Chapter 88

Draco was raging with fury. He would have to do Snape's bidding for now, but he would owl his father right away and Snape would pay for that. He didn't know exactly how his father could influence Snape, but he knew he would,.

Severus knew that Draco wouldn't object any further and left the desk.

"You may return to your common room until dinner. You're suspended from the rest of your classes for today." Snape said sharply and pointed at the door.

It took Draco all the strength he could muster not to fling himself on his head of house. His father would hear of that immediately and then Snape would pay. He rushed out of the office and stomped down the corridor and back to the common room.

"Hey Draco, what did Snape want from you?" Parkinson asked him coolly.

"Shut up, Pansy. I have business to handle"

When the last word left his mouth, Draco doubled over in pain. A jolt of what muggles would describe as electricity raged through his body and he collapsed on the floor. Pansy rushed over to him and tried to help him, but before she could touch him, the prefect squeaked and slogged to the dormitory. The girl was slightly upset about Draco's strange behaviour, but explained it with the sudden pain he had felt.

He'll come around, she thought and returned to the love novel she had just been reading in her free period.

Draco dropped on his bed. He couldn't believe that he had butchered the potion like that. He never thought that the few alterations of the potion could have that effect. The next problem would be to get Dursley's trust back. He still had the plan to use him as a spy for the Dark Lord. He had already informed him about his plans and he seemed to be delighted about the idea.

A spy in Gryffindor would be more than useful for the Dark Lord and Draco didn't want to disappoint him.

"I'll just tell him that I made a mistake and that it wasn't planned that way. I really wanted to help him" Draco snickered and was sure that the credulous moron would buy it.

Now he wanted to deal with Snape and seized parchment and ink from his nightstand. He had just started to scribble a note for his father, when suddenly he recognized a black raven materializing in front of him. Draco recognized his father's messenger and wondered what kind of news there could be from home, when his visitor held out a leg and the prefect took the attached not from the bird.

Just then the raven disappeared before he could order it to wait. He unfolded the parchment and was mildly surprised when he recognized his mother's neat handwriting.

He quickly read the note and his breath caught in his breath.

That couldn't be.

Dudley was all but shrinking in his seat when the furious glances of the headmistress and his head of house rested on him. He had always seen Professor Lupin as a kind person and had never imagined that his friendly face could show that much wrath.

"Would you please tell me exactly what possessed you to drug Miss Granger with a love potion?" Professor McGonagall said sternly and Dudley recalled everything that had happened that day.

The eyes of the teachers widened and when Dudley ended his narrative, he felt worse than ever. Professor Lupin didn't look upset or sad, but like he would hex him to kingdom come in a minute. The headmistress' lips were almost invisible because they were pressed together so tightly.

They both watched him for another moment and then the witch spoke.

"Because of the fact that you're still new to the wizarding world, I will not expel you. However, you will have to face a severe punishment."

"Are you going to beat me?"

Before the witch could say anything, Lupin held his hand up and answered.

"No, we're not going to do it, although we both actually feel like it at the moment. You now will return to your common room and will wait for me to return and talk to you about your punishment."

Lady Tanya had just showed the Grangers the way to the hospital wing and was now going to inform the headmistress about Hermione's situation when she recognized Dudley coming out of the office.

Rage was bubbling up inside her and she growled lowly "You wretched little rat. No matter with what punishment they're coming up with, I know it won't be hard enough."

She stared at the boy and wished she could hand out the punishment herself. Just when she pictured to transfigure him into a nasty rat, the boy in front of her grimaced and squeaked. She slapped her hand in front of her mouth in shock and surprise when the boy suddenly started to shrink.

Just a moment later, a jet black rat rushed past her and disappeared in the distance.

"Uh Oh " she whispered and hurried towards the gargoyle.

The gargoyle sprang to life as soon as she uttered the password and she rushed up the moving staircase.

When she entered the office, Minerva and Remus were discussing Dudley's punishment and she remained at the door.

"Well, I think that should suffice" Professor McGonagall sighed, but the crease between her brows did not soften.

"Then I should go to Gryffindor Tower and inform Dudley about his fate and you will have to inform Severus" Remus said and rose from his chair.

"Oh I will have to have my wand ready. He surely wants to cast an unforgivable on me when he hears my decision."

With that the headmistress left the desk and finally recognized Lady Tanya in the shadows.

"How can I help you my dear?"

"I just wanted to tell you that Hermione's stable for now and back in the hospital wing" Lady Tanya said meekly and shifted from one foot on the other.

Minerva frowned at the strange behaviour of the normally cheerful witch. She seemed pale and her eyes had a haunted touch. After several years of experience as a teacher, the witch recognized this behaviour immediately.

Lady Tanya had been up to something.

Remus however smiled broadly when he heard the good news about Hermione.

"Well, I'm off Minerva. When I'm done with Mr Dursley I'll pay Miss Granger a visit"

He was half way out of the door when Lady Tanya grabbed his arm.

"I think there's something you ought to know" the dark-haired witch said feebly and the werewolf could feel her hand shaking.

"What happened?" he said seriously and steered her to a chair at the desk.

"I had a little mishap outside"

"Well I'm sure my dear that Filch will clean it up "Remus said, but Minerva knew that this wasn't what Lady Tanya was talking about.

Her raised eyebrows prompted the dark-haired witch to whisper "I turned Dudley into a rat"

"You did what?" Remus gasped and glared at her in total surprise.

Lady Tanya recognized with relief that he had to stifle a laugh, but McGonagall's expression was unreadable.

"Would you care to inform us how you managed that?" the headmistress said sternly, the crease between her brows getting remarkably deeper.

"I honestly don't know" Lady Tanya cried and lowered her head. "I just thought that he was a nasty rat for doing that to Hermione. Then I wished I could hand out the punishment personally and then he started to shrink"

She turned around and faced Remus.

"Please don't tell Albus about it. He will ban me into my picture forever and I really didn't mean to do it" she sobbed.

"I trust that Albus already knows about it, my dear" Minerva said a little bit more friendly.

Lady Tanya didn't wait for more information. She was frantic.

Without another word, she jumped of his chair and rushed out of the office in a swirl of red robes.

"Remus, go to Gryffindor Tower and see if you can find Mr Dursley. You don't need to rush. It might teach him a lesson to see first handed what improperly applied magic can cause"

The werewolf smirked and nodded, before he left the office.

Dudley was running as fast as he could. Everything seemed to have grown terribly and he was scared out of his wits. Just when he passed shining suit of armour, he stopped short and stared at his reflection.

Oh my god, he thought when he recognized that he had 4 little legs that barely supported his huge body.

His whiskers twitched in terror and he squeaked.

How did this happen? He hadn't seen anyone around him as he left the office.

Then he knew what he had to do. He had to get back to Gryffindor Tower; this would be the place where they would look for him. Dudley started sprinting along the corridor as fast as his little legs would carry him. He was almost there when he heard another voice behind him.

"Hey? What are you doing here? That's my territory so better get your fat behind out of my tower"

Dudley spun around and recognized a big, black rat with white dots over his eyes that gave him a little strange look.

"Shaka?" he whispered and crept closer.

"Yeah... how do you know me? I have never seen you in MY tower before" the other rat hissed and whipped his long tail aggressively.

"You don't recognize me? It's Dudley!"

"My, my, my... my lord and master. What a pleasant surprise" Shaka taunted and actually managed his rat-features to turn into a malicious sneer.

Dudley recognized that the rat's expression was not really friendly, so he decided to stay away from him while he was in this unpleasant condition.

"I'm sorry that I can't talk to you longer, but I have to get to the common room" he said with a shaky voice and turned to leave.

"Oh, please let me accompany you Master Dudley" he said and bared his sharp teeth.

Dudley shuddered and nodded.

Shaka swept to his side and then Dudley realized how much bigger Shaka was. His muscles were more developed and he seemed stronger as well.

"I just wanted to let you know that you suck as an owner. You shouldn't be so penurious with the sweets. You're fat enough, so it wouldn't hurt you to share"

Dudley shook his head in disbelief. He needed to get away from here. It was too much to talk to your own rat and even worse when you have just been turned into a rat yourself. Dudley remained quite while Shaka kept on complaining about what the boy did or did not do to him during the little time since they spent together. When the Gryffindor was finally tired of it and was about to talk back, Shaka spun around.

A hissing noise from the shadows startled him and the rat wanted to investigate.

Dudley however fidgeted with his tail and shook slightly.

Shaka spotted some lamp-like eyes shining from a corner and he yelled "Mrs Norris! RUN"

Dudley felt like he was rooted to the spot and would never be able to move again. The cat of the caretaker was creepy enough when you were a student but as a rat... it could be deadly.

"Run dammit! She's just waiting for a little snack!" Shaka shouted, but Dudley's gaze was fixed at the cat, which was slowly coming closer.

The rat however did the only thing that seemed logical for her at the moment and sank her pointy teeth into Dudley's tail.

"OOOOOOOOOWWW" Dudley howled and glared daggers at his rat.

"Get your fat ass up and run!"

With that, Shaka bolted down the corridor, silently praying that he would be able to get into Gryffindor tower.

Dudley snapped back to attention and followed the rat as fast as his little legs would carry him. He could feel the warm breath of the cat on his neck and he desperately tried to run faster. His little heart was pounding in his chest and he knew he would drop dead if he would have to keep this speed up. He could see Shaka arguing with the Fat Lady to let him through the portrait hole, but the portrait didn't understand him. The clacking sound behind his right ear brought to his attention that the cat was deadly close.

He jumped left and right and ran in zigzag trying to get rid of Mrs Norris.

Just when he thought he couldn't run one more step, the portrait hole opened and Neville Longbottom stepped out. With a final dash he followed Shaka into the common room and the portrait hole closed right in front of Mrs Norris nose. Flat on his back, the boy tried to catch his breath and to calm the hammering beat of his heart As soon as Dudley was able to roll on his stomach he crawled over to Shaka, who was licking his tail casually.

"Oh my god, I thought I would never see the next dawn" Dudley gasped, his tongue hanging out.

"You need to lose some weight or the next time she'll get you" Shaka smirked and beckoned him over towards the fireplace.

"There won't be a next time. I won't leave this room before one of the teachers will come and transfigure me back"

"How do you think they will recognize you? You can be happy when they don't kill you" the rat said with a mean voice. "You're not a pet, so they might take you to the gamekeeper as food for the hippogriff"

Dudley would have paled severely, but the black fur that covered his face wouldn't show it. He wrapped his tail around his feet and shuddered. There was no way he would leave this room ever again.

Soon someone had to show up.

His eyes fell on the hourglass next to the fireplace and he sighed. It was very hard for Shaka to remain serious. He silently shook his head. How could be right that Dudley who had as much brain as a coconut could run around as a human being and he had to be a rat. However it was so much fun to scare the living daylight out of the moron and he hoped that it would take the teachers a little while to locate him.

Dudley's gaze was fixed on the portrait hole, so he didn't recognize that someone besides Shaka has spotted him. All of a sudden something hit him from the side and flung him against the wall, knocking every little bit of oxygen out of him. His head collided with the bricks and he heard something crack before a sharp pain raced through his left leg. When he opened his eyes again, he looked in the flat face of an enormous ginger cat.

"Crookshanks" he whispered. "It's me...Dudley"

All he could hope for was that the cat didn't know that he was partly responsible for Hermione's situation. Dudley pressed his body against the cold wall and felt his heart hammering in his chest. What a terrible ending that would be. Eaten by a kitty cat. Dudley didn't even want to think about it, while his gaze was fixed on the narrowed eyes of the cat.

Crookshanks' whiskers tickled his face when the cat started sniffing his body. Tilting his head left and right, the cat seems to ponder if it would be a good idea to eat the strange rat. Just when he opened his mouth to swallow it, the door burst open.

"Accio Dudley" a voice called and Dudley felt a tug around his navel, similar to travelling by portkey.

He closed his eyes and ground his teeth, wondering what else he would have to endure before this would end. Remus however caught the rat easily in his hand and put him in his pocket. He nodded at the few students that were enjoying their free period and turned on his heal.

Outside the common room, he peeked in his pocket and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Mr Dursley. We will have that fixed in no time."

With a sigh of relief, Dudley snuggled into the warmth of the pocket and fell asleep instantly.

"Wow... no biting, Mr Dursley" Remus scolded when Dudley's teeth touched his finger.

With a flick of his wand, he teacher transported the rat on the desk in his office.

"Well, what are we going to do with you? This was no wand-work, so I think I will have to transfigure you the old-fashioned way."

Dudley started to shake again as the teacher pointed his wand at him. With a short incantation and a wand movement, he returned Dudley to his human form.

"Welcome back, Mr Dursley" the werewolf cheered and pointed at a chair.

Dudley clumsily crawled from the desk and sat down.

"Now that you're back among the humans, I would like to talk to you about your punishment."

The boy swallowed hard and sighed.

"Professor McGonagall and I have determined that you're from now on under Professor Snape's supervision. He seems to be the only one you show any kind of respect. So you will report to him immediately and follow his instructions"

Dudley felt like crying. It had been hard enough to have to endure the potion master during DADA and potions, but to be under his current supervision would be unbearable.

"If anything like that will ever happen again, I will have to report you to the ministry and that would mean Azkaban"

Dudley's eyes grew wide in shock. He had heard about Azkaban before and this was the last place he wanted to be.

"It won't happen again" he said meekly and made his way towards the door.

"Professor Snape is waiting for you"

Minerva was on her way back to her office when Dudley passed her. She didn't say anything but gave him a stern look over her glasses and went on. The headmistress knew what the boy would have to face. To say that the potion master didn't like the idea was the understatement of the century.

He had been furious when she had revealed her decision and his face was flashed with angry red spots. When she left the office, Snape had just drowned a full glass of firewhiskey and flung the empty glass in her direction. It was almost impossible for Severus not to cast an unforgivable on the headmistress.

First he had to find out that his former friend had raped his daughter, and then the Gryffindor moron had poisoned one of his house-mates with the assistance of Draco Malfoy. He had to take a life and save a life in less than a week and now the Scottish fool wanted him to baby-sit. He felt his heart pounding in his chest and hoped it would stay intact long enough until he could take revenge

Snape sat down at his desk and drown another glass of firewhiskey. He knew the boy would come to report shortly so he had to calm down or there would be another potted plant in his collection. Closing his eyes he tried to concentrate on his breathing and ignore the pounding headache. Just when his hands had stopped trembling with anger, he heard the door to the classroom open.

With a heavy sigh, he rose from his chair.

Dudley stood in the doorway hesitating if he should dare to walk to the office before Snape calls him. Carefully he inched closer and stopped shortly before Snape's office door. The moment he wanted to knock, the door swung open and hit him right into the face. With a groan, he put his hands over his nose, tears of pain stinging in his eyes.

Snape however just looked down on him, his emotionless mask in place and his anger in check... at least from the outside. Without a word, the potion master went back into his office and sat down. Dudley followed him mutely, trying hard to suppress any sound of pain.

Showing weakness in front of the potion master could be lethal.