June 29th, 1890 — Whizhard Books

Cecily had run out of books to read before bed. It was surprising that she had time for that hobby lately, really. With all of the social events happening around the Quidditch World Cup, Cee fell asleep for bed quite tired. However, reading was a hobby she enjoyed, it helped her relax.

She was planning on purchasing both fiction novels and something more practical, regarding Quidditch. A book about broomstick woods had been suggested to her at a ball and Cee was planning on buying it.

She had been looking through the store's shelves when she spotted one of the ladies from Fitzroy Prewett's private box. "Mrs. Crouch!" Cee greeted the older woman with a smile. The two hadn't interacted much during the game, even though Cee had spent a big portion of it commenting about it with her husband. Cee liked him. "How are you? Is Mr. Crouch with you?"

Melody Crouch

  

Melody, desperate for a distraction from the grief losing one of her last friends and only family member, had dived back into her animagus studies with a vengeance. Studying was, historically, her best coping mechanism, and she was certain that within the next two months she would be making her transformation. Admitting as such to Ben would be an adventure all on its own, but Melody couldn't stop to think of anything else. If she did...if she allowed Lucy's final words to hit...well, there was no coming back from that. Not without the comfort of the bottle.

Forever a frequent visitor of Whizzard, Melody made.her way to the back of the store where she knew Mr. Binns kept the yet to be shelved books. He had mentioned a few new books of transfiguration coming in last week and Melody was eager for new material. That was, at least, until Ms. Gallivan interrupted her search with a cheerful greeting.

It was hard to think anything but something nefarious was happening between the blonde and her husband. The way they were chatting at the game coupled with Ms. Gallivan's easy question set Melody's nerves aflame. Had he gone out and begun an affair, then? She knew she hadn't been meeting his needs as often as she had before Lucy, but, fuck, it hadn't even been a month! Was a man's dick that needy that it needed to be sheathed in a woman so often?!

Melody, relying on her training as a perfect debutante, smiled at Ms. Gallivan. If Ben was having an affair, fhen there was nothing to be done. Melody had tricked him into marrying her and it was made quite clear his thoughts on the matter. Hopefully he purchased a different condom to be used, at least. "Ms. Gallivan. No, unfortunately, Mr. Crouch is at work presently. Did you need something of him?"

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   Cecily Gallivan

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Cee had no reason to suspect what was going on in Mrs. Crouch's head. She didn't view Ben Crouch as anything but a very pleasant new friend. He was fun to talk to about Quidditch and he seemed to value her opinion on things, unlike most men.

"Oh, not really, just to greet him!" Cee replied cheerfully. "I imagine that he is terribly busy, with all those parties and weddings going on!" She remembered that he worked at a distillery, they had had a chat about businesses. "And how are you, Mrs. Crouch? Are you a reader, then? Do you have any suggestions for me?"

If she was married to someone as fun as Ben Crouch, then she would have to be fun and interesting herself. Perhaps she would have something nice to recommend her!

  

What was Ms. Gallivan's plan here? To purposely provoke Melody? To ensure she and the world knew just what was and wasn't happening in her marriage bed? Ben had mentioned being discreet in his affairs, but talking to the girl for such a lengthy time at quidditch match wasn't discreet. In fact, it was almost as careless as the countless times Ben approached her when he wasn't supposed to. Holding onto her temper with a vice like grip, Melody maintained her neutral, if not pleasant, expression. "Yes, he's quite busy these days. Nothing he can't handle, though."

If Ms. Gallivan was indeed having an affair with Ben, then she was just about the lowest sort of woman in existence. Time would only tell. "I'm well, thank you. And yourself?" Was she going to have to endure such conversations with all of Ben's mistresses? Talk about books and the weather when they both knew just how much was being left unsaid? "I am, though I tend to prefer nonfiction books. Is that of your interest?" Silly romance novels were part of the reason she had eloped, after all.

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   Ellory Lestrange

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"I like those! But I like nonfiction as well. I am currently looking for a book about broom making," Cee replied. She wasn't a picky reader when it came to genre, she'd read both a romance novel and something more practical.

"Is Quidditch something you are interested in, Mrs. Crouch?" Cee would assume so, seeing that Ben Crouch used to be a Quidditch player. Cee wouldn't be able to marry someone who wasn't as into Quidditch as she was.

  

For fuck's sake. Why did she have to venture to Whizzard's today? Now they had to speak of quidditch?! The blasted sport that forced Melody to realize (once again!) just how little she knew her husband. Oh, Melody put in the effort before and during the game to follow what was happening, but once the two chasers began plummeting towards the ground Melody knew she'd never have the appreciation for the sport she should. It was glorified violence and little else.


Yet another topic to add to her list of pretend.

"I haven't yet read anything on broom making, but I'm certain Mr. Binns has some material for you. I thought I saw him just over there..." Melody said and gestured towards the furthest row of stacks. Please, let the whore run off in pursuit of broom making and leave Melody to her misery. "As far as quidditch goes, it's a passion of my husband's, so I'm learning more about the sport."

  

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Cee looked towards where Mrs. Crouch had gestured. "Ah, perfect!" she said before she turned her attention back to her as she told her about her husband's interest in Quidditch. "Oh yes, he told me that he used to play Quidditch but his family didn't approve of it." It occurred to her, that it might have sounded like she was implying she had made him quit the sport. "His brother, I mean. He sounds like quite the stern fellow!"

  

It was her own fault for continuing the conversation after gesturing to where the outrageously tall woman (was she taller than Ben?!) might find Mr. Binns. Slapping herself internally, Melody nodded along as Ms. Gallivan spoke, frowning slightly at the cross mention of Aldous. If not for Aldous she and Ben would still be locked away in the Paris flat with the weight of the world bearing down on them. They might even be living in some shack in Pennyworth. Melody would tolerate Ms. Gallivan rubbing the affair in her face, such was destined to be her punishment in this life, but she'd hear no ill words towards her generous brother-in-law.

Stiffening her spine, Melody forced herself to resemble that of the ranks she left as she stared at Ms. Gallivan. "I'm certain Mr. Crouch's family was only looking out for his wellbeing, as any family ought to do. Quidditch is a sport, not a career meant to support that of the society lifestyle." Working class people might find fame and relative wealrh, but one could hardly support a household and family on a quidditch career.

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   Aldous Crouch, Ophelia Devine

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Or perhaps she had had a hand in him quitting his Quidditch career. Cee didn't expect Mrs. Crouch to sound so pragmatic, given that she had eloped with her husband. Cee didn't feel particularly judgemental about that, but it did strike her as odd that someone who had eloped would hold a conservative opinion about Quidditch.

"You have a point," Cee commented, in spite of her opinion. She also thought that Quidditch wasn't the sort of profession for a family man to have, but she didn't think of it as just a sport. "But, if everyone became a healer or an auror, then nobody would play Quidditch and we would be so bored, without having any Quidditch matches to attend!" She said that in cheerful manner. "How did you find the game, Mrs. Crouch?"

  

Melody paused to briefly wonder just how much more advanced their society would be if sports were left to children and the uneducated. What purpose did a Hogwarts education serve Beckett Longbottom if he was just...hitting balls with a bat? He might have worked at the ministry to advancd his family's name or studied investments. Instead, the fool routinely risked his life to play a foolish game.

Ms. Gallivan didn't seem the type to appreciate such views, what with her excited chatter about the sport. What saddened Melody more though was Ms. Gallivan didn't have to subject herself to such gross violence. She had no husband to impress, just her quidditch owning family and all their combined disappointments. Maybe that was why Ben chose her for his (hopefully) first extramarital affair. Maybe a love of quidditch was what encouraged his affections.

Melody chose to ignore the girl's foolish statement and instead answer her question. "It was interesting. The Hawaiian players were an intriguing bunch. I feel sorry for Ms. Robins being cut from the game so soon."

  

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Mrs. Crouch didn't speak about the game with enthusiasm. Cee sensed that they wouldn't get to have an enthusiastic discussion about the game, unlike she would have if it was Mr. Crouch. Oh well, not all people liked Quidditch and not everyone had to like Quidditch. Cee was sure that this Mrs. Crouch had other interesting hobbies that Cee simply didn't know about. For now, she struck her as somewhat conservative and reserved but that could simply be due to shyness. She hadn't spoken much at the game either. Some people were shy and came off as... boring.

"Yes, that was a pity," Cee replied. "I could not stand some of the comments heard in our box." Because surely, someone in attendance had made a sexist remark on how women were unsuitable for Quidditch. "One of the Hawaiian men fell off his broom and nobody suggested men are not fit to play Quidditch!"

  

The comments made against women were the same as always. Surely, someone interested and excited for the sport understood the risk of displeasing someone in society? Melody detested man's control over women more than most, but she was also able to recognize her lonely opinion wasn't like to get her anywhere. A woman who played quidditch was just as insane as one who ran off to elope.

Regardless of their beliefs, Ms. Gallivan was still not the person with whom Melody wished to have this debate. The thought of Ben's hand roaming on the blonde's pale skin was enough to make Melody want to scream. Debating women's rights and quidditch and whatever other topics Ms. Gallivan was determined to bring up would only serve to distract Melody from the truth.

"That is the way of the world, I'm afraid." She replied. "Such comments aren't like to change in our lifetime."

  

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"They won't if we remain passive about them," Cee commented. The only way for social change to occur was for people to fight back against the status quo and demand change.

"We would still be working at a Lord's field, with him having complete control over our life, hadn't some people decided that they had had enough of it," she added with a shrug. Granted, England still had a monarchy and so did most of the countries in Europe but things had changed since the middle ages. People were able to start a business and have a chance of accumulating wealth whereas in the past that was a reserved right to the aristocracy. The lived in an era of social upheaval and revolutions.

"Or don't you think that we as women have some control over our life and that we can bring social change?" She had eloped with a man she presumably loved!

  

Melody was losing her patience. Weren't mistress's supposed to be afraid of the wife? Did Ms. Gallivan know the truth of what happened on Valentine's Day?! No, Ben wouldn't have crossed that line. Melody doubted him in many ways still, but his resolve to stick to the story wasn't one of them. He was far too chivalrous for that.

"Believe me, Ms. Gallivan, I know better than most the harsh realities of a woman's world. Quidditch isn't the battle I'd choose to begin with. Or do you not care that women are being sold off like cattle? That some's entire future is determined for them before they're even out of the cradle? Do you believe quidditch to be a more important battle than the right to choose who one marries?" Somehow, miraculously, her voice remained calm throughout her rant. Maybe Melody had been cut out for society life after all.

  

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It appeared that Cee had struck a nerve. Even though Mrs. Crouch's tone had been calm, she could sense some annoyance behind the words.

"I didn't say that," Cee replied calmly. "I believe that women should have the freedom to make decisions for their lives, whether it is about playing Quidditch or who they want to marry. I was merely saying that if we sit back and be defeatist about it and say that, oh well, that's just how the world is, nothing will change. And it won't help the cause to compete about who has it worse."

  

A spectator box filled to the brim with men was hardly the place to argue social change. For one, with the amount of alcohol flowing it was unlikely any of the men would hear their argument, and those who did were likely the ones making the idiot comments to begin with! It wasn't defeatist to recognize when and where to argue, nor was it defeatist to hold no expectations for change. It was self preservation. It was avoiding a continued string of lifelong disappointments.

"You'll have to forgive me, Ms. Gallivan, for on this we will not agree. Quidditch is not the cause for which I will champion, right to choose or not. There are far more important obstacles to overcome before a child's sport." Melody was grateful to have been near the back of the store, as the odds of someone overhearing what was being argued was unlikely, though not impossible. Witch Weekly had enough reason to write about Melody without adding the additional charge of feminist. "I don't expect someone with your background to understand." She then coldly added.

  

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