february 10, 1979
"Reckon we should invest in a house elf?" The words came out of Maggie's mouth with a sense of ease that made Marlene's face contort.
"Invest in a house elf?" Marlene suddenly stopped washing the dishes she was working on ever so diligently.
Maggie shrunk.
"I mean…" Maggie struggled to find the right words. Clearly she had happened upon troubled waters but she still was unsure of how she got there. "We can afford it, can't we? These days, we've got more money than we've got time." Maggie ended with a lopsided grin, hoping to appease to her wife.
Marlene very calmly set her wash rag down, turned the water faucet off and turned to face Maggie, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Invest in a house elf." Maggie said resolutely, a tone of slight disgust in her voice. Maggie gulped and tried to appear suddenly very interested in their grand clock. "Don't you digress, Maggie McGonagall."
With a huff of resignation, Maggie turned back to face her wife and awaited the sure discourse that was to come.
"What's wrong with the idea?" Maggie began, crossing her arms now. It had been a long day of Auror training with Alice, Frank and Moody. The last thing she wanted to walk into was an argument with Marlene, least of all about house elves.
Marlene eyed Maggie in an amused manner. It reminded Maggie very much of when her mother had caught her participating in shenanigans with Sirius and James.
"You surprise me that's all," Marlene pressed her lips, turned around and began washing the dishes again.
Maggie made a disgruntled face and took a step forward, then backward. She wasn't sure of how to deal with this type of conflict with Marlene. Marriage, as her mother had so often warned, was not something for the faint of heart.
"Are you upset because you think I think you are incapable of handling things at home on your own?" Maggie pressed, now hovering beside her wife with an air of genuine curiosity.
Marlene rolled her eyes.
"I can manage this fine on my own of course," Marlene muttered, scrubbing unnecessarily hard on a teacup. "I just never knew the McGonagalls were so pureblood-ish."
Maggie's eyes nearly crossed at the accusation. Of all the things that she guessed Marlene had been offended at, this came out of nowhere.
"It's not just purebloods who have house elves, you know!" Maggie argued, teetering on the edge of defiance at the accusation. "I bet you ten galleons Molly Weasley would have some elves about her house if they could afford it. My grandparents had one too and my granddad was a muggle! for Merlin's sake."
Marlene briskly turned to face her wife now, eyeing her as if she were trying to decide if she wanted to voice what was in her head.
"Don't you think it is a bit unjust to own them?" Marlene scrunched her eyebrows together. "The whole idea always seemed so barbaric to me frankly. I thought you were in support of liberation for all magical beings? Weren't you just talking with Dorcas about drafting a werewolf legislation to provide equal employment opportunities for werewolves? For Remus?"
Maggie sighed in understanding. She felt her heart flutter despite the circumstance. Her wife had always been just and fair and compassionate above all else. Leave it to Marlene to be the first to recommend house elf liberation.
"I see now." Maggie nodded once as she went to grab a dry rag. She began to dry the dishes that Marlene had washed.
"I'm quite glad," Marlene nodded satisfactorily, her tone still indignant but now there was a tone of relief.
"The trouble is," Maggie spoke softly, hoping not to offend Marlene with this coming statement, "Is that house elves have been in service to witches and wizards for centuries. You'd be hard pressed to find any who are willing to leave their families, their jobs. It's become their duty, sort of their purpose in life to be of service."
"And you wanted to perpetuate it further," Marlene sniffed coldly.
"Right." Maggie smiled a bit. "I should've known better."
Marlene seemed pleased with this response and allowed herself a quick glance to her wife.
"Besides, I like doing dishes with you," Marlene bit her lip to hide a grin from forming on her face.
"I think I know something that would make doing the dishes a bit more fun," Maggie whispered chillily in her wife's ear.
"You certainly don't need any extra services in that department." Marlene giggled, throwing her arms around Maggie's neck.
Maggie peppered kisses all over her wife's face, enjoying the rather cute yelps and chuckles that rarely escaped from Marlene's serious nature.
They never did get a house elf. And they never needed one.