SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

025. CREDE QUOD HABES, ET HABES

"Oh, that's it?" Pavlina let out a laughter of disbelief before waving her hand dismissively. "It's not the end of the world."

"In due time, Rhea will get over it." Cato nodded his head firmly. Pluto blinked slowly at his relatives and wondered if they truly knew Rhea like they said they did.

"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation here. To Rhea, I killed Eddie, the love of her life. Rhea finally has the opportunity to get back at someone for Eddie's death and she will not stop until I'm dead." Pluto buried his head in his hands. He heard his aunt inhale sharply.

"I am going to speak to Rhea." Pavlina was a blur as she turned sharply on her heel and made her way back to the room she had just come from.

When she entered, she was surprised that the room wasn't in shambles after what just occurred. She half expected to see Rhea having some sort of breakdown in the corner while her grandmother and stepmother watched on with horrified eyes (That's what always happened whenever Caliope became too angry and a part of Pavlina still lived in fear that Rhea would turn out exactly like her mother), but Pavlina should've known that Rhea's mind never strayed too far from her goals, even when they were dealing with a family crisis. 

Rhea tugged on the dress she got from her wardrobe while Rialta worked to make her hair look somewhat presentable given their time constraints.

"Hurry," Elvira snapped from the corner, casting a wary glance at her other daughter-in-law who entered the room with her brows pulled harshly together. "We all need to be downstairs in a few minutes. I want us all to see the looks on those Krane's faces."

"I need to speak with Rhea." Pavlina said, keeping her hands in front of her. Rhea merely glanced at her aunt as she stepped into the sleeveless black dress.

"Then, speak." Rhea said, her eyes boring into the woman. She spoke as though the past ten minutes hadn't happened, as if she had forgotten about the incident entirely, but Pavlina knew her niece better than that. Lurking underneath the passive expression on Rhea's face was an angry girl who was spinning out plans for revenge by the second. In her mind, Rhea had already decided that she was going to get Pluto back by going after someone he cared about — Avida Carrow. She hadn't lined out the specifics yet, but Rhea was a rather quick-thinker so she knew that, by the end of the night, she'd have a foolproof plan that would make Pluto suffer as much as she had.

Heer aunt had a different idea in mind.

"I know you want to make your brother pay for what he did. I know that you feel betrayed by someone you care about and that finding this out must be extremely difficult for you," A deep frown began to form on Rhea's face at Pavlina's words. "However, I must remind you that you are also keeping a secret from your brother and it is one that would hurt him far more than you are hurting right now."

Rhea's eyes snapped to her aunt. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rialta's face pale and Elvira bristle. They all knew what Pavlina was referring to.

"I thought we agreed to never bring that up." Rhea's eyes narrowed at her aunt.

"We did," Pavlina nodded, "But, I felt it wise to remind you that your brother is not the only one in this family with secrets. He's not the only one of us who has made a mistake."

"A mistake?" Rhea repeated, her tone dropping so that it was low and cold. Rialta stepped away from her so that Rhea could face her aunt full on as she slid her emerald green gloves onto her hands. "A mistake is forgetting to do your Transfigurations homework the night before it's due. A mistake is forgetting that you placed your wand in your pocket when you sit down. Pluto didn't make a mistake. Pluto knew what he was doing —"