It's taken me ages to get to this, and now I'm sorry that it did! I originally skipped over this piece because of the warning about an unhappy ending, but it didn't turn out to be as distressing as I thought it might. It wasn't so much an unhappy ending as an inevitable one. I loved Sir Cadogan, and your explanation for why he became the sort of portrait he is, with the uncertain, uneven mode of operations, the confusion so evident in him. Your Helena was fantastic, as well. The way she analyzed and thought about even the slightest action was very fitting for the daughter of Ravenclaw, and the sorrow and regret when she (and we the readers) comprehended the consequences of her giving in to emotion. Very well-written (and I can hardly be surprised by that, knowing it's you.)