Thanks to all of you who reviewed, it was a great boost of self-confidence to continue to post. Quite a few of you had a few questions here are some answers:
sh0rt3zMalfoy: I was thinking about Hermione and loosing herself so soon, in my opinion, I actually agree with you, but to make the story work she has to be like this.
RainbowRepublic: Pretty much the same answer as sh0rt3Malfoy, but it took longer than a few days, it was more like six to seven months, which explains a bit more. And in no way was any buzz killed.
kitkat914: Draco has been at school the whole time reasons are explained in the next chapter, aka, the one below.
Thanks again for all who reviewed: sh0rt3zMalfoy, RainbowRepublic, samanthachambersxoxo, kitkat914, and Misses Prongs.
Just for clarification, I have placed any sign language/notes between characters in BOLD. Oh, and another thing, for those who were saying Hermione wasn't in character, this chapter is really off, but it had to be to work with the story line. After this though, she becomes more like the old Hermione we all know and love. Any-who, on with the show!
Chapter 1—
When Harry and Ron had left Hermione, they threw themselves completely into defeating Voldermort, knowing that it was the only way they may ever see her again. After the final battle at Hogwarts, they began to search each Death-Eaters house for her, hoping that she would still be alive. Malfoy Manor was the seventh manor they were searching. They stood outside at the gate, hoping, praying, that they would find her here.
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Hermione had spent seven or eight months with the Malfoy's, two of which were spent while deaf, when Harry defeated Voldermort during the final battle. During her time deaf, she had learnt to deal with it in the best way she could. She had become extremely good at reading both Lucius' and Narcissa's lips, and learned to feel for the vibrations the floor or walls made when a person entered or exited a room.
It was by such vibrations that she knew that someone was coming into the house. Thinking it was only Lucius and some other Death-Eaters, she ignored it and went back to sleep, knowing he would call for her when he wanted to.
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Harry and Ron had not come alone; they had brought several Aurors with them, including Kingsley, Tonks, and Arthur, Bill, and Charlie Weasley. With a quick glance at each other, they split into groups, some of the Aurors separating entirely.
It was a single Auror who found Hermione curled up on the floor of the kitchen. She had woken up when he had walked into the large kitchen, and was preparing herself for the punishment she thought surely should come from Lucius. Instead, she turned over to find a strange man standing over her.
Yelping, she swiftly stood and darted into the hidden passage behind a tapestry in the kitchen. Hoping he would not follow her.
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The Auror did not follow her through the passage, instead, he yelled for Harry and Ron, and ran back up into the entrance hall where they were searching.
Panting he burst out, "She's in the kitchen!"
Harry and Ron looked at him incredulously, and then started to run towards the kitchen only to be stopped by the same Auror who had brought the news.
"Wait! Please listen to me! Something is wrong with her. I was standing there looking at her when she woke up. When I actually saw her face, it almost scared me how hollow it was. She's not right; I don't know how she'll react to you two." He said swiftly pleading with them to listen to him.
Ron angry at being kept from his friend burst, "I know exactly how she'll react! She will see us and yell 'Harry! Ron!' and run at us. How could she not remember us?"
"I don't know, but when she first saw me her eyes went wide with fear, it was almost unnatural."
"Wait, she was scared of you?" Harry said looking at the man.
"Yes, she yelped and then ran into one of the tapestries."
Harry and Ron shared glances then Harry said to the group, Hermione was never scared of anything. "Does anyone have a map to this place?" Arthur Weasley dug around in his bag a minute and then gave an old tattered map to Harry. "Good. Now we'll have to split up to look for her." He pointed to obvious places on the map, and assigned a pair of Aurors to each. "Someone she knows will have to go with someone she doesn't. Hopefully we find her soon."
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The particular tapestry Hermione had hidden in led to the library. She had used it during evenings when both Lucius and Narcissa had been asleep to look up the spell that had been cast on her. When she had not recognized the man, standing above her, her first instinct had been to run, so she did. By the time she arrived at the library, her logical mind had sorted out the pros and cons for each choice she had.
Choice A: she could run out of the house and try to find her way on her own. She knew that she was helpless without a wand, even more now that she was deaf. This idea would most-likely end in failure because of that.
Choice B: she could go back to the kitchen and wait for Lucius like she was supposed to. Maybe the strange man was just another Death-Eater. Lucius would be extremely angry that she had not been waiting for him when he arrived, if he arrived.
Choice C: she could sit and look up more on the spell that Lucius had cast on her and wait for someone to find her.
Her bookworm side taking over, Hermione decided to go with choice C. Pulling a large volume down from one of the shelves, she began searching for the spell.
Silencing spells…
Os Conticescent…mouth be silenced
Oculos Claudant…eyes be shut
Verba Conticescent…words be silenced
Silentium… silence
Caecus… blind
Surdus… deaf
Hermione slammed the book angrily. The spell had escaped her again! She stood up to place the book back on its shelf when she felt someone else coming up the hallway. She quickly backed away from the shelf that separated them, not knowing whom it was. Not watching where she was going, she accidentally backed up into a desk, knocking the small lamp that was situated upon it over with a large crash. She promptly fell over the broken lamp, causing another large crash.
She struggled to get up before the person reached her, but was too slow, and he rounded the corner to see her lying there. Hermione immediately lowered her eyes as a sign of respect, not knowing who it was. With her eyes looking down, she noticed that the person was bent over, offering her a hand up.
Daring to glance up, she noticed a shock of raven-black hair, and emerald green eyes surrounded by large rimmed glasses. 'Harry!' she thought. Grabbing Harry's hand, she allowed him to pull her up, and immediately threw herself on him, sobbing into his shoulder.
Harry stood there letting Hermione sob onto his shoulder. When she was done crying, he started to say something but she stopped him with a shake of her head. Realizing she did not want to talk, Harry took wrapped his arms around her waist and led her out of the library back to the entrance hall. Telling her to stay where she was, Harry pulled out his wand, not noticing Hermione wince away from it, and waved it, causing the rest of the search group to know he had found her, and where he was. Within minutes, everyone was gathered at the entrance. Hermione glancing warily at the members she did not know or recognize.
"Hermione!" Tonks yelled walking quickly towards her to pull her into a hug. Hermione stood there, letting the tears slowly leak from her eyes.
The present members of the Weasley family all came and hugged her as well, Ron being the last.
"Hermione, what did they do to you?" He asked, looking questioningly at her. Hermione saw his look and tried to understand what he was asking, but was unable to do more than look at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand.
Ron did not notice her look, but was angered by her not answering him. He went to ask another question, but was stopped with a look by Harry.
"I think we should get home before anything else happens." Arthur Weasley suggested, motioning to Harry to disapparate with Hermione.
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When Harry and Hermione finally arrived at Grimmuald Place, the house was silent. Seconds later, the place exploded into a roar of sounds, and to Hermione, vibrations. To her it was overwhelming, the floor seemed to be shaking underneath her feet, and when the mass of bodies appeared in the narrow hallway, it seemed as if she was being smothered.
Harry noticing her sudden flinches and feeling her shaking underneath his arm; stopped the mob of family and close friends. Looking questioningly at Hermione, he led her slowly to the sitting room, off the main hallway; motioning for Ron to follow him.
"Are you okay? I've never seen you like this Hermione." Harry asked, once all three of them were seated. Both he and Ron looked at Hermione, both expecting a snappy comeback. Hermione on the other hand studied their faces, looking for the answer to the question they had asked her. After about three minutes of this exchange, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. Harry then stood up, said something that to Hermione looked like, "I…go…Lupin…stay here."
After getting an approval nod from Ron, Harry exited the room, leaving a worried Ron, and a scared Hermione behind. Hermione ducked her head from Ron's searching gaze, and only raised it when she felt more vibrations on the floor, notifying her that Harry had returned with Lupin. Looking up at the two, she winced into the back cushions of the couch as Lupin made to crouch down in front of her.
"Hermione, I'm not going to hurt you." He said, reaching out a hand. All Hermione caught was, "Hermione…hurt you." Gasping, she closed her eyes; waiting for the blow, she expected to come from Lupins reaching hand. Pulling back his hand, Lupin stood back up and turned to talk to Harry and Ron. As his back was to Hermione, she could not catch what was being said.
"I'm almost positive that she was abused. Did you see the way she flinched when I raised my hand to comfort her?" Lupin asked Harry and Ron.
"Yes, it seems she is only comfortable with me and Ron." Harry said
"She doesn't seem to want to speak. I'm at a loss of what to do right now." Lupin said, glancing back at Hermione who was looking down at her hands, wringing her skirt.
Harry sighed and looked back at Hermione, who still was not looking at them. "Ron, why don't you go and get Ginny and get Hermione in some new clothes?"
"Good idea Harry, I'll go get her. She and Hermione are about the same size anyway." He said, and the two of them strode out of the room, Harry set on telling the rest of the occupants of the house to leave Hermione alone. This left Lupin alone with Hermione. Feeling them walk out, Hermione looked up to see Lupin staring at her. Scared she had done something wrong; she leaned back into the couch and continued to twist her skirt into knots. Looking up when she felt vibrations on the floor, her eyes lit up when she saw Ginny in the doorway. With a squeal, Ginny ran over to Hermione, pulling her into a large hug, which Hermione returned. Grabbing Hermione's hand, Ginny pulled her out of the room and up the stairs into her room.
Once they arrived at Ginny's room on the third floor, Hermione was spun onto the bed, gravity making her sit down. Ginny sat down next to her, chattering away too fast for Hermione to make out anything. Standing up, Hermione walked around the room, looking for a piece of parchment and a quill. Once finding the writing utensil and paper, she went back to Ginny and wrote in her small curly script: "Ginny, I am deaf."
Holding the parchment in front of Ginny's face, Hermione watched as Ginny realized what was written on the paper and her eyes start to tear up. Taking the parchment and quill from Hermione, Ginny wrote back: "Hermione, I'm so sorry. How did this happen?"
Hermione grabbed the quill and wrote a reply. "Lucius Malfoy cursed me. I was their servant and he got angry with me. I have been trying to find a counter-curse."
Ginny gasped and looked to Hermione with pure pity. "I will try to help you in every way I can. Should we tell Harry and Ron?"
Hermione thought about this for a minute, and then nodded her head. "Okay, but no-one else, I don't want people to treat me any different."
"How will you communicate with everyone though?"
"How would you like to learn Sign Language Ginny?"
Ginny looked up with a large smile and leaned over to hug Hermione. Her body language saying her answer, "I'd love to."
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After agreeing on when they should start to learn sign language, the girls went to Ginny's closet. Turning on her fashionista side, Ginny started to throw clothes at Hermione, who after the first few shirts and pants flew her way; stopped flinching. Holding up an outfit for Hermione to look at Ginny watched her expression; laughing at the horrified face, she wore. After a few more failed outfits, the two girls agreed on an outfit. Once Hermione had taken a shower and changed, the two went downstairs again, Hermione once again becoming shy and flighty.
Seeing the change in her friend, Ginny grabbed her hand, giving her a small smile. She swore to herself that she would fix it somehow. Somehow, someway, she would make Hermione happy again.
