Flying was not very feminine.
That was what Mother had always said when she made comments about quidditch or the broomsticks in hop windows, or even when she pointed out that she'd seen one of the neigborhood boys flying where he shouldn't have been. Flying wasn't feminine, so it needn't be a word in her vocabulary. After years of Mother's dismissive attitude Culpurnia had learned to take her words with a grain of salt, but somehow the saying—Flying isn't feminine—managed to stick with her.
Even though she and every other boy and girl in the group were dressed in the same robes, she felt as insecure as she would've been wearing a dress. Where were her legs supposed to go? Her wrist had always been weak, so what if she couldn't grip it?
Her unconvincing "Up!" yielded little results, though, so perhaps the logistics of being in the air wouldn't be an issue today.
That was what Mother had always said when she made comments about quidditch or the broomsticks in hop windows, or even when she pointed out that she'd seen one of the neigborhood boys flying where he shouldn't have been. Flying wasn't feminine, so it needn't be a word in her vocabulary. After years of Mother's dismissive attitude Culpurnia had learned to take her words with a grain of salt, but somehow the saying—Flying isn't feminine—managed to stick with her.
Even though she and every other boy and girl in the group were dressed in the same robes, she felt as insecure as she would've been wearing a dress. Where were her legs supposed to go? Her wrist had always been weak, so what if she couldn't grip it?
Her unconvincing "Up!" yielded little results, though, so perhaps the logistics of being in the air wouldn't be an issue today.