Please...

Chapter Eleven

"Harry, today you are going to go with Tommy for a bit, okay?" Severus asked, giving Harry his breakfast. "Why?"

"I have a meeting-"

"Ca' I come with?! Please, please, please, please!?"

"No. Not this one, this is a special meeting."

Harry pouted. "But you said that last time, and last time wasn't that long ago!"

"Harry, my last meeting was a month ago, and I let you come with. Bambi, I know you hate it, but we have to start trying to..." Severus trailed off, not knowing how to word the sentence. "What?!"

"We have to try and get you comfortable not being around me. Don't make that face, Harry. Now eat."

"But why?!"

"Eat."

Reluctantly, Harry did so, scowling. Severus sat in front of him, started reading.

"Harry, you need to be comfortable around others without me. You need to so that you can make friends your own age, go over to your friends house, eventually go to school. You know Tommy, you like him, don't you?"

"I do, I just..."

"It's scary, isn't it?"

Harry nodded after taking a bite. "Well, you get over fears by facing them. We'll start out small, like a short time with Tommy, then a longer time, and after that I'll think of something. Now, finish up so you can get dressed, and we'll go down to the Slytherin common room."

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"I can take Lily?" Harry asked as Severus tied his trainers. "Of course you can. Grab her, and then we can start going."

Harry reached over and tucked Lily under his arm, jumped down from the chair, and took Severus' hand. They began walking the short distance, Harry occasionally jumping over the cracks in the stone floor.

"Tommy!" Harry yelled as he saw the second year walk towards them. "Hey Harry."

"Thomas." Severus nodded at him. "Thank you."

"No problem Professor," Thomas siad, flashing a small grin. "Any idea when your meeting will be over?"

"Maybe an hour, but if it runs over I'll pay you the extra time. Most likely two hours at most. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not a problem!"

Severus snarled at a group of girls giggling and pointing at Harry, making them scurry away. "I'd appreciate it if you kept him out of crowded places, besides the common room."

"Why don't we go inside the common room Professor? I have some questions before you head off." Severus nodded, stated the password, and they took places on one of the black leather couches.

"Harry, why don't you play with Lily for a bit?" Harry moved to the floor and started making Lily fly, jump, and other sorts.

"So?" Severus questioned. "Sir, are their any sorts of techniques I should use in case... he, well, has a panic attack or something? Something that calms him down?"

"As far as I know, besides him just... nevermind. What you can do to comfort him, like most small children, is to physically comfort him. I swear, physical touch is one of the things he loves most..." Severus' voice trailed off as he looked at Harry.

"Okay! Is it okay if I take him outside later? Maybe just down by the lake?"

"Sure, but I didn't give him any extra layers."