Screams

Twenty-Eight

Calliope let out a growl of frustration as she was no alone beside the open Hogwarts gates.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Trying to replicate the two times that she had managed to move great distances before. She pictured Fred's face and opened her eyes to find herself in a dingy room.

The floor was dusty, but the dust had been misplaced in several places as if there had been recent activity. The room was lit by a beautiful chandelier, which had many candles burning in it. The windows were boarded shut. The furniture had the appearance of once being very grand, but age had taken it's toll on the velvet sofas, as the colour had faded and they too, were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Slumped on the dusty sofa was an unconscious Fred, Calliope hurried over to him, and to the best of her abilities attempted to check that he was okay.

"Now, Calliope I'm sure that you are here," Calliope turned very quickly and saw Voldemort sat in a grand armchair at the other end of the room, "whilst the messenger is subdued, I would like to have a few words with you."

Calliope slowly made her way towards Voldemort so that she could hear better.

"I do not know how you managed to evade my possession, but you have already caused me a great deal of annoyance. When the boy wakes up, you will give him orders to tell me everything that you told Dumbledore, and you will also tell me what you see in store for Harry Potter. If you do not do as I ask, then I will be forced to punish those that you love, your little blabber mouthed friend, your grandfather, your godfather will all suffer because of you."

Calliope narrowed her eyes and watched as Voldemort got to his feet and made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a snap.

Once he was gone, Calliope hurried back to Fred.

"Wake up you idiot! We've got to figure out how to get you out of here!" Calliope shouted right in his ear. Fred did not stir.

It took several minutes for him to wake up, quickly pushing himself up on his elbows and looking around the room with a worried expression on his face, he didn't seem to notice Calliope, until she waved her hand before his face.

"Woa, Screamer you scared me," Fred said in a hushed tone, "what in Merlin's name happened?"

"Mad-Eye got George to leave, and then Voldemort stunned you, carried you out of the grounds, and bought you here," said Calliope matter of factly, "then he told me that if we don't do exactly what he wants then he's going to kill my friends and family."

Fred let out a long string of creative curse words and slumped back down into the sofa.

"Get up," Calliope told him, "quietly."

"Why?" Fred hissed.

"Because we need to get the heck out of here!" Calliope rolled her eyes, "I'm assuming that you don't have your wand?"

Fred patted down his pockets, "no, he must've taken it."

"Well then, I guess we'll have to be a bit more creative," said Calliope, "why don't you try smashing a window?"

"That's a stupid idea."

"Well have you got anything better?"

Fred gift to his feet and silently walked towards the window, he peeked between the boards, "we're on the fourth floor, I can't jump out of a fourth story window!"

"Where's your sense of adventure Weasley ?" Calliope teased.

"Wherever my wand is," said Fred.

"Well, like my grandpa always said, if you depend fully on your wand then you're powerless," Calliope folded her arms.

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to jump out of a window!" Murmered Fred.

"Just do it!"

"Okay, lay off!" Fred reached out and broke a few of the boards away so that there was a big enough hole for him to fit through. He wriggled through the gap and stood on the windowsill for a moment.

"You know something Screamer? This might be one of the stupidest things I've ever done, and that's saying a lot because I do stupid things on a regular basis."

"Mr Weasley, if you would be kind enough to rejoin us inside, and we can talk about this like civilised people," and icy cold voice came from inside the house, a small hand snaked out of the hole, and grabbed Fred's arm, pulling him back inside, and flinging him down onto the dusty floor.

"Now Banshee, get your messenger to tell me exactly what you told Albus Dumbledore."