The Best Ferret Ever!
Chapter Two
Saiyan Princess
"How was he?" Snape asked, taking the box from Madam Pomfrey.
"Not too good," the nurse admitted. "He had two attacks during the night, so
he's a tired ferret...and I'm a tired nurse."
Snape carried the box down to his classroom, then went up the kitchen.
"What do ferrets eat?" he wondered.
Finally, he decided on a piece of toast and a banana slice. Draco didn't seem
to mind. He had missed dinner the day before and was famished. After his meal
he slept some more until Snape's first Potions class started. Once he became
accustomed to the usual noise (Snape praising the Slytherins and insulting
the other houses), he fell asleep again.
It seemed that everyone was talking about Draco's transfiguration. Harry had
heard that he was being kept in Snape's room. For once, he and Ron couldn't
wait to get to Potions class. All the students glanced around the Potions
room when class began, but none so eagerly as the Gryffindors. They wanted to
see their most irritating bully as a ferret. Draco, however, having different
plans, stayed crouched down in his cloth-lined box.
"Professor Snape, how's Draco?" asked Pansy in a whiny voice.
She's worried, Draco realized contently.
"He's fine, just tired," replied Snape.
The class sat down, but many of the students were craning their necks in the
direction of the box on Snape's desk.
"Is there something wrong with you neck, Weasley?" asked Snape sharply.
"No, nothing's wrong," replied Ron quickly, looking down at his books.
The students did not get to see Draco-the-Ferret that day, not even when he
had an attack. Snape calmly grabbed a newly-made bottle of Anti-Doloris,
filled an eye dropper with it, and lowered his hand into the box. When he
removed his hand, the eye dropper was empty and the squeaks coming from the box
had been silenced. Snape stared into the crate for a few moments, then
continued his teaching. The class was silent for the rest of the period,
except for Pansy, who had started crying the second she heard Draco's pained
squeals.
Draco ate lunch (Snape brought him some apple slices and bread), and, after
making sure the halls were vacant, trotted down to the bathroom, confident
that he was one of the few ferrets in the world who knew how to use a toilet.
There were more classes after lunch, and Draco began to bet bored. The wooden
walls of his crate were not interesting. Finally, during seventh-year Potions,
he stood up on his still slightly sore hind legs and peeked around the room.
These were the best Potions students. They were all listening intently to
Snape's lecture on something that was complex and confusing to Draco. The
lecture finished and the Potions master told them to get to work. The
students began making their own potions. Draco watched with growing interest.
These students used ingredients that were usually locked up because they were
dangerous. Many, many ingredients were carefully weighed out. These concoctions
were nothing like the simple potions Draco's class made. Snape watched the
students carefully. Once he reached out and stopped a girl just as she was
about to pour in a spoonful of some potion Draco had never heard of in her mix.
"Teaspoon of Combustron, tablespoon of fire newt egg yolk. Do not confuse the
two. Anna came inches from inflicting third degree burns to all those within
five feet of her. Yes, Madam Pomfrey can fix you up, but it's easier to
simply avoid problems in the first place."
The rest of the class passed without peril, but was exciting nonetheless.
Once the classes were over for the day, Snape explained that Draco was needed
for questioning. Draco felt his white fur stand on end. He remembered being
grabbed from behind...a potion had been forced down his throat. He had never
been so scared in his life. He didn't know what the potion did. He shook a
little from fear and wiggled his way under a piece of cloth in his crate.
All the teachers were assembled for the meeting. Dumbledore had conjured up a
magical alphabet. When Draco tapped one of the floating letters with his paw
or nose, the same letter appeared on a large piece of parchment on the table.
He "typed" out everything he knew, but what had happened was still a mystery
to him, and he couldn't answer many questions.
"What about footsteps? Did you hear anything?"
"If there were footsteps, did they sound normal?"
"How did the hand feel when it grabbed you?"
"Was it a man's hand, or a woman's?"
"Does your father have any enemies?" (This question caused laughter.)
Draco was getting exhausted and frustrated. Finally, Snape asserted that
Draco had had enough. The ferret displayed his agreement by crawling into his
box, where he promptly had another attack. The teachers listened to the
tortured cries in horror. Snape quickly gave his student another dose of the
Anti-Doloris.
"Doloris is not something to be taken lightly," Snape claimed, staring
Dumbledore in the eye. "Until we can find who is doing this, the Slytherins
need to be protected."
"Don't worry, Severus. Your students will be safe," replied the headmaster.
At dinner Draco ate off his small plate (really a tea saucer) behind the
teachers' table, out of view.
"As you can see, Mr. Malfoy is still a ferret," stated Snape, confronting the
crowd in the Slytherins' common room.
He went on to explain what the potions were doing to Draco, who was sitting
on an oak table. When Snape had finished his explanation, the students
wished Draco well and went to bed. Pansy petted his head.
Snape took Draco back to the infirmary, and told Madam Pomfrey about his two
attacks.
"He did get a three-hour nap," Snape added.
"That's good. Hopefully we'll have an all-night sleep tonight," Madam Pomfrey
replied, taking the ferret crate. Draco fell asleep reflecting on his first
day as a ferret.
In his office, Snape took out a piece of paper and writing quill.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," he wrote. "Yesterday evening your son was turned
into a ferret."
Grimacing, Snape crumpled up the letter, and began again. Soon, that letter was
garbage too. It was going to be a long night. Just how did one explain that
one's child was now a rodent?
Next chapter: Draco becomes more comfortable being a little white ferret.
Plus, more danger for Slytherin!
Chapter Two
Saiyan Princess
"How was he?" Snape asked, taking the box from Madam Pomfrey.
"Not too good," the nurse admitted. "He had two attacks during the night, so
he's a tired ferret...and I'm a tired nurse."
Snape carried the box down to his classroom, then went up the kitchen.
"What do ferrets eat?" he wondered.
Finally, he decided on a piece of toast and a banana slice. Draco didn't seem
to mind. He had missed dinner the day before and was famished. After his meal
he slept some more until Snape's first Potions class started. Once he became
accustomed to the usual noise (Snape praising the Slytherins and insulting
the other houses), he fell asleep again.
It seemed that everyone was talking about Draco's transfiguration. Harry had
heard that he was being kept in Snape's room. For once, he and Ron couldn't
wait to get to Potions class. All the students glanced around the Potions
room when class began, but none so eagerly as the Gryffindors. They wanted to
see their most irritating bully as a ferret. Draco, however, having different
plans, stayed crouched down in his cloth-lined box.
"Professor Snape, how's Draco?" asked Pansy in a whiny voice.
She's worried, Draco realized contently.
"He's fine, just tired," replied Snape.
The class sat down, but many of the students were craning their necks in the
direction of the box on Snape's desk.
"Is there something wrong with you neck, Weasley?" asked Snape sharply.
"No, nothing's wrong," replied Ron quickly, looking down at his books.
The students did not get to see Draco-the-Ferret that day, not even when he
had an attack. Snape calmly grabbed a newly-made bottle of Anti-Doloris,
filled an eye dropper with it, and lowered his hand into the box. When he
removed his hand, the eye dropper was empty and the squeaks coming from the box
had been silenced. Snape stared into the crate for a few moments, then
continued his teaching. The class was silent for the rest of the period,
except for Pansy, who had started crying the second she heard Draco's pained
squeals.
Draco ate lunch (Snape brought him some apple slices and bread), and, after
making sure the halls were vacant, trotted down to the bathroom, confident
that he was one of the few ferrets in the world who knew how to use a toilet.
There were more classes after lunch, and Draco began to bet bored. The wooden
walls of his crate were not interesting. Finally, during seventh-year Potions,
he stood up on his still slightly sore hind legs and peeked around the room.
These were the best Potions students. They were all listening intently to
Snape's lecture on something that was complex and confusing to Draco. The
lecture finished and the Potions master told them to get to work. The
students began making their own potions. Draco watched with growing interest.
These students used ingredients that were usually locked up because they were
dangerous. Many, many ingredients were carefully weighed out. These concoctions
were nothing like the simple potions Draco's class made. Snape watched the
students carefully. Once he reached out and stopped a girl just as she was
about to pour in a spoonful of some potion Draco had never heard of in her mix.
"Teaspoon of Combustron, tablespoon of fire newt egg yolk. Do not confuse the
two. Anna came inches from inflicting third degree burns to all those within
five feet of her. Yes, Madam Pomfrey can fix you up, but it's easier to
simply avoid problems in the first place."
The rest of the class passed without peril, but was exciting nonetheless.
Once the classes were over for the day, Snape explained that Draco was needed
for questioning. Draco felt his white fur stand on end. He remembered being
grabbed from behind...a potion had been forced down his throat. He had never
been so scared in his life. He didn't know what the potion did. He shook a
little from fear and wiggled his way under a piece of cloth in his crate.
All the teachers were assembled for the meeting. Dumbledore had conjured up a
magical alphabet. When Draco tapped one of the floating letters with his paw
or nose, the same letter appeared on a large piece of parchment on the table.
He "typed" out everything he knew, but what had happened was still a mystery
to him, and he couldn't answer many questions.
"What about footsteps? Did you hear anything?"
"If there were footsteps, did they sound normal?"
"How did the hand feel when it grabbed you?"
"Was it a man's hand, or a woman's?"
"Does your father have any enemies?" (This question caused laughter.)
Draco was getting exhausted and frustrated. Finally, Snape asserted that
Draco had had enough. The ferret displayed his agreement by crawling into his
box, where he promptly had another attack. The teachers listened to the
tortured cries in horror. Snape quickly gave his student another dose of the
Anti-Doloris.
"Doloris is not something to be taken lightly," Snape claimed, staring
Dumbledore in the eye. "Until we can find who is doing this, the Slytherins
need to be protected."
"Don't worry, Severus. Your students will be safe," replied the headmaster.
At dinner Draco ate off his small plate (really a tea saucer) behind the
teachers' table, out of view.
"As you can see, Mr. Malfoy is still a ferret," stated Snape, confronting the
crowd in the Slytherins' common room.
He went on to explain what the potions were doing to Draco, who was sitting
on an oak table. When Snape had finished his explanation, the students
wished Draco well and went to bed. Pansy petted his head.
Snape took Draco back to the infirmary, and told Madam Pomfrey about his two
attacks.
"He did get a three-hour nap," Snape added.
"That's good. Hopefully we'll have an all-night sleep tonight," Madam Pomfrey
replied, taking the ferret crate. Draco fell asleep reflecting on his first
day as a ferret.
In his office, Snape took out a piece of paper and writing quill.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," he wrote. "Yesterday evening your son was turned
into a ferret."
Grimacing, Snape crumpled up the letter, and began again. Soon, that letter was
garbage too. It was going to be a long night. Just how did one explain that
one's child was now a rodent?
Next chapter: Draco becomes more comfortable being a little white ferret.
Plus, more danger for Slytherin!