Empty Classroom

Jackson found a quiet classroom and pulled out his book with a sigh. He wished school wasn't so much memorization. He found the right page and started reading, he had to remember what potion ingredients did what...

Jackson reached the bottom of the page and realized he'd let his mind wander, he didn't remember anything he'd just read. He sighed loudly. Not only did he read slower than the other kids, now he had to reread the last page or more. He stretched his fingers and went to the previous page, determined to pay attention this time.

hot and flammable, and, if not frozen in time, will light fire to the surrounding area. They are very valuable when frozen. A common ingredient in potions, particularly Love Potions. They can also be swallowed whole as an antidote to ague...

Jackson vaguely noted someone sitting behind him, but it was simply an errant thought as he tried to remember what the different ingredients did.
"Armadillo bile, smart potions. Ashwinder eggs, very hot, love potions, cures fever. Asphodel, ay kay ay Royal Staff, sleep related potions." He recited under his breath. He stretched his fingers again and flipped to the next page. He sighed loudly, frustrated at how large braille was compared to print books, and how long it took to read. He stretched his fingers more as he tried to work up the motivation to continue reading.

Jackson turned round when he heard a girl giggle, then say 'oops'. So that was who had sat behind him.  
"Look, I don't mind you being there, but if you're just gonna laugh at the blind kid you can leave, thank you." He frowned, pushing his bangs aside, hoping his eyes would freak out whoever was laughing at him. Probably a Slytherin, though there had been Gryffindors who made fun of him.

[quote="Sayla Axelsen"]

Jackson listened, confused. She liked being around him? She'd only sat down not that long ago. She was the first person ever to call his eyes beautiful, not even his mum did that. How did she know he was interesting and different from all the others? Was she lying? Was she a Seer?
"Why do you use such big words? Not even the professors use words that big." Jackson asked, now grateful for the interruption to his studying. She sounded younger than him, and she didn't seem mean, at least not yet, so he let himself relax. She was probably just another student who had yet to hear of the blind kid. There were a few in every class. But she sounded kinda like those stupid classic books from the 1800s his mum liked and it made him curious.

"No, I don't see." Jackson teased, smiling and holding his hand out. "And of course I don't look at you weird or avoid you, I'm blind and we only just met. And if you're talking about me studying, it's just 'cause braille takes longer to read than normal books, 'cause it has to be so big." He sighed the last sentence.

She set something into his hand, wrapped in wax-papery stuff, slightly squishy and it didn't bounce back when he squeezed it. "Candy?" He asked.

Jackson frowned when she called him a prince. She was weirder than any of the other people he'd met at Hogwarts. Possibly even weirder than the astronomy professor. Maybe she was a muggleborn who'd been homeschooled and wasn't used to talking to other kids. She seemed kind of insightful through her weirdness, though. And she seemed to honestly be trying to figure out why she liked him. Maybe she was in Ravenclaw.
Jackson instinctively recoiled and swatted her hand away when she tapped his lips.
"Um, s-sorry, you surprised me. Er, pl-please d-don't do that." Jackson stammered, grinding his teeth together as his stutter made an appearance. Great, now you're the blind kid with a stutter. He thought sarcastically. He hadn't even been talking to this girl for 5 minutes and he was overreacting at little stuff and stuttering like a toddler.

Jackson unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth, chewing for a few seconds. The flavour was so familiar. Also, the candy was really chewy. He finally recognized it as saltwater taffy.
"Cotton candy flavour?" He asked, uncertain, still trying to chew it.

"Thank you." He smiled. "So I take it no-one's told you about the blind kid yet? What year are you in?" He liked to get this conversation out of the way early, answer any questions anyone had so they'd treat him normaller.

Jackson smiled. "Well, feel free to ask any questions you might have, I won't get offended or anything." Perhaps no-one had told her about him, but she hadn't even heard of him in passing? Maybe this girl didn't listen to gossip, but to not hear it? Though he wasn't sure what kind of gossip he'd generate. It was usually just at the beginning of the school year when word went round through the first years that there was a blind kid. She must've somehow missed it.

Jackson laughed as she rattled off questions. "It's fine, it's fine. I do have a cane, and I get around by listening and bumping into stuff. Though sniffing does help to find the kitchen." He grinned, pulling his cane out of his pocket and letting it unfold. "As for dreaming, it's just sounds and smells and sensations and stuff. My doctor says only people who have been blinded later in life see stuff in their dreams, my brain doesn't know how to imagine it. So I don't think I could hallucinate seeing stuff, and I'd rather not find out." He chuckled, all he knew about hallucinations was that sometimes they were nice and sometimes they were super scary. And if you had them without taking drugs then you'd have to take meds. "My mum wants me to wear sunglasses whenever it's sunny out but I always forget, so I only really wear them in the summer."
The girl was probably halfblood, to know about canes and the like, but seemed uneducated about blind people beyond knowing about that. He'd figured he'd heard just about all there was to hear from strangers about his disability, and then she said she figured he didn't lick the walls. He'd have to remember that.

[/quote]

"Well, my cane helps me avoid getting hurt." Jackson explained, smiling. "I hold it in front of me, so if it runs into something, I know there's a wall or something there, usually based on the sound it makes if it's quiet enough. If it drops, I know there's stairs going down, so I have to be careful."

He thought about the katana question. It obviously wouldn't be a collapsible cane... "I don't know if a cane like mine could hold a katana, since those are curved, but I might ask a wandmaker if they could make me a cane that's also a wand some day when I save up enough money.

As to if I could see, this is what I'm used to, I can't imagine it any other way." He shrugged. "If you're asking if I could find a spell right now to make me able to see, I probably wouldn't use it. I don't know if my brain would be able to handle it and I'd have to relearn reading and stuff. If you're asking if I wish I was born able to see, it changes. Today's been a good day, so probably not. I like my friends and how nice they are, I like my life so far, I don't want to change it." He rattled off the last bit with practiced ease. Lots and lots of folks wanted to know if he wanted to be able to see, but he literally didn't know what he was missing, so he didn't much care. Plus, he couldn't, so wishing just wasted time.