Founders in DD's Office

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 126618


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Lauren Thibeault 
<angelicfront5 at y...> wrote:
> 
> I just had a thought when rereading Order of the
> Phoenix. If there is a picture of all the Headmasters
> in DD's office wouldn't there be pictures of the
> founders as well? If so this could be how the Godric
> Gryffindor might be "spoken to" in HBP. 


Tonks now:
 
I have often wondered about the portraits in DD's office. I guess 
the founders could be there, but why have we not seen them?  There 
is also the fact that the portraits are bound to follow the orders 
of the current Headmaster. Thus it was very important for DD's 
office to be sealed when Umbridge took over the school, so that she 
could not use them. So would the founders have allowed a portrait to 
be made? Maybe not.

Now I know that JKR does not want to lead anyone, child or 
otherwise, to the Dark side, but I still wonder if this portrait 
thing isn't a form of Necromancy.

For those here who may not be aware of this so called Dark Art, let 
me explain. Necromancy is where a wizard calls the spirits of the 
other world. They can be the dead or some form of spirit that lives 
only on the other side of the veil. They are called demons, but not 
in the Jewish/Christian sense of the word. The wizard draws a circle 
around himself with protective symbols around it so that the demon 
cannot hurt him.  Then he calls the demon to do his bidding, often 
transmitting messages and gathering information.  I really don't 
know a lot about this, but I have a very old *Wizard* friend that 
does.  ;-)

So while Necromancy is often thought of as a Dark Art (the demon has 
no free choice), if the former Headmasters were given a choice at 
one point and made a vow to be used by the current Headmaster, then 
DD could engage in this practice.  But I think if JKR was using this 
bit of Wizardry she would hide it very carefully.  

This also can be a clue as to why pictures cannot be used but 
portraits can.  Maybe there is something of the subject (lock of 
hair, finger nail, blood, etc.) in the portrait that makes the 
subject part of their own portrait in a way that they would not be 
in a picture.  And in this way the portrait can be used in much the 
same way as the Necromancer would use the demon.

Tonks_op