Rachel Harvey has had a bad year.
2016 hasn’t been easy on many people, but to this KU sophomore, everything that could go wrong did just that. Dubbed the “nice one with the bad luck,” she tried to ease the pain of a year gone wrong by gifting herself the tattoo she’s always wanted: the word “Always” under an outline of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the setting of the famous Harry Potter series. A lifelong fan of the series, Harvey had been building up the courage to get the commemorative tattoo. On her 19th birthday, she decided to take the plunge.
It did not go as planned.
After arriving at the tattoo parlor (the name of which she refuses to dislose; being a true Gryffindor, she doesn’t want to ruin their business), Harvey was told her artist was coming over from an establishment across the street. We’ll call said establishment the Hog’s Head.
The tattooing commenced. Harvey and her artist pleasantly chatted about Harry Potter and her birthday, and the tattoo artist held a mirror up for her to see the finished product. He then took a picture for her to send to her family, and she left, pleased with her bravery. She went to a gas station across the street from the shop and sent the picture to her family while her tank filled up. Eventually, she got a reply from her brother:
“It’s spelled wrong.”
Panicking, she finally looked closely at the picture.
Her brother was right.
Harvey raced back across the street and frantically showed her artist the mistake. Convinced he could fix the problem, the two looked online for Harry Potter-themed tattoos that could cover up the misspelled word.
Deciding on a golden snitch, the artist began his coverup attempt. When he finally finished, he proudly showed her a new picture.
A new wave of terror washed over her as she laid her eyes on what was now painted across her back:
Needless to say, she was not satisfied with his solution.
Harvey has described the following interaction as “tearful” on her part and “apologetic” on his, and she finally left with a full refund and an unknown future. Many encouraged legal action, negative publicity or tattoo removal. She decided against all options. When asked why, she gave possibly the most Gryffindor reponse one could give: she doesn’t want to ruin the man’s business or professional life because of one bad day. Regarding tattoo removal, she shrugged and replied, “It happened. Why would I try to pretend like it didn’t?” She plans to get it covered in the future, but intends to find a different artist for the job.
Perhaps the craziest part of the story is this: as she was leaving the tattoo parlor, Harvey finally noticed the establishment the artist had come from earlier: the Hog’s Head, as any Harry Potter fan might remember, was a bar. Even that considered, she stands by her decision to protect the man’s reputation.
Photos: Header, 1, 2: Facebook, Rachel Harvey; 3, tenor.co