A Love So Little

Chapter 1: A Devastatingly Cute Accident

A/N: Italics - thoughts. Also this will be nothing like the books after 5th year. They are in Sixth year (so they're 16).

Harry POV

Cries of alarm and shouts of anger were tossed at me as I rushed past unsuspecting students in the halls. Dammit! I'm going to be late for Transfiguration...again! I promised 'Mione that I wouldn't be late anymore. My feet pounded across the floor quicker than I thought possible.

As I neared the door, I could hear voices. The lesson started... I stopped in front of the slightly cracked doorway and tried to calm my harsh panting. When my breathing seemed to ease, I pushed the door open and stepped in quietly.

Draco POV

I glanced back at the door when Professor McGonagall stopped talking. I winced internally at the look of disappointment on her face. It was understandable, though confusing. Potter wasn't ordinarily late to classes, but this week alone he had missed being on time to seven classes - and it was only Tuesday morning.

"Mr. Potter, I do not appreciate tardiness of any sort." She held up her hand solemnly when he tried to speak. "I do not want to hear your excuses. Go sit next to Mr. Malfoy."

I put on the signature Malfoy scowl when he nodded in a sigh before he quickly hurried over an sat down. I opened my mouth to comment on his lateness but stopped myself when I noticed the dark circles marking the underside of his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. I turned away from him when McGonagall started lecturing about the importance of the instructions.

"I need you all to be extremely careful when performing this spell. The spell is de-aging, but depending on how long you hold your wand you could cause disastrous results for the animal you'll be working with. I am only allowing you to swish and hold for three seconds. Each second will have taken a year off. The effects should only last a few hours; however, the spell's effects affect a human differently. While the enchantment does work on humans, each second will take two years off instead of one. The potion to turn a human to their original state takes several months to complete and often takes a while to take effect. Do NOT hit your fellow students with the spell. As soon as you are done with the spell, you and your partner can leave.

"Now I will assign partners...

"Miss Granger, and Miss Parkinson

"Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Zabini,

"Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter..."

I zoned out after I heard who my partner was to be. Potter. Fantastic. Just who I thought. I stood up along with Potter and the rest of the class as we were handed a cage with an animal in it. The top of the cage was lifted away, and I leaned over to see what animal we received. My head crashed into Potter's.

Clutching my head, I turned my darkening glare at Potter. "Can you not do anything without causing your head to swell up even more?"

He glared at me whilst rubbing his head. "You mean like your ego?"

"...no," I replied coolly. My scowl returned. "I meant like your lack of intelligence."

His face darkened in anger as his mouth opened in retort, but McGonagall stopped him. "I do hope you're arguing about who's going first." Her stern lips frowned deeply before she turned around slowly. "I would hate for you two to share another detention together. Wouldn't you?"

I grumbled under my breath before I nodded once. Potter turned towards me after Professor McGonagall walked away and out of the class briefly when Dumbledore summoned her.

"I'm going first. So take the thing out already."

Potter glowered at me and picked up the small animal. His face paled several shades when he laid eyes on the creature he was holding. He swallowed thickly and held the animal out. I looked from him to the animal and tried not to laugh at the expression of fear on his face.

"Potter...it's a pigeon."

"Yeah. I know."

I snorted. "You own a bird. Why do you look like..." I couldn't help it. A small chuckle fell from my lips. His glare darkened.

"Will you just do the spell already?" He practically hissed the words out; it was like he couldn't bear the motion of them being in his mouth.

I collected myself; nodding at his request to hurry. I wanted to leave the class early too. Composing my face to its usual neutral position, I lifted my wand and started the spell. Potter held the bird still; eyes squeezed tight, wholly frozen until I had finished.

"I'm done."

He peeled his eyes open deliberately and glanced at his hands. A small pearl-shaded egg was settled in his hands. I felt my heart jump to my throat when he beamed at the egg. Dammit. Don't smile. He snapped his eyes up to me.

"You got it on your first try!"

A satisfied smirk filled my face. "But of course." I kept my gaze on him as he put the egg into the cage.

".....and then we can part ways."

Huh? Shit, he was talking. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you over the terrifying pigeon."

He scowled. "Shut up, Malfoy. I was asking if you could pick up the other bird-"

"So you can do the spell, and we can leave." I interrupted while turning around to swipe the bird from the cage.

A loud, high pitched shriek made me drop the pigeon. Both Potter and I were staring at the girl who screamed. The animal she and her partner were working with was running around the room wildly...the boy trying to hit it with the spell we were learning.

My jaw dropped. Great Merlin! Was he insane?! He might hit some- The animal jumped onto Potter, and the boy shouted the spell and held his position for way longer than three seconds as the beam came rushing towards the creature and Potter at a frightening speed. The class went white and gasped in horror as the animal jumped from Potter's arms at the last second. The beam hit him and the room filled with smoke. McGonagall came in at that moment.

"What is going on?!" She quickly made the smoke vanish. She tried to gather the attention of the class, but everyone was staring at the bundle of clothes where Potter originally stood.

McGonagall opened her mouth to ask more questions but never had the chance to. Her jaw stayed dropped when her gaze landed on the clothes pile.

"P-professor? I didn't mean to-"

McGonagall snapped her lips shut tighter than a vice. "Detention with me for the rest of your time at Hogwarts, Mr. Evergreen. Class is dismissed." She hurried over to the jumble of clothes but froze along with the class when they shifted.

A tiny mop of curly black hair popped out of the pile with a soft gasp for breath. The glasses that were on the little tykes face fell off to reveal his soft doe-like eyes. Only they were different from what everyone expected.

I choked on any air that entered my lungs. Heterochromia Iridum. One of his eyes was the same deep emerald green Potter had always had; the other was like looking at fire. While everyone was staring at him in wonder, I noticed that the eyes of "strangers" were scaring him. Little Potter's eyes filled, and everyone flinched when a big, wet tear fell from his doe-like eyes. His breathing hitched and he started to sob.