Meet Me Inside -- Imogen

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia was sitting at a table at the Three Broomsticks, legs crossed at the ankle and her foot jiggling nervously. She had put off talking to Imogen about the baby until now; she wasn’t really sure why she procrastinated, but she had gotten Koda to agree that Im should be named the baby's godmother, so there was no putting it off anymore. Besides, her bulging belly was just barely hidden under the table - when Ophelia stood up there would be no hiding it. It was strange; Ophelia had sometimes had a little extra ‘love’ as her mother put it but never a small beach ball sticking out in her stomach. She was closing in on just over five months pregnant now - if she wanted, she could find out if her baby was a girl or a boy, but Ophelia was perfectly content with not knowing. All she wanted was a healthy baby, and whichever gender it ended up being would be just fine by her. Besides, as she learned from Imogen, then gender one is born in is not always the true gender.

Ophelia ordered a steaming mug of hot cocoa; coffee was mainly off limits to her, as was butterbeer for obvious reasons. She blew gently on the liquid and took a small sip. She checked her watch again; she had been nearly twenty minutes early out of the butterflies currently in her stomach, but it was nearing the time she had arranged to meet Imogen. She glanced towards the door, wondering when her friend was going to come in.

@imogen

[Deleted]

It was a Hogsmeade weekend, which normally meant that Imogen was enjoying the blissful quiet of a nearly-empty castle. This weekend was different, though, since Imogen had arranged to meet with one of her friends from school, Ophelia, in the village. Imogen wondered if Ophelia was finally going to announce her pregnancy. Mina had told her before Christmas that Ophelia was pregnant with Dakoda Wulfe’s child, and even though it had been nearly a month since then, Imogen hadn’t heard a whisper of it from Ophelia. It was fine, Imogen supposed. She wasn’t upset, really, just a little disappointed with the fact that Ophelia didn’t seem to think that was something that she wanted to know.

The Metamorphmagus wasn’t quite sure why she was spending so much time on her appearance, especially considering it was just Ophelia, but eventually, she managed to get herself looking somewhat decently, though most of her hard work was obscured by a thick coat and even thicker scarf. The walk to the village was longer than Imogen had remembered, so much so that she was worried that she was going to be late, but when she reached the door of the Three Broomsticks, she was a still a handful of minutes earlier. Imogen stepped into the pub and unwrapped her scarf, scanning the crowd for Ophelia, and finding her sitting at a table near the back. Imogen placed a smile carefully on her face, and walked back to the table. “Hello!” She greeted brightly. This would be easy, Imogen thought. She could do this.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia felt her nerves jump a little as Imogen entered the pub; she seemed cheery, which was lovely for her to see of course but still worried her.   She knew this news would be...well, she didn't know how Imogen was going to handle it if she was completely honest.  "Hey!" she finally said, beaming back at her friend.  Well, it was now or never.  "Immy," she started, her voice a little shaky.  She clared her throat and shook her head a little.  "I'm pregnant."  She took a breath and stood up, the baby bump evident as it knocked gently against the table, shaking the water glass in front of her..  She bit her lower lip, her hands protectively placed on her belly and she sat back down with a small sigh.  "Dakota's the father," she added, taking a sip of water.  "I didn't ask you here though because I wanted to tell you about the pregnancy.  Well, I did but there's more.  I-" she stopped, and chuckled a little.  "Sorry, he or she is an active little tyke," she said, shaking her head.  "But...Im I want you to be their godmother, if you'll accept," she said finally.


@imogen

[Deleted]

Ophelia was happy to see her, which was one obstacle down. Imogen had worried that perhaps Ophelia hadn’t wanted to tell her about the pregnancy because she was angry for some reason, but Im didn’t think she’d get such a warm reception if that was the case. When Ophelia got straight down to things, announcing that she was pregnant, Imogen smiled brightly and then let her mouth move into a round ‘o’ of shock. Imogen was hoping that she looked surprised enough for Ophelia’s taste, but then again, Ophelia might not have been paying attention to anything other than the fact that Imogen had smiled first. Im was about to ask who the father was – since, of course, she wasn’t supposed to know that – but Ophelia answered the question before Imogen could ask it. When Ophelia announced that she wasn’t there to announce the pregnancy, though, Imogen stopped knowing that to do, and what her reactions should have been. What was going on? Was everything alright? Again, Imogen was cut off in her ability to ask questions by Ophelia continuing to speak. There was no need to fake shock this time around, and Imogen covered her mouth with her hand, tears springing to her eyes. “I – yes, Phee. It would be an honor.”

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia knew she was talking a lot, and very quickly. Imogen had looked like she wanted to say something a few times, but she had to get out what she needed to say first. As her friend accepted the position of godmother, Ophelia’s smile widened and she felt tears pinprick her own eyes. She had been much more emotional than usual lately, but she’d heard that was normal during pregnancy. She stood up again and wrapped her arms around Imogens shoulders, planting a kiss at the top of her head. “I’m so glad you said yes,” she whispered, gently releasing her to sit back down. She rested one hand on her belly and took a sip of water. “I didn’t know what you’d think of me Im with this pregnancy. We know I’m a little...free-spirited when it comes to carnal desires. But I was afraid what my father would say, and Tavi too. But I didn’t want you to think less of me because I got pregnant without it being planned,” she told her softly. “To be honest I was terrified of telling Dakota, but he’s been really good so far about everything. I actually babysat his nephew Sebastian a few weeks ago, and nothing bad happened. That has to be a good sign right?” she half-asked Imogen, looking hopeful.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Hugging a pregnant woman was strange, Imogen thought as Ophelia wrapped her arms around her. Im smiled a little as Ophelia kissed her head and they parted, sipping at a drink that had been delivered for her while Ophelia sipped at water. “I couldn’t say no.” Imogen demurred with a shrug. She was sure that Ophelia had a backup plan – one of Koda’s sisters, probably – for who she wanted to be the godmother, but for all her fears about babies, Imogen couldn’t say no to being the godmother of her best friend’s first child. When Ophelia went on about how she was worried about Imogen’s reaction to the pregnancy, Im just shrugged. “It’s not my place to judge.” She said. There was plenty to judge if she had wanted to, but if there was one thing Imogen had learned from being a professor, it was that there was a lot of benefit that came from keeping your mouth shut at key times. “I’m sure it is a good sign.” Imogen assured Ophelia when she mentioned babysitting Dakoda’s nephew. She hadn’t known that the Wulfes had a nephew, but it seemed that Imogen’s knowledge was lacking in more place than one when it came to that entire family. “Have you picked out names yet?” Imogen asked. She didn’t know if Ophelia had learned the gender, but it was possible to pick names even without knowing that information.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia smiled happily as Imogen admitted she couldn’t say no. “Good, I’m glad you didn’t say no as you don’t want to make a pregnant woman cry,” she said teasingly. A waitress came over to take their food order, and Ophelia ordered a large plate of fish and chips; she was concerned at first that the baby would give her aversions to some of her favorite foods, but so far she had strange cravings over aversions, as noted when she ordered extra pickles with her dish. “Using the excuse that I am eating for two has been fantastic,” Ophelia admitted gleefully, her hand patting her baby bump fondly.

The food soon came and Ophelia took a few minutes to nourish herself. She chewed thoughtfully then nodded at Imogens’ name question. “Yes, for a boy Koda likes Seth which….I’m warming up to it,” she told her, taking a sip of water. “Then for a girl we’ve both agreed to Lydia, after my mum. I think she would have liked that,” she said, trailing off slightly. “I think my mum would like the idea of her moniker living on,” she added with a tiny giggle.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Imogen managed a small smile at Ophelia’s comment about making a pregnant woman cry by refusing to be the child’s godmother. That would cause a scene, for sure, and Imogen was all about not causing any scenes, especially not in a place as crowded as this one. When the waitress came to take their order, Imogen copied Ophelia’s order – sans the two extra pickles. “I’d imagine it would be enjoyable.” Imogen agreed when Ophelia said eating for two was fantastic. She had never much thought about pregnancy, due to her own inability to have children and aversion of infants, but Imogen could see why that would be enjoyable – and excuse to eat whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted? That was enjoyable, indeed.

When the food came, Imogen cut her fish up in quick, precise movements and salted her chips liberally, preparing so that she could eat everything at once and not have to dilly dally with cutting or seasoning. She listened to Ophelia’s name picks, nodding at both of them. She had her own opinions on the names, of course, but it wasn’t her place to say it. “I think she would, too.” Imogen agreed when Ophelia mentioned her mother liking the idea of her name living on. “Middle names?” Imogen asked, not wanting to pry but still finding herself oddly curious about her godchild-to-be.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia laughed as Imogen commented how it would be enjoyable. “I’ll say. And I have my cravings catered to daily, which is also a plus,” she said before taking a large bite of her breaded fish. Delicious, per usual. She supposed she was rather lucky that if she was at Koda’s he was happy to get her a pint of ice cream at two in the morning if their baby demanded to be fed at that point. She wondered what it’d be like after the baby was born; they were decorating spaces in both of their apartments for their child to be comfortable, and she assumed they would see how things went before taking anything a step further. She was not a psychic though, so who knew really.

As Ophelia munched on several chips, she thought on potential middle names. She had been more fixated on getting the first moniker down that she hadn’t really discussed middle names. “Well, I’m not sure really. Perhaps something from either of our families. Octavian would be a fun middle name maybe for a boy.” She thought for a moment, trying to remember Koda’s mothers name. “Stella! His mothers name is Stella!” she exclaimed, happy she remembered. “Lydia Stella Wulfe has a nice ring to it I think,” she said with a smile. She popped another chip into her mouth, munching happily. “So what is new with you? How are your classes going?” she asked after she had swallowed.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Imogen nodded again when Ophelia said that it was nice to have her cravings catered to. Her knowledge of pregnancy was limited to a brief sex education class she had taken, but she had never paid much attention to it due to the fact that she was incapable of getting pregnant. She had always thought that cravings were something exaggerated by movies, but apparently that wasn’t the case. It was strange for Im to think about, because if she ever had a biological child, she’d be the one catering to the cravings, not the one craving.

Ophelia said that she hadn’t thought as much about middle names, which was probably to be expected, since the first names weren’t yet firm. Personally, Imogen wasn’t a fan of using family names excessively, because it made family histories rather muddled and unnecessarily complex. Her dead name had been their father’s name, and she had hated it even before she realized that the name was the wrong gender for her. Once again Imogen found herself withholding her opinion on the name itself, until it came to the baby’s full name. “Or Lydia Stella Teller.” Imogen offered, somewhat tentatively. “Whenever the parents aren’t married, I think it’s traditional for the child to take the mother’s surname.” Imogen didn’t want to presume that Dakoda and Ophelia were going to get married anytime soon, so it would make more sense for the child to take Ophelia’s name, at least in Imogen’s opinion. Of course, in the end it was Ophie’s choice, but sometimes people made assumptions about surnames without thinking about the alternatives. When Ophelia asked what was new with her, Imogen shrugged. Whatever she had to say probably wouldn’t be as exciting to Ophelia as baby things. “Classes are going well. I’ve taken up singing.” Imogen was growing closer with her owl, mostly because she sang to him to practice, but that seemed a silly thing to admit.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia laughed at Imogens’ offer; she could tell her friend was being hesitant due to the weird nature of her and Dakota’s...relationship situation, but she didn’t mind. “Or Lydia Teller-Wulfe; I think it depends on the relationship of the parents at the time of birth too. My mum of course would tell me to name the child whatever speaks to me during the birth.” Ophelia laughed a little again, fondly thinking of her mothers’ free-spirited nature. “Though perhaps that’s not the best idea, since if it’s painful I might start screaming obscenities and I certainly wouldn’t want any child of mine being named.” Shaking her head smiling, Ophelia popped a few more fish and chips in her mouth, savoring the taste of the slightly unhealthy meal. She made a promise to herself that she would have something a bit healthier tonight, like a salad or something, to keep her babys health up.

Ophelia perked up as Imogen mentioned she had taken up singing. “Ooooh!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I must hear you sing sometime; I’d ask you to sing me something right here and now but I know you might not be up for that,” she said, giggling slightly. “What sort of songs have you been singing? Musicals, oldies from the 1970s, anything that comes to mind?” she asked, curious now of her friends’ newfound hobby.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Imogen nodded when Ophelia said that the child’s name also depended on the relationship of the parents when the child was born. Now came the question that she had been skirting around for a while now, the one that was practically demanding to be asked. “Do you want to marry Dakoda?” Imogen didn’t want to presume anything, especially with how out of touch she and Ophelia had been as of late, but…she was curious. Especially considering all the time that Imogen spent with Mina…The Hufflepuff shook her head a little to clear it of that line of thinking. She and Mina spent time together, but it wasn’t anything serious. “It's okay to name a child an obscenity. At least people know how to spell those.” Im said with a small half-smile. There were some of her students that had names that were impossible to pronounce, or to spell, and she would hate for Ophelia’s child to go through the constant name butchering.

Ophelia was more excited than Imogen had anticipated about the singing venture. “I’ve never sang in front of a crowd, so no, I probably wouldn’t be up for it.” Imogen admitted. Even if no one else would be listening, there was indeed a crowd at the Three Broomsticks, as there always was during Hogsmeade visits. “I can sometime, though. Sing.” Imogen promised. “I’ve mostly been singing musical songs, since my…teacher, I guess…is an actress who performs in them.” The Hufflepuff explained. “If you have any requests, though, I can see if I can do it.” Imogen was already looking through some of her mother’s old things – CDs, cassette tapes, and records – for songs that she could perform for her mother’s birthday.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia blinked in mild surprise at Imogens ' blunt question. Did she want to marry Dakota? Ophelia had never been the type to think of marrying anyone; she was far too free spirited for that.  Since she had gotten pregnant though, a lot of things had changed.  She and Dakota had always been close friends with rather exciting benefits,  but since the creation of their child they had been cohabitating a lot more frequently, making plans together as the three of them.  But marriage hadn't been one of the things they had talked about.  They were only twenty-four after all, normally that'd be far too young to discuss that.  Then again, her and Koda's relationship wasn't exactly typical.  "I....I don't know, Imogen.  It hasn't been brought up yet.  More concerned about making sure we're ready for the baby," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and rolled her shoulders back, slightly uncomfortable.

Wanting to make sure the conversation stayed on Imogen's singing endeavors, Ophelia quickly changed the subject back.  "Good, I look forward to it," she declared.  "Oh! And you can sing for the baby too when he or she is born," she added with a big grin.  She listened as Imogen described her lessons so far.  "Oooh, you mean that West End actress Calliope....something.  I saw her in her very first show; I was fourteen, it was the summer before...well before my mother died," she said, but she smiled at the memory.  Her mother always loved taking her to do Muggle things like theatre, and Winter Wonderland during the Christmas holidays.  It used to hurt to remember those things, but after ten years Ophelia was able to  look back with feeling less pain.


@imogen

[Deleted]

Imogen shrugged when Ophelia said that she didn’t know whether or not she was going to marry Dakoda. Imogen wanted to point out that it wasn’t a question of whether or not she was going to do it, but rather if she wanted to do it, but Ophelia, unsurprisingly, seemed uncomfortable with the topic. She could understand being distracted by a coming child, but that didn’t obscure whether or not you loved someone – in fact, Imogen would think it would be the opposite. But it wasn’t her place to push.

Ophelia said that Imogen could sing for the baby, and Im nodded. “Have you ever heard the song ‘Baby Mine’? It was what my mother always sang to me.” Imogen said softly. There were a few different lullabies that Imogen’s parents had sung to her sister, but that was the only one that she could remember from her own infancy. “Stephanidis.” Imogen filled in where Ophelia had said ‘something’. One of the things about being a professor was that you needed to know everyone else’s surnames, since that was what students used to refer to them. “I think you two would get along.” Imogen said neutrally. They were both the kind of bubbly, happy Hufflepuff that Imogen wasn’t; perhaps that was why she got along with both of them well enough.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia stirred her hot chocolate in front of her quietly. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she had feelings that were more than friendly for Dakota.  But hadn't she always?  Well, no, not really.  During their school years they had been flirtacious, but staunchly remaining friends.  That had changed one night out at a club once they had graduated when she'd ended up in his bed, and that part of their friendship had continued, leading up to her current predicament.  She still felt twenty-four years old was too young to be married, but perhaps one day, and perhaps with Koda.

She was glad when Imogen took to the new subject, and eagerly nodded at the song mention.  "My mum used to sing it too!  I love it, you'll have to sing it when my baby is born," Ophelia declared excitedly.  She sat back, patting her baby belly fondly.  She nodded at the name Stephanidis, now that Imogen said it the name was ringing a faint bell, of a girl several years older than them, but a Hufflepuff all the same.  "I'm sure I would like her," she agreed with another smile.  She reached forward and took a sip of her hot chocolate.  "So I ran into Mina last month when I was at Kodas, speaking of old school mates.  She didn't know I was the girl carrying Kodas child and..well, you know how she gets about him," she told her friend, carefully choosing her words as she knew Imogen was close with Mina.


@imogen