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[HP:Failed Art Student]-Chapter 2: Fantasizing Again—The Summer She Didn’t Call Him “Mudblood”

Bang!

With a jolt, Severus Snape shot to his feet.

His eyes were locked onto the painting before him, a flicker of fear flashing in their depths.

As if he were staring down a terrifying curse—or perhaps the most irresistible confection.

Flowing hair, shining eyes, a radiant smile bright as sunlight.

It was merely a black-and-white portrait, and yet to Snape, it burned with fiery red hair, glimmered with emerald eyes, and echoed with the silvery sound o...

[HP:Failed Art Student]-Chapter 1: The Failed Art Student’s New Career

1991, Spinner’s End.

Ethan had just wrapped up a long day of street-side sketching.

Clutching a stack of yellowed, ragged-edged papers to his chest and gripping a few charcoal pencils of various thicknesses in his smudged little hands, he trudged through the door.

With a solid thud, Ethan kicked the door shut behind him. The rusted hinges groaned under the impact.

He carefully placed his precious art supplies on the table, then collapsed onto the grease-stained sofa ...

HRHL# CHAPTER 247

“Obviously!” Ron said gleefully. “I bet he wouldn’t dare come near Harry—not after that Quidditch match. If he saw it, he’d be hiding as far away as possible to avoid Harry burning him to ashes!”

“Then why would he dare show up in the Gryffindor common room?” a group of Ravenclaw students nearby chattered. “I reckon he didn’t see that match, or he wouldn’t have the guts.”

“Enough! Quiet down!” Percy’s voice cut through the noise. “I’m the Head B...

HRA# CHAPTER 193

Even using his toes to think, Harry could guess who this old woman was, her hatred for him so blatant it was practically written on her face—Mary, the mother of Peter Pettigrew.

He hadn’t expected her to jump out and sue him first. Considering James’s description of Peter’s character and the fact of his betrayal… well, it could only be said that it ran in the family.

“Damned little beast, you should’ve died under Voldemort’s wand like your cursed father, not collud...

HRHL# CHAPTER 246

“I agree with you,” Cassandra said, wrinkling her nose. “But since he’s collected the fake Gryffindor Sword and the Hufflepuff Cup, doesn’t that mean the remaining two relics of the Founders might also be in his possession? Turned into Horcruxes?”

Harry suddenly recalled the memory of Morfin Gaunt he had seen before.

He spoke up, “It’s very likely. I remember when I viewed Morfin Gaunt’s memory with Professor Dumbledore, he mentioned that Merope Gaunt, Voldemort�...

HRA# CHAPTER 192

“How long will this take?” Fudge asked.

“At least a few more years,” Harry shook his head. “This sort of thing can’t be rushed. Power should be wielded by those with mature judgment. Surely, Minister, you wouldn’t want someone hastily mastering shamanic powers and then unleashing vengeance on society, would you?”

Fudge fell silent.

“Don’t worry. For the next few years, at least, the Ministry won’t lack capable hands to deal with cases involving shaman p...

HRHL# CHAPTER 245

Hearing the shouts from outside, Harry instinctively glanced at Veratia.

“What are you looking at me for?” Veratia tilted her head at a ninety-degree angle—an action that, paired with Bellatrix’s face, somehow didn’t seem out of place.

“I was just wondering why the Aurors got here so quickly,” Harry said, though his wand was already drawn from his robes.

“Can we negotiate?” he asked.

Veratia pressed her wand against her cheek. “If you think they’d...

HRA# CHAPTER 191

“The students of Slytherin House practically worshipped the Dark Lord,” Professor Sinistra said softly. “I was only a student back then, but I’ll never forget their fervor. Even the first-year Slytherins, fresh off the Hogwarts Express, acted as if they couldn’t wait to graduate and pledge themselves to their dark master’s service.”

“In that environment, Slytherin students were essentially Death Eater recruits in training—and they were proud of it,” Professor Trelawn...

HRHL# CHAPTER 244

“Very well, Madam,” Griphook said, inspecting the wand before handing it back to Veratia. “We’ll set off now—”

Veratia took the wand and, without a word, cast the Imperius Curse on Griphook.

Griphook paused, casting a puzzled glance at Veratia.

Veratia said nothing, only nodding.

Understanding her signal, Griphook, as he turned to leave, discreetly kicked a hidden red button.

The moment they boarded the cart, a piercing alarm blared through the Gringo...

HRA# CHAPTER 190

Harry’s words had reached the innermost table, and Hagrid’s heavy sigh could be heard even by those standing at the pub’s entrance.

“Hahahahaha, indeed, we’ve missed the best time to dock you points, Harry. I must say, it’s a pity,” Professor Flitwick chuckled heartily, patting Harry’s leg. “You should’ve let us savor those moments a bit longer… after all, it’s only seven years at most.”

“You could still do it now, you know,” Harry shrugged, grinning....

HRHL# CHAPTER 243

In no time, Snape appeared in the Headmaster’s office, his face expressionless, cradling a large bucket of Polyjuice Potion.

“Dumbledore.”

Snape set the bucket of Polyjuice Potion on the desk in the Headmaster’s office. The potion sloshed twice, emitting a watery gurgle.

“Here’s the Polyjuice Potion you requested—I hope next time you ask me to brew something, you’ll give me advance notice so I can prepare properly.”

“Thank you, Severus,” Dumbledor...

HRA# CHAPTER 189

According to Rita, convincing Fudge had been a grueling ordeal, requiring every ounce of her cunning and eloquence to make that dim-witted pig grasp the critical points. At the very least, Fudge was no longer ranting about branding Harry a dark wizard and sending Aurors to arrest him, as he had furiously threatened when she first explained her intentions.

Rita’s letter dripped with self-congratulation, not even bothering to hide her desire for praise. Harry, for his part, didn’t min...

HRHL# CHAPTER 242

As Harry soared down the wide corridor of flames on his broomstick, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.

He held the Golden Snitch aloft in his hand, like a triumphant warrior.

“Potter!” “Potter!” “Potter!” “Potter!”

Students from all four houses shouted Harry’s name—though Slytherin, predictably, was less enthusiastic, their cheers laced with the distinctive clipped tones of the purest-blooded among them.

No one mourned the Dementors. After all, w...

HRA# CHAPTER 188

[One cannot help but feel puzzled. We all know Azkaban is a hellish place, an environment no sane person would ever choose to live in, let alone be imprisoned there for twelve long years.]

[Yet, for twelve years—twelve whole years—Sirius Black kept his silence, never revealing the truth of the matter. Could he have been enjoying the torment of Azkaban’s cells? That seems utterly illogical.]

[...Suddenly, it dawned on the writer that there might be another possibility. Could ...

HRHL# CHAPTER 241

On October 9th, it was Quidditch match day. A light rain fell, but it wasn’t heavy enough to cancel.

Yet, for some reason, the air carried an unusual chill.

“Have some hot soup, Harry,” Hermione said, holding out a bowl of creamy mushroom soup. “Eating something hearty will help you fend off the cold.”

“Yeah, mate,” Ron chimed in from beside her. “Listen to Hermione, have some—you can’t just eat nothing, can you?”

Harry grabbed a few slices of bag...

HRA# CHAPTER 187

A piece of news seismic enough to send shockwaves through the Ministry of Magic and the entire wizarding society.

For the first time, a thought stirred in Rita Skeeter’s mind: perhaps being a journalist who dared to speak the truth wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

The thrill of challenging authority, of exposing government secrets and uncovering its mistakes, was utterly exhilarating.

Wait a moment—thinking about it, it had been quite a while since she’d gone out of...

HRHL# CHAPTER 240

He raised his hand, intending to answer Professor Snape’s question.

“Potter,” Snape sneered, his teeth bared in a mocking grin, clearly delighted to see Harry volunteering to answer—not just any question, but this one. “Go ahead.”

“Werewolf,” Harry began, “sometimes called Lycanthrope, refers to a human who transforms into a wolf-like form under a full moon, caused by an infection known as lycanthropy. Though werewolves take on a wolf’s shape, they dif...

HRA# CHAPTER 186

The denial from those meant to be protected is the greatest torment for a hero, capable of extinguishing even the flickering candlelight struggling in the darkness.

All for such a laughable reason.

“I’ve told you, don’t compare me to trash like Voldemort,” Harry sneered. “I don’t need your submission, nor do I need you to call me master—just keep this lesson in your heart.”

“Understood, understood, I’ll remember, I swear,” Rita stammered, trembling even...

HRHL# CHAPTER 239

Harry hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to ask Poppy about this. After all, she was just a girl—could she really understand such a tangled, messy situation?

Seeing Harry’s hesitation, Poppy sidled closer, nudging him playfully. She sniffed at his robes, her head bumping against him twice. “Oh, come on, what’s so embarrassing? Just tell me already!”

“Ahem.” Harry glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before leaning in to whisper, “So, Poppy, I have thi...

HRA# CHAPTER 185

Even during the class earlier today, Rita Skeeter, quietly perched among the leaves as a beetle, had noticed that the Harry Potter before her didn’t match the boy she remembered.

If time could be rewound, Rita would swear on her grandmother’s name that she would have slipped away from Hogwarts the moment the lesson ended, without a second thought. Instead, driven by her insatiable curiosity, she followed Harry into this peculiar building.

The Boy Who Lived secretly studying so...

HRHL# CHAPTER 238

The Boggart paused, looking around in bewilderment, utterly clueless about what had just happened.

“Excellent, next!” Professor Lupin roared with laughter, clearly delighted with Neville’s handiwork. “Ron, your turn!”

Ron shuffled forward with a crab-like gait, coming face-to-face with the Boggart dressed as Snape in drag.

“Focus, everyone, and don’t be afraid!” Lupin called out, grinning.

No sooner had he spoken than a vortex of air swirled around ‘S...

HRA# CHAPTER 184

Even though it was known that Squibs could become shamans—Filch being the living proof—students who still couldn’t connect with the elements felt utterly miserable seeing a non-magical Squib succeed where they failed.

The notion that Muggle-borns might wield magic was a distant possibility, uncertain at best. But the transformation of Squibs was immediate and undeniable…

Fred and George were trying to comfort their sister, but their efforts fell flat. After all, they had b...

HRHL# CHAPTER 237

“I’m actually quite curious about that rat,” Veratia said suddenly. “Logically speaking, an ordinary household rat wouldn’t live this long. Typically, they only have a lifespan of a few years—perhaps it found some way to prolong its life.”

As she spoke, Veratia cast a leisurely glance at Cassandra, who was peeling a banana.

Her interest wasn’t really in Scabbers, the old rat, but rather in using the topic to tease Cassandra.

Cassandra shot back with a smirk, ...

HRA# CHAPTER 183

“I want a really, really cool and absolutely dazzling entrance, Harry. You know what I mean.”

Those were James Potter’s exact words.

The Ancestral Spirit summoned through the Totem of the Ancestors did indeed radiate a ghostly blue soul-light, a translucent shimmer that set it apart from the milky-white transparency of a wizard’s ghost. This was one of the key distinctions between the spirits called forth by shamanic magic and those of wizarding lore.

Though...

HRHL# CHAPTER 236

At that critical moment, Harry stepped between the two girls.

"Alright, stop fighting," he said.

As he spoke, Harry found it hard not to break into a sweat. The words came out easily enough, but being caught between two older girls was far from comfortable.

"How about we call this duel a draw?" Harry wiped the perspiration from his brow. "If this keeps up, the Room of Requirement is going to get wrecked!"

Hearing Harry’s words, Veratia tucked her wand away.

See...

HRA# CHAPTER 182

The term Muggle carried a discriminatory undertone from the moment it was coined. Its root, mug, implied a fool, and Muggle referred to ordinary people without magical ability.

In the eyes of many pure-blood families, Muggles were inferior beings, lacking the gift of magic.

While opposition to this pure-blood ideology was the prevailing voice in the modern wizarding world, it was undeniable that most wizards, deep down, viewed Muggles with a condescendin...

HRHL# CHAPTER 235

The following afternoon, Veratia returned to Hogwarts.

Harry was studying in the Great Hall when he felt a tap on his back. Turning around, he was surprised to see Veratia.

“Hey, you’re back?” Harry said with delight. “I was just—”

“Come on, let’s step outside,” Veratia said with a bright smile, pulling Harry up from his seat. “Let’s head to the Black Lake…”

Grinning, Harry followed her out of the Great Hall.

At the Slytherin table, Cass...

HRA# CHAPTER 181

“Don’t mention it,” Harry said, waving his hand dismissively. “No matter what others say, just do what you believe is right. Those who sway with the words of others will never accomplish anything.”

“A hero only needs to believe in themselves,” Hermione suddenly interjected, then quickly lowered her head under Harry’s gaze, explaining, “That’s something I read in a book. Um, I mean, it’s from a book… but it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely,” Harry re...