Done for heartdamoose's writing class. I hope I get a good grade on it… -sweatdrops-

Anyways, this is done for a writing class on Third Floor Corridor, a Harry Potter message board. Please, go visit there, and join, get sorted! When you do, tell them that I referred you with this name: kimberlyrian. Thanks all, and go have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters in this story.

Decaying Enchantment

Chapter 1

Run. Breathe. Flashing lights. Fear.

That's all that registered and ran through his mind at the moment.

Already messy black hair whipped around his head as his legs propelled him forward. Emerald eyes searched frantically for a place to go.

Behind him, sirens sounded, the sound of a motored car humming menacingly as it chased him down, gaining on his speed.

"If you stop now, you will get off easy. Stop now!"

He kept running, though. The lighting shaped scar on his forehead seemed to glow in the moonlight as he kept going. He had to reach his destination. If he didn't, he would have failed…

"Stop now, or we will be forced to open fire!"

"Crap in a hat…" He hissed angrily as he looked over his shoulder when the car gained on him again, and, slowly, he stopped.

He was spent, out of breath, totally exhausted. Gasping for air, bending over to put his hands on his knees, he vaguely heard and saw the cars swooping around him to stop.

Men in black suits with gold badges on it jumped out of the doors on the drivers side, pulling a gun from its holster.

"Don't move, or we will be forced to shoot!"

He didn't move, as he was told. The only thing moving was his still heaving chest, puffs of steam escaping his lips in the frigid night air.

"Hands up in the air where we can see them!"

Slowly, he lifted his hands.

"Well, Mr. Harry Potter, you've certainly gotten yourself in a world of trouble, you bloody buffoon…" He hissed to himself.

"Silence!"

In that one word, he snapped his mouth shut.

With a sharp glare, his emerald gaze followed one of the officers as they quickly came towards him, gun still raised.

The next thing he knew, his cheek met cold metal, one of his hands being whipped behind his back in the process.

"Shit…" He whispered, his cheek throbbing.

"I got 'im! Search him!"

He felt hands checking around his sneakers, then up his pants to his jean pockets and waist, then up to his leather jacket, and the inside pockets.

"No, don't that's-"

He was silenced as his head was shoved against the car again.

"What in the hell is this?" The man holding it asked.

"It's just a stick of wood with a handle, can I have it back?" Harry asked in a slightly muffled voice, tone cold as the air around them.

"Why would you be carrying this around with you, boy?" One of them asked.

Harry remained silent from where he was painfully pinned against the car.

"ID?"

"Don't carry one. Don't need it where I live." He hissed angrily.

"Oh, feisty. So, again, I ask…why would you be carrying a stick with a handle around with you? You think you're some kind of wizard, or something?"

With that sentence, the officers around him started to laugh.

"Actually, yes I am." Harry said, and slipped his hand out of the grip it was in and grabbed the handle, whipping it from the man's hand, and with a loud crack, The-Boy-Who-Lived disappeared from the scene, leaving bewildered and frightened police man behind.

xXx

With another loud, resounding crack, Harry reappeared, and almost instantly, he fell to his knees, clutching his wand to his chest.

"Harry!"

He heard his name called, a couple of other times, by a different voices.

He felt a hand on his back, and he hissed in pain.

The hand was removed.

"Harry, are you all right? What happened?"

"…cops got me…had to apparate…"

"Oh Harry, you know you can't…"

"I had to, Gin…they were gonna arrest me because I didn't have an ID…and take my wand…"

"But Harry, I know it's painful to use magic at all…but apparating? Come on! In this world of technology, where our magic is fading, decaying, dying, it hurts to use it…"

"I know…"

Harry finally lifted his emerald gaze to look at the speaker, her hazel eyes staring right into his.

"I'll be okay, Ginny." He told the girl, reaching up to tuck red strands back behind her ear. A small smile graced his pained features. "It's starting to go away, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" She whispered, head tilted to the side.

He nodded.

"Did you find anything out?"

He gave off a weary sigh. "No. I only saw them killing the muggles, nothing more."

"So…how are they using all this magic without consequence?" Ginny asked, swallowing.

Harry's chest seemed to heave once more in a prolonged sigh.

"I don't know, Gin…but I have a way in and a way to get rid of them now…"

"How?"

"Not now, later…I need to rest…" He said, jadedly getting to his feet.

"All right, Harry…" Ginny whispered, helping him walk through the darkened halls of the building, closed doors and silence all that greeted the pair as they walked.

"Good night, Harry." Ginny said once they had reached the room.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked, leaning against the doorway as she moved away.

"What do you mean, Harry?" She asked softly.

"Where is everyone? Ron, 'Mione, Tonks, Fred, George…" As he asked this, she gave him a saddened look. "What?"

"You don't remember. Like always."

"What do you mean, Gin?" He stopped, blinking a few times as he looked her over once or twice. She had a sad look on her old looking face. The poor girl…she was only twenty, yet she looked thirty. She'd had such a great responsibility thrust upon her at such a young age…Harry wished that she didn't look like that. She didn't deserve to be so sad, or to have her childhood taken away in a heartbeat, like it had, to have to mature so quickly.

"They're gone, Harry."

He blinked again, his heart sinking. "What? Gone? How?"

"We were at the ministry, a year ago, trying to stop Voldemort from getting the technology from in the rooms where the prophecies are. The death eaters grabbed them all and shoved them through the veil. They're gone, Harry. They're dead. Only Luna and Lupin survived that trip besides you and I."

Looking down, Harry swallowed. He remembered then.

"…why do I always forget?" He asked, voice barely a whisper, eyes downcast to the floor as though it would give him the answers to his question.

"Memory charm." Ginny whispered as she helped him over to his bed, even though he didn't need the help now. It seemed as though she'd explained this a lot before from her 'experienced' attitude.

"They charmed your mind so you wouldn't remember the night at all. Dad fixed most of it before he was killed, too." She told him gently, running her fingers through his hair as he lay down.

"Goodnight."

"'Night, Gin…"

And with that, he closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

xXxXx

Well, that's it. I hope you all liked it! Next chapter coming soon!