Whispers

Thirty-One

Elphias and Remus both stayed for a while after Calliope returned home. Remus had to go first as he wanted to return to Tonks, but Elphias ended up staying the night at the house. 

The next morning, Calliope decided that she did not want to go to work, but instead elected to stay at home with Fred, who was unwilling to let go of her after the previous day. 

"So Calliope dear what are you planning for your anniversary?" Elphias asked at around lunchtime when he, Calliope and Fred were sat at the small dining table eating sandwiches. 

"We haven't thought that far ahead," Calliope admitted, surprised herself to realise that the anniversary of her wedding to Fred was approaching. 

"Well you have some time to think," said Elphias, "there is no use putting all of our lives on hold for Voldemort."

The effect in Calliope's head was instantaneous. The whispers picked up in volume immediately and she could feel a scream building inside of her. Calliope jumped to her feet.

"Everyone disapparate now!" She shouted. 

Cracks of apparition could be heard from outside and Calliope knew that they would be surrounded within seconds. 

Sirius skidded into the room, followed by George, both looking confused. 

"What?" Sirius asked.

"The protective enchantments are down, they're already here. Go. Now!" Calliope implored them.

Calliope shot George a meaningful look and without saying anything George strode over and plucked Fred's hands from Calliope's arm and disapparated with him. Sirius was gone in the same second as the twins. 

Calliope wheeled around to face Elphias, "go, grandpa!"

"I don't have my wand dear-"

"Take mine," Calliope held it out in front of her. The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. The back door, which was just behind Elphias, flew open and off of its hinges. The door flew towards them, narrowly missing Elphias, but knocking Calliope off of her feet and away from her grandfather. As she flew through the air, she watched as a jet of green light flew through the hole left by the door and hit Elphias square in the back.

Time sped back up to normal speed as Calliope hit the floor with a loud crunch and the first death eaters entered the room. The whispers were screaming in her ears, louder than ever and Calliope let rip the scream that she had been holding back, pulling all of the invaders into the clutches of death. 

Her scream cut off in a choked sob as she crawled towards the lifeless body of her grandfather.

"No," she sobbed as she pulled his head into her lap, "no not you, come back..." she trailed off into hysterical sobs as she clutched Elphias close to her and rocked back and forth. The whispers urged her to move, but her wand had fallen from her hand when the door knocked her back, so she couldn't disapparate without finding it first and she didn't want to do anything that would take her from Elphias' side.

She continued to sob as she felt hands on her, sending an electric shock through her body. The hands pulled her away from Elphias and she was sucked into the darkness of apparition. 

********

Calliope awoke in a bed which was not her own. And she felt numb. The only tingling of emotion that she felt was that of sadness flowing through the bond from Fred, but she herself felt nothing at all. 

She pushed herself into a sitting position and took in her surroundings. She didn't recognise the room. She got out of bed and made her way out of the room and down the stairs to find Fred. At the bottom of the stairs, Calliope emerged into a kitchen, in which Remus, Sirius, Tonks, George and Fred were gathered and all talking in hushed voices. 

They all went silent when Calliope appeared. 

In seconds Fred's arms were around her.

"I'm okay," she told him, patting his back lightly. She looked to the rest of the room. "Really I am."

It was true. Calliope had experienced so much death that she had become numb to it. There was no way for her to avoid it, so after the death of her grandfather, Calliope elected to embrace death as an old friend.

This is why she wouldn't allow anyone to accompany her to bury Elphias. She wanted to say her last goodbyes alone, so she ventured to the graveyard where her grandmother and father were buried, with Elphias' body in tow. 

Space had been left on her Grandmother's tombstone and Calliope used her wand to carve Elphias' name onto it as well. She used magic to displace the earth and create a coffin for Elphias, which she placed him in carefully and then levitated it down into the grave. She replaced the earth and summoned a single rose, which she placed on the grave. She sat and stared at it for a while.

In loving memory of
Sang-Chul Doge
5th September 1885-18th January 1972
'Make your faith larger than your fears'

and her husband

Elphias Doge
31st March 1981-3rd September 1997
Have faith, we will see each other again.

Eventually, Calliope's eyes moved from her grandfather's name carved into the stone, to the grave beside it.

In loving memory of
Isaac Doge
7th August 1960-21st September 1986
'Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.'

Calliope smiled faintly, trying to heed the words on her father's gravestone and smile at death.

The quote on Calliope's grandmother Sang-Chul's gravestone is from Robin Sharma. The quote on Isaac's grave is from Marcus Aurelius.

Someone please tell me to stop cosplaying and sit down and write instead...
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~Em xx