Love and Other Potions

Eyes to See, Ears to Hear..{Young Remus}

Requested by DemWeasleysDoe.

Young Remus x Deaf! Reader

You walk through the Courtyard for the third time that day. You've been trying to find ways to distract yourself in every way you can think of but to no avail. Your deep, depressing thoughts keep trying to take control. Normally you're an upbeat person, but every once in a while, you experience melancholy.

You watch as people laugh and talk to their friends although you cannot hear them. It doesn't bother you that you have this health condition. Really, there are worse ones to have. But you've read about the beautiful sound of laughter, how a voice is as unique as someone's handwriting, and the inspiring noise that is music. You've read of the sound of heart-breaking sobs, of someone's voice so broken that they can hardly speak, and of sad, hard songs. You've read or have been told through sign language about all of these sounds that provoke great amounts of emotion and can't help but feel left out.

You try to conquer these useless feelings but the task seems impossible. You give up on trying to distract yourself and head back to your Common Room. As you round a corner, you accidentally walk into someone. Your hands grip the stranger's chest to try to prevent yourself from falling. You look up from the sweater-clad chest to see Remus Lupin's chocolate gaze. He steps back from you and lifts his hands to speak to you.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I wasn't watching where I was going."

You give him a small smile.

"It's quite alright, Remus. No harm, no foul."

"I haven't seen you since breakfast this morning. What have you been doing all day?"

"Dealing with things way past my maturity level."

He furrows his brows together.

"What do you mean?"

You shake your head.

"Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

"No, Y/N. Look, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

"I'm sure you're a great listener, but I'm not. There lies the issue."

His eyes widen slightly.

'Oh finally, the gears are shifting in that big brain of his,' you think wryly.

"Come on Y/N. Let's go somewhere more comfortable to talk."

"Why?" you sign with distrust evident on your face.

"Because you obviously need someone to talk to, yet you're too stubborn to ask. Let's go."

He begins to walk, but turns after a few steps to see if you're following him. You roll your eyes but follow him nonetheless. You grudgingly follow him, all the while trying to figure out where a 'comfortable place to talk' is for him. Halfway up a staircase, you realize that he's leading you to the Gryffindor Common Room. You roll your eyes again.

As expected, you stop next to Remus at the portrait of the Fat Lady. She eyes you as Remus says something to her. She swings herself open for you. Remus motions for you to go first.

You step through the hole in the wall and you're instantly surrounded by warmth although the warmth has to do with the color scheme as much as the roaring fire in the pit. The Common Room has a spicy scent that smells of crisp Autumn leaves, cinnamon, and cider.

Remus leads to the corner of the room where two armchairs sit. He motions for you to take a seat on the corner one while he shifts the other to face you. As he sits down, you quirk a brow. He shifts his elbows to the armchair so that he may speak to you without straining his arm muscles. You have to give him credit for that; it's a very clever and thoughtful idea.