I posted this on another thread but it is really bugging me....

Ok...question...portraits of past headmasters... In Dumbledore's office, dead headmasters from the past had conversations with Dumbledore and now Dumbledore's portrait is there. Does that mean he can still communicate with people who are in the office?

I was wondering that as well. Didn't Harry ask Nick about that in the middle of the book? I think Dumbledore have to decide if he wanted to remain "alive" in the portraits.

Sue

I don't think we've been privy tho to how much portraits can contribute to a conversation, which is what interests me. If McGonnagal or who ever takes Dumbledore's place can talk to him, then that will help. It is interesting that Dumbledore's portrait just appeared. I wonder how that works. Mrs. Black's portrait continued to be mistress to Kreacher, but to what extent? Sirius says something about this, but I can't recall it immediately. And she looked like she was at death's door, so did her portrait show up after she died? Oh...and isn't it interesting that Phineas Nigellus left his portrait in Dumbledore's office when he heard Sirius was dead? Harry figured he was going to look in Grimmauld Place, but I wonder if it means that Sirius has a portrait there now and Nigellus knew that would be there if his great-great-grandson had died. Stuff to consider anyway. :D

I'm really interested in how the portrait issue pans out. In particular, how many of a person's memories does a portrait have? If the person is still alive, does a portrait possess only those memories up to the point that it was painted, or does the portrait's memories continue to accumulate (parallel to the real person) until that person dies? Were the portraits in the headmaster's office commissioned and painted at some point in each headmaster's tenure, then appeared at that person's death (or when their tenure ended)? Or do they magically form at the moment in which each headmaster dies/ends tenure? This could be important if Dumbledore's portrait can remember only up to a certain point in his life and no further.

If you remember back a couple of books, the Fat Lady was suddenly missing from her portrait. Her portrait was slashed and she moved to hide in another portrait. Dumbledore found her and they had an entire conversation about Sirius Black and the fact that he was back and was in Hogwarts so I think that can be quite informative about current events.

Portraits are certainly aware of what goes on around them, and can even gossip between themselves. I guess what I'm wondering is if there is a magical link between them and their real-life selves, such that they instantaneously know everything their living self does. Or do they essentially become clones of their living self at the moment they are created, and then go on to live their own independent lives inside their portrait?

Harry figured he was going to look in Grimmauld Place, but I wonder if it means that Sirius has a portrait there now and Nigellus knew that would be there if his great-great-grandson had died. Stuff to consider anyway. :D


:hmm:
Never even considered that.....