Thank you to the beta of this chapter- Born-of-Elven-Blood

Chapter Seven - Cibophobia

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon in Snape's guest room, sitting crossed legged on the bed, staring out the window, watching the Hufflepuff quidditch team run plays for the upcoming game and thinking about what Snape had told him.

He did feel a little guilty for pushing his friends out, but he couldn't face them at the moment. He hoped that they could understand. How was he supposed to tell the people he cared about most what happened? Harry couldn't even look at himself in the mirror without being revolted. What if Hermione and Ron felt the same way once they found out?

What if they left him? They were the only real friends he ever had. He didn't think he could take it if they decided he wasn't good enough to be around.

Harry jumped when a knock came to the door, followed by the voice of his professor telling him that it was time for dinner. Harry let out a small groan as he wrapped his arm around his stomach, feeling like it was filled with thousands of butterflies.

Harry slowly made his way out of the room and into the kitchen. "I'm sorry sir… I'm not really hungry at the moment. Could I…"

"You haven't had anything to eat or drink all day," Snape cut in before Harry had a chance to finish what he was saying. "You must be hungry."

"I just…I just…" Harry spoke softly, not knowing how to explain what he was feeling.

"Harry…I didn't…put anything in the…"

"I know you didn't!" Harry quickly said, "I just can't help but think…what if? What if I eat and I won't be able to move and…and you could…" Harry couldn't finish his thought, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Snape gave a small nod of understanding.

"Will you be alright on your own for a while?" he asked.

"Yeah…I will be fine," Harry muttered, heading back to the guest room without even giving his professor a second look.

Snape frowned as he watched the child walk away.

"Cinsy," he called. The elf appeared beside him with a pop. "Keep an eye on the boy while I'm away," he instructed before heading out of his chambers. He made his way to the Hospital Wing to see the one person that could help the child.

After explaining to Madam Pomfrey what was happening, the woman only gave a small shrug, as if she hadn't expected anything else.

"Cibophobia," she said, taking a bottle of burn paste out of a nearby cupboard. "I'm running low," she informed him.

"And what is cibophobia?"

"Fear of food."

"I don't need to know the name!" Snape snapped. "I need to know how to get the damn child to eat, or at least drink something!"

"I told Albus, the boy needs a mind healer."

"You know that can't be done!" Snape shouted. "If it was any other child then yes, the parents would be informed and the child would be able to see a mind healer. But because this child is Harry Potter! It would be in the papers within seconds and you know that can't happen. You know what kind of uproar there would be if people found out what happened. It certainly wouldn't do Harry any good. And there's the Dark Lord to consider... "

Madam Pomfrey tilted her head looking at him with surprise.

"What?" Snape questioned.

"You called the boy by his first name. You've never done that before."

Snape paused for a second before he spoke. "It doesn't mean anything."

Madam Pomfrey let out a small hum of skepticism. "I can try and talk to the boy," she offered. "But I wasn't trained to be a mind healer. My advice? Get the boy to trust you. He will open up on his own."

"Why me? This isn't my problem!" Snape let out a long breath. "How am I supposed to help the boy?"

Madam Pomfrey gave him a small smile. "I have known you since you were eleven years old, Severus. And I know Harry. He's spent more time in this hospital wing than most. And one thing I've learned about him is that he is a fighter. He doesn't let things slow him down. Rather like you," she added over Snape's snort of disgust. "You don't see it because you only see James Potter when you look at Harry. But he is more like Lily than you know. But more than that, Harry is his own person. Perhaps if you took the time to get to know Harry as Harry… you would find that you are exactly the right person to help him."

Snape let out a sigh before giving a small nod. "I will have your burn paste ready by tomorrow," he told her evasively, before storming out of the hospital wing, still just as lost as before.