So house matrons were added to Hogwarts primarily because male HoHs cannot deal effectively with female students because of #VictorianSensibilities. But beyond enforcing order in the common room and telling girls they're not dying, it's just their period, what do matrons do?

I posited this, which also addresses #EraAppropriateIlliteracy:

NEW HEADCANON: house matrons are responsible for remedial reading & writing lessons for the borderline/illiterate students in their houses
Each matron has varying ability and interest in this, leading to quite a disparity in instruction

Natch Lauren had something to say on this, but also now I want to see Connie struggle with a struggling reader:

I feel like Connie almost certainly has the easiest ride given her house comprises rich pure kids who are already literate and ambitious paupers who want to learn

SO NOW WE HAVE:

• Periods
  
• Other Female Issues™
  
• General house dorm behaviour
  
• Chaperoning*
  
• Literacy training
  

* School requires female staff to be present if male staff/students are meeting with just one female student in a secluded place, and Nik will not allow part-veela females in his classroom without a matron present, education laws be damned. I feel like that particular policy could be a school one (Phineas Black)?

BUT WHAT ELSE MIGHT THEY DO? THOUGHTS? HEADCANONS?

Remember that socially, house matrons are BELOW ~Society Ladies but ABOVE governesses and lady's companions in terms of respect/esteem. They're like the widowed/spinster aunt your parents send you to live with when they realize they don't actually like children.

(Also, it's simply disgraceful that Hogwarts does not have a full roster of matrons/school nurse~)

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   Elladora Black

I literally have no idea who would want this to be enforced cause it certainly wouldn't be Phineas, but it'd be hilarious to see a book club started and the House Matrons roped into hosting the discussion sessions.

Jumping off of the literacy training, perhaps they might be available for extra tutoring at their discretion? Meaning if a student needs extra help in classes, they might be able to go to a matron for some help on a project or homework. And if this is in a thread, perhaps students could gain extra credit for assignments / extra +2 house points for showing their work, as it were xD

  

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I am up for any and all things with Connie. She was a governess for several years so will definitely be up to the challenge of imparting literacy and helping with homework (please note that Lauren is not a former governess so I would prefer threads that aren’t heavy with actual homework - I DID MY TIME)

What would be really great is if there were some more matrons to share these exciting new tasks with! Until then no matter your house feel free to get in touch if you need the aid of your spinster auntie :D

  

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MJ made me beautiful

I feel like the matrons should have a parlor to receive "guests" in, like training for students who visit. They could host staff and students, and it provides them with a common space to be social with other matrons. Also, it would provide a space for remedial lessons, or things like the aforementioned book club.

Just a thought.

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   Aldous Crouch, Constance Sykes

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A marvelous Lady design

I feel like the matrons should have a parlor to receive "guests" in, like training for students who visit. They could host staff and students, and it provides them with a common space to be social with other matrons. Also, it would provide a space for remedial lessons, or things like the aforementioned book club.

Just a thought.

I love this idea and would be so down!

Warning, lots of questions.

• Would the parlor be kind of like a collective office? Or would each have their own parlor in their respective wings?
  
  I ask because if they're dealing with a topic of a sensitve nature, no student would want their bits out in great wide open xD
  
  
• If they have their own parlor in their respective wings, would their living quarters be attached to it / near it?
  
  
• ALSO what do the matron living quarters look like? Are they attached to the dorms in case someone has a period crisis / crisis during the night, or would they be just outside the common room entrance?
  

  

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I'm thinking the parlor would be in a neutral space that allows the matrons to socialize with those not in their houses. I'm open to the idea of it being rather small and crammed. Perhaps near the staff lounge?

Lauren mentioned she Cannons that Connie has a sitting room and bedroom attached to the common room. I'm inclinded to go with that too, with this parlor being a 'neutral space' so to speak.

Constance Sykes

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   Amelia Evans

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A marvelous Lady design

So my matron head canons for living conditions have always been thus:

• Sitting room is situated just off the common room and also has it's own exit to the corridor beyond. So if someone came to the matron with a problem there is a discreet way to visit them, rather than doing it in front of 50 other people.
  
• Connie has a portrait of Anne Stanhope guarding her corridor-entrance. Other hilariously awful historical figures that it personally would amuse me to discover were witches are available and ngl I have ideas for the other houses portraits but don't want to push in!
  
• Bedroom is connected to the sitting room so there's no reason for any student to go near it. The matrons rooms are all positioned on whatever side of the common room the girl's dormitories are so if the girls need them in the night they are slightly closer.
  
• Matrons are available to female students until lights out officially - because no headmaster has ever wanted to acknowledge why girls might need them in the middle of the night - but unofficially all the female students know they can always knock.
  
• Matrons are available to male students during school hours but their role as it pertains to the boys is either disciplinary if they see some transgression or offering basic grade academic direction. Less of a supervisor, more like a friendly, dignified auntie that is to be treated with respect but is largely ignored.
  

I'm still trying to decide how I feel about a parlour :P

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   Aideen McClary

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MJ made me beautiful