Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

29. Masked Up

It took Genevieve a month to finish designing and making the death eater masks.
Once she had told Tom that they were done, he organised a ceremony, so that they could hand out the masks to all of Tom's followers.
Only the inner circle of his followers were allowed to be imprinted with the dark mark, but all death eaters would be issued with a mask, to protect their identity.
Tom had ordered his entire army to descend on the manor one evening, to receive their masks.

Genevieve and the boys would also be present at the gathering, so they had dressed in their smartest outfits.
The boys had matching black suits and green ties, and Genevieve wore a dark green velvet dress.
Tom was also dressed very well, and Genevieve could see why so many people respected him, for he did look rather intimidating.
The four of them entered the dining room as a family, and took their places at the front.
Salazar and Gellert both knew that they had to behave when in public, because they had been taught to do so from a young age.
So, even though they were uncomfortable in their suits, neither of them said anything or even dared to move a muscle.

Black drapes had been hung in the hall, giving the room a very eerie feel, which suited the occasion.
The death eaters were all stood in rows, and were wearing black robes with low hoods that obstructed most of their faces.
Genevieve was staggered at how many death eaters there were now.
She had assumed that she'd made too many masks, and that some would be kept for future death eaters, but now she realised that she had only just made enough.
The entire room was full of Tom's followers, and for once, they really looked like an army.

Tom nodded at Genevieve, and she pulled the boys back, so that Tom could take centre stage.
"My friends, welcome. Today marks a new chapter in our lives. Today, we become one united army. You will each be handed a mask, so that from now on, your identity will be protected when you are completing missions in my name. My wife spent a long time designing these masks for you all, so I expect you to take great care of them, for you will not be issued with another. Each mask design is unique to each death eater, and you may not change it. Today, we become a united front against the oppressive Ministry of Magic!" announced Tom.

Tom then flicked his wand at the table that had the masks on, and summoned it to him.
He then motioned the first death eater towards him.
As the man lowered his hood so that Genevieve and Tom could see who he was, Genevieve realised that it was Avery, who was one of the death eaters she could recognise instantly.
Tom handed Avery his mask, and Avery looked at it for a minute, observing the design.
He then placed it on over his face, and turned around so that everyone could see.
Once he had returned to his place, the death eaters began coming up one by one to receive their masks.
Since there were so many of them, this took quite a long time.

****
"I can't wait to send the first group out on a mission, with their masks on" admitted Tom, once the ceremony was over, and the boys had been taken to bed.
"It might take them a while to get used to fighting with a mask on, but I'm sure they'll get the hang of it in no time" replied Genevieve.
"This was such a great idea of yours. Seeing them all stood together, wearing the masks, filled me with inspiration and hope. It feels like everything is finally coming together" said Tom excitedly.
"It was a bit overwhelming to see them all in once place at one time. It seemed almost unreal".

Tom took hold of Genevieve's hands and squeezed them tight.
"This was no dream, it was real. We really have our own army".
"You mean, you have your own army" corrected Genevieve, as she pulled back her hands.
"All of those people would obey your every command, unless it went against one of my previous instructions" reassured Tom.
"I don't know about that. They don't know me all that well, especially some of your newer death eaters. They aren't like Avery or Rosier. They don't know me well enough to follow my instructions without question. Sure, they might show me respect, but I am not their leader. This is your army, not mine. You have dreamed about having your own army ever since we were kids, and now your dream has finally come true".

"Not yet. My dream won't be complete until I have overthrown the Ministry and rid this world of the Mudblood scum that taints our pure magical bloodlines" informed Tom.
"Well, toppling the Ministry might be a little harder than gaining followers" replied Genevieve.
"Yes, but I will achieve my goal, you know I will. I always get what I want. And once I have, then I will give you the world. Everything you want, I will provide" promised Tom.
"All I want is you"
"I know. But I can't give you all of myself, not until my mission is complete".

"I just hope my father can hold on a bit longer then. He's not getting any younger, and prisoners do have such low life expectancies... I promised him all those years ago that I would see him again. And I would hate for him to die before I got the chance to see him, and tell him that I forgive him. I was so angry when I last saw him, for he had just revealed the truth about my parentage to me and Dumbledore. But I have accepted who I am now, and I need to tell him that, before it's too late. And I want to tell him about our boys" admitted Genevieve.
Tom embraced Genevieve and held her tight.
"You will see him again, I swear. Your father is not that old yet, so you do not need to fear about losing him. I will break into Nurmengard, one day soon, so that you can see him. You have my word" replied Tom.

"We both know that you don't have that kind of support or power yet. You won't be able to take Nurmengard until you have overthrown the Ministry. It is going to be years before those things happen" sighed Genevieve.
"But they will happen. You just have to hold on a bit longer. Change doesn't happen overnight, and I just need a bit more time" informed Tom.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here, waiting for you" admitted Genevieve.
"I know you will".