What do we do now

A/N: I am so happy at all of the reviews that I have gotten on this story, I am

glad that so many people are enjoying it. Keep up the reviews and I will try

to keep up the demands of my readers. And just to let you all know, I have

done copious amounts of research on the cochlear implants. If you want to

see a picture of what the external device looks like go to my yahoo group

and look in the What do we do Now files.

Chapter Sixteen: After the Surgery

Severus stood watching his son sleep. Daylan had been sleeping for the last

three hours after he had taken a fever reducing potion for the flu virus that he

had gotten from the rest of the school. It had been three months since

Daylan had the cochlear implant surgery. The surgery had gone great and he

had been able to bring him home the aft after. Daylan had healed fine with

out the aid of magic, and had gotten his speech processor turned on five

weeks after the surgery. He had started going to speech therapy but really

had no need for it, his telepathy had helped more than what they had

originally thought. He had picked up verbal speech like he had never had a

problem with it in the first place. In the end they had ending up forging his

speech therapy papers and had oblivated the doctor.

Daylan was the the proud owner of Hi Res Auria processor that fit snuggly

behind his ear with the microphone barely visible. The headpiece held in

place over the transplant magnetically. As long as Daylan wore his hair long

as he himself did no one would ever be able to see the device.

Severus had been initially worried that it wouldn’t work in Hogwarts

because it worked by electrical impulses and electricity in any form could

not work in the school. Albus fixed that problem as soon as he had been

made aware of it with Jocelyn’s help. She explained that she had simple

charmed the implant to be impervious to magical interference and was

planning on doing the same for Daylan’s.

Daylan was slowly adjusting to speaking out loud instead of telepathically;

he continued to use sign language with his tutors and with any of the other

staff members. He was a totally different boy than what he was when he first

brought him here. And he was glad for it.

Severus was brought sharply out of his reverie when he heard a sharp knock

on the door. Walking swiftly to the door he opened it so that the knocking

wouldn’t wake Daylan.

Standing in his door way was none other than Lucius Malfoy and hiding

behind his legs was his godson Draco. Merlin he hoped that Jocelyn stayed

away from his quarters today.

“Hello Lucius, it has been a while.” Severus said amicably opening the door

further so that he could gesture them in. He watched as Draco offered him a

small smile when he walked past him.

“Severus, yes it has been a while, at least a year.” Lucius said as he stood

near the fireplace his eyes fixed on the photo of Severus and Daylan.

“I have been hearing the strangest rumors lately but I have not held to much

credit in them. After all I was sure that if you had son around Draco’s age I

would have heard of him before now.” Lucius said simple as he turned to

face Severus.

Severus stood still for a few seconds before he walked over to Lucius and

grasped him around the upper arm. He then led him toward Daylan’s room

and opened the door.

Lucius gaped at the small boy lying on the bed in the middle of what was

obviously a child’s room. He was shocked. Why would Severus not tell him

about the boy, especially seeing that he would be the boys godfather, as

Severus was Draco’s.

“There are things that where not known until earlier this summer and I am

still trying to straighten things out.” Severus said as he walked back into the

living room. He and Albus had already worked out a story incase something

like this would happen.

“Yes, the boy in there is my son. But he has only been in my care since early

June.” Severus said looking at Draco who was sitting on the floor occupying

himself with one of Daylan’s books that had been left laying on the floor.

Lucius was shocked to say the least. There was no doubt that the boy was

Severus’s, he could tell that by the glance at the picture on the mantel. “Why

is now that you have him, where has he been?”

Severus took a deep breath, “I didn’t know that he existed until I received a

letter telling me to come and get him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, he

wished that Daylan and Draco cohavehave met sooner but things had just

been so hectic. “His mother disappeared after giving birth to him and he was

sent to an orphanage where they abused him, neglected him and treated him

like a house elf.” Before he could continue Lucius interrupted.

“Who was his mother?”

Severus glanced back up at Lucius; he had the perfect cover up for Daylan’s

mother. “She was a woman that I had met in London. I never saw her again

after that night. She was from Greece and was in London trying to escape an

arranged marriage.” He said and then continued, “My guess is that her father

probably found her and forced her to give up the baby so that he could still

marry her off.” There had been mentions of such things happening before in

some to the pureblood families. The daughter would run off and get pregnant

by another man in hopes that she could get out of the marriage. Most of the

time if that happened then the father simply waited until the baby was born,

took it to the orphanage and the marriage still went on.

“But why didn’t you contact me and let me know once you got him?” Lucius

asked still curious as to why Severus had kept the boy hidden from the

general public.

“There was a lot of adapting and learning on his part and good bit adapting

and a lot more learning on my part as well.” Severus said pensively.

“What did you have to learn, its not like you didn’t know who to take care of

a child.” Lucius asked rather confused.

“I had to learn Sign Language.” Severus said bluntly, putting an end to

Lucius’s confusion. “When I brought him home, Poppy gave him a physical

and she informed me that he was deaf.”

Lucius was at a loss at what to say. Now he could understand Severus’s

reluctance at taking his son out in public, not so much for the fact that he

was deaf but just for the fact that he probably had a lot of issues to work out

with the boy first, especially since he had been abused.

“Is there anything that could be done for his hearing?” Lucius asked

genuinely concerned. He glanced down at Draco and was thankful that he

had always been perfectly healthy.

“A couple of months ago he had a muggle procedure done and it has made

given him the ability to hear out of one ear. Not in the same way as we hear,

but don’t ask me to explain it because I don’t understand it. He is slowly

getting to the point where he isn’t frightened to be around other people and

the staff has been tutoring him in his lessons.” Severus explained to Lucius.

Theth sth sat in relative silence for several minutes before Draco’s voice

brought them out of their stupor.

“What’s his name Uncle Sev?” Draco asked finally. He had been listening to

his Dad and Uncle talk about the boy in the bedroom.

Severus smiled down at his godson, “His name is Daylan. And when he gets

over the flu I am sure that he would love to meet you.”

Just as Lucius was about to say something to Severus about arranging a play

date for the two boys he heard the door bang open and heard a woman’s

voice calling out for Severus.

Severus jerked his head toward the door. She just had to come down now

didn’t she?

Jocelyn walked through the kitchen and headed for the living room. Poppy

had sent her down with some more potions for Daylan. “Sev, I brought down

more of the…” she stopped talking when she seen that Severus had company

and who exactly it was.

She knew that it was her brother staring at her much the same way she was

staring at him.

Lucius was stunned. He would never have believed it if he hadn’t read his

fathers journals. Of course his father never found that he had seen what he

had so desperately tried to hide.

“I wondered if I would ever get to meet you,” Lucius said calmly as he stood

and advanced on Jocelyn. “Sister.”