Portrait Holes

[prefectmarcus at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24518

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Mindy, a.k.a. CLH" <mindyatime at j...> 
wrote:
> Several times in GoF, someone had to wait outside the common room 
door to
> open the portrait hole for Harry to leave. I am puzzled by this. 
Does
> this mean that the pupils are essentially locked into the Gryffindor
> tower until someone opens it from the outside? Is there no other 
way of
> leaving the common room other than waiting for someone to PLEASE 
chance
> by this way? It doesn't seem to make sense to me. Or is there a 
curfew
> for the Fat Lady to open the door from he inside?

In both instances, he was in his invisibility cloak.  He didn't want 
the portrait opening and closing all by itself.  It would call 
attention to the fact that some invisible person is going in and out 
of the portrait hole.

In SS when he wandered about, he waited until everybody had gone to 
sleep.  Even then, the Fat Lady called out, "Who's there?"

Marcus