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[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 95139


> 
> SB4E wrote: 
> > I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that DD routinely 
> had discussions with the portraits in his office, which if you're 
> theory is correct on them being sentients of their former selves 
> would serve no purpose for Dumbledore, especially with ones like 
> Phineas, because they would be so removed from the current issues 
of 
> the WW that it wouldn't do any good to try and discuss current 
> happenings.  Just a thought, because I am still not convinced 
exactly 
> how they work.  
> 
> Geoff:
> I don't think that my suggestion excludes these portraits to be 
able 
> to discuss current matters once the information has been relayed to 
> them by Dumbledore or someone else.
> 
> What they /can't/ do is discuss them as if they themselves had 
> continued living into the situation. A poor analogy would be to say 
> that I can talk about the current situation in the UK as myself but 
> not as Tony Blair or Michael Howard; I can look as it as an 
observer 
> and commentator but not as a participant in that sense. Does that 
> seem a bit clearer?

Potioncat:
I agree with Geoff.  The portraits would have whatever wisdom and 
view points of the painting's subject, and perhaps memories of events 
up to that time.  Obiviously the portrait of Phineas would have 
memories of events that have happened in the Headmaster's office as 
well.  And the portrait obviously had feelings for his current family 
even though the original Phineas would never have met them.  But he 
still isn't the original Phineas. 

Also, apparantly, these portraits are "bound" to help the current 
headmaster, much in the same way house-elves are bound to a family.  
Mrs. Black's portrait has a different purpose and seems to be fairly 
limited in its abilities.

I don't really think Harry will come across any magic portraits of 
his parents or Sirius.  But if he does, I say again, it won't be the 
real person.
Potioncat