Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and am in no way making any money from this work. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity between characters in this story and real life is purely coincidence.

Summary: After Voldemort is cured of his radical personality change, Wormtail accidentally picks up some of the magic and drastically changes.

"No, no, no!" screamed an irate Bellatrix. "I will not wear this- this- this THING!"

"Now now, Bella," replied Voldemort in what he thought was a calm and soothing voice. It wasn't. "Would you rather be subjected to the Cruciatus curse?"

"YES!"

Voldemort sighed. Convincing Bella to compete against Wormtail in the pageant had been much more difficult than he expected. Nothing could be more repulsive than comparing herself to muggles, especially in terms of beauty. It was only her love and adoration for the Dark Lord that compelled her now to do this.

But it didn't mean she had to like it.

Voldemort sighed. "Alright, Bella, what's wrong with this one?"

"It's too frilly!"

Voldemort looked at the pink dress he held. Bellatrix was right. The outfit was disgustingly girly, a mess of satin bows and tulle. He flung the dress across the room, where it landed on a pile of similarly discarded dresses.

It was at that moment that Wormtail entered the room.

"OOOH!" he gushed at the sight of the dresses, immediately diving into the pile. When he emerged he was holding the very same dress that had just been discarded.

"This dress is perfect for the Evening Gown competition!" He squealed, sounding uncannily like the rat he often transformed into. "I wonder where it came from?"

Voldemort shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. If Wormtail found out about their plan, the whole thing would be ruined. He was in luck, though.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Wormtail didn't look suspicious at all; in fact, he looked rather vacant.

"Well," began Bellatrix hesitantly, "we were just- that is, we-

"I know!" exclaimed Wormtail excitedly. "You two bought all these dresses for me! Wow! Thank you guys!" So saying, he pranced from the room with the entire pile of dresses heaped in his arms. Bellatrix and Voldemort sighed with relief simultaneously.

"Well, shall we try another dress?" Bella nodded, and the Dark Lord produced a new dress with a flourish of his wand.

"NO! No, no, NO!" screamed Bellatrix. Voldemort sighed. This really was going to be an ordeal…

Wormtail stood in front of his mirror, staring at himself appraisingly from the side. He tilted his head back and forth, trying to get the best view of himself. Suddenly he spat at himself in the mirror.

"You fat pig!" He screamed in anger at himself. "You stupid fat pig! Who do you think you are, entering a beauty pageant? You disgust me!" He pinched the sides of his face in anger. "Look at this fat! Look at it! You filthy slob! You don't deserve to eat!" Screwing his face up in anger he turned away violently from the mirror and flung himself onto his bed. Unfortunately his bed was comprised of several blankets and pillows on the ground, so this action hurt quite a bit. He didn't seem to mind too much, though, and only sobbed into his pillow.

After a good long cry, Wormtail sat up quite suddenly, pulling a business card out from under his pillow as he did so. Wiping his tears away, he smiled sadly as he read the card.

"I… I suppose it's what I have to do," he said sadly. "Otherwise, I have no chance of winning."

To Be Continued…