To Connie’s mind the exam period was paradoxically the calmest and most stressful time of the year. The students were occupied constantly and supervised for almost all of that time so there very little possibility of her having to intervene in mischief; but when they did come to her they were frequently in the grip of panic. It was quite understandable of course, futures were at stake and she endeavoured to do everything she could to calm nerves, to mop up tears from the more emotive amongst them and, more often than she would care to think about, sit up in the Common Room into the wee small hours of the morning to make sure nobody was sneaking out to the library in a last minute act of desperation.

As a result she was rapidly becoming exhausted so Connie took the opportunity, when the fifth years were mid-exam – the most in need of calming in her experience – to get out of the Common Room and clear her mind a little. The corridors were unusually tranquil and she felt a knot of tension begin to unravel: right up until the moment that a beautiful woman she most certainly did not know began hurting towards her, smiling like she was pleased to see her.

“Hello,” she said back, pleasantly bamboozled. “Is everything quite alright?”

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MJ made me beautiful