Headmaster portraits (was Re: DH - unanswered (and irritating) questions

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 173484

 


Susan
My theory is that it's there. Remember the first time after  
Dumbledore's death that Harry went into the Headmaster's office? DD  
was asleep in his portrait. I theorize that it takes a while for the  
portraits to awaken after death...

Cira
Yes, DD was asleep, but  his portrait was there. And between Snape's death 
and Harry's final visit to  the headmaster's office more than one hour has 
passed. I'm sure that's time  enough for the portrait to pop up. And I'd like to 
think that Harry would even  have noticed a portrait of a sleeping Snape.





Julie:
I have a theory about the portraits. I've wondered before if the  Headmasters 
sit for the portraits
at some point. But it seems that Portrait!Dumbledore knew everything that  
happened right up
to Snape "killing" him on the Tower. So his portrait wasn't "completed"  
until the moment he
died. I think it is HOGWARTS that "paints" the portraits. Don't ask me how,  
but we do know
that Hogwarts is a magical school, possessed of some magical properties of  
its own (the 
moving staircases, etc). So once someone becomes Headmaster/mistress,  
Hogwarts records 
that wizard's thoughts/actions in some way, incorporating it all into the  
portrait along the way,
right up until the death (or stepping down?) of the  Headmaster/mistress.
 
The thing we don't know is how long it takes to "finalize" the portrait,  
though I'm guessing
some period between the hour that passed between Snape's death and when  
Harry went to
the Headmaster's office in DH, and however much time passed between  
Dumbledore's death
and the time Harry arrived at the Headmaster's office in HBP. (That time  
could also vary 
depending on what's going on at Hogwarts, as when DD died the DEs  
immediately left,
while when Snape died the battle of Hogwarts was still raging on and  the 
structure of Hogwarts
was sustaining serious damage--meaning the "spirit" or magical essence of  
Hogwarts might
have been very busy at the moment, too busy to place Snape's portrait in  the 
Headmaster's
office yet). I'd also suggest the sleeping figure in the new portraits  
indicates there is still some
time needed for the portrait entity (for want of a better term) to  
incorporate all the memories and
whatever other essence is needed to fully animate it.
 
That's my theory anyway, 
 
Julie, certain Headmaster!Snape would have his own  portrait



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