Hogwarts Portraits: a logistical question

[devilsangel0809 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 23619

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., caliburncy at y... wrote:
 
> Indeed, it is a little weird.  But nevertheless, that does seem to 
be 
> how it would work.  Unless they don't take on these extra 
capabilities 
> until after you die, but I really don't think that's as likely and 
> there's certainly no evidence of it in canon that I'm aware of.
> 
> Now here's a random, perhaps interesting thought.  We know the 
> subjects of portraits can leave, as can the subjects of the Famous 
> Witches and Wizard Cards (per Dumbledore in PS/SS).  I might assume 
> this means the subjects of photographs can too.  But now that I 
think 
> about it, have we ever seen them do anything of the sort?  Of 
course, 
> they move (smiling, waving), but they don't exhibit the other 
> qualities like disappearing altogether and going somewhere else or 
> being able to talk.  Certainly if Harry could talk to the photos of 
> his parents than he would.  Clearly the photo subjects are more 
> restricted in their abilities.  I wonder why.  Obviously the 
> technique/magic/technology (whatever you want to call it in each 
case) 
> involved in painting portraits and taking photos is a bit different 
so 
> maybe that's all there is too it.  But then Dumbledore's wizard 
card I 
> thought had a photo of him, not a painting.  We see him disappear 
> though we don't know where he goes (perhaps, unlike the subjects of 
> portraits he can leave without going anywhere), but we don't hear 
him 
> talk and I assume he can't.  I have no idea where I am going with 
> this, I just wonder what everyones interpretation of this is.  I 
> suppose it's a case of apples and oranges.
> 
> -Luke


Your lines of thinking about the photographs have personalities was 
exactly along the lines of my thinking.  It seems that photos do 
retain some of the persons um personality seeing how in CoS Harry 
strains to get away from Lockhart in the picture that Colin took.  
One thought might be that photographs retain the personality of their 
subject but maybe they can't speak.  But what would make the 
portraits able to speak and not the photos?  Possibly a seperate 
enchantment.    

One more thought.  Maybe the reason that the portraits can visit each 
other at Hogwarts is simply because they are at Hogwarts.  The whole 
school is enchanted and maybe the walls allow the subjects of the 
paintings to travel through them to get to the next frame.

Oh and I figured Dumbledore's picture on the chocolate frog was a 
photograph also.

~Laura


"I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they?  All that 
business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! . . . I know, I know --- it's 
not quite as good as winning 'Witch Weekly's' most charming smile 
award five times in a row, as I have"    Gilderoy Lockhart CoS6