Let Me Hear You

[ All-Consuming ]

Noise.

Constant, debilitating noise. A side effect of my "gift" is the never-ending hum of the minds around me. A hum that is viciously loud, like the sound of an ambulance driving by you, sirens blaring, or a maturing Mandrake, threatening to rid you of your consciousness.

Being a Legilimens comes in handy, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't come with a mute button.

The plus side to my born-Legilimens status is that only one person in this school knows – Dumbledore. He knows my grandmother, Queenie. They met in the late 1920's, and she subsequently aided Dumbledore in the defeat of Grindelwald.

Growing up, Granny Q told me all about the brave and wise Dumbledore. While Ilvermorny is a great school, I desperately wanted to complete my schooling at Hogwarts. Uncle Newt told me stories about all the amazing magical creatures in the Dark Forest and Black Lake. I never got into the same level of fascination with the subject of magical creatures, but I admire their beauty no less.

I was over the moon when my parents agreed to send me to Hogwarts. It was quite the battle, seeing as Finn, my brother, was in his final two years at Ilvermorny. I assured them that they did not need to relocate to London for me, and that I would be able to stay at the castle over the holidays. We agreed that I would return to New York for the summer break and Christmas. Granny Q, however, was not pleased in the slightest when my mother told her.

"Ilvermorny is the greatest wizarding school in the world! Why would you want to send her to Hogwarts?" She had said. I was 10 at the time, but being privy to adult thoughts before my own had formed, I matured fairly quickly. "Granny Q, you're the one who told me Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard the world has seen in centuries. Wouldn't you consider it an honour?" And thus, she begrudgingly conceded. It wasn't often that anyone could argue with my reasoning. I was far too logical to be questioned, which isn't always the best trait to have as a growing teen.

Throughout my years at Hogwarts, although I made friends easily, I was often seen as a brown-noser. Being a Legilimens, I can not only read others' minds but also feel their emotions. This allows me to know how my teachers are feeling before I even step foot in the classroom, and of course I play this to my advantage. Who wouldn't?

Dumbledore knew, of course, of these advantages and how any adolescent would use them. He personally ensured I would complete all exams under the influence of the muffliato charm. Meaning I couldn't cheat in testing conditions, only classes. Fair is fair, I suppose.

Of the thousand or more people at this school, there are only two whose minds I cannot hear easily: Dumbledore and Snape. Both are extraordinarily powerful wizards, and both are skilled in Occlumency. Although I couldn't hear their thoughts, I could still feel their emotions. Often, an emotion was all I needed to tell what a person was thinking.

Both professors, for example, always fronted as calm and collected. On the inside, Dumbledore did often feel calm; however, there was always a hint of anxiety and concern, like he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Snape's emotions, on the other hand, are entirely another story. There is anger and constant annoyance, of course, but there is also guilt, longing, and a deep, dark depression. It amazes me how he could appear so apathetic, when his mind screams the opposite. It is his emotions that seem to affect me the most.

Whenever I am around him, I can't help but feel worried. Like he is a friend in need, and all I want to do is give him a hug. A laughable thought, really, but all-consuming. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I actively try to avoid him. However, as my Head of House, that often proves difficult.