Genevieve.
"What in Merlin's name happened to you?" Quizzed Gellert.
"I grew up".

"I never wanted you to end up a prisoner here, like me" admitted Gellert sadly.
"It was here or Azkaban, and I had to confess to all my crimes to get sent here, instead of being killed or thrown to the Dementors. Ending up here was the only way I could keep my promise to you, and get to see you again one last time. Don't feel sorry for me though, for I've always known this was coming. I saw my fate many years ago, and despite seeing my future, I never made any attempt to alter my course. I always knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I never stopped, for I loved my husband unconditionally" replied Genevieve.

"I'm sorry that you lost him then" said Gellert.
"Thanks. But don't worry, I will see him again one day. My husband won't stay dead for long, trust me" admitted Genevieve.
"Did you live a good life though, before ending up here with me?" Asked Gellert.
Genevieve nodded, "I did. Tom loved me right to the end. And together we had three sons; Salazar, Gellert, and Albus. We named our second son after you, because even though you weren't there, I still wanted you to be a part of my family".
Even though she wanted to tell her father about Mathilde, she knew she couldn't risk it with other people listening.
"You named your son after me? Do you think I could meet your children one day?" Questioned Gellert.
"That won't be possible. All of my children were taken from me by aurors, several years ago"
"No!".

"They died fighting for a cause they believed in, and even I couldn't stop them from becoming a part of our army" sighed Genevieve.
"I never wanted you or your children to get hurt fighting for my cause" apologised Gellert.
"They were fighting for their fathers cause, which was slightly different to yours. You would have been proud of them if you'd met them. I wanted to tell you that they existed, but I didn't know how I would get word to you in here. Which is why you are only finding out about them now"
"I'm sorry you have suffered so much in your life, especially as I feel like most of it is my fault".

"I don't want you to feel guilty. My choices led me here, not my relation to you. I chose Tom, and I do not regret my decision. I also forgive you for keeping your real connection to me, a secret. I understand why you did what you did. And since I had to make a similar decision myself, to protect one of my children, I understand how hard it is to hand your child over to someone else" revealed Genevieve, as her eyes flicked to Dumbledore for a second.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness" mumbled Gellert.
"Tough, because you've got it whether you like it or not".

"Time is up" announced one of the guards beside Genevieve.
Before they could grab her, she lunged forward and took hold of her father's hands between the bars, squeezing them tight.
"I love you Setä, and thank you for everything you did for me" she said quickly.
"Take care of yourself Gen, and don't let this place take the fight out of you" replied Gellert.
"I promise" whispered Genevieve, as she was dragged out of the room, and taken away from Gellert's cell.

Genevieve was taken to the floor below and thrown into her own cell.
All the other cells on that floor were empty, just like on the floor above, because the Ministry didn't want her or her father conspiring with anyone.
The cell was basic as it only contained a small wooden bed, a toilet, and a sink.
Once Genevieve was securely locked in her cell, the guards exited the room, leaving her and Dumbledore alone.
"Promise me that you will always look after Mathilde" Genevieve said quietly.
"I promise... Do you ever want me to tell her the truth about you and her father?" Asked Dumbledore.

"No. Removing the enchantment and allowing her to remember who she is, will only cause her pain. So, unless I tell you otherwise, don't interfere with the memory charm on her" informed Genevieve.
"As you wish. I will continue watching over her from a distance, but I will never tell her of her true heritage" promised Dumbledore.
"Thank you. It has to be that way, if I am to keep her safe... Thanks for everything you have done for my family over the years. I have done nothing to deserve such kindness from you, so I am eternally grateful for all the risks you have taken on my behalf"
"You are most welcome. I'm just sorry that there isn't more I can do for you"
"I must pay for my crimes, Dumbledore. I am the villian in the story afterall. And if I have to spend the rest of my life in this cell, staring at these four walls, then so be it... Thank you Dumbledore, and goodbye".

Once Dumbledore had left, Genevieve was truly alone for the first time in a very long time.
Even when Tom had been away, she'd had the servants for company.
But now she was completely alone.
She would spend the rest of her life in that cell, and as Genevieve came to terms with what that meant, she began to cry.
She wasn't sure whether she would ever see Tom again, even though she knew he couldn't properly die, because of his Horcruxes.
Genevieve was also scared that since she had a Horcrux of her own, she would never die, and would therefore end up living inside a jail cell, until the end of time. And since her Horcrux was not in her possession, there was nothing she could do to end her suffering.
So, she would be stuck in a cell, forever.

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The End.

Thank you for reading book 2 of my series Riddle and Grindelwald. Keep an eye out for the third and final book.

There will be a small gap between this and the final book, as I take a short break.

But feel free to read any of my other fanfics in the meantime, although I would avoid the older ones as I wasn't as good a writer back then.
I recommend Not A Monster, and Diggory Is A Loser.
Or if you are looking for something darker, you could try The Half-blood Princess, or the Dark Lord's Pet Princess.
I also have other fanfics that are not Harry Potter related if you fancied something different.

This song is one of many that inspired me to write this fanfic. It is called In The End by Beth Crowley, and is based on the series The Witcher.