Harry Potter groaned as he came into consciousness, a dull ache ringing through his skull. The world around him was dark, darker than it should be, a literal sea of endless black with no light in sight. He tried opening his eyes, only to be met with more darkness, and an odd sensation on his eyelids. What was probably a blindfold, his sleep-addled mind supplied. Raising a feeble hand to meet the soft fabric enclosing his eyes, he tried tugging on the offending cloth, only to find it wouldn't budge, no matter how much force he used, tugging on the damnable thing.
Sighing in frustration, the Potter scion ran a hand through his slightly damp hair, only to frown. His hair hadn't been this long, had it? Dismissing the issue as inconsequential for now, he gingerly sat up, hands prodding around as he identified his surroundings as a bed. The cover was different from the one back in the Ravenclaw dorms, softer but thinner as well, though it was thicker than the ones in the Hospital Wing.
The silence around him was suffocating, almost overbearing. Harry truly had no idea what was going on, why did he have a blindfold of all things stuck on his head. His eyesight was already bad enough as it was, no need to further impede it, really. The things he could recall didn't help him understand either, his last memory was that of the basilisk bearing down upon him. Fawkes had managed to blind the beast, and he had pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat of all things. The King of Serpents had pounced on him at some point in the ordeal, leading him to awkwardly defend himself using the weapon. Then nothing.
How confusing.
Then there was Tom Riddle's presence as well, and the girl who looked almost dead, near the diary. Harry hoped she was well, though he didn't exactly know who she was. Her ginger hair gave away her identity as a Weasley, but he had no more information concerning her. 'Her family must be worried', the boy thought, a hint of bitterness flashing through his brain. He immediately crushed it, it would do him no good to be jealous of a girl, simply because she didn't happen to have the same circumstances as him. Her safety was the most important thing. Though the fact that he was lying in a bed and not on a cold hard floor meant that he at least had been discovered, so there was hope yet for the gir-
"Ah, you're awake now!"
The Boy-Who-Lived jumped out of his skin and, tangled in the covers as he was, fell to the floor in a heap, causing the unknown voice to burst in bright laughter. It was a beautiful sound, innocent and pure, unlike Lockhart's fake and boisterous bellows or Malfoy's dark chuckles. So much so that Harry stayed frozen where he was on the soft carpet, entranced by the distinctly feminine sound.
The laughter stopped abruptly after a scant few seconds, replaced by a soft gasp and hurried footsteps drawing nearer to him. "Oh, by Morgana, I'm sorry, are you okay?"
He let out what he hoped would be taken as a noise of agreement as he tried to regain his bearings, once again hesitantly probing his surroundings as he tried to map out his location. The sight of him must have been especially pathetic as he felt soft hands take his, staying his movements, before moving to support him as he stood up.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed, it's just… I've never been able to stop when I see someone fall…" A slightly guilty undertone could be discerned in her voice.
He shook his head. "No problem. Better for you to laugh than to cry, no?"
The voice hummed in response - a non-answer if he'd ever heard one - before he felt something tugging at his arm. "Come, sit with me. Let's talk!" Excitement crept through her tone with every word. What an odd reaction for such a mundane plan.
After yet another agonizingly slow and hesitant set of movements, Harry was sat cross-legged in the bed. The mattress shifted under him as the voice sat in front of him, taking his hands in hers. Fingers fidgeted around his palms, staying in constant motion, though in excitement or nervousness he couldn't say.
"So, uh, hello!"
Her excitement had grown once again, he remarked inwardly. Inclining his head in turn, he answered. "Hello."
"I'm Daphne! Greengrass! Daphne Greengrass! And you're Harry Potter!"
He raised an eyebrow at the last part. She reminded him of Colin Creevey a bit. At least he wouldn't be blinded by a camera this time. Still, the conversation was heading down a path he probably wouldn't enjoy.
"Oh, I'm so happy to have someone to talk to other than Astoria!"
Or maybe not.
"You see, I'm supposed to be in your year in school, but I can't really attend classes so you probably never saw me there. Though maybe you saw me at the Hospital Wing at some point, I go there a lot!"
Deciding to ignore the somewhat worrying part about her not attending classes and frequent visits to a Healer for now, Harry instead prodded about something a bit more tame for a first conversation. "Uh… Maybe? What do you look like, anyway?"
A small silence ellipsed before she mumbled. "Oh right, you can't see me… Great way to put your foot in your mouth, Daphne… Bah, no matter! Uh, let's see… I'm blonde! And I have long hair I guess, though it could be longer. And I'm not very tall, you're taller than me, in fact. I also have blue eyes, and uh… Yeah!"
Not very descriptive, and not that helpful either. "Oh. Wouldn't it be easier if I just look at you?"
She gasped. "Oh no, no no no! Professor Dumbledore told me to tell you that the blindfold is really important and that you can't take it off! Ah, I need to tell him you're awake as well, he told me to! But it's the dead of the night though, I shouldn't wake him! Oh, what should I do?"
Harry frowned. He really didn't understand why he couldn't take the blindfold off. "I'm sure that you can tell him about my state in the morning."
The slight repeated vibration of the mattress told him she was nodding excitedly, well probably anyway. "Yeah, yeah, you're right! And like that we can continue talking!" The cutest giggle escaped her as she finished her sentence. "Anyway, where were we?"
"You were telling me what you look like."
"Ah, right! I'm supposed to be in Slytherin if it helps, but that's mostly because Professor Dumbledore insisted I get sorted when I got here, I don't interact with that house stuff at all. I'm telling you because all my ties have turned green even if I don't like this shade of green and I can't get rid of it and it's annoying, but it might help you identify me…"
Harry racked his brain. There had been a Slytherin talking to Madam Pomfrey frequently during his visits to Penny throughout the year, though whether that was Daphne or not was yet to be confirmed.
"Huh, I think I do remember you. You talk to Madam Pomfrey a lot?"
"Ah, yes, I do. It's something that you probably need to know considering our circumstances." Her tone had lost all of its bluster. "It's my sister you see. She's really, really sick. She won't die or anything like that, at least I don't think so, but she can't really take care of herself. I've been taking care of her since well, since as long as I remember, really. And my parents are… not in the picture so to say, so I'm the only one that really knows what's going on with Astoria, and how to help her somewhat. So, when I had to come to Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore allowed me some special circumstances. That's why I'm allowed to not attend classes, I study on my own time and get tested by the professors semi-regularly."
"I see. And, there is no one else who can help your sister?"
"No, not really. It's to do with our family magic, so only our family is allowed to know what's going on, and me and her are the last of the Greengrass alive. I can speak to Poppy in order to get her to alleviate her symptoms, but I can't really say what is going on with her. Her only hope for a cure is me, since I'm the only Greengrass left other than her."
"Oh. Well, with someone like you in her corner, she'll be fine."
Daphne didn't give an oral response, instead choosing to jump on Harry and hug him for all his worth, her demure voice clashing against her rather excited actions. "Thank you. It means more than you know."
He didn't know what to say in response, so he just awkwardly patted her back. Still, despite his confusion of the girl and her actions, the hug was really nice. Probably the first in his life, when he thought about it. She scooted back after some time, though Harry would not be able to estimate the time they spent in the embrace. She never released his hands either, giving him his new topic of discussion, away from the evidently raw topic. Raising the aforementioned appendages, he asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's with that?"
"Ah! Well, Poppy told me that it would help you, with the blindfold and all. Supposed to give you a sense of presence and familiarity or something, I didn't really understand what she was going on about. There was also some other thing about calming magic and babies, but wow, that stuff was completely out of my league, you know? I-I can stop if you want though!"
Harry chuckled embarrassedly. In truth, he really enjoyed the contact, the skinship was really nice. Still, it would probably be weird to say it like that, wouldn't it? "No, no, it doesn't bother me, I was just wondering, is all."
"Good!" Ah, the excited voice was back. "Because you're my responsibility now! It's my duty to take care of you!"
"What?"
Daphne's movement shifted the mattress as she started fidgeting again. "Well…uh… you see, from what I've been told, the blindfold is here to stay so to speak…"
An ice cold feeling spread through Harry's body. He had his suspicions around the whole thing, because why the hell would he wake up with a blindfold in the first place if it wasn't needed, but to hear it confirmed was a whole new affair, especially considering that there still wasn't any period of time mentioned. He really hoped it wouldn't be permanent.
"So I'm essentially blind, then?"
A beat of silence. "I… I don't know. Well, you are right now, but I don't know if you'll be able to take this thing off at some point.", she eventually said, poking his head where the fabric was resting. Daphne sighed. "This is why I should have waited for the Headmaster…" Clearing her throat, she began explaining.
"I don't have all the details, he was really hush-hush about it, but, essentially, what's going on is that something happened that requires you to wear this blindfold at all times. However, Hogwarts isn't really designed to hold lessons for blind people, or anyone disabled really. As such, Professor Dumbledore decided that it would be better for you if you continue your education… separated so to speak, kinda like me, really.
"Still, allowing you to take your lessons on the side doesn't solve everything, since you'd probably need help in your day to day life. Poppy is too overworked to take care of something like that, same with the Elves. There weren't really any options left for you. And well, considering what I told you before, you've probably gathered that I'm really lonely. I have Astoria, but she rests a lot of the time, and even when she doesn't, I try to leave her alone so as to not overwhelm her.
"So, I volunteered to help you. You'll live with Astoria and I, we'll be able to study together and stuff, while I ensure that you don't run head first into the first wall you see. Or, uh, don't see, rather."
Harry stayed silent for a moment, taking in the enormity of what was just told to him.
"So, you've decided to help me, just like that?"
Daphne squeezed his hands in response. "I've already told you that I get lonely. The way I see it, it's really just an opportunity for me to have a friend. Plus, Professor Dumbledore told me that you ended up like that because you tried to help someone. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I refused to help you when your own selflessness left you in a bad position."
Harry chuckled in response. "The 'way you see it', huh?"
"Oh Morgana, I'm so sorry! I didn't wan-"
Her reaction caused him to explode in full blown laughter. "Woah woah, relax, I'm just kidding!"
A halfhearted swat made its way to his right arm. "You idiot! I thought I made you mad!" Despite her apparent anger, she joined in his laughter a few moments after.
After they had calmed themselves, Harry asked for more details around his current predicament.
"I'm sorry, but I don't really know anything useful. Professor Dumbledore was really tight lipped about it all, only telling me that the blindfold was imperative, but he didn't tell me why. He'll tell you once he comes tomorrow, I imagine, but he was really grim about it. I also know that a lot of people came in the Hospital Wing when you were there, but other than that not much."
Harry hummed in response. "Thanks anyway. It's really nice of you to take me in."
Hopefully Dumbledore would be able to give him more details.
They had spoken for a good part of the night, after setting themselves comfortable on the bed, cuddled together while speaking in hushed tones. Well, he spoke in a hushed tone, Daphne was far more boisterous in her exclamations. The fact that her presence didn't bother him at all had crossed his mind a few times, before he dismissed the concern.
Harry had never been the most tactile of children, because while the orphanage workers were nice, they were rather informal, taking care not to get too attached to the various residents coming in and out. Even at Hogwarts, the few friends and acquaintances he had kept their distances, keeping their physical interactions to a few playful swats to the back of the head.
Daphne wasn't like that at all, instead playing around with his limbs or running her hands through his hair on more than one occasion while she rambled on some random topic.
They had discussed mundane things, such as her favorite color - it was light blue - or animal - black cats - and other stuff, though that ended when they brought up their respective childhoods.
They were more alike in that regard than Harry had expected. Both were orphans, Heirs of a nearly extinct House, though the House of Greengrass had more political weight than the House of Potter, being a part of what was called the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Apparently, the fact that his House wasn't exactly keen on following the same Pure-blooded mantra as the rest of Britain's nobility meant that they should be excluded from the rather fanciful group, leaving them with a somewhat lesser amount of political clout.
Something that was apparently overturned when his grandfather Charlus had married Dorea Black, leaving many to wonder what were the motivations and possible errors in judgment of Cantankerus Nott when he wrote his famous Directory.
Still, the impromptu history lesson was not all they had reminisced about. Both had recounted their childhood to the other, though his telling was noticeably shorter than hers, which stands to reason, given his rather unremarkable stay at the orphanage.
Daphne's childhood, in contrast, was rather eventful. She had lost her mother when the latter gave birth to Astoria. Her father, unable to cope with the loss and the fact that Astoria was sickly from birth, took his own life soon after, leaving a three year old Daphne to be the virtual Head of her family.
From there, she had been taken care of by her House Elves, raised and taught to the best of the beings abilities. Still their knowledge was limited, leaving Daphne to self study on a lot of topics, mainly politics and history, though a lot of her time was dedicated to understanding the basics of her family magic in order to help her sister.
She eventually grew knowledgeable enough to soothe her sister's constant pain for some time, leaving her able to move around the house, after having spent four years bedridden. She had taken the next four years to raise and teach Astoria, leaving her own research and studies in the background while she focused on her sister.
Her story had solidified the fact that Daphne was too good for this world in Harry's mind. To dedicate her life to the wellbeing of another so single mindedly, while expecting nothing in return was among the most respectable and noble things one could do in the young Potter's mind. Such a sacrifice reminded him of his mother's, though he had avoided speaking of such a personal thing, instead choosing to express his admiration directly.
They must have fallen asleep at some point though, as Harry woke up once again, this time his back aching, no doubt from his rather questionable resting position. The lack of heat to his side told him that Daphne had left him at some point. Not too long ago, considering the mattress was still warm, and still smelled of vanilla.
Soft music could be heard coming from his left, the gentle rhythm gradually waking his mind as he stretched. A series of satisfying pops came eventually, and the uncomfortable sensation of stiffness in his spine receded somewhat.
Sighing, Harry sat, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Too short to touch the floor, though he could feel the carpet if he angled his feet right. Groaning in frustration, he once again tugged on the blindfold blocking one of his senses, failing to remove it once again.
Despite his admittedly poor sight, he would rather have that than nothing at all! The feeling of powerlessness mixed with no small amount of apprehension coming from the lack of visual information was quite unnerving.
Harry had after all used his eyes, unreliable they may be, to move around his whole life. To have them suddenly locked away took away his very ability to confidently get around. Each gesture of his could potentially end in disaster.
Not that it would stop him. He was, after all, pretty sure that nothing overly dangerous would be kept within walking distance of someone effectively blind. Probably. Actually, wizards had shown time and again that their decision making skills left much to be desired at times, so the chance wasn't as low as he would like. Maybe it would be for the best if he waited for someone to come in bed.
The sheer boredom spurned him to act though. After all, listening to music was fine and all, but really, Harry was beginning to grow rather restless. His mind made up, he gingerly stood up, moving his arms around in circles in front of him, eventually hitting something hard to his right, at around thigh level.
The grainy texture and hard lines were immediately recognizable as wood. The shape took a little longer, with his hands tracing along the edges of the object, forming a rough rectangle. Given the context - and the bed right next to it - Harry guessed it was a nightstand. Moving along to the left, he let his hand go further away from his original position, eventually hitting something cold and rough to the touch.
'Stone' his mind supplied. Allowing a pleased smile to show on his face at having identified the wall, giving him more information on his surroundings, he returned to the task at hands, before being interrupted by the sound of creaking.
Turning abruptly towards the sound, an exasperated sigh made its way to his ears.
"Really? I leave for all of two minutes and you're already getting up to mischief?"
An amused chuckle answered Daphne's complaint, one Harry had already heard before.
"It would seem that your adventurous spirit did not appreciate your confinement to the bed, Mister Potter.", Professor Dumbledore said, his tone light and cheerful.
Harry felt his cheeks flush as he ran his hand through his hair. "Um. Sorry about that?"
The Headmaster chuckled once again. "No need to apologize, there was no harm done after all. Now, despite your being up and about, I must ask, how are you feeling, my boy?"
"I feel fine, really. I had a bit of a migraine when I woke up earlier, but it passed."
Dumbledore hummed. "Good, good. I doubt you realize how much it relieves me to hear you say that. Now, do forgive my impertinence, Miss Greengrass, but may I ask you to step out for a moment?"
A startled squeak was his immediate answer, followed by a hurried answer. "Y-yes! Of course! Well, I'll see you soon, Harry!"
The sheer amount of happiness in her voice made him smile. "Yes. See you, Daphne."
The professor waited for the soft sounds of Daphne's steps to fade before he talked again. "An admirable young woman, isn't she? Despite the less than favorable hand life has handed her, Miss Greengrass' devotion to her sister has never failed to impress me."
Not knowing how to respond, Harry simply nodded. A weary sigh left the Headmaster's lips as the sound of the bed creaking accompanied the sound of cloth rubbing against itself echoed softly.
"If you would sit with me."
He hadn't offered his aid, and the Potter scion was grateful for that. If his current situation was to last, being babied around would soon be rather grating on his patience, so beginning to roam around unassisted was in his best interests. Harry managed to find his way to the bed rather easily, simply retracing his past few steps, and was seated soon enough.
"Firstly, I would like to thank you, and extend my apologies, Mister Potter. It is the second time in just as many years in this school that you encounter mortal danger, motivated simply by your selflessness."
The Ravenclaw started to splutter in denial, but was quickly interrupted.
"Truly, you are an amazing young man, one I have unfortunately failed dearly. But we will come back to that soon enough. Now if you would be so kind as to recount your tale?"
Despite being rather stumped at Dumbledore's words, Harry told him of his encounter with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets. He spoke of the Basilisk, drawing the Sword of Gryffindor and Fawkes helping him slaying the beast, who pounced on him as a last spiteful act before death.
During his story, the professor was eerily silent, only speaking at the very end of the tale. "I must say, I have rarely been as impressed as I am right now. Truly, Hogwarts, and myself by extension, owe you a debt that we can never repay." Another sigh ran through him. "I suppose I should begin by telling you what happened after your unfortunate meeting with the King of Serpents."
Fawkes came to find me, and transported me to the place you had battled. There, I saw the corpse of a massive class XXXXX beast along with yourself laying trembling in its open maw. You were not alone though, as the shade of my old student was on the verge of accomplishing his plan of using young Miss Weasley's life to regain his own. After a rather swift dispatching of the threat, Fawkes took us to the Hospital Wing, where you were submitted to a slew of experiments."
You see, when the Basilisk attacked you, it managed to graze you with its fang, right on your scar in fact, and left a small but still considerable amount of venom, along with blood, in your wound. I assume I do not need to remind you of the potent properties of Basilisk venom?"
Harry shook his head in response, bile threatening to come out.
"Despite the normally lethal amount of venom in your body however, you did not die. No, something unexpected happened, something only Magic itself could explain."
Dumbledore continued, his already somber tone darkening even further. "Now, I must explain something, something that I had hoped to spare you from, at least for a little while longer. Lord Voldemort, in his madness, has made several anchors for his soul, becoming effectively immortal. A prime example of some of the worst magic to exist. The night you vanquished him, it is my belief that a piece of his soul attached itself to you, more specifically your scar."
When the venom punctured your scar, it destroyed the unwanted parasite instead of ending your life. A miracle really, one even I cannot explain, though, as most things do, good always comes at a price. The substance did not kill you, but it did not vanish, despite having lost most of its potency. No, it did not vanish, it is still there as we speak, as a matter of fact."
Harry's panic must have been obvious, because the Headmaster hurriedly adjusted his words. "Now, the venom will not be lethal to you. I once again must be candid with my own confusion towards your situation, yet I will tell you what I can. The venom has already been absorbed by your blood as of now, and that comes with its slew of troubles. You see, you integrating the venom would be mostly inconsequential on its own, but the destruction of your scar, a potent piece of soul magic coupled with the innate properties of the Basilisk, as well as the location of the wound itself, caused you to gain some new attributes, ones that, while many would be envious of, I assume you will simply find quite debilitating."
"So, my eyes kill people now? Is that it?"
"As always, you are quick to grasp your situation. I'm afraid that, while a rather crude description, it is very much accurate. Luckily, we noticed the problem rather quickly and managed to… contain the issue before any incident happened. Considering the scale and potency of the magic involved in the mutation, there would be no petrification, only death."
Harry let out a hollow chuckle. "I see." A pregnant pause filled the air before the student spoke up again. "It is permanent, I assume?"
"I'm afraid it is. I'm sorry, Harry."
"Well… At least I won't have to watch Malfoy's ponce face anymore."
The Headmaster let out a deep chuckle. "One could see that as a benefit, depending on their point of view. I would like to once again extend my apologies, though. Once already, I had failed to protect you when Voldemort came to you last year, and now you find yourself with a disability that will shape the rest of your life."
"Is there no way to charm some glasses, though? I would imagine that it could take a lot of time, but surely it would be possible?"
"I do not know, and I find myself remiss to try it. The gaze of a Basilisk has often been described as corrosive and hurtful to the magic it targets. I imagine that a charm imbued on glasses would work, for a time, though it will inevitably fail at some point, and that when cannot be predicted. I think you will agree that even a small chance of the charm failing at an unfortunate moment would spell disaster for everyone involved."
Harry flushed, and turned his face away from Dumbledore's voice. "I see. I apologize for asking then, I didn't think it through."
"It is no problem, my boy. One cannot expect someone as young as you are to plan that much ahead, especially when it comes to a situation such as this. Despite the hard life that you have lived, I would implore you that you do not forget that you are but a child, with time to mature and grow."
A long silence came over them as Harry nodded at the words halfheartedly.
"Well, I would trouble you no longer. I imagine young Miss Greengrass is eager to spend some time with someone her age for a change. I dare say that you will be good for one another." The smile on the Headmaster's lips could almost be heard through his words. "I would however ask the two of you to try and come see me in my office at some point in the day though, to explain your circumstances a bit further."
"We will."
Harry sighed as the sound of footsteps faded into the music around him, his head hitting the pillow.
Hey.
I wrote this because I read some things where Harry gained the ability to kill people with his eyes and I went 'wow, that'd be quite unhelpful in day to day life".
So here we are.
I'll go wherever I wanna go with this, as long as I have ideas I guess. Probably won't have much in terms of a plotline or stuff like that, I think it'll be mostly me spitting out some ideas that run through my head. Snippets, really.
Characterization isn't exactly standard, at least for our duo of protagonists, but it's what I wanted to write, and I have some ideas to play with that will be quite entertaining, I hope, but we'll see.
I can't say when the next chapter will come, but don't expect anything anytime soon. My schedule is already hectic as it is, and this is just a side project for now, but it won't be abandoned without notice so if you don't see anything that says that I've fucked right off, something is coming eventually.
Anyway.
Review, comment , do whatever, and I'll see you at some point :)
