One of the more impressive aesthetics in Hogwarts Legacy is the sheer number of animated portraits scattered throughout the castle. Like the books and movies, many portraits are enchanted, allowing the viewer to interact with the subject regardless of whether they are still living or not.
Hogwarts naturally has countless portraits filling the walls, and the fact that the majority of them are animated is an amazing feat that helps you feel like you really are a student walking the halls of the castle. But not all portraits are pleasant to experience. In the quest, Portrait In A Pickle, you’ll have to help a very annoying portrait find his other frame. This guide will show you how to complete the quest, and walk you through the different endings you can choose.
Portrait Of Ferdinand Octavius Pratt
In order to start this quest, you’ll need to have completed most of the game’s story, including all the Keepers’ trials. After doing so, the quest icon will appear in the Library. Head to the Library’s floo flame to start the quest.
Once inside the Library, you’ll immediately hear the Portrait of Ferdinand Octavius Pratt bellowing his frustration with some students for everyone to hear. His other frame which was located at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade has been moved to some dungeon in what he can only assume is some horrid prank being played on him. He asks for your help in confronting the student who did the deed, and returning his portrait to its place.
After speaking with him, head to the Three Broomsticks to speak with Astoria Crickett, the alleged culprit who stole the frame. Here you’ll learn that Ferdinand has been awful to the students, constantly spying on them and reporting their activities to the headmaster, even falsifying information at times to get them in trouble. After hearing her out, she’ll tell you she hid his portrait in the ruins near Marunweem Lake.
A Rescue Mission
Once you leave the Three Broomsticks, open up the world map and navigate to the southeastern section of the map. Here you’ll find the ruins Astoria spoke of. Before you can enter the ruins and rescue the portrait, you’ll first need to deal with some dark wizards.
After defeating them, you’ll need to find the right set of stairs to head down into the ruins. They can be difficult to find, so make sure to use your navigation spell by pressing up on the D-Pad. Head down the steps and unlock the door using Alohomora to find the portrait.
To Rescue Or Not To Rescue
After speaking with Ferdinand and being berated for not rescuing him more quickly, you’ll get the chance to make one of three choices on what to do next. First, you can bring him back to the Three Broomsticks as he requested. Considering how awful he is to you, his rescuer, and what you’ve heard from Astoria about his treatment of other students, you’ll likely want to choose another outcome.
If you choose not to return him to the Three Broomsticks, you can choose to either bring him to the Hog’s Head where you know he will be miserable due to the change in atmosphere and type of patrons. If you go this route, you’ll still have a chance to change your mind and still deliver him to the Three Broomsticks once you arrive in Hogsmeade.
You can also choose to burn his portrait which will immediately end the quest. This definitely feels like the darkest option you can choose, so if you don’t want to be that cruel, then we suggest choosing the Hog’s Head option. When you hang the portrait there, Ferdinand will express his frustration with your choice, and the barkeep will tell you he plans to use the portrait for target practice. This is the most satisfying option since Ferdinand is truly awful, and being used as target practice is the true justice he deserves.