Nicknames: She's easygoing about people using diminutives of her name (Dessie, Dessa, Odie, Essie), but she doesn't use any herself.
Birthdate: August 27, 1881
Current Age: 10 Years
Gender: Female
Occupation: Nepo Baby
Reputation: 10
Residence: Ruby Road, Wellingtonshire, Hogsmeade
Hogwarts House: Unknown
Wand: 12’’, chestnut and dragon heartstring
Blood Status: Pureblood
Social Class: Upper
Family:
Thom Pettigrew, father (1855)
Outwardly, Odessa has nothing to complain about in regard to her father. He makes sure she has the best – be it clothes, toys, education, food, etc. If Odessa wants something new, most of the time she can convince her father to buy it.
However, what she never received from him was actual interest and care. She doesn’t feel like she has his approval, or that he truly cares for her. Her father is the sort to congratulate her for learning how to play a new song on the piano and then proceed to buy her something, but not actually bother to ask how long it took her to learn the song, or if she even enjoys it.
Chastity Pettigrew nee Browne, mother (1860-1884)
Chastity had been a pretty social climber and, while not cruel and cold, hadn’t been hands-on in Odessa’s upbringing. She was lost to the Laughing Plague when Odessa was still at an age to be kept mostly in the nursery. Odessa craves a maternal figure since her stepmother isn’t the best at filling a mother’s shoes.
Hannah Pettigrew nee Echelon, step-mother (1864)
When Hannah had first appeared in Odessa’s life, she’d been pleasant and happy and nice to Odessa. Then, she and her father gradually began to be less happy and the final blow was when Odessa’s sister was born dead. Hannah was never happy following that day.
Alexander Pettigrew, brother (1883)
Alex has always been a sickly child, something that at least made people care about him. Odessa herself is in possession of an excellent immune system.
She’s related to the Prewetts & Brownes.
Appearance: 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. Was was a somewhat boxy figure has began 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 gray 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.
History:
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.
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.
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!
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.
Personality:
Odessa was taught to be graceful and composed. She grew up among people who never talked about their feelings and so never learned proper emotional management. She believes that when someone is upset, the “cure” is to obtain a new item and to keep busy. The only people who are sad and dissatisfied, her Governess would say, are those who don’t do anything with their lives. When someone is busy, they don't have time to be sad. What did she have to make her unhappy? She was so privileged and lucky to be born in the position she was! She wasn’t allowed to be upset, she had no reason to be.
Odessa feels resentful towards authority figures, but she also craves their approval.
She tends to invalidate herself, be it her emotions or her decisions. She likes having structures to follow because then she knows what she needs to do to be perfect. When she’s not given instructions, she tends to fend for herself and feels uncomfortable with having to rely on someone’s help.
She has trust issues and her life is full of examples of how people use each other. There is no such thing as unconditional love for Odessa. ‘Love’, if such a thing exists, can only be earned.
Towards other people, Odessa is warm and kind. She is harsh and strict with herself, but not with others. She’s the sort to listen to other people’s problems, but never ‘bother’ others with her own. Odessa also feels compelled to find solutions for people's problems.
Although she craves relationships, she feels uncomfortable when people get too close, because she was never taught how to handle relationships beyond the surface level. She’s also still at an age when relationships aren’t yet that deep. She has her playdates that consist mostly of her cousins and then the Grown Ups that she has to impress.
Other: She has an eight-year-old cat named Cake.
Other than English, she also knows French: she can speak and write about everyday life and also read books in simple language. She was also taught Italian and Russian. Her vocabulary consists of introductions, greetings, color names, month/day names, and other miscellaneous beginner words.
Age: 25