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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Calliope lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling in mid-August. The beginning of the school term was drawing closer, yet Calliope felt as though it were a million miles away.
A noise in her dark bedroom startled the girl, who sat bolt upright. Her eyes came to rest on a woman, who looked very out of place in the bedroom. She had long dark hair, that seemed to blow around her face, despite the fact that there was no breeze to speak of. She wore long flowing grey robes, that fell in waves right from her shoulders to the floor.
There was something oddly familiar about the woman, but Calliope was sure she had never met her before. She was definitely beautiful, however, there was something about her, that identified her as not human, some otherworldly feeling.
"Calliope," the woman smiled warmly.
"Who-who are you?" Calliope stuttered, fumbling with her wand, which had been sitting on her bedside table.
"I am your mother," she said, her voice sounded almost musical.
Calliope stared at the woman, unable to comprehend that her mother was stood before her.
"Why are you here?" Calliope demanded once she regained the ability to speak.
The woman looked taken aback at this comment, "I have come to visit my daughter."
"You haven't visited once for thirteen years," Calliope pointed out.
"Yes, well you are coming into yourself now," the banshee pursed her lips, "at thirteen is when we banshees develop our full powers, it is only right that you are taught how to handle these as every other young banshee is."
Calliope's mouth fell open, as she stared up at the woman, this was exactly what she had been wanting all summer. Someone who understood, who could teach her how to use her abilities. Here her mother was, standing before her, offering her just that. It almost seemed too good to be true-almost.
"You will have to leave your wizarding friends and family for some time whilst you learn to control these abilities," her mother continued, "and after we deem you able to control them, you will return to your life, and we will resume pretending that one another do not exist."
"Why? You're my mother, I want-"
"Banshees do not feel family obligations other than that to teach their offspring to control themselves."
Calliope didn't understand this, mainly because she had been raised by her father and grandfather to value family. But she had to remind herself that banshees were an entirely differed species, and bore no resemblance to wizards other than their appearance.
This statement also made Calliope think about herself, after all, she was half banshee. Did this mean that family would one day mean nothing to her? That she would forget about her grandfather and everything that he had done for her? No, that could never happen, in that respect, she was human, very human.
"What do you say?" The woman asked expectantly.
"How long will it take?"
"That depends on you."
Calliope's thoughts were racing ahead of her, but one thought kept resurfacing. She had to be able to control the whispers, otherwise, she would hurt more people.
