I can hear you all groaning and saying what on earth is M.E.D? In short it is Magical Eating Disorder. It comes in all different shapes and sizes. You may not even realise you have it until something terrible happens. This was the case for me. I had it. I want to share with you, the old, the young, something I had and may get again. If you can relate, if you are in pain, owl me. I might be able to help you.

It was caused by depression after a close friend passed away. (read “crying eye” if you want it in more detail). People were obviously worried about me but live was on a back burner. It felt as though I was being left behind in some way. Not forgotten but I was taken to this “summer residence” where my only family member visited. As I say I was depressed. I spent time either curled up on a bed on staring out of the window. I started not eating. In hind-sight it didn’t help that my “house-mate” was a former prisoner himself and was just trying to stay out of trouble himself. He was used to not eating much or eating things out of dust-bins.

One of the first things you learn in transfiguration class is about Gamp’s laws. You can’t transfigure life or food. My body seemed to have forgotten about this. What happened? Well nothing. I had no idea. I knew I wasn’t eating very much. I knew that I didn’t feel like eating. By the time the Weasleys arrived I was actually making it down to the kitchen and by the time Harry arrived I was managing 3 meals a day. But I was transfiguring a lot. I could spend the day as a snake, a dog or a monkey. Which made everyone roar with laughter in the house. The trouble was I was using magical energy, which if you have studied anything, here takes up a lot of power. Nobody, including myself, was worried.