Harry Potter and the Unexplained Phobia

Chapter six: Showered with attention

Fanart by LiLa_66

Harry caught a look of himself in the mirror and was horrified. The reflection showed the same alarmed look so he knew it was him, but he couldn't be the emaciated skeleton in front of him! His collar bones looked like they were about to pop out of his chest, held in place by an attenuated sheet of ashen skin. His eyes were the most worrying thing. Their almond shape had all but gone, instead looking manic, the dark red veins making the emerald colour look cartoonish by comparison. They were surrounded by dark smudges, gaunt bones sticking crudely from his cheeks and jaw. The dry skin around his nose and mouth was now physically bleeding, crusted with what was clearly the beginnings of an infection. Even his teeth looked like they belonged in a dead man's mouth, yellowish and sensitive to the touch. Shakily, Harry turned away, the image burned into his eyelids.

"Ron," Harry breathed, having caught sight of him in the mirror. "I look awful. Like a baby skeleton. Do I really... look like that?"

Ron checked him out and shrugged his shoulder. "Still look gorgeous to me," he replied brightly, kissing his cheek. "You'd probably feel a bit better with a roast dinner in you, but I wouldn't count yourself out just yet. Some people are into skinner guys."

"And are you speaking from experience?" Harry asked half seriously, his eyebrow raised.

"I couldn't possibly comment," he replied seriously, flexing his broad shoulders. "We haven't all been blessed to look like a Greek god."

"Yeah, sure," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "I don't see you running round kissing any of your other skinny friends. I must be special."

"Keep telling yourself that, sweet cheeks," Ron replied, winking. "Right, come on, we've got a match to win, and we'd look a right bunch of tits if we turn up without out our seeker and goalkeeper."

Harry took one last disparaging look in the mirror, stuck his tongue out and then followed him out into the grounds. The crowd was wild, though he could still hear Hermione screaming from the stands, wearing Luna's lucky lion head and earning a few odd looks from students and teachers alike.

Harry felt as nervous as he had in his first match because he knew he was about to embarrass himself. At least they were only against Hufflepuff- their replacement for Diggory was slow and had yet to win them a match. Their beaters were the softest out of the houses too, unusually slim built and prone to apologising when they felt they had gone too hard- compared to the bumptious Fred and George, he knew who would win in a scuffle. As much as he loved Ron, he wasn't a patch on Oliver, though he was also undeniably better than the timid Hufflepuff keeper, Henley. At least their chasers worked hard- Alicia, Katie and Ginny would have their work cut out, though they were some of the best Gryffindor had ever seen. Reasonably, there was no reason they shouldn't win, unless Harry royally messed up and Hufflepuff caught the snitch within the first five minutes.

But yet he couldn't help but feel as though that was a strong possibility. Maybe it was nerves mixing with his condition, but he felt horribly wobbly. When they kicked off at the beginning of the game, his hands were shaking on his broomstick, though he quickly covered them with his sleeves. He caught Ron's eye, and grinned nervously in reply, glad he was far enough away not to see the terror which was plain in his eyes.

The bludgers escaped, the quaffle thrown and snitch was released before the whistle was blown and they shot off, shooting off in all directions maddeningly. After a few minutes in the air, in which he could hear the faint dong of the bell signifying a win for one of the teams, Harry could no longer ignore the painful longing to be on the ground again, draping himself over his broom as he no longer had the energy to stay upright. There was a faint... sparkling in the corner of his vision, the usual dull ache in his temples turning into a full-blown migraine. Something was wrong, very wrong.