This one goes out to MayLaNee who asked for:
Neville is -somehow- the one to transfigure Draco into a ferret, and when he tries to undo it it goes wrong... and Draco ends up with red hair... and it's permanent
Thank you to the beta of this oneshot (ArmadaofShips )
When Life Gives You Lemons
Harry's rage only increased as he walked the grounds of Hogwarts on an early Saturday morning, watching as the badges that other students wore turned to his face from Cedric's, with the words "Potter Stinks" written across his face. Hermione and Ron were off somewhere and he didn't even care where. Ron had made it clear how he felt and he had other things to do than convince Ron that he didn't put his name in the goblet, such as finding a way to survive.
To make matters worse, he kept having the same dream every night, and it brought chills to his spine. He could only remember little bits and pieces of the dream but it was enough to let him know he was in danger. All he could seem to remember was standing in a graveyard at night, a flash of green light, and a sharp pain that ran through his scar to his whole body, making him feel as if his insides were on fire.
He would wake up covered in cold sweat and shaking, feeling tears stream down the sides of his face as he tried to pull himself together. He knew it had something to do with Voldermort, but this time he had no one to help him figure out the dream's meaning.
He couldn't talk to Ron and Hermione about his dream and how he was feeling. He could only write to Sirius. He could possibly talk to Hagrid, but he didn't want to put that on the gentle giant. Perhaps it was a good thing that he couldn't talk to anyone; no one could understand what he was going though.
Harry made his way into the Great Hall, finding it to be empty except for Neville and Malfoy (along with Malfoy's goons by his side). Harry really didn't want to deal with the obnoxious blond this morning. He just wanted to have breakfast in peace before he made his way to the library in hopes of finding answers to the first challenge.
"What's the matter Longbottom?" Crabbe spoke...or was it Goyle? Harry could never tell the difference between the two idiots. According to Harry, the two of them shared half a brain- so much so that they reminded him of Dudley, walking around the castle, pigging out,and throwing tantrums when they didn't get what they wanted. He never got that pleasure as a child- he could never throw himself down on the floor and kick and scream because he didn't get a toy that he wanted. He couldn't refuse to eat a meal just because he didn't like the food.
He was meant to stay out of the way and keep his mouth shut. The only things he got to play with were Dudley's broken toys and the only things he got to eat were the little scraps of food that his pig of a cousin didn't finish off. Some nights, when everyone went to bed, he would sneak out to the kitchen and eat food out of the bin.
He had thought things would change the moment he got to Hogwarts, and for a while they did. He was happy, but then everyone thought he was the heir of Slytherin during his second year. Third year went better for him...at the beginning, before he found out that one of his parents' friends betrayed them and handed them over to Voldermort. Then, the only family that cared for him had to leave, otherwise he would risk getting the dementor's kiss to remove his soul.
And now, all of his friends had abandoned him and he was alone...again.
But Harry couldn't help becoming angry at the fact that Neville wasn't doing anything to stand up for himself. He just sat there and took what the three Slytherins dished out. How could Neville allow them to push him around?
Harry pressed his lips together, trying to push down the boiling rage as he placed his bag on one of the tables before storming over. "Leave him alone, Malfoy!" Harry spat, his hands turning into fists.
"Stay out of this, scar head," Draco shot back with a sneer. "My father and I have a bet, you see. I think you won't last ten minutes in this tournament. He disagrees, he thinks you won't last five," Draco said with a laugh, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry felt as if he was about to explode, storming over to where he was inches away from the blond's face. "I don't give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy! He's vile and cruel. And you're pathetic!" Harry yelled, before turning his back to them and walking away.
"Pathetic, pathetic?" Draco whispered harshly. "I won't stand for it!" Draco said under his breath before taking out his wand, lips starting to form a spell when a yell came from Neville
Harry turned around just in time to see Draco turned into a white ferret... his eyes widening in shock. He couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Neville, on the other hand, was starting to panic at what he just did. Harry knew there was only one other time in his life Neville performed accidental magic, and that was just to save his own life. He'd never done it on another person before. Neville stood from his seat as Crabbe and Goyle ran down the long hall and out the doors of the Great Hall. Being a scaredy cat as well as stupid.
"I...I…I didn't...I didn't mean…" Neville stuttered as the ferret started to make a run for it.
"Catch it!" Harry yelled, going after the ferret.
As much as he disliked Malfoy, he still didn't want the boy to get hurt or even go missing. Who knows what could happen to a ferret on the ground of Hogwarts? There was a chance that Malfoy could find his way into the Dark Forest and get eaten by one of the many creatures. Even though Harry enjoyed the thought of it, he knew he couldn't live with himself if he allowed it to happen.
Neville was rooted to the spot, frozen, so Harry dashed for the rodent, grabbing it by the scruff around its neck, as it was about to sneak out through a large crack in the wall.
"I….I...I didn't...mean...to...it...it," Neville stuttered, terrified of the punishment that awaited him. With Malfoy being a Slytherin, Professor Snape would be the one to decide it, and ever since third year, everyone knew that Snape was his worst fear. And how could he not be?! The man was terrifying, always leaning over you with his dark eyes, looking for mistakes.
"It's fine Neville, it was an accident," Harry spoke, noticing the distress the boy was in. "We'll take him to Madam Pomfrey, she will be able to change him back to normal," Harry explained.
Neville gave a shaky nod, grabbing his stuff from the table and following Harry to the Hospital Wing, grateful that the halls were not too crowded, with most of the students having gone to Hogsmeade for the day.
Unable to stand the awkward silence, Harry spoke up. "That was some magic you pulled back there"
"I didn't-"
"I know you didn't mean to," Harry cut Neville off. "...Last year during the summer, I blew up my aunt," Harry said, hoping he could comfort Neville, at least a little.
"You blew her up?" Neville asked shocked.
"Well...no...I blew her up like a balloon and then she floated around the neighborhood for a couple of hours. The Ministry took care of everyone who saw, and my aunt's memories were erased, so she doesn't remember a thing that happened," Harry explained, hearing the laugh that came from Neville. "And that wasn't the only time I did accidental magic."
"...This is the only second time...I'm not that good at magic," Neville muttered softly, so much so that Harry had a hard time hearing what he said.
"I wouldn't say that! Turning someone into a ferret is some advanced magic! Even though it was accidental magic, you still did it. You just need to learn to channel it at the right time," Harry explained, just as the two made it to the Hospital Wing doors.
"Everything is going to be ok," Harry reassured, before pushing the heavy doors open, the smell of disinfectant hitting him straight away.
"You never disappoint- what seems to be the problem, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey inquired when she saw the two enter her Hospital Wing. Harry always seemed to make his way into her Hospital Wing one way or another; she knew it was only a matter of time until she saw his face.
"It's not me...we had a little accident," Harry muttered, not sure on how to explain what happened only moments ago. All he managed to do was hold up the ferret so the nurse could see.
Pomfrey paused for a moment before speaking. "I don't do animals. You can take him down to Hagrid's, and he can probably help the little guy out," Pomfery said with a curt tone.
"It's not an animal...It's Malfoy," Harry admitted.
"It was me." Neville spoke for the first time since they entered the Hospital Wing.
"It was accidental magic," Harry cleared up. "Malfoy was...Neville got angry and this happened."
Pomfrey didn't need Harry to tell her what Malfoy was doing, the blond was famous for bullying the school.
"Alright, set him over there," Pomfrey instructed, pointing to one of the empty beds.
Harry gave a quick nod, placed the ferret down on the bed and stood back, watching as the school nurse and flicked her wand. The ferret quickly turned back into the boy that he was...almost.
Instead of the bleach blond hair that the Malfoys were famous for, Draco now had hair as red as Ron's. Harry and Neville had to press their lips together to keep themselves from laughing out.
"My father will hear about this," Draco yelled, jumping off the bed. But the threat had no impact, since you can't be threatening when you have hair the same ridiculous color as one of the Weasleys.
Both Neville and Harry looked at each other before racing out of the Hospital Wing and leaving Pomfrey to deal with the soon to be angry child...and father.
Unknown to Harry and Neville, Draco had to be taken to 's since the red hair couldn't be reversed with any spell Poppy could come up with.
Days passed until Harry, along with the rest of the school, found out that Draco was pulled out of Hogwarts until the red hair could be changed back to its normal color, so as not to shame his family.
Harry couldn't help but to be happy at the news. The school seemed to be a lot more peaceful without Draco, and Crabbe and Goyle had no one to fellow around, so they were not causing any trouble.
Harry wouldn't say that this was the best thing to ever happen, but he would put it in the top five. Due to this, he and Neville became close, and Harry didn't feel like he was alone anymore.