"Fred!" Calliope hurried toward Fred, George, Lee and Natalie in the great hall. She clutched the old manuscript in her arms.

"There she is!" Lee grinned.

"What's the matter?" Fred demanded, "what in Merlin's name are you so excited about?"

Calliope didn't say anything she simply slammed the manuscript down on the table in front of Fred, knocking over the sugar bowl.

"Observations on Banshees?" Fred raised his eyebrows, looking over at Calliope, who had sat herself down beside him, ignoring the spilt sugar.

Silently, Calliope flipped to the penultimate chapter and watched Fred avidly as he read. George, Natalie and Lee also watched him, with confused looks on their faces.

Fred was a fast reader, so it didn't take him long to read the tale of Euan and Io. Once he was done, he turned to meet Calliope's eyes, his eyebrows raised in slight surprise. Natalie quickly reached across the table to grab the manuscript and she, George and Lee began to read it.

"How come we've never found this before?" Fred demanded, "how come Dumbledore-"

"Dumbledore didn't look through the unprinted manuscripts in the back of the restricted section," said Calliope, "this is the only copy of Observations on Banshees in existence."

"So I'm a guardian then," Fred muttered to himself.

"I suppose you are," Calliope nodded, "although the tale doesn't end very happily does it."

"Well, we'll be different," Fred set his jaw.

"I think we should take this to Dumbledore," said Calliope, "he and the Order were almost as intrigued to know the reason behind our bond as we were. I think this is the closest thing to an answer we will get."

"Yeah you're right," agreed Fred, "let's go," he reached over and grabbed the manuscript from Lee, Natalie and George.

"Hey I wasn't finished!" complained Natalie.

"They both die at the end," Fred told her before he and Calliope got to their feet and left the hall. Dumbledore was not present at the staff table, so they assumed that he would be found in his office, plus this was a private matter, not fit for the ears of Umbridge or the nosy Slytherin fifth years.

********

"This is quite a find," Dumbledore said as he examined the manuscript, "wherever did you come across it Miss Doge?"

"In the back of the restricted section," Calliope told him, "it was in the pile of old manuscripts."

"This will prove very useful," Dumbledore said as he thumbed through the thick pages, "as we can assume what Mr Blanch Eggerly has written about the bond between a Banshee and a wizard to be true, we can infer that much of his other information is dependable. This book could be vital for us to learn more about the talents you possess Calliope, and they will help you understand how to save those whom you love."

Calliope looked down at the battered manuscript. Was it really possible that this unpublished book could hold the answers that Dumbledore said it did?

"I will return this book to you Miss Doge once I have recorded a copy of it for my personal library, as I believe this book will aid me in ensuring that both of you remain safe from Lord Voldemort. If I gain a fuller understanding of your bond I can understand it's weaknesses and then protect you form these."

"Can we go then, Professor?" Fred asked, feeling a discomfort radiate from Calliope,

"Yes, off to class," Dumbledore replied. Fred grabbed Calliope's arm and the two exited the room in silence.

It wasn't until they were in the corridor down the moving stairs that Fred spoke, "Screamer, what's the matter?"

"I don't like the look in Dumbledore's eyes every time we discuss anything about me being a banshee," Calliope confessed, eyeing the gargoyle which was guarding the stairs they had just descended from. "It's greed, it's always greed. He wants to use my abilities to his advantage to beat Voldemort."

"Isn't that what you want to?"

"Not if it means killing innocent people," said Calliope, "and if I were to scream it would mean killing innocent people."

Fred took Calliope's hands into his, and looked her straight in the eye, "Calliope I will never let that happen."

Both Calliope and Fred stayed frozen in that position for a few moments, each of them feeling a flutter of something unfamiliar, but at the same time, beyond exciting.