Harry stood up and made his way to up to where the teachers were sitting, heading directly to Poppy. He had been thinking since he had his check-up two days ago about the various things that she had mentioned in regard to his mental health and ways to help treat it and deal with it. Especially with the mentions from Madame Bones, Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore about seeing a mind healer after his first two years and seeing from a sort of outside perspective how the physical aspects of his anxiety affected him had definitely pushed him more towards being accepting about that treatment.

Those in his group watched as he stood and moved across the hall, many of them very confused by his action. Hermione and Ron had an idea about what he was doing, especially when he stopped in front of Madame Pomphrey.

Do you reckon he's going to ask for help? Hermione asked, snapping her fingers to get Ron's attention off Harry.

I'll be impressed if he is. He almost never asks for help.

I hope he is. Even if it's just a potion or something to help with his tremors.

Yeah. I reckon he'll agree to a potion at least, even if he doesn't ask for a Mind Healer yet. Ron signed slowly, clearly thinking about their friend and what he was most likely to ask for.

With all the talk about Mind Healers, I think he might think about it at least.

That's true. Hopefully whatever happens helps him.

"How can I help you Mr. Potter?" Poppy asked when Harry stopped in front of her.

"Could I talk to you. Privately?"

"Of course." Poppy stood and led the way to the side chamber off the hall, closing the door and setting a few privacy wards around the room.

"How can I help you, Harry?"

"I was wondering about those treatments you mentioned for my mental health," Harry said, his right hand curled up so that his fingers were digging into his palm, while his left hand tapped continuously on his leg. He really didn't like asking for help; it always made him feel uncomfortable; he blamed the Dursleys.

"Of course, Harry. Were you thinking about seeing a mind healer? Or about trying a potion for your anxiety?"

"Um, a potion. I mean, I have a lot of potions to take already, what's one more? And I don't think I'd be comfortable talking to anyone about anything yet. I mean, having to hear these things again from the book is bad enough, especially with so many people listening to them. I just … I don't think I could talk to anyone else about anything."

"Of course. You have to feel comfortable talking to someone otherwise seeing a mind healer will do nothing. A treatment for your mental health has to be comfortable for you to get the fullest effects." Harry nodded slowly. He could kind of understand that. It did make sense if he thought about it. After all, being forced to talk about some things would probably just make him even more defensive and closed off.

"There are a variety of different potions that can be used to help with anxiety in general and managing social anxiety specifically. Some potions work for some people, while some work better for others. It will be a slight case of trial and error until we find one that works best for you. We may find that potion on the first try, or it may take until the last potion to find one that works for you," Poppy explained.

"Alright. So, how does this work? Do we just choose one to start with?" Harry asked, biting his lip.

"First, I need to do another health scan, just to make sure that you haven't had any complications from your current potion's regime. If you're having any problems from the potions you're taking already, introducing another potion would probably make it worse. As it is, there are already some potions you won't be able to try as they don't combine well with some of the potions you are already taking."

"Ok." Harry stood still – as still as he could, since his left hand was still tapping out a pattern on his thigh – while Poppy waved her wand in a complicated pattern in front of him and the magical scan washed over him. Harry bit his lip again while he waited as Poppy read over the results.

"Well, the potions actually seem to be working better than I expected. Your core is already starting to increase how much you can access – I was expecting it to take a bit longer for that to be seen. Other than that, you are progressing how I expected, and none of the potions are reacting in a negative way." Harry nodded; he had already known, or at least suspected, that he could access more magic than he could two days ago.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked.

"With your permission, I want to consult Severus about this. He knows more about potions and which ones would work best with your current potion's regime. He also has a medi-wizard license, so is able to help me work out which potion would probably interact with your magic and body best; I will probably need either his help or the help of someone from St Mungo's, as I haven't had much interaction with potions and treatment concerning mental health and anxiety, especially not recently. However, I can't consult anyone about your treatment or anything without your say so, due to confidentiality, and the fact that it is essentially your life and your health that is in question."

Harry frowned. He really didn't like that option. It was hard enough for him to actually ask for help, which Ron and Hermione could both tell you, and that was just with Poppy, who he already had a good relationship with. To think about having someone else brought in regarding his health… and especially that someone being Snape or someone he didn't even know… Neither were nice thoughts.

"I don't … I don't know," he said. "I do want to try something for my anxiety, even just if it helps with my tremors or lets me not freak out in a crowd. But Poppy, you know how much I hate admitting that I need help or that I'm hurt or struggling."

"I know Harry. And I am extremely proud of you for even coming to me about trying potions," Poppy said. Harry gave her a brief smile before his expression turned conflicted again, his lip back between his teeth.

"But Poppy, you know my relationship with Snape. I just … I don't know if I could trust him to know about these things and not say anything. And I don't know anyone from St Mungo's. How can I know they're not just going to get involved to spread my secrets and get a quick claim to fame through my name." He could hear his voice getting slightly frantic, and he knew his heart was pumping faster than it normally would, his palms sweaty. But he felt it was totally justified.

Poppy sighed. She knew that Harry wouldn't be comfortable involving anyone else in his treatment. And she couldn't say she blamed him. She did know about his relationship with Severus, from comments over the years, the amount of times he had come to the hospital wing from a potions injury, and from the books showing the actual relationship between them, and from that, she could understand why he wouldn't trust Severus. And his fears regarding a healer or medi-wizard that he didn't know, especially with his fame and the current circumstances (everyone claiming he was an evil, lying psychopath) were understandable.

"I can understand why you're not comfortable with either option Harry. I can promise you though, that anyone brought in from St Mungo's has the same confidentiality clauses in their contracts, and I will even make them swear a privacy vow concerning your treatment if you want. And Severus would be made to take multiple vows of secrecy and privacy before I even mention your name. If it would make you more comfortable, I would even leave your name out and simply talk to him about how the different potions in your regime would interact with the different potions that are available to help with anxiety. And I promise Harry, it is up to you.

"That being said, and I know you won't like this, Severus is going to need to know what potions you're already on. He will come ask me at some stage. I won't tell him why you need those potions if you don't want me too, but he needs to know what potions you're taking and how regularly, because he is the Potion's Master at the school and the one to provide the potions. If he isn't told about these things, he won't be able to make the potions you need. And he will be the one to make the additional potion for your anxiety as well, so either way he will know what potion is added to your potion's regime," Poppy explained, kneeling down in front of Harry as she spoke. She could tell that he was getting more nervous and anxious and wouldn't be surprised if he was close to an anxiety attack or a panic attack and knew – from the few times she had seen an anxiety or panic attack – that her towering over him as she spoke would probably not help.

Harry could hear Poppy talking and was registering the words, but not fully processing them. He could feel his breathing getting more ragged as his heart beat faster and faster, his chest seeming to squeeze painfully. His hands were still sweating, and his mind was working on overdrive, going over and over what Snape or an unknown healer could and would do if they found out, what could and would happen if others, if the general public, found out about his anxiety. He could real his fingers tapping out against his leg faster and faster, while his nails continued to dig into his palm, and he could feel his arms and hands shaking even more than normal.

He focused on his breathing first, knowing that getting his breathing back under control was one of the fastest ways for him to get this newest attack under control. He did his best to slow his breathing, pulling his thoughts away from his spiraling worries to focus fully on counting as he breathed. 7 in, hold for 4, out for 8. 7 in, hold for 4, out for 8. 7 in, hold for 4, out for 8. He slowed his tapping fingers and began tapping in time with his counting. 7 in, hold for 4, out for 8. 7 in, hold for 4, out for 8.

He continued his breathing pattern while moving on to his next technique. He slowly tensed and untensed all the muscles in his body, starting from his toes and working his way up. Tense his toes. And relax. Tense his calves. And relax. Tense his thighs. And relax. Tense his butt. And relax. Tense his core. And relax. Tense his shoulders. And relax. Tense his upper arms. And relax. Tense his forearms. And relax. Tense his fingers. And relax. He felt the last of his tension leave him as he relaxed his fingers, his left hand going back to tapping the pattern he was breathing to while his right hand remained relaxed, rather than curled up with his fingers digging into his palm.

He slowly opened his eyes again as he felt himself gain full control of his thoughts and body again – they had slipped closed when he started focusing on his breathing. He looked around the room as he continued breathing slowly for a few more cycles before he looked down at Poppy who was still kneeling down in front of him. He let out one last deep breath before he smiled slightly, although he was sure it probably came out as more of a grimace. The attack had passed, but he could still feel the heightened anxiety at the forefront of his mind.

"Are you alright Harry?" Poppy asked gently. Harry focused on his body for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"The attack passed, but it's still at the front of my mind," he said quietly.

"We will leave the discussion here for now; I can tell that you are not up to continue this discussion at the moment. I promise you this now; I will not mention any of this to anyone until you tell me I can. In the meantime, I will do my best to investigate what potion would work best for you on my own."

"Thank you. Do you think you could ask Hermione and Ron to come in here when you leave. I don't think I'm ready to go back out just yet."

"Of course, Harry. Are you alright for me to leave now?" Harry nodded and Poppy stood up and stepped back, waving her wand to bring down the wards around the room. She left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door was closed, Harry walked over to an armchair near the fire, resting his arms on his arms on his knees, and his head in his arms. Anxiety attacks like that left him feeling drained, especially when the reason for the attack refused to leave the front of his mind, meaning his thoughts kept going back to it.

It was barely two minutes after Poppy left that Ron and Hermione entered the room. They both headed straight over to the third of their trio, able to see as clear as day that he wasn't alright.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or do you just want our presence?" Ron asked as soon as they reached him. They had both seen the aftermath of his attacks a few times before, and had been witnessed one or two as well, so knew how to handle this.

"Talk," Harry muttered. Hermione and Ron exchanged looks before Ron tilted his head towards Hermione, letting her start.

"Was it something we can help with?"

"I dunno. Maybe."

"How can we help?" Ron asked.

"You could help me work out what I want to do."

"Was it about what you were talking to Madame Pomphrey about?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah."

"Potions for your anxiety?" Ron asked, the two of them continuing to go back and forth as they asked Harry questions. They knew that both of them talking, and alternating between them, helped him relax more and bring him out of the state that an attack left him in, since it made him focus on both of them and what they were saying, rather than focusing on what triggered the attack – even while discussing what triggered the attack.

"Yeah."

"Too much overwhelming information?"

"No."

"Trust issues?"

"I guess."

"Do you want us to keep asking questions or are you ok to talk?"

"Talk I guess."

"Take your time, mate." Harry let out a slow breath before raising his head off his hands and looking at his two friends kneeling in front of him.

"Poppy said that we can start trying different potions to help with my anxiety. But she said that she had to talk to either Snape of someone from St Mungo's about what potions would work best for me and wouldn't react badly with the potions I'm already taking. But … I'm not … I struggle to trust others, let alone Snape or people I don't even know," Harry said.

"Was it feeling like they were going to tell everyone? Or that Snape would use it to treat you even worse?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah. Both. And other stuff that I can't really explain. It was just too much and then I didn't want everyone to know and I know some people would use it to support what the newspapers are saying and just reading what they're saying and what everyone believes is hard enough without them using this to back up their claims and I just don't know and it was too much and then she wanted to bring Snape in and I don't think I could deal with that."

"Breathe mate. Madame Pomphrey would have mentioned something about confidentiality," Ron said.

"Ron's right Harry. Madame Pomphrey won't say anything without your permission."

"I know. She promised not to say anything until I say she can. And she said she'd do her best to work it out without telling anyone. but she said Snape would find out either way because he has to make the potions. But she said she'd even get a vow from whoever she brought in, and that she wouldn't even mention my name if I didn't want her too. But it was just too much."

"We'll support you with whatever you chose to do Harry," Hermione said gently.

"We're not leaving you no matter what," Ron agreed.

"We're both very proud of you for asking for help. We don't know what you're going through, but we know it can't have been easy for you to ask for help," Hermione added.

"We'll do whatever it take to help you mate. We're proud of you for asking for help and we'll never see you as a burden for needing help," Ron assured him.

"Thanks. Both of you. Let's go back into the hall. We must be starting again soon," Harry said. Ron and Hermione both shot each other a look before nodding and standing up; they both knew that Harry was changing the subject, and they let him. The three of them left the small chamber and entered the hall again, heading back over to their seats with their group.

"Are you alright Harry?" Remus asked as they sat back down. Harry nodded, leaning back into the couch he was on, between Hermione and Ron – he was still a bit drained from the attack.

"I'm fine," he assured Remus, before turning his attention to Filius who cast the spell on the book, since everyone was back, and the next chapter started to read.