Chapter 2
"I'm not moving to England and going to Hogwarts!" Rhaenyra exclaimed in exasperation as she sat on the sofa in their family's apartment in Sofia, glowering at her older brother.
Aegon was now the guardian of Rhaenyra and Helaena, being the closest adult blood relative. However, Aegon was not particularly keen on the responsibility, even though the sisters were dear to him.
It was now common knowledge, that Voldemort had been seen by Harry Potter a month earlier, even though it was denied at state level. The Targaryen family, however, now knew that their parents had most likely been killed by Death Eaters and that they would not be happy to find out that no less than three of them had survived the burning of the fiendfyre. Aegon, who had spent his years after coming of age, partying with his friends, could not take responsibility for his sisters, their safety and their education. So when Albus Dumbledore had suggested that the girls start attending school at Hogwarts under his protection, Aegon had been relieved.
Dumbledore was an old friend of their late grandfather and knew their parents from the first wizarding war. Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix was also the ones who had first found and rescued Rhaenyra from the burning ruins of the Targaryen manor.
Aegon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. "You can't stay here either. I'm going to our family house in London and I won't be able to homeschool you safely there. Homeschooling is not as safe as the security Hogwarts can provide. Let alone being able to ensure that three dragons stay contained and hidden in central London."
Rhaenyra swallowed back tears when she realized that Aegon was not going to give up and let them stay with him. The month after their parents' and Aemonds death had been awful and Rhaenyra was barely holding herself together day after day. She couldn't really remember what had happened and the month that followed, and didn't really try to. She had told Aegon and Dumbledore and then later Helaena everything she could remember about that night, but now she was doing her best to avoid thinking about the whole thing.
Rhaenyra dared not look at Helaena, who was standing quietly beside her. They were sitting in their father's office, with the summer sun shining through the window, in stark contrast to the atmosphere in the room between the siblings. Rhaenyra felt insane guilt for being the only survivor of the fire, for not having been able to save Aemond or her parents, and now not only Rhaenyra but also Helaena and Aegon were suffering. Not only was their family almost destroyed, but Helaena and Rhaenyra would have to leave for a foreign land, a foreign school after years of homeschooling, to live among strangers. Rhaenyra knew that Helaena did not adjust well to the changes, so she had feared that hearing about her parents and Aemond would cause Helaena to break down completely into her insanity, but Helaena had only been sadder and quieter and had barely spoken a word in the entire month since their deaths to her or anyone else. Rhaenyra was afraid that their moving might now be too much for Helaena and then Rhaenyra would be left all alone when Helaena would go back to the hospital.
Helaena's face was expressionless as she looked at neither of them, only stared out blankly. Helaena's hair was a little disheveled from her braid and Rhaenyra hadn't seen Helaena change clothes for a few days. The house-elf Jolly had died in a fire with the other house-elves in the family in Bulgaria, so there was no one to serve them at Sofia's house, as normally when visiting there the house-elves had travelled with them from the rural estate. Aegon had not invited the family house-elves in England to look after them, as he had ordered the London house and the castle in Scotland to be prepared for their arrival, so the elves in England were busy. The children of the Targaryen family now clearly showed that they had not been looked after. Everyone's hair was a mess and their belongings were lost. The food was lousy, as none of them knew how to cook it, so Aegon got them food when he remembered or was sober enough to do so. Aegon didn't have any housewives when he lived away from home, but he had lived in lavish luxury hotels for wizards and witches in Rome, so he hadn't really developed the independence to take care of himself completely either. They were all used to always being served and now hunger was gnawing at everyone's stomachs which was more than unusual for them.
Rhaenyra was haunted by the thought of moving among strangers she didn't know at all before. Dumbledore girls had met a few times when he had been a friend of their parents and grandparents, but there was no close relationship with him either. Rhaneyra had grown attached to the few friends they had in Bulgaria and moving from Bulgaria would almost certainly mean not seeing many friends in the future.
"I know you don't want this, but I can't think of any other way to keep you safe," Aegon said desperately to his sisters, "We're leaving tomorrow morning for the London house where you'll be preparing to leave for school in a couple of weeks." And that was the end of the matter. Rhaenyra just nodded stiffly, knowing that if she started talking she would burst into tears.
Aegon lookes his sisters looking really uncomfortable and muttered something about going out for food, but in reality he'd probably just go somewhere to get drunk. Sisters got up stiffly and walked quietly to their room.
They had hardly ever had to share a room, apart from holidays, but in their situation, sharing a room brought comfort to Rhaenyra. The house in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, was a fraction of the size it had been in their family estate in rural Bulgaria. It was, however, a nice top floor of a grand old apartment building right in the center of the city and a lush park, and had some of their things already set up, as they usea to sometimes stay there overnight when they were visiting Sofia.
In their shared room, the dragons sleeping on Rhaenyra's bed woke up, as the girls entered. They had grown considerably since hatching, now the size of cats. It also meant that as the dragons climbed up and down Rhaenyra, they were already quite heavy and their claws were making nasty wounds even through clothes.
Rhaenyra and Helaena both went to lie down on their beds. Their room had two wide kingsize beds opposite each other in a white room, decorated with a few paintings and valuables. A black dragon, which Rhaenyra had named Vhagar, immediately began to climb on top of Rhaenyra. The red one was called Caraxes and the blue one Syrax. Syrax also climbed up behind Vhagar, while Caraxes chased Vhagar's tail. Already knowing the routines of her dragons, Rhaenyra grabbed Caraxes and moved him to the other side, far away from Vhagar. Finally, as the dragons whirled on her and hissed at each other, Rhaenyra felt a cry coming on.
"Maybe leaving Bulgaria and starting life elsewhere will help," Helaena said quietly, her voice cracking. Helaena was crying too.
"Maybe," Rhaenyra replied, but she didn't think the pain of loss would go away, no matter how life around her changed. Rhaenyra felt tears streaming down her cheeks while her heart ached painfully.
"Promise me you'll never leave again. I can't-" Rhaenyra gasped, unable to finish. "Just promise me we'll never be apart again."
"I promise we won't be apart as long as you need me," Helaena replied quietly, sniffling as she did so. ”Promise me you won’t ever put me in the hospital again.”
"Was the hospital that bad?" Rhaenyra asks uncertainly, staring at the ceiling. Helaena hasn't said much about her time in hospital. Not that they've talked much about anything else either over the weeks anyway. Helaena was silent for a moment before answering.
"It wasn't a terrible place, but it didn't help. They can't help me," Helaena finally said. Rhaenyra sighed and rubbed her face tiredly.
"Okay. I promise I won't try to put you in the hospital, no matter what happens," Rhaenyra promised quietly. They then fell into a gloomy silence. Rhaenyra couldn't help wondering if she would one day regret her promise, but then said to herself that she would rather suffer Helaena's madness than be completely alone.
****
Rhaenyra and Helaena stood quietly side by side in the hallway, dressed in their black traveling robes. Vhagar and Caraxes stood heavy on Rhaenyra’s shoulders, watching carefully the siblings on the hallway and Syrax were on Helaena’s arms.
Rhaenyra was surprised at how easily Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore had accepted that the dragons and Rhaenyra were a package deal and allowed the dragons to be brought to the school. Dumbledore had promised a safe and secret place for the dragons on the school grounds and that the school keykeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, would look after the dragons while girls were at school. However, it was a condition that anything about the dragons were not allowed to be told to anyone, as keeping them near the school without official permission from the ministry of magic would certainly cause resentment among the people. Rhaenyra had agreed to this, as it was clear to her that her safety would not be enhanced by the knowledge that she had three dragons at her command.
Aegon walked up to the girls, a little out of breath, his hair messy and dirty, but still wearing the same traveling robe as his sisters. Aegon smelled of alcohol and looked sick. Rhaenyra wrinkled her nose in disgust. But she couldn't bear to say anything, even though she knew that if their mother and father were alive, they would not have approved of Aegon drinking while taking care of his sisters. Rhaenyra was very surprised at how much Aegon had changed since leaving home. He looked sick all the time and had put on a lot of weight. On top of that, he now seemed to have given up on maintaining his appearance and hygiene. Rhaenyra thought maybe it was because of everything that had happened recently, but still pressed her lips together in a slightly disapproving way. Rhaenyra glanced at Helaena and saw disappointment on her sister's face as well, but Helaena didn't say anything either.
"Well..." Aegon sighed loudly and glanced at the clock. "Time to go."
They would travel to London on one of the family's portkeys, which left every month on last Monday for London House and returned on the last Sunday of every month.
Aegon took out a wooden spoon from his pocket, then motioned the girls to grab the key already. They all grabbed the wooden spoon, clutching their things in their hands. Vhagar and Caraxes had climbed onto her shoulders and were looking with interest at the portkey they were all clutching. Syrax was now on Helaena's shoulder, wagging her tail there. Soon they felt a tug on the navel, pulling them through the void in a few seconds and then they were in London.
"The master and mistresses have come. Krem and Skree were waiting for them patiently," came a shrill voice, and they turned to look at the two old house-elves, who were bowing so low their noses touched the floor.
"Unpack the girls' things and I want dinner in half an hour," Aegon said indifferently and walked past the house-elves, disappearing into the corridor.
Rhaenyra had last visited London and its Targaryen owned Crimson house a couple of years ago in the summer and looked around the gloomy house in despondency. She had only visited the Crimson house once before, because their mother had found it creepy and unpleasant, whereas Sofia's house and the Bulgarian mansion were bright and beautifully decorated. The Crimson house in London had once belonged to Rhaenyra’s great grandfather Maegor the Cruel and, because of his paranoia, had been magically made perfectly safe by blood and dark magic. The interior of the house reflected this well. The walls were dark, almost black, and there was an occasional vague murmur from the shadows. Not even the paintings made a sound and when Rhaenyra's gaze fell on a painting of one of her ancestors, the painting looked so frightened at the sight of people that she almost felt sorry for it. Even the house elves were more somber than their family’s usual house-elves were, starting quietly to carry out Aegon's orders. Rhaenyra was used to the cheerfulness of the house-elves, so the gloomy reception was a little disconcerting. Vhagar flew from Rhaenyra's shoulder and fluttered softly towards the curtains, where a chuckle began to emanate as Vhagar examined them. Caraxes stayed on her shoulder, but also looked around with interest.
****
Two weeks in London went slowly. The girls were forbidden to leave the house. Rhaenyra spent her time lying in bed, trying to sleep but not doing so very well. She did not see Aegon at all during the weeks and Helaena only a few times. Elf named Skree tried desperately to get her out of bed, but Rhaenyra ignored the elf completely, so he finally gave up.
Rhaenyra felt so lonely on the last night before she and Helaena were meant to leave for Hogwarts that she almost couldn't breathe, so she finally got up from her bed and walked to Helaena's room and knocked.
"Come in," Helaena called. Helaena sat in the window recess with a book in her lap, wearing nightclothes.
"Hey," Rhaenyra said vaguely.
"Hey," Helaena replied, expressionless. Rhaenyra tried desperately to think of something to say, but could think of nothing. Her head just hummed with emptiness and she swallowed anxiously.
"What are you reading?" She finally asked after a long silence. Helaena lifted the book so that she could see what she was reading. Helaena was reading a history of the Targaryen family that she had received as a gift from their parents a few years ago. Rhaenyra nodded and they fell into silence again. After a while the silence became so oppressive that she could bear it no longer and before she could turn to leave, Rhaenyra felt her face contort and she began to cry uncontrollably. She heard remotely that Helaena got up from her seat and walked in her direction.
"I can't take it anymore, okay? I'm so sorry, Laena! I'm sorry for everything, but I don't want to be alone anymore. I can't take it! I can't stand my own thoughts for another second! I can barely do any occlumency, and I don't know why. I want to be able to think for a moment about something other than Mum, Dad and Aemond, or how I have to go to Hogwarts and I don't know anyone there. I heard from Mariel once that people there are often very judgmental and we probably stand out like elephants from mice!" Rhaenyra spoke half shouting, and realized herself that there was not a shred of sense in what she was saying, especially towards the end.
"What are you talking about, Nyra?" Helaena asked, taking her in a light hug.
"I'm sure you remember that our mother denied us doing occlumency just because we don’t want to feel the pain or emotions, so I think it is for the better that you can’t do occlumency. And no one even blames you for anything. What could you have possibly done if mom and dad couldn't protect themselves, I don't suppose you could have either," Helaena scolded quietly.
"I know what mother taught us, but I don't want to feel anything anymore. Do you have any idea how selfish I am? I think more about how lonely I am because of their deaths and the consequences of that because they're gone than even miss them. How horrible is that? I can’t stand myself!" Rhaenyra weeped and pushed herself away from Helaena's embrace.
Helaena looked at her with a frown and then turned away with a grim expression. "You're not selfish, Nyra. Or any more selfish than I am. Do you know what I was most worried about when I heard about Mum and Dad and Aemond? That now I have no one to defend and protect me. I know that people think I'm crazy, and I know that Mum and Dad did too, but...' Helaena took a deep breath and looked almost angry, although now there were tears in her eyes. "But at least they loved me, so they didn't want to get rid of me. Do you realize what will surely happen at Hogwarts? I'll be delivered st. Mungo's probably after the first month."
They stared at each other, crying. Rhaenyra felt even shittier as she realized that she had thought Helaena's distance was because of her and hadn't realized that Helaena might have her own anxieties. "I'm... I'm sorry. I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't end up in any hospitals unless you want to go yourself, if only because I don't want to be alone."
Helaena smiled slightly and nodded. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
"Only if you promise not to snore," Rhaenyra grinned and whispered.
Helaena scowled and rolled her eyes. "You're the one snoring."
They went to Helaena's bed, facing each other, holding hands.
"I have a feeling that our lives will never go back to the way they were," Rhaenyra said quietly. "As happy as we were. I don't think we can go back to that and I'm scared of what that means."
Helaena was very quiet for a long time and because it was so dark, Rhaenyra couldn't really see if she was awake or not. Just when Rhaenyra was about to fall asleep, Helaena said something that took her sleep away. "Dragon has three heads and the darkness unveils. The three headed dragon will raise dreads and the darkness prevails. As the fates roll their dice, war has its price. One head goes to the grave and the other heads should remember to be brave."
Rhaenyra was used to Helaena's rambling speeches or predictions not usually making sense, but now the prophecy was unusually understandable. She heard that Helaena had fallen asleep, and when she asked her about it in the morning, Helaena remembered nothing of what she had said.