the trial ; d.m

6

She can't narrow it down. Can't figure out what it is Malfoy could use against her that Theodore doesn't already know. To her knowledge, there's nothing she's done that could harm him if he learns of it.

And it can't be her infamous lineage. Most people know of her distant relation to You Know Who. They've known for years so it comes as no surprise. And no one cares anymore considering how distant it actually is. Geneva's not even sure if Voldemort knew she existed. Whether he had, she'll never know.

She has always reckoned if he had known there  existed Muggle family and a Muggle-born descendant that bloomed from his father's lineage, he would certainly have had them all executed.

It was his father's brother who survived. Voldemort apparently hadn't bothered to confirm whether or not Tom Riddle possessed any more family besides his parents.

Geneva's great grandfather went on to have many children, including her grandfather who eventually had her father. And so the Riddle name passed down through the generations as names traditionally do. It wasn't until she arrived at Hogwarts that she came to realise this name was nothing to be proud of. After all, it meant nothing in the Muggle world.

Not many had known that Voldemort and Tom Riddle were the same person until her second year when the Chamber of Secrets was unveiled and established the relevance of the Riddle name to public knowledge.

Of course, when everyone found out they made sure to steer clear of Geneva, despite the fact that she had always been a very courteous, quiet girl through her school years and never exposed any threat to anyone. They simply feared her for her name. For her blood.

It wasn't until her sixth year, until Theodore, that everything was mostly forgotten. The students she'd always observed from afar suddenly wanted to be her friend. Only because she was the girl that Theodore Nott couldn't take his eyes off of.

Whatever it is that Malfoy holds over Geneva, she isn't too worried. After thinking it through again and again, she decides to give herself peace of mind, assuring herself he's bluffing.

When Theodore comes home from the Ministry, she's already in bed, a book perched in front of her as the lines dance on the page through her tired eyes that flicker to a close every few seconds.

After Geneva's interaction with Malfoy that evening, she resigned herself to her bedroom and refused to leave until Theodore returned. She couldn't stand to see Malfoy again.

Bigsby brought dinner to her in bed and she  excused herself as ill. The house elf was especially tentative, asking her all sorts of questions concerning her health. But she dismissed the elf, rather piqued by his persistence.

"Bigsby says you don't feel well," Theodore frowns when he perches onto the bed beside her.

It's not completely a lie. She can feel a migraine forming in her temples, but it's vague.

"I just need to rest," she states, tossing the book onto her bedside table and shifting down further under the covers.

He doesn't say anything else and she's glad. It's clear to say that she's rather frustrated with him currently. After what Malfoy told her about his voluntary act that he had never informed her on— had even lied to her face about, she feels uncomfortably bitter towards him.

When she's half asleep and all of the lights are switched off, she feels Theodore slip into bed beside her. His arms cascade around her waist, chin buried in the crook of her neck and he's holding her close to him. He's warm and she finds herself revelling in it despite her grudge.