Witches' Rights
Sep. 4th, 2007 04:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dichroicBelow the cut are two short vignettes, collectively titled Witches' Rights.
1.
Hermione turned to Ginny, frustration clear on her face. "I don't understand. Witches have been professors, Heads of Hogwarts and St. Mungo's, Healers, even Minister of Magic, for centuries now. Muggle women have only gotten into jobs that important in the last century or so. So why do wiZard men still expect women to do all the housekeeping and cooking? I never thought I'd be grateful for those months we spent trailing around England in a tent, but at least your brother knows better than to want me to do the cooking!"
Ginny answered, "Well, there's not much to do anyway, now you have Winky, is there?"
"She's getting better. I don't know how Kreacher convinced her to give up the butterbeer, but she seems a lot happier now. I think she's still feeling gulity about Dobby, though."
Ginny made a face. "Kreacher and Winky. Now there's a relationship I really don't want to think about!"
Hermione laughed. "I know. Harry told me he'd asked if he could leave the house to visit her, when he wasn't busy. Did I tell you we've bargained her up to a Galleon a month now? We're still trying to get her to take a day off every week, but she keeps talking about the proper duty of a house-elf. I thint he only reason she's accepting money is because we told her that Dobby would want her to."
"Anyway," Ginny continued, fairly, "You have to remember that Ron grew up with Mum doing all the housework. All he ever had to do was to clean his own room, and given the twins' example he didn't do much for that. At least Ron's room didn't smell of Eager's Exploding Potion. And then by the time we were old enough to help out much, we were all off to Hogwarts."
"Well, with seven of you to raise your Mum had more than a full-time job. But look at Fleur - she's done all the cooking and cleaning since she and Bill married, and she was the best witch of her year at Beauxbatons."
Ginny looked thoughtful. "She's powerful, but then so's Mum. And I don't think Fleur ever really wanted anything else. Even before she met Bill, she was just working at that part-time job at Gringotts 'too eemprove 'air Eenglish'." She smiled, wickedly. "Anyway, that's one good thing about Harry - since he didn't grow up in the Wizarding world he doesn't have the same expectations."
Hermione objected "But his Aunt - "
"Oh, I know she was a housewife. But I think he hated the Dursleys so much that he's rejected their whole family model."
Hermione looked stubborn. "But it's the same thing as the house elves, isn't it? Wizards at the top, then everyone else expected to support them. I think it's time to expand SPEW." She looked thoughtful. "I got really good at knitting socks, when I was trying to free the house elves at Hogwarts. Maybe we can wear red socks as sort of a badge, like the Danish feminist movement."
Ginny sighed. "Can we just come up with a better name than SPEW this time?"
2.
Lee Jordan fidgeted nervously with his wand. He'd been in and out of the Weasleys' house for years, but Mrs. Weasley, the comfortable and kindly mother of his two best friends, was very different from Molly Weasley, Hero of the Revolution.
"Here we go, Mrs Weasley. As soon as I hand back your wand, we're on the air. Hold the wand near your mouth and speak clearly, please. I'll get us started with a short introduction."
Dennis Creevey, who'd merged his interest in the Muggle gadgets he'd grown up tinkering on with the spells he'd learned at Hogwarts, had invented a new kind of wizarding radio that carried pictures as well as sound. "Spellovision", he called it. Acting now as Lee's tech, Dennis signaled a short countdown. "Five, four, three, two... and now!" he called. He carefully aligned a tube that held two lenses, rather like a short telescope supported on a tripod, and tapped it with his wand.
Lee held both his own and Mrs Weasley's wand up to his mouth and spoke "Sonorus ablegare!". He handed Mrs. Weasley's wand to her and spoke into his own. "This is Lee Jordan, coming to you live on Wizard Free Radio, formerly Potterwatch. You-Know-Who is gone now, but we're still your best source for what's really happening in the Wizarding world. Today I have a special guest: Molly Weasley, mother of Bill-Charlie-Percy-George-Fred" (he paused for a split second here, and swallowed) "Ron and Ginny, and a hero in her own right, then woman who finally conquered You-Know-Who's right-hand witch, Bellatrix Lestrange. Welcome, Mrs. Weasley."
Her mouth moved, saying "Thank you, dear," though as she was holding the wand at arms' length listeners were forced to lipread.
"Speak directly into the wand, please," Lee said, illustrating with his own wand held a few inches from his lips. "But first, Mrs. Weasley, I know it's been an intense year for all of us. So much has happened that we're all still recovering, and some wounds won't ever heal. Before we begin our interview, I think we need to honor someone we both loved. I'd appreciate it if our viewers would join us in a moment of silence for Fred Weasley and all of those who died resisting the Death Eaters."
He bowed his head. Mrs Weasley bowed hers, and out of view Dennis Creevey did likewise. When they raised their faces a moment later, there were tears glistening on all three. Lee and Mrs. Weasley made no attempt to wipe theirs away, though Dennis swiftly rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes before bending to check the focus of his lens.
"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, let's jump right into the question I know all of our listeners have been wondering about. Mrs Weasley, I saw the battle between you and Bellatrix Lestrange, and I've never seen wand-work that fast. Lestrange was widely rumored to be one of You-Know-Who's most dedicated and powerful supporters, and before you jumped in she was easily holding off attacks from three of the most promising young witches I know - Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, and your daughter Ginny Weasley. Yet you managed to take on this powerful witch and defeat her straight out in single combat."
He leaned forward toward her. "Mrs Weasley, you've spent the past thirty years raising children and making a home for your family. Yet you were in good enough fighting trim to best one of the most dangerous of the Death Eaters?"
"You're not the first to ask. You think it's easy, do you, making a home?" She laughed, and now she did wipe her eyes. "I always feel sorry for Muggles who have to do housework without magic. I don't know how they manage, poor things." She seemed to be more comfortable speaking into the wand now. "It takes a fair bit of magic to keep a house clean and a family well fed, and anyone who tells you different probably has house elves. Food is the first exception to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration; you can't make it from something inedible and it takes a lot of skill even to transform one kind of food into another. Feeding a family of nine isn't cheap, but feeding them chops that began as a bag of rice isn't easy.
"And one thing those Muggle housekeepers don't have to deal with is young witches and wizards. When they're little they've got no control and when they're older," she paused and rolled her eyes, "well, sometimes they've got none then either. Keeping seven of them out of the Muggles' notice is no picnic, especially when two of them are Fred and George." She smiled, though it was a sadder smile than it had been.
"So, you're saying then that we should be recruiting our next round of Aurors from among housewives, then?"
"What I'm saying is that anyone who runs a Wizarding household and does it well deserves a bit of respect," she retorted. "But it might not be so bad an idea, at that, to give people a chance to help. There's so much work to do now and plenty of people have a bit of free time once their youngest is off to Hogwarts."
Lee smiled. "I can see the signs now, on Platform 9 3/4 - 'Empty nest? Chicks all flown? Bored with life? Join the Auror Squad!"
"Well, maybe not as Aurors - but Heaven knows the Ministry needs some people with common sense to put it back together."
"And so, Mrs Weasley, our viewers can take it that battling with dirt and matching wits with menu-planning prepared you to win against Dark Magic?"
"Well, dear, there's one more thing about keeping house. Scrubbing floors is very boring, even with magic, and cooking and cleaning have to be done and redone every day. No one would do it at all unless they cared a lot about the people they were working for." She finished, simply, "I didn't really stop to think. Bellatrix Lestrange was throwing curses at my daughter."
"A lioness and her cubs is nothing to it. Thank you for speaking with me today, Mrs Weasley. One more question, before we wrap up: your daughter is currently being talked about as the next top choice to play Quidditch for England. You've been very eloquent about the importance of home-making today - how do you feel about her choosing a very different path in life?"
She smiled, and now there was something in it of Bill's charm, Fred and George's recklessness, and Ron's steadfast loyalty. "As long as she chooses what will suit her best. What do you think I did it all for?"
1.
Hermione turned to Ginny, frustration clear on her face. "I don't understand. Witches have been professors, Heads of Hogwarts and St. Mungo's, Healers, even Minister of Magic, for centuries now. Muggle women have only gotten into jobs that important in the last century or so. So why do wiZard men still expect women to do all the housekeeping and cooking? I never thought I'd be grateful for those months we spent trailing around England in a tent, but at least your brother knows better than to want me to do the cooking!"
Ginny answered, "Well, there's not much to do anyway, now you have Winky, is there?"
"She's getting better. I don't know how Kreacher convinced her to give up the butterbeer, but she seems a lot happier now. I think she's still feeling gulity about Dobby, though."
Ginny made a face. "Kreacher and Winky. Now there's a relationship I really don't want to think about!"
Hermione laughed. "I know. Harry told me he'd asked if he could leave the house to visit her, when he wasn't busy. Did I tell you we've bargained her up to a Galleon a month now? We're still trying to get her to take a day off every week, but she keeps talking about the proper duty of a house-elf. I thint he only reason she's accepting money is because we told her that Dobby would want her to."
"Anyway," Ginny continued, fairly, "You have to remember that Ron grew up with Mum doing all the housework. All he ever had to do was to clean his own room, and given the twins' example he didn't do much for that. At least Ron's room didn't smell of Eager's Exploding Potion. And then by the time we were old enough to help out much, we were all off to Hogwarts."
"Well, with seven of you to raise your Mum had more than a full-time job. But look at Fleur - she's done all the cooking and cleaning since she and Bill married, and she was the best witch of her year at Beauxbatons."
Ginny looked thoughtful. "She's powerful, but then so's Mum. And I don't think Fleur ever really wanted anything else. Even before she met Bill, she was just working at that part-time job at Gringotts 'too eemprove 'air Eenglish'." She smiled, wickedly. "Anyway, that's one good thing about Harry - since he didn't grow up in the Wizarding world he doesn't have the same expectations."
Hermione objected "But his Aunt - "
"Oh, I know she was a housewife. But I think he hated the Dursleys so much that he's rejected their whole family model."
Hermione looked stubborn. "But it's the same thing as the house elves, isn't it? Wizards at the top, then everyone else expected to support them. I think it's time to expand SPEW." She looked thoughtful. "I got really good at knitting socks, when I was trying to free the house elves at Hogwarts. Maybe we can wear red socks as sort of a badge, like the Danish feminist movement."
Ginny sighed. "Can we just come up with a better name than SPEW this time?"
2.
Lee Jordan fidgeted nervously with his wand. He'd been in and out of the Weasleys' house for years, but Mrs. Weasley, the comfortable and kindly mother of his two best friends, was very different from Molly Weasley, Hero of the Revolution.
"Here we go, Mrs Weasley. As soon as I hand back your wand, we're on the air. Hold the wand near your mouth and speak clearly, please. I'll get us started with a short introduction."
Dennis Creevey, who'd merged his interest in the Muggle gadgets he'd grown up tinkering on with the spells he'd learned at Hogwarts, had invented a new kind of wizarding radio that carried pictures as well as sound. "Spellovision", he called it. Acting now as Lee's tech, Dennis signaled a short countdown. "Five, four, three, two... and now!" he called. He carefully aligned a tube that held two lenses, rather like a short telescope supported on a tripod, and tapped it with his wand.
Lee held both his own and Mrs Weasley's wand up to his mouth and spoke "Sonorus ablegare!". He handed Mrs. Weasley's wand to her and spoke into his own. "This is Lee Jordan, coming to you live on Wizard Free Radio, formerly Potterwatch. You-Know-Who is gone now, but we're still your best source for what's really happening in the Wizarding world. Today I have a special guest: Molly Weasley, mother of Bill-Charlie-Percy-George-Fred" (he paused for a split second here, and swallowed) "Ron and Ginny, and a hero in her own right, then woman who finally conquered You-Know-Who's right-hand witch, Bellatrix Lestrange. Welcome, Mrs. Weasley."
Her mouth moved, saying "Thank you, dear," though as she was holding the wand at arms' length listeners were forced to lipread.
"Speak directly into the wand, please," Lee said, illustrating with his own wand held a few inches from his lips. "But first, Mrs. Weasley, I know it's been an intense year for all of us. So much has happened that we're all still recovering, and some wounds won't ever heal. Before we begin our interview, I think we need to honor someone we both loved. I'd appreciate it if our viewers would join us in a moment of silence for Fred Weasley and all of those who died resisting the Death Eaters."
He bowed his head. Mrs Weasley bowed hers, and out of view Dennis Creevey did likewise. When they raised their faces a moment later, there were tears glistening on all three. Lee and Mrs. Weasley made no attempt to wipe theirs away, though Dennis swiftly rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes before bending to check the focus of his lens.
"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, let's jump right into the question I know all of our listeners have been wondering about. Mrs Weasley, I saw the battle between you and Bellatrix Lestrange, and I've never seen wand-work that fast. Lestrange was widely rumored to be one of You-Know-Who's most dedicated and powerful supporters, and before you jumped in she was easily holding off attacks from three of the most promising young witches I know - Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, and your daughter Ginny Weasley. Yet you managed to take on this powerful witch and defeat her straight out in single combat."
He leaned forward toward her. "Mrs Weasley, you've spent the past thirty years raising children and making a home for your family. Yet you were in good enough fighting trim to best one of the most dangerous of the Death Eaters?"
"You're not the first to ask. You think it's easy, do you, making a home?" She laughed, and now she did wipe her eyes. "I always feel sorry for Muggles who have to do housework without magic. I don't know how they manage, poor things." She seemed to be more comfortable speaking into the wand now. "It takes a fair bit of magic to keep a house clean and a family well fed, and anyone who tells you different probably has house elves. Food is the first exception to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration; you can't make it from something inedible and it takes a lot of skill even to transform one kind of food into another. Feeding a family of nine isn't cheap, but feeding them chops that began as a bag of rice isn't easy.
"And one thing those Muggle housekeepers don't have to deal with is young witches and wizards. When they're little they've got no control and when they're older," she paused and rolled her eyes, "well, sometimes they've got none then either. Keeping seven of them out of the Muggles' notice is no picnic, especially when two of them are Fred and George." She smiled, though it was a sadder smile than it had been.
"So, you're saying then that we should be recruiting our next round of Aurors from among housewives, then?"
"What I'm saying is that anyone who runs a Wizarding household and does it well deserves a bit of respect," she retorted. "But it might not be so bad an idea, at that, to give people a chance to help. There's so much work to do now and plenty of people have a bit of free time once their youngest is off to Hogwarts."
Lee smiled. "I can see the signs now, on Platform 9 3/4 - 'Empty nest? Chicks all flown? Bored with life? Join the Auror Squad!"
"Well, maybe not as Aurors - but Heaven knows the Ministry needs some people with common sense to put it back together."
"And so, Mrs Weasley, our viewers can take it that battling with dirt and matching wits with menu-planning prepared you to win against Dark Magic?"
"Well, dear, there's one more thing about keeping house. Scrubbing floors is very boring, even with magic, and cooking and cleaning have to be done and redone every day. No one would do it at all unless they cared a lot about the people they were working for." She finished, simply, "I didn't really stop to think. Bellatrix Lestrange was throwing curses at my daughter."
"A lioness and her cubs is nothing to it. Thank you for speaking with me today, Mrs Weasley. One more question, before we wrap up: your daughter is currently being talked about as the next top choice to play Quidditch for England. You've been very eloquent about the importance of home-making today - how do you feel about her choosing a very different path in life?"
She smiled, and now there was something in it of Bill's charm, Fred and George's recklessness, and Ron's steadfast loyalty. "As long as she chooses what will suit her best. What do you think I did it all for?"
