Advice Is a Form of Nostalgia (Elizabeth)

[parvati patil macmillan]

It had been some time since she had spoken with either of the Flint girls at any length, and—while Parvati didn't want to impose herself upon them—there was no harm in checking in with them occasionally, especially when both would be graduating from Hogwarts in a few short months more and she hadn't heard anything from any of the other staff about what their firm plans for the future might have been. On their birthday, Padma had reiterated their connections—which, Parvati realized, extended to just about anyone and everyone through someone or another—and being able to offer up their network could only help the girls' career prospects.

Since she had last met with Dusti, Parvati extended the invitation first to Elizabeth this time, waiting in her office after dinner on the first Saturday in March for the young woman to show.

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Eliza didn't think that she needed to view her meeting with Mrs. Macmillan with trepidation. She had never been anything but kind, even when she'd had to tell Eliza and Dusti about who their father really was and reveal over a decade of her own family's problems. But she couldn't help it - attracting attention of authority figures had often lead to bad things in her life.

She took a deep breath and pulled her shoulders back before she knocked on the door, once, twice. "Madam Macmillan, it's Elizabeth Flint. You asked to see me?"

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“Madam Macmillan, it's Elizabeth Flint. You asked to see me?”

At the second knock at her door, Parvati had been halfway across the room already, so it took her no time at all to open the door. “Come in. Go on and make yourself comfortable,” she smiled, stepping back so that Elizabeth could enter. “There isn't any bad news this time,” she promised her, imagining that the young woman could tell the difference in her tone anyhow.

“How are you?” Parvati asked, motioning for Elizabeth to sit before turning her desk chair to face away from the desk and taking a seat for herself.

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Madam Macmillan was very hospitable and sounded positive and smiled on her entrance, so a bit of the tension eased from her shoulders, but she was still concerned. Was this a check-up to make sure she was dealing okay with the aftermath of her parents death? Did Madam Macmillan think she was en route to a mental breakdown and needed intervention? Still, Eliza took her seat, brushing her skirt neatly into place as she did so.

"I'm doing well, thank you," she answered, when asked how she was. "Classes have been going well, as have choir and the newspaper." A little bit more than a non-answer, but she would need more to go on before she'd be prepared to reveal any of her vulnerabilities.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

If Elizabeth was at all apprehensive, Parvati thought, she didn't show it. She said that she was doing well, and she added that both her classes and her additional activities were going well, too. Parvati was glad to hear that things seemed to be relatively smooth for her; with her upcoming examinations, added stress wouldn't be welcome.

Really, Parvati had to wonder if Elizabeth and her siblings were feeling much less stress these days than they had been in a very long time. She imagined that just knowing that they would have to return home to Marcus and Pansy had been enough of a weight on their shoulders. Trying not to call attention to that side of things if she could help it, Parvati nodded in reply to what Elizabeth had told her. “That's wonderful, Eliza,” she acknowledged, her voice gentle.

Instead of turning the subject to N.E.W.T.s, on which even the brightest students felt intense pressure to do well, Parvati noted that Elizabeth had made mention of the school newspaper. Having worked for Witch Weekly and knowing a handful of people who she thought could be of support to her in that regard, she was curious to know if writing was something that Elizabeth wanted to pursue. “I didn't realize that you were on the newspaper's staff,” she admitted. She tried to keep track of which students and staff members were in charge of which clubs at any given time, but some of them were much larger than others.

“Do you write a regular column, then?” Parvati asked more conversationally, curious to know the girl's level of involvement and her areas of interest. If she could gauge that much, then maybe she could get somewhere.

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Madam Macmillan seemed to be happy to hear that things were going well, and asked specifically about her involvement in the newspaper, saying she hadn't realised she was on staff. That, at least, was something Eliza could talk about freely and happily.

"I've been one of the writers since first year," she started. "I don't write a regular column exactly. Those can be quite focused, and I like to see what's going on that people should know about. But I do try to get an article in every edition. Usually I can do it, but sometimes I do a bit more investigation and miss a few." She shrugged. Doing a bit more investigation didn't diminish the effort she spent, she knew, but having a piece in every edition would be quite the record.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“I've been one of the writers since first year.” From that, Parvati didn't think that it would be jumping to conclusions to say that writing was certainly something that Elizabeth enjoyed. And although she had been involved with the newspaper since her first year at Hogwarts, Elizabeth explained, she had never written a regular column for it. “Those can be quite focused,” she elaborated, “and I like to see what's going on that people should know about.”

That was fair enough, considered Parvati, who continued to listen with interest to what Elizabeth had to say.

“But I do try to get an article in every edition,” the Slytherin continued, which prompted another slight nod from Parvati. “Usually I can do it, but sometimes I do a bit more investigation and miss a few.”

Investigative journalism had never been her own strength; that was why she had written for a women's magazine and not for the Daily Prophet, but hearing that Elizabeth seemed to be so inclined was nothing short of impressive to Parvati. There was a lot going on in the world—and even within the castle's walls—that had to be of interest to the students, but Elizabeth appeared to possess a certain knack for discerning what deserved her time and effort. “Thorough” was a good word for it.

The expression on Parvati's face had turned from calm to contemplative as she mulled things over. “…You know I used to write for Witch Weekly, don't you?” She didn't keep it a secret in any way, but it also wasn't as though most students actually bothered to know what she had done before she had come to work at Hogwarts. (If anything, it was her membership in Dumbledore's Army that got their attention and not that she had once penned an advice column.)

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Madam Macmillan nodded acknowledgment as Eliza spoke, clearly listening and interested. And then she mentioned that she had used to work for Witch Weekly.

Eliza's eyes widened. She didn't know, but she could see the possibilities of where this might go, and she did not intend to let them slip through her fingers. She didn't often think much of Witch Weekly, but she would never admit to that now. "I can't say I did," she admitted, "but that's really interesting." She was intent now, smiling a bit but mostly thoughtful. "What was it like? I haven't had the chance to be in any news rooms besides the school's."

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

Answering people's letters for a magazine column wasn't exactly to what Parvati assumed Elizabeth aspired, but it had had its interesting moments nonetheless. Some questions were perfectly straightforward, where readers wanted help in their love lives or in relating to their children. Those were the average days, though occasionally there were a few that were oddly specific. Some of the more unusual questions she received ended up in the publication for the sheer scandal. The editors had to keep things interesting somehow, and features on attractive young Quidditch players could only go so far.

“What was it like?” Elizabeth wanted to know. “I haven't had the chance to be in any news rooms besides the school's.”

“It's busy, but I enjoyed it,” Parvati replied. “The pace is certainly different from working here.” Because she was responding to letters and never meeting anyone face to face, she was able to keep a greater level of detachment from her readers' problems. Being around the students of Hogwarts day after day and living at the castle along with them was sometimes a challenge, but it was more rewarding, too. “I wouldn't say that either is better,” she added, not wanting to dissuade Elizabeth in any way, “but—with any publication—you've often got multiple deadlines at once.” Work had to be completed in time for the latest issue; there was no way of changing that.

“With the Daily Prophet,” Parvati explained, “things would be a bit different—timings, mostly. Breaking news can't wait,” and, as quickly as circumstances could change overnight, that was key to remember. “So you've got to know what you're doing and how to manage your time.” Everything else was dependent upon the circumstances of the day.

“I didn't fancy working such irregular hours, especially not after my sons were born,” she shared, though she had been working for the magazine for long enough at that point that her editors had been perfectly understanding. “I never switched to news, and—being the agony aunt—you want your readers to feel like they know you.”

Since letters were often sent anonymously, with the few that left names later changed so that they remained unidentifiable, Parvati couldn't say how many of the people who had written to her were those she had met in her real life. She had provided the solutions to their heartbreak even as she was filing for divorce; she had tried to give them the clarity that she had believed that she would never find for herself.

“It's challenging,” Parvati said in summary, “but it's not impossible if you really want it.”

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Madam Macmillan talked about her experience in the Witch Weekly newsroom as busy but rewarding. It was exactly what Eliza wanted to hear from someone who'd actually worked in the industry. And Madam Macmillan definitely understood what Eliza really wanted to do, because she started to mention some of the ways the Daily Prophet would vary from her own experience, and Eliza nodded her understanding.

"I've wanted it for years," she said firmly. The only back-up plan Eliza had was being a pureblood trophy wife, and that didn't actually appeal, it was just something she knew how to do. If Madam Macmillan thought it wasn't impossible, then Eliza would make it happen.

But there was something that Madam Macmillan said that Eliza wasn't quite sure she did want. "When you say you want your readers to feel like they know you - how much do they actually know you? Or was that just because you were the agony aunt?" Working long, irregular hours, managing time and deadlines, all of that was fine, but privacy wasn't something Eliza was willing to just give up.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“I've wanted it for years.”

The conviction in Elizabeth's voice was undeniable, and Parvati withheld a smile long enough to issue the girl a simple reminder. “You're clearly dedicated, and—most importantly—you've got the whole world in front of you,” she told her. Whatever Marcus and Pansy had done to her in the past and whatever expectations they might have had for her future, she could move forward and do what she wanted to do. It was her life to live; it had always been, but now she wouldn't have to live that life with the hesitation that would have come from stepping out of line with her parents' wishes.

“When you say you want your readers to feel like they know you,” Elizabeth began, “how much do they actually know you? Or was that just because you were the agony aunt?”

Parvati hadn't meant to confuse her. Writing didn't mean giving away any chances of having a private life; it didn't have to. She shook her head and began to correct herself. “I always tried to keep things separate,” she began. “When you're nothing but words on a page to someone, though, you want to make them feel as though they can trust what you're telling them—that you're more than just someone who gets paid to answer their problems for a magazine.”

She continued. “To be quite honest, I don't know how many of my readers were people I've known. Maybe there were more than I realized,” though, with pseudonyms, anything was possible. “I never wrote about my own experiences unless it was to connect with a reader, and—even then—I tried to keep it all very… general.” It wasn't supposed to be about herself, anyway; she wasn't Gilderoy Lockhart.

“For me,” Parvati added with slight hesitation, “I didn't realize that I had given up my right to privacy when I was a teenager.” None of them had anticipated that Dumbledore's Army would become what it had. The attention they had received in the first few years following the war had grown old after a while, and that was factoring in that she had always been able to shield herself from more of the attention than the Potters or the Weasleys. “I got it back—more or less—eventually,” she shrugged, “but…” People had a tendency of coming up with their own ideas about those in the public eye. “I don't doubt that made a difference. At least in those first years.”

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Eliza found speaking to Madam Macmillan about her career was easier than she had expected. She felt understood - and Madam Macmillan knew exactly the things to say that quelled the doubts that she was trying so hard to push aside. She did have the whole world in front of her, and it was hers to succeed in. Eliza supposed that was what the school counsellor was supposed to do, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

Madam Macmillan tried to explain what she had meant about privacy, and it was not half as bad as she had momentarily feared. "So, you had to put enough in that they were writing to a person, but it wasn't that you had to spill all your secrets. That makes sense." It wasn't even that Eliza minded being in the news, it was just that she wanted privacy too. She'd been in the news before, admittedly more for her parents than for herself. Photos at an event was not the same as being the subject of the gossip columns, which was what Madam Macmillan must have been through after the war. She bit her lip nervously - that was something Eliza desperately did not want, and she knew that there was plenty the gossip columns would have to say about her if she gave them even half a chance.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“So, you had to put enough in that they were writing to a person, but it wasn't that you had to spill all your secrets. That makes sense.”

“Precisely,” Parvati nodded; Elizabeth understood what she had said. “If I'd wanted to write some tell-all autobiography,” she laughed, “I would have,” and someone, somewhere probably would have been willing to publish it, too.

It was at about that point that Parvati noticed that Elizabeth was chewing on her lip. Was she beginning to believe that she had to open herself up—to have that same level of vulnerability? Parvati relaxed her expression before she spoke again. “You don't owe your readers anything but accurate information,” Parvati promised her, still wondering what was running through the girl's head. Marcus had been a Wizengamot member, true, but she and her sister weren't the only ones in their year who would have the spotlight on them. “You're wanting to do investigative journalism,” she reminded. “The public are going to care if you're accurate and ethical.” That would be their focus.

“Someone might try to compare you to your parents,” Parvati said gently, as a caution. It wasn't something that she could rule out, and some journalists would go to astonishing lengths to fish for a story. “But you are always—always—allowed privacy.” She knew that she could not stress that enough. “You're in control of that, Eliza.” No matter what had been done to her by her parents, she had the power to say no or not to comment at all.

@elizabeth

[Deleted]

Madam Macmillan said if she'd wanted to write a tell-all, she would have. She laughed about it, and Eliza smiled, a little weakly. The thought that she might - that she could - was almost exactly what worried her.

"Investigative journalism has facts, yes, but there's a story too. You become a piece of the story. I don't mind that, I just..." she tried to find the words. It was hard, but she knew she needed to find them. For her, not for Madam Macmillan. She fisted her hand in the fabric of her robe and stared down at it, and spoke again quietly. "I don't want to be the story. And I could be, with my parents and... everything." Madam Macmillan knew that as well as anyone. Eliza had a right to privacy, she knew she did, but it was so fragile. It would be fragile no matter what she did, but she didn't want to put the cracks in herself.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

Elizabeth was correct when she said that there was a story behind every piece of investigative journalism. The explanation for why something had turned out the way it had or why someone had attempted a cover-up—which often seemed to play a part in it—was usually complicated; that was why it was investigative and not simply sensational news splashed across a page. “You become a piece of the story,” she said. “I don't mind that, I just...”

Waiting for her to finish, Parvati continued to look at her reassuringly. Yes, she would tie into how something had been found out or this or that—people could try to draw things back to Marcus's decisions as part of the Wizengamot or question her motives.

“I don't want to be the story. And I could be, with my parents and… everything.”

Hearing how quiet Elizabeth had become, Parvati lowered her own voice. She didn't want to sound as though she was scolding her or lecturing at her, considering the issues with her parents. “Listen to me,” she smiled. “There are always going to be things that you can't change, and your mum and dad—” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “You can't change who they were or what they did. And I'm sure your mum—especially—would have loved nothing more than to have her name on everyone's lips for all eternity,” she granted, trailing, “but…”

“But you're clever, Elizabeth,” not to mention, Parvati thought, more successful at seventeen than Pansy ever was in her entire life. “And you're strong,” she added. “We wouldn't be having this conversation right now if you weren't.” She had goals and actual ambition; Pansy had never done anything of the sort.

“I would suggest using a pseudonym, if I didn't think that that would lead to more questions,” Parvati explained to her. The second someone knew that Elizabeth wasn't actually who she said she was, her credibility would be diminished, and she would have the public wondering what she had to hide. Her next question came with some hesitancy; she didn't want to presume anything. “Are you comfortable with using your real name?”

@elizabeth