An Irishman and a Ferret

Chapter One

Seamus had always wanted a pet. Technically he had one, a barn owl named Perseus, but he wanted something more. Something he could pet and spoil and cuddle with, that's all he asked for. Well, he didn't dare to actually ask; Mum and Dad tried their best to support him, but his family wasn't very... well off. The number of presents he'd find under the tree decreases every year, and he knows that it's hard for his parents to admit that fact, but Seamus doesn't really care. He had never been a "material" kid, and it's the thought that counts.

But Seamus still wanted a pet. Perhaps a Sheepdog, or maybe even a Calico cat. He would be fine with anything but snakes and minxes, or was it ferrets? He always got those two mixed up. Seamus didn't like snakes because well, they were gross, and he'd seen enough Muggle horror movies to be scared of them for the rest of his life. He didn't like ferrets because their fur was the color of poo (not brown, poo), and they smelled bad. He had heard that they weren't the nicest animals either.

The day was December 20th, in Seamus's Seventh Year. He had convinced his parents, with some difficulty, to let him go back to Hogwarts, since the Second War had been over for months. That morning, most of the students were leaving for Christmas Break, but Seamus was staying. He had told his parents that since it was his last year at Hogwarts, he wanted to spend his last Christmas Break with his remaining friends. The Great Hall seemed empty at lunch with only a few people scattered around the tables. Gryffindor had the most students that had stayed, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff barely had any sudents left, and Slytherin had only one student... Draco Malfoy.

Draco's story was a tragic one. After the Battle of Hogwarts, the Malfoy family had disappeared. There was a massive search party that was sent out; Lucius Malfoy was a wanted criminal, and a few weeks later, they were found in a Muggle motel in Liverpool. After a meaningless interrogation, he was sentanced to Life in Azkaban, and hasn't been heard from again. Although Narcissa Malfoy probably saw this coming, she was still (allegedly) heartbroken. In grief, she saught refuge in Malfoy Manor, no longer part of the outside world. Seamus had heard that she had gone insane, although he belives that that isn't true; a woman like Narcissa is obviously stronger than she looks, she probably just feels tha she has no need to be a part of the outside world anymore. Draco was probably the most affected by what happended to his father; no longer is he the arrogant, self-centered arse that he used to be. What happened to his father gave him a major reality check, and now, he mostly keeps to himself, sad and friendless.

Draco had gone from being the bully, to being bullied. Everybody never let him forget about what happened to his family, like he ever would. Even Seamus's fellow Gryffindors bullied him relentlessly. Seamus himself had never really been bullied by Draco before, so he felt he had no need to "give him a taste of his own medicine" as Ginny had put it. He didn't want to tell them that they were stooping down to his level, he thought that they'd get the point eventually. They still haven't yet. He wasn't the only one to notice that Draco was sitting alone. A group of probably four or five Gryffindors, which was all of the house left with the exception of him, quietly make their way over to him.

When they were about ten meters away from him, Seamus saw Draco lift up his head and give his best attempt at a sneer. The Gryffindors walked past him, and as they did, they slammed his face into his mashed potatoes. At this, Seamus quickly got up and rushed to the Slytherin table. He was too late. Malfoy, in a rare fit of rage, stood up and threw a nastly looking curse at them. Dean, sensing it, turned around and deflected it, and it hit the wall to their left. This got the attention of the rest of the group, the rest of the students, and the teachers. The professors quickly stood up, but not before the group of Gryffindors all shot curses at him simultaneously.

When Seamus finally got there, all that was left of Draco was a heap of robes. Shaking, he glared at his "peers."

He shook angrily. "Look what you've done! H-have you learned nothing from the Second War? You call yourselves Gryffindors? You should be ashamed! I...I don't even..."

Seamus had trailed off a soon as his vision clouded up. How could his friends do this? Yeah, it was Malfoy, but they're acting just like he would, and now he was gone. Gone. It's not like Seamus and Draco had been friends, but Mum had told him when he was a little tyke to "treat others like you would want to be treated" and since then, Seamus had tried to stick to that guideline. By then, the professors had came.

Headmistress McGonagall looked livid. "Gryffindors. To my office. Now"

The Gryffindors paled, realizing what they had just done, and quickly followed her. Seamus followed them too, but not before picking up Draco's robes. He was still shaking; he still couldn't believe what they had just done. Dean, his best friend, had so mercilessly shot a spell at Draco, along with the others. He had never seen that side to Dean before, and to be honest, Dean was a real git.

When they finally reached the Headmistress's office, she ushered everyone inside, and then spun around on us and gave them a lecture. "To see this come from a group of supposedly wonderful Gryffindors... it breaks my heart. Mr. Malfoy had been through a lot, and you were not helping his case at all. You should all be ashamed. Seventy-five points will be taken from Gryffindor, and as of now, you all are to leave Hogwarts and come back after Christmas Break. You're suspended, with an execption to Mr. Finnigan. And to think that I actually-"

While Headmistress McGonagall continued yelling at the others, Seamus felt something move withing the robes. Slowly, he removed the top to find something white and... hairy. He gave it a little squeeze and a loud sqeak was heard by all.

"Did you say something, Mr. Finnigan?" The Headmistress asked.

Seamus shook his head. "There's something in his robes!"

Paling, McGonagall accio-ed the robes, and a... ferret rose out. Not expecting to find that, she jumped and the spell broke. As soon as it hit the ground, the ferret made a sprint for the door. Unluckily for him, Seamus was in the way, and he moved his foot so it couldn't get away. Thinking quick, Seamus picked him up.

The ferret was surprisingly soft, and cute. "You are adorable, you little furball!"

Did the ferret just... glare at him? Wait, something wasn't right here. Wait.

"...Draco?"

Silence filled the room. Draco had been turned into a ferret.

"Make way," McGonagall said quickly, "I've changed Mr. Malfoy back into a human before, I can do it again."

With a flick of her wrist, Draco flew up and hit the ground, dazed but still a ferret. The Headmistress paled as Seamus picked him back up. Draco was shaken, the poor bloke was probably scared out of his wits, so Seamus started to pet him, which seemed to make Draco more relaxed.

"What are we going to do?" Seamus asked quietly.

McGonagall sat behind her desk and sighed. "Seeing as you all cursed him at the same time, there was a complication and I can't change him back into a human. I'll have a meeting with Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn about this all. It may take days, weeks, or even months to fix." At this, Malfoy gave a frightened squeak and Seamus petted him some more. "Since the rest of the Gryffindors are suspended, you can take care of Draco in the comfort of your dormitory until we find a solution or the spell wears off."

"Wait," Seamus said slowly, "I have to... take care of him?"

Draco shot him an indignant look, he probably liked this as much as Seamus did.

"Well, yes."

"So... it's like he's my... pet?"

At this Draco let out a surprised squeak and bit Seamus's finger.

"Ow! You're not my pet!"

Draco was totally his pet.

So, how did you guys like the first chapter? Am I doing this right? Please review!