Decreso Aetas

"Oh, come on, Ron! It's our first day back!" Harry shouted at the unconscious lump that was his best friend. He prodded Ron in the side, but the redhead only mumbled something about pushing Malfoy off of a glacier. Harry shook his head, smiling at the fact that that certain thought had never left Ron’s head since the beginning of their Fourth year. He sat thoughtfully at the end of Ron’s bed. With a broad grin on his face, Harry tried a different approach.

"Don't you want breakfast?"

At those last words, Ron sat up quickly, the sheet sliding off of his head to reveal fiery red hair. "I'll be down in a minute," he said groggily. Harry laughed as he left Ron to get dressed, thinking it's funny how even the mention of a meal will make him come out of the unconscious state he called sleeping.

Hermione was waiting at the bottom of the boys' staircase, tapping her foot impatiently. "Oh, for Merlin's sake!" she said, laughing. "You're worse than a girl when it comes to getting ready in the morning!" Harry rolled his eyes at her and pointed up the staircase. "Don't look at me!" he said. "Say that to Sleeping Beauty when he comes down."

"Who's Sleeping Beauty?" came a voice from behind them. Harry and Hermione turned to see Ron, sleepy-eyed and yawning. They both laughed.

"Just a Muggle fairytale, Ron," Hermione explained. "It's about a -"

"No time to explain! It's breakfast time!" Ron shouted, receiving a few nervous glances from a group of First years that were sitting near the fireplace. He set off at a jog toward the portrait hole.

"Honestly," Hermione said quietly before following him out of the common room. Harry didn't even bother running after them. Instead, he took his time walking along the corridors. He looked at the portraits hanging on the stone walls, containing an assortment of moving witches, wizards, and magical creatures. I can't believe this is my last year here, Harry thought, chuckling quietly as he passed a portrait of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, both facing opposite directions with their arms folded and scowling.

Harry finally made it to the Entrance Hall. It was pretty empty and the Great Hall seemed pretty quiet, except for the low rumble of voices that emerged from it. I hope I don't end up being late to my first class - Pray to Merlin it's not double Potions, he thought miserably.

Before Harry could walk into the Great Hall, he heard a voice that stopped him in his tracks, one that he knew all too well.

"So, Potter, looking forward to your last year in this place? Upset you'll no longer have a fan club following you when - no - if you graduate?" the person drawled loudly.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry said through clenched teeth, his breath quickening in anger. "Are you upset that you won't have your morons to protect you when your daddy can't? Oh, wait, I forgot. He won't be able to anyway because he's locked up. Again."

It had become a known fact that after the Final Battle and the defeat of Lord Voldemort last summer, all of the Death Eaters had been caught and given a life sentence in Azkaban Prison.

Harry turned around to watch Draco's reaction. It was exactly what he thought it would be.

Harry knew he had touched a nerve because a muscle was working in Draco's jaw. A red tinge was appearing in his pale cheeks and his platinum blonde hair was falling out of place because he was shaking in anger. "You leave him out of this, Potter," he spat, his voice growing deathly quiet with each word as he stepped toward Harry and grabbed him by the collar of his robes. His bluish-silver eyes were narrowed into a deathly glare. "At least I have a father." He let go of Harry and pushed past him into the Great Hall, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle who grunted menacingly at the Gryffindor. Harry stood there for a moment, glaring at Draco's retreating back. When his breathing returned to normal, he stormed inside toward the Gryffindor table and slumped onto the bench across from Ron and Hermione.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked as she raised an eyebrow in question. Harry shook his head as he laid his forehead down on the table.

"Let's just say I came across a certain git who resembles a bloody ferret," Harry mumbled, scowling at his shoes. He received a muffled laugh from Ron, whose mouth was stuffed with toast. Hermione just rolled her eyes at Harry and smiled.

"Oh, gweat," Ron said, looking toward the teachers' table. "'Ere comes McGonagall wif our timetables." Harry looked up quickly.

"Ron, swallow your food before you talk!" Hermione shouted at him, looking disgusted as she brushed a piece of chewed up toast off of her arm.

"Sowwy 'er-my-knee," Ron said before swallowing his toast. She playfully punched him in the arm. Ron's cheeks darkened a little as he raised an eyebrow at her. Harry rolled his eyes at the pair of them.

"Why don't you two go find a quiet corner and snog already," he said, laughing as both of their eyes widened. Dean and Seamus, who were sitting near them, snickered quietly.

Before either of them could say anything in return or reach over the table and strangle him, Professor McGonagall appeared behind them with their timetables at hand. Harry reached over for his so fast he knocked over his goblet of orange juice. "Oh, bloody hell," he swore under his breath.

"Mr. Potter! Watch your mouth!" she shouted at him before moving on to the Ravenclaw table. Harry's cheeks turned a bright red as he cleaned up his mess. Hermione snickered quietly. Ron, who had been shaking with silent laughter, took a large mouthful of orange juice and picked up his timetable. A moment later found Ron with his mouth hanging open as he shouted "Bloody hell!" and Harry across the table dripping with orange juice.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, glaring at the redhead through his dripping fringe and spotted glasses. Not feeling very hungry anymore, he pushed away his plate of dampened food.

"Mr. Weasley!" Professor McGonagall shrieked from across the Great Hall. Quiet snickers rose from all four tables, though a little more loudly from the Slytherins.

"Nice going, Weasley," Seamus said proudly, patting Ron on the back as he turned a dark shade of red. He then turned toward Harry. "Sorry about that, mate," he said quietly, handing him a napkin. Harry stuck his tongue out at him before taking it and wiping off his robes.

"That look suits you well, Potter," a voice said from behind Harry, who whirled around quickly. He ended up falling backwards into the person, sending them both to the floor.

"Bloody hell, Potter!" Draco yelled as he hit the stone floor.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall shouted from the teachers' table. Draco shoved Harry off of his legs and stood up, looking disgusted. Hermione appeared by Harry and grabbed the back of his robes, helping him to his feet.

"Now I'll have to get these pants sanitized," Draco said, glaring at Harry.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Hermione hissed, her face turning red. A gasp was heard from Ron as his jaw fell open. He pretended to take out a piece of parchment and a quill. "September second, 1997," he began, his hand moving through the air, looking as though he was writing. "A first for Miss Granger: she swore at the ugly ferret." Harry laughed as Hermione leaned across the table to smack Ron across the top of his head.

"Hey!" Ron shouted, pretending to look offended. All three of them laughed. Before Draco could recover from his momentary shock, they grabbed their bags and timetables and quickly left the Great Hall.

"Did you see his face?" Harry asked, still laughing. "Even he was surprised when Hermione told him to sod off." Hermione blushed, suddenly looking modest. That only received a louder laugh from Harry, who she, too, smacked across the top of the head. "Hey!" he shouted, mimicking Ron.

"So, what do we have first?" Harry asked as they left the Entrance Hall. Ron screwed up his face in disgust.

"Charms with the Slytherins," he muttered, suddenly looking ill. "Oh, the agony! Oh, the inhumanity!" He twirled in a circle in a dramatic fashion and fell to the floor with his arm over his eyes. “Gag me with a rusty spoon!”

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As they turned down the Charms corridor, Harry was shoved roughly to the side. He caught a glimpse of platinum blonde hair before the person turned into a classroom. He scowled darkly.

"Honestly... He’s being so childish," Hermione said quietly as they stepped inside the classroom. They took their usual seats and took out their wands. Harry caught sight of Draco, who was seated directly across from him, and sneered. He then turned to Ron.

"How much do you want to bet that Crabbe or Goyle hits him with one of their spells?" he asked quietly. Ron snickered, but before he could respond, Professor Flitwick climbed onto his desk and cleared his throat. The class quieted down and turned their attention toward him.

"The first thing we will be working with today will using the charm Decreso Aetas," the tiny professor began. "Yes, we have done this last year, but most of the start of your seventh year is a review for the N.E.W.Ts," he said above the loud groans of the students. "It is very crucial to remember most of the incantations we have learned." They all nodded miserably. "Right, then. Off you go," he squeaked before jumping off of his desk to go help students. The room filled with voices as the Gryffindors and Slytherins started shouting "Decreso Aetas!" and pointing their wands at the chickens that suddenly appeared along their tables. The first one to change his or her chicken successfully was Hermione, no surprise to anyone.

About halfway through the class, most of the class had achieved their goal. Ron was prodding his chicken with the tip of his wand and Harry was glaring at his out of frustration.

Without warning, Crabbe's had leapt off his table with a loud squawk and bit his ear. He let out a loud yell and fell into Draco, who swore loudly as his spell missed the chicken. Across the room there was a clatter as someone fell out of their seat and a shriek from Hermione. "The spell hit Harry!"

The room grew deathly quiet as everyone, except Draco, of course, slowly stood up to peer at the fallen teen. His emerald eyes were closed and his glasses were askew. There was no expression on his face. Hermione leaned down to check on him. “He seems okay. Just - unconscious,” she said quietly. The professor hurried over as fast as he could to see for himself.

After his own inspection, he cleared his throat. “Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, if you could take him to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey will have to keep an eye on him. That spell is rarely cast upon humans,” he said quietly. With that said and Ron and Hermione had levitated Harry to take him to the hospital wing, he turned to the class. “As much as you may want to tell everyone you come across, you cannot so much as breathe a word about what you have witnessed.”

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Ron and Hermione arrived at the hospital wing, both slightly out of breath. It wasn’t very easy to guide a levitating teenager around sharp corners without him bumping against the wall. The nurse hurried over once she heard the door open.

“What in heaven’s name happened?” she asked, looking at Harry with wide eyes.

“Malfoy hit him with a spell by accident and he had been knocked out by it,” Ron explained in one breath. The nurse looked at him and frowned.

“Malfoy, as in Draco?” she asked, rubbing her temples. They both nodded. “And may I ask which spell?” Hermione jumped in before Ron could say anything else.

“Decreso Aetas,” she said quietly. An expression of worry quickly made its way onto the nurse’s face. She turned to look at the unconscious Gryffindor who was still floating in mid-air. Hermione flicked her wand quickly and laid him on the nearest bed. With a snap of the nurse’s fingers, Harry was in patient’s attire.

“He will have to stay here, I’m afraid. We all know the effect of the spell,” Madam Pomfrey informed them gravely. The two Gryffindors nodded. “Who knows how long it will take for it to finally effect him?” Her voice trailed off. “Well, you two may leave. I will be sure to inform you of any changes that occur.” Without so much as a nod, the both left quickly, unable to think of anything else to say.

Rubbing her temples once more, the nurse turned back to the occupied bed. The sight that met her eyes made her gasp out loud. “Oh, my! I didn’t think it would happen that quickly!” Madam Pomfrey hurried over to the fireplace and grabbed a hand of Floo Powder. “Albus! Albus, come quickly! This is urgent!” she yelled into the fireplace. She had just enough time to back away before the Headmaster stepped out of the fireplace, covered in soot and looking slightly shaken.

“What is it, Poppy? What is wrong?” he asked quickly, looking around. She led him to the occupied bed and pointed. He was surprised to see a young boy with untidy jet-black hair and glasses lying in the bed. “Is that -?” He had no need to finish the question. He knew that the boy in the bed was indeed a young Harry Potter.