Pomona suddenly realized that almost none of Hogwarts' male teachers shaved.
Albus went without saying; even Flitwick wore a beard. Though his chin was shaved clean, Severus was the only one who removed all his facial hair. There was also Lockhart. It seemed to be a habit brought over from the Muggle world.
Wizards' favorite exclamation was "Merlin's beard." What would they shout if Merlin had no beard?
Just as she was about to investigate this "inevitability," she remembered Slughorn. He shaved too. So did many older boys; even children from pure-blood families were shaving.
They did not use aftershave, however. They preferred alum, pressed into blocks and rubbed directly over the face. A few swipes, a rinse with water, and they were clean and refreshed.
Greta took at least an hour from getting out of bed to leaving the dormitory. The problem was that if she knew she dawdled, she could have woken up earlier, but she insisted on sleeping in. Minerva's class was usually the first one in the morning, and as a teacher, she had given this frequently late girl a "reminder."
Hermione's hair was very bushy, yet she had never groomed it the way Greta did. In her third year, she had even used a Time-Turner to attend classes.
Back when Tom Riddle had been at school, he had absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Gifted and hardworking, he had quickly become a powerful wizard.
With his handsome appearance, he should have had no trouble finding a good marriage match, then relying on his own efforts and the help of his wife and her family to become a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, like other Slytherins.
Yet he had chosen another path, becoming the "Voldemort" whom people feared so much they dared not speak his