"Holds you in great esteem"

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 131708

Okay, here's something else to chew on:

At the end of OOTP, when Harry first enters DD's office, he is 
greeted by the portly former headmaster in the painting behind DD's 
desk (I believe that the HP Lexicon identifies him as Fortescue, but 
it really doesn't matter).  The wizard says (and I'm probably not 
getting this exactly) "Dumbledore thinks very highly of you, as I'm 
sure you know.  Oh yes, holds you in great esteem."

Now, presumably Fortescue (as we'll call him) knows this because he's 
overheard DD say as much -- we don't have any evidence for paintings 
having telepathic powers.  But, here's the interesting part:  Who has 
Dumbledore said it TO?  What kind of conversations has Fortescue 
overheard or been a part of?  To whom has DD expressed these 
opinions?  McGonagall?  Snape?  Certainly the painting seemed to 
imply this was more than a one-time phenomenon, and also that it had 
been fairly recent (although perhaps that is speculating too much).

In short, what sort of conversations about Harry has DD been having 
in his office which have led him to express these opinions?  What 
events or controversies might have initiated these conversations?  
Who do you think has been party to them?  Why would DD feel the need 
to express positive opinions in what Fortescue seems to imply was a 
rather emphatic (or at least very unmistakeable) manner?

Here are some possibilities I can think of:

To Snape:  It seems hard to believe that Harry's name doesn't arise 
fairly regularly when Snape visits DD's office.  It's also easy to 
imagine that DD would find it necessary to be, err, CLEAR in his 
opinions when talking to Snape.  Perhaps his request that Snape teach 
Harry Occlumency would be an example?

To Umbridge:  Hard to know what Umbridge said to DD in private, 
assuming they did indeed meet in private.  But it seems plausible 
that they would and that the subject of Harry would arise.  Once 
again, one might see Dumbledore being quite emphatic -- although, in 
the case of Umbridge, he might deliberately downplay the subject so 
as to keep Umbridge's suspicions from becoming even further aroused.

To McGonagall:  She and DD would certainly meet fairly often, and 
it's easy to imagine that Harry's name would come up with some 
regularity.  But would DD feel it necessary to emphasize his opinions 
to McGonagall, who presumably would already be familiar with them -- 
and be unlikely to challenge them.

So, perhaps Snape would be the best candidate, although that is sheer 
speculation and one can make plausible arguments for all kinds of 
scenarios.  Which ones do you favor and why?


Lupinlore