Wednesday night's study session was in full swing. Each year group was working on their various essays. Asher was mostly finished with his History of Magic essay. He needed only to add a paragraph or two in order to finish off his work on the Establishment of the English Ministry of Magic. He knew if he focused on it, he would be able to complete it in short order. But he was not focusing on that now.
Asher had always been a strong student. He was eager to learn and he attributed some of that to the fact that he spent his early school years as the only deaf kid in a hearing school. He felt as if he needed to prove that he could be there with the hearing students and not fall behind.
Going to Saint John's had only increased his desire to learn. Suddenly, the words in the books had come alive with the visual language that was BSL. He was learning in his own language and that made a huge difference. Rather than pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion to keep up with the other kids, he was suddenly able to understand and surpass the other students in his class with relative ease.
"Silent, Mr. Crabbe," Snape hissed at the table across from Asher. He stood above the first-year boy, making himself seem even taller than he truly was. "Not quiet. Not whisper. Silent study session . I should hear no noises aside from your quills scratching the parchment."
"Sorry, Professor," Crabbe said, his face beat red. He sat back in his chair rigidly and did not move for a full two minutes.
Snape resumed his pacing, ensuring a silent room.
Asher returned his thoughts to his book. Not the History of Magic book, which laid open in front of him, giving the appearance of being used, but his Practical Legilimency book that was in the drawer by his bed. He had only been assigned to read through chapter five. That was where the exploration of the readying of one's mind was completed and just before the chapters on projecting thoughts began. Asher had finished the book.
The later chapters spoke directly to the performance of legilimency. The type of legilimency discussed was referred to in the appendix as 'surface legilimency'. This was what Snape did every time he sat on the edge of Asher's mind. It was a superficial connection that allowed for projection of thoughts and ideas.
In the same appendix the idea of 'offensive legilimency' was briefly touched upon. In that form of the discipline, a witch or wizard could dive into the mind of their subject, pulling images, thoughts, and memories from a victim, with or without consent. The publisher did not see fit to discuss this idea in depth.
The thought of attacking someone with his mind seemed lewd to Asher. A person should be allowed some privacy, even if it is only within their own skull. He did not like the idea of forcing someone to divulge secrets or memories like that.
But the surface legilimency was what Madame Mileto was famous for. That was how she communicated with other witches and wizards. And Asher thought it was a beautiful way to communicate.
He stared at Millicent, focusing on her mind. He closed his eyes and imagined pushing into her head. He thought, 'Hi,' as a soft and gentle whisper. Nothing happened.
Finally, he returned his attention to History of Magic. He finished his last paragraph and was satisfied that it was a well-written essay and would earn him at least an exceeds expectation. Maybe even an outstanding. He would need as many of those as possible to compensate for his failure in practical magic.
He looked back at Millicent, who was absorbed in reading. He pushed his consciousness towards her again. This time, she reacted.
She held up her hands and closed them in a quick motion, signing 'stop'.
He looked at her and feigned innocence. He held up an index finger and wriggled it back and forth, mouthing 'what' at the same time.
She tapped her forehead with the thumb of her right fist then pointed at him. She held up her left hand in a fist and brushed the top of it with her right fist. 'Know you do,' was the strict interpretation. Asher was not sure if she meant that he knew what he did or if she knew what he was trying to do.
Millicent's head turned to the left and Asher followed her gaze. Pansy had her hand in the air and was calling out, "Professor!" With a rather smug look on her face.
"Is there a problem, Miss Parkinson?" Snape strode over from the opposite side of the room.
"Asher and Millicent are talking."
Asher looked surprised and shook his head at his Head of House.
"I find that rather difficult to believe as Mr. Green does not generally speak," Snape drawled. Asher smirked. Pansy's face tinged pink.
"They were using their hands," she said, demonstrating by waving hers in a non-sensical way.
Snape's shoulders rose and fell. "This is a silent study hall, Miss Parkinson. If they are communicating silently, they are within their rights to continue." His sharp gaze fell on the two friends, "If they are communicating at the detriment of their own learning, they will pay the price for their own folly."
Asher shook his head and motioned to his essay, which exceeded the minimal length by half. I am finished.
Is your friend? Snape thought back.
Millicent had only just started her essay. She had turned her attention back to her paper the second Snape said the word 'folly'. She could not hear the other part of the conversation.
"But that's not fair," Pansy whined.
Snape looked at her with the same annoyed glare he usually reserved for Gryffindors in his Potions classroom. "No one is stopping you from learning British Sign Language, Miss Parkinson. Perhaps you could add it to your own studies and be able to communicate silently as well."
Pansy pouted her lip and turned her face back to her parchment.
Asher pulled out his Transfiguration book and began reading about inter-elemental transfigurations, a subject they would be tested on next week. He focused for a few minutes before distracting himself with legilimency again.
Millicent looked up a moment later, annoyance written on her features. 'Stop' she signed again.
He tilted his head to the side, questioningly. He held his hands in front of his chest, his palms facing him, and moved each one up and down, opposite motions to the other hand.
She shook her head and repeated Asher's sign. 'No hurt.' She held her right hand, fingers extended with the palm facing her chest, bent her middle finger and dragged it upwards over her chest. Then she pointed to herself and nodded.
Asher smiled. Millicent felt him trying to connect. He was close then. He pointed his two index fingers in her direction and traced the length of the left finger with his right finger, then pointed to himself with eyebrows raised. 'I try?'
Millicent huffed out a breath and shook her head.
'Please,' he signed. He gave her his most convincingly pleading look.
Her eyes rolled. He added one more sign, grasping one flat-hand with the other, as if in a strange handshake. 'Friend.'
A grin snuck across Millicent's face. He could always get her with the friend sign. They both knew it now. It made her feel more confident in their relationship and she had a hard time refusing him when he called her his friend.
Millicent scribbled something on a piece of paper. I don't need you reading my mind.
Asher shook his head and signed 'read'. He shook his head again to drive home the point.
She held up an index finger and tapped it against her opposite shoulder. 'Why?'
He spelled out P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E.
Practice reading my mind? She wrote.
Asher shook his head.
What then? Practice invading my thoughts? So you can pull them out?
So I can put mine in, Asher thought.
"MERLIN'S PANTS, ASHER!" Millicent stood up so quickly that she knocked over her chair. The sudden noise attracted the attention of the entire common room.
"Miss Bulstrode!" Snape's angry tones carried through in his thoughts as he rushed to their table. "Explain."
My fault, Sir, Asher thought, projecting as much innocence and remorse as he could. I threw a spider at her. He signed the words he thought, hoping that Millicent would remember enough of the signs to cover for his lie.
Millicent looked appropriately terrified. Asher wondered if it was the connection to her mind or if she was a really great actor.
"A spider, Mr. Green?" Snape did not look convinced.
Yes, Sir, Asher hung his head. I know, it was childish.
"Indeed," still skeptical.
"Sorry, Sir," Millicent righted her chair. "I wasn't expecting him to do that." She narrowed her eyes at him and he felt a twinge of actual regret.
"No, most students refrain from tossing arachnids in my study sessions. Especially my silent study sessions." He aimed a glare at Asher, who promptly imagined a spider in his hand. He did not know for sure if the man would try to read his thoughts, but he decided not to project them. If Snape saw the forged memory accidentally it would only support his case.
Snape narrowed his eyes at Asher. "Another essay then, Mr. Green. This one on the subject of respecting other students' boundaries. Half a meter by our meeting tomorrow night."
Asher sighed, Yes, Sir. He pasted on a look of chastisement and held it in place until Snape walked away. Once he was gone, he allowed himself to smile. He had done it! He had performed surface legilimency.