Author's Note: Disclaimer that I have okay ASL training, but zero BSL training so if you see a way for me to make this story better, do let me know! Otherwise, big thanks to Jet for coming up with a title for this one. Written for the 31 Days of Soulmate AUs Day 16: You are born with words on your arm which are the first words your soulmate says to you

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Warnings: NA

Stacked with: MC4A; Harmony of Souls Eternal; Shipping War

Individual Challenge(s): Gryffindor MC (x2) (Y); Seeds; Shipmas; Old Shoes; Minerva's Migraine; Marauder Tales; Themes & Things A (Change); Themes & Things B (Joy); Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

Representation(s): Soulmate!AU

Bonus challenge(s): NA

Tertiary bonus challenge: NA

Word Count: 1168

Shipping Wars

Ship (Team): Lily Evans/James Potter (Patronus Pair)

List (Prompt): Spring Micro 2 (Weird Habit)

Seeing Words

"You're going to love it at Hogwarts," Mum told James, kissing his nose. "Hush those voices in your head telling you otherwise. You were always meant to go, you'll make friends easily, and you're so, so clever…"

"Someone's going to notice," James said quietly.

"What? Mum asked.

"Someone's going to notice that I don't have anything on my arms," James said, stretching out his arms towards her as if that would help her understand. She looked sad for a second, even if she tried not to. James knew this made her sad; how couldn't it? How sad was it for somebody not to have a soulmate? What could be so wrong with him?

"Soulmarks aren't always on peoples' arms, James," Mum endeavoured to explain as she had a million times before. "The first words your father ever said to me are right here, on my collarbone. Nobody will assume that there's a problem if they don't see yours."

"That doesn't change the fact that there is a problem," James said. "So many people are gonna meet their soulmates tomorrow when it's all busy and bumping on the first day of school. But not me."

Mum took a deep breath and then turned down to look at James' hands. It was a tic of some sort that he'd had for as long as he could remember: his fingers parted, and his hands wobbled from left to right, left to right, left to right…

Mum took his hands to still them and kissed his forehead to still his heart.

"Soulmate or not, that doesn't change just how loved you are," Mum said. "Remember that. Alright?"

"Alright," James nodded.

Sure enough: the kids on the train spent a lot of time comparing the words on their arms and legs, and one boy even had his looping around his belly button. James, however, stuck close to the other first-year who didn't seem to care about all of that—a guy called Sirius, from a family he knew his Dad didn't like, but what was Dad going to do? Surely, he would understand that James had had to talk to somebody. Besides, Sirius was cool.

And then they'd found a carriage that had been left empty because another kid was sleeping in it. They hadn't meant to wake him up, but hadn't realized he was sleeping when they slammed the door shut. He turned out to be okay with it and his name was Remus and he was shy but also nice. That made the train ride to Hogwarts not quite as terribly as James thought it would be. Remus had a set of Wizard chess with him and they taught the pieces bad words to say whenever they got hit—luckily they each knew a few different ones to teach them.

One particularly bad word startled another boy who was walking by their carriage and they laughed, but then felt bad and invited him in and his name was Peter and he was cool, and his mum had given him all kinds of food and candy to share. Really: that train ride went as well as it could go.

When they got to Hogwarts, James definitely broke Mr Hagrid's rules and touched the surface of the lake. Nothing happened, but he did see some movement under the surface, down in the depths, and whispered to Sirius that they should go check out the lake again later. James didn't bring up the cloak tucked into his trunk, not yet, but Sirius was already onboard.

Then they met a lady named McGonagall who explained how the sorting ceremony would work. Halfway through the explanation, another lady in a nursing uniform came to join them. She had a girl with red hair and these crazy green eyes with her, and she was looking all around the castle as if she'd never seen anything like it before. Under her school robes, James saw that she was wearing Muggle shoes and striped socks with tons of colour, so maybe she was Muggleborn and never even seen a picture of Hogwarts before.

"The hearing potion worked, but it will take a few hours to kick in—just as well, she only really wants to take it when she's in class," the nurse whispered to Lady McGonagall. "I've explained to her how the ceremony will go already—shall I stay with her to interpret?"

"That would seem helpful," McGonagall said. She looked down to the little girl, and touched her fingers to her forehead before waving them away—sort of like a salute. The nurse tapped the girl's shoulder for her attention and made some hand gestured before leading her back into the crowd of first years, and it occurred to James that they weren't random gestures; she was talking with her hands and signing.

Lady McGonagall kept explaining how the ceremony would go and James kept poking at Sirius when and where he least expected it, as his new friend became quieter and quieter the more they talked about sorting. Peter was also twisting his hands in his robes nervously and Remus was completely absorbed in what McGonagall was saying.

James got distracted for a second and all of a sudden they were in the Great Hall again. Maybe he was nervous, because his hands were waving left to right, left to right, left to right again.

The hat sang a song, like Mum had said it would, and then they were sorted.

"See you later," James told Sirius when his name was called.

"I hope," Sirius gulped. But he got sent to Gryffindor no problem, and so James grinned, relatively sure that he'd end up there as well.

Then they went down the list of names again and there were Gryffindors and Slytherins and Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and then they got to the 'Es' and McGonagall called for one Lily Evans. The nurse sent the red-haired girl from earlier towards the hat, and she sat still as the hat descended over her head. It sat there for a few seconds before crying out: "GRYFFINDOR!"

James turned to the nurse, who was standing right next to him, making various gestures one by one. She then held two up her two thumbs and spun her hands in circles, back towards her.

That seemed to make Lily Evans smile. She put both of her hands up, fingers spread, and waved them from left to right, left to right, left to right…

And James realized that his hands were doing the same thing—saying the same thing, actually…

"Excuse me ma'am?" James asked, making his way through the crowd of first-years to tug on the nurse's skirt.

"What is it, dear?" she asked. "Are you feeling well?"

"Yeah," James said. "I was just wondering if you could teach me how to do all of that. With your hands."

"Sign?" the nurse frowned. "It's an entire language dear, I can't exactly teach you overnight…"

"I know," James said. "But… eventually. I think I'm going to have to learn."