SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

046. VISIO DEI

Rhea had rolled her eyes and Astrea raised a brow before her gaze dropped to the ring on Rhea's finger. That's when Astrea realized that Rhea Hel had been left behind and she was now speaking to Rhea Krane. 

"Which story was your favorite?" Astrea found herself asking before she could think. 

"Pluto always loved The Fountain of Fair Fortune, but the story of the Three Brothers was the one I liked best." Rhea said. Astrea smiled. Naturally.

"I'm not surprised by that in the slightest," Astrea said, illiciting a laugh from Rhea. Astrea couldn't help but wonder if, in the near future, her and Rhea were friends. The girl appeared to be much more relaxed around her than Astrea had ever experienced in the present. "I think I remember my mum reading that one to me. The one with the Deathly Hallows, isn't it?"

"Precisely." Rhea said. Her expression suddenly changed, as she began to frown thoughtfully.

"What's the matter?" 

"Oh, nothing." Rhea shook her head. "I was only thinking of that story. Could you imagine if the Deathly Hallows were real? Could you imagine if someone had all three? They'd be the most powerful wizard in the world."

Astrea stared at Rhea, watching her carefully. 

"It's a good thing they aren't real then and that some stories are just stories." Astrea said and Rhea smiled smally in agreement.

"Yes," Rhea said, as she slid the book onto the shelf. She smiled brightly at Astrea. "Good thing."

The dream ended promptly after that and Astrea ventured out to the nearest bookshop in the small, witch-filled town where she and her mother liked to stay in order to find a copy of the book she had seen. Astrea spent most of her morning reading Tales of Beedle the Bard. It was around noon when her mother came back and found her completely engrossed in the tale of Three Brothers as she lounged in an armchair.

"Why are you reading children's stories?" Illyse asked with a chuckle as she used her wand to lock the door to their room.

"I saw this book in my dream last night, Mum. Rhea Hel was in my vision too except it was odd because she spoke to me," Illyse's attention was completely on her daughter at that. "We talked about the tale of the Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows."

Astrea's mothers face turned suddenly stern.

"Astrea, stay away from that Hel girl, do you understand me? The Hel's are an evil, evil family, no matter how they may try to portray themselves. That family is a poison and they will turn you to darkness if you're not careful." Illyse said, making Astrea frown. Even if Rhea's family was bad, Rhea was hardly any different from Tom, Abraxas, or Lupe. They weren't evil, there would always be time  for them to change. But, Astrea's mum was plucking the book out of her daughter's hands before Astrea could protest. "Believe me, it's better this way, Astrea. Some visions should be left alone."

Summer came to its end sooner than anybody anticipated, but no one was less excited to return for their seventh year than Rhea had been. Summer had been long for her and she still had yet to speak to her family to see how they handled the aftermath of the Grindelwald situation, but Rhea expected to find Pluto on the train. 

Before she had left the Krane's, Keres promised her that if Rhea found someone to take Phytios' place that she would bring her dragon to Hogsmeade so that Rhea could try her spell. As Rhea prepared to board the Hogwarts Express, she couldn't help but wonder which one of them would she be willing to sacrifice to let her dragon live. She winced at her own thoughts, wondering why this was easier for her than it should be.

Rhea sought out for her brother first and found him in a compartment with Avida and a few of his other Ravenclaw friends. 

"Pluto, we need to talk." Rhea said, appearing like an apparation in the doorway without wasting a beat. Pluto looked up, startled to see his sister after so many months. He untangled himself from Avida and stood without a word, following behind his sister as she led him to an empty compartment.