"I think you could be a bit bolder."
In the Hogwarts headmaster's office, Headmaster Armando Dippet's portrait crouched excitedly next to a knight portrait, looking expectant.
"After all, we're just portraits, so why be so conservative? It'd be best to paint those spikes twice as long."
"But if they get too long, the wolf fang club will become a meteor hammer." Kael picked up the palette again and said, "Wouldn't it be a bit too bulky?"
"Doesn't matter, as long as it's thrilling." Another wizard with a big nose squeezed in, "I've always wanted to try this weapon, go ahead and paint."
Kael nodded and traced those spikes again with his wand.
Magic Portrait Technique, something Kael found on the bookshelf in Dumbledore's headmaster's office, which he originally skimmed through out of curiosity but actually turned out to be here.
To put it simply, it's about grinding special herbs and minerals into paint, using the wand as a brush, and embedding the paint into the canvas using magic text.
If it's a portrait of a person, an additional step is needed, which is the hardest part. But for decorations, it's not so troublesome; as long as one knows a bit about alchemy, one can master it within a few days.
The needed minerals and herbs can be found right here in the junk room in the corner.
The only difficulty is the painting skill.
Kael's skill is quite ordinary; the things he paints look like scribbles, incongruous with the entire painting.
Fortunately, he was aware of this and didn't directly create on the headmaster's portraits but instead went outside to find a random knight's portrait and moved it in.
Although the knight himself wasn't pleased with having some random things added to his portrait, he finally compromised under the earnest 'persuasion' of several headmasters.
Thus, the scene just now occurred.
Kael used his wand to make some modifications on the portrait and soon completed his creation.
When he put down his wand, Headmaster Dippet couldn't wait to pick up the...wolf fang club...or was it a spiked hammer?
Well, Kael didn't really know what he had painted; if he had to describe it, it was probably like a big eggplant covered in iron spikes.
Though the style was a bit odd, the headmasters seemed pleased with it, and Headmaster Dippet smiled like it was a treasure, walking straight toward another painting not far away.
"Mmm, mmm..."
Phineas was tied up tightly there, with his mouth gagged, unable to utter a word, only struggling and making muffled cries.
It was clear he knew what was coming next.
"Would you like me to cover the painting?" Kael asked considerately.
His heart softened; he couldn't stand seeing this.
"There's no need for that..." Dippet said, but after thinking for a moment, he changed his mind, "Fine, cover it; I need to maintain my image."
"No problem." Kael said, finding a velvet tablecloth and draping it over Phineas's painting.
Now there was no issue.
"Someone, untie him; we are going to have a fair one-on-one duel...none of you are allowed to help!"
The thick velvet tablecloth not only covered the painting but also blocked some of the sound, leaving Kael only able to hear fragmented shouts, making it hard to guess what was happening inside.
But from here, it was evident that the headmasters were quite bored in their daily lives, so Kael didn't mind helping them find some amusement.
Just as he was about to paint the second one, Fawkes, who had been asleep, suddenly woke up and flapped his wings twice.
This was a reminder to Kael that someone was coming.
Kael immediately shoved all the things in his hand and on the table into a drawer.
For Fawkes to specifically give a reminder, it surely wasn't Professor McGonagall. Who could it be, coming to find Dumbledore at this time...
While thinking this, Kael quickly took out a silver-white hair and threw it into the Polyjuice Potion he took from Slughorn, then drank it.
It tasted awful...
But Kael didn't have time to worry about the taste now.
Soon, accompanied by two casual knocking sounds, the door to the headmaster's office was pushed open from the outside, and someone briskly walked in.
The black cloak was thrown behind him, looking like a walking Voldebat.
"I heard you were back."
Snape walked to the center of the headmaster's office, ready to say something, but suddenly frowned and sniffed around.
"What's that smell?"
Kael panicked inside; Snape must've smelled the Polyjuice Potion since he came too quickly, and there wasn't enough time for the scent to dissipate.
"Magic potion, Horace wanted me to approve him buying thirty-five sets of automatic stirring cauldrons, insisting on giving them to me." Kael maintained composure, pointing to a few bottles on a nearby shelf.
"Automatic stirring cauldrons..." Fortunately, Snape didn't doubt this explanation; after a cold snort, he dismissed it.
"When he faces students like Longbottom, he'll realize how flimsy those high-end ones are."
"Don't say that, Severus; Neville has excellence in certain areas."
"Yes, his mind is well-preserved, always brand new." Snape said in a drawling tone, "Anyway, you know I'm not here to discuss Longbottom."