Do portraits talk

[Cathy Drolet]

No: HPFGUIDX 139422

Highlanderx54:
> I may be wrong but when Sirius died the Black portrait in 
> Dumbledores office could not believe that the last Black was dead and 
> went through all the portraits to look for him. Also in the beginning 
> of the HBP the portrait told the minister that the MOM was coming. 
> Because of those two instances I thought maybe they could talk. 


Ceridwen:
>>And, Phineas Nigellus also was offended that Mundungus was stealing 
Black family heirlooms.  IIRC, he has also been known to snort at 
things or make some other incredulous noise, and make sarcastic 
comments, too.  If this is PNB in pale memory, he must have been quite 
a character in life!

CathyD:
I agree!  No wonder he was the least liked Headmaster at Hogwarts!  

One thing I did notice on a recent re-read of the whole series: Phineas is generally very quick to say something about Sirius.  His poor taste in house guests, that he's Phineas' "worthless great-great grandson", etc, but during the interview between Harry and Dumbledore, with Sirius present, at the end of GoF, there is no word, no sniff, no nothing from dear Phineas.  Yet that would have been a perfect opportunity for something, even a quelling "Yes, thank you Phineas" from Dumbledore, but I don't think there was a sound from any portrait in the office at that point, not even a snore.  I guess I just found this a little odd when in OotP the portraits become so vocal.


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