Longbottom Estate!

Frank did not like saying that he was good at giving advice, he said that he just spoke and occasionally he lucked out and said the right thing. The only reason he and Rise had ever been drawn together was when he had happened to luck out and console her. He rubbed his hand up and down, rubbing her arm comfortingly as she curled closer.

She thanked him and he nodded, feeling a little awkward about having her pick his hand up and rested it against her cheek. He had had this problem about giving girls at Hogwarts advice and then developing little crushes on him and then he had to distance himself. Ever since, he had been cautious about drawing a line, because he wanted to continue to help people. He felt he needed to remain professional somehow. "Of course, Rise. You're family now."

Rise nodded slowly, and then looked at the locket that lay on the ground on the sidewalk. "They never loved me anyway.. ever... they always liked my siblings.. because they were smarter, better at sports.. and all I ever had was my grandmother... she was really nice to me.. She probably would take me in.. you know.. if you ever wanted me to go away.." She said frowning, and then sitting up farther, so that she wasn't to close to Frank anymore. "Frank... it hurts.. you know.. it does hurt.. knowing your family hates you.. and it hurts to transform.. and it just.. it hurts so much everywhere else.. afterwards.. I always wonder what I did that last night.. because so far.. I have no idea what it's like to be a wolf.. I've never taken the potion.." She said and whimpered slightly, unsure of what else to do. "If I have.. taken a bit.. I don't think it was ever enough.. I have some control... but it's like.. she takes over.. and... I just can't control her.. she's so happy though.. so carefree.." She whimpered and buried her face in her hands.

"It doesn't work on me! She takes over anyway! It's not like.. she's dangerous or anything.. but.. but... I don't know, I feel like I should be able to just. curl up and wait it out. and I can't.. because she wants to go out.. and so I run.. like you've noticed.. I disappear, and don't come back until I've re-transformed.. hungry.. and usually weak.." She said and frowned. "Sporting bruises.." She whimpered and looked at Frank, frowning. "Why did they have to choose me Frank? Why? I wasn't anyone.. I wasn't.. I mean.. there was nothing about me to make them choose me! I don't understand..." she said and sighed, looking down at her feet, her forehead nearly touching her thighs.

Rise was rambling again, but Frank did not mind, he was quiet as it was and he knew that she needed to get a lot off her chest. Typically the way this went was that he let her speak her mind and eventually she began to figure things out on her own. That was the best way, really, because he knew he would not always be able to help her out.

"Honestly, Rise, I don't know. Some things we can never know. Maybe we are not supposed to know these sorts of things, because it's better to not understand why people do terrible things, or how they can do them without thought." He paused and said quietly, "I don't want to live in a world when it is understandable that those things could happen. You know what I mean?"

Rise listened to him, and then nodded slowly. "Yeah.. because if you could.. it would mean.." she stopped, and her eyes got wide, turning to look at him. "If you could understand why.. then.. that would mean you are like them.."S he said frowning, and looking down at her hands. "I don't want to be like them Frank.. but.. I feel as though everyone expects me too! They all expect me to be just like them.. be like Fenrir.. be like those monsters that took me... and I don't to be.. even you sometimes.. I feel like you look at me differently.. like, your thinking of what I become every full moon." She said softly, her eyes slowly finding his. "And it scares me.. to think that I might become something like that.. something so.. evil..." She sighed, and looked at her hands.

"But.. it's like... other werewolves will want me to join them.. and everyone just.. expects me too... they expect me to randomly go on a killing spree...just.. snap.. and I don't feel like snapping.. I'm not even dangerous as a wolf.. I don't understand it.. it's just like being an animagus.. only for us.. it's not willing, and we become.. someone else.. no.." Rise stopped, and thought. "I won't become a monster, I won't do it! They will try to make me a monster! They will expect me to be a monster.. but I won't.. okay Frank? I won't be a monster.. I won't.." Rise was breaking mentally, she didn't want to believe that she COULD be taken over by that wolf that lived inside her mind, and it scared her to breaking point.

As she imparted this thought, Frank felt overwhelmed by guilt- obviously, he was curious about what happened at the full moon, but that was only because he felt like it was the only time he could not help Rise and he felt like a failure as a friend and a caretaker.. or whatever it was that he was to Rise. He flushed and began to earnestly shake his head.

"Rise, I don't think of you any differently. I wonder about full moons- but I wonder how I can help, how badly am I failing you, being unable to help you then. I wonder how it feels to be in your place. I don't think you would become a monster. You have the capability to, yes, but we all do. I do, my dad does, God knows Alice does." He attempted a smile. "It's not because you're a werewolf. I don't think you ever would though, knowing what you want and who you are."

He was proud to hear her speech, knowing that defiance was going to be what set her apart from those that turned into monsters. "Rise, people are always going to expect things of you, regardless of other things. I have bad things expected of me. It's almost better that way-- at least then, you have a real reason to prove them wrong. I will help you no matter who you want to become."

Rise smiled slightly and shrugged. "I'm sure everyone wonders... what happens.. but... it isn't pretty to watch.. let alone experience.." She said softly, her eyes downcast as he spoke about being curious about the full moon. "You aren't failing me Frank.. in fact.. you are the first person to NOT fail me.. I mean, everyone else has.. and you.. you've let me into your house.. let me live with you.. let me... feel loved, for the first time in my life.. you haven't failed me Frank." She smiled at him slightly and pushed a strand of hair off of her face. "It is scary though.." She said slowly, looking up at the sky.

"It's like she WANTS to.. and it makes me wonder just how soon it is... that her want, becomes what she is.. she's just a puppy.. she's so... oblivious to everything.. and I just sit there and watch.. watch as she makes mistakes like a child, watch as she learns.. and it scares me, because it's me... but it doesn't feel like it is, like I'm borrowing someone else's body during the full moon. And... it's weird because it's my body.." She said and shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "How soon, until I lose control of this body's mind too.. just like Fenrir Greyback.." She said and sighed, pulling her hair away from her face, and looking at Frank, before looking away. "Not everyone has this force, trying to tell them that they SHOULD be horrible, be a monster... inside their own mind.."

Frank could not help but feel a trickle of relief at Rise's reassuring words about his help- Neville was different in that he told Frank all they could do was offer their help, know they did their best, and hope they went appreciated. Frank was still young and naive- he needed to feel that return of thanks, just to feel as though all of his efforts were not in vain.

He was sure it was a little immature to need that approval, but he was not in any easy position. He was only two years out of Hogwarts, still with his parents, already overworked, and somehow becoming known as a wizard psychologist. He was taking people in, being asked to talk to troubled teens.. And he was still trying to figure himself out.

"Fenrir Greyback chose to indulge in his animal instincts, Rise," he said. "Everything is a choice. All of the Dark Wizards made a choice to give up on the good. As long as you never give up trying to uphold good, Rise, you are still good in my book. You have not disappointed me yet. Besides, even if you did, I'm sure my entire family would still the sun shone out your arse." He grinned at her. Not as eloquent as usual, but it would do.

Rise looked at Frank, and saw his slightly relieved face. She smiled and looked away from him again. He was talking about Fenrir and how he chose to indulge in his animal instincts. "But.. you don't.. you don't know! You don't know what the instincts feel like... You don't know.. it's like.. smoking... once you start, you just can't stop, the second you let those instincts take over... it's like an itch, that you can't scratch... it only goes away when you are doing something you don't like.. like when I'm a wolf.. when she takes over.. the itch goes away for a while, but it's still there.. it's like, there is something I WANT to do.. but I know I shouldn't!" She said and shook her head. "Fenrir... his pack.. they are just like me.. there are nice people in their pack too.." She said softly.

"It was different.. being in that pack.. they had tents.. and there were people there... other people like me.. girls my age, who were normal.. and yet.. there were nice werewolves too... The people I stayed with, in their tent, an elderly couple who were there because it gave them somewhere safe to go... and yet.. I had to work for Fenrir.. I served them food... with the other girls.. and suddenly, one day.. one of the werewolves, his son, got in a fight... or something.. and then he just.. chose me... pointed at me. .and made.. made him bite me.. he didn't want to.. but Fenrir made him!" She said shaking. "Then they beat me.. for days.. wouldn't let me heal my wound... then they put me in a car, and took me to the man who bit me.." She said shaking her head. "It's instincts like that.. that I'm afraid that I might get.. that I'm afraid my wolf part.. will want to try.. to hurt someone like... like I was hurt..." She said shivering. "I would have died, if he hadn't of saved me.."

Frank wished he knew about werewolves to help Rise, but he simply did not. He had done some research but most of the literature on the subject was biased and highly prejudiced against werewolves, offering little help and discussing things like how best to kill a werewolf and how bloodthirsty and absolutely unrelatable they were in comparison to wizards. Frank knew he would need to find a student werewolf to help Rise, teach her to cope with the difficulties of being a young girl growing up, as well as a wolf growing up, and a girl transforming into a wolf.

It was a lot going on in one body.

Frank did not know how else to comfort Rise but by saying, "We all have instincts, instincts to survive and sometimes they make us want to do dark, dark things. It's a matter of choosing not to succumb. I am not saying that it is an easy thing to do, but I do not think who we become is ever completely out of our hands, not if we want to remain good bad enough."