Blind Confrontations
Chapter 1: Training
It took some getting used for almost everyone, the boy who lived, managing to come through five confrontations with the minions of evil and doing so with out a scratch, was now trying to navigate his way through the school grounds with a white stick. Reactions varied, some were shocked others were upset, the Slytherins tried to make his life hellish and to a degree they were succeding, but what made things worse was he could hear everything, all the whispers of pity and all the insults as he passed. It was two weeks now since he had gotten out of the hospital wing and was trying to get on with his life, and it wasn't helping as everyone was treating him like the poor little cripple.
He finally snapped the day he was confronted by Snape in potions class and was removed for his own protection and that of the other class members, unable to continue his lessons because he was a risk to everyone involved. Ron said nothing in his defense, Hermione was incensed and the Slytherins were laughing as he was told to leave his potion supplies behind. And that was how he found himself sitting in the stands of the quidditch pitch, lost in his own thoughts only to be disturbed by a wizened old voice.
"Albus said you had more backbone than this boy."
Suprised at the presence of someone else Harry sprang up from his seat and fell backwards in suprise. "Who's there, who are you?" He swung his head back and forth trying to find the voice of who was talking to him, till finally a wheezing laugh caused the outline of the individual to become clear in his mind. From what Harry could gather it was an old man with wild untamed hair going in every direction wearing a muggle baseball cap, in his hand the old man carried a staff and most confusing to Harry the old man was balanced on the very edge of the quidditch stand itself.
The old mans laughtered died and he grew serious. "My name is Stick, you will call me sensei, Albus says I can help you and as I owe Albus alot I'll do this for him, on the condition that If I help you then you do exactly what I tell you to do understand?"
"What a bloody minute...." Harry trailed off as he felt something hard hit him on the head.
"Watch your language when your talking to me sunshine, you like being blind, like being treated as a cripple, if you just want to sit here and wait till Voldemort comes and finishes you off thats fine by me, or you could stop feelling sorry for yourself and grow a spine and learn what I'm teaching."
Harry was angry, if he could tear would have been running down his cheeks right now, but he couldn't cry anymore so instead he lashed out his white cane whistling through the air as he tried to strike out at where he thought the voice was coming from, he met nothing and was rewarded for his loss of temper with another thump on the head.
"WHAT DO YOU CARE!" Harry screamed at Stick his face bright red with anger. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!" He finally fell backwards this time as he was rewarded with yet another blow to the head. "DAMN IT STOP HITTING ME!"
"Then stop acting like a baby, god if you're the future of the wizarding world, god help them, as for how I know, I'm just as blind as you are you little Punk." Stick hadn't moved from his spot on the rail as he looked down at the sprawled figure of the boy who lived. "I'll train you because without it Albus will never forgive me and you won't live to see christmas, but you do what I say, when I say, how I say understand."
In his shock Harry nodded unable to speak, his ears ringing from numerous blows to the top of his head from Sticks cane.
"What was that sonny, I'm blind not deaf, speak up now. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND."
Harry couldn't quite grasp the fact this old man was claiming he was just as blind but to save himself another smack on the head he answered. "Y-yeah I understand."
"Ha, so you ready for your first lesson boy?" Harry winced in pain as he sat up stil rubbing the top of his head feeling the bump growing. The old man cackled rubbing his hands together in glee.
"Um....ok." Harry stood a little unsteadily using his cane to push himself to his feet to suddenly be knocked backwards onto his ass as Sticks open handed slap struck him across the cheek. "Wha-what are you...." He never got to finish his sentence as another solid open hand slap struck him on the opposite side of his face driving him against the polished wood of the bench. "Stop hitting me!" He was answered by another slap, sending him sliding across the wooden boards of the stands.
"Tell me boy, how do ya plan to fight against Voldemort and his cronies when you can't even stop an old man?" Stick shook his head as he once more slapped the cowering teen, his wrinkled calloused palm causing a resounding crack as it connected with Harrys slowly swelling cheeks. "Well boy I'm waiting, or are ya just like Snape claims, a cripple who is no use to anyone."
Harry's eyes burned with need to shed tears but they could not, his face was growing numb from the blows and his anger was growing to a terrible rage. "Leave me ALONE!" His arm moved, his cane swinging up and a shock shuddered through his arm as something solid connected with his raised forearm. His anger faded in shock, he had blocked it, he felt it coming and he blocked it, if his face wasn't to messed up he'd be smiling. "I-I did it!" He staggered back as another blow struck him across his face.
"Don't be too proud of yourself sunshine, beginners luck...when you do it everytime then you can feel proud." Stick grinned swinging his own cane into play as Harry lashed out at him in anger, the two poles of wood connecting with a solid thunk and with a deft twist of his wrist Stick swung his cane up and then down sharply cracking Harry on the head once again. "Now AGAIN!"
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And this was how Harry found his time divided, during the days he would attend classes as best he could trying his best to keep his fledgling abilities a secret, whilst at night he found himself discovering a new world under Sticks tutelage, the more he trained the more acute his remaining senses became, soon he found he could read books by running his fingers along the page, every indentation on the page different and definable as a letter, his sense of smell was so profound he could tell the difference between spell ingredients, but his hearing was the true marvel, his hearing was such that with Sticks training his hearing became a kind of radar, every sound even the very whisper of the air being moved helped to build a three dimensional image in his mind. One of Harry's most memorable training exercises, archery practise.
"Sensei what the hell are we doing down here in the basement with a bow and Arrow, how exactly is a blind man going to teach another blind man how to shoot a bow and arrow...and here my next question why a bow and arrow?" Harry reacted as he felt and heard Sticks blow coming for his head and moved his arm and with he thud of flesh meeting flesh and Harry grinned at his mentor only to yelp when pain flared along his shin bone.
"Don't get cocky sunshine....now this isn't about teaching you how to shoot a bow and arrow, it's about depth perception and using the very air around us to get an idea of where your opponents are, you won't always be able to hear them Lad...so we are here to practise till you hit the bullseye with everyshot, you'll shoot that bow till your hands bleed if you have to." Nodding Grimly Harry reached out for the bow and the quiver of arrows knowing that Stick was very serious about his threat he knocked an arrow and drew back the bowstring and with a soft twang of silk and the thunk of an arrow striking something Solid Harry set the bow back down. "Well...quite possibly the safest place to be when you are attacking is right in front of you!" Stick's arms moved in a blur and his cane cracked down on Harry's head. "Again!" Harry drew another arrow and let fly, and another and another, each time he was rewarded with the sound of arrows smashing against the brick wall and everytime Stick would yell again, soon Harry's hands were red raw, and soon the raw skin began to blister and the blisters began to bleed and Harry felt like his arms were on fire when final in his mind a shape began to form as the very air molocules disturbed by his and Sticks presence beagn to map out the room to Harry. *Thunk* Stick smiled as finally an arrow struck the target. "AGAIN!" Harry knocked another arrow and let fly, this one sinking into the target beside the last one, over and over till the quiver was empty Harry fired arrow after arrow till he finally fired off the last one and with a crack of wood it spit the arrow already embedded in the bullseye. "Well done lad...Well done."
TBC....
An: Just for all you people out there wondering who Stick is, this story is based on Marel comics Daredevil and not Universals movie with Ben Affleck. In the comic verse Matt Murdock was trained to use his powers by Stick, so just incase you aren't aware of the character dun flame me