A/N First, I want to thank everyone who read this, especially those who reviewed this story.

The theme of Dudley's world, or should I say plot background, is the story of Neville Longbottom, of which several hints are given in the story. Neville's story does help to explain Dudley's world, but it also helps to explain Dudley.





EPILOGUE: THE BOY WHO DIED

Harry sat back and read the scroll that Neville had given him. Neville came out of nowhere, revealing another present from Dudley. An invisibility cloak.

"It's only fair, Harry. I know about yours." Neville smiled, and disappeared again.

The scroll held a story about a boy named Neville Longbottom who lived and died in another world. It had already been read by several of the teachers, and by Hermione and Ron. Violet said that she already knew the story first hand, and Draco had been given a copy of the scroll by Dumbledore.

Harry laughed to himself. For over three years it had always been Malfoy, yet after being back three weeks the Slytherin was still Draco. Things changed quickly. Putting aside his thoughts he opened the scroll and began to read: A Memoir, by Rose Snape.

*

It was in his first Potions Class that Neville Longbottom met his best friend. Professor Snape had given his usual speech to the new students, closing with his standard line, "I will make you learn, regardless of what it takes."

Neville, already gaining a reputation for clumsiness and for being forgetful, easily ruined his first potion as well as the cauldron. When the Professor asked him to list the ingredients, Neville failed to name half of them. He was told to stay after class. At that point, a boy in the back of the room made a rude noise, followed by laughter from some students.

"You may stay as well," Snape said without turning his head, "Dudley Malfoy, I believe your name is."

At the end of the class, both boys stood before the Potions teacher. "I always take education seriously," he told the boys. Then he laid out his plan. Neville would be given several educational aides to try and help him improve his memory. He would need help, and since Dudley had expressed an 'interest", he would be given that chance.

"Congratulations, Mister Malfoy," Professor Snape told the disgruntled Slytherin, "you are going to help Mister Longbottom learn how to learn."

At first, this was a chore for both boys. The first forms were in different houses, houses which had a strong antipathy for each other. Also, both boys were forced to spend a great deal of time trying things that didn't seem to work. After a while, a pattern emerged in the methods they tried. Mnemonics worked well, but only for the short term, as did other associative methods. Various organizational efforts failed, for the simple reason that Neville couldn't remember those methods consistently.

The boys were now challenged. They knew there was a way, they only had to find it. This happened in mid-October. Somehow, they had started talking about nursery rhymes, and they began to recite their favorite variations to each other.

Neville began with, "Mary had a little lamb, Her father cursed it dead, Now Mary brings her lamb to school, Between two slices of bread."

Dudley responded with, "Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was black as ink, And when it was left in the rain, The lamb was sure to stink."

It struck Dudley how well Neville was able to remember all these poems. So they tried out a new idea. They set about making nonsense rhymes about the potions homework. In the next class, when Professor Snape would ask questions, Neville repeated raised his hand. He did not answer every question correctly, but he did hit the mark more often than not. Neville ended up being one of the better students, receiving top marks.

One other thing happened. They became friends. When Professor Snape released Dudley from his punishment, Neville waited outside and the two went off together as usual.

They shared quite a few adventures together. It was Neville who distracted the prefect so that Dudley and Draco could search for Hermione and/or the troll. And when they needed to help Hagrid get rid of Norbert, it was Neville who finally talked Ron into contacting his brother. He did it by coercing Hermione Granger to help, but that was beside the point.

Despite their differences, or perhaps because of them, their friendship thrived. It came to a point where they were a familiar sight to both houses, and it was always considered truce whenever both of them were around.

It was when they were third forms, Hallowe'en eve to be exact, that Neville died. It started out as a normal enough day. The two boys were spending their free period helping Snape clean up his lab as punishment for their latest prank. They had managed to get the Fat Lady to change the password to "I'm Stupid", but Hermione Granger complained.

Mr. Filch came in with Mrs. Norris in his arms. The boys watch as Snape examined the obviously dead cat. When the cat let out a scream, everyone stepped back in surprise. When they looked at it again, the cat was still obviously dead.

Professor Snape reacted at once, however, casting the emergency spell that immediately locked all the doors to Hogwarts, and summoned everyone to the Great Hall. He then told Filch to let Albus know it was the Portmanteau Curse.

As he sent the boys running for supplies, he explained what the Portmanteau Curse was. It was really two curses joined together, the first being a paralysis spell which over the course of one to two hours, depending on the victim, would freeze all the voluntary muscles, a slow acting form of Petrificus Totallus. The second curse then begins to act by stopping the involuntary muscles that help us to breathe. Again, this happens slowly, usually five to seven hours after being cursed. The spell curses everyone within a specific area, such as a building, and makes each infected person contagious. As an added bonus, it causes the person who triggered the curse to be paralyzed at a faster rate, about ten to fifteen minutes, enough time to realize what has happened but not enough time to do anything about it.

"Who would make such a curse," Dudley asked?

"I did, only once. When I turned against Lord Voldemort I thought I had destroyed it along with my notes. I was wrong."

The two boys had been given the directions for the curative potion, and had started working on it when they realized that Professor Snape was already paralyzed. As Dudley stirred in the first ingredients, he noticed Neville mixing a different potion.

"It's the potion that prevents paralysis," Neville explained, adding, "I'm sorry, there was only enough for one dose."

He then drank the potion, and took over the task of adding the Belladonna leaves and Wort Root.

Dudley laughed, "Great, now I have to watch you be the hero. I should have thought of it first."

After an hour, Dudley had to stop, his muscles were becoming too stiff. The two boys had come to accept that it was up to them. No one had stopped by, most likely because they were not aware that Professor Snape was disabled. At this point. no one would risk being stranded in one of the hallways. And now it was up to Neville.

A little more than three hours after the curse had been released, Dudley felt a hand forcing his mouth open. A warm, bitter liquid was poured in, and he involuntarily swallowed.

In a few short minutes he felt fine. Neville had explained what he had done to Professor Snape, who thanked him. Snape then handed some of the flasks of the potion to Dudley. Grabbing all the remaining flasks, he ushered the boy out of the lab and to the Great Hall.

The next hour was organized chaos. Both professor and student began giving out doses of the curative. When the first ones to receive the cure had recovered they would grab one of the flasks and help distribute the potion. In less than five hours from when it began, the crisis was over. That was when Dudley noticed that Neville was not there. He ran back to the potions lab, not hearing Snape call after him.

He walked into the lab, and saw his friend sitting there, white faced and gasping for breath. He asked Neville if he had taken the curative, offering to run back to the Great Hall and get some.

Neville smiled and told Dudley he couldn't take the potion because it contained Belladonna, adding that the potion he had taken earlier had contained Wormwood. That was when Dudley remembered the rhyme they had made up.

"Wormwood use can come to grief, When mixed with Belladonna leaf, To be safe we always say, Keep these two a day away. "

"I can't take that potion, Dudley, it will kill me."

"But, Neville, You're dying."

But he was already dead.





FINIS