Blind to it All

Disclaimer and Summary are in chapter #1.

Chapter #2: Diagon Alley

In an alley filled with nothing more than overflowing trash cans, two people appeared out of thin air as the portkey they were using deposited them beside one of the bins.

"Come, Harry, stand by me near this wall." Snape tapped the wall in question so as Harry could get his bearings.

"Now, I want you to remember, it's three up from the trash can, and two across to the right." Snape said guiding Harry's hand.

"You mean this brick here?" Harry asked, pointing to a brick he could feel the power radiating off of.

"Indeed I do. Now, one would normally tap a wand three times but it should work for your finger as well, given that you can focus your magic without a wand." Harry tapped the brick three times as Snape suggested and to his amazement, he could feel the magic at work and hear the sound of the bricks rumbling as they reformed into the archway to Diagon Alley.

"Wow!" exclaimed Harry, his eyes going wide in amazement. Snape just looked amusedly at his charge and held out an elbow for the boy to take. Harry and his aunt had informed Snape before they left the house of the proper ways to assist a blind person, which consisted of allowing them to do all they can unless they ask for assistance, and when guiding them around, allow them to take your elbow. Tell them of steps and other obstructions and obstacles. Snape took the advice seriously and would ensure Harry was able to be as independent as was possible in an unknown place such as Diagon Alley.

Harry and Snape walked on for a minute before coming to a large white building.

"This Harry is Gringotts, the Wizarding bank. The bank is run by goblins. Rather cunning and clever creatures, goblins, but not ones you'd want to be on the wrong side of." Snape and Harry entered the bank, and found a vacant teller.

Snape was once again just shy of fainting when Harry said in perfect Gobbledygook, "Greetings, Master Goblin. May your endeavours afford you wealth and long life. May I access my trust vault, please?" The goblin just smiled a big toothy smile and allowed the boy to run his fingers over his face to determine the type of smile and the appropriate response. Harry didn't disappoint, he returned the smile with one of his own showing all his teeth.

"Ah, young Mister Potter, I shall escort you there myself. However, allow me to introduce myself first. I am Ragnok, director of this branch. I make a point to come down here and act as a teller just so as I can assess the running of the bank from this angle. It's all to do with employee relations and the like, boring stuff really. Now, I do believe it's my turn on the carts! Will you be accompanying us, Master Snape?" Ragnok asked.

"No, I won't. I'm sorry, Director, but I abhor those infernal things. They make me ill," Snape said.

"Very well, do you by chance have Mr. Potter's key?"

"Yes I do. Here." And with that, Snape handed a small gold key to Ragnok and wandered off to a bench to await Harry's return.

"Now, Mr. Potter, I'm well aware of your disability. To that end, I have a proposition for you." Ragnok spoke gently to Harry guiding him towards the tunnels.

"What would that be, sir?" Harry asked, not sure he wanted to know what the director had in mind.

"No need to fret, child. I simply wish to make life easier for you somewhat. When one of our young have been born blind or are blinded due to an accident, we teach them to feel with their magic, so as to be able to move about freely and not draw attention to the fact they're blind. With your permission, I'd like to teach you this skill. I was blinded for a time in my youth and realize only a portion of what you must be going through." Ragnok explained.

"I'll do it, sir. What do I need to do?" Harry asked.

"Just relax while I transfer the knowledge. After that, it's a simple matter of practicing it." Harry relaxed and Ragnok placed a finger to his forehead. He then drew out a memory and, placing his finger on Harry's forehead, allowed the copied memory to enter Harry's mind. Harry felt knowledge entering his mind, and using his natural Occlumency, absorbed it without too much fuss. Harry decided to give it a shot and concentrated. To his surprise, he seemed to know exactly where he was, and that there was someone standing in front of him. He got an even bigger shock when he found information being whispered to him, like the name of said person, the type of environment he was in, and a brief yet detailed description of any and all obstacles in his way. Wandering around for a few minutes, Harry decided he'd practice this daily until he could do it reflexively and constantly. He'd still use his cane in the Muggle world, because it would just be too much for the Muggles to see a blind person seemingly get around unaided. Besides, he still liked to whack ignorant fools around the ankles when they wouldn't move out of his way. He also found his magic provided him with tactile feedback by way of vibrations and slight nudges to go in one direction or another. For steps and the like, he would feel a sharp jolt travel up or down his wand arm, indicating what direction the steps would take. In the case of inclines or ramps, he would feel a smooth sweeping feeling travel up or down his wand arm, depending upon the direction he needed to go. And if the incline or ramp was steep, the sweeping feeling would become more pronounced and travel faster down his arm. Harry wondered about encountering overhanging obstructions and sheer drops when both questions were answered for him as he had apparently come across both at the same time. He heard a slight buzz in his mind and worked out that there must be something hanging low enough for him to hit his head if he wasn't careful. Reaching out, he found an over hanging rock face. Just as he was about to take a further step forward, his magic pushed him backward and whispered to him the information about the drop.

"Wow, this is cool! I've got to practice this," he said to Ragnok, who just chuckled at the young boy as they moved into a cart for the hair-raising journey to Harry's vault.

After a quick trip to the vault, where Harry got a quick lesson on the currency and exchange rates from Wizard to Muggle and vice versa, they headed back up to the main lobby. Harry was just about to head for Snape when he got an idea. Having activated his MSP, (Magical Sensory Perception), as he would come to call it later, he reached out and touched the wall. Information flooded his mind, and if it wasn't for the fact he was already an accomplished Occlumens, he would have passed out at the sudden rush of knowledge. He now knew every tunnel, every vault's location, which tracks led where and who was working on them.

"Ah, I wondered when you'd discover that. How do you think we all know where to go when we operate the carts?" Ragnok chuckled.

Harry, after a small smile and a farewell to the director in perfect Gobbledygook, went off in search of Snape so they could continue their shopping.

"Where to first, Harry?" Snape asked.

"I think I should like to get my robes first, please?" Harry said. After they left the bank, Harry hadn't yet disengaged his MSP, so he decided to touch one of the cobblestones to gain information about his current location. He was once again rushed with information. After sorting this information out, he strode purposefully towards Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, Snape trailing behind, jaw left behind somewhere at the steps of Gringotts.

"Flies, Professor, flies." Harry said with a cheeky grin, while reaching out a finger and pushing Snape's mouth closed.

"How is it you knew where to go?" Snape asked shaking his head.

"Some goblin magic, sir." Harry answered. "Director Ragnok taught me how to navigate using my own magic, and, it would appear, the magic of my surroundings as well."

"Hmm. You could possibly teach that to other blind students should we gain any in the future." Snape said, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Well he didn't say I couldn't." Harry smirked. And with that, he went into the shop to buy his robes.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed in mauve.

"Hogwarts, oh my! I didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Potter." Madam Malkin said excitedly. "Forgive me for saying so, but I wasn't aware that Hogwarts was able to cater for blind people." What many people didn't know about Madam Malkin, however, was that she was able to read a person's soul and see if they had been reincarnated. She had decided not to pursue that study of magic professionally simply because there was no call for it. She looked deep into Harry's eyes and got the shock of her life.

"S-s-slytherin? Merlin's beard! Severus! Come over here!" She had just seen Snape enter the shop in search of his wayward charge.

"What's the cheeky brat done now? I don't think I could take anymore surprises today; I've been having palpitations as it is. And you, child, will be the death of me. I don't know what Albus was thinking, sending me after you. I was prepared to hate you for simply existing and give you a hard time because of it, but somehow you wormed your way in and managed to shatter all my masks and facades in the space of a few hours by simply being you." Snape said in a strained voice.

"I guess, then, you don't want to hear that he's the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin, do you?" Madam Malkin said with a smirk, knowing the reaction the poor Potions Master would have. Snape didn't disappoint; he could take it no longer, he buried his head in his hands and decided unashamedly that crying would help, and so he started to do just that. Harry started to get a little worried. He liked Snape, yet to see him like this perplexed him somewhat. He decided to help the man out. He had listened as Snape summoned his Patronus earlier and decided to try it. Raising his hand and crying out: "Expecto Patronum!" He was surprised to feel a rush of magic leave his hand and form a shape. His MSP told him it was a stag. He told it to go fetch Dumbledore as he had finally managed to break Professor Snape. The stag just bowed its head and cantered off in search of the Headmaster.

A/N:

Well, Harry managed to break poor Severus. The shopping trip will be continued in the next chapter, Brother Wands.

Don't worry none ladies and gents, my other two fics will get updated, just now that I have a beta things will take a little more time.

I must take this time to thank cckeimig for betaing for me.

And I also thank you all for reading and reviewing.

Blind phoenix