Odessa takes after her mother appearance-wise, in the sense that she always appeared bigger than her peers. Height-wise she's average, but her body has begun to show signs of puberty. What used to be a somewhat boxy figure has begun to gain some flesh in the hips and chest area. A feature Odessa dislikes about herself is her hands, which are wide and in her opinion a bit masculine. This is actually an insecurity given to her by her Governess, who would tell her that she doesn't hold her quills elegantly enough.
She has thick medium brown hair and her father's dark eyes under strong eyebrows. Odessa will likely grow up to be reasonably pretty, so long as she doesn’t take after her Browne female relatives too much height-wise. It is actually something that Odessa resents in herself. First, because grace didn’t come naturally to her and second because she looks naturally athletic, so it would be a shame not to pursue Quidditch at school, when that is something her father might approve of.
Birth & Early Childhood (1881-884)
Odessa was the first child born to Thom Pettigrew and after the initial excitement of her birth had died off she was tucked away in the nursery, a “land” from which she’d been retrieved only when she was needed as an accessory for her parents. She only remembers the baby hippogryph gifted to her by her father because of a photoshoot her mother had arranged for her first birthday.
Laughing Plague (Summer of 1884)
Odessa’s memories of the Laughing Plague that took her grandfather and mother’s lives are spotty, her being only three at the time. What she does remember was them changing houses for the first time and then her grandfather and Mama laughing so hysterically… To this day, Odessa feels uneasy by loud laughter and tends to keep her own expressions of happiness subdued.
When they informed her of her mother’s passing, Odessa had been inconsolable. She’d cried and cried and there had been no one to truly console her. Her father got her many new things at that time – among them, a kitten meant as a companion. It was at this time when she started showing signs of magic, as her sadness began to manifest in the physical world around her: she'd conjure small rain clouds in every room she was in.
Hannah (1884-1888)
Being only four, Odessa didn’t understand that her father planned on replacing her mother until it happened. She wasn’t happy at first, but her governess had been strict about her being
grateful that her father ensured she didn’t grow up without a mother.
That governess entered Odessa’s life sometime in the fall of that year after her old governess had perished in the plague. She had excellent letters of reference and, by the standards of the time, was an exceptional professional. She taught Odessa a curriculum fit only for the elite. As far as the feminine arts go: the piano and cello, dancing, calligraphy, posture, and good manners. Odessa took French, Italian, and Russian lessons though because it was quite a lot for a poor child to take on, her governess focused mainly on French.
Anyways, Odessa was so busy being educated and refined, that she didn’t really have the chance to grow close to her stepmother. Besides, her stepmother seemed to be getting unhappier and unhappier. Odessa felt uncomfortable around her father and Hannah because most of the time there was tension between them.
Then, when Odessa was about seven, her stepmother went into labor and curiosity truly did kill the cat, because Odessa was traumatized by the screams she heard from Hannah’s room – both during the ordeal and after. Odessa later learned that Hannah had a miscarriage and that she and Alex wouldn’t be gaining a new sibling – not a living one at least. Her governess, ever practical, tells Odessa how all women are destined to have children and that, sadly, sometimes the babies don't make it. It was important for women to ensure that they remained healthy to minimize the risk of that happening. Odessa knew better than to tell her governess that, but she was terrified of the idea of marriage and childbirth. Hannah seemed to have been in terrible pain even before the tragedy happened!
Life at Hogsmeade (1888-1892)
After that sad ordeal, her father and Hannah were drawn apart. At first, her governess thought it wiser if she remained with her stepmother in the countryside, however, it soon became apparent that Hannah didn’t seem intent on returning to society by her husband's side. As such, because the governess tended to blame the woman for everything that went wrong in a marriage, Odessa was taken to her father’s residence in Hogsmeade. The governess believed that it was Hannah’s responsibility to get over her sadness and perform her duties as a wife and didn’t want her pupil to have any “poor” feminine influences. (There was already the hysteric grandmother!) Of course, she’s not so vocal about this to her employer.
In any case, Odessa preferred Hogsmeade to the countryside, because she had her grandmother Aurora come visit often and she seemed to care for her! Sadly, Grandmother Aurora seemed to get along perfectly with the Governess. Every adult did and Odessa knew that she was supposed to be one of the best in her field.
The older Odessa gets, the more she wishes to impress her father. He is never unkind to her and he even gets her so many gifts! She can see the envy in some of her friend’s eyes, because she always wears new clothes and has new toys and gets to attend Quidditch matches, meet famous Quidditch players, and even be taken on rides with them when Puddlemore wins a game! Odessa is a Quidditch Princess of sorts and outwardly she appears passionate about the sport. Secretly she despises it, finding it way too stressful – the bludgers, the noise from the stands. The fact that her father seems to be more excited to see a new model of a broomstick, than her.
