The train ride to Hogwarts was silent.
As it always was since Harry first started.
In fact, the entire world had been silent since he was a baby.
A terrible accident left him deaf and he grew up in a world filled with silence. He had been introduced to the wizard world two years ago and that too was silent. There was no cure for the deaf in the wizard world and he could not afford to get the special equipment that would allow him to hear.
He had met Ron and Hermione and taught them how to sign but there was no company with him today since they were with the other prefects in another railroad car.
When they finally arrived at Hogwarts, he got off the train and tried to find Ron and Hermione. He walked up to the school quickly with his luggage and sat down on one of the benches.
Soon, a slim brunette with long hair and front blonde highlights walked over. She had moss green eyes behind oval shaped glasses concentrated on the book in one of her hands while her other hand was tugging a large black suitcase. She also had a large black messenger bag strewn across her shoulder. The girl sat next to him.
She said something to fast that he couldn't read. He looked at her blankly and she obviously repeated herself but he still couldn't read her lips.
Her eyes widened in realization and she immediately put her book down.
She finger spelled, "Hello. My name is Linda Alexander." She would occasionally stumble in between words but he could understand her. He gave her a slight smile that turned out more like a grimace. He signed, "Harry Potter. Are you a third year?"
"Yes." She signed, "Sorry. I am horrible at signing." Once again, she stumbled over her fingers as she spelled out her words. She signed, "I could never live like you."
He signed back, "You are one of them." He pointed to the students around him that were talking in the sounds he could not hear. "You pity those who cannot hear." He turned to leave but she grabbed his wrist with both of her hands.
She let go of one hand but he didn't move. He wanted to 'listen' to what she had to 'say'.
She signed, "I am sorry if I offended you. I am so horrible that I cannot understand what you just spelled. I barely got your name. Harry Potter, right?" He nodded. "I meant that I wish I was as talented as you. I stumble on everything. I would never survive in your world. You are so brave. You go out each day in a world of sound that you cannot hear. You are one of the true fighters."
He smiled. She had done it sloppily but she got the message across. He signed, "Thank you. It means a lot. Why are you here?"
She gave him a look of confusion. He spelled it out simpler. He mentally thought to himself, "If we become friends, I need to teach her ASL."
He signed the letter 'y', the letter 'u' and the letter 'r' and then made a circular motion to signify the area around him. Hogwarts.
Her lips made a wide o and she bopped her forehead lightly. She then spelled, "I feel stupid. I am here because my mom and dad are a witch and wizard. School of magic for a girl who can hardly spell."
She smiled widely, "Get it. Spell. I cannot finger spell well. In case you have not noticed, I have a horrible sense of humor. It is worse than my signing." He smiled and she signed, "So why are you here?"
He signed slowly, "Same. Where did you learn to sign?"
She answered back, "I learned at a Muggle school when I was little. It is a good thing that it was not required. I would have failed."
He smiled and signed, "I could teach you."
She grinned and said, "That would be nice."
Before they could continue the conversation further, a familiar face passed Harry. It was Draco Malfoy, the boy who was jealous and always teased Harry because he was deaf. Draco's lips moved to say, "If it isn't the boy who couldn't hear."
Harry stood up and so did Linda but she held him back as Draco moved closer. Draco's lips moved once again as he said, "And if it isn't the little American Muggle learned girl with him."
Harry looked at Linda as he realized that something sharp was digging in his skin. He saw that she had long nails growing on her fingers and they were now hurting him as her grip tightened. She bared her teeth and said, "Grow up, mommy's boy. You don't have the balls or the guts to mess with me. The only person who can possibly mess me up is someone you will never meet."
She took her hand off of Harry and her hand moved to slap Draco across the face. Five red lines now marked his pale white skin. He winced from the pain as her nails moved once again to grab the skin at the center of his neck. He flinched backwards. Harry read her lips as she said, "I can put you in pain even without magic. You're a weak bastard."
She let go off his neck and he bent over. She then kicked him in his gut and he fell to the floor. She looked to Harry and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. She signed, "You don't want to know." He shrugged his shoulders and then signed, "Okay. I think you would kill me if I asked."
Her mouth opened to a laugh that he yearned to hear. She signed in reply, "I could. But I wouldn't."
She picked up her stuff, he grabbed his bags and they left. They barely walked a short distance when Linda rolled her eyes and turned around. He signed, "What's wrong?"
She signed back, "Malfoy, life, this school. Where does the list end?" He smiled at her sarcasm. She then signed, "It's Snape. He is probably going to put me in detention since I whipped his poor little Slytherin star. It's a shame really. I thought that I could have made it to at least a week before this happened."
She looked as though she was going to sign more but Professor Snape stopped her as he said to her, "Ah, what a surprise. The American delinquent returns to disgrace Ravenclaw yet again. I thought you would have dropped out last year after you nearly blew up my room. And the legendary deaf boy at her side. A joyous relationship. But that doesn't excuse the vicious beating of Mister Malfoy."
She looked at him sternly and said, "The only thing vicious is his disrespect for those who are different and for those who are superior to him."
Snape gave her a grimace and said, "If your grade was better in my Potions class, I would believe you. But you got below an Outstanding so I still believe that you are wrong."
A fake smile spread across her face as she said, "The only thing wrong is the fact that this school doesn't mandate a fair learning environment for everyone. And the fact that all the Slytherins get easy A's in your class."
Snape's grimace didn't waver as he said, "The headmaster wishes to see you about a scheduling issue."
With that, the Slytherin headmaster left the now silent hallway. Students continued to mill past, whispering and pointing at Linda.
She deliberately ignored them and then signed to Harry, "Ah, what a surprise. You didn't get a nose job over the summer." At this Harry laughed. Linda smiled and then signed, "See you later. I have to go to the headmaster's room now, I guess." She waved goodbye and left Harry in a good mood as he met his friends Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.
Author's Note: This is a totally weird spin that I came up with after watching a 'Cold Case' episode. It was about a deaf boy and a hearing girl but theirs ended up with the deaf boy dead or whatever. Not a happy ending. Mine, hopefully, will end on a cheerier note than that.
I came up with the girl's name after searching name meanings and Linda means 'Pretty One' in Spain.
(It also means Lime/ Linden tree in the English and German languages but 'Pretty One' sounds better) and Alexander is one of the top one hundred most common names in the U.S. (96; was looking for common but not too common) it means the protector of mankind in Greek. I figured it would work since she is protecting Harry from Draco and since she is kind of pretty. I couldn't find a name that meant 'sarcasm' or 'sarcastic'.