Book 1 in the Screams Trilogy
Calliope Doge doesn't speak. This is a fact that the entirety of Hogwarts knows full well.
She doesn't answer the questions that teachers ask in lessons, she doesn't speak to people over dinner in the great hall and sh...
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It turned out that Calliope's screams had affected all of the female Hufflepuffs, as they were the ones in the dorms closest to her. All of them remained unconscious, but Madam Pomfrey had assured everyone that they would be good as new in less than a week.
This did not stop students whispering as Calliope passed them, or openly pointing at her in the corridors. Without Natalie to tell them to shut up, Calliope was forced to endure the snide comments and whispers that followed her everywhere she went.
These comments did not make her feel any better. She was already feeling absolutely terrible about the situation, unable to shake the fact that she could very easily have killed half of Hufflepuff house. And on top of that, she couldn't help but wonder about the whispers.
The last time she had heard those voices she had been seven years old. For them to return, to threaten to take the lives of more people- it made Calliope's stomach twist into knots. She knew the voices were not her fault. She knew exactly what they were, and why they spoke to her, Isacc Doge had always been honest with his daughter, and the truth of her birth had been no different.
But knowing what the voices meant did nothing to settle her nerves. All that she knew was that something big and bad was coming, that would threaten the lives of many of those around her.
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Calliope was not the only one with these worries. Albus Dumbledore was fully aware of who (or what would befit the situation better) Calliope's mother was. He too knew what the whispers meant. However, he was unable to see where the danger would come from, thus far the school year had run smoothly, with only a slight mishap with a flying car. Other than the mishap in the Hufflepuff dorms, there had been nothing to imply any oncoming danger.
But Albus was not one to ignore the cries of a banshee, knowing that they bought with them only suffering.
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It would be an understatement to say that Calliope was over the moon to see Natalie walking into breakfast almost a week after she had been put into the hospital wing.
Calliope jumped to her feet, and rushed towards her friend, tackling her in a vice-like hug.
"Hey Callie," Natalie laughed, sounding slightly winded after the high-speed hug-attack. Calliope released her and held her friends head in both hands, turning it from side to side, as of checking that Natalie was fully okay. "I'm fine Callie I promise, the miracles of magical medicine! It's insane! No one will tell us what caused it, but some of the boys said they saw you, do you know what happened?"
Calliope bit her lip and nodded.
"Can you tell me?"
Calliope shook her head.
"Well, in that case, I'm starving. I feel like I haven't eaten in days-well, I suppose I haven't, based on the fact that I've been unconscious for the past week."
The two girls sat down at the Hufflepuff table, Calliope feeling a great sense of relief to see Natalie back to her normal chatty self, although she did notice that her friend was speaking slightly louder than usual as if her hearing wasn't working as well as it usually did.
Unbeknown to either of the girls, a red-headed boy watched from the other side if the hall. Absolutely fascinated with the rumours he was hearing about the small silent girl in the year below him.
