A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone :-) I'm awful with names, so forgive me for not giving you individual praise.. but you know who you are! :-)
Severus sat up straight in bed at the sound of the crash. Immediately rushing to where the crash had occurred, finding Snippy cleaning up a thick goeey mess that had exploded. The boy was lying on the couch, asleep. Clearly, he had walked in his sleep and somehow ended up on the couch.
"Snippy, couldn't you be more careful?" Severus snapped. "You could have woken up the dead with that racket." Severus paused, doing a double take at the boy, who remained in a deep sleep. His eyes flickering to the mess Snippy had cleaned up. The wheels clicking in his head, he turned his head at the sound of the fireplace crackling, announcing Hermione's arrival with her little girl.
"Sorry I was late, Professor, but Holly insisted on having her hair up into a ponytail." Hermione said with a smile, but the smile faded upon the notice of the thoughtful expression on Severus's face. "Holly, go sit quietly for a moment. I need to work with Professor Snape." Holly nodded, her deep brown ponytail bouncing with energy, and took a seat in Severus's plush armchair, her hazel eyes focused on the boy lying on the couch.
"I think I might have a theory." Severus said quietly, as Hermione stood nearby, watching the boy. "I was rudely awakened by my house elf, and found the boy lying here.. undisturbed."
"I think I know what you are thinking, Severus, but let me run a test first." Hermione said quietly, taking one of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' noisemakers out of her pocket. "Cover your ears, Holly, you too, Professor." Hermione said as she slipped on a pair of earmuffs she had transfigured out of a cushion. The noisemaker exploded in midair, and the boy remained silent, the only movement from him a small snort, a small twich of his hands occasionally.
"That solves my theory." hermione said with a smile. "Let me run a diagnostic test on him and we'll have a solution to our problem." Hermione said with a flick of her wand, the boy's ears glowed a sickly grey. "Just what I thought. Severus, your son is deaf."
"Deaf? But how could they have missed that?"
"It's the invisible handicap. I had a neighbor who was deaf. He moved his hands like that, to speak. I think your son talks in his sleep." At that, a laugh emerged from Severus's chest.
"Talks in his sleep? Hilarious." Severus said, his eyes fastened on the boy. "So, what shall I do now?"
"Let me get a book, I will be right back immediately." Hermione said with a smile on her lips. "I can't remember any of the signs he taught me, but I know we can talk with him. You'll get a name out of him yet, Professor." Hermione said with a smile on her lips as she left Severus alone in the room with two children. Severus looked down his nose at Holly, who looked up at him with a bright smile on her lips. Severus prayed for Hermione to hurry.
Fortunately for Severus, Hermione returned in a rush, a small stack of books in her arms. Laying the books neatly near her, she faced the boy, gently clutching his shoulders to make sure he was facing her. Hermione then opened the book, glancing at it and then moving her hands ever so slowly.
The boy's eyes glinted, and he nodded, moving his hands quickly. Hermione shook her head, and smiled.
"Slow down!" Hermione said with a laugh, and looking through the book before moving her hands again. The boy slowly moved his hand in odd shapes, pausing in between each shape for Hermione.
"What, what is this?" Severus asked, a scowl on his face as he watched the interplay between Hermione and the boy. "How ...."
"This is sign language, Severus. I think he was raised to use this method of communication." Hermione said as she continued to focus on the boy, moving her hands at a painstakingly slow rate. The boy's face had an intense concentration, his dark eyes focused entirely on Hermione. Severus stood there, watching the interplay.
"Couldn't you just take care of him or something? I'm busy, I couldn't waste my time doing this if it takes so long to talk to him."
"I'm slow because I just learned this. With time, Professor, you could become as fluent as he is. It would only take a flick of the wrist to communicate an entire conversation. Just like you do with that eyebrow."
"Wait, wait, don't bring my eyebrow-raising into this." Severus said roughly, stiffening his stance. A slow breath escaped him. "I suppose i do have a responsibility to the boy to learn this... sign language. How long would it take me to be fluent in this?"
"It depends, some people take to it well, and pick it up in a measure of days, even weeks. Some people, it takes them years." Hermione said with a sigh as Holly hunkered down next to her, moving her hands as she studied the book. "I got some sign language manuals from the library, and some books such as the Deaf Wizard's Guide to Magic. I think you will learn quite a lot." Hermione said with a smile as she stood up, leaving Holly crouched on the ground, communicating with the boy through her gestures.
"I see. Miss Granger." Severus said, casting a wary eye at the stack of books. Hermione shook her head.
"I will be back at dinner, do you think you can last this long?" Hermione asked, arching her eyebrow. Severus took a breath, his eyes fastened on the boy.
"I could. I have the books to help if I need anything." Severus said with a sigh. "If I could take on Voldemort, I can master this." Severus said partially to himself. Hermione laguhed, shaking her head gently as she leaned down to pick up Holly in her arms. "We will be back by dinner."
"I will be counting the hours." Severus said with a sigh, glancing down at the boy. "Wait... what's his name?" Severus asked, turning to grab at Hermione. It was too late, she had disappeared into a puff of smoke through the floo network. Damn.
"What's your name?" Severus asked, glancing down his nose at the boy and picking up the book, flipping through it warily. Inside were moving pictures of wizards and witches moving their hands in odd gestures, with words underneath. Severus quickly flipped to a picture of a wizard moving the first two fingers of both hands up and down on each other.
"Name." Severus whispered. "I can do this. Name." Severus whispered as he mimicked the wizard's movements.
"Name?" Severus whispered, moving his hands to the boy. The look the boy gave Severus was priceless. He had never been the reciepent of such a look. It was filled with trust, vulnerability, fear, and a myriad of other emotions. The boy moved his hands quickly, and Severus moaned. He frowned, and held up the book to the page with the manual alphabet, he could tell the boy was spelling out his name.
"Let's see... " The book was grabbed out of Severus's hands by the boy, the boy pointing to several letters, spelling out his name. "S....oh, wonderful." Severus said with a sigh five minutes later.
The boy's name was Sirius James. Severus Snape nearly wept.
A./N: Deaf people can talk in their sleep.. I've seen it happen. I don't know how or why, but it happens.
Severus sat up straight in bed at the sound of the crash. Immediately rushing to where the crash had occurred, finding Snippy cleaning up a thick goeey mess that had exploded. The boy was lying on the couch, asleep. Clearly, he had walked in his sleep and somehow ended up on the couch.
"Snippy, couldn't you be more careful?" Severus snapped. "You could have woken up the dead with that racket." Severus paused, doing a double take at the boy, who remained in a deep sleep. His eyes flickering to the mess Snippy had cleaned up. The wheels clicking in his head, he turned his head at the sound of the fireplace crackling, announcing Hermione's arrival with her little girl.
"Sorry I was late, Professor, but Holly insisted on having her hair up into a ponytail." Hermione said with a smile, but the smile faded upon the notice of the thoughtful expression on Severus's face. "Holly, go sit quietly for a moment. I need to work with Professor Snape." Holly nodded, her deep brown ponytail bouncing with energy, and took a seat in Severus's plush armchair, her hazel eyes focused on the boy lying on the couch.
"I think I might have a theory." Severus said quietly, as Hermione stood nearby, watching the boy. "I was rudely awakened by my house elf, and found the boy lying here.. undisturbed."
"I think I know what you are thinking, Severus, but let me run a test first." Hermione said quietly, taking one of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' noisemakers out of her pocket. "Cover your ears, Holly, you too, Professor." Hermione said as she slipped on a pair of earmuffs she had transfigured out of a cushion. The noisemaker exploded in midair, and the boy remained silent, the only movement from him a small snort, a small twich of his hands occasionally.
"That solves my theory." hermione said with a smile. "Let me run a diagnostic test on him and we'll have a solution to our problem." Hermione said with a flick of her wand, the boy's ears glowed a sickly grey. "Just what I thought. Severus, your son is deaf."
"Deaf? But how could they have missed that?"
"It's the invisible handicap. I had a neighbor who was deaf. He moved his hands like that, to speak. I think your son talks in his sleep." At that, a laugh emerged from Severus's chest.
"Talks in his sleep? Hilarious." Severus said, his eyes fastened on the boy. "So, what shall I do now?"
"Let me get a book, I will be right back immediately." Hermione said with a smile on her lips. "I can't remember any of the signs he taught me, but I know we can talk with him. You'll get a name out of him yet, Professor." Hermione said with a smile on her lips as she left Severus alone in the room with two children. Severus looked down his nose at Holly, who looked up at him with a bright smile on her lips. Severus prayed for Hermione to hurry.
Fortunately for Severus, Hermione returned in a rush, a small stack of books in her arms. Laying the books neatly near her, she faced the boy, gently clutching his shoulders to make sure he was facing her. Hermione then opened the book, glancing at it and then moving her hands ever so slowly.
The boy's eyes glinted, and he nodded, moving his hands quickly. Hermione shook her head, and smiled.
"Slow down!" Hermione said with a laugh, and looking through the book before moving her hands again. The boy slowly moved his hand in odd shapes, pausing in between each shape for Hermione.
"What, what is this?" Severus asked, a scowl on his face as he watched the interplay between Hermione and the boy. "How ...."
"This is sign language, Severus. I think he was raised to use this method of communication." Hermione said as she continued to focus on the boy, moving her hands at a painstakingly slow rate. The boy's face had an intense concentration, his dark eyes focused entirely on Hermione. Severus stood there, watching the interplay.
"Couldn't you just take care of him or something? I'm busy, I couldn't waste my time doing this if it takes so long to talk to him."
"I'm slow because I just learned this. With time, Professor, you could become as fluent as he is. It would only take a flick of the wrist to communicate an entire conversation. Just like you do with that eyebrow."
"Wait, wait, don't bring my eyebrow-raising into this." Severus said roughly, stiffening his stance. A slow breath escaped him. "I suppose i do have a responsibility to the boy to learn this... sign language. How long would it take me to be fluent in this?"
"It depends, some people take to it well, and pick it up in a measure of days, even weeks. Some people, it takes them years." Hermione said with a sigh as Holly hunkered down next to her, moving her hands as she studied the book. "I got some sign language manuals from the library, and some books such as the Deaf Wizard's Guide to Magic. I think you will learn quite a lot." Hermione said with a smile as she stood up, leaving Holly crouched on the ground, communicating with the boy through her gestures.
"I see. Miss Granger." Severus said, casting a wary eye at the stack of books. Hermione shook her head.
"I will be back at dinner, do you think you can last this long?" Hermione asked, arching her eyebrow. Severus took a breath, his eyes fastened on the boy.
"I could. I have the books to help if I need anything." Severus said with a sigh. "If I could take on Voldemort, I can master this." Severus said partially to himself. Hermione laguhed, shaking her head gently as she leaned down to pick up Holly in her arms. "We will be back by dinner."
"I will be counting the hours." Severus said with a sigh, glancing down at the boy. "Wait... what's his name?" Severus asked, turning to grab at Hermione. It was too late, she had disappeared into a puff of smoke through the floo network. Damn.
"What's your name?" Severus asked, glancing down his nose at the boy and picking up the book, flipping through it warily. Inside were moving pictures of wizards and witches moving their hands in odd gestures, with words underneath. Severus quickly flipped to a picture of a wizard moving the first two fingers of both hands up and down on each other.
"Name." Severus whispered. "I can do this. Name." Severus whispered as he mimicked the wizard's movements.
"Name?" Severus whispered, moving his hands to the boy. The look the boy gave Severus was priceless. He had never been the reciepent of such a look. It was filled with trust, vulnerability, fear, and a myriad of other emotions. The boy moved his hands quickly, and Severus moaned. He frowned, and held up the book to the page with the manual alphabet, he could tell the boy was spelling out his name.
"Let's see... " The book was grabbed out of Severus's hands by the boy, the boy pointing to several letters, spelling out his name. "S....oh, wonderful." Severus said with a sigh five minutes later.
The boy's name was Sirius James. Severus Snape nearly wept.
A./N: Deaf people can talk in their sleep.. I've seen it happen. I don't know how or why, but it happens.