[HPforGrownups] Portraits in Dumbledore's Office

[Pottymouth65 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 76322

In a message dated 8/9/2003 5:01:20 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
rayheuer3 at aol.com writes:

> cathio2002 at yahoo.com writes:
> 
> >Are the portraits in Dumbledore's office like ghosts?
> >The people are dead, but their spirits live in a
> >picture? So when a wizard dies he has a choice of
> >being a ghost, living in a frame, or going beyond the
> >veil. I was just wondering.
> 
> I don't think it's a matter of choice.  As I see it, JKR is incorporating 
> the 
> old "soul stealer" myths and postulating that whenever a portrait is taken 
> (painted or captured on film), a small part of that person's living essence 
> ("soul", if you like) is captured in the image.  Since portraits last for 
> centuries, that portion of the person lives on, apparently able to enter any 
> other 
> portrait (not necessarily their own) until the painting/photograph is 
> destroyed.
> 
> When the portrait of "The Fat Lady" was destroyed, the image herself was 
> not, 
> so there are apparently "portrait doctors" in the WW.
> 
>  --  Ray
> 
> 

So, this leads me to wondering - say IF Sirius had a portrait made of himself 
perhaps years ago, would this portrait be "enchanted" as well?  Would that 
old portrait be able to communicate to Harry and the living?  I know of no 
portrait of Sirius being mentioned, so this is just an "IF" question.  

~Traci


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