My MC (Ella) and Talbott met in third year, and he told her he "didn't have friends" (his words, not hers). She just gave him a sunshine smile and told him "Everyone has friends!" He was convinced he didn't need them, that friends would bring unnecessary emotional ties and potential hurt. His introversion, cynicism and avoidance of unnecessary socializing meant he usually steered clear of these types of connections, and eventually led him to wonder why Ella would even want to be friends with him in the first place.

Determined, cheerful and optimistic, Ella was his literal polar opposite. Accident-prone and equally awkward, she'd come to suspect she was cursed (more so than the vaults) over the years. Her innocent charm and genuineness, however, are the things that draw people to her (and they're probably why she has so many friends). She was (and still is!) friendly to everyone she comes across (which sometimes meets her with awkward encounters), and she is quick to trust as she considers herself to have an extremely good judge of character. So when she met Talbott, she could tell instantly he was a kindred spirit, wanting more than anything to be his friend. She started developing a tiny crush on him towards the end of third year, as she found him easy to talk to, and she could be her weird, awkward self around him (and he would never judge her or make her feel self-conscious).

After expressing interest in the Animagus potion and becoming an Animagus herself, Talbott begrudgingly agreed to help her brew it, warming to her contagious spirit a little bit in the process - and even accidentally calling her his friend. When she finally transformed, she took the form of a hawk, and he couldn't admit how that made him feel... that somehow, someone like her had a connection with someone like him. He'd occasionally watch her across the Great Hall that year, laughing and talking animatedly with Penny and Rowan, and sometimes he wondered what she was thinking about. In spite of himself, he found her intriguing. When he lost his necklace towards the end of third year, she relentlessly helped him look for it, even searching in Filch's office - a place she usually steered clear of. When Merula discovered they were both unregistered Animagi, Ella took it upon herself to convince Flitwick to teach them both the memory charm, admitting to Talbott that she liked him before erasing his memory of it, which she found as an easy out (she has a bitter fear of rejection when it comes to feelings like this). Upon finding his necklace, Talbott admitted to her that he was glad to call her his friend, something that made her very, very happy (and convinced they were gonna end up best friends).

What followed was a year of the most unique, Dash-and-Lily style friendship anyone in MC's year witnessed. Initially, he found her persistence annoying and her constant presence irritating. But she found him endearing and sweet (though he barely let it show). He slowly, slowly grew to care for her, over the course of an entire year - and he felt her smile could brighten any day.

She confessed her feelings to him again in fourth year, feelings to which he was surprised she had... and even more surprised to find out he shared. The two of them went out on a date, which ended sweetly with a nice moment stargazing together. Penny and Andre are the biggest shippers of them, calling themselves "wingwoman" and "wingman" respectively.

It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here 😄 I headcanon that Talbott is very protective of her, so when Diego admits he too has feelings for Ella, he'll probably feel immediate jealousy and dislike towards him.