Temeritus Shanks

Temeritus Shanks was a wizard. He seems to like reading newspapers, and is interested in knowing the headlines of the day. He believed every word he read on the Daily Prophet, including the stories about Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore published during the 1995–1996 school year. There are portraits of him hung on the walls of Hogwarts Castle.

1992–1993 school year
In early 1993, Shanks had a portrait at the Grand Staircase, hung immediately below the ground-floor landing.

1993-1994 school year
In September of 1993, Shanks had a portrait on the seventh floor.

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 another 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 Shanks heard Harry Potter talking to Hermione Granger about Draco Malfoy's mysterious endeavours at the seventh floor, he gladly told him the new password in order to help him on what he deemed a "big scoop".

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

Behind the scenes

 * Shanks may have passed away sometime prior to 1991 as many portraits hung at Hogwarts Castle depict deceased individuals.
 * Temeritus was voiced in both the video game version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video games by Jonathan Kydd.
 * Shanks's portrait was based on a real-world portrait of a young King James I of England.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)