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Warning for fade to black. Word Count is 1,235. I hope you all enjoy Painting Hufflepuff.
"My dear, what you call insanity, I call inspiration," Rowena said, looking over her painting easel to see if the light was good enough. She had kept hidden so long her hidden talent for painting that when Helga found out about it she just had to have a portrait painted.
"Insanity or inspiration, you still shouldn't have kept it hidden this long," Helga said in an admonishing voice. "All talents need to be nourished if they are to flourish."
"Did you admonish me in iambic pentameter?" she asked, raising a dark eyebrow at her smiling friend.
The blonde-haired woman sitting in the majestic-looking chair nodded a mischievous twinkle in her soft blue eyes. A talent for art had been the only thing that Rowena was hiding from everyone else. There was another secret that Helga knew well. A secret that the founder of Hufflepuff house was a part of.
"You know I love it when you admonish me in iambic pentameter, don't you?" Rowena asked, putting down her brush and walking over. "But this light won't do at all."
"Why not?" Helga asked, giggling like a schoolgirl. "What's wrong with the light in this room?"
"The same problem that the last room had," Rowena sighed, taking Helga's elegant dress and soft ringlets in. She couldn't help but think how this was the same dress that Helga had worn when they shared their first kiss. "Is there any other room where we could have enough light in the castle?"
"How about up in the tower that you call your home?" Helga suggested a hint of hesitation coloring her voice. "It does get the most light out of all the rooms in the school. Plus I've always been curious about what you have in that tower."
"It's the same setup as you and the others have, Helga," she replied, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks. Wouldn't the other question what they were doing if they both went up to the tower? "But if that is where you would like to be painted I'm sure it will be quite alright."
"It is," Helga said, earnestly folding her hands on her lap and looking up at Rowena pleadingly. "It is my very wish to be painted in Ravenclaw tower."
"Then let's be on our way, shall we?" Rowena said, starting to take down her easel and canvas. She was about to open the door to walk out when the knob was yanked out of her hand. She jumped back in shocked surprise.
"Um….we didn't think anyone was in here," Godric said, going as red as his house's color. "Um...we'll just be on our way, shall we?"
Salazar was gaping at both Helga and Rowena as he yanked his shirt color higher on his neck. Rowena was eagle-eyed enough to see the discolored portion of skin that Salazar had been trying to hide. She would have to tuck this little tidbit of information away for later on. Not that she would have to use such tactics as that but it was nice to have them handy just in case.
"We were just leaving, gentlemen," Rowena said, lowering into an elegant bow. "The room is yours."
Helga gathered the painting pallet and brushes as Rowena tucked the canvas under her arm. The easel going under the other one. The petite blonde waved the brushes at the pair of dark-haired wizards who stood stammering in their wake.
When they'd closed the door they couldn't help but overhear the beginning of an argument start within the room.
"You said there wouldn't be anyone in the room at this time, Godric," Salazar's whine was heard through the door. "What if they figure it out?"
"They probably wouldn't have figured anything out if you hadn't tried to hide…."
Rowena rolled her eyes as she led Helga up the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower. Godric and Salazar really didn't need to hide anything herself or Helga. She had been pretty sure that there was something between the two men during their younger years together and she suspected that it had only grown with the years.
"Here we are," Rowena announced motioning towards the eagle-headed door knocker the tower. She stepped forward and rapped sharply on the door.
The bird woke sleepily and looked at Rowena and Helga before opening the door. She would have to think of a way to make it harder for just anyone to walk into the common room or her tower home.
"Shall we do the portrait by the fireplace?" she asked Helga, looking towards the seat that was sitting in front of the fireplace but also near the window. Helga would look like an angel with her blonde hair shining in the sun. "What do you think?"
"I think it's the perfect spot," Helga said, taking a seat in the chair that Rowena had been eyeing as though already knew where the dark-haired woman was going to set her. "I think that this will make the most lovely portrait."
Rowena paused and looked at Helga, who held herself as though sitting for a portrait with someone who wasn't her friend. She walked over and moved her friend into a more comfortable position.
"There, now you look like my Helga and not some prim and pretty statue woman," she said, going back to her easel and canvas and picking up her brush and palette of paint. "Shall we begin?"
"You are the artist, dear Rowena," said Helga, smiling a mirthful smile which I captured in all of its glory.
She quickly captured the glint of something mischievous in Helga's eyes but put that away to ask about when she was finished with her painting. Her gown was a soft peach color that made her cheeks look rosy and brought out the blue of her eyes.
As Rowena mixed paint for the gown, she couldn't help but garner a glance over at Helga. She was watching Rowena with a look of mystified interest. Thus she started to explain what she was doing for her captive audience.
Rowena didn't know how long she'd been painting for but the portrait was looking perfect. At least in her eyes. She looked over to see Helga sitting as still as she could. Stifling a giggle she motioned for the other woman to come and take a look.
"I should have told you earlier that you could move about the room," she said, trying to hold back the giggles as the usually gentle Helga glared daggers at her. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you…."
"Well, you aren't laughing with me," Helga said, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm not laughing."
"What do you think of the portrait?" Rowena asked, trying to change the subject from the current one.
Helga turned from Rowena and the dark-haired woman could see an instant change in the light-haired woman's face. Her smile was radiant and happy. She turned to Rowen and pulled her into a hug.
"It's perfect," she exclaimed happily. "It's one of my best portraits ever."
"Thank y…."
Rowena was cut off by Helga kissing her slowly. The heat and passion in it building until they both had to pull away blushing and panting for air. This wasn't how dignified ladies were to act in public.
"We're not in public," Helga said, smiling as she pulled Rowena towards the chaise lounger as they resumed their kiss once more.
I hope you all enjoyed Painting Hufflepuff as much as I enjoyed writing it.