Speak Up - Female Deaf Harry Potter AU

Occlumency

Hari was extremely grateful to professor Snape for letting her stay over the summer. She spent most of her time reading, playing with Ajax, practicing her transformations, so far she had transformed her finger to have brown fur and a claw, and was working on her hand, and studying with Snape. During her time studying she had worked on using less magical energy for spellwork, cool potions, which she was pretty good at, and something new started shortly after Ajax arrived....... occlumency.

Her first lesson had been slow, careful. They were sitting in opposite armchairs in the living room.

"I have decided that it would be a good idea to teach you Occlumency, which is the magical defence of the mind against external penetration." Put short, to stop your mind from being read.

Hari nodded,

"I will be teaching Draco as well, but at a different time as it is very tiring and also your thoughts are your own, I doubt you want to share them with him, though you have no real choice with me.... I will not share them, or use them to ridicule you in any way."

Hari nodded again.

"Alright, I am going to enter you mind, but also charm you to be half asleep, making it more dream like. I want you to lean back in the chair, and relax, don't try to fight me. Think of something comforting and calm."

She relaxed, leaning back in the chair, feeling very sleepy...... She imagined herself floating in calm water, and then she was. It was the perfect temperature, the moon was reflecting off of its surface sending silvery calm towards her.. She floated calmly, imaginary eyes closed until she felt a small wave hit her, Snape was floating next to her in the water, suddenly there was a flash that hurt her head a little, and he was sitting in a boat, his robes dry. 

"Interesting choice", he said calmly, she could understand what he was saying easily, but not quite hear him, it was kind of disconcerting, not the same way she heard Nimhe.

'Why is it interesting?' she could easily think back directly to him.

"It's just a very Slytherin choice, water."

'Why?'

"I'll explain later, now I want you to try to push me out.... I won't resist."

She concentrated, imagining the water forcing his boat out of her mind, she didn't manage much, she swamped the boat, but Snape was still there.

Suddenly she felt drained, with no energy left, she couldn't maintain the peace, and she started to sink, she felt a hand grab her wrist, and suddenly she was awake again.

"Good job, you managed to resist a little, this should be easier for you than most Gryffindores, you're a calm person, you think through what you're doing, and you mostly don't let your emotions get the better of you."

She was very tired, so Snape called it a night.

'About Draco,' she signed sleepily.

"Yes?"

"Can he come visit?"

"Sure, I'll say he's here for potions tutoring."

She made her way half asleep up to her room and collapsed on the bed beside Ajax. It wasn't long before she was asleep as well, the dog nuzzling into her side.

• • •

[Sirius POV]

Sirius was just falling asleep next to his Prongslet when he saw that her sleeve had been pushed back. He went to push the blankets up further with his nose when he noticed the scars covering the part of the arm he could see. He pushed her sleeve up to her shoulder with his nose, the scars covered her whole upper arm..... twisting slightly he pushed the sleeve up her other arm, there were scars there as well. They looked as though they hadn't been healed with magic..... had the Dursley's given them to her.......? 

It was a few days before Sirius discovered the full range of her scars.

• • •

[Hari POV]

It was a few days before Draco came over, it was a hot summer afternoon, and the two of them decided to go swimming in the nearby stream. For some reason Ajax didn't like Draco very much.... strange......

Hari was very self conscious of her scars. She hid them around most people, Draco however had already seen them, so she was comfortable wearing just a bathing suit around him. 

The walked to the stream and Hari was kind of confused as Ajax stared at her after she pulled her shirt and shorts off. But shook off the weird feeling as he jumped into the water, splashing both children. 

The stream wasn't very deep, which was good, because Hari had never really learned how to swim, the Dursleys thinking it would hilarious if she drowned, but she had been to the pool a few times, and sort of figured out the basics on her own.

They splashed around in the stream, and threw sticks for a excited Ajax, all troubles gone for a little bit.

She, Draco and a very wet Ajax made their was back to their towels after a while, Ajax insisted on shaking himself off, spraying both of them.

The two of them lay down on their towels, while Ajax rolled in the dirt near by. Hari felt herself falling asleep in the warm sunlight her hands under her forehead, the warm sun on her back. She felt a light touch on her back, she turned her head slightly to see. Draco was tracing the scars on her back with a gentle finger.

It was strange, she was never completely happy, always scared, or anxious.... but around him, she just wasn't. 

I've decided that at the end of each year I will be showing how many more scars Hari's gained, and where she got them from.... Here are the ones for the last two years.