# Wizard Portraits \[in the Harry Potter series\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702 "2011-07-12T02:00:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702/21 "2011-07-14T01:37:30Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > in a photo, you are trapped in its time context. it’s not inter-active. dumbledore’s frog cards can just wink at you and slip off to nap. > > and why wasn’t there an instant portrait of snape when harry entered the HM’s office for the last time? apparently deserting the post of headmaster while the school is in danger is a no-no. i believe that it was mentioned that harry insisted on a snape portrait after things settled down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702/22 "2011-07-14T01:41:15Z")
snape didn’t desert. he wasn’t even sacked. he just bolted from too many old wands pointing at him. in the shrieking shack, he spoke like he was still head of hogwarts. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702/23 "2011-07-15T15:41:04Z")
Incidentally, if anyone wants to read a fanfic where the “evil mastermind” (not Voldemort) is a portrait, let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702/24 "2011-07-15T15:53:38Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I think the portraits are inconsistent. > > Rowling rightly points out that Sirius’s mother is really useless as an animated painting, but she completely ignores the fact that other paintings (also in Grimmauld Place!) are anything but useless. If I remember the books correctly, Hermione has conversations with the dude that is on the Grimmauld Place portrait that is also in the headmaster’s office. He actually tries to get her to reveal _where they are_, which is an essential plot point. “dumb” paintings would not have such creativity or purpose. I don’t think there is a real problem here, the paintings don’t all have to be equivalent. Perhaps the painter of Sirius’ mother didn’t know here well, or possibly it is not imbued with as much magic, making it more of a caricature. The paintings in the headmaster’s office may simply be of higher quality, and therefore capture more of the subject’s personality. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702/25 "2011-07-15T23:22:26Z")
also the paintings in the headmaster’s office “appeared” when the headmaster died. perhaps there is some sort of thingy that happens when you are headmaster that has a portrait “pop up” that gives it a bit more of a punch than portraits that are done while the subject sits for it. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702/26 "2011-07-15T23:45:24Z")
[spoiler]I think the only reason Dumble’s portrait was useful to Snape was because it was specifically designed to be. And not in a general sense, either. I think Dumbledore likely had it made and “programmed” it with the exact instructions it would later give Snape. That it takes the form of an animated picture is inconsequential. Phin’s portrait basically just follows instructions. Edit: And as for Hermione getting a portrait of Dumble, keep in mind what I suggested: Dumble’s portrait was made specifically to help Snape and wouldn’t have been of much use to Hermione. He purposefully kept information from Harry & CO for reasons described at the end of the final book. If he’d wanted to give them a detailed walkthrough he easily could have. Everything that happened throughout the series was by his design. Darth Sidious doesn’t have anything on him.[/spoiler] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-portraits-in-the-harry-potter-series/588702.md?page=1)