Seeking Advice

[Marisol Woods]

Dear Ellie,

How are you? I hope things have been well post-graduation. I hope you don't mind me writing to you, I'm just feeling kind of lost and I would like some advice, if you have any for me.
I got in a fight with my best friend because he says I keep lying to him about why I'm sick all the time. Actually I keep getting in fights with both of my best friends about it. I know they're my best friends and I should tell them, but I just don't feel ready. We're learning about werewolves this year in DADA so I got to see first hand how some people in the wizarding world feel about them. I don't know if I can trust them with a secret like this. Is that normal? How do I know when I'm ready to tell someone? I'm just scared to lose them.
I know this is probably just dumb teenager stuff, but I don't really feel like I have anyone else to talk to about this. Well, good luck with the full moon this month.

Best wishes,
Marisol Woods

 

[Ellington Hayes]

Marisol Woods,

Can't say I ever expected to hear from you. I've been as well as I can be, my father takes my needs very seriously. Things were touch and go for a little while, but I'm definitely getting there.

As for your problem, I've always been one to give out advice, but I can't say I've ever actually been in your situation. I didn't have many friends whilst I was in school and most of the people I spoke to already knew about my condition. Really, the one person I told on my own was someone who worked on Hogwarts Monthly with me, and is currently working with me now. I'm the editor of a Magazine called Wise Werewolf and we tell the anonymous stories of werewolves as well as offer self-help guides and secret meeting locations. I fear that I'll not be the greatest help to you whilst you're in school. I think the one thing I can say on this topic, as it is something I do have first hand experience with, is that you need to feel ready and confident when you tell them. If you can't accept yourself before you first tell someone else, I don't see how you could expect acceptance from them. Maybe this isn't helpful, but what do they think of werewolves? You're learning about them in class now, so maybe this is the time to put some feelers out there and see what the reaction is, if anything it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Feel free to write me whenever. I'll send you some samples of our magazine if you like, the parts that aren't too obvious. Good luck with your full moon as well, I have a feeling you'll need it more than I.

Regards,
Ellie.
​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Ellie,

Thank you for not completely laughing at my "problem" - at least not so I could see. It seems so dumb and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but I would be wrong if I said my friends didn't mean anything to me. They're kind of the reason I've been able to deal with adjusting to the wizarding world. It was hard being thrown into this world at the same time as having to deal with being bitten. This werewolf thing is the only thing my friends have no experience in so having to navigate through it on my own, without them, has been hard.
My friends have made some comments about werewolves in the past that leads me to believe they're okay with them. But it's all in theory. They think werewolves are "super cool" and "interesting" they don't know how awful it really is. One of my friends even dressed up as a werewolf once for Halloween and it really upset me. It's hard to be okay with them thinking it's so cool when I'm the one that has to suffer and face discrimination. How can I be okay with this when the rest of society isn't?
Sh*t.
You're so right. It's me who's not ready. Shitshitshit.
I guess I've got a lot of thinking to do. That magazine sounds like a really cool idea, to help others see that werewolves are just humans too. Would you mind sending me a copy? I think I'll need it. Thanks for opening my eyes to what I couldn't see myself. I needed it.

Happy holidays,
Mari xx

 

[Ellington Hayes]

Marisol,

I'd never laugh at something you think is trivial, whilst it may be trivial for some teenagers, and I hate to say this, but things can't really just be trivial for people like us. I'm sure you've seen this yourself in regards to the way people think and feel about werewolves, but, sometimes, they just don't understand. I don't really think you see it either. In any case, rest assured that nothing you write to me about will ever be considered trivial. You were so young, you never really had a chance to experience the magical world without this hanging over you. I'm really quite delighted that you're experiencing the same kind of dramas that teenagers all over the world experience. This might seem strange to you now, but I think you'll understand me when you're older when I say that teen drama and angst will be the least of your problems after you graduate. I don't want to go into details, but savour this feeling, Mari, you'll want to to look back on later.

I don't mean to get so dark, so I'll end on a more cheerful note. You'll know when you're ready. Sometimes it just takes a moment in time for everything to feel perfect. Maybe your perfect moment won't appear in the way you expect it to, but it will happen. Trust yourself. You'll feel it.

Good fortune be with you,
Ellie.

P.S. I enclosed a section of our magazine that talks about the accomplishments of werewolves through history, the section on Remus Lupin might be of particular interest.
​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Ellie,

Isn't it funny how convenient timing can be, presenting an opportunity when you most need it? I finally told someone. It wasn't my two best friends, but it's someone I felt I could trust. It wasn't my intention to tell her, she just kinda found out because she overheard something, but when she asked me about it, it just felt right to tell her. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, like I could breathe normally for the first time. It was nice not having to hold back or bite my tongue during every conversation. This was definitely a step toward being able to tell my best friends, whenever I'm ready for something that big.
Thank you for reminding me that my problems mean I am still just a regular teenager, that I'm normal. I guess I was just so focused on the one week a month where I'm a monster that I forgot I'm still human about 98% of the time.
I saw your writing in the magazine clips you sent and you know you really have a way with words. It was really great stuff to read, but it's not just that. I don't know how you knew exactly what to say to make me feel better every time. It worries me that things have not looked so bright for you all the time. I'm lucky I have someone to confide in and receive advice from about this stuff, I wish the same for you, even if you are all grown up out in the real world.
I cannot thank you enough.

With warm regards,
Marisol W.

 

[Ellington Hayes]

Marisol,

I'll apologise that this letter is coming so much later than my others, I got myself into some trouble, but everything is fine now.

I'm happy for you. Telling someone can lift a great weight off of your shoulders that sometimes you didn't even know you had. You will know when you're ready and so will they. I wouldn't be surprised if they accept you wholeheartedly. If they're your true friends, and I am sure they are, then nothing you tell them could ever turn them against you. Things are changing for us, there is more understanding than there used to be, in part to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Remus Lupin, he was a good friend of theirs and he did a lot for our kind. I know you can do great things with your life, everyone can. It only takes one truly great moment of decision to come and you'll always make the right choice, I know you will.

I may not be a diviner, and in fact I rather hated the practice in school, but I honestly see truly great things in your future, Mari. You're more than I could ever be. Embrace that. You are who you are. Not what people want you to be.

Ellie.
​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Ellie,

Things have been getting much better for me. Without sounding too cheesy I did a lot of soul searching this holiday break, mostly reading up on Remus Lupin and Harry Potter. There's so much stuff to read, it's kept me pretty busy. My best friends know now. As you said, they accepted me wholeheartedly, I feel stupid worrying about it now but I don't suppose you can ever be too cautious?
One of my best friends actually figured it out for himself. That actually worries me. Now I understand even more why werewolves can't keep jobs for too long, because people can catch on to them falling ill every month. I suppose that's why being self-employed makes things so much easier for you. I'm glad I have you to guide me, otherwise I don't know what I'd do without you. Anyway, back to my friend who figured it out, he thinks he can find a cure for lycanthropy. It was sweet but I didn't have the heart to tell him that's not possible. If people like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger couldn't find one for Remus Lupin, it just can't be done. Maybe I'll pass along the readings I did to him, to help him cope as well. It's better for him to accept that I'll always be this way and that's never going to change. Then again, that's something I'm still learning to deal with. Sometimes I wish I was still in denial and hiding the whole thing, it made things so much easier for me, even if it was unhealthy and I took it out on myself during transformations.
On the bright side, I like a boy and he likes me. That's new and uncharted territory for me as well. Don't know how I'll keep something like this a secret from him...please tell me you've dated after being bitten? Wait don't tell me - it's just like having to jump from job to job, isn't it? Don't sugarcoat it for me, just rip the bandaid off and tell me if I'm right. You can't stay in a relationship too long before they start to notice something's wrong with you, huh?... Just when I thought I finally had normal teenage problems with stuff like crushes.
Anyway, I'm sorry for unloading this all on you, I'm sure you get tired of talking about this stuff all the time. I'll try to talk about something else next time. Funnily enough, I'm taking Divination this semester. That stuff interests me, but I think it's because I'm Muggleborn so all types of magic are still new and fascinating to me and Divination is the only type of magic I heard of in the muggle world, so in my mind that means it must be good. My best friend says it's all fake, and I don't know if I should believe him or not because he grew up in the wizarding world. I guess we'll see what I think of the class once I've taken more lessons! We have a bet on whether or not I can make a prediction by the end of the year after I've taken the class. I hope I win, I don't take losing very well lol.
Well I hope things are well for you in the adult wizarding world! Feel free to unload your problems on me whenever you'd like. I wouldn't be any help other than an ear to listen, but I'd rather offer you that than nothing. It's the least I could do. I hope you're well Ellie!

Best wishes,
M. Woods

 

[Ellington Hayes]

Marisol,

You can't know how much joy it brings me to receive your letters, even more so when you are in a good mood and doing well. I was miserable for most of my time in school and regrettably I mostly shut myself away. I never really told you the story of how I became a werewolf and one day I will, but I hope that when I do, you'll see the good that came out of it. I admire you, quite a lot. I know you probably don't understand why, but I do, you've managed to accomplish so much in your time at the school and from coming into all of this so unprepared. One day I hope to write your story in my magazine, I'm sure it will change someone's life like it's changed mine. You make me see the world through new eyes and I must say that's not something that is easy. Anyway, I'm rambling a little, but I am mostly taking up time. I've been procrastinating on something for a while and I like to fill my time with things that make sense to me, like writing letters. I'll likely get to it eventually, just... not now.

Moving on, I knew you'd get a good response from your friends, it's always a happy occasion when you're met with something other than hatred or misunderstanding, have you told them about me? Tell them they're welcome to contact me if they have any questions. I'm not sure if they would feel comfortable asking me things rather than asking you, but you never know. I also wouldn't count out the whole cure thing. I know some people have been working on it for a long time, but never say never. Herbs and properties of magical plants are being reevaluated every day, maybe one day it will be our turn to grow, change for the last time. I look forward to that day with great enthusiasm. If the day ever does come when we no longer have to hide in the shadows, I'll be sure to thank your friend, even if he isn't the one to make it happen.

I did wonder when the subject of boys would come up. I don't think you have anything to worry about there. I'm currently seeing someone, she actually goes to school with you, though she's a seventh year. She knows everything about me, but it was a slow process and I wasn't even sure it would work, she showed me otherwise. Just trust yourself, your unconscious mind knows more than you do, so if you feel right about it, you probably are.

I think you know more about yourself than you give credit for. I know there's that old saying about someone knowing you better than you, but I've never found it to be true. People take personality quizzes and about you quizzes on their own, a friend doesn't do it for them, remember that, it may come in handy one day.

Until next time,
Ellie.
​