Closed Surprise!

[Olive Layton]

Olive couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this uncomfortable. At seven months pregnant the only relief was at least the weather was beginning to cool, which make things very slightly easier in the potioneer. Olive had a lot to do however in the next few weeks, not to mention telling those closest to her. Not wanting to tell Leda by owl she’d waited to tell her sister she would soon be an Aunt until the holidays, but frankly was terrified of her reaction. Monty had done well to support her, but still missing her best friend, the second she’d heard from Jon, she’d booked in a lunch date with the pair of them so that they could have a catch up on things in their lives. Since he’d been travelling Olive missed having him around, but she was happy for him that he was enjoying his life with Bonnie.

Sat at the entrance of a small park, full of paths and large open grass clearings for dogs and children to run, Olive was sat on a bench as she checked on her phone for any word of her former colleague. A coat covered her pretty well, but she knew when she stood up she couldn’t hide her bump any longer, and just hoped his response would be as supportive as Montys had been. As she waited nervously for Jon to arrive, the red head glanced up and around at the other children playing with their siblings. It felt surreal that she would have one of those very soon.

 

[Jon Phillips]

Jon felt out of place being back in New Zealand. He couldn’t put his finger on why spending more than a year traveling the world would lead to a sense of disconnect when he returned home, but as he spent time back in such familiar surroundings it was obvious to him that it was happening, and what he once thought was his place in the world seemed less so the longer he stayed. As comforting as it was for him to sleep in his own bed again for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, and to communicate in person with the people he cared about rather than through hastily scribbled letters, there seemed to be something off kilter about everything that made him want to leave all over again. He had first thought traveling would scratch the itch nagging the back of his mind that he was missing out on important life experiences, and allow him to finally settle down when he returned knowing he had lived by some definition. Since being back he realised he was wrong, and it wasn’t the idea of missing out on experiences that bothered him, but something else entirely that he was yet to figure out.​

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Jon wondered if it was something he would realize after his detour to New Zealand, when he left again to visit more parts of the world he’d always dreamed of. Though he didn’t dwell on this thought for long as in the meantime he had something more important to focus on, which was seeing Olive again. Out of all of the friends he left behind when he decided to travel, Olive had been one of the people he had missed most, and he had practically jumped at the chance to talk to her in person. A visit to a park made a more than perfect setting, and Jon arrived with Bongo’s leash in one hand, pleased both he and his dog could see someone they had both sorely missed. It wasn’t long before Jon spotted Olive sitting on one of the benches, and he walked over to her with a smile on his face. He began to go in for a hug to greet her, but suddenly paused after Olive stood up and he noticed the bump that was her stomach. His jaw dropped slightly, but he tried to recover from how unexpected this change was by maneuvering to give his friend a one armed hug instead. “Um, hey! It’s been a while.” Jon said as he pulled away. “This is different.” He added, waving his arm towards Olive’s belly, unsure if it would be rude to ask too many questions about it.​

 

[Olive Layton]

Olive was still on her phone, trying to take pictures of the park without it being obvious to any parents that their kids were likely to be in the shot. The last thing she needed was to come across as some creeper, but luckily it didn't take Jon too long to turn up, and Olive welcoming him with a massive smile, her perception of lonesome park stalker fading away. She stood to give him a hug, and knew instantly that he would have noticed her stomach. Olive still managed to wrap both her arms around Jon's shoulder however, even when he tried his best to resolve a one armed hug himself. "Yeah just a bit," she chuckled. Unlike the meeting with Monty, there was no way she could escape it anymore. She was pregnant, and to be honest she hated it. She didn't feel like herself and it was as though she had some kind of parasite living off her, but ultimately the former Gryffindor knew it would be worth it when she could hold her tiny baby in her arms, and it was a second chance for her family. "Surprise," she added, waving both hands out to the side. It had been a long time since she'd seen Jon, but he had more than one reason not to worry about it. Olive had something important to ask her best friend too, but she would try to limit the shock to just one thing every few minutes. "And hey you brought Bongo!" The woman would have bent down to give him some affection too, but since that was no longer a viable option, she had to be satisfied with a light head pat instead. "Oh I've missed you guys. You need to tell me about your experience abroad," As pregnant as she was, Olive would still much rather have heard about his travels instead of going on about her own difficulties she was facing this year.

 

[Jon Phillips]

Surprised was definitely the right word to describe how Jon was feeling. Returning to New Zealand to find that the life he left behind seemed inherently the same convinced him things really hadn’t changed, and realizing that the changes that happened, although few and far between, were huge had put him in a metaphorical tail spin. Jon wanted to ask Olive about what was going on, and most importantly see how she was feeling about everything and support her if she wasn’t as put together as she seemed, but at the same time he did not want to overstep and ask questions if she wouldn’t be able to answer just yet. When she changed the subject, asking how his travels had been, he decided it would be best to wait and let her talk about her life on her own time. If the trust in their friendship hadn’t been changed by time he was sure she would talk to him eventually. “I’ve missed you too! I’m sure Bongo has as well.” Jon said, looking down to watch Bongo wagging his tail happily. Looking back to Olive, Jon began to tell her all that happened on his time abroad. “A lot has happened, I’ve seen so many places that I’ve always dreamed of, and wow the food in Venice really is to die for. I feel like I gained weight just looking at the pasta.” He smiled, half joking. “Should we walk and talk?” He added, already half turning to walk along the path he assumed would lead them around the park.​

 

[Olive Layton]

"Aw, you're so sweet," she grinned, patting the doggo on his head. Olive listened to Jon as he spoke about Venice, she'd always wanted to go there one day herself but had never yet had the chance to go. Perhaps instead it would be a case of a family vacation instead. "Sure!" she was happy to walk and talk, and it would have been good to give them a chance to go through the changes they'd both been going through. "Where else have you been?" Olive knew that Jon had been to so many different places but wasn't sure where specifically. "Did you have a favourite? What about Bonnie? Did she enjoy it too?" she asked, trying to calm down before she got too ahead of herself. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat as she walked, wanting to hear about the details. Olive had something else she wanted to ask Jon too, although she wanted to wait until the right time. "I met someone. His name is West King, he's a potioneer too," she announced. They had so many things in common and it felt nice to be able to be so carefree with someone. "I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of year, and now we're expecting a baby girl in August," It was Jon's birthday month too, and it would be so cute to have a daughter that shared the time of year with her best friend. "Listen, I had something I wanted to ask you." she paused, turning to face Jon completely and realising that he'd changed a little since they'd last spoken. and once again she missed the afternoons they used to spend hanging out in his office. "Would you.. Would you be her godfather?" They were few people she could trust as much as she did Jon, and she looked up at him nervously, hoping he wasn't going to say no.