"I am good thanks!" she told Timothy and then said "Oh, it is my fiance's but we have to keep this information to ourselves because of the teachers!"

Namitha asked, 'Oh...how many OWLs did you get?'.She hoped he wouldn't mind being asked to how many OWls he got.'And that ball thing...no...you?'

Namitha saw him coming.'Oh...talk of the devil-Tyler's here',she said 'Hi,Tyler'.

"Well I am ready any time you are Maddie! It will be so nice, I can hardly wait!!!" He looked at Maddie and grinned ear to ear. He was far to excited for his own good.

Then.....bam. Timothy heard the word fiance, which usually meant something about marriage or at least in his poor understanding of the word. English was not his first language.

He thought Victoria was all together joking with him, Fiance at her age.....an interesting joke. But then she seemed serious. Wait how old was she? She was a fourth year right? That had to be illegal somewhere....unless she was going to wait until after graduation. Which would make more sense....

"Fiance? Really? That means getting married right.....?"

Timothy looked over to Maddie confusedly, He gave her the 'what the heck is going on' look......he didn't want to judge one of his good friends....but this seemed weird!

Still trying to figure out where to get parts for his board, Tyler heard someone greeet him. Looking up, he smiled and waved at Namitha. "Hey Namitha, how's it going?" he asked and patted the empty chair next to him.

Maddie was smiling from ear to ear. Timothy was right, this was going to be absolutely amazing. She could hardly wait for the ball, even though she'd been going to balls and parties and masques all her life. Becasue this one would be different. No parents to say who to dance with and what to do. This time she was free. Victoria's next respnse jerked her out of her happy fantasy
'I'm sorry, Victoria, but... what? You're... fourteen! Surely that's illegal! No, that definitely is illegal! Maddie was confused. Married... at fourteen? 'So I assume your fiancee is Jason?'

'Fine,dude....I'd been in the hospital wing ever since the start of the year...now alright...how's it going for you?',she asked. 'By the way,it's my baby sister's b'day tomorrow..here's her picture...Natasha Patil',she said excitedly and gave Ty and Adam the pic of her sister.

It sure felt illegal to Timothy. How dare that man take advantage of a young person. Someone needed to be told....perhaps Uncle Nath could deal with the situation....

"Wow.....its your business and all, and I am excited for you....but you sure this is the right time? I would think that school and overall growing up would take priority over marriage!"

Timothy didn't mean to be judgemental. But this seemed far too strange! This Jason person must be a real scumbag to take advantage of Victoria....

He would have to send a letter to Nath after he finished with making plans with Maddie....for the epic ball.

"Really? What's wrong?" Tyler asked, concerned over his little friend. Which was true that he hadn't seen her till now, and it was already January. Which meant he had missed birthdays already. No good. "How old is she going to be?" Ty asked, as he took the picture from Namitha. Wow, they did look almost alike. But Ty wondred why he really didn't look like his siblings. They all had different colors eyes as a matter of fact.

Hmmm.

"We are getting married when I have graduated from Hogwarts, yes my fiance is Jason and he is coming to the Yule Ball. Please keep this to yours, we don't want the teachers to know" she told her friends.

Well getting married after graduation was slightly better. Still a tad freaky though.

Timothy smiled and ran his hand through his blonde hair. "Well it is your choice, and I won't tell the teachers...no worries."

He smiled towards Maddie, looking at the necklace around her neck.

"I know it sounds weird but my brother and his fiancee is getting married after their graduation so I think it is normal" she told her friends.

Walking up to the common room, JD looks around nervously. He thought he'd like to invite Ellie, she was a bit younger then him, but they seem to have hit it off. Looking around the common room, he doesn't see her right away, so he walks over to the window looking out.

Ellie came a-strollin' into the common room. She took a seat by the fire. A spot that was new to her, since she would have normally sat by the tables... But the fire was too warm and inviting on this cold winter day to pass up. She heaved her bag onto the floor beside a chair and sat down. She pulled out a fresh bit of parchment and her Charms notes, along with an ink well and one of her Snowy owl quills. Time to begin her homework.

Of course she thought it was normal, she was the one doing it.

"Well, I am not one to stop you Victoria, you are my friend, I want you to be happy!"

He still thought it mighty weird. How could you know someone enough to marry them when you are only 14?

"I know that I might change my mind but I love Jason" she told her friend, "Have you heard from your uncle?" she asked Timothy.

Looking up as someone walked into the common room, his mouth turned dry. Ellie... Sighing nervously, he isn't sure why he felt so nervous, I mean they did know each other...and they were friends.

Taking a seat in the chair next to hers, he watches as she takes out her notes and parchment. "Hi" he murmurs "Time for homework, huh?"

Yep, nice opening JD. He thought annoyed with himself. She'd really think he was dense wouldn't she...

Ellie had just gotten the ink well to balance on the arm of the chair when she heard a voice beside her.

Looking up, she smiled when she saw who it was, "Hey JD! Yup, Charms," she lifted her notes out to show him, which were labeled 'Charms' in large letters at the top.

"You did great in practice, by the way." she added, shifting into a more comfortable position, and so that she could see him better. She slipped her shoes off and brought her legs up onto the chair and sat indian-style.

"Well its good that you love him, I hope it works out!"

Timothy smiled and looked around making sure that no-one was listening.

"He escaped the death squads, and has returned here to Britain. He is actually working in the ministry of magic while we speak.....I wonder if they knew what he was doing whilst in Russia...."

Nodding his tongue feeling like sandpaper in his mouth, he's afraid to open his mouth let he embarrass himself. Well, he hadn't ever done this before...

Finding his tongue he manages to get out, "You did too! I mean, that bludger you hit w..."

"wouldyougototheballwithme?" he asks really fast. His face turning bright pink, as he manages to get it out. There he'd done it, now only if she would have understood him. No, she probably already agreed to go with someone else...

Maybe he should just get up and leave now, before she has to let him down easy.

Ellie was still grinning at JD and was listening to his next sentence when... He stopped. And blubbered something that was in no way English. She looked at him, puzzled, for a brief moment before bursting out into a giggling fit.

Ahem. She composed herself, but was still smiling. "Sorry, I didn't catch that..." she shook her head. Whatever it was, it didn't sound like it had much to do with quidditch.

As she burst into a giggling fit, he looked at her confused. Yep, he'd lost it, she definitely had a date already for the ball. She was trying to let him down easy.

Looking down, he says it a lot slower but normal tone but quieter. "I was just ummm..."

Glancing at her face as she waits for him to finish, he looks down at his hands folded in his lap, "I was just wondering if you would go to the ball with me."

Oh! So THAT'S what the little fellow was getting at! Gotchya.

She turned to him, completely seriously now, and said, "JD... don't you have a girlfriend you'd rather take?" She thought of that girl who had so far interrupted all the conversations they've ever tried to have. AND he didn't even look at her face to ask her! Humphh.

"Maybe that is why he was in front of the death squads because they thought he was a traitor" she whispered to Timothy.

"We'll see, He was an interrogator at Nurmengard, that's the Russian prison built by Grindewald a long time ago.....Who knows, maybe he killed someone?!"

Timothy grinned at the thought of it....He would have to ask that in the next letter.

Looking up at her pathetically, he knows she's only trying to be nice. And Anya? Groaning slightly, he shakes his head. "I don't know, I really don't."

"I mean she's sweet and all, but I don't know where she keeps disappearing to. I...I don't want to hurt her, but how can I even ask her if I can't even find her?" Looking at Ellie into her eyes, he gives her a small smile.

"If I can't go with her, I'd like to go with one of my close friends." Even if she said no, she at least knew now that he considered her one of close friends.