Tapping

Draco rinsed out the breakfast dishes and poured himself a cup of coffee in one of the thermal cups Ron had bought to take to work. He put his thumb against the edge and stopped pouring as the hot liquid touched his fingertip. These little tricks had made him just as efficient in the kitchen as Ron, though there had been some nasty burns in the first year or so.

He unfolded his cane and made his way out into the street.

Hermione was living in a quiet Muggle neighborhood as well, though hers was in a gently sprawling suburb. She had a fenced-in yard and a bull terrier, who greeted Draco with an enthusiastic slurp on the hand as he came up the front walk.

“Down, Phrixus,” Hermione called. The dog dropped back to all fours.

“He’s fine,” Draco said, narrowly avoiding tripping over the dog. Hermione whistled and he heard the dog’s nails clicking against the cement as it ran up to her.

“I’ve got him now,” Hermione said.

Draco tapped his way up the walk, arriving at the front step and receiving a peck on the cheek from Hermione.

“Would you like to sit down and have some lunch?” she asked. “I’ve got to feed Kevin before he eats the corner of the sofa.”

“I had an early lunch with Ron before he went to work,” Draco said. She hummed and took his hand, settling it on her forearm. He smiled gratefully and followed her into her dining room.

“Kevin, he’s here,” she said. She put his hands on the back of a chair and he pulled it out carefully, sweeping the seat with his hand before sitting down. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Water would be lovely,” he said. “So, Kevin, how have you been?”

“I’m over here,” Kevin said. Draco chuckled indulgently and turned his head towards the child’s voice.

“Now Kev, you know,” Hermione started.

“He’s alright,” Draco said, smiling. “I’d rather he say something.”

“Did you bring me something?” Kevin asked. Hermione scoffed softly, but Draco heard her footsteps retreat into the kitchen.

“Don’t I always?” Draco asked, producing a small box from inside his jacket. He had long since disposed of most of his wizard robes, choosing instead to clothe himself in Muggle things. They afforded fewer pockets and places to hide wands and devices, but without his sight Draco wondered if it was a good idea to use a wand anyway.

“It’s awfully tiny,” Kevin said.

“Kevin Harold Granger,” Hermione said sharply.

“Sometimes good things come in small packages,” Draco said smoothly, offering it to him. He had gotten Ron to slip out early and pick the gift up for him.

“Wow, thanks,” Kevin said, after much rustling of paper. Draco smiled. He had told Ron to use his discretion at Fred and George’s shop. Nothing dangerous or too troublesome for Hermione, but something a five-year-old would like. He was fairly sure that nothing from the store would be a repeat; Hermione did not seem the kind of mother who would permit the twins to bring her son any gifts of their own manufacture. Besides which, he had gotten the impression that none of the Weasleys saw her very often.

“What is it?” Hermione asked.

“Uncle Draco got me a voice changer,” Kevin said. He fitted the small item into his mouth and spoke again. “Thanks,” he said, in a voice like a gravel turner.

“Well, won’t that be fun,” Hermione said. She set a glass down on the table in front of Draco and a plate in front of Kevin. Draco sought out the glass carefully and picked it up. He managed to not spill any water down his chest. Even after six years of feeling his way around, he still occasionally made embarrassing blunders.

“So, what are we doing today?” Draco asked. He could hear Kevin chewing industriously.

“I thought we could go to the park,” she said. The park: a nice, quiet place where Draco could feel like no one was looking at him.

“That sounds like fun,” Draco said, looking towards Kevin’s sounds.

“You said we might go to the museum,” Kevin protested around a mouthful of something.

“That was before I invited Draco over,” she said.

“Which museum?” Draco asked.

“Natural history,” Hermione said. “It’s his favorite.”

“We could do that,” Draco said. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Hermione took a breath, then let it out normally. Kevin started to talk excitedly about dinosaurs, and Hermione watched Draco curiously. She had suggested they not take Draco to the museum because there was really nothing there for a blind person to enjoy. She also wondered if it was a good idea to take him someplace so public.

“Draco,” she murmured, after she had sent Kevin to the kitchen with his plate, “Are you sure this is smart? What about your anxiety attacks?”

“I took some of those pills the psych guys gave me,” he said, smiling. “They work.”

“Then why don’t you take them all the time?” she asked.

“There are some side effects,” he told her, taking a sip of his water. She started to inquire, and he twisted his lip into a smirk. “Sexual ones.”

“Oh.” Having hit a dead end there, Hermione changed tacks. “If we do go the museum, we should still take him to the park first.”

“Let him run off some energy?”

“Exactly.” Footsteps rushed back into the room.

“Can we go?” Kevin asked.

“Sure,” Hermione said. She got up from her chair.

“Kevin, would you like to help me?” Draco asked, leaning towards Kevin.

“How?”

“Well, I’ll put my hand on your shoulder, and you can lead me.”

“Okay,” Kevin said excitedly. He waited for Draco to stand up and grabbed his hand. “Here’s my shoulder.”

Draco held his cane carefully, pushing it out to one side so he wouldn’t trip Kevin. He was fairly certain the boy could lead him safely, but he kept the cane out just in case. Had he been able to see Hermione, he might have laughed at the look of concern on her face. At the same time, she was impressed by how quickly Draco had connected to Kevin. Their son was not shy, but she would not have called him outgoing either.

The park was two blocks away, and Draco only came close to tripping once.

“You’re doing fine,” he reassured Kevin, as he gathered himself from the stumble. “Everyone makes a mistake the first time.”

“What’s it like to be blind?” Kevin asked bluntly.

“It’s very different,” Draco said.

“Is it hard to do stuff?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “But you get used to it.”

“Were you always blind?”

Draco’s smile was tight, but he kept his voice even.

“No,” he said. “Not always.”

“What happened?” Kevin asked. Hermione made a sound and turned his head in her direction.

“I had an accident,” he said. “I don’t really like to talk about it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Draco was surprised; he had expected Kevin to pursue the question.