The Houses Competition, Round 3- Out of the Comfort Zone
House: Ravenclaw
Class: Divination
Category: Standard
Prompts Chosen: [Location] Cokeworth; [Disability] Deafness
Stacked with: THC; MC4A (FR, War; ER; StL; T3)
Individual Challenge(s): Caretaker; Watts; Major; Falling Apart; Hogwarts MC [x2]; Magical MC [x2]; Old Shoes (Y); Cinematic; Reader; Dreamers [x2]; Disabled; Ethnic & Present; Rian-Russo Inversion; Short Jog; Exchange; Outer Limit (Y); Fuzzy Socks; Setting Sail; Bi Bi Bi; Zed Era; Finders; Stand Alone
Representation(s): Deaf Seamus Finnegan/Dean Thomas; Fluff
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenge(s): Brooms Only; A Long Dog; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Second Verse (Persistence Still; Found Family; Nontraditional; Mother Hen; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice); Chorus (Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Fire Song; Tomorrow's Shade); Demo 1 (Muck & Slime; Corvid Brain; Grease Monkey; Sweetest Burn; Lovely Coconuts; Under the Bridge); Demo 2 (Hot Stuff; Sitting Hummingbird)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenge(s): T3 (Tether); FR (Satisfaction; Evolution); War (Orator; Sanctuary)
Word Count: 2071
Warnings/Trigger Warnings: Canon descriptions of war destruction
Disclaimer/Author's Note: I am not Deaf. I am an advocate for the Deaf community and their culture because I studied American Sign Language.
Beta: Queenie; Aya; MarkReed
HHHHH
The strobe lights wired through the doorbell of Seamus' home flashed, indicating someone was at the door. Of course, he already knew who the visitor would be. It wasn't like people were knocking down his door in his small Cokeworth neighborhood. He interacted with his neighborhood friends outside of his home, not in it.
He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel before making his way to the door. He glanced at himself in the mirror as he passed. Even when he wasn't dressed to impress, he still hoped to look good for his boyfriend. If Dean still considered him as such.
He opened the door to find Dean Thomas, just as he had expected, looking as handsome as ever. As silly as it was, he missed being able to hear his voice.
"Hello!" Dean gestured dramatically, arms sweeping wide, his face beaming.
Seamus couldn't help but smile at Dean's enthusiasm. But with smaller movements of his own, Seamus waved back in response.
Dean quickly cleared the space between them, engulfing Seamus in a hug.
To Seamus, Dean felt like home. More like home than the house he stood in now or the neighborhood he'd become a part of. Dean was the last remnant of everything he'd left behind.
Finally, they let go of each other. "Come in, come in. It's sweltering out today," Seamus signed.
Dean crossed the threshold and shut the door behind him. He hung up his satchel on the hook by the door, pulled a notebook and pencil from it, and then followed Seamus into the kitchen. He wouldn't likely need the pencil and paper now that he was becoming fluent in sign language, but it was good to have it just in case.
"Drink?"
"Water, please."
"Fruit? I've just finished preparing it."
Dean shook his head no.
With a wave of his wand, Seamus had two glasses prepared with cool water. He gestured to Dean with them and nodded his head toward the living room.
They both took a seat.
"I talked with one of your neighbors today," Dean signed. "First person I've signed with besides you, mate."
"That's great!" Seamus replied. "Do you know who?"
Dean hesitated, his brows scrunching in thought. "R-U-P?"
"Rupert?" Seamus guessed.
"Yes!"
"Great friend, Rupert. He's my best mate in Cokeworth. He taught me most of the sign language I know."
Becoming deaf was never something Seamus had considered in all the outcomes he'd expected might come from the war. He had known after the infamous death of Cedric Diggory that things were going to take a turn for the worse but he had considered his own fate very little, focusing his fears on Dean's, who had been on the run from the Ministry's Muggle-Born Registration Commission.
For himself, he'd considered the very real possibility of being killed; he reckoned everyone had. He'd never considered losing something other than his life, though. But when he'd helped Neville destroy the bridge from the courtyard to the Sundial Garden, one of the bombs went off prematurely, damaging his inner ear beyond repair. Recovering from the injuries he'd sustained had been easy. Getting used to the never-ending silence had not. Only the loudest of sounds registered, and even then, it was more from vibrations than the sound itself.
Dean reached his arm out and waved his hand up and down, bringing Seamus' attention back to the present.
"You alright?"
Seamus nodded. "I just miss hearing your voice."
Dean reached a comforting hand out. With the other, he signed, "I'd fix it if I could."
"I know. Not that it needs fixing, not really. It's just an adjustment."
Neither said anything for a moment. "I don't regret it, though. I'd do it over again a thousand times to keep you safe."
Dean smiled. "I love you. And I wish you'd come home."
Seamus felt a wave of sadness. "This is my home now. My neighborhood, they might not use magic, but they use my language. I don't belong in the wizarding world anymore. Here I belong, with other people who are Deaf like me."
This conversation had come up so frequently, it was almost like two actors exchanging lines in a play. As much as Dean tried to get Seamus to come back to the magical world, Seamus insisted he was better off living in the Deaf community of Cokeworth.
"It's changed. It's slow, but it's changing. And with magic, it should be easier to get accommodations for you. We can be more innovative with magic."
Dean's focus on him never wavered as he continued, "You can move in with me. I'll make my flat accessible for you. I can get you a job. I'm illustrating for the Quibbler, I'm sure Mr. Lovegood would be more than happy to give you a job. The Quibbler is quite a popular piece of media since the war ended."
Seamus was taken aback. Dean's offers had never gone that far before. Sure, he'd offered him a place to stay, but the job offer was new. And he had to admit, it'd be nice to have work. Many of the muggle jobs he'd been able to land hadn't lasted long, as employers didn't want to deal with the 'liability' of employing a deaf person.
"I'll think about it. But I make no promises."
They continued to chat for another hour or so, the conversation thankfully staying on topics other than his current living arrangements. Every once in a while, Dean would interrupt the conversation to glance out the window or toward some other noise Seamus could no longer hear. It was once interrupted when Dean moved to pick up his pencil he'd dropped on the ground, forgetting that a signed conversation couldn't continue out of sight like a spoken one could. But it meant a lot to him that Dean was trying and had been since he'd lost his hearing.
"Please. Move in with me?" Dean made one final plea as he packed his bag and shouldered it once more.
"I told you; I'll think about it. Okay?"
They embraced once more, and Dean held on even tighter this time. "I love you," he whispered, even though he knew Seamus would not be able to hear his sentiment. It was spoken aloud for himself more than anything. That would never change.
HHHHH
It was no surprise to Seamus when the lights of the doorbell flashed exactly a week later. Of course that'd be Dean.
He set his book aside that he'd been reading so he could answer the door.
Indeed, it was Dean. But he seemed in a hurry today.
"I need to use the fireplace."
Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Why? Certainly not for regulating temperature."
Dean wiggled his fingers for a moment, before spelling, "F-L-O-O."
Without waiting for a response, Dean darted past his very confused boyfriend.
He had half a mind to verbally protest; he knew that would get his love's attention. But last time he'd done that, Dean had tried to speak to him. So best to stay non-verbal.
Instead, he crossed the room to where Dean was leaning over the fireplace and tapped him on the shoulder. But Dean continued whatever he was doing.
Seamus tapped him again, a bit more forcefully.
Dean turned to face him, lips moving, speaking words Seamus couldn't make out. Realization bloomed on his face along with a blush of guilt. "Sorry. I forgot for a moment."
Seamus shrugged it off. "It's not connected."
"It is now."
There wasn't time to ask anymore questions. The fireplace turned green, and suddenly a parade of their former classmates were crossing through into his tiny living room.
"What is this?" Seamus asked, turning on Dean.
He wiggled his fingers again, thinking. "Call it an intervention."
His living room was now filled with his old schoolmates: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Blaise Zabini were all gathered in a room that could really only comfortably hold three.
"Z-A-B-I-N-I?" He questioned Dean. And with his face even more expressive, "M-A-L-F-O-Y?"
He glanced over at the man in question, who met his gaze.
"The one and only," Malfoy signed to Seamus' utter surprise.
"You sign?"
"Enough," was Malfoy's short reply.
Seamus didn't know what to think. He turned to Dean, searching his face for answers.
Dean shrugged. "I figured if I couldn't convince you to come back to the magical world myself, maybe I could recruit some help."
Seamus noticed Dean's eyes flit to something behind him before motioning for him to turn around.
He turned back to the gathered group and found Hermione waving for his attention. "We aren't trying to take you away from your community here. But you should know, there is still a place for you in the magical world, too."
Seamus felt a tap on his shoulder. "She's been rehearsing that line just for you, so she could say it without an interpreter," Dean said with a smile. "I've been helping them learn BSL."
Seamus saw Dean's lips moving again, but this time, his hands were moving as well, though the grammar was incorrect, following the structure of English instead of the shorter signed phrases he'd become accustomed to. "If we sit in a circle, we can all see each other to chat."
Everyone shuffled around to take a seat. Dean sat next to Seamus, making sure to sit at his left, leaving his dominant hand free so they could hold hands without fully inhibiting his ability to sign.
Malfoy was the first to say something. "You understand the mechanics of deafness?"
It was an odd question. "More or less," Seamus replied.
Malfoy addressed Dean. "Interpret?"
Dean nodded.
Seamus faced his best friend as the Slytherin communicated through him. "A person can hear because of tiny hairs inside the ear. Sound vibrates against those hairs and sends signals to the brain. When exposed to noise that is too loud, like a bomb exploding, those hairs can become damaged. The hairs can't grow back, and without them, a person loses their ability to hear."
When the explanation was finished, Seamus turned back to face Malfoy. "How do you know?"
"I'm a Healer," Malfoy replied. "Specializing in Muggle Disease and Disability."
Everyone must have been able to read the shock on his face because he saw Hermione laugh before she added, "I was just as surprised as you."
Draco rolled his eyes. But he gestured for Dean to interpret again. "My point: I can't fix it. I won't pretend that any of what I can offer is a cure. But I can offer support that may give you something akin to hearing. With magic, it's not permanent like a cochlear and it isn't the same as normal hearing; more like a bypass of the damaged sensors. But if you'd ever like to try it, I can help with that."
Luna waved for Dean's attention. "My father and I would like to offer you a job with the Quibbler, if you'd like."
"Or," Harry added, "the Director of the new Lupin Department for Disabled Rights could probably get you accommodations at any job you'd like."
Hermione nodded her agreement. "That would be me. And yes, I can."
Seamus turned back to Dean. "Wow. I don't know. This is a lot."
"But I love you and I'd do anything for you. Including recruitment of an army of supporters. I don't want to take you away from the life you've built here. But I don't want you to leave behind the one you had, either."
"Kiss me?" Seamus dared to ask.
Dean leaned in, cupping Seamus's cheek in the palm of his hand before kissing him gently. And it was just as incredible as he remembered it being.
"Move in with me? Please?"
Seamus looked around the room at all the people who had come to support him. A room of people trying to learn sign language for him. A room of people offering to support his return to the life he'd left behind. None of them were trying to fix him. None of them were treating him as less than capable. They were all trying, and it was more than he could have ever imagined.
"Compromise?" Seamus suggested. "You move in with me." Deafness was a part of him now. And he couldn't leave that part of his identity behind.
"I'd love to. And I love you."