Meeting with the Princess (Ophelia)

[Tyler Parsons]

"I'm sure that you could be good at a lot of things," Tyler said confidently. "You can do anything you put your mind to, as my mum always says. Even if you think you can't do something, you never know until you try." He attempted to try to do something new whenever he got the chance. Maybe he could catch onto something new and just run with it.

"Besides Ace, I have faith in you that you are going to do great things in whatever you chose to do. If you're a stay at home mum, or a sales clerk in some shop, or whatever, I know what you'll be great at it."

[Ophelia Burke]

"Do you really think so?" Ophelia asked. She looked up at him, almost shyly. "In my family... well, all I've ever been told was how pretty I was and what a good wife I would make some day. I never really thought of doing anything else, and I never really tried to be good at anything. Even school... it's just something to do until I am old enough to get married. And my daddy... I just know he's planning to sell me off to the highest bidder..."

[Tyler Parsons]

"Of course I think so. You're family is wrong about you being pretty," he spoke out. A shy look acrossed his face. "You're beautiful." Tyler's cheeks were tinted very lightly with pink. "And you will make a good wife to whomever the luckly guy is that ends up marrying you. You can do other things than just being those. If you put your mind to it, I promise that you can be great at it. Sure, at first, things won't be so great, but after you keep on with it, it will get better."

At her last comment, Tyler almost frowned. "Well, he shouldn't sell you off like that. You're not just some thing that can be bought. You're a person and you should have your own decisions when it comes to marrying and your future."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia's eyes widened at his words. Of course she was used to compliments. But he geniunely meant them, and somehow it made his comments so much more meaningful. No one had ever believed in her so much, and she was suddenly determined not to let him down.

She felt her cheeks growing warm even as she threw her arms around him and held him tight. If she'd had any doubts about her feelings for Tyler, she didn't have any now. She had just fallen completely in love with him.

"I have no intentions of letting my father sell me off," she assured him. "I intend to pick my own husband, and I don't care if Daddy doesn't like it."

She could have told him that she had just made her choice, but she knew it wasn't a good idea to rush things. Right now, she just wanted to revel in the glory of the moment, and not think about the future.

"I think I want to learn something," she announced. "I've always wanted to play a musical instrument... Piano, maybe. Will you help me?"

[Tyler Parsons]

Tyler's cheeks turned a brighter color as Ophelia grabbed ahold of him. He put his own arms around her and held on to her. "You have a strong will Ace, and I'm sure that you're going to get through everything just fine." He had to admire her courage to stand up to her father over something she believed in. Tyler wasn't sure why people still arranged marriages. He couldn't have stood being in an arranged marriage because he would like to find someone that he could be himself with, rather than someone he had to pretend to be someone he wasn't.

"Piano? I know just a little bit, but not much," he confessed. "However, I'll learn right beside you. I could owl my mum and ask her to send her piano books. Reading music is not hard and I'm sure that you'll catch on quickly."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia beamed. She'd never known anyone like Tyler, so open for everything, so warm and accepting, but also playful and funny. She'd never really been allowed to know someone like Tyler. If her brother was still going to Hogwarts, he probably would have found ways to keep her away from him.

But Ophelia was not a little girl and she was tired of being treated like one. And Tyler did not treat her like one, not at all. He treated her like a person, with thoughts and feelings and ideas and needs.

"Then we'll learn together!" she said excitedly. "I know what we can do... We could go up to the Room of Requirement together and I could wish for a room with a piano, and we can work on it together."

[Tyler Parsons]

Once Ophelia beamed, Tyler couldn't help but smile at her. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, since he could reach that with out bending his head down or anything. "We'll do exactly that Ace," he said with a laugh. "The Room of Requirement it is. I'll let you know as soon as I get those piano books. I think I have one in my trunk, but mum has a whole lot of them from when she was teaching me."

Ophelia was more or less his dream girl. He had always hoped that he could find someone similar to her. Sometimes, he still couldn't get over how she just happened to walk in his life. However, Tyler wasn't going to rush. After all, her family was an old family and he knew that there could be consequences for her being around him. Tyler didn't care if he got into trouble, but he didn't want Ophelia to be. But for right now, he was taking it slow and he liked being around her, and he knew that he didn't really care who her family was, he was still going to find someway to continue to see her, if they didn't like him. He pushed those thoughts from his head. He was already thinking about meeting her parents? Tyler put his mind on just Ophelia right now. He would have time to worry about everything else later.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia's cheeks flushed a pretty pink when he kissed her forehead. She wanted more than that, though, and she stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'm so glad I met you," she said happily. "If I didn't sneak down to the kitchens to eat, I never would have talked to you."

She gave a happy sigh and leaned her curly head against his shoulder. "I can't wait for the ball. It's going to be so much fun. You know, my sisters will be there, and I think Kassia is going with our brother, Jadon." She wrinkled her nose. "I know. She's so weird. Whatever. But you have to meet Allaire. She's my other sister... I think you'd like her."

[Tyler Parsons]

When she kissed him, Tyler put an arm around her waist. For the first time, Tyler kissed her back gently. "I'm glad that you have a good appetiate myself. However, I think that I would have ended up talking to you some how or another. It might have been at the dance while you were bored with whatever guy took you." He gave her a wink.

Tyler rested his cheek against her soft hair. Her brother was going to be there? Well, that should lead to interesting things. "Of course the ball will be fun. You are going with me after all." There was teasing in his voice. "Plus, I think I will like your other sister. Oh, and I don't know if you really have to worry about Kassia always being there beside you. After all, she is going with your brother, so she should be preoccupied. Besides, there could be a few other guys that ask her to dance so she'd be distracted."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia sighed. "I love Kassi. I do. I just... I wish she could know what I'm feeling right now. That she could be happy with herself and not spend so much time worrying about everyone else, especially me. I'm fine, and contrary to what the rest of my family seems to think, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much. I hope some boys do ask her to dance, just so she will have a chance to focus on something other than whether or not the rest of us are OK. You know?"

[Tyler Parsons]

Tyler blushed at her words. "I'm sure that Kassia will find someone that can make her happy. She's what, a year younger? She still has plenty of time and she will find somebody. Maybe not right away, but sometime." He reached up and pushed a few curls away from her face. "And you are capable of taking care of yourself. Like I said before Ace, you're strong willed and I know that you will be great." He gave her a smile.

"I promise at the dance you won't have to worry about her being right beside you all the time, because quite honestly, I don't think I want to share you at the ball. Unless of course your brother wants a dance, but other than that, I don't think I really want to share you."

[Ophelia Burke]

"Well, that's good, because I don't think I want to be shared," she replied with a giggle. "I mean, I'm not that kind of girl. I want someone to want me and only me, and never want to let me go."

She gave a happy sigh. This was all she had ever wanted, and she was plunging right in without a single care for what it might mean for her future. She never had been one to think about the consequences of her actions.

They were walking aimlessly, not even paying attention to where they were going. In all honesty, Ophelia didn't even care where she went or what she did, as long as he was there with her. She also didn't care who saw them. She wanted to tell the world how she felt.

[Tyler Parsons]

"Well, you won't have to worry about being shared while I'm here," he said. "I wouldn't ever think of it. If any guy asks you to dance, I think that I'll just tell them no, politely of course, unless its your brother." Tyler gave her a goofy grin. He didn't want to be on her brother's bad side.

"And the second part, you don't have to worry about me ever disliking you or anything like that. Besides, you're the only one I ever had a nickname for." He gave her a wink.

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia wasn't even looking for Fee, but that voice was unmistakeably her sister's. Kassia might have thought to keep walking if it wasn't for the fact that there was a male accompaniment to her sister's conversation and strangely Tyler's voice was also unmistakable, even though she had only heard him speak once.

Kassia blinked wondering what her sister was up to, and what she was doing befriending the Gryffindor boy.

"Hi Fee." she said casting a loving smile towards her sister.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia let out a sigh. So typical of Kassia to appear out of bloody nowhere. Sometimes she thought that she wasn't allowed to have any privacy at all, and she was now even more excited about her upcoming project with Tyler in the Room of Requirement, simply because of the fact that they would finally be truly alone.

Fixing a sugary smile on her face, Ophelia looked at her sister. "Hi, Kassi," she said. "Guess what? Tyler's taking me to the ball!"

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia's smile widened at the one she received from Ophelia, most of the time Kassia could see only the annoyance in Fee's eyes. She never said anything to Fee of course, but those looks burned Kassia, she never meant to be an annoyance, even if she did take it upon herself to see to her sister's safety.

When Ophelia mentioned Tyler taking her to the school dance some of the blood drained from Kassia's face but she was careful to not show surprise in any other way. Smiling even she looked between them, "That's...nice." she said not really knowing how to respond, not really sure if Ophelia knew what she was getting into, they knew nothing about Tyler's parents or his prospects and Kassia didn't want Fee to get in trouble for hanging out with the wrong crowd of people, but she also wanted her sister to be happy.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia, of course, had no intentions of backing down. No one knew just how stubborn she could really be, mainly because she'd never really been tested. As a child, she was always given whatever she wanted, even if she had to throw a fit to get it. Therefore, she was not accustomed to being forbidden to do whatever she wanted. So if anyone tried to forbid her to go to the ball with Tyler, they would have one heck of a fight on their hands, though they might not know it by the serene expression on her beautiful face.

"Isn't it, though? We'll make such a beautiful couple, don't you think?"

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia laughed once the color returning to her cheeks, Fee would make a beautiful couple with anyone she chose to go with, she could even make a beautiful couple going with a three legged dog, the fact that Tyler was tall blond and gorgeous didn't hurt Fee's case at all however. Kassia sighed a bit, " You'll be the belle of the ball no doubt." she said a bit of indulgence in her tone but there was hefty amount of truth in that statement.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia's smile was glowing. "Thank you, Kassi," she said. "Of course, you and Ally are my only real competition. Between the three of us, I'm sure all eyes will be on us. Those poor House champions... They'll barely even be noticed with us there."

She curled her arms around Tyler, letting Kassia know in no uncertain terms just how serious she was about Tyler. "I have other news, too, Kass," she announced. "I have decided that I am going to learn to play piano. Tyler is going to help me."

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia's brows rose when Fee mentioned the piano. Oh she had taken note of everything else of course, the sudden intimacy between the two and a sudden fissure went down her spine erupting into a sweeping worry that nearly took her breath away, but despite her heart beating faster she couldn't get Fee's radiant happiness out of her mind.

And piano too? It was strange but Tyler already seemed like he was good for her sister and if it wasn't for the fact that he was a Gryffindor that they didn't happen to know a whole lot about Kassia could have really been happy about this as it was she nodded, "That's great Fee." she said her lips a little colorless.