Portraits in Dumbledore's Office

[slgazit]

No: HPFGUIDX 76387

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, rayheuer3 at a... wrote:
> 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.

I have been wondering about the use of portraits as what appears to
be a spy/communication network. DD tells Harry at the end of OoP
that he kept much closer eye on him than he was aware of. Could he
have used the Hogwarts portraits to that effect?

Another interesting question is the role of the chocolate frog
cards. When Harry is at the Black residence in Aug. his friends
tell him about DD having been removed from the Wizengamot and
other wizarding organizations and honors. One of the twins then
quotes Dumbledore saying he does not care so long as they don't
take him off the chocolate frog cards. At the time it sounds like
just one of DD's humoristic comments, but what if it has a deeper
meaning than that? Could it be that DD (who appears to be the
only living wizard depicted on these cards) may be using them to 
communicate or spy?

Salit