Chapter Twenty Seven: The Last Supper

Once Harry had fallen asleep, Remus and Sirius excused themselves to go find their own lunch. Sick of hospital food, they decided that they had time to slip out of the magical medical complex and try a mediteranian place down the street that Sirius had gone to before.

Once they had ordered, tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant, Remus leaned back in his chair and sighed. "So, how do you think that went?" He asked tiredly.

Sirius shrugged and took a long sip of the soda he had ordered. He had always had an affinity for muggle drinks, after Lily had introduced him to the wonders of coke products, and later, mixed them with muggle spirits. "I don't know… Do you think he was even paying attention? I'm not sure what the point of taking him there was, what if we just stressed him out?"

Remus sighed "I know, I was worried about the same thing. He definitely seemed overwhelmed, but Lou and Mrs. Peters both seem to think that including him in the process will help."

Sirius nodded, he could see the point, if he had been in Harry's shoes then not including him in the process would have ensured that he would rebel against it, no matter what they tried to do. "It's hard to imagine being that age and being used to making all your own decisions, but when you grow up with neglect… The idea of having adults make all the decisions for you is terrifying, it's a loss of control that I'm not sure Harry could cope with. I just wish he would be more involved."

Remus considered this for a moment, as their food was placed before them. Once the waiter was gone he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, maybe he's doing his best… From what Lou and Mrs. Peters have told us, eating disorders often are caused by a feeling of being out of control… Mrs. Peters almost makes it sound like Harry will be better off when he learns to give up that need for control."

Sirius shook his head and started cutting into his food, "Yeah, I'm not sure I agree with her," He muttered darkly.

5 pm came all too quickly, Harry had managed to sleep for most of the afternoon, and only woke up when Vanessa came back in with another calming draft for him, and to explain how dinner would go.

Remus and Sirius would have trays delivered to the room as well, and all three of them would eat together. As long as Harry fulfilled his meal requirement by 6pm, either from eating the whole meal or combining some of the meal with a protein shake, he would be discharged.

Harry gulped nervously as they waited for the trays to arrive. The calming draft was helping a bit, but it wasn't enough. I want to go home, I need to be discharged today. It's just one meal, I can eat one meal! It's better than being stuck in the hospital with this stupid tube! Or in that center… Harry shuddered at the thought of being admitted to the center, he definitely didn't want that.

Sirius came and sat beside him, giving him an encouraging smile. Harry was thankful that his godfather respected his dislike of physical contact and didn't try to comfort him that way.

"You can do this Harry," He said firmly. "We're going to take this one meal at a time, and I don't want you to stress too much about finishing the actual meal, do your best and if you need to finish with a shake or two that's fine, okay?"

Harry nodded nervously, and bit his lip as Vanessa came in levitating their trays. He was sure it wasn't normally her job to bring them to the patients, and he wasn't sure if the gesture made him feel better or worse.

For one awful moment they all stared at him, as he took in the far too full plate. One of the days he had been here he had met with a dietician, who asked him about foods that were 'easier' or 'harder' to eat, and he wanted to be grateful that they had listened, and none of his 'hard foods' were there, but suddenly all food felt hard, and he was sure his throat was closing.

Vanessa quickly excused herself, and Remus started eating, commenting on the seasoning of the steamed vegetables, which had been served as a side to a ham sandwich and some apple slices. Sirius smiled through a bite of his own sandwich "maybe a sip of water first?" He suggested quietly "just to get you started?"

Harry nodded while biting his lip, and slowly lifted the glass to his mouth. The water tasted good, he hadn't bothered with drinking water much the past few days because they were controlling all of his intake through the feeding tube, and he only just realized that his mouth was dry.

Next you're going to have to actually eat. He thought to himself bitterly. This is so stupid, it's just food… Harry picked up the sandwich and brought it towards his mouth, you just need to get through this meal, then you'll be home and everyone will relax. He managed two bites before having to take a break, 45 minutes later he had just managed to hit the halfway point and the clock was ticking.

Remus and Sirius hadn't spoken throughout the meal, sensing that Harry was too anxious for casual conversation. Now Sirius put his own plate to the side and gently patted Harry's arm. "You've done great Harry, do you want to try and finish, or drink a shake?"

Harry closed his eyes, sure that he would vomit if he took another bite. I don't want a shake either… He opened his eyes and looked at his guardians, who were looking back supportively. "Fine, I'll do the shake" he said miserably.

Remus stood to go ask the nurse for one, and Sirius transformed and hopped onto the bed, laying his massive furry head on his godson's thin legs. Harry took a deep breath and let his hand intertwine with Snuffles' fur, focusing on the weight on his legs instead of the one in his stomach. The shake tasted awful, but at least dinner was over.

Twenty minutes later Vanessa came into the room, jumping at the sight of the large dog on Harry's lap. Harry chuckled and beckoned her in. "It's just Sirius, he's an animagus!"

Sirius hopped down and transformed, bowing slightly to the nurse "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Vanessa laughed good naturedly and shook her head "You're lucky that Harry just got approved for discharge, because we have a strict no pet policy in this hospital."

Harry practically leapt out of bed, "Discharged? For real?"

Vanessa smiled and nodded "We just have to go over the discharge instructions, and then you're out!"

An hour and half later, Harry was being wheeled out the main entrance of St Mungo's, being pushed by Vanessa. "You take care of yourself, okay Harry" She said seriously, tears welling in her eyes. She knelt down and added quietly "I know you have it in you to beat this, it's going to be tough, but you're tougher."

Harry bit his lip, Merlin, why am I so emotional these days? What is wrong with me? "Thank you Vanessa, I'll do my best" was all he managed. He stood and gave her a quick hug, then turned to his guardians. "So, how are we getting home?"

Sirius smirked and nodded towards the door "In a car silly, like a proper muggle family!"

Harry frowned at them, thinking of his few but terrifying journeys in the flying ford angela. "Like a normal car? Do either of you even know how to drive?" he asked nervously.

Sirius smirked and was about to answer when Remus cut him off, "I do, I spent quite a bit of time in the muggle world after the war, it was easier…." He trailed off.

Sirius cut in quickly "And he's going to teach me!" He looked like a six year old on christmas morning. "I used to ride my motorbike, Haggrid offered to give it back to me but I know how much he loves it, and it's not exactly practical for a family man like myself." He puffed out his chest, and with another laugh he threw an arm over Harry's shoulder and led them out of the hospital and towards the street. To Harry's surprise, Remus took them to a normal looking older sedan. Once they had piled in, Sirius entertained them by mocking Remus's musical choices and magically changing the stations to wizard rock music when Remus wasn't looking. Harry laughed harder than he had in months, and for a moment he thought Maybe this will all be fine… maybe we will all be fine.