"Wow… you've really never used a computer before?" Kitty asked Harry. The two were standing before one of the computer terminals in the computer lab. Because Harry was obviously not going back to the mall for some more clothes, it had been decided that he would do some online shopping with Kitty.
"Um…" Harry mumbled nervously. His ears folded back neatly against his head as he tried not to fidget too much under Kitty's shocked gaze. "The D-Dursleys didn't want me to touch any of Dudley's things, they thought I might break them." Harry didn't like saying so much about the Dursleys, but Kitty's eyes wouldn't leave him be without an answer. Of course, even though he tried to say as little as possible, Harry was well aware of just how much he was saying by not saying. If one cared to read between the lines they would find a plethora of hidden knowledge.
"Ah, well surely you must have had some time on a computer at school." Kitty ventured hopefully. Harry looked away. Though he would never regret going to Hogwarts, he was now at a disadvantage in the muggle world as far as technology went. Looking at the blank, shiny box thing in front of him, Harry felt a bit of shame creep in. He'd laughed at Malfoy in first year for the blonde's highly erroneous descriptions of helicopters, yet now he couldn't even figure how to power on a monitor? Certainly, he knew how automatic doors worked and the purpose of a rubber ducky, but the workings of a desktop were beyond him. He'd never been allowed near Dudley's and his primary school didn't use online learning methods.
"No… my boarding school is up in the mountains of Scotland. It doesn't even have electricity." Harry answered down heartedly.
"Oh, well, I guess we can add a computer and typing course to your extracurricular activities. For now, I'll show you the basics." Kitty murmured as she pulled over an extra rolling chair from one of the other computer cubbies. The brown-haired girl sat herself down on the chair directly in front of the desktop and gestured for Harry to take the other one.
"Ok, so the first thing you should know about computers is how to turn them on. With a laptop, there's only one button. With a desktop you have to turn on both the monitor and the actual computer." Kitty explained as she pressed a button on both the computer monitor and then on the black box sitting beneath the table. Harry blinked at several different colored lights lit up. A second later, the dark screen of the monitor lit to expose a wavering flag of four different colors. Windows 8.
After a moment, the screen turned bright, sky blue with two different boxes in the center. One held a flower and was labeled 'Staff', while the other held a pencil and was labeled 'Students'. Harry snorted. So, the teachers got a flower, but the students just got a reminder of their impeding doom.
"Something funny?" Kitty asked curiously. Harry blushed and shrugged.
"Not really. I mean, it was to me but its honestly not."
"Huh, well anyway, since you're a student you'll be using the student interface." Kitty used the mouse to roll a white arrow across the screen to the picture of the pencil. One left click later and Harry blinked to find an entirely different image on the computer screen.
"Once you log into the student profile, you'll come to this right here." Kitty scrolled the pointer around the screen. She moved it down to the blue bar at the bottom.
"This is your tool bar. When you're using something on the computer, you'll always be able to find it here." Kitty moved the arrow up to the different boxes in the upper left corner.
"These are programs and apps that the computer can use. This one," She scrolled over a blue ball with an orange fox. "Is Mozilla Firefox. This is the one we use to access the internet. This one," This tie she gestured to a blue book, "Is Office Word. Here you can write papers, essays, school work, or even just write for fun. Those two are probably the most important ones for you to know. You might have to use some of the others later, but most of the others are things you don't really need to mess with, like the Recycle Bin or McAffee." Kitty briefly used the mouse to point out the garbage can and red badge.
"So… different shaped things let you do different things?" Harry asked tentatively.
"Yup, and this one," Kitty clicked on the 'Mozilla Firefox', "Will let us get you some new clothes."
"It'll make my clothes?" Harry asked in confusion. Kitty stared at him incredulously before snickering with mirth.
"Wha? Oh No!" Kitty giggled and laughed. "Its going to let us order your clothes, like through a magazine except without paper."
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed. Like owl order then… just with a glowing box.
"Since you left all your clothes at the mall, we'll need to get you some more formal wear as well as some good casual outfits. You don't need any underwear, right? Cuz you're gonna have to get Bobby to help you with that." Kitty murmured as the web browser opened to reveal a picture of the X-Mansion. Across the top of the page their cover school's name is printed in bold golden letters. Kitty ignored it. They only had a website to keep up appearances. Instead, Kitty quickly began to type into the search.
Meanwhile, Harry blushed bright red. Certainly, it wasn't exactly a secret that everyone wore underwear, but to have a girl ask him if he needed some so bluntly was mortifying. Luckily, Kitty continued without noticing Harry's prominent flush.
"This is a search bar. If you have a question or you're trying to find information, you type what you want into here." Kitty explained. She typed in 'Formal preteen boy clothes'. Harry winced. He knew he was small but surely, he wasn't that small? He was almost fourteen for Merlin's sake! He was definitely a teenager, not a preteen.
Harry blinked when a list of pictures and titles popped up. Those… actually weren't too bad. The kids in the pictures actually were about his height.
"So, see anything you like, kiddo?" Kitty asked.
"I like that one." Harry pointed to a long-sleeved button up in a silvery blue. Kitty right-clicked it and then clicked 'open page in new tab'. A second after, another gray box popped up at the top of the screen. It was titled 'Mountain Blue Preteen Formal Top'.
"Nice. If you get some dark jeans, it'll work as a great contrast. Why don't you find something in a darker color? You need something more subdued for events like awards ceremonies or something else that's totally formal." Kitty prodded Harry with her muscled shoulder. Harry nodded and looked through a few more of the pictures. He liked blue, but he didn't want to be stuck wearing just blue…
"I want that one." Harry exclaimed as he pointed to a red/maroon button up that happened to be the exact same shade of red as Gryffindor's main color.
"Ooh, that's going to go great with your hair. Good choice! Now, I'll get you a couple of white too; it matches everything. Oh, What's your size?" Kitty asked as she clicked on a white button up with blue buttons.
"Um…" Harry flushed. He didn't know his own size. In the Wizarding World, all of his clothes had been made for him at Madam Malkin's. And with the Dursleys… they had never bought clothes for him.
"You don't know?" Kitty looked over at Harry's red tinged face. "That's fine. Honestly, most boys your age don't know a thing about fashion, so you're leagues ahead of them anyway. Though… you look like you'd need a medium or large in kids… I'll order some of both." Kitty decided with a nod.
Kitty rolled her pointer back up to the search bar and began typing again.
'Preteen boys T-shirts'.
Again, a list of titles and corresponding images popped onto the desktop screen. This time, Harry needed no encouragement to start looking for something he liked. The sooner he picked something the sooner he could get finished.
Eventually, Harry settled on few nondescript T-shirts with different super heroes on them alongside a couple with famous quotes on them.
Jeans went almost entirely the same way. He picked a couple shades and cuts that he liked, Kitty guessed his size, and then he was shooed from the room, so she could 'give you a little extra oomph, don't worry, you'll love it!'. A shiver of foreboding crawled its way up his spine. Hopefully, she wouldn't go too over board.
Looking around, Harry eyed the empty corridors of the school with dislike. Now that he had ordered some clothes, he had nothing to do.
"Oh, Harry. Just the young man I was looking for. Would you mind coming with me for a few minutes? I'd like to discuss some ideas on how to allow you to be in large crowds but without having a sensory spike." Harry blinked and looked to the left just in time to see a blank wall slide back up over a hidden elevator. In front of it, Hank McCoy stood in all is furry, blue, oddness. Harry grinned.
"Sure!" He chirped. Anything was better than wandering around aimlessly. Plus, dealing with his hearing meant he'd get to go outside and not be cooped up inside the school all day.
"Lets head to the kitchen; its about lunch time and I'm sure you're famished." Harry nodded and followed Hank's lumbering gait down the hall.
"So, first I'd like to ask you a few questions about your mutation. Is that okay?" Hank asked as he pulled a chair out at the bar for Harry to sit.
"It's okay." Harry murmured as he gingerly sat on the offered seat. He looked at the stove and appliances on the other side of the bar. Who was going to cook? Was Hank going to?
"Great, do you like grilled cheese sandwiches?" Hank asked as he pulled a skillet out of the over head cabinet.
"Uh- yeah. I do." Sometimes it was served at Saturday lunch with some tomato soup. Harry could remember the last time; Ron had stuffed too much in his mouth at once and ended up spraying Hermione with cheese when he inevitably choked. Hank pulled a loaf of bread from a multi-tiered platter on the bar.
"Good, that's actually pretty much all I can cook on a stove. Logan says I treat cooking a bit too much like a chemistry experiment." Hank grinned at Harry before pulling some cheese and butter out of the fridge. Hank fire up the gas stove and placed a bit of butter in it to melt.
"Harry, how long have you had your mutation?"
"Y-you mean my ears? Not long. I w-woke up with them the Wednesday before school let out. So, about a week and a half now?" Harry guessed. He honestly hadn't really been keeping up with the days. The Hogwarts Express felt like a life time ago with all that had happened since stepping off the train.
"Not long at all then. Have you noticed anything odd or painful about them since then? What about at the airport?" The sound of sizzling filled the air as Hank carefully placed a cheese sandwich on the skillet.
"Um, I'm not sure. Flying next to a snoring old man gave me a headache, so I'm not sure if they were causing me any pain then or if it was just from lack of sleep on the long flight. I've noticed that I'm sensitive to sharp, loud sounds though and I can't stand getting water in them. When I've showered, I've been careful to put them under some plastic to protect them." Harry's mouth watered a little as he picked up the scent of buttery bread and melty cheese. His green eyes focused on the stove in hunger.
"I see… so you haven't been bothered by the sound of electricity in appliances or the signals given off by cell phones or other internet accessing devices?"
"I haven't noticed anything like that." Harry murmured distractively. The grilled cheese sandwich smelled sooooo gooood…
"That's good. You probably won't need medication then."
"Medication?" Harry tilted his head to the side and felt his ears flop with it. His green eyes gazed warily at Hank's back.
"Sometimes, when mutants with significantly higher senses come into contact with electronics, they can pick up the wavelengths used by mobile devices or hear the electricity running through the machines. In most of these cases, the mutant in question is unable to filter out the sounds and is thus in pain for the duration of their contact with such devices. Some allergy and pain medications have been used to allow these hypersensitive mutants to co-exist with modern technology. Luckily, it doesn't appear as though your senses are that sharp. The most you might need is a pair of ear plugs and a little training."
"Wow, mutants can hear radio waves?" Harry asked curiously. That sounded so weird! Did that mean they didn't need a radio to listen to music? Harry gazed into space as he imagined what that must be like. Meanwhile, Hank chuckled amusedly.
"Some can hear more than that. Eat up." Hank placed a plate full of grilled cheese on the counter in front of Harry. Harry grinned and quickly lifted it to his face. Just before taking a bite however, his eyes widened, and he turned back towards Hank.
"Thank you for the sandwich." Harry said quickly. He didn't want to seem ungrateful. It had been very nice of Hank to fix him food. None of the adults in Harry's life had ever done that before except Mrs. Weasley. Hank smiled.
"You're very welcome, Harry." Hank said as he placed his own plate of grilled cheese next to Harry's. Harry smiled as he bit into his grilled cheese. Taste and warmth exploded onto his taste buds like fireworks on New Year's Eve. Harry let out a happy hum as he closed his eyes.
"Well, I think that's the highest praise my cooking has ever received. Your father normally calls it radioactive leakage." Harry blushed bright red as his eyes shot back open. Swallowing, Harry turned to his doctor and lunch buddy.
"It is really good. And I'm really hungry." Harry defended himself. "So, you said something about ear plugs and training?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yes. I'll be ordering you a pair of special null-sound ear buds from a discreet mutant medicinal facility. They'll function like normal ear buds but with the added ability to filter outside noise and adjust it to whatever noise level you set it at. Of course, these aren't for full time use. You can't exactly go through life looking like you're ignoring the world around you. They're mostly for emergencies or when you realize you're having issues with your senses."
"But if I can't use them all the time, how are they going to fix me?" Harry asked in confusion. His black tail twitched nervously before curling slightly in on itself.
"They're not supposed to 'fix' you, Harry. There's nothing to fix."
"But the other day, at the mall… I felt like I was going to die or something. I was in so much pain and I didn't know what to do to make it go away. How can there be nothing wrong with me when I freak out like that?" Harry's tail curled around his middle while his ears laid flat against his head. Harry never wanted to experience what happened at the mall ever again. That sense of helplessness when your own senses betray you… it had been the worst thing Harry had ever felt. Even the basilisk venom hadn't been as terrifying as the sensory overload at the mall.
"Again, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just not used to your new senses." Hank tried to assure Harry. Harry shook his head back and forth as he recalled the half-conversation he had overheard.
"But Frost said-" Harry tried to argue as fear clouded his mind. They couldn't leave him like this! He didn't want to be in pain every time he was around a lot of people.
"I know what Miss Frost said, Harry. Now, I want you to listen to what I'm saying. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not used to receiving so much audial and scent related input. Your body hasn't figured out how to tune them out yet. As for how I know it can do that… well. Have you ever smelled something disgusting but after a few minutes it went away?" Hank interrupted him calmly as he caught Harry's gaze and held it. The beast's blue eyes were calm and unworried; his brow relaxed without tension or stress. It was Hank's calm, measured tone that broke through Harry's rising panic.
Harry thought about what the doctor said and nodded slowly. Whenever aunt Petunia made him clean up after Dudley with bleach he stopped noticing the smell after a few moments.
"Eventually, you'll be able to do that with other things. Your body just doesn't know how yet. So, for now, you'll received the earbuds as a supplement and you'll be receiving some training in meditational mind over matter techniques." Hank assured Harry.
"So, after a while everything will go back to normal?" Harry asked. Hope fluttered timidly inside his chest.
"Not exactly. Sharp sounds will still be painful for you, but what happened at the mall shouldn't occur again if you learn how to regulate loud environments to a background buzz." Hank explained. "I used to have the same problem before I learned some Indonesian meditation techniques."
"So, learning to meditate, it'll help me?" Harry asked as he furrowed his brow. Slowly, his flattened ears rose to face forward; indicating his curiosity.
"Yes, it will. Don't worry, Harry. You're not the first kid to pass through these halls with some overactive ears. Just trust us a little, okay? I promise we know what we're doing." Hank's earnest voice finally managed to calm Harry's hiccupping heart back down to normal speeds. The boy let out a long breath of air before nodding.
"Okay." He'd trust them a little.
But only because they knew what they were doing. When school came back around he was still going back to Hogwarts, no doubt about it.
This isn't a filler chapter. It was just longer than I thought it would be so I figured I'd go ahead and post it as a stand alone chapter. It was actually part of a larger chapter that ended up too large to be written all at once and I've got three exams next week so it either goes up now or in two more weeks. Plus, I figure I've made ya'll wait long enough. Sorry about that. Turns out, working two full time jobs just isn't constructive to writing large amounts of fanfiction. Now that'm back at school, I might just have that elusive thing called time again.
I wish ya'll luck on your own exams and life challenges,
~Blitza