In-Character
Full Name: Constance Ethel Sykes.
Nicknames: Connie.
Birthdate: 14th January, 1847.
Current Age: 41.
Occupation: Slytherin House Matron.
Reputation: Eight. General outspokenness and the persistent (and true) rumour that she was once seen kissing a student as a result of a Peeves prank.
Residence: Hogwarts.
Hogwarts House: Slytherin.
Wand: Maple, 13 inches, unicorn centre. Swishy.
Blood Status: Muggleborn.
Social Class: Middle.
Family:
Richard Sykes | Father | 1804-
Marian Sykes (née Christie) | Mother | 1819-
Amelia Godwinson (née Sykes) and family | Sister | 1840-1861
Serena Bennetsen (née Sykes) and family | Sister | 1842-
Peter Sykes and family | Brother | 1844-
George Sykes and family | Brother | 1849-
Michael Sykes | Brother | 1854-
Victoria Shipman (née Sykes) and family | Sister | 1856-
Penelope Sykes | Sister | 1861-
Appearance: 5’4. Blonde. Blue eyes. Slim build but not willowy by any stretch. Attractive and aware of it but not inclined to do anything with it. As a result of leaving herself alone she has aged remarkably well and will likely look the same for the next two decades or so. Quite stately and impressive when her face is still but when she smiles she looks considerably younger and more girlish.
History:
1847: Born the third daughter and fourth child of Richard and Marian Sykes, both muggles, Constance’s birth is greeted with appropriate joy and excitement by the family and she enjoys a happy, carefree childhood with little of note occurring. She loves books and is fond of her siblings and always answers their call to come and play with them even if she does prefer to read alone.
1849: George is born and due to their closeness in age he is the sibling she is by far the closest with all her life.
1853: Connie performs magic for the first time when Peter accidentally loses her place in her book and rather than stomping her feet she narrows her eyes at him and the tome and it flips open to the right page. To say her brother is terrified is an understatement and he never, ever goes near his sister’s belongings again. Connie is confused by what happened but keeps it to herself, glaring at her brother every time it looks like he might spill the beans.
1858: In the summer the family are visited by a mysterious man who claims to be a wizard, a pronouncement that immediately makes the family think he is a madman, until he turns the family dog into a dodo and they are flabbergasted. He explains that Connie is a witch and she is invited to attend Hogwarts in the autumn, which she does and almost ends up being a hatstand when she sits for eleven minutes as the hat debates between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, eventually settling on the former.
1861: Within the space of a year Connie loses a sister and gains another, both leaving a lasting impact on her. With Amelia’s death from childbirth she vows she will never endure the same thing and with Penny’s birth she decides she will never let harm come to this sister as much as she is able.
1865: Connie leaves school with mostly excellent NEWTs – the less said about her herbology ability the better! – and absolutely no intention of joining the Ministry. Instead she wishes to make a career out of education, but after seven years Hogwarts and seeing the privileges some enjoy more than others she decides to dedicate herself to children who are not automatically afforded the best of everything.
1865-1871: By-passing any thought of doing the season and finding a husband Connie instead interjects herself into a small, poor wizarding community hidden in the warrens of London’s East End. The people are rougher than any Connie has ever met before, she is after all, a nice, well-brought up girl from the suburbs, but she tries her best to help them better their lives through education. They don’t entirely take her words to heart, but they find her seemingly eccentric views to be halfway entertaining so offloading the children on her for a few hours whilst she teaches them something useful becomes akin to free childcare and the fact they’re being helped is a pleasant, but incidental, bonus.
She becomes especially close with Sally, a young woman only a year older than she is who has two small children in tow and a husband whose manners leave a great deal to be desired and who Connie feels a naive, but powerful urge to somehow save from her life. Sometimes, when Sally’s husband is passed out from drinking Connie helps her with the children and they sit talking into the night and Connie doesn’t know why but she is always resentful when she has to leave and hates the bones of the man. Before she can work out why though the muggle government ramps up its attempts to clear the slums and the community is forced to move or be found. Connie has no choice but to say goodbye and she never sees Sally again.
1871: Worn out from years of trying to help others better themselves, and prompted by her parents who, whilst far from poor, insist upon their unmarried daughter at least doing something useful Connie reluctantly takes a paid position as a governess in an upper-middle class muggle household. After three months in the employ of Charles and Lavinia Anderson it becomes obvious to Connie that the master and mistress of this household are married purely for convenience’s sake and are quite happy with that fact. After a lifetime of her parent’s loving marriage, and several years of people who seemed to marry because their passion had gotten the better of them, this is a strange new kind of relationship to understand.
1872: On one night, when woken by one of the children having a nightmare and reluctant to bother their mother Connie returns to her own room only to see a strange figure, too tall to be her employer, sneaking from the master’s bedroom. Alarmed she dashes into Mrs Anderson’s bedroom to inform her her husband may well have just been murdered only to be met with a laughter and an explanation too perplexing to comprehend. Suffice to say it is definitely a marriage of convenience and the Andersons might well have invented the open marriage.
In the weeks and months that follow Connie finds herself becoming Lavinia’s confidante and eventually their relationship progresses further. She more or less moves permanently into Lavinia’s bedroom, with Charles’ encouragement and for several years they all live quite happily together, though the children are kept far from any thing that might raise questions.
1878: Charles’ father, who has never been pleased with his son’s perceived idleness, waits until the younger Anderson son is sent away to boarding school and promptly arranges a position for Charles overseas. The potential questions asked if Connie were to go with them prove too horrifying a prospect for all three of them and so it is with a deeply heavy heart she is forced to part ways with her lover, and her friend.
Connie returns home for the first time in years and promptly takes to her bed, refusing to see anybody but George, Penny or Barrett. After a week she receives her first letter from Lavinia and though it is far from the same as being with her she eagerly writes back and their correspondence continues for much of the next decade.
1879-1884: TO BE ADDED. [Some kind of other governess-ing work tbc once others arrive and need their kids looking after. Possibly some sex.]
1884: Connie takes up the position of Slytherin House Matron, returning to Hogwarts for the first time since she left with high hopes that she will be able to do some good, whilst simultaneously catching up on her lifelong friendship with Barrett, and deliberately, but subtly annoying the headmaster, whom she has despised since they were at school.
It goes mostly to plan until Peeves’ mistletoe that year lands her in the precarious position of having to kiss a student. A beautiful, charming, eighteen-year old student. Slightly hating herself Connie wishes she wasn’t ever-so-slightly glad about it. Unfortunately, though the kiss itself is fairly brief, it is somehow known all around the school that she was there but fortunately the identity of the student is a little more vague. Small mercies.
1885: Barrett receives death threats at the school. He and Connie are supremely indifferent to them. Largely for something interesting to do in the summer, rather than write to Lavinia about the beautiful nurse she is living with temporarily in slightly inappropriate ways, Connie enters the dueling tournament. She is terrible, but determined to be persistent.
1887: She turns 40 and gets incredibly drunk, having to be rescued from embarrassment by Rosaline, the Ravenclaw matron, who is slightly distracting.
1888: Connie is quite firmly amongst the members of staff that disagree with the werewolf ban, but she is far from in a position to do anything about it.
Personality: Careful, clever, persistent. A strong believer in the necessity for independence in a woman. Not likely to cause a fight but not shy about giving an opinion. Once she picks a course to take she sticks to it no matter what. Incredibly stubborn. Dedicated to her position and to the importance of education. Emotionally reserved but occasionally prone to dramatics and excessive sorrow. Really quite clumsy despite looking like she should be a graceful swan.
Other:
- Connie persistently takes part in dueling tournaments and is slowly getting better.
- Connie is a lesbian.
- She once considered proposing to Barrett if only to stop the rumours but considered that it would probably frighten him more than it would her.
Sample Roleplay Post:
In Connie's view there was nothing overly complex about children, despite what some of her colleagues might believe; they simply required a kind, but firm presence. The ones from wealthy families were used to doing what nanny told them so followed the rules obediently enough and those from less affluent backgrounds were often too overwhelmed to misbehave.
As such, as was her habit at the beginning of every term in that empty period between the welcoming ceremony and the beginning of classes Connie settled herself in the common room and ensured she was placed for maximum visibility. It had the duel effect of putting people off causing a ruckus - if they could see her she could see them - and made her easily approachable. The number of students that hovered outside her door before finding the courage to knock was absurd. She was hardly the headmaster.
Flicking idly through a novel specifically chosen to be a good example to any who might see its title - and therefore exceptionally tedious to read properly - Connie sat, keeping an eye on the small groups that formed and paying particular attention to those that were alone. Hopefully they would not remain as such for long.
Out-of-Character
Name: Lauren.Age: 28.
![[Image: jGi0wPk.png]](https://i.imgur.com/jGi0wPk.png)
MJ made me beautiful
![[Image: TrSGeWR.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TrSGeWR.jpg)