RP: An eventful breakfast

[shh_romilda]

Date: March 3, 2005, Breakfast
Character(s): Romilda, Colin, Cormac, Tiberius Ogden
Location: The house on Copper Street
Status: Private
Summary: A very eventful morning for Cormac at the 'loveshack' sees him receive lots of life altering news.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_tiberius]

It hadn't taken Tiberius long to get acclimated to town. For lack of decent places in town to stay, and Tiberius had no desire to 'claim' a house for himself, he'd been staying at a hotel in Exeter, just until the time came to play his hand.

It was easy to blend in with the crowd in Stoatshead Hill, Tiberius thought as he made his way down the now-familiar streets. Everyone was so complacent and at ease that even a strange face didn't cause alarm.

He was a bit concerned at the integration of Muggle society into the newly born Wizarding world. He'd seen signs of a cinema of all things, as well as a night club. This wasn't even taking into account the use of Muggle electricity, and he'd heard some young witches and wizards gossiping about the latest episode of some insipid Muggle sitcom.

Had the entire town forgotten they were Wizards, and not Muggles with wands?

Muggle culture was useful, of course, but had no place in a predominantly Wizarding community.

He had a lot of work to do, it seemed. Starting with his wayward nephew.

Nor had it been hard to track down his nephew, who seemed to be cohabitating with a Muggleborn Wizard. At least the witch in the situation came from a proper, if impoverished, Pureblood family.

He stopped before the little house on Copper Street, thinking it was quaint and too...common for one with Cormac's breeding. The curtains were open as well, and Tiberius could see a half-naked Cormac sitting at the kitchen table, a blond man and a dark haired woman cuddled in his lap.

Those would be the lovers than, he thought, disgusted at the overt display of sexual activity. Those sorts of things were best done in the dark, and in private.

He walked up the lane, and knocked loudly at the door.

[shh_romilda]

Romilda ran a hand through her hair and readjusted her dressing gown as she looked through the peephole. An older wizard was standing there -- a much older man. She thought he looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place him. But she guessed from the cut of his robes that he had not been one of her old clients, and that made her sigh in relief.

Opening the door, she smiled at the man and put on her best manners. "Good morning sir," she said politely. "How may I help you?"

Just at that moment, Liam came bounding to the door and started babbling. "Who is it Mummy?" he asked. As he looked up at the older man, his eyes widened into great pools and he seemed in awe. "Ooh, you have lots of wrinkles on your face. Are you an elephant?" he asked.

Romilda was horrified. "Liam, please," she said in embarrassment. "Go and find Daddy Mac and tell him that there is someone at the door," she added, purely to just get rid of Liam.

"Sorry sir," she said in way of apology. "Now, how can I help you?"

[shh_tiberius]

Tiberius grinned down at the boy. Good looking kid, he thought, his eyes roaming over the small form. He frowned a bit as he noticed the birthmark behind the boy's ear. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. It would come to him though.

"Hello there," Tiberius said, a bright smile on his face. "I'm Tiberius Ogden, Cormac's uncle, not an elephant!"

Tiberius watched, an expression of fond amusement on his face. "I'm terribly sorry to have interrupted your morning," he said, his expression changing to one of chagrin seamlessly. But inside he was glowering. Daddy Mac? It was a travesty to the McLaggen name to have laid claim to a bastard. Especially the bastard of a prostitute.

He'd collected a lot of information on his nephew's lovers over the past month, and he wasn't at all pleased with what he'd learned, the Vane family name aside.

"As I told the boy, my name is Tiberius Ogden. Is Cormac around? I know this is a bit of a surprise visit, but I was hoping to have a word."

[shh_romilda]

Romilda smiled when the man spoke with a friendly Scottish lilt. He seemed very polite to Liam, and when he introduced himself as Cormac's uncle, her eyes widened.

She recognised the name - it had often been in the papers and she had heard her parents talk often about him in the Wizengamot. To learn he was Cormac's uncle... why hadn't Cormac mentioned anything to her about him? She blushed just a little as she realised she was still in her dressing gown, and instinctively ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, her warmth genuine. Cormac would be so excited to see his uncle, she thought. "Please excuse the mess, but you did catch us before I could set off the cleaning charms," she added in way of apology.

"Please, have a seat," she said as she brought him to the loungeroom, flicking the tv off with her wand and banishing Liam's toys upstairs with another deft flick. "I had just made breakfast, sir. Have you eaten, or can I just offer you some tea?" She felt that for some reason, she needed to impress this stately wizard, and she offered him the full extent of her hospitality.

"I'll go and get Cormac for you," she said with a warm smile. "I know he'll be thrilled to see you!" As she turned to the kitchen, she saw Liam looking wide eyed at the man. "Please behave, Liam, Mr Ogden is a very important wizard," she said to him quietly.

Romilda raced out to the kitchen and grabbed Cormac. "You'll never guess! Your uncle's here to see you! Isn't that fantastic?" she said happily.

[shh_tiberius]

Tiberius hid a smirk as the girl all but fell over herself once she recognized who he was. Well, that would be useful, he thought to himself.

"Don't think another thought about it," he said kindly, waving a hand at the mess. "It's entirely my fault for now Owling first."

He barely hid his disgust at the Muggle television, but covered it by kneeling down next to Liam.

"I'll get acquainted with the little one, while you find my wayward nephew," he said, ruffling the boy's hair. It felt like silk under his fingers.

He looked over his shoulder as she rushed into the kitchen, and wondered just what Cormac's reaction would be.

[shh_cormac]

Cormac froze as he heard the deep, Scottish lilt drift from the sitting room to the kitchen.

It couldn't be...he couldn't be here. Not now. Not ever.

He knew Colin had to notice something off, as he went stiff (and not in the good way) in the chair.

His throat felt tight and he barely managed to keep from screaming as Romilda bounced into the kitchen.

"Fantastic," he whispered, feeling all the blood rush from his head. He felt a bit faint. Even though he'd been expecting his Uncle's arrival for months, he hadn't actually thought the day would ever come. "I should go say hello."

"Where's Liam?" he asked, proud that his voice remained steady.

[shh_romilda]

Cormac didn't seem quite as exuberant as she first thought, but then again, he had already been surprised by her news earlier. "Yes, do say hello," she said quickly, trying her best to make some tea and finish her breakfast and think about actually getting dressed first.

"Liam?" Oh, he's in the living room with your uncle.

[shh_colin]

Colin had still been sitting in Cormac's lap after Romilda ran to answer the door. He had every intention of enticing Cormac back upstairs and into bed before Romilda came rushing back into the room telling them Cormac's Uncle had come to call. He felt a bit deflated at the news but, smiled a visit from a family member should be nice enough.

But he noticed the way Cormac stiffened up at the mention of his uncle, he knew something was wrong. Cormac had never mentioned anything about an uncle before which did seem a bit odd.

Colin slid off Cormac's lap to let him stand. He kept quiet trying to work out what could be wrong.

[shh_cormac]

Cormac wanted nothing more than to pull Romilda and Colin back into his lap, but there was no way he could leave Tiberius in the sitting room alone with Liam.

He silently calmed himself, and made his way to the sitting room. His uncle looked the same as he had the last time he'd seen him, just before starting his third year at Hogwarts.

He steeled himself and walked forward, stilling his trembling hands by clenching them into fists.

"Liam," he said as softly as he could, "can you do me a favor? Can you go up to your room for a bit while I talk to my uncle." He choked on the last word, but didn't think anyone noticed. "Maybe Mummy and Uncle Colin can go as well."

He didn't let himself look away from Tiberius, wanting the man to think he wasn't afraid of him any longer, and wondering if he was succeeding at all.

[shh_romilda]

Romilda stood by the kitchen door and heard Cormac suggest Liam go upstairs. Yes, that would be better than having him annoy Tiberius as Cormac said hello. When she heard him suggest they also go upstairs, she frowned, but then realised she should really be fully dressed.

"Merlin, Col," she said, "we've got one of the most important wizards from the Wizengamot sitting in our living room, and we're still in our pyjamas. Why don't we go and get dressed so Cormac can say hello to his uncle in private?"

She raised her wand to clean up the kitchen dishes as she led Colin and Liam upstairs. At the top of the stairs, she turned and whispered to Colin. "I didn't know Cormac had an uncle, let alone one who was very influential. Did you?"

[shh_colin]

"Yeah that's probably a good idea," Colin said following Romilda and Liam upstairs to get dressed. Once in his room he pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"I didn't know either." Colin frowned. He wondered why Cormac hadn't told them about his uncle, it seemed like something most people would be proud of. But by his reaction to the news that his uncle was visiting, Colin guessed there was something going on between the two beyond just being family.

[shh_romilda]

Romilda nodded and frowned, but was too busy putting on a nice dress. Just as well she was feeling a little better this morning - it wouldn't do to have a guest when she was feeling like utter shite from morning sickness.

"Come on, Liam, you can play in your room," she said as she changed into her best dress before putting on a little bit of makeup to add some colour to her pale face.

"Oh bugger," she said to Colin as she adjusted herself in her dress. Her breasts were sore and she remembered just how big they got when she was pregnant before.

"You haven't said hello yet, Col," she looked over at him and picked at a piece of lint on his jumper. "He seems lovely. Very nice."

[shh_colin]

"Calm down, love. You look lovely, and you don't have to impress anyone." Colin put his hands on her shoulders after watching Romilda run around upstairs getting dressed.

"Let's give Cormac and his uncle a little time to talk by themselves before we go back down there, ok?" He smiled. "I'll be sure to say hello when I see him, alright?"

Colin wasn't really sure who Cormac's uncle was, only what Romilda had told him, that he was a very important wizard. Colin had never been very up-to-date on who was who in the Ministry, so it wouldn't surprise him if he didn't recognize the name at all.

Yet, by the way Romilda was running around. He must have been someone of at least some importance. Colin sat down with Romilda on the edge of her bed as she tried to explain to Colin just exactly who Cormac's uncle was.

[shh_romilda]

Romilda took a deep breath and was calmed by Colin's soft words. She gave him a smile as they sat on the end of the bed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just was stunned to find him here -- in our house!"

She could see Colin had no real idea who Cormac's uncle was, so she tried to explain. "Tiberius Ogden is very high up in the Wizengamot - I'm surprised he's not the new Minister, actually. My father always spoke highly about him. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say a bad word about him, to tell the truth. One of those uncorruptible Wizengamot fellows."

"Not to mention they are somewhat related to the Ogden clans who make firewhiskey," she said with a grin." She hoped Colin understood just how high up in wizarding society this man was. Her mother's voice was in her head as she remembered all her lessons in protocol and entertaining Wizengamot members. It seemed like an age, but it hit her hard.

"But isn't it a great surprise for Cormac. Still, he took our pregnancy news pretty well, didn't he?" she said, hopeful and happy for the first time in a long time.