When their parents came home after a couple of days, Dan hoped his mother would turn him back. That way he could explain what had happened. But when their parents asked Kat, she explained: Oh, I had a fun costume party for my birthday. I only told Dan about my powers and he asked me after the party if there was a way to make his costume real. He accepted that as some kind of payment he would be my servant for a week. And he chose to remain with the name Drago he used on the party. I got four pet presents, two cats and two snakes.
Mom looked at her with a critical eye before turning to Drago. Is that true, Dan? Dan mentally screamed at her that no, that was not true, but Drago calmly answered for him: Yes, itīs true. I like being a dragon, and Kat isnīt to forcing with me serving her. Maybe I will continue it after the week to show Iīm grateful for that.
Unknown to Dan, his mother also looked into his mind to see if Kat forced him to that answer. But as Kat had guessed that she could do that had used some more complicated magic on Drago and her four pets to ensure that to someone not searching with much force there would be the new mindset in forefront, and for Drago to have links back to Danīs memories, so she wouldnīt get suspicious. As Drago was bound to her, he wouldnīt act on these memories if they were against her wishes.
After a minute or two searching Danīs mind their mother nodded. Okay, if thatīs what you truly wish for, Dan, or better, Drago, I will say itīs okay for me as well. But if you want to change back and Kat canīt help you, say so and I will help, okay?
With that said, Danīs hopes were crushed. Why was his mother fooled by Katīs magic? But he could do nothing as Drago nodded with a grin. If I want to, I will ask. But at the moment I enjoy this too much.
Their mother later scanned the pets and found nothing suspicious in their minds. She let Kat keep them, and with that there was no hope remaining for them to being rescued.
When the week ended Drago kept serving Kat and even extended it to their parents, while Dan was still fighting inside. While his friends were losing their old minds more and more, part of the family magic kept him trapped inside.
A month after the party Dan was the only one who was still there, the others lost after merging with their new minds. It would take a powerful witch to return their minds back to normal, and it would most likely destroy both parts of their new minds. Dan had overheard as their mother explained to Kat that even if Kat somehow managed to repress a human mind or overwrite it, someone with magic in their blood would never vanish inside. Even if it was only a spark of magic, like it was in Drago, it was enough to keep his mind save. Humans without such a spark would crease to exist between around three weeks and a month.
To Kat, this was interesting. Maybe she would sometime ask Dan how he felt, just to rub it in that he would never be himself again. To Dan, that meant he felt even more trapped, as he had no hope of ever breaking free, but would also never just accept this and vanish like others would. He cried as he realized that his friends by now were all dead in a way. And it was all his fault for inviting them, as he never realized that Kat had forced him to do so.
Nobody noticed how strange it was that so much people vanished in their neighborhood. To most, they never existed anymore, and the ones who know them better, like their parents, moved on that the run away. That was another point were Dan was the exception. To the world he was still the same, as Kat cast an illusion on him. Nobody would see anything but her brother goes to school like normal. To Dan it was another part of torture. He was reminded of all his friends that were missing in the eyes of others, knowing they were effectively dead because of him.