Career Day Painting Magical Portraits OPEN

Painting was not her medium of choice. But that didn't mean she couldn't give it a go. After all, some level of creativity had to be fluid across mediums even is the technical knowledge wasn't there. So, on Career Day, Maisie decided to see what this magical painting was all about, and if it was something similar to her camera.

Maisie arrived in the corridors in her simple Ravenclaw robes, wondering if she might be joined eventually be some of her friends or if they'd gone off to discover other events. In the corridor, she could see plenty a blank canvas set up with vivid paint nearby, almost like it were a more traditional hands-on errand. But with a sketchbook in hand was a man (at least she thought it was a man; the ears seemed unique) buried in a sketchbook. Perhaps that was his process. She did something similar with more complex patterning.

He seemed to smile, and as she returned it and looked over his face, she knew it was one she did not recognize. But it was good really that they got people to participate outside of the school. Still, she wished they might be able to try it themselves; that was always more fun. Unless that was coming later, once more people arrived? With a shrug, she realized she should get this event started. So, she asked, "So how exactly does this work? Is it like magical photography? Some kind of potion?" Maybe he would be teaching or maybe he wouldn't. But either way, it seemed like a nice. enough way to spend some time.

Interacting with @Kit Paine

"So how exactly does this work?" A small, brunette girl in Ravenclaw robes asked after exchanging smiles with Kit. "Is it like magical photography? Some kind of potion?"

"Hello, there," Kit greeted amicably, beyond delighted to have a curious student stop by his station. Her questions elicited a laugh from him. "Magical portrait painting is actually quite different from magical photography. While magical photos can move and their subjects can leave their pictures just like magical painted portraits, they don't have sound and can't interact with real, living people the way that magical portraits can."

He set down his sketchbook and bowed to her with a grin. "I'm Kit Paine, but just 'Kit' will do. Mind if I ask your name?"

To his surprise, he had barely finished asking his question before he sensed another pair of eyes on him and glanced over to notice yet another girl. This one was also a brunette, but her complexion was darker than the first (even darker than his own) and a lovely shade of chocolate brown. Her hair was also much more curly, styled in an afro that framed her face. When he caught her staring, his grin instinctively grew and he winked at her.

"Hi, there," Kit greeted, addressing the newcomer. "And who might you be? Someone interested in art, perhaps? Or people? Or both?"

@Maisie Gemmell & @Ariana Slythers

Interacting with: @Kit Paine, @Maisie Gemmell, @Ariana Slythers

Date: June 20th, 2026; afternoon

Speech: #3CB371 | Thoughts: italics

Outfit: Slytherin uniform with low heels, pigtail braids (Outfit)

Career Day! A wonderful chance to hear about different magical careers. To be quite frank, it was often very easy to get lost in the mundane life of a young Hogwarts student in her third year … no longer the lost muggleborn witch clueless of what was going on around her. Learning about spells and potions were always interesting, but learning how to apply them in a career was even better. Miss Kaitlyn was also at that ripe age, as a fourteen year old teenage witch, where her mind really should start thinking about careers. The OWLs were in her future, along with the dreaded NEWTs!

It was not just the academic side that made career day appealing to Kait … although that was certainly a big part of it, as she loved to learn. Ever since she was made a Prefect for Slytherin, she came to a realization. Sure, one of her roles was to patrol around Hogwarts to catch rulebreakers (and, let’s face it, she wasn’t exactly a strict force in that department). Another role was to help her fellow students, which she more easily fell into. But, there was another facet that she was trying to be mindful of, certainly in this case and in other parts of her Hogwarts journey.

It was the fact that she was supposed to be a role model. She was supposed to be a student whom other students at Hogwarts could look up to. How was her performance in that regard? She absolutely had no clue (frankly, she was bound to break rules, herself … not that she was spreading that knowledge around). This meant that she should be engaged with career day as an example of another student looking for a career that might interest her down the line … despite having a few years left at the castle.

When the young Snake saw magical portraits as an option for career day, Kaitlyn knew she had to show up. She loved art, after all!

With her ever-present grace, Kaitlyn glided to the corridor dedicated to this career exhibit. She was surprised by this location, as the corridors were typically flooded with students, but who was she to judge? Location was less important, especially when the substance of the discussion was by far the more important aspect of this! At least, that was how she saw it. Whether or not that was the best interpretation was very much up for debate.

Nevertheless, Kaitlyn hugged her sketchbook to her chest as she approached. Her enchanted satchel bounced against her hip. The man sponsoring this career table had an interesting appearance, especially with the feline ears. Then again, it wasn’t her job to judge. Instead, she smiled kindly.

“I’ve always found the magical portraits interesting to interact with, and interesting to consider how they’re made,” Kaitlyn commented softly. “Hi, Maisie.” She looked over at the younger girl, smiled, recognized her, and gave her a quick wave. Seeing a younger Slytherin student, she waved at her and said, “Hi.”

Word Count: 505 words

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Interacting With: @Kit Paine, @Maisie Gemmell, @Ariana Slythers and @Kaithlyn Connor jjjjjjjjjj	✰	Word Count: 519
Mentioning: @Kit Paine, @Maisie Gemmell, @Ariana Slythers and @Kaithlyn Connor	✰	Date: 23/06/26
Speaking: #115f3d	✰	Others Speaking: #theirchoice!

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ R O S Y ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Career Day had turned out to be so much more interesting than Rosy had expected. She had already went through several exhibits, listening to witches and wizards explain their jobs, but she still hadn't found one that truly called out to her attention. That changed the moment she saw the display filled with moving paintings. Even from a distance, the paintings seemed alive in a way that made her slow down and take another look. Rosy was raised in a muggle household so she wasn't very used to the unusuality of the wizarding world yet. The artist responsible for them himself was impossible to miss. 's ears were where human ears should have been, a lion-like tail behind him, and bright blue tattoos were made under his mismatched eyes. Rosy blinked once before she continued forward. She had seen quite a few unusual sights at Hogwarts lately, but this was definitely one of the more memorable sights she'd found here. A group of students had already gathered around the exhibit. Rosy recognized a few of them from around the castle, though she didn't know any of them that well enough to start up a conversation immediately. Instead, she stood near the edge of the group and listened. The artist seemed friendly enough, happily answering questions about his magical portraits and how they were different from magical photographs. Her attention drifted to one of the paintings hanging nearby. The person inside seemed to be looking around the corridor, almost as though it was a real person looking and observing at the passing students. That painting only fascinated her. A moving picture was one thing, but a portrait capable of interacting with people seemed like a completely different branch of magic. Rosy felt for the notebook tucked under her arm and stepped slightly closer. "I've always wondered how magical portraits actually work," she admitted during a pause in the discussion. "They don't just move around like other wizarding photographs do. They seem to have personalities, thoughts, and opinions. Some of the portraits around Hogwarts can practically have complete conversations." Her eyes moved between the portraits and the blank canvas waiting on the easel. She couldn't imagine how much skill it must take to create something that convincing. "I've done a bit of sketching before," she continued. "Nothing serious, mostly just for fun. But creating something that can actually interact with people sounds incredibly difficult." Rosy tilted her head a little as another question came to her. The process itself seemed to be just as interesting as the final product. "Do magical portrait painters have to paint someone while they're alive?" she asked curiously. "Or can portraits be created after their death using photos, memories, or descriptions of the person?" Her fingers tightened a little around her notebook as she looked over the collection of paintings once more. Each portrait seemed to have its own unique character and expression. Whether or not she could ever see herself becoming an artist, Rosy didn't know. Still, out of all the exhibits she had visited so far, this was quickly becoming one of the most fascinating.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ P A R K E R ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Coded by: @Avery Gray

The reason Kit had chosen a school corridor to set up his career day station was exactly because it was typically flooded with student, as it so happened. He had hoped to attract the attention of as many interested kids as possible, so that meant stationing himself somewhere that had a lot of foot traffic. Thus, the corridor.

It seemed to be working, too. Two new students happened to come by, the first with a prefect badge and hugging what seemed to be a notebook of sorts to her chest. Or...was that a sketchbook, perchance? The painter grinned at the thought.

The prefect had freckles across her nose and cheeks and was another brunette, though she seemed a bit older than the others. Kit smiled and nodded to her in acknowledgement as she came up to the station he had set up.

“I’ve always found the magical portraits interesting to interact with, and interesting to consider how they’re made,” she remarked. Kit chuckled.

"I agree," he said gently in response. "I was surprised about a lot of what I learned regarding how they're made when I was studying them, especially since I'm muggleborn," Kit told her. "Do you know how they work? Or like to draw?"

She seemed to know at least one of the other students already there and greeted her along with the remaining girl. Kit was glad they seemed to know each other or at least seemed to be getting acquainted.

It was then that a fourth young lady joined them. This one seemed one of the youngest, her brown hair being long and wavy and her eyes a dark hazel. Regardless of her age, however, she seemed to have a lot to say; more than the others put together, it seemed. Kit's grin grew broader than ever as he raised a hand to greet her.

"I've always wondered how magical portraits actually work," she had began, to which the painter answered, "Well, you've come to the right person if you want to find out!"

The girl went on to explain what she knew of magical portraits. "They don't just move around like other wizarding photographs do. They seem to have personalities, thoughts, and opinions. Some of the portraits around Hogwarts can practically have complete conversations." He nodded in confirmation, impressed. All of that was certainly true.

"I've done a bit of sketching before," she continued. "Nothing serious, mostly just for fun. But creating something that can actually interact with people sounds incredibly difficult."

"Aww, you're going to make me blush," the feline-eared man laughed. "Sketching for fun is the best way to start, though, especially if it's a passion of yours. And if you like people and getting to know them, magical portrait-painting can be a lot easier. Do you mind me asking what you like to sketch?"

The hazel-eyed girl seemed to gaze at the portraits on display for a while and then at the blank canvas perched on the easel before asking a question of her own.

"Do magical portrait painters have to paint someone while they're alive?" she asked curiously. "Or can portraits be created after their death using photos, memories, or descriptions of the person?"

Something in Kit's eyes heterochromic flickered; he kept up his smile, but something about his expression turned slightly melancholy. "That depends," he answered gingerly. "If the artist knew the subject well, then they can use their memories to imbue the painting with what they knew of the person. Common gestures, idiosyncrasies, specific mannerisms, phrases they would say, that sort of thing. But the ability of the portrait to interact with the living also depends on how magical their real life counterpart was," Kit added.

"For example, a very powerful wizard's portrait would be able to interact much more with its viewers than a portrait of a weak wizard's no matter how well the artist knew them. A muggle's portrait, unfortunately, could not be magical because muggles have no magic to speak of. Does that make sense?"

His smile turned more sorrowful as he regarded the girl who had asked the question. "Lots of people have tried to ask me to create magical portraits of those who have passed away. The sad truth is that if I didn't know them, I can't accurately depict how they would move or what they would do or say even if I had their photograph. Maybe if it was a moving photograph, that might be slightly better, but it still wouldn't be the same and the 'life' I could put into the portrait would be very limited."

He raised an index finger. "But," Kit continued, "Hogwarts Headmaster and Headmistress portraits are special. Not only do they get painted when they're alive so the artist can get to know them and not only are they very powerful due to the magical power of their subjects, but Hogwarts Headmasters and Headmistresses train their portraits on what to do or say while they're alive so they can help advise the next Headmasters and Headmistresses even after they're gone. That makes those portraits more special than any others."

@Kaitlyn Connor, @Rosy Parker, @Maisie Gemmell & @Ariana Slythers

Drawing had become a hobby that interested Lenora. She drew as she pleased. She knew there were moving paintings in the wizarding world, but she hadn't really considered it a profession. A career day about wizarding professions could be helpful for Lenora.

She was wearing her Hufflepuff gown. She had braided two sections of her white hair and joined them in the middle.

When she entered the hallway, some students were gathered around the table. She had seen some of the students walking around the school. She approached the table. Lenora's attention was already drawn to the portraits. She squinted her eyes and moved closer to the pictures to see better. The paintings were really well done. They were drawn with a Muggle pen, not the ink used by wizards.

Her eyes fell on the artist sitting at the table. He was talking to the students. The man had cat ears and a lion's tail. He had blue swirl tattoos on both cheekbones.

"What spell did you use to create the cat ears and lion tail?" Lenora, overcome by curiosity, asked. 'Other students have definitely asked this.' She tried to calm herself down a little by thinking that.

"Are magic or potions used to create the animated portraits?"

@Kit Paine @Maisie Gemmell @Rosy Parker @Kaitlyn Connor @Ariana Slythers

A young girl with a very pale complexion and snowy white hair in two joined braids approached Kit's table and he presumed she must have been an albino. Smiling and waving as she drew near, he noticed she wore a gown in Hufflepuff colors.

"What spell did you use to create the cat ears and lion tail?" the girl asked, causing Kit to grin. He wondered if someone might ask that, but as none of the four students that had already approached had asked that, he had started to doubt anyone would.

"I'm a metamorphmagus," the former caretaker explained to her gently, "so I can change my features and body to a certain extent, like shaping my ears into those of a cat's. However," he continued, leaning over to whisper to her conspiratorially as his grin grew, "my tail is the result of the Tail-Growing Hex. I just thought it would be fun to go with the ears."

Straightening back up, he glanced at the portraits when the albino student asked another question. "Are magic or potions used to create the animated portraits?"

"There is magic involved to create magical portraits," Kit answered, "but it depends on what sort you mean. For example, I use magic to change the color of my paints while I'm painting so I don't have to make, pour, or mix new paint for each new color I use. That doesn't have anything to do with how magical the moving portrait ends up being, though," he continued.

"As I mentioned to these young ladies a little bit ago, magical portraits are magical because of the magic they draw from both the artist - as in, how much magic and knowledge of the subject they put into the portrait - and how magical the subject themselves is. So you have to have both a magical artist and a magical portrait subject to make a magical portrait that moves and interacts with the living."

@Lenora Grace, @Kaitlyn Connor, @Rosy Parker, @Maisie Gemmell & @Ariana Slythers

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