Blind to it All

A/N:

I've seen some reasonable blind Harry fics out there. Being a blink myself, I thought I'd give one a go while I think of some more ideas for my other two fics. This will be starting right from the word go, and as with the others, I intend for Harry to be Slytherin's heir, or reincarnation. No mean Dursleys, because it'll just be Harry and his aunt.

Summary:

A blind Harry potter goes to Hogwarts to learn magic, and of his true heritage. But, when the Wizarding world learns of Harry's disability, will they allow him to continue the study of magic? What happens when Harry is forced to teach himself?

Harry/Daphne

Disclaimer:

I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry Potter, and all characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and her various publishers and distributors. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

'Thoughts'

"Parseltongue"

"(Speaking through Legilimency)"

"+beast speak+"

Chapter #1: The letter.

It was a warm summer morning in Little Whinging, Surrey. The well-kept gardens belonging to the occupants on Privet Drive were abuzz with children playing all manner of games. At Number four, however, a lonely raven-haired boy sat, running his fingers down the pages of a book. This boy was Harry James Potter. And the fact he was reading wasn't strange in and of itself. However, the fact he had his fingers on the page would clue most people into the fact that Harry Potter was blind, and had been since that dreadful night ten years ago, when Lord Voldemort had so brutally ripped away his parents with that thrice-be-damned flash of green light and the cry of 'Avada Kedavra!' It was that same green light that had robbed the little boy of his sight.

"Harry! Harry, love, come in here for a bit please? You've got a letter!" Aunt Petunia's voice cut into Harry's daze.

"Coming, Aunt Petunia!" Harry yelled back. And with little effort shut the book he was reading, which was Tolkien's 'The Hobbit', and thundered into the house, narrowly missing a tall, darkly-clad man with sallow skin and a hooked nose.

"Oh! I'm sorry, sir, I didn't see you there!" quipped Harry, a knowing smirk on his face.

"I was under the impression, Mr. Potter, that you are totally blind. I find it hard to believe you cou…" The man cut himself off, realizing he had been had.

"Well, well, well! This is refreshing. A boy who doesn't complain about his lot in life. I must say, Mr. Potter, my opinion of you has been irrevocably changed. I had come here thinking I'd find a spoiled, arrogant little boy, yet I find one with a disability. Not only that, this cheeky brat has managed to take it in stride and crack a joke I actually find amusing." The man let out a low chuckle at this and his face softened towards this boy.

"Oh, good! I'd hate to think you didn't like me either because of my blindness or something my father did that I wasn't around to witness." The boy said with a devilish grin.

"How..." the man asked flabbergasted.

"I've always been able to do it, sir. If I focus on who I'm talking to, I get images in my mind. That's how I know if I can trust them or not." Harry said softly.

"Did I do something wrong?" Harry asked fearing he'd upset this nice man.

Severus Snape was struck dumb. The child in front of him was a natural Legilimens! It would be a safe bet to think that he was a natural Occlumens as well. Thinking he'd find out, he reached out with his mind for the boy.

"(Oh, no you don't. I don't even know your name yet, so until then, kindly stay out.)" Harry's voice echoed in Snape's head. This time there was no hiding it. Snape looked absolutely gob smacked! How could an eleven year old boy have mastered the mind arts at his age? Voicing this thought, he was even more surprised when the boy raised his hand and twitched a couple of fingers. That surprise soon turned into outright shock when some powerful anti-eavesdropping and privacy wards sprang up out of nowhere.

"Wandless magic, too? How is this possible?" the man asked, his voice tinged with just a little awe, all pretences of his usual masks gone.

"I simply didn't want anyone listening in. Oh don't worry my Aunt knows all about it, she did tell me of magic after all." Harry said, a small smile playing about his face.

"Mr. Potter, My name is Severus Snape. However, you may refer to me as Professor Snape. I am the Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"You mean, I-I-I-I still get to go to Hogwarts? Even though I'm The-Blind-Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry asked, hope shining from deep within his ever-expressive emerald eyes.

Snape, on an impulse, wrapped the boy up in a hug.

"Yes, child, you're going to Hogwarts. Come, drop these wards so that we may inform your Aunt and show her your acceptance letter for Hogwarts." Snape watched as the boy did nothing other than stick out his tongue, and to his utter amazement, the wards went down just as soon as the boy's tongue disappeared back behind his teeth. They then went into the kitchen, Snape muttering about cheeky little brats showing off their magic, to which Harry just outright grinned.

"Aunt Petunia! Aunt Petunia! I get to go to Hogwarts!" Harry bounced into the kitchen, a brilliant smile lighting up his face.

"I know, love. Now let's see this letter." At that, Snape took the letter out of a pocket in his robes and handed it to Harry. Harry was a little confused at this action until he felt the familiar dots underneath his fingertips.

"Braille? The letter's in Braille? But, how can Aunt Petunia read it if it's in Braille, sir?" Harry asked, a little perplexed.

"The letter is written in ink as well as Braille. Actually, each letter has a translation charm on it to accommodate the reader." Snape added in his normal professor voice.

Harry then did something that nearly made Snape faint but his Aunt roll her eyes at him.

"Nagini, could you come here, pleassse? I'd like you to meet sssomeone." Harry hissed. To Snape's horror, a familiar-looking snake slithered in and wrapped herself lovingly around the boy.

"Mr. Potter, are you aware of whose snake that is?" Snape asked, a little fear in his voice that nobody picked up save Harry and Nagini.

"I am, sir, however, she isn't evil anymore." Harry said.

"Not evil? How is this possible?" Snape asked, bewilderment clearly in his face and voice.

"I managed to fight it off for her. I don't know if I'm explaining this right but it was as if she had two different souls. I just purged the one that felt evil."

"And nearly died of magical exhaustion in the attempt." Aunt Petunia said shakily, remembering that day all too well.

To say that Severus Snape was shocked was obviously an understatement. At this last proclamation of Harry's, he did what any self-respecting professor would do in his place, he fainted. Harry just gave Snape a curious look and went about opening his letter.

After reading the letter, accepting him to Hogwarts and informing him of the things he needed, he twitched a finger at the prone form of the Potions Master, who groggily climbed to his feet.

"I think, before we go to buy your things, we need a word with the Headmaster," Snape said as he pulled his wand and flicked it, sending his Patronus to summon the Headmaster.

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore was just finishing up some paperwork when to his utter surprise, a silvery glowing bat flew through his window and informed him that the Potions Master needed to speak with him urgently regarding Harry Potter. Dumbledore without a moment's thought beckoned to Fawkes, who rose up into the air near his bonded and pointed his tail at him. Just as soon as the Headmaster grabbed the phoenix's tail feathers, they disappeared in a ball of fire, only to reappear in a similar fashion thousands of kilometres away, at the home of one Harry James Potter.

"Ah, Severus, what's this all about? And who…" Dumbledore had just spotted Nagini, wrapped around Harry. Dumbledore whipped out his wand, and shot off a spell. To his surprise, a small hand shot out and caught the spell with seemingly no visible effect, and, just to ensure the Headmaster was suitably shocked, brought up the other hand and as if knowing what to do, broke the spell down and returned it to the magic all around them.

"That, Headmaster, is what I wanted to talk to you about. Harry Potter is capable of some rather impressive feats of magic. Look at Nagini's aura for example; she's no longer a Horcrux!" Snape said, his voice filled with curiosity and wonder at the boy in front of him. Dumbledore, just to be sure, took Snape's suggestion to heart and looked.

"Oh, my! Well, now, this is rather a good sign. If Harry can do this at his current age, when he reaches majority, there'll be no stopping him! Harry Potter will be the greatest Wizard of his time, blind or no."

"Headmaster, he's also a natural Legilimens and Occlumens! This means any visions from the Dark Lord won't harm him," Snape informed Dumbledore.

"Well, now that is good news." Dumbledore approached Harry and held out his hand.

"Hello, Harry, I'm…"

Harry cut him off respectfully, "Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin First Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Pleased to meet you, sir." Harry shook the proffered hand, winking at Snape while leaving a gob smacked Dumbledore with his jaw touching the ground.

"I think you broke him, Harry." Snape said in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.

"Come. Let us away to Diagon Alley to equip you with the necessary items to further your education in the noble art of witchcraft and wizardry, tom-foolery, pranking, and, of course, potions." Snape smirked. And with that, the two left a still-gaping Dumbledore and embarked upon an adventure that would see them, in time, become firm friends.

A/N:

First of many chapters.

I know I'm being a bit lazy in places e.g. the letter but I get a little jack of reading the damnable things after a while.

Please R&R

Blind-phoenix