The Boy Who Couldn't See: Year 1

Quidditch

November marks the start of Quidditch season -- and also the start of very cold weather. According to Dean, the mountains around the school are now an icy gray and the lake is completely frozen over.

On Saturday, Harry will play his first Quidditch match against the Slytherin team. If Gryffindor wins, they'll be second place in the House Championship.

Nobody has really seen Harry play, Wood telling him that he's their secret weapon, but the news that he would be the Seeker this year ("And hopefully for years to come!" Angelina Johnson had told him one practice) had somehow leaked. Nobody except the first-year Gryffindors, plus the rest of the team, believe Harry will play well. If anything, they think he'll fly around like mad and somehow manage to lose them points. It doesn't help ease Harry's nerves at all but the few people that do believe in him every day that he'll be wonderful.

Harry, between the last minute Quidditch practices and classes in general, has no idea how he's managed to keep up with his homework. He does, though, much to Ron's disbelief. Ron tells him daily how impressive Harry is to be playing Quidditch, be second in the class in Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA, be doing his homework, and still have time to get a full night's rest in. Harry thinks it's pretty impressive too but he doesn't want to sound arrogant so he doesn't say this out loud.

Hermione had lent him Quidditch Through the Ages to read before the game, too. He learns that books do actually change into braille when their reader needs it and figures that sweets are just sweets, that you don't need to read the label of a sweets package to want to eat it. He asks Hermione about it and she rushes off to the library the second he finishes his question, coming back and telling him that magical books accommodate themselves for their reader and that sweets don't for the same reason he originally thought. All this just means that Hagrid didn't specifically buy books in braille for Harry but still.

Hermione has also become more lax on the breaking of rules ever since the troll incident. On Friday, the three don't want to stay in the common room for the whole afternoon after Potions so they head out to the courtyard to get some air. Hermione, being Hermione, conjures a fire inside of a jar for them to sit around which is surely against the rules but Harry can't bring himself to care, considering it's warming him up.

"Snape," Ron hisses. "Get closer, don't let him see it."

Harry does as Ron asks, scooting closer to the jar-fire. His fingers are running across the pages of Quidditch Through the Ages because it really is an interesting read and he hasn't really had the time to read it in the past few days.

"I don't understand -- how do you do it?" Hermione whispers, wonder in her voice.

Harry hums, "What?"

"Read like that."

Harry snorts, "Very carefully. I took classes. I spent a year in something called pre-braille training, where they sensitized and strengthened my fing--"

"What have you got there, Potter?"

Harry blinks. His mood instantly darkens at being interrupted and he sighs quietly, holding the book up to show Snape.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," he says. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"What?" Harry says incredulously. "Sir, that's not a rule, you're making that up!"

"Excuse me?"

Harry hugs the book close to his chest, "I'm not giving it to you, it's mine . Madam Pince doesn't care where the books go as long as you don't damage them in the process of taking them places."

"Harry, no--"

"That's ten more points from Gryffindor, Potter. Keep arguing and you'll get another detention. Tomorrow, during the Quidditch game," Snape interrupts Hermione.