Things Were All Good (Yesterday)

by PenofaPhoenix

Through a series of letters to Remus, 16-year-old Teddy Lupin accounts Andromeda's slow deterioration into the clutches of Alzheimer's disease. / It's hard to watch someone you love slowly slip away, but when she's all you have left? It's unbearable. {My entry for the Harry Potter MHealth Fest on LiveJournal.}

9. VIII December 21

VIII. December 21

Dear Dad,

The doctors said it's Alzheimer's, Gran's disease. She currently has mild late-onset Alzheimer's, though the doctors suspect that it'll progress rather quickly, seeing as how she's deteriorated in only six months. We got some drugs for her to help with the memory loss and mood swings, though there's no cure. I wish there was a cure for it in the Muggle world, but not even the magical world has a cure – hell, we didn't even know it existed! It's frankly ridiculous. They all called it obliti-dementia, or forgetful-demetia. Lumped it in with all the others types of dementia. I swear, I'm going to find a cure for this damn disease. If the magical world can't do anything for Gran, I will. Even if it's posthumously, but I don't want to think about that. You know they don't even have a test for Alzheimer's? Like a definitive, quantitative diagnostic test for it. How ridiculous!

I've been going to a Muggle library to print out everything on Alzheimer's and duplicate some of the books. Perks of magic, right? (Aunt Mione's doing it for me, though she finds it a bit unethical… It's not like I'm selling it for profit or anything like that!) And I've started getting more Muggle and wizarding books on neuroscience so that I can better understand Alzheimer's. I'll let you know what I can find. Aunt Mione's encouraging my curiosity, though she still want me to spend the hols with the family. I don't have a family anymore, though, not a 'real' one – you and Mum are dead, and Gran might not even remember my name soon!

Obviously, I have Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, but they have James and Albus and Lily. And Aunt Mione has Rose and Hugo with Uncle Ron. So where does that leave me? I can't bear the thought of not having Gran to come home to. I don't know what I would do. I told Aunt Hermione that I didn't want to tell everyone about Gran's disease yet, not until after the holidays are over. Gran's still coming to terms with it too; I don't think she fully understands it. I don't either. No one does, really, but I do know that it's going to shorten her lifespan and soon she won't be able to remember… I wish you were here to help me take care of her and help me understand.

Love always, Teddy