Written for:

Quidditch League - round 10. Chaser 1: Dilys Derwent (Portrait)

Prompts used: 7. (word) tree. 8. Image of handmade flower. 15. Picture of someone holding a violin.

366 Challenge: (Word) dark

Her New Favourite Portrait

Dilys listened attentively as Albus Dumbledore mused over his latest and most ongoing issue: the position of the DADA Professor. She hadn't much advice to give him as the rumoured 'curse' was not something she had to deal with in her time, but she approved his suggestion of hiring a Werewolf to take the position.

The reasons were excellent after all, and surely the Lycanthropy could be hidden. After all, Albus had said the man in question had attended Hogwarts as a student whilst having the condition. He had hidden it back then, and could surely hide it now.

It wasn't like there were many people lining up for the position. In fact, Albus had set out to find this man himself. The man would be willing to protect Harry from the dangerous man that had escaped Azkaban. All he had to do was send the job offer.

Albus finally made his choice, writing on the parchment before thanking the portraits. Dilys stood up and walked through the other portraits, not ready to head back to St. Mungo's just yet. After all, Albus may still need her for something.

Dilys made her way calmly through the portraits, greeting the now familiar faces. She remembered having talked to them when she was the Headmistress at the castle herself.

She walked down the flight of stairs to the beautiful portrait with the sun blazing down, where a large sycamore tree provided some shade. Dilys headed to the trunk of the tree, removing her heavy robe and carefully hanging it over a low branch. She settled down on the grass, marvelling at how real it felt under her fingers.

"You're early."

Dilys opened her eyes, watching a man approach. He held a basket of food and a pair of wine glasses. She eyed the bottle of wine sticking out of the basket. "What if the students see us?"

The man chuckled as he lifted the blanket draped over his arm. "The students won't be returning for a few weeks," he assured her. "You worry too much, Dilys."

He smiled at her fondly.

"Two former headmasters of the school indulging during the day would set a bad example," Dilys replied, accepting a glass from his hand. Giffard, you've outdone yourself again!"

Giffard finished laying out the food he had brought, before opening the wine. He settled next to Dilys. "Only the best for you, dearest." He poured the wine into his glass. "Do you have long before you must return to the hospital?"

"I have a few hours," she replied, bringing the wine to her lips.

...oOo...

Bidding farewell to Giffard and promising to return the next day pleased her gentleman friend and he planted a soft kiss on her lips. "I await your return," he murmured. They walked together through the portraits until they were outside of the Headmaster's office, where Giffard kissed Dilys' hand, then turned and left her.

The relationship between Dilys Derwent and Giffard Abbott was something they kept very private. Others knew, but the pair didn't like to flaunt what they had together.

...oOo,,,

Dilys looked at the waiting room, searching for signs of someone contagious or having downplayed their symptoms, but didn't see anyone that required her to notify a mediwitch. She began to walk through the hallway, checking each room to make sure there were no emergencies.

It was a rare day where nothing was happening.

The only person that needed her that day was a young girl who was upset that she didn't get to have flowers in her room. The girl had confessed to an allergy, causing Dilys to find some parchment. She spent some time teaching the girl to fold the parchment into a flower shape, causing the tears to stop as the girl realised she could have flowers after all.

Happy that she could assist someone, even if it was just a child upset over flowers, Dilys quickly looked over the children once more. She had a soft spot for the younger patients in the hospital, which was one of the reasons why she had become Headmistress of the School. Helping children—whether it was making them feel better, telling them a story or teaching them—was what Dilys had lived for.

Dilys finished her walk and headed to the empty room at the end of the hall that she favoured. There was a picture with a comfortable armchair by a roaring fire in one of the private rooms. It was her favourite portrait to visit, besides the one with the tree back at Hogwarts.

Sitting down, she found her gaze drawn to the newer painting across the room. A man with a violin in a dark painting. She couldn't see his face properly, just his hands and the instrument.

She saw the movement of his head as he glanced up at her, and the bow began to move over the strings, playing a song Dilys had never heard before.

She stared at the painting, transfixed by the beautiful melody that filled the room. The new painting had been there for three weeks now, and each time she had visited the armchair portrait (as the wizard who originally occupied the painting was never there), she would be seduced with the sounds of the beautiful music and watching the bow move so expertly.

As the notes died, she rose from the chair as she always did, but instead of leaving, she found herself going in the opposite direction, working her way through the portraits in the room until she reached his.

She stepped into the darkness, her heart fluttering in excitement.

"My Lady," came a deep voice from further in the room. "You've finally come."

"I have. You play so beautifully." She moved towards the voice. "I wanted to come and tell you."

"Seeing you in the nearby painting inspired me to play," the man replied, moving through the darkness. As he moved towards her, the light from the next portrait showed Dilys what her violinist looked like, and her eyes widened.

The man was tall, dark hair heavily streaked with silver, and small glasses resting on his nose. She admired the strong, square jaw and the soft lips, curved into a smile.

He took her hand and kissed it, bowing slightly. "My Lady, would you care for another song?"

She allowed the man to take her hand and lead her to a chair that had been hidden in the darkness, and he brought up the bow, a soft song filling the portrait.

Dilys smiled as she closed her eyes and listened. She had a new favourite portrait to visit.

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