CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
— fake it till you make it
PLUTO WASN'T AFRAID TO ADMIT THAT HE WAS TERRIFIED. He was terrified the moment his sister had barged into the room and pointed her finger at him with fury blazing in her eyes, hissing the word you from her lips in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He was terrified when he felt the hot tip of her wand dig into the bottom of his chin while he had held him firmly against the wall and looked at him with an expression on her face that made him think about their mother. But, most of all, Pluto Hel was terrified by the idea that his sister — his twin sister whom he loved more than anyone else in the world — could hate him.
He knew his sister, probably better than anyone in the world, and he knew that when Rhea was mad, it was next to impossible to convince her that the anger wasn't worth it. Rhea never forgave and she never forgot and Pluto had betrayed her in such a way that he wasn't sure if their relationship would ever recover from it.
He had felt the guilt for telling their mother about Eddie and Rhea's relationship every day for the past two years. It first came to him the night that his sister came to him with her face lined with fresh tears and her expression crumbled in one of pure agony to tell him that Eddie was dead. He would never forget the look on her face when she threw herself into his arms and pleaded for him to make the pain go away, to make her not feel the weight of her loss anymore. Pluto had, so foolishly, believed that telling Caliope would be the only way to save Rhea from her own stupid decisions, but he failed to realize (as he always did) that Caliope had not been the same warm and loving mother she was with Pluto to her daughter. Caliope hadn't sung Rhea to sleep with lullabies or take her on fascinating adventures throughout England. Caliope Hel had permanently secured the spot as Rhea's least favorite person and Pluto had gone to her with Rhea's biggest secret.
"What did you do, Pluto?" Pavlina whispered harshly into Pluto's ear after she and Uncle Cato dragged him out of the room before Rhea could do any more damage to him. They sat in one of the many other dark and empty rooms of Krane Manor, though Pluto could clearly hear the sounds of music and people congregating downstairs from the gathering the Krane's were throwing in Rhea's honor. Pluto wiped the tears that streamed down his face and sunk to the floor, peering up at the curious faces of his Aunt and Uncle with one of anguish.
"Rhea will never forgive me." Pluto shook his head furiously. He gripped the ends of his blonde hair and his heart felt as though it was going to leap from his chest at any moment. How did she find out? "Whatever that test was . . . she found out I was the one who told our mother that she and Eddie were together. She found out I was the one who got him killed."
To Pluto's surprise, Pavlina and Cato seemed to exhale a breath they had both been holding. Their shoulders relaxed and they exchanged a silent look of relief.
"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 —"
"And what if he didn't? He was just a boy when all this happened, Rhea, and you were just a girl. Pluto might not have realized what he was doing —"
"Then, he's an idiot." Rhea said, coldly. "And a coward because he sent you in here to defend him."
"You said you would kill him if we didn't take him out of the room. You threatened to kill your brother —"
"He's no brother of mine —"
"Enough." Elvira commanded, cutting the two of them off. Rhea clamped her mouth shut and Pavlina bowed her head as Elvira's cold gaze fell on the pair of them. "I will not stand for this foolish bickering any longer. We will attend this party where we will pretend to be nothing more than a loving family who have come together to celebrate our Rhea's engagement. After the party, we will discuss how to settle this disagreement between siblings."
Rhea resisted to roll her eyes at her grandmother, feeling bitter resentment towards her brother for not being able to face her instead of hiding away.
"Yes, grandmother." Rhea forced out through gritted teeth before she picked up the front of her gown and slid past her aunt to exit the room. When she stepped into the hallway, she was met with a teary-eyed Pluto and Cato, who didn't appear to have any idea on how to comfort the boy. Rhea didn't look or say anything to her brother as she made her way to the stairs and descended them while making sure to plaster an extra bright smile on her face.
Rhea made her way to the great hall of the house where she could hear the steady flow of music and the uninterrupted chatter of the guests. Two lowly, unfamiliar wizards straightened up at the sight of Rhea and hurried to open the doors for the guest of honor.
Rhea stood in the doorway, her hands placed neatly in front of her and she relished in the way the music and talking ceased at once and all eyes turned to her. There weren't very many people in the Hall — it was nothing more than a gathering of family and close family friends — but there were enough people for Rhea to feel like the center of attention. Everyone was trying to get a peak at the sixteen year old girl who managed to pass the Krane's test, though in the back of her mind she could still see Cain's amused face reminding her that he'd come collecting his favors one day. But, for now, Atlas was the only person who stepped forward and he had changed into black dress robes that had tiny, dark green designs on them. Rhea nearly chuckled when she realized that they were matching.
"Ready to meet the family?" Atlas asked, holding his arm out for her to take. Rhea simply grinned at him before placing her hand on his and allowing him to introduce her to a series of people who ranged from cousins, to great uncles, and were related to the Krane's in some way, shape, or form. The Krane's, she found, had a long, long line of extended family and were much larger than the Hel's were.
"You two make the most darling couple," Atlas's great aunt Waverly cooed as she looked at the pair of them. "It's such a shame I'll have to keep it a secret until the end of the year."
"Why would you have to keep it a secret?" Rhea frowned, confused. Waverly's gaze turned to Atlas, who looked sheepish.
"Oh, don't tell me you haven't told Rhea how an engagement works in our family." Waverly scolded before turning back to Rhea with a kind smile on her face. "Engagements in our family are only announced during December, on the night of the solstice. Gaia and Adonis's engagement ball was grand, I can only imagine your families are going to spare no expense when it comes to planning the two of yous."
"Wait," Rhea blinked, trying to wrap her mind around the new information. "Why do you only announce engagements during the winter solstice?"
"It's an old family tradition that stems from a superstition." Atlas shrugged. "My family believes that if you tell anyone about an engagement apart from the bride and groom's families before the winter solstice that the marriage will be cursed and destined for ruin. I don't believe in that sort of thing, but my family is very superstitious and the extra free months of secrecy gives them, and us, more time to prepare."
"What do you mean you don't believe?" Waverly gasped, her face pale. "It's not a matter of belief, it's the truth. Remember how your Great Aunt Aradia told her best friend about the engagement three weeks before the solstice and her fiance dropped dead of dragonpox two days after their wedding?"
Atlas and Rhea exchanged an amused look with one another. Atlas pulled her away from Waverly when the woman began rambling about flower colors for the wedding.
"Are there any other rules of our engagement that I need to know about?" Rhea asked, feeling grateful when she finally got to hold a flute of champagne in her hand. Atlas turned to her.
"There aren't that many rules for the next six months. You'll be able to pick your ring from the family collection, or one of your own, when you come back in December for the ball."
"Are you going to get down on your knee then too?" Rhea asked, a smirk playing on her lips. The corner of Atlas's mouth turned up.
"Only if you want me to."
"How could a girl resist being able to see the great Atlas Krane on his knees?" Rhea teased. A laugh slipped from Atlas's lips and Rhea thought it must've been the first time she had heard it. "So, for the next six months I can't speak about our engagement to anyone apart from our families? Doesn't your family have friends at this party? The Dragavei's know."
"Our close friends are family, especially the Dragavei's."
"And who are the Dragavei's exactly?" Rhea asked, eager to get information. Atlas's gaze flickered over to Alina and Andrei, both of whom lingered by the refreshments table and laughed as Vano and Silvanus bickered over something. Atlas sighed.
"The Dragavei's are . . . they come from an old family that hails from Romania. There, the Dragavei name is feared, like yours. Their whole family, including their younger siblings, died three years ago. My parents took in Alina and Andrei immediately after and they've lived with ever since but some people aren't too happy with their presence here." Atlas said lowly to Rhea so that they couldn't be overheard. When Atlas noticed Rhea's frown, he sighed again before saying, "It is said that their parents used to perform certain . . . dark rituals . . . when they were expecting their children — one's that I don't think even your family would participate in."
"Such as?" Rhea asked, intrigued. There weren't many practices her family stayed away from. Atlas hung his head.
"Alina and Andrei are part-vampire, part-witch." Rhea's eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared into her hairline and her jaw fell open slightly. Part-vampire, part-witch — the combination was nearly unheard of except for a few instances when parents would sacrifice parts of their children's souls using blood rituals before they were born in order to create the hybrid creature. Creating them was forbidden throughout the entire world and it was a practice most had abandoned due to how horrible it was for the people involved. "They don't look like other vampires upon first glance, but they still drink blood and have a strong aversion to garlic."
"Vampires." Rhea hummed, watching the way Alina whispered something into her brother's ear. Sure, the siblings were pale but being part vampire was the last thing Rhea would've suspected. "I never would've guessed."
"Hardly anyone knows. Alina and Andrei would be in a lot of danger if anyone found out, but . . . you are going to be my . . . wife . . . one day." Rhea's eyes shone with amusement at Atlas's hesitation to say the word 'wife'. He cleared his throat and glanced at the ring on his hand before hesitantly sliding it off. Rhea could hear the whispers of a few people who had been watching them start up before they rippled throughout the room at the sight of Atlas Krane taking off his signet ring. "I usually give this to my girlfriends, but since we're skipping that stage and jumping to the engagement, I figure that this is something you could show your friends so that they're not too surprised when we announce the engagement."
Atlas placed his signet ring into Rhea's hands and Rhea looked down at the crane that was imprinted into the tiny gold ring. She smiled tightly at him before she slid the signet ring onto her pinky finger, admiring the way it gleamed under the light of the chandelier.
"I won't lie and say that I'm excited to be marrying you, but that's mainly because I'm not ready to be married. But, I am glad you didn't die during the test." Atlas said. A chuckle escaped Rhea's lips at Atlas's words.
"I'm not excited to be married either, but I could do a lot worse than you."
"Hear, hear." Atlas and Rhea clinked their glasses together before they quickly downed them before proceeding to greet the rest of the guests.
Gaia and Adonis made their way to Rhea and Atlas last with Selene trailing behind them.
"I told you we were going to be sisters!" Selene chirped happily before she wrapped her arms around Rhea's waist. Rhea, who had braced herself to be hugged, awkwardly pat Selene's shoulder.
"Selene's a bit of a hugger," Atlas said, prying his sister off of his bride-to-be. Selene smiled sheepishly at Rhea.
"Sorry. I'm just so excited that Atlas has found someone he wants to marry." Selene said before running off to join some of the other children. Rhea raised a brow at Selene's retreating figure.
"Selene still believes that all marriages begin because two people love each other." Adonis explained when he noticed the look on Rhea's face. "Congratulations, Rhea. Welcome to the family."
"Yes, congratulations." Gaia said tersely. "It's a shame your stay with us is almost done, but I suppose you'll be back come winter."
"Doesn't your birthday fall around that time? I think I heard Pluto mention it earlier." Adonis asked. Rhea nodded her head.
"It's the day before the new year — December 30."
"Then, we must celebrate. Seventeen will be a very big milestone since you'll finally be allowed to practice magic outside of Hogwarts, though I have a feeling you find ways to get around that already." Adonis said. Rhea smirked. The Hel's had their connections to the Improper Use of Magic Office who made it possible for them to practice magic freely without having to worry about getting in trouble for it, and she knew that was the case for a lot of other witches and wizards of their station who could buy their way out of a lot of things.
"Yes, we should." Rhea said. In truth, the one thing she was looking forward to about turning seventeen was finally being able to get her Apparition license. She'd be able to take her test before school ended since she was amongst the older kids in her year, but that was still a few months away.
Once the party ended, Rhea found herself back in her room with her grandmother, Rialta, Pluto, Cato, and Pavlina to finish the conversation they had been having before the party.
"Rialta has explained to me, in great length, what the situation is." Elvira gave one firm shake of her head and Rhea knew she and Pluto were in for it. Elvira turned to Rhea first. "How could you be so foolish as to fall in love with a Muggle boy from the village? You're lucky you weren't put on the street, because that's what I would have done —"
"I don't need a lecture on how I shouldn't fall in love with Muggles, Grandmother. I think Caliope made that point pretty clear when she made me murder my boyfriend because he told her I was going to run away from him." Rhea glared at Pluto.
"Rhea, I am so —"
"Save your apologies for someone who cares."
"Stop this at once!" Elvira slammed her hands down on the desk, causing everyone to jump. "I told you once that I won't stand for this bickering, don't make me tell you again. Rhea, don't interrupt me when I'm speaking. You were foolish for falling in love with the boy and you were foolish for believing Pluto would protect your secret in the first place. The only person you can trust to keep your secrets is yourself.
"Pluto shouldn't have told your mother. I think we can all agree that telling Caliope anything was dumb, especially because we all know how your mother felt about you, Rhea." Rhea's jaw tensed and her gaze bounced to her brother, who was staring at his feet, looking ashamed. Good, she thought, let him feel guilty. "Caliope was a cruel woman and she looked for ways to make you suffer, but this whole situation should have died with her. It's in the past. Pluto is not your enemy, Rhea, he's your brother. Yes, he lied to you but you won't be winning any awards for honesty any time soon either. You need to come to terms with the situation and move on. The Muggle boy is dead, your mother is dead, and you are about to marry the most eligible bachelor in all of England."
"And I'm supposed to — What? Pretend that this never happened? I'm supposed to let him get away with this with no punishment?" Rhea asked. "That hardly seems fair."
"Pluto will be punished for actions, but in a fair way." Pluto swallowed nervously though Rhea leaned forward, eager to hear what her grandmother had to say. "On the night of Lughnasadh, you will settle things the way you once did as kids — through a duel."
"Oh, Merlin." Pluto groaned but Rhea smiled triumphantly. Whenever she and Pluto dueled, she always won. Always. This time she wasn't going to pull any punches for the sake of Pluto's ego, she was determined to make him suffer.
"Deal." Rhea smirked evilly at her brother. "Get ready to lose."
The rest of the week at Krane Manor flew by and, before Rhea knew it, she was saying goodbye to Ireland and returning to Wiltshire with her family. When the end of July rolled around, she made her way to Wool's Orphanage in London to begin her adventures with Tom Riddle.