"Where is your grave?"
Ian's curiosity was piqued.
"You'll have to find it yourself. Some say I still reside in the Black Lake, but that's not something a mere portrait like me would know. I just remember always being obsessed with giving grave robbers an interesting surprise." Gryffindor's portrait broke into a mischievous grin as he continued to urge Ian to find his grave.
However.
"I think I'd better find the treasure vault you mentioned first." Ian began furiously stirring something in a large bowl, as the treasures in the vault were clearly more enticing to him than Gryffindor's remains.
Figures from a thousand years ago.
Who knows if there are bones left for him to study?
"What are you doing?"
Gryffindor curiously leaned closer to the picture frame.
"Didn't you say I could use any means to find you?"
Ian removed the toad nerves that had jumped onto his face, hesitated for a moment, then ran toward the door, "Wait for me, I'll show you my big treasure in a moment."
Saying this.
Under Gryffindor's increasingly curious gaze, Ian left the Room of Requirement through the door and returned quickly with a small bowl.
"You're still here, as expected."
He seemed a bit out of breath.
"Of course I am. Though I'm only a portrait, my curiosity is as strong as my real self." Gryffindor's portrait fixed its gaze on the bowl in Ian's hand.
"Yes, yes, I know. I also have a friend with a similar trait to you." Ian sighed with relief, pouring the contents of the bowl into the one he had been stirring vigorously earlier.
He carefully resumed stirring.
"You're trying to brew a magic potion to find me?" Gryffindor's portrait, just as Ian anticipated, couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked eagerly.
"And what about the big treasure you were going to show me?"
He and Pandro indeed shared some similar characteristics. They felt uneasy if their curiosity wasn't satisfied, which is probably a trait inherent to anyone who loves adventure.
"I can not only brew potions, but my alchemy is also quite impressive. I've even studied you portraits a bit, so..." Ian had the Room of Requirement make a ladder for him.
He leaned the ladder against the wall and climbed up to the portrait that was high up.
"I also know some painter's tricks. They may not be exceptional, but hopefully, they are enough." Staring at the nearby, still curious Gryffindor portrait, Ian beamed a bright smile as he began painting with a bone-carved brush dipped in paint. His artwork was such that Gryffindor couldn't discern what he was painting.
Thus.
Gryffindor leaned in closer to where Ian was painting.
"Are you drawing an animal?"
He tried hard to identify the new additions on the portrait.
"It's a dog."
Ian nodded.
In fact, his painting skills had improved considerably, and the final product could indeed be recognized to some extent, although the evil dog looked somewhat grotesque.
This, actually, was quite fitting to what Ian intended to depict.
"You want it to sniff my scent and then use the connection between the portraits to find where I am? That's indeed a very clever approach."
Gryffindor suddenly understood.
He chuckled and shook his head with a light-hearted tone, "But it won't work. Even if you grant it a real dog's nose, it won't be able to pick up any scent from me. I am the portrait of Gryffindor, and I had long anticipated that someone might try tricks like this."
"Nothing on me leaves any trace, and even master painters can't determine the materials used to create me." The younger Gryffindor portrait confidently concluded.
He raised his hand, wanting to touch the evil dog Ian had drawn.
"Growl~"
The evil dog's temper was obviously bad, attempting to bite Gryffindor's hand as he raised it. Fortunately, Gryffindor reacted quickly, otherwise, his portrait might have been left without a hand.
"You misunderstood, I'm not drawing a dog with a keen nose, but rather a rabid dog... It just needs to chase you and follow you back to your hiding spot."
Ian finally completed the four legs of the evil dog, then suddenly borrowed some paint from Gryffindor's side to dot the eyes of the dog.
"No one else can attract its attention. My big baby evil dog will chase only you, be careful. Its bite really hurts."
Ian softly warned, causing Gryffindor to color in shock and run off quickly.
The evil dog with jagged fangs immediately followed suit.
Soon, the human and the dog crossed several paintings, disappearing from the Room of Requirement's classroom. Clearly, Godric Gryffindor, many years ago, hadn't put such protections on this portrait.
"Tsk, tsk, Gryffindor indeed didn't delve deeply into portrait techniques."
"I hope to scare our founder's portrait and have him chased by my little dog back to his safe house... Ah, I'm now hungry and thirsty, time to get something to eat."
After taking one last look at the now empty portrait, Ian climbed down the ladder and briskly left the Room of Requirement.
Once he stepped out the door.
He couldn't help but wrap his robe tighter around him.
With November's arrival, the temperature at Hogwarts had dropped below ten degrees Celsius. Even with bonfires burning everywhere, Hogwarts carried the piercing chill of winter's arrival.