Speak to Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor anything associated with him. He's property of J. K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.

Summary: Hogwarts is has closed for a year, and Harry is thrown in his room, locked from the outside world, forbidden to speak. What happens when he forgets he has a voice? When school starts up again, who's going to teach him to speak?

Warning: Possibly A/U, Mentions of Abuse. OotP Spoilers, HP/SS SLASH (Will be slash later on, much later, because I prefer to work it in, not just jump in. So don't pressure me.), Some bad language.

Thanks to all my reviewers, I was astounded at the response I got. It seems each story I write gets more reviews than the last. I'm amazed and ecstatic to see that some of my favorite authors have also been reading my stories. And thanks for the few who pointed out my error at the end- I don't know why I didn't catch it, but I fixed it. Well, I wont hold you from reading the newest chapter-I'm just so HAPPY...

Ch. 2 -Jackel

Over the course of the year, Harry would write reassuring letters to his friends, under the supervision of his uncle. Irritatingly enough to him, none of them seemed to get suspicious of anything, even with his short, non-descriptive letters. He didn't mention to his uncle that they might arise suspicion in contrast to the longer ones he wrote last year, because he was hoping they would. He wasn't going to say a word to his uncle. He did, however, become thoroughly annoyed that his friends, and even Remus, could be so easily deceived.

Sitting by the window and reading had become his favorite pastime. The sun kept his skin a healthy color-and fresh air would grace his lungs. At night, when he couldn't sleep, he could also be found by the window, reading by the moonlight, or even just staring at the stars and the moon, wondering about Remus, or shedding silent tears over the loss of his godfather.

He tiptoed around his uncle, and never uttered a sound, even in the late hours of the night when he wasn't able to sleep.

Harry was learning a lot from the books. He read Remus's 'Occulmency and You' book first, found it quite easy to understand, and easily mastered the art of keeping Voldemort out of his dreams at night. He had decided that 'Understand Potions' could wait, and picked up Hermione's guide to Wandless Magic. Dumbledore's gift, 'A Beginner's Guide to the Dark Art's' proved quite a fascinating read, so he read it a few times through, to make she he remembered the important spells, such as the ones he'd use to take out Voldemort and bring down his Death Eaters. He had decided that they were a little too inappropriate to use on his Aunt and Uncle, he didn't want to get thrown in Azkaban.

He had formed a plot. He was going to leave on his Seventeenth Birthday, when he would no longer be counted as an Underaged Wizard.

He'd spell his way out of the Dursleys on the Third Day that followed his birthday-after he got a chance to shower. He'd come upstairs, stun his uncle and take his things, leaving it to the ministry to take care of the problems, though he was sure there wouldn't be any. Luckily, he had muggle money saved up in a piggy bank in his trunk. As he grew up, while he was cleaning, he took to saving any money that he found in the cushions or on the floor. There were only small change, but saved up, they equaled a lot. He only needed enough to get himself a bandana anyway, to cover his scar. He'd proceed to the bathroom-he knew well enough that the bathroom in the store he was going to was a one-man bathroom. Not one of those stupid ones with stalls. He'd use charms there, to lengthen his hair and change his eye color. Use a few more charms to alter his facial appearance.

Then he'd wave down the knight bus, give them the alias 'Ishmael O' Leary,' and have it bring him to Gringotts, where he'd withdraw a lot of money. He'd stop at 'Ursula's Robes' and pick up a few sets, so he didn't have to walk around in this hand-me-down muggle clothing, that smelt because they never washed them. He'd probably pick up a few books, too, as well as his school supplies (Because he knew he'd probably be receiving his Hogwarts letter on his birthday), and anything else he thought worthy of being picked up.

He'd then spend the following month leisurely, and continue to write reassuring letters to his friends. He had no qualms about Hedwig, he knew his owl would find him somehow.

He knew his plan wasn't foolproof, and he knew he'd get recognized sooner or later, either that or Dumbledore or some Order member would find him. Dumbledore always seemed to know where he was, anyway. He knew it wasn't safe, too, that he could be attacked, without the 'protection' of his Aunt's house. He couldn't stay here any longer, though.

His seventeenth Birthday went about the same as last year's. He received another book from Hermione, titled 'The Muggle-Born's guide to being a Wizard.' Another sweater from Ron's mother and this time not one, but two really chocolatey cupcakes. Hagrid gave him another tin of hard, trickle fudge and Remus gave him a small glass ball, that had instructions on how to use it. Harry supposed it showed him what someone was doing, and when. Dumbledore mailed him a book titled 'The Beginners Guide to Apparation' and a note saying that he'll be needing it, because Apparation classes, although only a few weeks long, will be starting at the beginning of term. He also got his Hogwarts letter, giving him his list of classes and items needed.

He had received his OWL Results sometime back in October. He got an Outstanding in Potions, an Outstanding in DADA, an Excellent in Transfiguration. and so on. So this year, he was taking Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts, Advanced Potions, Advanced Transfiguration, Apparation for the first 2 weeks, then 'Household Charms' until the end of Christmas Vacation, which is followed by Recent History, Muggle Studies, Advanced Herbology, CoMC, and Advanced Charms.

He'd finished reading the books he got for his Sixteenth birthday by January, having taken his time reading them. Christmas he got a few more books and the usual from Mrs. Weasley. Dumbledore sent him another book-well, technically the Order did, it was on Silent Magic. They decided that it would be best for him to know how to use it, because it'd be easy if he could sneak up on the enemy. He read that three times. It would be useful in his escape plan.

It wasn't until the next day that his Uncle, right on schedule for 'The Third Day,' popped his even fatter head up into the attic. "Potter, empty your toilet and take a shower. I expect you to write your letters when you're finished." And then pulled his head back out, thudding could be heard as he trod off down the hall.

Harry stood up, and gathered up the rest of his belongings and shoved them into his trunk, and removed a change of cloths that he hadn't worn in the past year- a pair that he was saving for this day. He emptied his toilet and taken a shower, wanting to be clean, and started back towards the attic, wand in hand, expecting his Uncle would be waiting for him.

Vernon was standing in the attic as Harry hoped, looking as whaleish as ever. Harry hid his wand in his sleeve and stepped into the attic. Deciding he'd try to be as nonviolent about this as possible, he opened his mouth to speak 'I'm leaving now, forever.' But no words came out, there was just the faint rasping of the air against his throat.

Confused, he didn't move as the large man approached him angrily, grabbing him by the hair of the head, saying something about a letter.

Harry's senses came back to him, and he kicked his uncle in the shin, hard, before jumping back and raising his wand, suddenly thankful for the book that the Order sent him. He suspected that Dumbledore knew he wouldn't be able to speak, though, and decided he'd have a few words with that man. Then he put his reading into action, focusing his eyes on his target. With a swish of his wand, and a clear steady chant of the spell in his mind, he used the stunning charm on his uncle moments from the time he raised his wand.

Now quite confident in his Silent Magic abilities, he raised his wand to his trunk and shrunk it, the same way he had before-thinking the magic instead of saying it. He put the trunk in his pocket, and hid his wand. Moving to his desk and snatched up his piggy bank before making his way, as silently as possible down, the attic ladder, and then the second floor stairs. He left the Dursley's house for the last time.

He moved down the street, walking at a brisk and purposeful pace, until he finally reached the store he was looking for. He quickly went in and found a bandana that looked good on him-it was dark green with white stars-and wordlessly bought it. He tied it around his head, covering his scar, as he walked towards the bathroom. Locking himself in, he moved to the mirror, and carefully cast the charms he needed. His hair was past his shoulders and his eyes were a cold gray, like Malfoy's. He charmed his facial hair so he only had some on his chin, in a fairly attractive fashion. He studied himself in the mirror for a while, before heading out of the store, and into the back alley.

After preparing himself for Stan and Ern, he raised his wand in a call for the Knight Bus.

He wasn't greeted by Stan, or Ern, but by a mysterious dark haired, attractive man.

Attractive? Man? Did those two words fit in the same sentence? Confused by his feelings he wasn't hearing a word the man, who also had a low, sexy voice, was saying.

Jackel-that was his name, stopped talking, drawing his features together in a frown. He cleared his throat, refraining from gently jabbing the slightly younger man in front of him. "Sir." He said, loudly.

Harry, startled, gave the man a questioning look. The man continued to frown. "Are you getting on the bus or not? I haven't got all day to stand here and-"

Harry nodded, and the man stepped back, allowing Harry to pass through. Harry was slightly thankful that Ern and Stan weren't there, but he did wonder where they were. At least he'd have some things to think about on this bus.

"Name, sir?" Jackel asked, and Harry opened his mouth to answer, before snapping it shut again, remembering that there wasn't much point in trying to speak.

He shrugged.

Jackel looked slightly annoyed, "Where would your destination be?"

Harry knew he couldn't avoid the question, and tried to think of a way to communicate that he couldn't speak. Getting an idea, ahe raised his hands to his throat, making like he was strangling himself.

Jackel picked it up immediately. "You can't talk. All right," He looked slightly less annoyed, and went to the front of the bus, returning with parchment and a quill.

Harry took it and wrote; 'My name is Ishmael O' Leary, and I'm going to Gringotts. I don't need a bed-or cocoa, or anything, thanks. What happened to Ern and Stan?'.

Jackel only took a few moments to read it before looking at Harry. "Stan and Ern were killed by Death Eaters. We'll be at Gringotts in about 15 minutes. That's 11 sickles."

Harry reached into his pocket and handed him all 11 sickles, having counted it out before he left. Thankfully, he had kept some wizard money in his trunk over the year. He moved and took a seat behind the Driver's seat, and Jackel stood beside it. "Mind if I sit?" He asked, the paper pad still in hand. The bus started up, and then took off with a pop.

Harry shook his head.

"My name is Jackel." Jackel said, taking the seat beside Harry. "You must forgive me for being so blunt about Stan and Ern- I never knew them, really. I couldn't tell you more than that, because I didn't know anymore than that. The bus driver's name is Skeeter, by the way. He doesn't speak either."

Harry nodded, and smiled lightly at Jackel. The man was sitting kind of close to Harry now, but Harry, strangely, didn't feel very uncomfortable. He rather liked the closeness of the man.

As Jackel spoke, Harry listened interestedly, occansionally responding by writing something on paper. Harry didn't notice Jackel flirting a little either, nor that he, himself, was flirting in response. He was thinking about the part where he found Jackel attractive, when he first saw him. He never had feelings about guys before, at least, if he did, he ignored them. Now that he thought about it, he did find a lot of guys attractive.

The more he thought about it, the more attractive he found Jackel. The man, who must have been in his early 20s, was tanned, with dark, long hair that had braids throughout it. His eyes were most attractive. They were dark, with long, thick lashes. Jackel also wore a bandana, just not the way Harry did. It was tied to hold some of his hair back, but some braids and hair eluded the clutches of the bandana, contributing to the man's look.

The driver, Skeeter, made a grunting noise, catching Jackel, and Harry's, attention. He held up five fingers.

"We're going to be there in five minutes." Jackel said, not sure if Harry knew why Skeeter did that. "Where are you planning on going after you stop at Gringotts?"

Harry wrote, 'I'm going to find a quiet, small inn somewhere and stay there, until the school year starts. I go to Hogwarts.'

"The Unicorn's Horn is a good inn to stay in." Jackel said, "We can wait for you outside Gringotts and show you where it is, if you like. It's a quiet place, I go on my time off to hang about. Not too many people go there, and it is kinda shady, but no one will hurt you. It's rather hard to find, though."

Harry smiled and scribbled, 'That'd be great. Thanks.'

Jackel grinned at him. "Anytime."

It wasn't much longer until the Knight Bus reached Gringotts. As Harry exited, Jackel stood and told Skeeter that they were to wait for Harry, to bring him to The Unicorns Horn. Skeeter grinned and nodded.

It wasn't long until Harry, who had previously forgotten about getting some wizarding robes, was back on the Knight Bus with some of his money. He decided that he'd wait until after Jackel left to get some clothing and go school shopping.

When they reached The Unicorn's Horn, Jackel smiled and stood, "Come on, I'll bring you in and introduce you. I'll be back in a bit, Skeet." Skeeter nodded, as Jackel stood and let Harry out of the seat.

As they entered The Unicorn's Horn, Jackel's hand found it's way onto Harry's shoulder as he lead Harry to the front counter. As they walked, Harry admired the small, almost empty, Inn. Jackel had been right, it was quiet, and shady. There was about 4 people sitting around, two talking quietly amongst themselves, one sitting back by the fire watching the two that were chatting, and another that was obviously drunk, and practically passed out. Harry grinned, deciding he'd like it here. Even if the characters didn't look like the people from Diagon Alley. They weren't as bad as those from Knockturn Alley.

The place was bright, because of the noon sun seeping it through the windows. The floor was wooden, as were the tables and chairs, with a quaint brick fireplace in the center back wall and a staircase on the farside leading up and down. The area behind the counter was taken up by numerous bottles of wines and hard liquor with a door that sat to the side. Harry suspected it went to the kitchen.

Jackel grinned at the Innkeeper, "Hello, Mason." A heavy set, short man behind the counter turned around, his face lighting up as he saw Jackel. His robes were very casual if not old looking, and he wore a white apron sort over them. He was balding, and he wore a pair of large, blue-framed glasses.

"Jackel! Good to see you ol' buddy, I see you brought a friend?" He said, his eyes falling on Harry and studying him. Harry unconsciously stepped closer to Jackel, yet smiled pleasantly at the man. He wasn't afraid of Mason, so why had he moved closer to Jackel?

"Yeah." Jackel grinned, "He's going to be staying here for a while, Mason. I need you to hook him up with a room. He can't talk, you see."

Mason nodded, looking back to Jackel. "Is he sound?"

Jackel laughed, and Harry's eyes widened. "Of course he is, he's quite nice actually, he just can't speak. He more capable than half the people you rent to."

Mason looked slightly relieved.

"So what do you say?"

"What's his name?"

"Ishmael O' Leary."

"All right, I'll write him in." He looked at Ishmael, "You're in room 8. There's only two showers in the building, but each room has it's own bathroom. You need to bring your own toothbrush, shampoo, toothpaste, and any other products you like to use." He grinned, "No worries, though, Toilet paper is provided. It's 10 galleons a night. I'll get your key in just a moment."

Harry nodded, and then set the pad of paper Jackel had given him on the counter. With his cheeks burning, he put his pen to the parchment.

'I was hoping you'd allow me to work for my room and lodgings here. I haven't a lot of money. I promise I'm a hard worker, and experienced at cleaning, I might add.' He slid the pad of paper over to Mason.

Mason took a little longer than Jackel would have to read it. When he finished, he looked up at Harry appraisingly.

After a long moment, Mason spoke, "Okay. This is how it'll work. I'll pay you 3 Galleons an Hour-that's what my Average employee gets paid. Lucky for you, my only employee just quit. You can have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, and you'll work 8 hours a day. That's 24 Galleons a day-Minus 19 for room and other things, then it's 5. You can use the 5 Galleons left for your leisure. Employee's eat free, drink free. Although, you'll be placed in the Employee's Quarters. As you noticed, this building is two stories high. The guest's rooms are up that stairwell-" He motioned to the stairs at the far side of the room, "And the Employee's quarters are downstairs. It's not the entire lower level, just a room a little bigger than a guest room. You get your own shower and toilet, but please stay out of the storage area." He placed a key on the counter. "Jackel can show you around. He was once an employee here."

Jackel grinned at Harry, "We'll lets get moving." He said, as he snatched the key off the counter. He maneuvered Harry, hand still on his shoulder-actually caressing it slightly, towards the stairwell to introduce him to the guest rooms.

"The shower rooms are right there-" he said, motioning with his free hand, "You're lucky you don't have to use them, the people here aren't too clean. These are, obviously, the guest rooms. I think you'd like to see your room, though?"

Harry nodded, and as he did, Jackel's hand left his shoulder-the slightly older man moving down the stairs. Harry stood still for a moment, rather unhappy about the loss of contact, before following Jackel to a door at the very bottom. The only door that didn't have a number, but said 'Employees Only.'

Unlocking the door, Jackel pushed it open, allowing Harry to go in before him. The room was quite nice. It had a bed back against the wall, in a corner, with a night stand and an alarm clock beside it. There was a table with a few chairs, and a couch with a fireplace in front of it. The floor was wooden, and the air smelt slightly of Mildew. There were two doors, right next to each other.

"The bathroom is the door closest to the wall. The other door goes to the storage room. Don't bother opening it, Mason keeps it locked."

Harry nodded in acknowledgment.

Jackel stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, making a snick as the auto lock clicked. He approached Harry slowly.

"If you leave, which you probably will, Make sure you remember your surroundings. If you get lost, though, you could always call the Knight Bus." He hadn't lost his grin. Harry's stomach felt funny.

He smiled and nodded in agreement, then turned from Jackel, taking in the room that he would be living in for the next month.

Jackel noiselessly moved up behind Harry, and pulled his arms around the slightly younger man's waist. Harry, taken by surprised, suddenly whirled around in Jackel's arms.

Before he could even attempt to utter a word-not that he'd be able to, Jackel's lips crushed against his. Harry's arms went around Jackel's neck, and the latter pulled Harry tightly against him, devouring his mouth. The kiss was heated and slow, it was a long time before the two finally broke apart. Harry's head tilted up, being a few inches shorter than Jackel, and his eyes locking onto the other's.

Jackel smiled at Harry. He had realized that Ishmael wasn't going to take any initiative, and he was right. Judging by the kiss, he was rather inexperienced. He could probably guess that it was the first time Ishmael ever kissed a guy before.

Harry suddenly blushed and moved away about a foot. Since he couldn't speak, the only thing he could do was blush and look at Jackel.

The slightly older man smiled, "I better get going. I'll come back tomorrow, when I get off my shift, if you'd like."

Harry nodded dumbly. Jackel stepped forward and planted a swift kiss on Harry's lips, pressing the room's key into his hand. Then the man was out the door, calling, "See you soon!"

Harry moved to the bed and sat on it, lifting his hand to brush his fingers over his lips, staring fixedly at the wall.

He was just kissed, by a guy.

And he loved it.