What a novel interruption this was. Just as Ophelia had been puzzling over what sort of finishing Mrs. Greengrass could have provided her daughter with no outside help, here was the woman herself. She certainly didn't look exceptional. Looks could sometimes be deceiving but particularly in matters of high society, Ophelia put a great deal of importance on first impressions, and Mrs. Greengrass simply looked like any other widow in mourning.

"Delighted, Mrs. Greengrass," she said, though her tone did not particularly imply that she was. "We were just discussing your daughter's education after Hogwarts. I confess, this is my first experience of someone being privately finished by their own mother. I think quite highly of finishing, since my time at the Pendergast School. You must be quite a formidable woman to undertake so much by yourself."