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

Chapter Ten - Dinner

Snape sat at the kitchen table, going over the day's events in his head as he watched the child push his food around on his plate. He had hoped that he could leave to teach his classes for the day without having to worry about Harry , but when he returned to his chambers he had found a box of Harry's belongings outside his door and discovered the child hidden away in his potion lab, cowering in a corner with his hands over his ears.

Harry's friends had shown up during the day, the boy eventually explained, and shouted in that they weren't leaving until he opened the door. So Harry had locked himself in his potion lab to wait them out.

"Why didn't you send Cinsy to come and get me?" Snape questioned.

Harry gave a small shrug, feeling embarrassed about the whole thing. He was fifteen years old, he'd faced Voldemort more than once, he should be able to handle his friends. Instead he'd hidden and prayed for them to go away.

"I didn't think of it… I just wanted them to go away." Harry muttered before pushing his plate away, not even touching a single piece of food.

"What are you afraid of?" Snape asked.

"I told you… What if I eat it and… and I can't move…" Harry looked down at the table, his thoughts boiling over into his expression.

Snape was talking about his friends, but if Harry was ready to talk he wasn't going to risk correcting the child.

"I just wanted him to stop," Harry said, his voice cracking a little. "Sometimes…sometimes he wouldn't do anything… he would just hold me," he cried, feeling like the man's hands were all over him once more. "I think that was the worst."

Snape listened in silence. He couldn't imagine the pain Harry must be in.

"He said… he said that I teased him."

"Harry, I want you to listen to me," Snape said. "You did no such thing. Lockhart is a sick man. You didn't deserve what happened to you. Do you understand me?"

Harry took off his glasses, throwing them on the table before pressing his palms into his eyes.

"I just want it to stop…why can't you use magic… that spell and take away my memories again? Make it so I can't remember, make it the way it was!"

Snape frowned at Harry's request. "If it was possible I would, but repeatedly tampering with the same memories can create holes in someone's mind, leave them unbalanced and brain damaged. It could leave you unable to fly, or unable to walk or talk. You could end up in the locked ward at St. Mungo's," he explained. The hopes in Harry's eyes disappeared. Snape hastily changed the subject. "You need to eat. Or at least drink something."

"I can't!" Harry cried. He scrubbed at the tears on his cheeks. "I want to eat, I really do, but I just can't!"

"…Would you eat if you made it yourself?" Snape proposed after a moment of thought.

Harry paused, considering the offer. "I don't know…maybe," he replied softly.

"Come one then." Snape stood up and tucked his chair back under the table. "I'll take you to the Hogwarts kitchen. There's no one but elves there."

Harry gave a quick nod before making his way over to the fireplace with his professor, stepping in as the flames flared green. When he opened his eyes he was in the Hogwarts kitchen. Elves hustled about everywhere preparing food.

Snape led him to an empty spot in the kitchen and directed him to sit down in one of the old dusty chairs. "It's a magical kitchen," Snape instructed. "All you have to do is think of what you want and it will appear."

Harry gave a small nod before closing his eyes and picturing what he wanted. When he opened his eyes, bread, ham and cheese had appeared on the table along with pumpkin juice still in the bottle. Everything was individually packaged and sealed, unopened and tampered with. And for the first time in the last two days Harry was able to eat without fear.