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[HP:Failed Art Student]-Chapter 72: The Living Painting is Complete!
🕑 Added 2025-08-20 03:46:25 +0000 UTCWhoosh—
Invisible, cool spring water splashed onto his face, like a refreshing gulp of icy mint on a summer day, chilling him to the bone.
Though 1% wasn't much, the magic surging within his body refilled the stamina he had just expended.
“Huu…”
Ethan couldn't help but let out a comfortable sigh, feeling utterly relaxed.
His robes billowed without a breeze, and dust, drawn by the magic, swirled slowly around Ethan, mysterious and powerful.
He was only 2% away from meeting the promotion requirements!
Ethan felt the magic surging within him, a faint sensation of being on the verge of breaking through a bottleneck.
Like a dragon emerging from the sea or a fish leaping over the dragon gate.
Breaking past the 40% threshold would surely bring him entirely new changes!
Ethan raised his wand and slowly chanted ancient incantations.
The tone was deep and melodious, like an elf's song under the moonlight.
In this elegant tune, Cerberus only felt their eyelids grow heavier and their consciousness blur.
No, woof, this is the enemy's trick—
“Grrrrrrr…”
Ethan smirked, watching Cerberus flop over and fall asleep.
Like strands of spider silk, milky white threads floated from Cerberus's heads, coiling around Ethan's wand.
They hovered slowly, like planetary rings around a planet.
—Images unfolded before Ethan's eyes.
There were scenes of a small Cerberus being held by Hagrid, of it being fed with an oversized pacifier, of it chasing goblins around and playing…
Then, scenes of it dominating after it grew up.
As if buried in the fires of hell, a scorching smell filled his nostrils.
Through this battle, Ethan also realized more clearly that he lacked direct combat methods.
This time, he could use the ceiling to deliver a critical blow.
But not every time would there be terrain suitable for such a setup.
Cerberus could just make up for this.
It was a power that could directly subdue enemies!
Ethan nodded with satisfaction, placing the soul fragments into the prepared glass tube.
Now, all he had to do was successfully draw the Living Painting of Cerberus!
To make it into a summonable card!
Coincidentally, the magical materials Professor Quirrell had bought were also arriving one after another.
Just seeing Professor Quirrell's pained expression, Ethan was sure this batch of goods was definitely pure.
“Heheheh~”
Ethan's joyful laughter echoed like a ghost through the silent corridors of Hogwarts.
He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and, with light steps, left the forbidden area.
He walked towards the Ravenclaw Tower.
Along the way, he scared a few patrolling prefects, causing them to hug each other in terror.
This fostered their friendship.
On the other side.
In a corner Ethan hadn't noticed.
A figure slowly appeared.
Silver-white hair and beard shimmered like silk in the moonlight.
It was none other than the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stood outside the forbidden area corridor, his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles watching Ethan's departing figure with a helpless expression.
“Young wizards these days are truly lively…”
Dumbledore murmured.
After several days of observation, Ethan had not learned any strange Dark Arts from Professor Quirrell, nor had he been led astray.
Instead, he was close to driving Professor Quirrell insane.
“Why is Ethan so fixated on Living Paintings? In a wild environment, his paintings shouldn't have much effect…”
For some reason.
Dumbledore always had a faint sense of unease.
Ethan's recent state was very similar to how he was before Halloween.
Quiet, focused on preparing his paintings.
Then he would put on a big show for everyone.
…No, it shouldn't be.
After all, the other opponents were top students from various schools, selected through layers of competition.
Ethan's somewhat abnormal paintings would have very little effect.
After thinking it over, Dumbledore relaxed.
It wouldn't threaten Hogwarts' excellent reputation.
“When the time comes, I'll ask the judges to give Mr. Vincent a little extra consideration. I wonder what kind of surprise this child will bring us~”
…
In the following days.
Ethan attended classes during the day and studied with Professor Quirrell after dinner.
Late at night, he practiced drawing Living Paintings.
This was the most difficult painting Ethan had ever created.
The 1.2 × 1.8-meter canvas, stretched on a wooden frame, stood like a wall in his bedroom.
To paint the higher parts, Ethan had to stand on a stool.
Using his wand as a brush and magic as paint.
He fused the silk-like delicate soul fragments, meticulously drawing the creature's memories onto the canvas, bit by bit.
Every stroke, every line, felt like it was directly draining Ethan's life!
Making every brushstroke weigh a thousand pounds!
Once, Ethan even collapsed from exhaustion, falling off the chair and passing out on the floor.
When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at the ceiling of the hospital wing.
It was his two roommates, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein, who had carried him there.
“You need to eat more and rest more, child,”
Madam Pomfrey, the school matron, said sternly and worriedly, mixing him dazzling potions.
“Stop painting your pictures!”
Ethan nodded in agreement.
That very night, he was back at his easel.
Painting was an expression and a tempering of life; not painting would be a waste of life!
Days passed one by one.
As the painting gradually took shape, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein moved back to sleep in the common room.
—Finally, the night before the challenge arrived.
Late at night.
Moonlight streamed into the bedroom, falling upon the canvas made of unicorn hair, emitting a hazy, ivory-white glow.
The air seemed to stop flowing, suspended motionless in mid-air.
Leaves stopped swaying, and the usually noisy crows also fell silent, standing on branches, their black eyes darting around.
In the world, it seemed only the rustling sound of the brush on the canvas remained.
Ethan was completely focused.
In his cobalt-blue eyes, there was only the canvas before him.
His face was as pale as paper, large beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and his body trembled unconsciously from exhaustion.
But Ethan didn't stop, continuing to squeeze every last drop of magic from his body.
He condensed it onto his brush, applying strokes of black deeper than night and red hotter than fire onto the canvas.
Occasionally, a tongue of flame would leap from the canvas, licking Ethan's hand.
Leaving charred marks on his pale skin.
On the canvas, the massive and ferocious form of Cerberus was complete.
It looked as if it could move at any moment, leaping out.
Only one step remained—
The final touch.
“Huu…”
Ethan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, steadying his pounding heart and trembling hand.
Success or failure depended on this one action.
And he would never be afraid.
Suddenly, Ethan opened his eyes.
As if a silver moon had appeared, his eyes shone with bright, brilliant light, without a trace of hesitation.
His body was also upright and steady, showing no sign of fatigue.
He raised his hand.
The brush landed steadily within the disk-like eye sockets, adding the central pupils.
One point, two points, three points… six points.
Three heads, six eyes.
As the last pupil was added, a majestic aura surged from the canvas!
“ROAR—!!!”
A lion-like roar, imbued with supreme power, reverberated throughout the entire bedroom!
No, not just the bedroom.
But piercing through walls and bricks, echoing throughout the entire Hogwarts castle!!
Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and even Slytherin deep underground, were all awakened by this thunderous roar!
Frozen in terror, unable to move.
Outside the window, a strong wind suddenly rose.
Leaves rustled wildly, shaking down snow that drifted everywhere.
Crows cawed “Ah—Ah—” and scattered in a flurry.
And further away, at Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid sat up in astonishment, finding his hound, Fang, trembling in fear, cowering under the bed.
Outside the Ravenclaw common room.
Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein both tumbled off the sofa, looking at each other in terror, then simultaneously looking towards their bedroom.
They clearly realized one thing—
Ethan's painting was complete.
