Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
Position: Beater 2 for Holyhead Harpies
Prompts:
Write about Sir Cadogan (portrait)
8. (image) an origami rose
11. (dialogue) "I'm still here."
15. (image) close up of a woman playing the violin
Word Count: 986
Thanks to Lizzie for beta'ing!
Sir Cadogan put the finishing touches on his paper rose. He'd been working on it for months—there were no roses in this field, and none of the other portraits would let him borrow flowers from their scenes, and so he had had no other choice but to collect bits of parchment that flaked off the older paintings and fashion them into a blossom.
This time, he would surely win her over.
The violinist in the portrait on the third floor had never so much as given him a glance. She was far too occupied with her music. All day and all night her fingers flew across the strings while her right hand sawed away with the bow, never ceasing her practice for more than a few minutes at a time while she pondered which concerto to play next. The students covered their ears when they passed her portrait, but Sir Cadogan thought she made beautiful music, regardless of the fact that he was 90% deaf in his left ear and everything sounded muffled from within his suit of armor.
He knew she liked to pause around midnight to tune her violin. That was when he planned to strike. The moment her playing stopped, he would throw his handmade rose at her feet while applauding wildly. She would, of course, be grateful—nobody else ever clapped for her, after all—and when he asked her for her hand in marriage, she would be unable to say no.
Of course, he'd need to learn her name first, but that was a minor detail.
"You, there!" Sir Cadogan said to a third-year Ravenclaw who was passing. "You, in the blue robes!"
The girl didn't stop walking, and Sir Cadogan jumped onto his horse (she was more of a pony, really) and followed her down the corridor, leaping between frames as he urged the pony into a trot.
"You! Ravenclaw!" Sir Cadogan was catching up. He pressed his heels into the pony's flank for a final burst of speed. The pony reared back at the sudden jab and then took off at a gallop, passing the Ravenclaw girl and leaving her behind.
"Whoa!" Sir Cadogan yanked on the reins. The pony took this as a sign to sit down. "Ahh!" Sir Cadogan fell from the pony's back and landed face-first in a mud puddle. "Who paints a bloody portrait of a mud puddle," he grumbled, picking himself up and lifting his face plate to wipe mud from his eyes. He checked to make sure his rose was still intact.
"Hello?"
Sir Cadogan looked up so quickly that his face plate slammed down into place, throwing him into momentary darkness. "A challenger?" he asked.
"No—erm, it's me. Cho Chang?"
Sir Cadogan shoved his face plate out of the way. "You!" It was the Ravenclaw girl.
"Yes." The girl looked slightly worried. "Are you all right? I saw you fall."
Sir Cadogan shook his head. "Perfectly fine. 'Tis but a scratch!"
"Okay." Cho turned to leave.
"Wait!" He lurched toward her so quickly that he ran into the canvas that separated them. His face plate swung down once more. "Drat. Damn. Curses! She's gone again!"
"No," came Cho's quiet voice. "I'm still here."
Sir Cadogan swept his face plate up. The pony had wandered off into another portrait. "I saw you walking down this corridor," he said, fingering his rose gently. "And I noticed that your hands were not covering your ears, m'lady."
Cho looked confused. "Why would I be covering my ears?"
"The violinist." Sir Cadogan sighed dreamily. "The others hate her music."
"Are you talking about . . . the portrait?"
Sir Cadogan nodded. "I made her this," he said, showing Cho the rose. "I plan to give it to her the very next time she stops to tune her violin. I'm asking her to marry me."
Cho looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh. "Have you ever spoken to the violin portrait?"
Sir Cadogan shook his head. "I've never even seen her face. I've only seen her hands. Her perfect, delicate hands. She plays all night and all day, you know. My dreamy violinist. My lovely, lovely musician."
Cho licked her lips. "Well, I'm very pleased for you and . . . your future spouse."
Sir Cadogan glanced down the corridor, where he knew his beloved was waiting. "There's only one problem."
Cho nodded. "More than just one, I think."
"I don't know her name." Sir Cadogan pressed a kiss into his rose. "Do you know it?"
Cho bit her lip. "I'm afraid that if I tell you, you'll be very upset."
"What?" Sir Cadogan's voice lost its dreamlike quality. "Why? She's not related to Salazar Slytherin, is she? Slytherin would have my head if I married his daughter."
Cho shook her head. "It's just that . . . I don't think the violinist is quite your type."
Sir Cadogan bristled. "Oh, you think that just because I am a Knight of the Round Table, I am unable to appreciate music? Beauty? Art?"
"No. I think you can appreciate all of those things."
"Then tell me her name. In the name of Merlin, I command you!"
Cho sighed. "David," she said. "The violinist is a man. His name is David."
Sir Cadogan stared at Cho for a very long time.
"I'm sorry, Sir Cadogan."
His eyes flicked down to the rose in his hands.
"Erm." Cho looked uncomfortable. "I'm going to class now. Will you be okay?"
He still said nothing. His gaze slowly drifted down the corridor, where the music was still playing.
"Goodbye, Sir Cadogan."
As Cho walked away, Sir Cadagon let the rose fall out of his hand and land in the mud puddle. "It's still lovely music," he said to himself, and then he wandered off to find his pony, eyes tearing up a bit from what he decided must be an allergy to his face plate.