Eleanor was doing a clinical psychology essay, a colleague offered to publish her writing in a scientific journal where she worked.
- "Does the werewolf exist? (Lycanthropy)" - Severus read, leafing through his wife's first draft - "Why did you choose this topic?"
- "Comfort perhaps, I had saved something advanced on the subject that I could polish and there are few articles that deal with it, there are less than a dozen studies on this syndrome. A while ago, I looked for information to help Remus, and I came across some sources about clinical lycanthropy, which, apparently, my professor does not recognize as a disease. I still remember that he laughed at me for wanting to form a group to study it. But anyway, it was behind me; I didn't insist because none of my classmates were really interested, and I was discouraged from trying without support."
- "Now that you mention it, I think I remember something about that." - Said the wizard holding a leaf.
- "Remus has the talent to become a Professor of the Dark Arts but feels ashamed of being persecuted as a result of his ability to transform after being bitten. For Remus, being a werewolf acts as a mental disorder because, many of the times he transforms, he is not able to control it. Remus felt stigmatized by the belief that all werewolves were equal; the same feeling that people with mental health problems feel. This stigmatization goes far beyond the stigmatization of mental disorders, and there are parallels with other people or groups who have suffered rejection and who have felt they had to hide their condition." - Eleanor explained - "Since he accepted my advice, we have worked on several of these points."
The potions master only nodded indicating that he understood, he would not ask his wife to betray Lupine's trust by exposing what he was confessing in their sessions.
- "It is a syndrome that is characterized by the subject believing that he is a wolf; it is usually accompanied by psychosis; the person who feels like a werewolf truly believes that he is this animal and behaves as such to the astonishment of the others. He moans, he growls, he may walk on all fours... When a person who suffers from clinical lycanthropy returns to his lucid state, he may remember that he feels at that moment as if he were a real werewolf. Other animals that usually reincarnate as the individual according to 'Its perception is not only wolves but also hyenas, cats, horses, tigers, and even toads, bees and birds'." -
Severus looked amazed after reading.
- "Some psychiatrists and psychologists frame it as a delirium disorder; for others, it is a severe case of depersonalization. The least plausible theory is the one that appeals to lycanthropy as part of the evolutionary history of human beings. In most of the studies I found, the object of study was about men who lived and coexisted with these animals for a time, blending in with them..."
- "Awesome. It must be a complex issue, Muggles believing themselves to be werewolves is not something that is known." - The wizard commented.
- "That's right... There are also other diseases that cause what we could call 'werewolf syndrome', hypertrichosis is one of those diseases. It is characterized by excessive hair growth and the enlargement of the body in an excessive manner; It occurs in one in a million people due to a recessive mutant gene. Another disease related to the topic is Porphyria; also produced by a recessive gene that causes ailments in the spine, redness of the eyes and teeth, as well as photophobia."
- "I had no knowledge of such diseases. Didn't they develop a cure for this?"
- "Hair removal. I still have to read about the treatments; I focus on the psychological aspect..." - Eleanor responded, anxious about her lack of knowledge - "Possibly, these diseases could be the origin of the legend of the werewolf. Werewolves or lycanthropes were common in Greece, Rome, and even the East; But only in the Middle Ages were they seen as creatures subject to a kind of transformation, that is, a human part in constant struggle with its animal nature. The poet Ovid makes an approach to the psychology of the werewolf by detailing the metamorphosis of Lycaon, whose symptoms resemble medieval hydrophobia, or, in our times, rabies. In the Middle Ages, the idea that a werewolf was ultimately a sick person, a victim, did not even fit into the imagination of the most humanist. The general idea was that if you were a werewolf you simply had to die by being burned, walled up, stoned, drowned, hanged, staked, disjointed, dismembered, dismembered, etc. Only in the 17th century did people begin to consider the possibility that lycanthropy was, after all, a mental disorder. In his treatise of 1621, Richard Burton was one of the first to address lycanthropy as a mental disorder, although of gastric origin, he suggests the possibility of wolf madness, that is, of an intimate belief of the subject about an internal nature associated with the wolf. wild, which are due to a deficiency in the humor, an excess of bile that, according to the belief of the time, ended up lodged in the brain facilitating all kinds of abnormal behaviors."
- "I understand, it's not very different from what happens with real werewolves in magical communities... You know, you should do an exhibition on the subject if you're interested. You have enough material to present to your colleagues."
Eleanor smiled sheepishly and looked at her desk with folders. Some things required great support and logistics, in this case, it required the collaboration of mental institutions, other colleagues, and doctors who had this type of case, in addition to the permission of the people who suffered from the syndrome to become objects of study.
- "I appreciate your trust, but it is difficult, and in any case, I have patients who really are werewolves."
- "TRUE. My clients have praised your work, some noticeably improved their self-esteem... Hitler? Isn't he that genocidal muggle from Grindelwald's time?" - He asked moving a folder.
- "I found a copy of a study carried out in 1951 by the British anthropologist Robert Eisler, where it is stated that Adolf Hitler manifested some symptoms of lycanthropy. To do this, it would have to be based on the statements of numerous witnesses close to the Fuhrer, who on various occasions reported Adolf Hitler's tendency to throw himself to the ground in moments of great emotional tension, and even chew the carpet or furniture during these outbursts."
- "How strange... Well, I'll stop interrupting you."
- "I'm going to leave it for later. I'm tired, and the children will soon return from their excursion to the Museum. Maybe it will continue tomorrow, since I have practically finished the article, I will change one or 2 paragraphs; I need to rest my mind."
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Severus was reading his new pet potions book in his bedroom while waiting for his wife to finish her bath; Over time and after having pets after getting married, he realized that he did not know much about that aspect of his art, so he took a 'course' in this area with a creature specialist.
The door opened a little, and a child's face looked out; his 4-year-old son entered slowly until he reached the bed.
- "Why aren't you in bed?"
- "Because I'm here." - Answered Marcus in his pajamas, placing his hands on the edge of the mattress.
- "Why are you here?"
- "Because I'm not in my bed" - The boy responded, frowning with a small pout.
- "Obviously." - He responded, reflecting on his son.
- "My mom?"
- "It's coming, but I'm here, what happened?"
Marcus seemed to hesitate whether to tell him or not.
- "I had some chocolates hidden under my pillow. Liam and Chris ate them and didn't give me a bite."
- "You know you shouldn't eat too much chocolate or your stomach will hurt." - Severus said.
- "But Dad, they were mine! It's unfair! I'm growing, I need them more!" - He exclaimed, ignoring that his father was right about his tummy ache after abusing sweets.
Severus and Eleanor did not deny their children treats, but they were restricted to a 'healthy daily dose' established by a pediatrician. Eleanor said it was her karma to not get her children to choose more nutritious foods over sweets.
Eleanor found her youngest son sitting next to the father waiting for her, heard the cry of 'her baby' and proceeded to intervene. In the children's bedroom, the twins denied eating their younger brother's chocolate bar.
- "Whoever finds it keeps it."
- "Marcus's name was not written anywhere." - Said one of the twins in support of the other, finally admitting the fact, after Eleanor discovered the wrapper lying in a corner.
- "Mommy." - The youngest whispered as if begging for justice with the expression of a helpless puppy.
Eleanor sighed internally, not knowing exactly what to say. First, she reminded them that they should be careful about eating so much chocolate; second, she said that they should take care of their brother and play whatever he wanted without buts and balances the next day.
The twins complained that they were too big for baby games, to which she asked what baby games were for them, in conclusion none of them could refute their mother's logic.
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Marcus, 6 years old, began learning to swim with the armbands and the float, and after 2 days he took off the float. After a week he dared to swim without the help of his armbands. His father was in the water holding his belly, while he stroked and moved his legs. Then his father let him go and Marcus began to slowly advance towards the stairs of the pool when he realized he was swimming. When he got out of the water, he jumped for joy and ran to hug his mother. He was happy because he had achieved it and could swim with his brothers and cousin that summer. The families had planned to go camping for a weekend near a lake, where the children could fly their brooms and play freely without the danger of being discovered by Muggles.
It was 1990, a year of important events. Dumbledore again rejected the offer to become Minister of Magic, so the head of the Department of Accidents and Catastrophes, Cornelius Fudge, became Minister of Magic and his campaign slogan was: 'A fair compromise for wizards dealing with relations with Muggles.'
Also, the 421st Quidditch World Championship was held, in which the US participated, Maximus Brankovitch III was the Seeker of the Fitchburg Finches and played for the American National Quidditch team, again he was the Captain of the team as he was in 1986. The final went on for 5 days during which Scotland suffered a bitter defeat against Canada.
Dumbledore was aware of the lives of his protégés, James and Lily finally reacted after a long treatment, which involved a series of comings and goings in which the mediwitch in charge believed he lost them. But, they finally came to their senses little by little, with an uncalculated consequence, they lost or at least did not have access to a significant portion of their memories, including those related to their son. The couple restarted their life in France, they decided to stay because they found a nice place to live and they did not want to upset anyone. Dumbledore traveled to update them on the situation, arguing that for security reasons he had to say that they had died.
Over the years the Potters had a daughter whom they named Iris Euphemia Potter, the light that united them as a family.
Lily remembered that she had a sister although the type of relationship they had was nebulous, the clearest memories from childhood indicated that they were not close, however, those flashes of memory were one thing and what she felt was another. After months of piecing together memories like a puzzle, the healer theorized that the trauma was such that his mind refused to lift the veil. Dumbledore, a legitimate expert, did everything 'possible' to help them, supporting their decision not to return to England, even dissuading them that it was not necessary for them to go to vote in the elections for minister of magic.
Three children, 2 cats, 2 dogs, an owl, and a couple, the house sometimes became small, they considered moving but they really liked their home and postponed any move until when the boys began adolescence. The place had 3 rooms, the twins shared a room and Marcus had his own after overcoming the fear of being alone, the dogs slept with him causing a bit of jealousy from Liam and Chris, but each cat claimed their bed as their own. So, they felt that it balanced things out. Plus, Marco and Polo were adorable, with soft eyes and a loving temperament, which made it hard to get upset about their choice, and to be honest, they loved their little brother a lot, so if their Cavalier King Charles Spaniels preferred to sleep with him, that was fine. They enjoyed walks in the park, and watching them run around playing was funny; Their cats Ludo and Vico used to stretch out and lie on the books they were reading, or on their notebooks and even take their pencils away, hiding them under the sofa. Their dogs, on the other hand, snuggled with them while they read a book.
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Eleanor's office was a few blocks from Charing Cross, she had set opening hours but sometimes her patients forgot this. Her secretary was a squib named Lorna Lockhart, a kind woman who helped organize her schedule.
Eleanor had to select 'a uniform' for her work, she chose clothes of neutral and dark colors, to convey distance and authority, maintaining distance was very important to maintain the patient's respect.
On many occasions, therapy consisted of a game to try to unmask the truth behind an experience or an anecdote. What is true and what is a lie? Therapy is not about seeking an absolute truth, but about understanding a point of view. But on many occasions, Eleanor was very aware that she was being blatantly lied to, yet she could not directly say to a patient: 'I know you are lying to me.' It was necessary to look for indirect strategies.
A girl was her first patient of the day, she entered shyly, and after saying hello she sat on the couch.
- "Tell me, what is your problem?"
- "Oh doctor! I have a very weak character. Men get from me everything they ask for and then I get pangs of conscience. Can you please help me? Is there anything I can do?"
- "There are methods to strengthen character."
- "But doctor!" - The girl interrupted Eleanor - "You didn't understand me, what I want is not to have remorse of conscience later."
Eleanor did not express her surprise, and at the same time, she had the feeling that it would be a complicated day.
She had to attend to an emergency after hours, and Severus was exasperated by the lack of consideration from some patients. 'Your boyfriend left you, how bad for you. But don't you have another person? Why does Petunia have to comfort you in the middle of the night? Didn't they understand that his wife was his therapist and not his friend?' Severus thought angrily.
- "Mommy?" - Marcus asked, followed by the twins.
- "He had to go to work."
- "At night? "That's exploitation"." - Liam declared.
Severus completely agreed with his son.
- "Can we wait with you?" - Chris asked.
The wizard nodded and allowed them to build a 'nest' of pillows around him.
- "Please read." - The minor asked, holding out a book.
Severus opened it at random and began to read: "The rock in the path."
«In a distant kingdom, a king once placed a large rock in the middle of the main road that led to the kingdom, blocking the way. Then he hid to see what his subjects did when they passed by.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon some of the wealthiest merchants and courtiers of the kingdom passed by, who simply surrounded the rock. Many stood in front of the rock for a while complaining and blaming the king for not keeping the paths clear, but none of them did anything to remove the obstacle.
After a while, a farmer arrived carrying a load of vegetables. He stood watching it for a moment and then placed his burden on the ground at the edge of the road. He tried to move the rock with just his hands but couldn't, so he used a log for leverage. After great effort, he finally managed to push the rock away.
As he bent down to pick up his load, he found a bag, right where the rock had been. The bag contained a good amount of gold coins and a note from the king, indicating that it was the reward for whoever cleared the way.
The moral is that the obstacles overcome are an opportunity to grow as people and improve our condition. Many times problems are opportunities to change, to reflect on our ways of doing things, or even calls for attention. The final result will depend on the way we approach them."
The fact that his children liked those stories was curious to Severus, although it was not surprising as he and Petunia's children were both considered peculiar. Maybe he was wrong, but he had the impression that kids were more interested in stories with fantasy, heroic, and action characters.
By the time Eleanor returned, after managing to admit her patient to a clinic for depression, the first to greet her was her dogs, she followed them and found her boys asleep against each other. The cats move their ears and stood up, stretching their bodies lazily.
- "I see that they tore their 'shirts', did they not like them?"
The cats meowed, rubbing their bodies against her, purringly accepting the cuddles.
The woman moved her hands repairing the torn clothes.
- "How did it go?" - Severus said sleepily, moving carefully so as not to wake the boys.
- "Her depression was such that she could hurt herself, I had to recommend her stay in an institution."
- "Hum... Maybe you could agree to work in the Spell Damage plant at St. Mungo's Hospital, in Janus Thickey's ward your work schedule would be respected and there would be others to rotate shifts." - Severus said.
Eleanor walked over and kissed him briefly on the lips. - "I like to be independent, my schedule is flexible and I can structure it at our convenience."
- "You think?" - He asked, looking at comfortable sleeping children.
- "I'll look for a big blanket for them, I prefer not to bother them, they seem very comfortable." - She responded, looking lovingly at her children.