The Art Exhibition
Note: This is written for the Prompts Oh Prompts thread in the NGF.
Main prompt: Art exhibition
Pairing: Louis/Lily
Lily entered the large hall, which was an airy and sunny room with long windows stretching from the ceiling to the floor. She spotted another door at the far end leading to the other halls of the art exhibition. Many people were visible through the oak paneled open door. She crossed the room drinking in the sight of the portraits of many famous painters on the walls. It didn't take her long when she went inside the second hall, to find her fair, white-haired and beautiful cousin standing with a few other men in a corner of the room.
Lily smiled, in spite of herself, when their eyes met. At twenty-one years old, Louis Weasley was as handsome and young as he had been when he was seventeen. Being part-veela, his charming and attractive manners had never failed to win a girl's heart. He beamed at Lily as he made his way towards her. She could tell that he never expected to see her here.
"Lils!" He said in his deep tone, excitedly. He made a motion of hugging her, but stopped hmself and stood awkwardly in front of her. But Lily had missed him too much. She threw her arms around him and enveloped him in a tight and affectionate hug; that kind of hug which they used to share when they were children.
At that time, she was the only person to believe in him and his extraordinary talent of drawing and painting. She had been his only confidante, when neither his parents nor his sisters knew about his paintings and sketches which he completed secretly during his classes at Hogwarts. As a result he had never excelled at any class or even Quidditch throughout his school life. How could he when his specialty lay at something entirely different? That was Lily's usual comment whenever he brought up the topic. She had been there for him when no one was. She had been his encouragement.
But after Hogwarts, he had entirely lost hope for a moment. He and Lily fought over a silly matter which he still blushed to remember. It had never been the same afterwards. Soon she left the continent, and it was only through Victoire or Rose that he heard any news of her.
But at this moment, everything seemed to be all right again. Many unsaid things passed between them during the hug.
Lily broke free, and looked at the face that she hadn't seen for so long. His eyes were still bluish gray and his deep eyebrows and long, thin nose the same as ever. He smiled, and motioned for her to follow him.
They walked towards the other end of the room, Louis leading her. He introduced her to his friends, and took her to another part of the exhibition. Lily passed many amazing artwork and she was staring at a picture of a green landscape, when Louis tapped her on the shoulder, and pointed to a large oil painting on the opposite wall.
Lily stared at the picture, recognizing it. A girl, with long hair and a pretty face, was sitting on a stool. She could just make out Louis' signature at the bottom of the picture.
She smiled, remembering the time when he had done the painting. It was during their holidays when she had sat on the old stool at Shell Cottage in his room, watching him intently as he worked. The picture was beautiful and a perfect miniature of her.
