MORE THAN WORDS ⇉ REMUS LUPIN [1]

prologue

1971

BOBBIE CLYDE WAS BORN DEAF, AND WHILST SHE WAS ALSO BORN INTO THE MAGICAL world, deafness was not just something that could be magically fixed, which many believed could.

At the age of 11, a man named Albus Dumbledore appeared outside of the Clyde's family home, a muggle household, who didn't understand the world of wizardry. But the man with the circular spectacles and the slight twinkle in his eyes explained to the Clyde's of their daughter's gift, telling them it was nothing to be afraid of but yet, proud of, that their daughter would go to the best wizarding school out there and would one day grow up to be a wonderful witch.

Bobbie had grown up reading lips, learning people's speech through sign language, and to her surprise, Albus Dumbledore knew of her impediment, he understood it and didn't give her the sympathetic smile that everyone gave her when they finally understood that she couldn't hear their voice, she couldn't have a conversation with them like any normal child could, and she hated them doing that, she didn't want sympathy. Instead, the older man sat next to her and began signing words.

He began signing, telling her of the place he called 'Hogwarts', of the train journey there, the classes they taught, and the houses each student was placed in. Bobbie couldn't quite understand how she got this lucky, one moment she was a girl who each of her primary school teachers sympathized with and now she was a witch, with a headmaster who understood her.

Bobbie was a kind girl, many people believed there wasn't a bad bone in her body. But she didn't speak much due to the hearing impediment, which made her speech slightly difficult, but instead, she showed people her kindness by smiling. Bobbie didn't understand how she would get along not speaking at her new school, but the headmaster assured her she would fit right in, and she would never be made to feel out of place in the new place she would come home.

But times were changing in the '70s, people's ideas and views on muggle-borns were becoming increasingly negative, but Bobbie didn't understand it. Dumbledore had explained to her of the different kinds of wizarding families, the muggle-borns, the half-bloods, and the purebloods. But to Bobbie, they were all the same, each person had magic, so why should they be treated any differently?

++

Bobbie understood that this experience wasn't just new for her, it was for her parents too. Her parents, Anna and Richard Clyde had grown up in Soho, London, with no idea that the wizarding world existed. Their trip to Diagon Alley as well as platform 9 3/4 was just as nerve-wracking for them as it was for their daughter.

But upon seeing their daughter leaving the station on the Hogwarts express, they couldn't help but feel anxious. Kids didn't understand things such as deafness, they didn't understand what it meant and how it affected someone, and they only hoped they would welcome their daughter. Bobbies' experience on the Hogwarts express was quiet, she sat alone, unsure of what to do. Sat with a pen and paper, Bobbie waited to see if anyone would come in, but they didn't, not for a long time. Until a young girl with red hair popped her head around the door.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, but I sat in a carriage with a bunch of annoying boys, and I simply can't stand them any longer, would it be okay if I sat in here?" The young girl said to Bobbie, who was unsure of what to do, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out. So she nodded, as the just smiled kindly and skipped into the carriage, sitting opposite the dark-haired girl.

Sticking out her hand, "I'm Lily Evans." Instead of shaking the girl's hand, Bobbie got out her notebook, writing her name and showing the other girl, who looked confused. "You don't speak?" She asked, as Bobbie just smiled, shaking her head.

Pointing to her ears and writing 'deaf' on her paper, Lily just smiled at the girl. "I'm sorry, that must be hard for you." She told her as Bobbie just smiled back, shrugging her shoulders. "No matter," Lily looked excitedly, "we're going to have the best time at Hogwarts, it seems so magical. I wonder if we get put in the same house, I'd love that, we could become such good friends, I mean, even if we weren't In the same house we could and..."

Bobbie just smiled at the girl rambling, and Lily just looked at the girl, stopping mid-sentence. "I'm so sorry, I just remembered, you don't know what I'm saying and i'm talking too quickly." She said to her, looking guilty. Bobbie just giggled, writing on her pad, showing it to Lily.

"You can lip read all i'm saying," she asked, as Bobbie just smiled nodding. The two girls just giggled, as Bobbie wished this is what her whole Hogwarts experience would be liked.

The sorting ceremony soon came around, with a tall woman wearing emerald green robes stood at the end of the hall calling out the names of her classmates, to which they sat upon a stood and were sorted into their houses. Due to her name being Clyde, Bobbie was one of the first to be placed upon the stool, the elder witch had stared her straight in the eyes whilst calling her name, and when sitting on the chair, Bobbie felt her first form of magic.

The hat somehow knew that Bobbie couldn't hear, and when deciding on which house to be put in, the hat simply showed her the color of the house in her head. Green.

Slytherin, the house of the cunning and ambitious.