Temeritus Shanks

Termeritus Shanks was a witch. She seems to like reading newspapers, and is interested in knowing the headlines of the day. She believed every word she read on the Daily Prophet, including the stories about Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore published during the 1995-1996 school year. She has portraits of herself hung at Hogwarts Castle.

1995-1996 school year
By 1995, Shanks had a portrait hung at the Hogwarts Library, guarding a shortcut to the fourth-floor corridor, under the password "No news is good news". Said shortcut was reserved to the staff only. When Harry Potter, who was being highly discredited by the Daily Prophet at the time, asked if he could use this secret passageway, Shanks made an exception for the student was constantly featured on the paper. The portrait agreed to give the student the password in exchange for the headline of the day ("TRAGIC DEMISE OF MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER", concerning Broderick Bode's assassination). Shanks had other portrait at the Grand Staircase, concealing a secret passage to the Clock Tower Courtyard. Its password was "Audaces fortuna iuvat"

1996-1997 school year
Shanks's portrait was kept at the same place at the Library, but hiding a different shortcut, leading to the Grand Staircase. The new password was "Happy Headlines". The same shortcut could also lead to the second-floor corridor. When she heard Harry Potter talking to Hermione Granger about Draco Malfoy's mysterious endeavours at the seventh floor, she gladly told him the new password in order to help him on what she deemed a "big scoop".

Personality and traits
Termeritus Shanks was quite a naive witch, believing everything she read on the papers. Despite this she was brave, speaking Lord Voldemort's name out loud when he recovered his powers. She would gladly help students in matters she deemed to be sensational, to the point of giving her password to them despite the passageway being reserved only to the staff.

Behind the scenes
Termeritus was voiced in both the Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince video games by Jonathan Kydd.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)