Whispers

Two

It wasn't hard for Calliope to break into the ministry of magic. Disalusionment charms were no trouble for her and she passed unseen in through a fireplace in the main atrium, the only sign of her entry being the flames that flared up in a bright green colour.

She was like a ghost as she walked unseen through the atrium.

After the intrusion into the ministry in June, Calliope had expected more security to be in place. But there was only one snoozing security guard behind a desk and no charms or jinxes in place as far as Calliope could tell.

She decided to take the stairs instead of the lift. The stairs weren't hidden, just rarely used and therefore a smell of mildew filler her nose as she descended to the lowest levels of the ministry.

The lanterns lining the corridor to the department of mysteries lit themselves as she passed, casting a ghostly flickering light over the hallway. It didn't unnerve Calliope the way it should have, if there was anything magically concealed with magic she would sense it, and nothing was forthcoming.

The door opened with no resistance and she lit her wand alight, casting light around the large circular atrium of the department of mysteries.

She had never actually been there before, but she moved as if she had, treading lightly towards one of the doors opposite her and striding into the death room without giving the walls a chance to spin and disorient her.

The door clicked shut behind her, and Calliope was left standing at the top of the stone stairs leading down to the Dias with the strange arch perched on it.

She made her way down the stairs towards the arch regarding it with curiosity. She ran her hands over the Dias, walking around it once keeping her eyes trained on the arch.

It was odd to hear the whispers coming from somewhere other than her own head, as the murmers seemed to be coming from the other side of the opaque veil that hung from the arch.

She remained standing in front of the arch for around an hour, deciphering what the whispers were saying and forming a fuller picture of what the veil really was and the secrets that it held. And then she stepped into the veil.

Just as she expected they were waiting there for her.

James Potter stood beside Lily Potter, clutching her hand tightly in his own. Both of them wore reassuring and welcoming smiles on their faces. She felt a Pang of guilt that she had this opportunity to talk to them when Harry never would.

Arthur stood there too with a smile similar to the Potters. His arms were open and Calliope hurried into them, not even taking the time to register who the other person there to greet her was.

"I'm so sorry," Calliope told Arthur as she hugged him tightly. She hadn't known the man well in life, but she had always liked and respected him. His death was her fault and she had to make him know how sorry she was.

"It was no one's fault apart from You-Know-Who's," replied Arthur stoically, he realised her so that he could see her face, "so if I'm the reason that you ran off go back right now."

Calliope didn't say anything, but looked down at her shoes, noticing a small hole near her left big toe.

The other person who was present cleared their throat and Calliope looked up from her shoes to see her father standing there with a small smile on his face.

"Papa!" Calliope almost cried as she hurried over to him and hugged him tightly.

He smoothed her hair as he hugged her, and it surprised her how much she had grown since she had last seen him, they were almost the same height now.

"Why are you all here?" She asked the four adults after a long period of silence.

"Calliope being dead is quite boring," said Isaac, "any opportunity to talk to someone other than these two," he gestured at Lily and James with humour woven through his works, and the little lines at the sides of his eyes creasing as he laughed at his own joke.

Calliope shook her head and sighed, it was the exact kind of awful humour that she had gotten used to Fred and George sprouting.

"Harry needs you Calliope," said Lily abruptly, not bothering to beat around the bush, "he's got a difficult road ahead of him and you can ease his troubles."

Calliope shook her head, "no, no I can't. I just make everything worse and get people dead."

"Only you could possible blame yourself for things so far beyond your control," Isaac sighed, "when will I ever be able to stop trying to convince you that not everything is your fault."

"Sounds like someone else I know," said James quietly to Lily.

"What was that Prongs?" Isaac raised his eyebrow at James.

"Nothing Beaky." James grinned at him. James suddenly became serious and turned to look at Calliope, "in all seriousness, I spent half my life trying to get your father to stop blaming himself for stuff he couldn't stop, and I will not spend my death watching you do the same thing. They need you. So you can't run or hide.'

Lilly looked stricken at James' words, "James there's no need to be so harsh, she's only 17."

"A 17 year old banshee," said James, "I'm sorry Calliope, but unless you go back anything terrible that happens in your absence is your fault."

This shocked Calliope so much that she began to rethink her entire decision. In fact she could no longer see her though process behind the decision she had made almost three months previously.

She looked to Arthur again, who looked incredibly sad, "I've hurt him more by leaving haven't I?" She asked.

Arthur nodded, "he needed you, but you weren't there."

"Calliope you're so incredibly intelligent, but when it comes to human interaction you can be a bit hasty to act before you think things through," said Isaac.

"Can I ask you something Papa?"

He nodded.

"How did you get a banshee to spend enough time with you to have me? I mean banshee aren't exactly the touchy feely types."

Isaac raised an eyebrow, "maybe you dont know them as well as you think you do."