Teagan giggled.  "Ya I guess it would get old fast," she decided.  She placed a blue wildflower behind her ear and the rest she kept in her left hand.  "Have you ever had a girlfriend, Josh?  Sometimes, I feel a bit impatient to fall in love."  She plopped back down in front of Josh.  "Hmm, plans?  Well, I was hoping to hang out with Chloe a bit.  We talked about going dress shopping and I want to see if I can do something with her for Christmas too.  Other than that... being with family."  Teagan shrugged.  "It would be cool to stay here at Hogwarts for Christmas, but my family would guilt-trip me."  She added," I think Sky is staying too." 

"No, I've never had a girlfriend. Had a few crushes, but never got up the courage to ask them out." Josh said, knowing full well how ironic it was for a gryffindor to have issues with courage. " Just don't rush into anything, Teagan. Love can be a beautiful thing, but it can also become one of the most twisted things there is. There's no better way to completely wreck somebody than to break their heart." Josh said bitterly. He had seen relatives with broken hearts before, it was never pretty. "yeah, normally I would spend Christmas with my family, but this year should be too interesting to do that." Josh said.

"Well, I guess I'm the same.  I never had the courage to say anything either," she said, twisting her hair in her hand.  She nodded to what Josh was saying about love.  "Yes, you're definitely right.  I don't want to ever break anyone's heart.." she said, knowing at the same time that it was sometimes inevitable.  It was just part of the game of life.. 

"You know Derry?  He's looking for a date too.. He's extremely shy around girls.. Do you know of anyone that might want to go with him?" Teagan asked suddenly.  She knew how badly he was freaking out about the Yule Ball and wanted to help him - she just didn't know how.  Unless I go with him... she thought.  She felt bad realizing that it would be more of a last resort if she did.  They had grown up together so for Teagan, taking Derry to the ball would be like going with her brother.

     

"What year's he in? I might have some ideas" Josh said in reply to Teagan's question, thinking hard. He knew plenty of girls, indeed, he had noticed most of his friends were girls, he wasn't sure which would be both willing to go with Teagan's friend and also were unlikely to have dates already. Admittedly the biggest problem in Josh's opinion is most of his friends probably already have dates.

"Six, like us," she said, hope evident in her eyes.  "Do you know anyone?" she asked, leaning forward in anticipation.  Oh how she'd love to see Derry fall in love.  Her eyes twinkled slightly at the thought of setting him up with a girl.  Teagan tended to be protective and motherly even towards her friends, and Derry was no exception.  "He's never had much luck with girls and I'd do anything to help him change that."

"Oh you mean Derry from my dorm... Off the top of my head, Ligeia Canterbury and Gabriella Dagon don't have dates as far as I know. Unless you want to go with him yourself. Gabriella's pretty outgoing, so she could probably break through his shyness; Ligeia... I honestly can't predict." Josh suggested, slightly embarrassed he hadn't recognized the name of one of his dorm-mates.

"Ligeia? Ooh, I wonder if we can set him up with her?!" Teagan said, her eyes twinkling madly in her excitement. [1] " Or Gabriella?" Teagan asked.  Teagan blushed slightly when Josh suggested she go out with Derry.  "I...don't really want to..." she said sheepishly.  "It would be weird, I grew up with him.."  The truth was, Teagan was also still hoping she could find someone to go out with romantically for the Yule Ball.  And the thought of going out with Derry... frankly, it made her want to gag. 







 

1.	I actually don't know who Gabriella is

OOC: Gabriella Dagon, a 6th year Gryffindor.

"As I said, I don't think either of them have a date to the Yule Ball. Worst that can happen is they say no, neither of them are cruel." Josh said, he really wasn't surd how to decide between the two. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be awkward. Like a brother to you?" Josh asked, it would explain why Teagan wanted to help Derry.

"Absolutely," Teagan said.  "I love him as a brother, but to go out with him.. it would just be kind of awkward for me," she said.  "I'll ask Lideia then," Teagan said, determination in her eyes.  "I have a feeling she's his type."  A question then formed in Teagan's mind as she glanced at Josh.  "If you had chosen to go out with someone else other than Sky, I mean as a date, who would you have picked?  Let's just say if anybody had been available."  She was curious and anyway, she could keep a secret; Teagan wasn't one to blab. 

"You're fishing for who I've got a crush on,aren't you. I'd have asked Lydian Chenoweth, but can't quite work up the courage. It's nothing that would be helped by being set up, it's just she's a friend of mine, and if it didn't work out, I'm worried about losing the friendship." Josh said. "I doubt you will, but do not tell her. I'll probably ask her out eventually, but let me decide when, ok?"

"You see right through me," Teagan said with a smile.  "Oh, Lydian, huh?  Don't worry, my lips are sealed."  She made the gesture of zipping her mouth.  "And, I totally see what you mean.  I would feel the same way, not wanting to lose a friend if things don't work out."

Teagan stood up and stretched.  Then, suddenly glancing at her watch, she placed her hand to her mouth.  "Oh no!  I forgot my cupcakes in the kitchen!  I better go before the burn!" she shouted, already sprinting towards the castle before she finished talking.  "Catch you later!" she yelled back at Josh, waving, not realizing she had forgotten her book beside him. 

Josh was glad that Teagan would keep quiet, he did worry. Then he saw Teagan sprinting off, and sat back. Then he saw the book. Getting up, he picked her book up, slipping a piece of parchment in to mark Teagan's page. Walking to the kitchen, he hoped Teagan would still be there. ticking the pear, he walked in. "Teagan? You forgot your book" Josh called out.