Headmaster Portraits (was Re: Dumbledore dead?)

[Najwa]

No: HPFGUIDX 151643

rosered wrote:
> This is my main reason for believing Dumbledore is dead.  We have 
> seen moving photographs of living persons, but we have never seen a 
> portrait of a living person.  I think that his portrait is going to be 
> how Harry never really loses Dumbledore (the great wizard never really 
> goes away) but I do think that the portrait is proof he is dead.
> 

najwa now:
I also believe that the portrait means that Dumbledore is dead, but
still linked to the living, however I wonder if the portraits mean
that he cannot speak to anyone but the current headmaster. We've seen
portraits speak to people that aren't headmasters, such as the
messenger portrait in the Prime Minister's office, but I don't recall
a time where Headmasters have actually spoken to anyone other than a
Headmaster/Headmistress, though they can eavesdrop as we've well seen.
If that is the case, then I don't see how Harry can actually interact
with Dumbledore's portrait, considering he probably will not be going
to Hogwarts for his last year of schooling. I was thinking that there
was perhaps a more travel convenient way that Harry could keep with
him at all times to talk to Dumbledore, but I think that would be too
easy. Harry might need Dumbledore's help, but he also needs to be able
to rely more on himself and on his friends as others have pointed out.
So I think that he might eventually have to visit Hogwarts or get
messages from Dumbledore's portrait, but it won't be something
regular, basically because JKR needs him to now rely on himself and
his friends.

Najwa, who thinks that the closer we get to the end of this series,
the more unsure she is about the outcome.