Remember Your Heart

Harry woke early the next morning with a sleeping Severus wrapped around him. Snuggling closer, he enjoyed the warmth for a long moment before shimmying out of the embrace. Severus made a little noise of protest and a hand began groping the bed. Not finding what he was looking for must have brought him to wakefulness, because his eyes opened and focused on Harry, who was busy pulling clothes out of the armoire.

"Go back to sleep, it's early," whispered Harry.

"Why are you up?" mumbled Severus, voice thick and heavy with sleep.

"Hypericia is Flooing in early to review some things with me about Dudley's fat reduction. I promised her a nice breakfast."

Harry smiled as Severus nodded a bit, rolled over and settled back to sleep.

Harry prepared a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, imported Vermontmaple syrup, bacon, fruit salad and a big pot of coffee while waiting for Hypericia to arrive.

"Oh, Harry, this looks lovely," she said, and squeezed him on the shoulder. They both sat and indulged.

Harry was pouring another cup of coffee for each of them when Hypericia finally pushed her plate away. "Dear me, I've probably gained a stone since I've started coming here. You're going to make someone a wonderful husband."

Harry chuckled, but didn't point out the unlikelihood of that happening.

"Hypericia, this fat reduction for Dudley, exactly what's going to happen?" asked Harry.

"It's quite easy. I'll just administer several drops of the potion, based on his current weight and his proposed final weight, and if everything goes to plan, he'll begin shrinking." She sipped her coffee. "You haven't asked me much before. What concerns you now?"

"It's just that it's too easy," Harry sighed. "Dudley's never had to work at anything in his life. Everything has just been handed to him, on demand. My concern is that once he's left here he'll go back to his old ways, gain back all the weight and come back to me for an easy fix."

"I see." Hypericia rubbed her chin. "What you're talking about, eliminating Dudley's old destructive habits in favor of new healthy habits, can't be done in a week. And he has to be motivated to do it himself. Unless, you're considering some sort of mind control."

"No, Dudley needs to be responsible for himself." Harry twirled his spoon around in his coffee cup, listening to it "tink-tink" as it tapped the ceramic sides. "I had considered putting him under a compulsion charm to force him to eat right and exercise, but decided that was just wrong of me, as well as illegal." Harry paused, looking intently at Hypericia. "Maybe, if this procedure wasn't so easy or pleasant, he would think twice about getting to this point again."

"Don't you think his health problems already accomplished that?" she asked.

"No, because now he has the monthly diabetes potion, so he's not going to worry."

"I've taken an oath as a Healer, to do no harm," said Hypericia.

"I don't want to hurt him, just make the experience miserable, for his own good. Second year, I had to regrow the bones in my arm due to a misfired spell. That potion tasted horrible and the regrowing part was quite painful, but it was for the best, so I endured it. Some discomfort for Dudley now may be in his best interest."

"So, this isn't about revenge for childhood pranks played on you?" nudged Hypericia.

Harry laughed. "Maybe a little bit." He began fiddling with his napkin. "I don't want you to do anything against your principles or get you into trouble with St. Mungo's. I just want to discourage him."

"Even if he wants another fat reduction, it doesn't mean he'll get it. You can say no," Hypericia said pointedly.

"Yeah, I know. I hoped that I could give him one more reason not to get there again," Harry shrugged. "Guess we should get started."

Hypericia reached over the table and laid her hand over his. "As long as it didn't harm him or interfere with the reduction procedure, I suppose we don't have to have him completely comfortable," she smiled sweetly.

"Brilliant!" Harry grinned. "We need to get Severus in on this."

"What do I need to 'get in on'?" said Severus as he strode into the room.

"A little fun with Dudley," said Harry. Severus sat next to Harry and began serving himself. Harry had spelled the serving dishes to keep the food warm.

"Explain," Severus commanded.

"I want to make his fat reduction unpleasant, so unpleasant that he won't ever want to go through it again. Hypericia had agreed, provided he isn't harmed. You've some experience in making life horrible for people," Severus raised an eyebrow, "and I wanted your input."

Severus poured himself coffee and stirred in his cream and sugar. "Loathe that I am about involving myself, I can, perhaps, make a few suggestions," Severus smirked while Harry grinned.

Harry, Severus and Hypericia walked into Dudley's room shortly thereafter with grim expressions. Petunia, already nervous, was immediately alert.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" she squeaked. Dudley rolled his girth to look at them, seemingly unconcerned.

"Nothing is wrong. This is a serious undertaking and I require assistance." Hypericia nodded toward Harry and Severus. Facing Dudley, "Today will be simple. I will weigh you, determine a goal weight and I will administer the proper dosage. Once you've taken it, the potion will begin preparing the excess fat for removal. Any questions?"

"No, let's get going," said Dudley, smothering over his mother's question. Petunia, who had started speaking, snapped her mouth shut and glared.

Hypericia took out her wand, Dudley and Petunia flinched instinctively, trained it on Dudley and chanted Pondus Libra! Above his head a fog appeared and slowly coalesced into a wispy number 637. Harry sniggered.

"There's our starting point," said Hypericia. "Now, a man of your height and build should weigh about 175 pounds, so that's we'll shoot for. A 462 pound loss will require four and a half drops of the fat reduction potion. Open your mouth and let's begin." Dudley opened his mouth. Hypericia drew out a potion bottle and pipette, measured out a lurid green liquid and let it drip into his mouth. Harry and Severus watched closely. Dudley closed his mouth and grimaced. Then he puckered his mouth, squinted his eyes and wrinkled his nose. Tears began dripping down his cheeks.

"What?" gasped Petunia. Dudley's eyes and mouth opened, he stuck out his tongue and began gagging.

"Guess it tastes bad," said Harry. Dudley now had a hand over his mouth and was making snorting sounds.

"Many potions do," remarked Severus.

"Burns!" hissed Dudley, stuffing his fingers in his mouth in an attempt to scrape the potion off his tongue.

Harry pulled his hand away, "Dud, it'll pass." Dudley glared at Harry and starting coughing and, strangely enough, sneezing.

"Give him something to drink," wailed Petunia.

"I'm afraid anything now would interfere," said Hypericia. "Actually, he can only have water during the entire fat reduction. Oh, yes, he can eat radishes as well, but nothing else."

Dudley was now gasping, his hands tugging on his hair, body trembling. "Cold," he rasped. Petunia threw a blanket on him. Making choking noises, he whispered, "Tastes like piss, vomit, shit."

"Interesting," murmured Severus to Harry.

"I wonder how he knows what those things taste like?" chuckled Harry.

Dudley thrashed about in the bed, holding his throat, before finally stilling.

"Duddy-kins! Duddy-kins! Speak to me! What have you done?" screamed Petunia.

"Oh, he's fine," soothed Hypericia.

"Guess he got over the taste," said Harry.

Dudley groaned, blinked and looked at his mother. "Awful, just awful," he mumbled.

"Duddy, are you okay?" Petunia asked tentatively. He nodded, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm going to cast a spell to monitor you," said Hypericia. "It may feel strange as the fat is prepared, but not painful, so don't find it alarming." Dudley nodded again.

Harry and Severus left the room while Hypericia finished with Dudley, knowing that the next phase wouldn't happen for a while.

"So what did you do to the potion?" asked Harry.

"Nothing," replied Severus. "Anything additional would have interfered with it. That was a little hex that I designed in school for your father. I never did name it. Very entertaining," he smiled wickedly. "Let's get his water bottle ready, shall we?"

The day passed quietly enough. Severus worked on his book. Harry called the counselor that Hermione had recommended and made appointments for himself and Severus. The appointment was more than three weeks away, but Harry accepted what was available. Later he worked on paperwork for the White Bumblebee Foundation and prepared his speech for the St. Mungo's Annual Banquet. Both kept an ear cocked for any disturbances upstairs. Hypericia had remained upstairs be close to Dudley and had set up an impromptu office in Harry's bedroom to catch up her own paperwork.

"Shouldn't we be hearing something?" Harry quietly asked Severus that afternoon, while standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Impatient brat," mumbled Severus, "just wait." He shuffled through his notes and returned to his swift scratching on the parchment. Harry moved up behind him and starting massaged his shoulders. Severus slowed and then stopped writing altogether, letting his head drop forward with a sigh of contentment. Harry brushed aside Severus' hair and let his fingers begin working the tense muscles of his neck, enjoying the skin on skin contact.

"Ahhh!" Dudley's cry echoed through the house. They heard Hypericia walk across the hall and open the door, only to be blasted by "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Harry smiled. "It seems to have kicked in. Let's go see."

"You go," Severus waved him off. "I want to finish what I'm working on."

Harry looked down on Severus' exposed neck and heard the disappointment in his voice. Harry realized that he had cut the massage short and was ready to abandon Severus in favor of Dudley-leering. He leaned down and kissed the back of Severus' neck. "Dudley's not going anywhere," he murmured, letting his breath ghost along Severus' neck and got a sigh in return. "I'm not finished here, yet." Harry returned to kneading and Severus made a soft hum in approval.

Hypericia must have left the door open to Dudley's room, because they could clearly hear him calling out about snakes and worms, and asking for it to stop.

"I set a snake on Dudley once, by accident," Harry giggled lightly. "I wonder if he's having flashbacks." Severus' upper body was now lying on the desk, with his head resting on his arms. Harry worked on his upper back, pausing when he heard someone hurry down the stairs.

"Harry, something's happening to Dudley," said a panicked Petunia.

"Hypericia's with him," he replied and began massaging again.

"Please, Harry," she begged. Harry nodded, caressed the back of Severus' head, and followed Petunia up the stairs.

Dudley was wriggling in the bed, haphazardly slapping his body and whimpering "stop, stop". Hypericia was trying to calm him, but without result.

"Dudley!" he called sharply.

"Harry, snakes, I'm filled with snakes and worms," wailed Dudley, his face a mask of horror. Petunia gasped and covered her mouth. Harry guided her to a seat, seeing her grow white.

"Dudley, the potion is preparing the fat for removal," he said.

"They're wriggling inside me. I can feel them moving. I can see them." Dudley pushed down the sheet and lifted his shirt to show the ripples lacing across his great white expanse of belly.

Harry leaned closer, and muttered "brilliant" and the he poked one of the long undulating tendrils as it slid by. It lacked the solidity of animal, more of a fluid or gelled composition. "Too mushy for snakes, Dudley," said Harry.

Hypericia sighed, exasperated. "It's the fat. I told you it would feel strange. It's liquefying in preparation for tomorrow. There are no snakes in your body or worms," she said sternly. "Harry, fetch some more water for Dudley," she ordered and gave him a serious look which let Harry know that this water bottle had better not be tampered with.

"Yes, Hypericia," he said, affecting a meek manner. Then he chortled all the way down the stairs.

When Harry and Severus were discussing the day, later that night in bed, Harry remarked how Aunt Petunia seemed more upset today than Dudley.

"It's her child," said Severus. "It's a far greater torture for her to watch her son suffer than suffer herself. She loves him and wants to protect him, and she can't do that right now."

"I think I'll send her away, for now, until Dudley's done," Harry mumbled, feeling guilty.

Severus wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. "You have far too great a heart," Severus whispered into his ear. "A caring person doesn't torment and torture people needlessly. But a caring person may need to choose the painful path for the greater good. Give Dudley his lesson and let him take what he can from the experience. Spare your aunt, for your own sake."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Severus," he said and kissed him softly on the cheek. They both drifted off to sleep in the comfort of their tangled arms.

Aunt Petunia protested leaving Dudley the following morning, as expected. Harry convinced her, eventually, by explaining that, while it would be a painless undertaking for Dudley, it would be gruesome to watch. Harry assured her that she could phone and speak to Dudley, and that he would remain nearby at all times.

Dudley, surprisingly, told her to go, that he would be fine. The added bonus of taking bit of time for herself in London for several nights, all expenses paid by Harry, helped to smooth over the last of her difficulties. Harry arranged for a private car to take her to The Savoy Hotel, where a cell phone rental was already reserved for her unlimited use, and days of shopping and spa treatments were already planned. Soon, she was packed up into the car and gone.

Harry joined Hypericia in Dudley's room. Severus was downstairs writing again, but promised to look in later when things were more 'interesting'.

"What are you going to do to me today?" growled Dudley. "Don't think I don't know that this is more about 'Harry hunting' than anything else."

"It was suggested that I turn you into a pig," Harry sneered and Dudley blanched, "But I doubt we would have noticed a difference. Today, your fat starts coming off. But instead of it just disappearing into nothingness, you're going to see it. It's going to leach through your pores, ooze out of your body, to be collected in a large, clear vat. I want you to see just what you've been carrying around. What you'll carry around again if you don't learn to take care of yourself. Those brave people who work to lose their weight through exercise and diet, learn a great deal about themselves in the process. A little bit of magic and, 'pouf', suddenly you're thin again, that teaches you nothing. Maybe seeing this will teach you something. Maybe it won't. But I do know this," Harry leaned close to Dudley, "I will not ever do this for you again. Understood?" Dudley nodded quickly. "Good, let's begin."

Harry lit the fire in the small stone fireplace. "We need it to be warm in here to keep everything liquefied and flowing." He then transfigured the bed to a large metal table with a trough running around the perimeter. At the foot of the table, the trough dipped low to where a clear hose was attached. Harry transfigured a chair into a large clear vat and placed it on the floor within Dudley's view and magically connected the hose to the vat. Hypericia watched impassively from another chair. Another charm and the blankets, sheets, pillows and Dudley's pajamas disappeared and a towel was conjured to cover Dudley's groin. Harry spoke the last charm. At first it seemed that nothing was happening, until Dudley noticed a yellowish sheen on the parts of his body visible to him. Soon the sheen became an oily wetness that dribbled off of him, landing on the hard metal surface with small splats and patters. It slicked down his hair and soaked through his towel. The liquefied fat slowly spread across the remaining table surface, like an oil spill on the sea, and began sliding into the trough. "At this pace", Harry thought, "it will take hours to even move through the tube to the vat."

Hypericia stood and ran her wand over Dudley. "Everything seems fine," she remarked. "How about I fry up something for lunch? I'm in the mood for fish and chips," she said.

Harry laughed and even Dudley snorted.

"Is this it?" Dudley asked.

"Yeah, thirty-six hours of this," replied Harry.

"Bugger."

Harry stayed awake with Dudley, and they watched the vat slowly fill with pus colored fluid and his body slowly deflated. Aunt Petunia called frequently and Dudley assured her that things were going well. Hypericia checked over Dudley every now and again and seemed satisfied with his progress. She rested in Petunia's bed when she felt the need. A few hours before the finish of the process, Harry and Dudley were alone in the room talking.

"I look like a popped balloon," Dudley remarked, his skin lay sagging on his reduced frame. The fat seemed to follow certain paths off his body, so he appeared to have rivers of oil oozing off of him.

"I can have that fixed. What's it worth to you?" asked Harry.

Dudley snickered, "Going to turn me into a pig for a day, cousin?"

"Might make you more tolerable," Harry sneered. "Actually, I don't have to dress up that remedy; it's uncomfortable enough on its own. I've been told it feels like you're being pricked with pins and needles while the skin tightens. It takes several hours."

"Well, I'll do it anyway," said Dudley. "My back is sore from lying here," Dudley grimaced and tried not to move so he wouldn't slip off the table. "It'll be good to move again." After a few minutes of quiet, Dudley asked, "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" returned Harry.

"I know Hypericia suggested the fat reduction initially, but you could've made it much worse. You could've not agreed in the first place and sent me home to lose the weight naturally. Hell, you could've refused to help me at all. So, why?" Dudley looked curiously at Harry.

Harry ran through a long list of reason in his head, before boiling it down to one response. "Because it was the right thing to do."

"Thanks, Harry," said Dudley softly.

Several hours later, once all the fat was collected in the vat, Harry cleansed Dudley with a charm and turned the table back into a bed. Another swish of his wand brought back the bedding and Dudley's pajamas. When Harry went to remove the vat, Dudley asked him to leave it.

"I want to look at it tomorrow, when it's light," he said. Harry nodded and said goodnight.

He wearily crossed to his bedroom and crawled into bed. He settled next to Severus and felt him shift closer. "Would this have happened if Dudley hadn't come here?" he thought. An interesting idea, but not enough to keep sleep at bay.

Dudley was staring at the vat when Harry walked in the next morning. The fat had congealed overnight into a slick, smooth, yellow-white solid.

"All that was in me?" he asked.

"Yeah, Dud, all that. No illusions," replied Harry.

"No wonder I felt so tired all the time, lugging all that crap around," he said. Dudley face and chin looked like he had been melted, with his skin hanging in loose folds, his neck like the wattle of a chicken. "When do we start on the skin shrinking?"

"Severus is preparing the potion now. He and Hypericia will be up shortly." Harry sat on a chair next to the bed to wait. "I spoke to Uncle Vernon this morning. He's taking the day off tomorrow to come get you. You're going into London to meet up with your mum and do some shopping before you head home. For now, I think you'll have to wear some of my hand-me-downs," Harry said in amusement.

Dudley laughed. "Imagine Dad's face if I came out in your wizard clothes."

"He wouldn't let you in the car," grinned Harry. "I'll give you something more Muggle."

Severus walked in holding a pewter goblet that had wisps of smoke trailing over the edge, like something straight out of a cheesy mad-scientist horror film. Hypericia came in a moment later.

"Here's your skin shrinking potion. You need to drink it all for proper effectiveness. It won't taste as bad as some of the other potions. The shrinking process will be accompanied by a prickling sensation, which will last several hours. Afterwards, I'm going to give you a Dreamless Sleep potion, as your body needs to rest and recuperate after going through such an extensive change. Any questions?" she asked.

"Anything you conveniently forgot to mention?" asked Dudley, eyeing them with suspicion.

"You won't know until you take the potion," said Harry, eyes sparkling with a mischievous look.

"Just give it to me then," Dudley groaned Severus handed him the goblet. Dudley chugged down the contents and gave a loud burp.

"Not bad," he murmured. "Tasted kind of grassy with a touch of acid."

"That would be the chopped daisy root and the leech juice," said Severus. "Although most palates do not detect it. I believe you may have had a better aptitude for potions than your cousin."

Harry snickered. "That's not saying much."

Dudley winced and rubbed his arm. Then he jumped and scratched at his thigh. Another wiggle and he was kneading his belly. "It's gonna jump all around?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid the potion shrinks small areas randomly," said Hypericia. Harry was laughing as Dudley jerked around in the bed.

"Feels like I'm being zapped by static electricity, all over," he whined while he lurched with spasms. Dudley clapped a hand on his cheek with a yelp. When he removed his hand, Harry could see that the skin had tightened over his cheek, so now only half his face looked melted.

"It's working," said Harry. Dudley moaned and continued to bounce, convulse, quiver, and wriggle in response to the zapping he was receiving. "You're right Hypericia, Dudley's going to be exhausted after this," he said and he pulled a chair over and sat down to watch the entertainment. Severus left to begin his work, not especially interested.

"It's good stimulation for his muscles as well," remarked Hypericia, after watching for a while.

"Yeah, he's working up a sweat. How do you feel Dudley?" asked Harry, grinning.

"Fuck off!" Dudley forced out through gritted teeth, body quaking. "I'm never doing this again!"

"Well, that's the point, isn't it?" remarked Harry, and he laced his fingers behind his head, tipped back in the chair and smiled.

"So, Severus, Dudley will be gone in the morning. What would you like to do with that room?" Harry was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, gazing at Severus, who was propped up on his pillows against the headboard. Severus put down the Dark Arts book that he had been reading, with a long suffering sigh at being interrupted, and returned Harry's look.

"It's your house, your room. What do you want to do with it?" Severus questioned.

"I think it would make a nice study. A place where someone could work, perhaps on a book, and not have to clean up every time company arrives. I could put in a desk and some book shelves..." Harry trailed off.

"You have a perfectly adequate desk downstairs. However, placing it in a study would be more appropriate than having it in the living room. What shall you do when you have guests?"

"Transfigure something into a bed."

"I imagine that with some proper lighting, a carpet and perhaps a comfortable chair for reading, the room could be used satisfactorily as a study." Severus picked up his book again and flipped it open to where he had been reading.

"A study it is then," said Harry and he slid under the covers and lay down next to Severus. Peeking up, Harry caught the small smile on Severus' face that he sought to hide behind the book.

The next morning, a strange young man walked into the kitchen. He was tall, slim, with blond hair that curled about his head and blue eyes. He wasn't especially handsome, as his neck seemed too short for his build, his eyes were watery and his face rather pink. Actually, he was quite an ordinary looking person. The young man smiled tentatively and said, "Good Morning."

Harry stood, walked over and he held out his hand, "Good Morning. I'm Harry Potter, nice to meet you."

"Dudley Dursley," the young man replied, shaking Harry's hand.

"Will you join us for breakfast?" asked Harry, gesturing to the table.

"Something light," said Dudley. "I'm watching my weight," and he patted his stomach. Harry chuckled and they both sat.

"You look wonderful," gushed Hypericia.

Dudley blushed and mumbled, "Thanks." He placed some fruit and a blueberry muffin on his plate and poured himself some orange juice and began savoring his food. "I left my old clothes upstairs, Harry," he said between bites.

"I'll get rid of them for you," said Harry. "I'm glad my clothes fit you. Have fun shopping today."

"What are your plans?" asked Severus.

"Not to get fat again," Dudley muttered.

"It is entirely possible," replied Severus. "It will take effort on your part." Dudley nodded.

"You'll be fine," said Hypericia and she leaned over and squeezed his shoulder.

A car horn blared outside. Harry got up and peered out the window. "It's Uncle Vernon. I guess he's not coming in," Harry said with a chuckle.

"How disappointing," sneered Severus.

Dudley stood to leave. Hypericia moved over and gave him a big hug. "Take care of yourself," she said as she squeezed.

"Thanks," mumbled Dudley.

Severus rose and held out his hand which Dudley tentatively took it and shook. Harry walked him to the front door and opened it. Dudley picked up a small bag he had set by the door, looked out and waved to his father.

"Well, thanks for everything, Harry," he said. Glancing down and away from Harry, he took a deep breath, and then squared his shoulders and looked straight at Harry. "You turned out okay, for a little freak," Dudley said, with a grin, and held his hand out to Harry.

Harry smiled. "You have potential, for a great big pig boy," and he shook Dudley's hand. "Good Luck, Dudley."

"Thanks, Harry." They both squeezed each other's hand for another moment before releasing. Dudley walked toward his father's car, opened the door and paused to wave before getting in. The instant the door closed, Vernon drove off.

Harry closed the front door, sighed, and leaned back against it. Severus looked over from the kitchen. "Party tonight?" said Harry, waggling his eyebrows.

"Definitely," said Severus and Hypericia.