Potions Class Gone Wrong -Harry Potter Fanfiction-

Chapter Two-Old, Old Habits

     Harry looked over at Draco in a last moment of panic, only to find the boy already filling a bottle with the runny, green liquid almost happily. Wanker, Harry thought spitefully, as he watch Draco carefully cork it. He then shoved it at Harry, who was forced to take hold of it, or have it crash on the floor. Who knew what would happen if it hit the stone floor. Who knows what will happen once I have to drink this stuff...Harry hung his head in defeat, and shuffled over to his beaming professor. 

     "There we go, m'boy! Go ahead, take a drink," Slughorn encouraged. Harry looked at the bottle in his hand, silently prayed to Merlin that his heart wouldn't blow up in a fantastic firework show, uncorked the bottle, tipped his head back, and brought it to his lips, eyes closed tightly. 

      Harry shuddered violently as soon as he drained the bottle, coughing raggedly before he gasped in pain, clutching his throat. Slughorn lost his smile, his eyes widened, full of concern as the students watched on, some with amusement, some with worry, all sure they were about to witness the Boy-Who-Lived's untimely demise. 

     With a poof! a cloud of green smoke surrounded Harry. When the cloud dispersed, the class gasped in shock in perfect synchronization.

     A boy, seeming to be about four years in age stood where the sixteen year old previously stood. It was still Harry, obviously. His clothes pooled around him. Since they had been slightly baggie when teenage Harry had been wearing them, they now barely fit on his small body. His shirt hung past his knees, one shoulder dipping completely to his elbow, revealing bony, pale skin, and the other was still about halfway down his shoulder. His pants and robes were no longer able to fit around his waste and shoulders, and so pooled around him. His glasses were too big for his face, and slipped down, before a small hand pushed them back up, a huff escaping. His hair was longer, curling around his neck and ears. It was much messier and curlier than before, which many didn't think possible. His eyes were big, doe-like, and were a shocking, attention demanding emerald green. 

     He tried to extract one leg from the mess of jeans and black wool, but he stumbled, and was forced to catch himself on the rim of Slughorns desk. The class cooed, and Harry's face flamed from a mixture of humiliation and frustration. He hoped to god no one noticed his underwear wasn't with his pants and robes. All his were dirty, so he hadn't worn any today. But, he thanked Merlin, his shirt covered him, as it almost reached the floor. 

     "He's so adorable! So tiny!" Lavender Brown squealed, which caused Harry's face to flame. He tried to tilt it downward so his red face wouldn't be visible, but his hair flopped into his face, at the same time his glasses slipped down, so his hair poked him in the face. He rushed to grab his glasses before they fell to the ground, and ended up fumbling with them as he tried to smush them back onto his face quickly. 

    "Mr...Mr. Potter?" Slughorn asked slowly, tentatively. The transformed boy looked up at him, and Slughorn almost melted. Harry was an adorable child. Those eyes had so much potential if they had stayed that way! He could have gotten whatever he wanted. "Are you quite all right? Do you remember everything? Do you have an idea of your age? Three, maybe four years?" Slughorn tried to suggest helpfully. 

     "Of course I remember!" Harry huffed in a high pitched voice filled with anger. "And I'm six, thank you very much!" Harry glared childishly, but the effect was ruined by his floppy hair, too big clothes, glasses, and his doe-like eyes. 

     "Six?" Slughorn asked in alarm. "My my child, were you underfed? Either way, Malfoy, you're his partner for this lesson! Take him to the hospital wing!" Those who had noticed Harry stiffen thought nothing of it, figuring it was because he had to be taken to the hospital wing by Malfoy. That was hardly the reason, though. If anyone had been paying close enough attention, maybe they would've noticed the almost faded bruises dotting Harry's arms, but no one seemed to be. 

     No one but a certain bushy haired Gryffindor. Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the spots as Harry tried to cover them up without anyone noticing. His eyes shot to Hermione, and widened in alarm, before he quickly pulled his shirt up. 

     Malfoy blinked, sighed as though he had the worst life in the world, and walked forward. "Let's hurry, Potter. I will not be late for my next lesson. Grab your pants and shoes, I'm not carrying them." Malfoy ordered, his voice oddly low and soft. 

     Harry huffed, once again, and bent to pick up the baggie garment and his shoes. In the process his glasses almost fell off, and his shirt slipped down once more, to reveal the light purple and brown marks, but eventually he was standing and trodding along after the blond. Some would argue he was stomping. 

     The two walked in uncomfortable silence, Harry struggling with his luggage and Malfoy studiously not-looking. Harry was glad classes were still in session. He would hate for everyone to see his six-year-old self, barefoot, stumbling along after Malfoy with only an over sized shirt on. 

     Finally, Malfoy seemed to snap. He huffed, stopped abruptly, turned around, and swooped Harry's clothes away from him, holding them with his nose in the air as he walked. Harry blinked at him rapidly, confusion shining in his eyes. 

     "What'd you do that for?" Harry broke the silence, eyeing Malfoy suspiciously, his high pitched voice ringing off the walls and making himself flinch slightly at the sound. 

"Honestly," Malfoy murmured. "you look like a new borne baby dear, stumbling around with those eyes of yours. I bet you stole them from a doe. Was your mother a doe? She must have been a doe animgi." Malfoy huffed, seeming to be talking to himself. 

     Malfoy himself did not go unaffected by the potion, even if he hadn't been the one to drink it. He must have been inhaling to many fumes, to think Potter of all people was  cute. Child or not. Potter was not cute. (Cough cough, not-cute.)

     "You...doe..." Harry sighed. "Thank you." He said instead, quietly. He kept his head down, and didn't see the glace Malfoy threw him over his shoulder. 

     "You're welcome." They walked in silence once more, before Malfoy looked back around again. "Do try and keep your head up. Bending it like that for long periods of time lead to neck and spinal injuries later on in adult life." Malfoy said suddenly. Harry looked up, startled. He pushed his glasses back up his nose absentmindedly, pushing his hair out of the way as he went. 

     "M'sorry," Harry murmured, and Malfoy's walking stuttered for a moment at the words. "I guess the potions making me act like I had done when I was six...my body seems to have changed back to that..." Harry shuddered at the thought. He really didn't want to go back to that age. That age had been horrible. The Dursleys had deemed him tall enough to work the stove, and so he had started to cook food, but of course he kept messing up. He knew he had a burn on his thigh from the fire poker, he could feel it. He also had a lot more bruises than usual. If he was correct in his guess that his body would form the bruises and injuries as he went along in growing up, then he was going to have a Hell of a time covering everything up. 

     "Oh, please do not tell me you wailed half the day and night," Malfoy groaned, bringing Harry out of his musings. 

     "No, nothin' like tha..." Harry trailed off. 

     "What were you like, then?" Malfoy asked. He didn't get an answer. 

     When they finally reached the doors to the hospital wing, Harry rushed forward, knowing the bell would ring any moment. He got ready to push the doors open, as they took a bit of force, but ended up stumbling as they opened easily. He looked up to see Malfoy holding the door open for him, patented Malfoy smirk plastered on his features. 

     Harry glared for a moment, before he faltered, and lowered his head out of old, old habits that had been long-since buried. Malfoy frowned, and followed Harry into the Hospital wing. 

    "Madam Pomfrey?"