Washerwoman

2. Muggle Studies

Rowena had almost balked at the sight of the girls’ hands. They were red and chapped; she had never seen any witch or wizard with a similar malady. And to Rowena’s questioning concerning her hands, the girl had simply replied:

“I’m a washerwoman.” As if this made it all clearer to a witch; the girl had been, of course, a Muggle.

Rowena later found out that it was the constant cleaning things by hand, and ducking palms in water, that caused the skin to redden. Well, at least she could give professor Sibgal a topic for his Muggle Studies lesson.