It's more complex than that....

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 164837

Steve/bboyminn:
> "Dumbledore is giving me a lot of trouble". I don't think for a 
minute that this means that Dumbledore is not dead.  I'm sure he is 
quite dead, but I always expected him to be in the last book even if 
he is dead. Harry's parents are dead and they have made several 
appearances in the Series.
*(snip)*
> In some way the wise old now-dead mentor alwasy finds a way to make 
his presence felt, but that doesn't mean he will be jumping out from 
behind the curtain saying "Just kidding".

Ceridwen:
Maybe he'll jump out from behind the curtain and say 'Phoenix, you 
know, back from Beyond'.  ;)

Or just show up drinking tea in the Weasleys' kitchen.

Or, maybe (ominous music) this is proof of ESE!Dumbledore: he even 
gives his Creatrix trouble by refusing to stay dead.

Good catch, Steve!  I'm up for hearing anyone's take on this.  I 
doubt Pensieve memories because, in my opinion, leaving something 
like that or a letter lying around is just begging for the Bad Guys 
to find it.  We don't know how much a portrait could recall from its 
subject's life, so that's hit or miss (but I'm sure JKR can pull it 
off).  Spirit presence like the Priori Incantatum (that was the GoF 
effect, wasn't it?) or like Obi-Wan Kenobi is possible, but perhaps a 
bit cheesy and 'been there, done that'.

And, there's always a Harry-absent chapter or two that might explain 
things...

July is such a long way off!

Ceridwen.