Pairings: Harry/Draco, Severus/Remus, Pansy/Hermione, and Ron/Blaise
Plot: The witnesses/heroes of the War against Voldmort have been ordered to go to counseling. Against all previous odds, they begin to learn things about themselves, and each other, that they didn't know before. Plus, just who the hell is the shrink really??
(A/N at bottom)
Prologue
WAR HEROES TO UNDERGO COUSELING
Are They Really In Need of It??
The Minister of Magic has released a statement detailing the plans to benefit our War Heroes, the people who were awarded Order of Merlin, First Class. They include: Severus Snape, for his work as a spy for the Light, Draco Malfoy, also for his work as a spy, Pansy Parkinson, for her "contributions to the war effort", Blaise Zabini, for his courageousness in the face of battle, Remus Lupin, for his work among others of his kind by convincing them to come to the Light, Hermione Granger, for her amazing work researching spells and fighting, Ronald Weasley, for his outstanding heroics on the battle field, and finally, our Savior himself, Harry Potter, for ridding the magical world of the evil being, You-Know-Who.
During a short interview with the man who suggested the idea (He requested his name be kept out of the papers for "personal reasons"), he had this to say about his reasoning behind the movement, "They have to work through their emotional issues that only turmoil and stress from a war could bring," he cried, admittedly a bit excitedly. "It would be a crime in itself for us to leave these poor heroes to deal with their inner turmoil alone!"
The Ministry employee had little to say about what exactly these modern heroes would need to work on, and none of the heroes were available for comment. Narcissa Malfoy, wife of the late Lucius Malfoy, exclaimed, "Is this man out of his mind? Why would my sonneed counseling? Is this man implying Draco is mentally unstable? We all saw horrible things during the war-it was impossible not to! To suggest that our heroes need counseling is outrageous and preposterous! I, for one, will not have it!"
Lady Malfoy raises an excellent point. Are we suggesting that our heroes, the people who made it possible for You-Know-Who to be destroyed, are mentally unstable? It's hard to tell. On one hand, these people have lived through a lot, they are sure to have some sort of issues. Seeing what they saw would scare the average person for life. Surely they need to work through the pain and whatnot by talking about it? Still, however, these heroes have seen a lot, and yet they live perfectly normal lives. Do they really need the help of a shrink to work through issues they might not even have?
In the end, your guess is as good as mine. I'm sure we'll be seeing the results of this venture soon! Hopefully, they will be good. Till next time, ladies and gents,
David Skeeter
The figure read the article with no small amount of interest. Her plan had worked. Quite well, if she did say so herself. But now, to make them recognize what she already saw-that would be the challenge. Sighing, the figure turned to look out over the Hogwarts grounds. She would miss this school too much to even comprehend. So many good times, along with their share of bad, scrambled for her attention, but one rose foremost in her mind's eye.
Flashback
"No, it can't be true."
"Bloody Hell, Hermione, it is!"
"Harry would never… Ron would never… I would never…"
"What? Fall in love with Slytherins? How can you be so blind, Hermione?"
"You're being ridiculous! We're not going to talk about this anymore. We're in the middle of a WAR, if you hadn't noticed. I'm not going to listen to this nonsense, it's done. Period. End of discussion."
Hermione walked away, leaving her sad, confused, and determined to make them see. Make ALL of them see what she could see so easily.
End Flashback
She had promised that to herself. And she intended to make good on that promise. But still, one part of her wondered if this deception was worth it. Her best friends could end up hating her. The figure shook her head vigorously as the sunset lit up the room for a moment, highlighting her pale purple robes. She couldn't, wouldn't, have such thoughts. Her friends deserved to be happy. This had to work...it just had to!
Resolute in her decision, she waved her wand, effectively packing all of the things she had collected over the years in one fell swoop. She made her way through the suitcases to a particularly large one with thick, heavy-looking locks on it. Pulling out the key to the padlock, she checked behind herself to see if anyone was watching. Blushing even though there was no one there to see her, she shook her head and laughed a bit. All those lesson with Moody really got to me, she thought, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she pushed the key into the lock and gave it one half turn.
She quickly stepped back as the padlock creaked alarmingly. Bolts popped out of the trunk as the locks clicked open-all of this done abnormally fast. Finally every lock was undone and the woman stepped forward, pushing the lid of the suitcase open. Inside were hundreds, possibly even thousands, of vials, all containing the same substance. The brown liquid was harmless enough looking, but a sense of danger seemed to emanate from it. Swallowing, the woman stepped forward to check that all the vials were securely in place before removing one from the rack. She pulled the stopper and tried to bring it to her lips but was unable. Come on, girl! The whole plan depends on this! she thought, exasperated with herself.
But she couldn't release herself from the deep rooted fear of being someone else-if only for an hour. Her identity had always been important to her, but it had become worse after her first year. After that, it was more important to her than anything else in the world. She didn't know if she could deal with wearing someone else's face. But, everything depends on this! she argued with her irrational side. I have to do this for them. Ron, Hermione…Harry, Remus. It's all for them. Come on, just drink the damn potion.
Before her irrational side could interfere again, she drowned the vial's contents. It slid down her throat, giving her the horrendous sensation of swallowing a frog. She gagged, before gasping for breath as her stomach revolted violently against the liquid. Trying to keep from throwing up, she rushed to the window, hoping the cool night air would settle her stomach if only a little bit.
It didn't. If anything, it made it worse. The woman groaned in pain and fear, holding her stomach as she felt her face start to shift. "Oh, Merlin, I don't think I can do this," she moaned, collapsing on the floor. Tremors ran through her body as it too began to shift. She literally felt her bones and muscles stretch as her legs grew longer. She swelled out considerable at the hips and chest; her shoulders became broader. Lying on the ground, with the pain as intense as ever, her stomach feeling like she was going to lose her dinner any moment, the woman wondered if it was worth it. Was it really worth it? Making them see something they either denied or ignored-even when it made them miserable? It was then the woman really, truly made her decision to continue.
For the past six months all her energy had been thrown into making the plan work, finding people she could pay off and use, getting a fake degree, making the potions, she had never really sat down to consider what she was doing seriously. All she had been running on was adrenaline, but what it all boiled down to was she couldn't stand to see her friends' miserable without love in their lives. Even though she didn't really approved of the people they had fallen for. That wasn't her business-her friends' welfare was. So she would continue, at all costs she would make them realize what they were missing. And maybe one day they would thank her. One day...
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the fact that she was no longer in pain. Heaving a sigh of relief, she went to pull herself up before stopping to stare at her new hands. They were larger than her own, more shapely, something you would see on a piano player. Her wrists were thicker, but it fit her hands better than her spindly wrists would have. She hurriedly pushed herself up and conjured a mirror. Her eyes widened as she took her "new look". If this was the body she would be spending the next six months in, it wasn't really a problem. Her new chest was bustier than her own, and she was way more curvy. Unfortunately, she had to give up her small shoulders (which she secretly loved) but at least her butt hadn't gotten any larger. Small favors, she thought, chuckling to herself.
Finally, though, she couldn't ignore her face. The one part of herself she had been most reluctant to look at. Her face surprised her. It wasn't unpleasant, but very, very different from her own. She had a long face with a pouting mouth and large eyes. Her lips were a pale pink, her eyes a stunning hazel. The contours of her cheek bones looked amazing; they'd look even better with some blush, she mused. Suddenly, she smiled and inside her own mouth was smiling too. Maybe, she thought, Just maybe, this won't be so bad. I mean, I've been talking to four of them for a long time. I know I can get them to open up. It's those Slytherins I'm worried about…
She paused, an ugly look marring the lovely face. The Slytherins would most certainly be tough nuts to crack. Thank goodness she had thought to do those files on all her soon-to-be "patients." Those would help a lot, enough for her to fake her way through being a psychologist, she hoped. Tugging her fingers through her newly short dirty blonde hair, she sighed. Then, glancing at her watch, she yelped at seeing the time. 4:55! She had five minutes to get to her introductory meeting. It wouldn't look good if she showed up late.
Muttering a shrinking spell on her bags, she shoved the luggage into the pocket of her cloak then muttered another spell to change the size, shape, and color of her robes. Satisfied with her appearance, she threw some Floo powder into the cheerful fire and shouted, "Dr. Andrea Miller's Office!"
She spun through the fireplaces, forcing herself to hold in her stomach as she thought about the upcoming meeting (as well as the fact she was spinning through fireplaces.) She hadn't actually met Dr. Miller in person. Having worked out everything through owl, she didn't really know what to expect. Or, in turn, what Dr. Miller was expecting.
As she landed in the lobby with a rough thump, she immediately began to run through her story. She was a little known psychologist who had trained at Oxford Wizarding School. Her credentials were amazing, her employers full of praise, and her patients adored her. The only reason she had taken this job was that she needed a change of pace. She had started with a small job out at Oxford, both being a counselor and teaching others to be one. She was a pure-blood of the DuFranc line from France. As she dusted off her robes, straightened her posture to perfection, and headed to the reception desk, she reflected that pretending to be of the DuFranc line, which was almost as old as the Malfoy line, was probably the reason she got the job. The Ministry would only have the best clinic for their heroes. Only the best psychologist as well.
"May I help you, Lady?" a cultured voice broke into her thoughts.
The receptionist had a polite, patient smile on her face. One, the woman reflected, that she probably uses with the nut jobs that come through here.
"Yes, my name is Doctor Eleanor DuFranc-Marez. Dr. Miller is expecting me for my introductory meeting," she responded. It was times like these that she thanked Merlin that her mother still kept in contact with some of the pure-blood women she'd grown up with. She had gotten one of the cousins, also a DuFranc-Marez, to add her to the family tree. Everything looked totally legitimate, which made the deception all the more dangerous.
But, she looked up to see the receptionist's face whitening. The women's neck seemed to spasm as she tried to gulp air discreetly. "Dr. DuFranc-Marez,"
"Dr. DuFranc is fine, madam. It will make things much easier on both of us, yes?"
"Of course! Well, Dr. DuFranc, Dr. Miller is currently with a patient. I'll beep her and see how long it will be. One moment, please." The receptionist tried a brave smile, but she received only a very cold look in return.
Seeing the receptionist twitch slightly, the woman couldn't help but be proud of herself for actually pulling off her act so well. Then her thoughts of being a psychologist came rushing back at top speed. Her face stayed blank, but inside ice cold fear ran through her veins. She had no idea what to expect; Dr. Miller walking out of her office briskly in tight fitting black robes and making a beeline for her-completely ignoring the others waiting to speak with her-was most certainly not what she expected at all.
"Dr. DuFranc?" she questioned the Polyjuiced woman calmly.
"Yes, Dr. Miller, I presume."
"Certainly. It is an utter honor to meet someone who's as amazing as your employers said she was. I am pleased that you were prompt. Things move quickly around here, but we'll discuss that tomorrow. For now, I am going to show you to your office, yes?"
"Sounds perfectly lovely," the woman said, her mind working furiously, going through the files she had prepared. "What do you think of the Ministry's announcement?"
Dr. Miller frowned momentarily before answering, "It is strange, yes? I have had the honor to meet Mr. Harry Potter himself, and he never seemed to have any emotional issues. And he is quite young as well."
The woman nodded in response, and let Dr. Miller fill the silence with chatter about this and that as they made their way to the office. The office wasn't large, something she was grateful for. Large open spaces made her nervous, even somewhat twitchy. A simple desk with two cozy-looking leather chairs sat in front of it while an equally comfortable rolling chair sat behind it. A large bookcase stood in one corner. The woman was pleased to see there was enough space for someone to comfortably pace back and forth if needed-she knew how much Harry loved to pace when tense or worried. Dr. Miller smiled tightly at her.
"I hope this is sufficient," she said, more of a statement than a question.
"It's lovely. Now, is there anything we need to discuss before I begin unpacking?"
Dr. Miller looked a little taken aback at her brisk tone, but masked it quickly. She sat gracefully on of the chairs and motioned for the other woman to join her. "I am very pleased with your credentials and whatnot, and you seem to be a very good person…" she waited for the but, knowing it was coming and doing nothing to stop it. "But I can't help but be concerned about how you will handle such a highly profiled case. These patients hold an enormous amount of power in the Wizarding world, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Minister himself listened to their suggestions or demands. I would not want any of them to be offended by a careless remark or foolish suggestion. Do you understand me?"
The newly dirty blonde woman couldn't hold her tongue. The absolute rudeness of this woman! "Dr. Miller, are you implying I would betray my patients' confidentiality? Because I surely hope that is not the case. If anything, the most important thing you are taught is how to keep secrets. I witnessed much of the war myself, and I am surprised no one has done anything for these people till now. Do not insult my professional integrity or my intelligence," she paused, collecting herself. "Are we through?"
Dr. Miller seemed shocked and very ashamed. It was the highest insult to accuse a psychologist of betraying patient confidentiality. The doctor didn't meet her eyes. Apologizing softly, she bid her good night and left. She relaxed marginally after that before unpacking quickly. Glancing at the clock, she realized, after unpacking for nearly two hours, that she need to stop at home. Checking to make sure the Polyjuice was indeed gone, she hurried to the fireplace.
She tumbled out of the fireplace moment later cursing it for what it did to her robes. "Ginny Weasley!" came the strong reprimanding voice of the Head of the Weasley clan. "Where in Merlin's name have you been? I was beginning to worry."
"Sorry, mum," the now red head responded. "I got held up at my new job."
Mrs. Weasley smiled at her only daughter from her place in front of the stove. "I'm so glad you decided to get away from Hogwarts for a while, dear. I know you love the castle, we all do, but you need to get out more, explore other options. What exactly did you say you were doing again?"
"Just office work right now. I have to earn my place. All this because of those new laws Hermione's managed to get passed. I swear, a year from now she'll be Minister of Magic. She's definitely got the brains!"
"That she does, dear, that she does."
They regressed into a comfortable silence. Mrs. Weasley was completely focused on cooking dinner, oblivious to her only daughter's inner turmoil and the shocking revelation she had come to moments before.
Her double life had finally commenced.
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A/N: So, there begins this story. I have a generally direction in where I want this to go. My friend, Karen leFay, will be doing some of the Latin translations for the spells, and HOPEFULLY betaing for me! I know its short but expect that.
Next Chapter: The reactions to the article from the new "patients."
FYI-Eventually the chapters will fall like this-Harry's session/Draco's Session; Hermione's session/Pansy's session; Severus's session/Remus's session (cannot wait to write that one!); Ron's session/Blaise's session.