Originally Posted: Jul. 19th, 2006
Length/Rating: 100 words, PG, Gen
Pairing/Warnings: none
Summary:  Set back when he was at school in Hogwarts, and doing his best to catch the Marauders in something he could get them expelled for. Written for snape100 challenge #134: Snape and Portraits.

HARRY POTTER is trademark and copyright JK Rowling, her publisher Bloomsbury, and, to some extent, Warner Bros. All rights reserved. No copyright infringement is intended nor implied.

Magical portraits were easy, a flimsy copy of the person in question carved into the white empty canvas with paint and a pallet knife. Portraits were easy, but this, this was art. Snape leaned away from the painting, tiredly rubbing youthful eyes. They couldn’t keep secrets from him now, the portraits saw everything. So would he. Determination refocused his weary eyes as he highlighted the last scale, touched a dab more yellow to the unblinking eye. And when at last it was done, he tapped the still tacky canvas with his wand.

“Ars longa vita brevis“… and the snake awoke.

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*(Ars longa vita brevis = Art is long, life is short)