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Ready to face the music?	By : sappysappysappy Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 2066 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not profit from the writing of this story.

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Thanks: to Krystle Bertoncin, my new Beta, for streamlining this story and cheering me along the way.

Ready to Face the Music?

Interlude One - There's Gold in Them Thar Hills

Hermione entered the room and seated herself in her usual chair. The emptiness of the room depressed her. She straightened her skirt, moved her chair a bit and even rearranged her sleeves. At last, she directed her attention at the lone occupant of the room beside herself.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, neutrally.

"Yes, my lady, if Pettigrew may call you that here, when the others are elsewhere?" He leaned forward, eagerly. Without waiting for a reply he ploughed on. "In the past week Pettigrew gathered all the information he could for your benefit. Discreetly, he arranged with the gaolers to have these private meetings. Do not fear, none of the others suspect. Everything is going according to your plan. You shall not regret your trust in Pettigrew."

Dr. Granger slumped a little in her seat. "What makes you think I wanted you to do this?"

"Why… what other purpose could there be to the exercise, my lady?"

"Maybe I wanted you to do what I told you to do: show that you were trustworthy. Is that so difficult to understand?"

Her patient paled. "Forgive me, my lady, but surely you don't consider the others worthy of our trust?" He pushed his rotund face at her, his eyes wide. "Pettigrew would never betray your trust. The lady can rest assured of that! But your Death Eaters, they're monsters, every last one of them! They deserve no kindness from us. They will wrench your guts out through your mouth, laughing the first chance they get. You're shocked, I see, but that is who they are. Pettigrew only wishes to help, Lady."

"Help?" Hermione's hands closed to fists. "You were the worst of the lot. The traitor that gave Voldemort his friend's secret, my friend's parents! You're the one responsible for their deaths and misery, not Voldemort."

"I was forced. The Da-" Pettigrew cleared his throat. "Voldemort, was powerful and Peter was weak, too weak and too small to resist the likes of him. Peter could hold no secrets against him."

"Don't make me laugh. I know your secret. You were probably the most powerful of the marauders. The curse you used to kill all those Muggles when you framed Sirius was not the work of a mere weakling and you achieved your Animagus form just like them at a ridiculously young age. You breached the Weasley's defenses and infiltrated their house for years without any of them ever guessing."

"Oh, my lady, do not frown so, Peter knows a few tricks, that is true, but Voldemort was much more powerful. Pettigrew could never resist his Legilimency. His abilities in Legilimency were unmatched."

"Snape could resist him."

"So he claims. Snape's right hand doesn't know what his left hand is doing. Peter is a simple Wizard, with a Gryffindor's straightforward mind."

Hermione snorted. She opened her mouth to shoot down his argument then paused. What was she doing? She shut her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the repellent Wizard. She wasn't being a very good doctor. All her books said that hostility was a big no-no and here she was doing just that with the rat. She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and looked at her patient.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Pettigrew, you need to improve your attitudes toward your fellow Group members. Tattle telling on them is no way to do that. Why don't you go back to your cell and wait for our regular Group session?" Professional. That was her motto.

Pettigrew bit his lip. "The lady is angry with Peter and rightly so. He has failed her test. He asked her to meet him, all eager to spill the secrets he learned. The secrets the good doctor wanted him to keep close to his heart and not tell a soul. Nothing he could do now could worsen his offense. Nothing."

"Don't take it so harshly. I'm sure that with time you'll improve."

"No, don't try to make Pettigrew feel better. What he did was inexcusable. He has disappointed you. Even if he told you all he learned about his fellow former Death Eaters his crime couldn't be any greater."

"Well," Dr Granger paused unsurely.

"Let Peter do some good at least after all the bad he did today. Pettigrew failed the test, but if he tells his doctor what he learned, the doctor would have the knowledge to care for her poor patients better. Please let Pettigrew tell you what he learned."

His argument did make a certain kind of sense Hermione had to concede to herself. It would be a great help to have this inside source about her patients just like he said and she was curious what the other patients told him. It was probably wrong to do this but, well, it would be just this once and later she would scold him and tell him never to do it again. Yes.

"Very well, if you really want to tell me what you learned so much, I'm willing to listen. Not that I approve, of course."

"Very good, my wise, clever lady." Pettigrew leaned forward. "First came Goyle. It pains Peter to repeat to my lady what Goyle said to Pettigrew in the meeting but my lady expects complete candor from Pettigrew. 'The doctor smells good,' he tells me, bold as brass. I was at a loss of words; you must believe Peter. The lady whisked him back to his place before Pettigrew could defend her honor. It is not Pettigrew's place to say but my lady should put him in his place. Do not be intimidated by his size. His magical powers are nothing compared to yours and you have him at your mercy."

Hermione jumped in. "Does Snape direct him? Is he using him as his cat's paw?" She was sure she was right about that.

Pettigrew's eyes lit up. "Snape whispers in his ear at every 'Walky Break'." His nose wrinkled in disgust. Apparently Goyle's term had taken hold among her patients. Hermione shook her head. "He's turning him against you, using him just like you said, as his cat's paw. Someone as unexceptional as Goyle could never humiliate you by himself, my lady. And you should know, it's not just Goyle. He takes Amycus and Alecto to his corner often enough as well. Pettigrew tried to listen in to their conversation but they become hostile every time I get near. Peter believes he's trying to sabotage your Psyche Therapy healing. Do you know how he uses the privileges you gave him? He ordered a bunch of Psyche's books and writes pages and pages of subversive Psyche Notes on a clipboard of his own."

Hermione rose to her feet and walked over to Snape's chair. She looked down on it. What was Mr. Snape up to? "What did the others say?" she asked, not looking at him.

"After you sent Goyle back to his place, Dolohov wasted our time with endless talk about the weather. There was nothing important in what he said. The man's a guttersnipe fool. Bellatrix… Bellatrix said that if it were up to her she would kill me. Like a, rat. You must protect me from her. The woman is dangerous!"

"Yes, I'll do what I can," the doctor replied absentmindedly. Retaking her seat, she asked, "what did Snape have to say?"

Pettigrew's chest rose. "Snape recited a spell to Pettigrew. Peter did not recognize it, unfortunately. But Snape was too arrogant this time. He did not suspect that Pettigrew would repeat his words to someone as smart, as studious, as you and even if he did, he always scorned your academic talents as you well recall."

Hermione curiosity lit up. "Well, let's hear it."

Pettigrew's lids half dropped. "It went like this: 'Ellohey, oh nay itay olley.' Pettigrew thinks it might be Mermish."

Hermione's forehead wrinkled. She picked up her clipboard and pen. "Say it again," she ordered. She had a certain suspicion. All those –ay sounds at the ends of words… It sounded very Pig-Latinish.

Pettigrew did so, looking proud of himself. Hermione wrote it down. She was right.

"You idiot!" She flung her clipboard away from her.

"Pettigrew is sorry, so very sorry. Pettigrew won't do it again, the lady must believe him."

Hermione glared at him. "You don't even know what you're sorry for."

"I'm sorry for disappointing you," he replied immediately.

Hermione huffed. "Let me tell you then. Your so called 'information' is nothing more than an insulting message Snape sent me through you in Pig Latin. A schoolchild could see it for what it was."

"Peter was home schooled," Pettigrew moaned. "He never learned the pigs' Latin."

"This entire meeting was useless. All it accomplished is to prove that 'Pettigrew' can't be trusted. And that he's useless. A useless useless fool. Might as well tell me what the Carrows told you and be done. You told me everyone else's secrets. After that I'm leaving and I don't want you to bother me again outside Group Session time. I hope you've learned your lesson. I only lowered myself to listen to you because you begged me."

"Pettigrew can still be useful. Without him the lady would not know that Snape conspires with the Carrows. Or that he reads Psyche's books behind your back and has a clipboard of his own. And, Pettigrew also knows important dark secrets concerning the nefarious activities of Snape and the others from the days of the Dark Lord."

"We already know all their secrets. They were thoroughly investigated and tried. We caught every last one of you."

"Surely the lady doesn't believe she knows all their secrets?" His lips opened in a grin. "Did my lady ever hear about Snape's Hidden Death Treasure, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

Hermione rose to her feet. "Will you never learn? I'm not interested in Snape's blood money. I'm trying to heal all of you. I'm trying to get St. Mungo's to see, through you, that Psychotherapy is the way to treat the ill of mind. And what will I have to tell them now? That instead of progressing, patient Peter Pettigrew is regressing!"

Pettigrew made a shushing sound. "Peter is only trying to help. The lady is a good and righteous Witch. Assisting her in her endeavors is not a bad thing to do. Revealing dark, criminal secrets is not a bad thing to do. Pettigrew never meant to imply the lady would want the treasure for selfish reasons. No! The lady would employ it for the betterment of the Magical World, or the Muggle World for that matter. She would build a Psyche Ward in St. Mungo's with it. Or give it to the victims of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Who knows? Pettigrew is sure she will do good with it instead of letting it collect dust in some dunk cave to the sorrow of all."

The doctor tried to remain disinterested but it was hard. She needed money. She didn't like to dwell on her lackluster accounts and nearly empty Gringotts safe. No one saw the benefits of her, magically speaking, revolutionary treatment. She had to finance it out of her own savings and she wasn't making any new money. Fighting for what was right wasn't 'A Fiscally Responsible Proposition!' as the goblins took delight in telling her every time she saw them. If it weren't for Harry's help she wouldn't even get the Ministry's approval for this project. She could always ask Harry to loan her some of his money, but she didn't like to ask.

It was so easy during the War's aftermath, when they broached the Death Eaters' safes. Everything was possible back then. Discovering this secret treasure would be just like that, wouldn't it? There would be nothing shady about it. She would hand over the money to her Auror friends and if she took a little finder's fee, who could blame her?

"I suppose you know where this hidden treasure is stashed?" she asked her patient trying to sound indifferent.

He wasn't fooled. "Would the doctor write good things about poor old Peter Pettigrew? Will she protect him from the others and give him privileges?"

The doctor pinched her nose. "Fine." Was she failing her doctor's oath? Definitely not, she told herself. This was for the greater good after all. It wouldn't be any other way while she was in charge. "You must not tell any more of your fellow patients' secrets unless it's for their own good, or to curtail criminal activities they were or are involved in," she added, to make herself feel better.

Pettigrew positively glowed. "Never fear, my lady. Pettigrew hears and obeys."

~*~*~*~

Author's notes: Sorry for the longish wait between chapters.

For anyone who couldn't figure Snape's coded message it's a transcribed (and hence has mistakes in it) Pig Latin, otherwise known as Ix-nay, of the sentence "Hello, Know-it-all."

Psyche – is the heroine of the tale "Cupid and Psyche" from the Greek Mythology.

sarahdaye9 - Hermione is a bit naive, this is all a bit new to her. Give her time.

Draconia Lesoto - It would be kind of hard for Hermione to take out Bella when she is a little terrified of her. Pick up Goyle and hug him?? lol. As for Snape, he'll have his time to talk all about his dark past to the Group.
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Ready to face the music?