The usual disclaimer applies...
When Sara Smiled
by snapefan520
Severus looked up towards the dais, glancing at all his former co-workers. It had been more than ten years since he had attended a graduation while sitting amongst them, but so much had happened since then. He glanced at all the familiar faces...Filius, Minerva, Sybill, Firenze, and paused as he saw Hermione. She smiled briefly at him, and he gently returned the smile. They had never actually worked together as faculty, but then again, Hogwarts had no need for two potions masters.
He was drawn back into the present as the graduation ceremony began. Minerva had walked towards the podium to introduce the faculty before the actual ceremony was to start. His gaze left Minerva as he started scanning the rows of students that were to graduate. It shouldn't be hard to find her, after all she was taller than most of the girls her age. He finally spotted her sitting in the back row, next to one of the Weasleys and the Potter boy. Her black curls cascaded down her back, and he was taken in by what a lovely young woman she had become.
He glanced back up at Minerva as she had started calling the names of the graduates.
"Abbott, Jared"
His focus wandered again back to Hermione. She was watching the graduates come and accept their diplomas, and animatedly talking to Filius between names. He couldn't help but have a sense of pride that she was his wife. Wife. He still couldn't believe that she had chosen him all those years ago. He honestly thought that she would end up being a Weasley, and had never thought that running into her in Diagon Alley all those years ago would lead to marriage, and eventually children.
At that thought, he immediately began looking through the graduates again. He couldn't believe that this day had finally arrived. He was so proud of all her accomplishments. Her graduation meant more to him than anything else in his whole life. She wasn't supposed to graduate from Hogwarts, let alone attend it, if he had listened to all those healers many years ago.
He glanced over at his daughter again, and watched as she readied herself to head towards the podium.
"Snape, Sara...Valedictorian"
She was escorted to the dais by a woman that Severus had now known for many years. Grace had been a part of their lives since Sarah was two years old.
As Sarah stood in front of the audience at the podium, she glanced over at Grace to see if she should start. Grace gave her a quick nod, and then took her position a few feet over from Sara.
Sarah immediately started with her speech. All of the Great Hall was silent as they watched her graceful hand movements communicate her speech. Grace was translating the sign language for Sara since there still wasn't a spell that could translate ASL.
"My name is Sara Snape, and I would not be here today if it weren't for the encouragement of my parents, Severus and Hermione Snape. When I was a baby, I was diagnosed with total hearing loss, and there were no magical means, or even muggle, to correct my hearing loss. My parents were told to take me home and raise me as a squib, since no child with hearing loss would ever be able to do magic. At two years old, my mother found Grace... an amazing woman, who taught me how to 'speak'. I was fluent in ASL within a year. And at nine years old, my father left his post as Potions Master at Hogwarts to try and teach me how to cast spells non-verbally. My mother spent more than a year trying to petition the board of directors at Hogwarts to let me attend. And the rest, as the expression goes, is history.
So let me say to this to my fellow graduates. You can do anything you set your mind to do, I am proof of that. Failure is only an option if you let it be. Our class can do great things, I have no doubt. Thank you."
She smiled at the audience as she finished her speech. Although she was unable to hear the applause, she could see the clapping of hands and all of the people standing in admiration of her. She turned to look at her mother, who was clapping furiously, with tears streaking down her face. She glanced again at her father in the audience. He was always very reserved, but he was smiling at her and had tears in his eyes as well.
Severus looked up and locked eyes with his daughter. Her smile radiated a warmth through him like nothing else. To see her smiling face as she graduated made everything in his life have meaning and purpose. As he continued clapping for her, tears finally starting to come from his eyes, he realised something important... This is what life is all about.
A/N...I wrote this after having a discussion with a good friend about our special needs children. My son is autistic, and her daughter is deaf. One wish we both have, as do many other parents of special needs kids...is for our children to be able to graduate just like all other children. Not that there is any mention of 'special' kids in any of JKR's books, but I would like to think that they would be accepted as well.