TITLE: Falling on Deaf Ears
DISCLAMER: I do not own any of the characters or anything else recognisable as that of JK Rowling.
WARNINGS: Contains mentions of abuse and disabilities (Deafness)
PAIRINGS: None planned, Def no slash
SUMMARY: When Harry arrives at platform 9 and 3/4, it is a great surprise to everyone when he is deaf and severely injured. After being healed by Madame Pomfrey, he and Severus work together to reintegrate harry back into society. What will they uncover when they work though the problems of his past.
AUTOR NOTE: Thanks to my beta AlElizabeth. The first three chapters were co written with foreverme98. Please log in when you review so i can say thanks and provide info on anything that needs explaining.
where text is surrounded by *'s the person is speaking and signing at the same time.
WORD COUNT: 3654
Chapter 2 - Getting Started
"Ah, Harry, how was your trip?" Madam Pomfrey signed to him when she saw him and Mrs. Wesley making their way down the drive way. Realizing that he hadn't communicated with anyone, most likely the entire time, she thought he might like to have someone he could tell his trip too.
"It was so good. There were little goblin people, and wands, and brooms, and so much more amazing stuff. We got everything that I would need. Even an owl!" Harry was obviously very excited but something about him seemed reserved. "The kind lady who took me had to go and tend to some things. She dropped me off then left. I'm not sure what she did with all of my things, but look I've got new trainers and a wand."
"I believe the best thing to do would be to introduce you to Hagrid. He is the one that looks after the first years on the boats. Now, I'm warning you now, Hagrid is rather large but he would never hurt anyone. I'm sure he will be just as excited to meet you. Come along."
Harry scurried after the lady and back out the front door. Confused as to why they were going outside, but excited to meet someone new, he continued at a steady pace. Reaching the cabin, Madam Pomfrey explained to Hagrid what had happened. He said that he would be more than happy to walk Harry down to the train and then make sure that he would be safe. Gently squeezing his shoulder, the lady made her way back up into the school to finish preparing for the coming year.
Hagrid gestured towards the chair and Harry took that as his cue to sit down. Just as Harry sat down, a great dog bounded up to him, and dropped its head onto his lap. Remembering all the times Marge's dog had hurt and chased him around, Harry jumped in his seat. Arms flailing, he came close to tipping the chair backwards in his haste to get away. After a little while of the dog just sitting there quietly, Harry realized the dog had not been ordered to hurt him.
"Jumpy little tyke, aren't ye?" the large man questioned.
Harry shrugged with an impish little grin tugging the corners of his mouth up. The half-giant fascinated him, making him forget his fears. Even the dog didn't bother him, though its head was bigger than his own.
"Can't hardly believe yer Harry Potter," he muses out loud. Stepping up to the boy, he stares down at Harry's face. "Yer him though. Would recognize James' boy any day."
The name didn't mean anything to Harry. He was not allowed to know of his past, so he never dared ask his aunt or uncle anything about his parentage. It would have gotten him a couple of lashings, which was something he liked to avoid at all costs. It simply wasn't worth it. He wasn't stupid, however. Apparently, his father's name was James.
If only he had a face to go with it.
"Well, we better be getting down to the docks, Mr. Potter. We wouldn't want you to miss the boats."
Trusting that the man knew what he was talking about, Harry trailed along after him. The dog stayed by Harry's side, trotting along faithfully. Hagrid looked back, smiling. "You've sure charmed ol' Fang. Animals are a good judge of character, you know."
Peaking at the beast, Harry reached a trembling hand out to pet it, gaining confidence when the overgrown pup nudged his hand with its nose. Laughing, Hagrid shook his head. "He's never been fond of strangers. Most times I have to leave him at home to keep him from hurting anybody."
Harry listened with rapt attention. Every bit of information Hagrid provided, Harry stored away for later. So far, he liked Hagrid the best. The giant-of-a-man put him at ease in a way no one else had been able to do. Perhaps it was because he reminded him of a big, furry teddy bear. Either way, Harry was happy to follow Hagrid anywhere he chose to lead.
"Just around here Harry, ye will get ta see Hogwarts." Hagrid started pointing through the trees. Rounding a bend in the road Harry was able to see the castle. It was one thing seeing it up close, but seeing it lit up in the dark over the Black Lake was magical. Harry was so engrossed with what he was seeing that he didn't notice Hagrid had carried on walking.
"Well, here we are!" Hagrid proclaimed. Looking around he saw Harry a little way off running to catch up.
Several smallish wooden boats lined the water's edge. Other children stood, waiting, expectant expressions settled on their tiny faces. A few looked nervous, while others looked anxious to start the next adventure. Some looked slightly out of breath after the walk from the train to the lake, but not many. One such brave child happened to be a girl. The first thing Harry noticed was her hair. She had more of it than anyone he had ever seen. The disapproving purse of lips was the next thing he took note of.
Hagrid went running towards the boats then, yelling at the top of his very loud, very powerful voice. "Now get off 'em boats, you ragamuffins. It ain't safe!"
A boy with bright red hair, who he thought to be one of Mrs. Wesley's children, leapt out of the boat before Hagrid could reach him. Another boy turned red in the face, and froze in place, one foot in the boat, the other one anchoring him to dry land. "I-I'm sorry, s-sir."
Grabbing the boy out of the hunk of wood, Hagrid grunted. "What's yer name?"
N-N-Neville, sir. Neville Longbottom." His shaggy hair hid almost all of his face, but Harry could still see the naked fear swimming in his dark eyes.
For a moment, Harry worried over the scared student. He let out a sigh of relief when Hagrid set the boy down. It would have been too awful to bear if Hagrid had hurt Neville.
"Everyone line up then," he said. "We ain't got all day."
Trying to hide, but not having anywhere to go, Harry just stood by the lake's edge, too nervous to step forward and get into one of the boats. Eventually, Hagrid noticed this when almost all of the other children were situated comfortably. "Come along, Harry. I've saved you a spot beside this pretty little lady here."
The 'pretty little lady' happened to be the same frizzy-haired girl he had noticed earlier. Her pert nose wrinkled at him and her brows furrowed distastefully. She said nothing, however, she just primly sat her hands in her lap.
"Everyone ready? Right, well, we will be off then – FORWARD." Hagrid called from sitting in his own boat next to Harry.
With that, the little boats started to glide across the lake. It would have been a peaceful journey if it hadn't been for the bushy haired girl. She started to open her mouth several times, but each time she shook her head and closed it again. She fidgeted a bit before she made eye contact with him, then said, "Isn't this exciting?"
Nervous, Harry bowed his head. He couldn't seem to make his mouth work. Her piercing eyes were too intense, and he didn't have any experience conversing with children his own age. He just knew he would mess it up and make a fool of himself.
Again, her demanding voice rung in his ears, "Do you know what the school motto is?" When he remained silent, she carried on, undeterred, "Never tickle a sleeping dragon! Isn't that peculiar?"
Butterflies made a mess of his already unsettled stomach. He turned his head to the side, keeping his gaze glued to the foggy waters. The mist rising from the lake leant an air of danger to the air, which did nothing but cause him to feel even more unsure of himself and his surroundings.
Huffing, the girl folded her arms across her chest. He watched her from out of the corner of his eye. Frustration poured off her in waves. She did nothing to hide her feelings. "So you're going to ignore me then?"
She waited a moment, but when he remained silent she turned to face the other way. "I was only trying to make conversation. I should have known you weren't worth my time. You probably couldn't even tell me what century Hogwarts was founded in," she stated condescendingly.
He didn't know what she was talking about. He wasn't even sure what a Hogwarts was. Trying to figure it out in his head, and too ashamed to just ask, he stayed silent. It took all of his willpower to look her in the eye, but he did.
It seemed to make everything worse though, because her round face turned a harsh red. Ways to fix the misunderstanding raced through his mind. When he had worked out an apology in his head, he scooted closer.
Tilting her chin up, she glared at him. "I can't believe I got stuck with someone so unbelievably rude. I certainly hope I don't get placed in the same House as you!"
After a fierce shushing from Hagrid, the girl became silent like everyone else. All the children looked up to see the castle towering above them. None of them noticed how close they were to the cliff. "Heads down," Hagrid called as the first boats reached the cliff.
The children all bent their heads as their little boats sailed them through the ivy curtain, which hid the wide opening in the face of the cliff. After following a small dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them under the castle, they reached a small harbor where they all clambered out onto the rock.
Looking up and seeing a great staircase, everyone inwardly groaned. Surly a magical community would have a better way to move up in the air than stairs. When Hagrid started his way up the set of stairs, everyone realized that they did, indeed, need to climb.
Harry, being so malnourished and ill, only made it halfway up the stairs before he promptly passed out and was grabbed by a few other students he did not know. Hagrid saw what happened and retraced his steps to carry the young boy the final stretch of the way.
Reaching the top and opening the doors into a grand courtyard, the children stood panting. Across the stone floor, a stern woman stood holding a scroll. Harry felt Hagrid's body move and some words come out of his mouth, but didn't fully understand the meaning.
Setting Harry on two feet and making sure he was steady, Hagrid walked back to his cabin.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, first years," the lady said. "I am Professor McGonagall. The feast will begin soon, but before you can join the celebrations, you must each be sorted into your Houses. This sorting is very important because whilst you are here, your house will be like your family. You will have classes with your House as well as sleeping in your dormitories and spending your free time in your common rooms."
Every student was looking towards the Professor, excited by the idea of starting Hogwarts. "There are four Houses- Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Every House is equal to each other and each has its own foundations. It would be prudent to learn what each one stands for once you have settled into your lessons. You should know that at the end of the year we will be awarding someone the House Cup. Any triumphs will earn points for your House, whilst rule breaking will result in reductions. The sorting will begin soon; I would recommend smartening yourselves up."
7h ago The lady left the hall to check the progress of the school.
A pale-faced boy walked up to Harry quite suddenly. Two bigger boys flanked him. To Harry they looked intimidating with their scowling expressions and large frames. The middle one moved like royalty.
When he reached Harry, he held his hand out. "I've heard about you," he said. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"
The way he asked made Harry think his name was important. There was a hint of respect in the other boy's tone, and Harry couldn't figure out why. He wasn't anybody special; the Dursleys' had made sure he knew his place.
Still, he didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier, so he nodded his head, but didn't feel comfortable accepting the hand that had been offered to him.
The slightly taller boy hummed, stuffed his hands in his robe pockets, and cocked his head to the side. "My names Draco Malfoy. You probably have heard of me."
Harry didn't like Draco's self-important attitude. This time Harry gazed back challengingly. Shaking his head, Harry watched as Draco's cheeks turned red with indignation.
"Well, I'm not surprised," Draco rallied. "You couldn't have been in good company living with stupid Muggles. You've got a lot to learn, Potter, but lucky for you, I'm willing to take you under my wing."
He disliked the thought of having anything to do with Draco. In fact, he would prefer to be friendless if Draco was his only option. It wasn't like he would know what he was missing since he'd never had a friend before.
Wanting the conversation to be over, Harry turned his back to the blonde boy and his cronies. He surveyed the chamber curiously. There was nothing of interest in the empty room. It was small and crowded with all of the children huddled together.
He'd made eye contact with the freckled redhead when he felt a heavy hand clasp around his shoulder. Startled, Harry whipped around and came face-to-face with Draco. "It's not polite to turn your back on a Malfoy, Potter," he sneered.
Harry cowered back, doing his best to shake Draco off. Mere seconds later, Harry could feel a presence beside him. It turned out to be the same boy that had gotten in trouble down at the docks earlier. His face matched his hair, and he shoved Draco away.
"Lay off, Malfoy. Not everyone cares about your last name."
"They do if they're smart, Wesley," Draco retorted, shoving back.
"That's enough!" a sharp voice echoed off the stone walls. "Fighting will not be tolerated here at Hogwarts."
Mrs. McGonagall looked down at the trio sternly, hands placed on her hips. "It's time for the Sorting," she declared impatiently. "Now, come along."
The rabble of first year students made their way down between the tables. Reaching the final table pointing a different direction and containing only adults, the group stopped.
Professor McGonagall unrolled the scroll she was holding and stood next to a funny looking object on a stool. Before they had time to work out what it was, a slit appeared and a sweet sound rang through the hall.
Harry wasn't paying attention; he was more interested in looking around the room. Unnoticed by Harry, the song had finished and he was still looking the wrong way. Now Hermione was annoyed, and so was the Professor.
Glaring fiercely, she looked back at her parchment. "Granger, Hermione."
The bushy-haired girl from earlier pushed her way through the crowd rather timidly. Climbing the few stairs to the stool, she waited for further instructions. The lady reached down and took the funny object, that they now realized was a hat, gestured to the stool, and then placed the hat on her head.
For a moment, the hat was still and no one knew what to expect. Suddenly, to the surprise of all the new students, it suddenly roared, "GRYFFINDOR!" A table to the right suddenly woke with clapping and whooping.
Harry was very lost and unsure of what to do. He glanced around the expansive room. He saw the table located in the front of the room, which he guessed was the spot held for the teachers. Then, without warning, a strange thing happened. When he spotted a funny looking man with something purple on his head, the scar on his forehead burned.
Having received enough blows in the past not to show any pain on his face, he continued to study the teachers. Thankfully for Harry, he spotted the kind nurse from earlier. Catching each other's eyes, they shared a smile, and then she gestured back to the group of people. Clearly something had happened because for some reason everyone in the room was staring at him.
Looking around in a panic, he noticed that the group he was standing in was considerably smaller and that no one was currently accommodating the stool. Assuming that he was supposed to go and sit on it, he moved towards it after receiving a nod from the nurse, whom he had been watching for cues.
He sat and waited for the lady to place the hat on his head. After a little while, Harry started to wonder what was wrong, only to remember that his colored ear defenders were preventing the hat from being placed on his head. After removing them, the large hat was placed on his head, blocking the hall from sight.
Unknown to Harry, everyone in the hall had started whispering and were only silenced by a sharp glare from the Headmaster.
The whole situation felt strange to Harry. He could hear a snarky voice in his ear. When the voice asked what he wanted most, he replied that he wanted a family. The voice then yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The same table he had seen earlier roared to life, and in his haste to get there, he forgot to put his ear defenders back on. Instead, they remained in his pocket. Standing frozen in place, he felt someone pat him on the back. He stumbled to the side, wanting nothing more than to sink into the floor. Hoping to avoid anymore attention, Harry took a seat at the end of the table.
About ten minutes later, the lady took the stool and hat from the room. At the same time, the man with twinkly blue eyes, unnoticed by the students, also stood and moved to the corner of the hall. The man started to talk and Harry noticed that the nurse was signing, what he could only guess was what the man was saying. Harry was very glad that none of the other students seemed to notice her.
Once the speech was over, Harry quickly signed a thank you before looking down and noticing all the food before him. Suddenly, a loud noise assaulted Harry's ears. He lowered his eyes to his lap, intent on focusing on something other than the problem. He was used to doing this whenever Uncle had ambushed him.
The prefects were doing their usual rounds. Percy was in charge of the first years and having spotted one raven-haired student not eating, looking instead at his lap, he became worried. Making his way over, he gently tapped the boy on the shoulder. Harry flinched but looked up.
"Hello, Harry, my name is Percy, I'm the prefect." He held out his hand for Harry to shake, but when the offer was declined, he knelt down so that he was level with Harry. "Is there something wrong? You don't seem to be eating."
The small boy continued to look into his eyes, but still he didn't respond. Percy was getting aggravated that the boy-who-lived was point-black ignoring him. Raising his voice slightly, Percy continued, "I would like an answer, please."
It became too much for Harry; he covered his ears hoping to block out some of the noise.
This action didn't go unnoticed by the nurse who got to her feet after excusing herself from the table. Making her way past the long line of students, she patted Percy on the shoulder upon reaching the group, told him that it was alright.
Looking towards Harry, she smiled kindly and said, "It's okay. Don't forget about your ear defenders. Oh, and eat some dinner, there will be pudding soon. Percy will take you somewhere safe later on."
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment but replied fairly confidently "Thank you, I think I will be alright now."
The lady rumpled his hair and then moved back towards the head table, leaving Harry to fill his plate up with food.
What they didn't know was that Severus Snape had been watching the interaction with great interest. He guessed that other than the two in question, and Dumbledore, he was the only other person in the room who knew how to sign.
