A/N: Again I'll say that english isn't my first language so there may be some grammatical mistakes. All suggestions and critique is welcome. Nothing else to say really
Disclaimer: These characters and places and everything else are not mine.
Discovery
---------
She was staying at the Hogwarts hotpital wing. Madam Pomfrey had said it would be best, at least for a coupple of days. She had got an own little room in the private section. Suddenly she heard the door open. Probably someone was coming to greet her and tell her how sorry they were. It was nice and all but it started to feel somehow flat.
Soon she knew who the newcomer was. Apparently her magic has started to adapt to her blindness and she could feel some little things. Not much really, at least yet, but this particular person she could sense from few feets away. She hadn't told it to him though.
"Hello" his dark voice started. She didn't say anything so he continued, "I brought you something to read." For a moment she didn't know should she laught or cry. Without thinking she choose the latter. "How could you be so unthoughtful? This is your fault and you're just making fun of me!" she cried and pounded her little fists on his chest.
If she could have seen she would have seen his face shading with the guilt. He hasn't forgiven himself what he had done to her and he admitted himself it was the main reason he was taking her helping and guiding as his personal task. There were some other reasons as well, which he didn't want to talk about, not that he wanted to talk about this one.
He had put the book down on a table and was trying to soothe her. He took a gentle grip around her wrists and put her hands down. He then embraced her into a warm hug. She cried on his shoulder and the sobs dried away. More than anything it was this touch that made everything to feel better, to feel that everything would be alright. It wasn't surprising considering the situation she had been earlier.
"I wasn't making fun of you" he whispered to her ear. "I was going to show you how you might be able to read again." He could feel how she tensed after hearing the last words. This was one thing she had thought she had lost forever and now he was saying it could be possible again. She didn't even notice when he guided her in the chair next to the table and sat himself opposing her. He hadn't let go of her hand even when sitting so she could know where he was without speaking. This was quite kind, even if unnecessary and among the other things made her think that he really cared.
He positioned the book he had brought in front of her and her wand which he had grabbed from her nightstand near her hand telling her what she was doing. She took the offered wand and asked uncertainly what she should do with it. "I'm going to teach you a spell which I once saw in the library and thought it might be useful. I had already considered the situation I might be forced to use that particular potion on myself sometimes and..." His words had gradually faded out and he coughed before continuing, "Anyway, The spell is used on a book or a parchment, though I suppose it would work on any written material. Open the tittle page of that book I gave."
She touched the cover of the book carefully, almost gently, and turned it open. She could feel the leather under her fingertips when she handled the book. She hadn't even noticed she had turned her face down as if looking the book. Old habits die hard as she had already noticed on these few days.She turned her face back to him as if to ask what to do next. He noticed this little detail but didn't say anything about it, instead he said, "The words are 'scriptum elevare'. What would you quess it to do?" She thought a moment before answering "I suppose it has something to do with the raising of the text." She tried to keep her voice calm and professional even if she could feel her hands shaking a little bit from the excitement.
"Exactly, the hand movement goes something like this," he said and moved her hand in a slow motion, "and I'm sure you are able to master that quite quickly. Now try that spell on that book." She pronounced the words and tapped the book with the tip of his wand, as he had shown. As expected, she did it right at the first time trying. She just had the gift of learning things quickly. She heard a faint noice of cracking and when she touched the page of the book again she could feel some line under her fingertips.
She frantically leafed throught a few pages, they were all covered with those line she could feel by her fingers. "The spell works throught ten to twelve pages, from the page you have open when you cast that spell, and it wears of after about half an hour," he said watching her smile, but then that smile faded. "How can I understand this writing? I know this is handwriting but I don't really know how to read it by touching?" she asked and her tears were almost coming back. He took her hands in one hand and with the other he turned the book back to its tittle page. "Try to trace these letters. This is the tittle page and they are bigger that normal text." He pointed her indexfinger on the starting point of the first letter.
He traced the thin line with her finger. First it went upwards, then it turned down, then up again and down again. "This is 'M', right?" she asked and hi said softly 'yes'. The next one was quite round but when she had found the right starting point and followed the line she quessed it would be 'a'. The next one had quite much lines but partly quessing the first word already she choose 'g' and was right once again and 'i' and 'c' were quite easy. The next 'a' she knew already and 'l' was also quite easy so she had the first word, 'Magical'. Of course she knew many book names which started by that word but she had some expectations already. He watched this smiling lightly. She looked like a little kid solving some interesting puzzle and was smiling, really smiling. It was the first time in a long time he saw that.
She traced her finger right before she found the next word and the first letter which was almost circle but it had some corners making it 'D' and when the next one was 'r' she asked "Isn't this Magical Drafts and Potions, our first potions book?" "Yes it is." he answered. "I suppose you know it by heart already so it would be easier to practise the reading of those raised letters. I hope that this could help you." He didn't have time to say more because she had almost jumped up from her chair and came to hug her smiling widely. There were some little tears in her eyes but now they were there for her joy. He didn't have time to wonder how she had known his exact position when she told her how crateful she was and how this had made her days brighter and how she believed now that she might have some future.
If someone of his students had seen him know they wouldn't have recognized him for his wide smile. He was happy to her, happy that he had been able to help her at least some way. It didn't still take the guilt away and he left her soon after that burst of joy. She took the book with her to her bed and sat crosslegged with the book on his lap. He had been right, she knew this book by heart and now she started to trace the other pages, trying to decipher the thin lines of the script.Of course the handwriting of every wizard was different but with this she got a good start and she could continue with her other first grade schoolbooks until advancind on harder ones.
--------
'scriptum elevare' - raise script as should be clear from the context
procyonblack, thanks from the review and yes, Snape is not evil.
Question: I was thinking of writing the chapter about the happenings before the first chapter and it might go quite cruel, I'm not going to be quite graphic about it but should I change the rating then, just in case?
Disclaimer: These characters and places and everything else are not mine.
Discovery
---------
She was staying at the Hogwarts hotpital wing. Madam Pomfrey had said it would be best, at least for a coupple of days. She had got an own little room in the private section. Suddenly she heard the door open. Probably someone was coming to greet her and tell her how sorry they were. It was nice and all but it started to feel somehow flat.
Soon she knew who the newcomer was. Apparently her magic has started to adapt to her blindness and she could feel some little things. Not much really, at least yet, but this particular person she could sense from few feets away. She hadn't told it to him though.
"Hello" his dark voice started. She didn't say anything so he continued, "I brought you something to read." For a moment she didn't know should she laught or cry. Without thinking she choose the latter. "How could you be so unthoughtful? This is your fault and you're just making fun of me!" she cried and pounded her little fists on his chest.
If she could have seen she would have seen his face shading with the guilt. He hasn't forgiven himself what he had done to her and he admitted himself it was the main reason he was taking her helping and guiding as his personal task. There were some other reasons as well, which he didn't want to talk about, not that he wanted to talk about this one.
He had put the book down on a table and was trying to soothe her. He took a gentle grip around her wrists and put her hands down. He then embraced her into a warm hug. She cried on his shoulder and the sobs dried away. More than anything it was this touch that made everything to feel better, to feel that everything would be alright. It wasn't surprising considering the situation she had been earlier.
"I wasn't making fun of you" he whispered to her ear. "I was going to show you how you might be able to read again." He could feel how she tensed after hearing the last words. This was one thing she had thought she had lost forever and now he was saying it could be possible again. She didn't even notice when he guided her in the chair next to the table and sat himself opposing her. He hadn't let go of her hand even when sitting so she could know where he was without speaking. This was quite kind, even if unnecessary and among the other things made her think that he really cared.
He positioned the book he had brought in front of her and her wand which he had grabbed from her nightstand near her hand telling her what she was doing. She took the offered wand and asked uncertainly what she should do with it. "I'm going to teach you a spell which I once saw in the library and thought it might be useful. I had already considered the situation I might be forced to use that particular potion on myself sometimes and..." His words had gradually faded out and he coughed before continuing, "Anyway, The spell is used on a book or a parchment, though I suppose it would work on any written material. Open the tittle page of that book I gave."
She touched the cover of the book carefully, almost gently, and turned it open. She could feel the leather under her fingertips when she handled the book. She hadn't even noticed she had turned her face down as if looking the book. Old habits die hard as she had already noticed on these few days.She turned her face back to him as if to ask what to do next. He noticed this little detail but didn't say anything about it, instead he said, "The words are 'scriptum elevare'. What would you quess it to do?" She thought a moment before answering "I suppose it has something to do with the raising of the text." She tried to keep her voice calm and professional even if she could feel her hands shaking a little bit from the excitement.
"Exactly, the hand movement goes something like this," he said and moved her hand in a slow motion, "and I'm sure you are able to master that quite quickly. Now try that spell on that book." She pronounced the words and tapped the book with the tip of his wand, as he had shown. As expected, she did it right at the first time trying. She just had the gift of learning things quickly. She heard a faint noice of cracking and when she touched the page of the book again she could feel some line under her fingertips.
She frantically leafed throught a few pages, they were all covered with those line she could feel by her fingers. "The spell works throught ten to twelve pages, from the page you have open when you cast that spell, and it wears of after about half an hour," he said watching her smile, but then that smile faded. "How can I understand this writing? I know this is handwriting but I don't really know how to read it by touching?" she asked and her tears were almost coming back. He took her hands in one hand and with the other he turned the book back to its tittle page. "Try to trace these letters. This is the tittle page and they are bigger that normal text." He pointed her indexfinger on the starting point of the first letter.
He traced the thin line with her finger. First it went upwards, then it turned down, then up again and down again. "This is 'M', right?" she asked and hi said softly 'yes'. The next one was quite round but when she had found the right starting point and followed the line she quessed it would be 'a'. The next one had quite much lines but partly quessing the first word already she choose 'g' and was right once again and 'i' and 'c' were quite easy. The next 'a' she knew already and 'l' was also quite easy so she had the first word, 'Magical'. Of course she knew many book names which started by that word but she had some expectations already. He watched this smiling lightly. She looked like a little kid solving some interesting puzzle and was smiling, really smiling. It was the first time in a long time he saw that.
She traced her finger right before she found the next word and the first letter which was almost circle but it had some corners making it 'D' and when the next one was 'r' she asked "Isn't this Magical Drafts and Potions, our first potions book?" "Yes it is." he answered. "I suppose you know it by heart already so it would be easier to practise the reading of those raised letters. I hope that this could help you." He didn't have time to say more because she had almost jumped up from her chair and came to hug her smiling widely. There were some little tears in her eyes but now they were there for her joy. He didn't have time to wonder how she had known his exact position when she told her how crateful she was and how this had made her days brighter and how she believed now that she might have some future.
If someone of his students had seen him know they wouldn't have recognized him for his wide smile. He was happy to her, happy that he had been able to help her at least some way. It didn't still take the guilt away and he left her soon after that burst of joy. She took the book with her to her bed and sat crosslegged with the book on his lap. He had been right, she knew this book by heart and now she started to trace the other pages, trying to decipher the thin lines of the script.Of course the handwriting of every wizard was different but with this she got a good start and she could continue with her other first grade schoolbooks until advancind on harder ones.
--------
'scriptum elevare' - raise script as should be clear from the context
procyonblack, thanks from the review and yes, Snape is not evil.
Question: I was thinking of writing the chapter about the happenings before the first chapter and it might go quite cruel, I'm not going to be quite graphic about it but should I change the rating then, just in case?