[Comprehensive British and American] Painting ghosts

An art appreciation class was spent in the subtle atmosphere of mutual hostility between the Gryffindor cubs and the Slytherin snakes.

Shen Yanzhou gave James a meaningful look before get out of class was over, then walked to his side and said softly, "Come to my office after class."

James didn't feel any sense of crisis, but Sirius next to him gave him a very sympathetic glance.

The meaning of that look is probably: It's over, you are going to be unlucky to be invited to the office for tea by the professor.

Lily and Snape also heard this sentence, Snape let out a soft snort from his nose, and Lily turned her head away from James and Sirius, out of sight.

After class, James really obediently ran to Shen Yanzhou's office alone.He had no premonition of a crisis at all, and even brought some snacks from the house elves to share with Shen Yanzhou, but as soon as he opened the office door, he saw Shen Yanzhou with a serious face.

And James, who has been with Shen Yanzhou since he could remember, knew something was wrong when he saw Shen Yanzhou's expression.

At this moment, Shen Yanzhou seemed to have "you die" written on the left side of his face, and "definitely" written on the right side.

James reminisced about the last time he was looked at by Shen Yanzhou with such eyes. He remembered the last time because he purposely threw a sticky milk candy on his painting in order to attract the attention of Shen Yanzhou who was painting. Then he looked at himself with horror in his eyes.

For a split second James thought he might have seen Death himself.

"Godfather, I was wrong." The survival instinct made him have no time to think, and he blurted out the words of admitting his mistake.

Shen Yanzhou looked indifferent: "Where did you go wrong?"

"..." James was silent for a while, and then asked tentatively, "I...shouldn't I be in the limelight in class?"

Shen Yanzhou: "..."

Seeing that the indifferent expression on his godfather's face did not change at all, James, knowing that he had guessed wrong, wanted to scratch his head anxiously: "I...I shouldn't be whispering to Sirius in class!"

In a hurry, he even sold his good brother.

Shen Yanzhou: "..."

James was about to cry, and suddenly thought that maybe he had been arguing with the snot-nosed and was discovered by the godfather?But if you think about it carefully, you won't be able to. He always provokes the snotlings when there are no professors around. Could it be that the snotlings have complained! ?

Damn, this is absolutely unbearable!

James suddenly gained confidence, held his head up and said, "Godfather, I don't know what the snot man said to you, but first of all, I want to declare that I hate snitches! Then he himself is not much better, He even cast a spell on me!"

"Okay, then I also want to declare that no one has snitched on me, James." Shen Yanzhou said calmly, pointing to the seat beside him, motioning for James to sit down.

Didn't the snotty snitch?When James heard it, he felt a little unbelievable, and then he felt a little embarrassed. Doesn't that mean he didn't ask himself?

"Then..." James asked cautiously, and he sat down slowly.

"James, is the reason you targeted Severus Snape only because he was close to Lily?" Shen Yanzhou asked.

James immediately showed a disgusted expression when he heard the words: "Ah, that snot..."

"Severus." Shen Yanzhou patiently corrected him again.

"...Severus." James looked like he had swallowed a fly. "Oh my God, Godfather, that's a gloomy Slytherin who is an eyesore! I don't understand why Hogwarts recruits such a strange student. His existence simply pollutes my eyes!"

"Is that why you bullied him?" Shen Yanzhou asked.

"I... I didn't bully him! He treated me the same way!" James argued.

"But as far as I know, less than a week after school started, you and that child from the Black family blocked Mr. Snape in the women's bathroom to humiliate him." Shen Yanzhou said.

James was taken aback, how did he know?

"You must be wondering how I know?" Shen Yanzhou continued. "I know everyone in the Hogwarts portrait, and I have a good relationship. It couldn't be easier to ask for some information."

James immediately deflated like a punctured rubber ball, and he never thought he had to guard against the portrait after all precautions.

"That time...he provoked us first!" James was still unconvinced and defended in a low voice. "And he attacked us after he came out. You don't know how he looks like he's in a state of desperation..."

"Just because you told him to stay away from Lily, and he said 'get out of the way'?" Shen Yanzhou said indifferently.

"..." James wanted to say something more, but seeing Shen Yanzhou's expression, he decided to shut up temporarily.

"I know you may think it's no big deal." Shen Yanzhou said. "But any evil deeds start from small things. When you get used to doing evil, you don't think about what kind of mistakes you make—bullying classmates sounds like a trivial matter, but what about campus bullying? What's more, in the past Two-on-one is an act of cowardice."

James retorted, "I don't do evil!"

Shen Yanzhou sighed: "I also hope that you will not do evil."

James wanted to say something, but he was horrified to find that Shen Yanzhou suddenly coughed violently, as if he was about to cough out his lungs in pain.He was so frightened that he hurried to look for the potion on the shelf, but found that the place where the potion was put was empty.

"I'm fine." Shen Yanzhou slowed down and waved his hands indifferently.Ever since he was passed by Avada, his body has been in this half-dead state, suspended entirely by the strength of the resurrection stone, Lao Deng and Tianyan brush, just coughing twice, it doesn't matter.

But James was scared enough. He knew that his godfather had always been in poor health. It seemed to be the sequelae of a serious injury when he was young. His parents also spent a lot of energy trying to help him heal his body, but they couldn't help it. With little success.

And she was still willfully making him angry.

James suddenly felt guilty, gritted his teeth, and said, "Godfather, don't be angry, I swear I won't bully Snotl... I won't bully Snape anymore!"

Although Shen Yanzhou felt that he was not angry, he was still relieved by James' sudden statement: "Okay, then I look forward to your performance. If I find out again, I will punish you."

……

When James left, he put all the snacks in the wizard's robe on Shen Yanzhou's table, and looked at Shen Yanzhou with guilt, before leaving with small steps.

Shen Yanzhou, who felt that James had finally realized his mistake, said that after being taught well, eating snacks feels extra sweet.

After this time, everyone felt that something was wrong with James.

Especially his good brother Sirius Black, even wondered if James had taken some wrong medicine.

For example, James and he meet Snape alone in the hallway:

"Hey, James, snotluck!" Sirius elbowed his brother to make him pay attention to the enemy's movements.

Snape obviously also noticed these two Gryffindors who were always looking for trouble, and a red alert was raised in his heart, ready to fight, and looked at the two vigilantly.

James looked at Snape, then showed a constipated expression, and forced himself to look away when this annoying snot-nosed man didn't exist: "Oh, leave him alone, let's go."

Sirius: "???"

Snape: "???"

This incident alone might make the two of them think that James was in a good mood and didn't want to fight, but the same thing happened too many times, and it was a little bit wrong.

For another example, in Potions class, Snape always made it alone because he didn't have a partner. Even so, the potions he made alone were always of much better quality than those made by other two-person teams.

At times like this, James and Sirius often like to make trouble.

For example, when Professor Slughorn turned around, he threw strange potions into Snape's cauldron.

For example, secretly replacing the materials on Snape's desk.

For example, deliberately making strange noises around him to attract his attention, which caused his production to fail.

These are the methods that James and Sirius like to try most, while Lupine and Pettigrew are in charge of watching and covering.However, these tactics always had little effect, but they did annoy Snape a lot.

But in the recent period, I don't know why James suddenly stopped playing these tricks. Not only did he not play it himself, but when Sirius wanted to make trouble, he also held Sirius back and prevented him from doing it.

Sirius wondered: You are the one who hates Snape the most, why did you stop me from messing with Snape?

Snape also wondered: Today's Potions class turned out to be so peaceful, but why do I always feel that something is missing?Are Black's dog head and Potter planning some new conspiracy?

Lily breathed a sigh of relief: Oh, those two arrogant pigs finally stopped bothering Severus, thank God... oh no, thank Merlin.

……

Finally one day, Sirius asked James during lunch, "Don't you hate snot-nosed ones?"

James showed a look of seeing shit: "Don't mention him, I can't eat lunch."

Sirius suddenly realized: "So you don't like Evans anymore!"

James was taken aback for a moment, and immediately shook his head in a panic to express his denial: "Don't talk nonsense...Of course I still like Lily!"

Remus leaned over and said, "Then what's the matter with you recently? We all feel that something is wrong with you."

Peter Pettigrew nodded in agreement.

"..." James was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and continued eating his lunch on the plate.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter Pettigrew looked at each other.

That night, the three held a small meeting behind James' backs, led by Sirius, in the Gryffindor common room.

"There is definitely a problem!" Sirius slapped his thigh and said with certainty.

We don't need you to tell us that there is a problem.Remus and Pettigrew looked at him speechlessly.

"The problem we need to solve is—what problem caused James to have problems." Sirius rubbed his chin in thought.

Although the sentence structure is a bit twisted, it still conveys the meaning accurately.

"Then now, let's start the discussion on the cause of James Potter's sudden change in temperament and the countermeasures meeting!"