The Twelfth Moon

To: Mr & Mrs Francis Greyson
Re: Your son, Frankie

Dear Mr & Mrs Greyson:
Please find the following entry from your son Frankie's therapy journal, as well as my notes at the end. As you can see, there is a serious problem with your son.

*****

Mum and Dad quit talking about time with the calender when it hapened. They started talking about moons instead. I read in this one book about how people used to do that until somebody made up a calander.

I guess it makes sinse. Our whole life is all bout moons now.

Well it used to be.

Its not for them no more, since they ditched me. It is for me. It always will be for me.

Stupid doctor. This one kid called her a 'shrink'. I'd like to shrink HER, thats fer sure! Tell us to write stuff in a bloody book. Like thats gonna help us. This time is spozed to be special tho.

Special, cause its one year since it happened, to me.

One year, and my arm still hurts. I wish it'd jus heal up tho. Stupid healers cant even fix a little bite – but they can fix a broke leg with their wand jus like THAT! And they think they can find somebody to take in kids noone wants no more. Kids like me. The probly wont fix it cause they don't like me. Nobody likes me.

She says I miss Mum an Dad. And I do. Nobody is gonna read this but her, so I guess Ill write down stuff like YOU want! Then YOU can leave me alone! I like it better when they leave me alone. I like it out in the foresst where its jus me and the animals and no stupid people telling me its OK.

Its NOT -OK. It aint been OK for a year.

Everybody sez things like (Its your own fault.) Or they say something like (if you didn't sneak out, you wudnt have got bit.) Noone told ME it was a full moon. How wuz I spozed to know there wuz Werewolfs out in the woods?

Werwolfs are spozed to eat people. Not jus come up and wag there tail and act all like a nice dog and lick yer face and then bite your hand when you go to pet em. If it wuz gonna get me – hows come it didn't eat me? I think itd been better if it did.

How wuz I spozed to know what a werewolf looks like? I never even had a dog.

She says what really bugs me is that my mate, Andre, didn't live. They think bein bit killed him, but I know what it wuz. Andre knew what happened to us and he jus give up. I read a book one time where the girl wuz in love an she died – from a broken heart.

Sometimes I wish I could die.

Evry time the moon comes up.

The firs time it happened I don't remember it. I woke up the next day an all I remember was seein a big full moon and how bad it made me hurt. I got bit last August. They said I changed in September. They say I jus slept all the next day. I don't remember it. But they said someday I WILL remember it.

The second time was Oktober an I remember I didn't get invited to the Hallowene party. Mum made me a costume with a blue robe an a pointy hat with yellow stars and hook moons on it. I like hook moons. They don't make me change or make everyone scared. I think that costume is in my trunk Mum sent. I don't know. I don't look in it. I don't care. I never wore it. Stupid toy wand.

My teacher figured it out in November. I got sick before the moon was full. I missed a hole week and he knew it. Noone told him but he figgered it out. He called the Headmaster an then they chucked me out. They said I wuz dangerous. Mum got mad and yelled at them but it didn't help. They said the other kids mums an dads didn't want them in school with (someone like me). Mum wanted to hire a tutor but he quit in January. Never seen him again.

Jus like all my friends. They all quit comin over an calling. Guess what I have is catchy an they-d get it too?

Christmas come and went. I don't remember it. I wuz passed out for 2 days. When I woke up the tree was gone. Dad said I got out of the celler and tore it up. I cried – cuz Christmas is my favrite time. I didn't mean to be bad. I don't remember bein bad! All I know is I didn't get any presents. Thas when they told me.

''Yer a werewolf' my Dad said. I know I cried for a long time. But he didn't stay. He just left me in my room, locked the door. Better than bein locked in the celler.

My tutor quit too. He said he didn't work with ''my kind''. That wuz when the men from a Minstry showed up and talked to me. One o' them said he wuz gonna come and watch me next moon. He had lots of papers.

It wasnt til June when I woke up and remembered something. That time I woke up in the celler an I cudn't get up. It was dark an cold an I was scared. I tryd to yell but my mouth wuz all dry. My hands and feet hurt an when Dad came down to get me there was light an I could see.

They had me chained up.

Before the next full moon they sent me away. Mum cried – but she said it wuz better. She said I should be ''with my own kind''. I thought it wuz a summer camp. Boy wuz I wrong!

I hate this place. We have a teacher so we don't grow up stupid – he says. I used to like my books and school but its not the same. None of these kids care. Theres always somebody bein put in ''the box'' an they make us drink all kinds of gross Potion all the time. The cook cant cook neither. Who told her she could? Who hired HER? All she cooks is green weeds and potatoes. I miss Mum's Sunday joint and the carrots and onions……

They said my grades arent too good too. Well its hard to study when you go to sleep all the time an whats those stupid Potions do to us. All the kids wanna do here is sleep. An when you go to sleep in school they shoot you in the arse with a sting hex with their wands! My Mum NEVER EVER pointed her wand at me. Never.

This other kid Henry, he sez the teacher thinks we all hate them. Well there right. I hate everyone here. If I could get out of the celler when we change Id show em what hate is. If Im gonna half to be a werewolf for all my life – since nobody can cure us – then I want to be a wolf all the time.

I remember I wuz happy in July when the moon came up. I remember being a wolf.

They locked me in the box for 3 days when I told em. I wont talk to noone bout it no more.

I hate people.

I hate Perfesser Dippett. If I ever find him when Im a wolf, Ill eat him.

He runs Hogwarts.

I wuz gonna go to school there in September but I cant.

They dont take ''my kind'' – "Part Human" it said. In his letter. Im too dangerous.

Hogwarts wuz my last chance.
An they dont want me either. Stupid owl. I threw a rock at it, hit it. Think I killed it.
They don't want me.

Jus like Mum an Dad dont want me.

Nobody wants me. I-ll never get to be a wizard now.

I hope they all get bit an die! Next moon is a year, an if I get loose!

I hate them. I hate Hogwarts. I hate it HERE M************

*****

As you can see, the entry trails off onto the ripped area of the page. The rest of the book is shredded. The ink is all smudged here, because I think Frankie was crying when he wrote it. Perhaps that's a sign that there is hope?

I am sorry to say that we are going to have to transfer Frankie to the Psychiatric Ward of St. Mungo's for the help he desperately needs. There is nothing we can do with such a hateful child. Where he gets these wild notions about being abused, I cannot say. We have never harmed a werewolf-child in our care. I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, but it's the sad truth. Frankie cannot stay here, and he will not be attending Hogwarts.

Sincerely,
Patricia N. Pennick
Headmistress
Gardenstown Home for Underage Werewolves