future, present, past [evelyn]

[Deleted]

dear ms. estrada,

I hope this letter finds you in better health; I read about your accident in the paper, and I'd like to extend my sincerest wishes for your speedy recovery. I suppose I should introduce myself; my name is Jamie Greyback (yes, that Greyback) and I'm an aspiring professional Quidditch player. I was wondering if I could talk to you more about being a Quidditch player...and more specifically, a female Quidditch player. I know a lot of the other players in the league are males. I was wondering...how do you deal with it? Are they ever mean, or rude, or...? It's not going to change my mind if they are, of course, but I want to know what I'm getting myself into. I really only like surprises when they're pleasant.

yours sincerely,
jamie m. greyback

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

I appreciate you reaching out to me. You can call me Evelyn though. Everyone does. Mrs. Estrada is my mother. I'm doing quite well after the accident, but appreciate your concern. Also, I would be delighted to discuss Quidditch with you. To be entirely honest, I never really struggled with dealing with other players. I joined my team and became close friends with Dustin and he never let anyone treat me badly. Also, I'm not really the best with people so if they had been rude to me, I would have turned to my books or not understood what they were doing. But no, I haven't had to struggle with being a female player among many males. Does that make sense? Or do you have other questions?

Sincerely,
~Evelyn

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

Thank you for your response! I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure whether or not I would get any, since you’re such a popular player and all. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well. When you talk about Dustin, do you mean Dustin Bainbridge? The Seeker? I know it’s not that common of a name but I want to make sure we’re on the same page. Sometimes I wonder if I’m as good at making friends as I think I am, so I wonder if that part – making a friend on the team, that is – will be hard for me. That does make sense, though – thank you! I do have another question, if you don’t mind answering another. Do you ever think about what you’ll do after you retire? I know it’s still a long ways away for you, but I like to plan ahead, and I was curious if that was something that professionals thought about during their careers.

yours sincerely,
jamie greyback

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

Of course I responded. I don't get many owls like yours. It was different and interesting. Besides, I try to answer everything. (I don't really get too much) Yes, I was talking about Dustin Bainbridge, the seeker on my team. We got close and he's family to me now. I'm sure you're better at making friends than I am. I'm actually quite hopeless when it comes to doing things with people, believe it or not. So unless you spend every day in Hogwarts hiding behind books and drowning yourself in knowledge, you'll be better off than me. And even being me, I've made friends so I'm sure you can ... sorry if I went overboard there. Sometimes I don't know where to stop. To be honest, I haven't thought about what I'll do after I retire. It's a ways off and at the moment, I just want to enjoy what I'm doing. I like to have a plan, but I haven't sorted that one out yet. To answer your question though, I do think about it. I just haven't come up with something yet. Any more questions?

Sincerely,
~Evelyn

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

Thank you for thinking that I’m interesting! I think that you’re really interesting, too, which is part of the reason I decided to write you instead of someone else. That, and I didn’t want to seem like I was sucking up just to get a position on the team, and since the Falcons aren’t looking right now (right?), you were my first choice. Sorry, that ended up being more ramble-y than I thought it was going to be. I know a thing or two about having friends who are like family – I call one of my best friends my little sister. And I think that’s the best thing that a friend could be. I’m good at making acquaintances, but sometimes I worry I can never tell people all about my worries and struggles or whatever. They want to know about my day to day life, but not much beyond that. We’re both really going off on tangents in these letters, aren’t we? Sorry again. I understand wanting to enjoy what you’re doing, but I’ve always been a bit of a worrywart, so planning ahead if my favorite thing to do. I do have another question, but it’s a little more…personal, I guess. What is it like…dating? In the professional leagues? Does it work, or does it just lead to heartache?

yours sincerely,
jamie greyback

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

Well, I'm honored that you chose me out of all your other choices, but you are right. The Falcons aren't looking for anyone else right now; our team is full. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who makes such close friends they feel like family. I wondered if that was something most people do or not. Now at least I know another person who does it. You're lucky to have a lot of acquaintances. It's easier to make friends out of those, I think. I ... don't know many people at all. I keep running into people who know me from school, but I have no idea who they are. It's embarrassing. Yeah, I like planning, but I also like the excitement of figuring things out last minute. It's quite a conundrum. Uhhh dating. Dating is weird, but I'm not sure if that's because I'm in professional Quidditch or just because I've never been good at it. Honestly, I don't know if I can answer your question. I was dating a guy before the accident- Rocco Layton, you've probably heard about him. We were actually engaged, but we're not anymore. So ... I don't know what dating normally does. I've only tried it once. Sorry I'm not more of a help with that.

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

Having a full team is a good thing! It means that no one wants to leave your team, right? And team unity is important and such. I’m Captain of my house’s team, so I know how hard it can be to make the entire team act as a cohesive unit, especially since there’s an age difference. You would think that five years of age difference wouldn’t be that much, but it is definitely a lot when you’re in Hogwarts. As for making acquaintances, I’m not sure if that’s something to do with me or just the fact that I’m good at taking on too much and putting my hats in too many rings. Focusing on one thing narrows your social pool. Are the people you run into from Hogwarts at least nice about it? Are they your friends now? (Don’t mean to pry, I just wonder if I’ll be able to make more friends even after I graduate.) I’ve heard of him, but I didn’t realize that you were dating or anything. I’m sorry if my question brought up any unwanted memories or anything of the sort. I’m also really sorry that you broke up. I know that that can be hard… It’s fine. Just what you said is plenty more than I knew before! I’ll let you know if I have any more questions. I’m sure I do, but I’m blanking out right now.

yours sincerely,
jamie greyback

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

Yes, I love my teammates and I am glad that none of them are leaving. It would make things harder, to say the least. I'll probably have a bit of a hard time when someone does leave eventually. Don't worry about your team. Even though they're all different ages, training and practicing together really builds unity on its own. There's definitely more you can do to help that too. Yes, everyone I run into from Hogwarts is nice, even when I don't recognize them. Some of them seem a bit amused, but I think being graduated and a bit more mature helps too because no one had ridiculed me for it, nor done anything similar. I am starting to make more friends, which I'm excited about, but it's still a slow process for me. I'm sure you'll be able to make plenty of friends if I can. It's okay. We kind of kept our relationship a secret, so no one really knew about it until it was over. So don't feel left out, I guess is what I' trying to say. And don't worry. When you have questions, feel free to ask me, but don't stress about it.

Sincerely,
Evelyn

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

That’s what I’ve always worried about with professional Quidditch – making friends with the people on your team and then being forced to compete against them if either of you ever signs a contract with a different team. Thanks for the reassurances about my team. I’m really trying to be a good Captain, but sometimes I wonder if I’m getting through to them at all. People say that being unsure if natural, but I would think that by now I would have more an idea of what I’m doing well or not. I think that the default is for people to be nice, especially if they know you didn’t have any ill will towards them in school. It’s not like they can fault you for wanting to study hard, though in hindsight it’s strange that someone who’s so bookish would end up as a Quidditch player and not something a little more erudite. I wish I could give you tips on how to make friends, but I keep making them on accident! As for Rocco…I don’t feel left out. I’m just sorry that I said something that might have hurt you. I’ve done more than my fair share of hurt in my life, and I’d like to stop doing it if I can.

yours sincerely,
jamie

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

I don't know if that would be a bad thing. I think having friends on other teams would be a good thing as long as you don't let it interfere with your playing. That's what Rocco and I did when we were dating. Our teams played and we acted as we would if we weren't dating. It's all about being able to copartmentalize. I think all captains wonder if they make a difference in the lives of their teammates, and I also think the answer is always yes. You're helping them, whether or not you can see it. I wanted a little more excitement in my life, so I decided to go with something a little more fun than being a professor. It's alright, I think I'm learning how to make friends. It's a good experience for me. Don't worry about hurting me. I'm all right. It was a harmless question.

Sincerely,
~Evelyn

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

One thing that pretty much everyone who meets me realizes is that I’m not good at compartmentalizing. I have very big, very messy emotions. Which kind of sucks sometimes, but is really great other times. It would be easier if I wanted to change that, but the highs have always been worth the lows, if that makes any sense. Another thing about me (gee, I’m sounding like a bit of a narcissist, huh?) is that I like change that I can see, or at least quantify. And that’s hard to do over a long term, especially when it comes to people. I think it’s good that you’re living an exciting life. It certainly sounds exciting, with the travelling for games and being a celebrity and everything. I’m glad that you’re learning to make friends, too – maybe you should give me a few tips sometime! Sometimes the most harmless of questions are the ones that have the biggest impact.

yours sincerely,
jamie

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

Don't worry; talking about yourself is a good thing. It's a quality to be admired and looked after, I think. Don't let people make you change. I think the most important thing about emotions is that you feel comfortable with who you are. As long as you are comfortable, it doesn't matter what others think. I'm not exactly sure if my life is exciting, but I enjoy it. I just ... I couldn't stand the thought of sitting behind a desk or reading papers all the time. I needed something to keep my blood pumping, that wouldn't be the same thing over and over again. Quidditch is that for me. Well if you want to give me tips on making friends, I'll give you any I can think of. At the moment nothing is coming to mind though.

Sincerely,
~Evelyn

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

I can talk about myself fine…I just feel bad about it afterwards, especially if I don’t ask the other person about them, too. And since you’re kind of a celebrity, I don’t want to ask you too many questions about your personal life, because that could put you in a weird situation, you know? As for being comfortable with who I am…that’s a funny story, because I like who I am, but not what I am. I’m sure that you’re smart enough to put two and two together and figure out what I mean by that. Sitting behind a desk doesn’t sound fun to me, either, but it doesn’t sound like I would die if I did it. It would be my last resort, but I’d rather have a desk job than no job – though I suppose you’d agree with that, too. Maybe advice isn’t the best way to go… The best way to learn is by doing, no?

yours sincerely,
jamie

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Dear Jamie,

Well I'm glad you feel comfortable with who you are. Since you feel comfortable talking about yourself, you're ahead of me. I have a hard time with that, which is one of the reasons I don't really say much at press conferences or anything. There really isn't that much to say and I have a hard time believing that people really want to know about me. I'm sorry you struggle with what you are, though I do think who you are is more important. My parents sit behind desks and that's what they really wanted me to do and they still do, but I've decided that it's not for me. I need to be active. So ... I guess I'd rather not have a job than working in a desk job, even though that's strange. I agree that the best way to learn is by doing. As a Ravenclaw I learned lots and lots of theory, but the best part was putting it into practice and achieving spells.

Sincerely,
~Evelyn
@jamie

[Deleted]

dear evelyn,

I think part of it is also I know who my audience is. I assume that you’re the only one who reads our letters, so I know my limits for what I do or don’t want to say to you. In a press conference, you never really know who is going to hear what you’re saying. You can assume, but there’s always the chance that someone you didn’t want hearing that information will get to it. If it makes a difference, I really do want to know about you. You seem really cool, and down to earth, too. I wasn’t sure if that was what I was going to get when I decided to send a letter to a professional. Parents can be difficult. Neither of mine are really in the picture anymore so I don’t have to listen to what they do or don’t want from me. You wouldn’t want a desk job because it would be proving your parents right? Or for another reason? I’ve been trying to apply the ‘learn by doing’ thing to Quidditch, too. Reading about different moves is all well and good but trying them is a lot different (and honestly, a lot scarier).

yours sincerely,
jamie

@evelyn