Polishing my "Portrait Spies"
** Harry has been watched even more closely than he realizes. .. (Dumbledore book 5)
~~~Ok you may wonder where I am going with all of this. I believe that the portraits are spies. But I will lead you in a couple of different directions that will answer a couple of big questions about Dumbledore, that everyone has asked. And no one has been able to answer so far. First, I will make statements about each quote/note and how I see them fitting in with my theory.~~~
1) RC March 2001 with WEB LINK Raincoast Books
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2001/0301-raincoast-interview.html
~ "Has Harry ever used the Internet?"
(JKR) "No. He's not allowed near Dudley's computer and Dudley's the only one who's got a computer. He gets beaten up if he goes too near the keyboard. So no, he's never used the Internet. I use it a lot but not Harry. Wizards don't really need to use the Internet but that's something that you'll find out later on in the series. They have a means of finding out what goes on in the outside world that I think is more fun than the Internet. Could anything be more fun than the Internet? Yes! "
...................................
~~~Quotes five through ten, are more evidense that the portraits are used in this way... to keep an eye on things and report to DD what he has them assigned to do. But to skip lots of quote readings, and get down to my nitty gritty theory. These first four quotes, from Rowling herself, are really what my theory is based on. Trying to get down to figuring out answers to questions that happened that night when Voldemort payed a visit to Godric's Hollow.~~~
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3) ** The significance to the name Godric's Hollow Rowling quote
HE 2 November, 2001 on WEB LINKBBC Newsround, aboard the Hogwarts Express
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_2353000/2353727.stm
(question) "The significance of the place where Harry and his parents lived - the first name..."
(JKR) "Godric Gryffindor. Very good, you're a bit good you are aren't you. I'm impressed."
~~~Notice that JKR herself put a second name on it. The interviewer asked about the 'first name' and JKR adds "Gryffindor," then the rest of her statement. She's dancing around not saying, 'no' or 'no comment' again.. but still, not really saying anything is she? *headscratch* Was she impressed that someone guessed that there may indeed be a link there? Why would she be impressed if it were not so?~~~
................................
** How Dumbledore knew to send Hagrid to the Potter's to get Harry?
~~~Ok now we arrive at the one certain night when Voldemort arrived at the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow.
People have wondered about how Dumbledore had known that something was wrong, to know to send Hagrid to go get Harry from there. They would want to keep in close contact with Dumbledore since he was the one helping hide them. We know that he was not yet let in on the Potter's secret or he would have known that Sirius was NOT the secret keeper, that Peter was. So Dumbledore could not have been there.
It still leads us back to my theory of just how Dumbledore knew that there was something wrong. The portraits are the key. If we take that the Potters might have been living in a house that belonged to the descendants of Godric Gryffindor, and the significance to the name "Godric's Hollow," the cottage might just have been his families property for ages. If it was, then the cottage was not just some random hiding place. I know, in a lot of people's family's home, they like to keep old paintings. Some, maybe, of past family members, still hanging over the mantle of the fireplace. So, this leads me to believe that Godric Gryffindor may just have an old portrait hanging at the cottage.
Now putting two and two together, just who was he? He was one of four founders of Hogwarts. Meaning he was one of the old headmaster's at Hogwarts. (Whether he was the most prominent of the four or if they each had their own headmaster office, we do not know yet. So far we only know of is the one behind the the statue of the stone gargoyle. Now having said that, we need to remember that not all of the portraits in Dumbledore's office have been named. Only just some. I really believe that all of the four founders have portraits in there somewhere. They just have not spoken up yet.
We all know that in Dumbledore's office that all of the past headmasters have a portrait hanging there on the wall. It's so easy to believe that Godric Gryffindor might have been present, in his portrait, at the Potter's cottage, when Voldemort came to visit. I can see him rushing back to raise the alarm, to inform Dumbledore immediately of this visit. He may not have been a witness to everything that happened there. But he had to have been witness to the first part, when Voldemort just arrived and killed James. Dumbledore had to have known that they could not get there in time to get Lily and Harry out safely. Voldemort would have gotten to them quicker than help could get there. That's why there was a lot of speculation as to the events that happened in the room where Lily and Harry was. I doubt that Gryffindor's portrait could have been in every room of the house.~~~
As for sending Hagrid, many people believe that since the potters were both killed and the house destroyed this might mean that the spell to hide them is now broken. If this it true, then anyone can find the house now.
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**Why Dumbledore can trust Snape? ((now this one I have a NEW theory on, but for now this was my original one. ;) ))
~~~I have put up enough quotes, but another one I was tempted to put up was the one where Fred and George first gave Harry the Map. Harry had noticed that Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in his office. Fred and George mentioned that he does that a lot..... sooooo. Could he have been conversing with the portraits all of these times? DD seems to know an awful lot of what goes on at the school that people can't figure out how he does it.
Also, more food for thought... could we not expect that Dumbledore may have also used the portraits to keep an eye on the teachers that might be.... say questionable? Snape for instance? Just to see how he behaves when Dumbledore is not in his presence? How many years has Snape been right under DD's nose and not even slipped up even once? Could this be how Dumbledore came to trust Snape by watching his actions..... or Snapes choices, when Snape does not know he's being watched? I'm still trying to figure out why Snape and Dumbledore had their little dispute out near the forest instead of the privacy of his office. But that is a whole different issue.
In an interview about the movie Prisoner of Azkaban. ... Rowling said that there are things that the movie makers decided to put in the movie that was not in the book. ... things that people will look back, after reading the whole series of HP books, and will rewatch the movie and say, Hey there is a clue....
Remember the scene where both Harry and Snape were wandering the halls late at night? The portraits talked to both of them. That was not in the book. It was a combination of several different scenes from the book all done in one scene.... but still, there were no portraits that talked to either of them then. I know it is a stretch, since the portrait was not keeping an eye on them, but just wanted to sleep. It wanted them to turn the light out. Still, it was noted that they were seen by the portrait.~~~
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***EXTRAS ONLY! ***
Just more book quotes to show that the portraits have a very spacific purpose
5) ** quote from first part of HBP where the muggle minister has a portrait.
*(HBP page 2, 3 and 5.)
(The muggle minister) ... "It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind him.
He froze, nose to nose with his own scared-looking reflection in the dark glass. He knew that cough. He had heard it before. He turned very slowly to face the empty room.
"Hello?" he said trying to sound braver than he felt.
For a brief moment he allowed himself the impossible hope that nobody would answer him. However, a voice answered him at once, a crisp decisive voice that sounded as though it were reading a prepared statement. It was comming-- as the Prime Minister had known at the first cough-- from the froglike little man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small, dirty oil painting in the far corner of the room.
"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Fudge."
The man in the painting looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister.
"Er," said the Prime Minister, "listen.... It's not a very good time for me.... I'm waiting for a telephone call, you see... from the President of--"
"That can be rearranged," said the portrait at once. The Prime Minister's heart sank. He had been afraid of that.
"But I really was rather hoping to speak--- "
"We can arrange for the President to forget to call. He will telephone tomorrow night instead," said the little man. "Kindly respond immediately to Mr. Fudge."...
(hbp 5) "He (muggle minister) had been standing alone in this very office, savoring the triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when :::he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself."...
(hbp 7)"... Occasionally he could have sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye the occupant of the painting yawning, or else scratching his nose; even, once or twice simply walking out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of muddy-brown canvas behind. ... "
~~~The first quote, I believe that Rowling was talking about the portraits are the "means of finding out what goes on in the outside world that I think is more fun than the Internet." See quote 5. The portrait at the muggle ministry's office points to prove this.~~~
......................
6) ** McGonagall was warned that the minister was on his way to the school.
(627 HBP chapter 29) "But before any of them could respond to this, a sharp voice spoke from high on the wall: A sallow-faced wizard with a short black fringe had just walked back into his empty canvas.
"Minerva, the Minister will be here within seconds, he has just Disapparated from the Ministry."
"Thank you, Everard," said Professor McGonagall, and she turned quickly to the teachers."
Even in quote 6, we see that McGonagall was warned that the minister was on his way to the school. She was keeping tabs on him from the school, to know when he was comming. She wanted to be ready for his arrival. I seriously doubt that he knew she was informed in this particular way. Now we all knew that he was going to arrive soon anyway because Slughorn said that the ministry has been informed. So, I'm not saying that she used the portrait to know IF he was comming, but only what percise time he would be arriving.
...........................
7) ** quote from OOTP where dd sends one portrait to st mungos and the other to the ministry.
*(468) "But Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry jumped, and addressed one of the old portraits hanging very near the ceiling.
"Everard?" he said sharply. "And you too, Dilys!"
A sallow-faced wizard with short, black bangs and an elderly witch with long silver ringlets in the frame beside him, both of whom seemed to have been in the deepest of sleeps, opened their eyes immediately.
"You were listening?" said Dumbledore.
The wizard nodded, and the witch said, "Naturally."
"The man has red hair and glasses," said Dumbledore.
"Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure that he is found by the right people---.""
~~~OK we know that they stepped out of these frames and went to the ones they have hanging at the Ministry and at St. Mungos, to do as DD asked of them. Dumbledore knows what is going on at other places without the people there even knowing they are being watched.~~~
*(469) "Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts's most celebrated Heads, " Dumbledore said, now sweeping around Harry, Ron, and Professor McGonagall and approaching the magnificent sleeping bird on his perch beside the door. "Their renown is such that both have portraits hanging in the other important Wizarding institutions. As they are free to move between their own portraits they can tell us what may be happening elsewhere...."
*(485) When they went to visit Arthur at St Mungos.
"Dilys was eyeing the Weasley party closely as though counting them; when Harry caught her eye she gave a tiny wink, walked sideways out of her portrait, and vanished. "
~~~(No doubt to inform Dumbledore)~~~
~~~Then again in quote 7, we see that Dumbledore sends one portrait to to the ministry, to search for Arthur "Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure that he is found by the right people---." .... and then another, "...Dilys!", to St. Mungo's to see if he has arrived safley. Well, ok I did not put up that quote but you know that is what happened. But I did put the quote where he used Dilys to tell him when the Weasley's party was arriving to the St. Mungo's.~~~
.........................................
8) ** Harry has been watched even more closely than he realizes. .. (Dumbledore, book 5)
9) ** The Fat Lady
** Violet, the Fat Lady's friend, told her what took place in the "next chamber" off of the great hall, after Harry was chosen in the GOF book*
(GOF 273 chapter 17)
"... Harry went throught the door out of the Great Hall and found himself in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite him."
"The faces in the portraits turned to look at him as he entered. He saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache. The wizened witch started whispering in his ear. "
*(GOF 284) "Harry got a shock to find himself facing the Fat Lady already. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbor's painting when he had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him with the keenest interest."
"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"
~~~Again we see how the portraits are good at observing and giving information of what they witness in other places. I still can't remember where it was stated, nor by whom, but someone said that Harry has been watched even more closely than he realizes. You can see that the portraits still keep an eye on everything that goes on within the castle as well as outside places. Think of the entire stairwell. Is the Fat Lady more than just the way to get in and out of the Gryffindor's dorms? Is she simply keeping an eye out for those who might be sneaking around late, or those go out after curfew. She's an excellent guard too. (different from the slytherin's way in and out of their dorms.) You know if Dumbledore were to ask her any question then she would definately answer him. She can actually give him information. She was able to tell who was trying to get in to the dorms when Sirius Black tried to get in.~~~
......................................
10) ** quote about when Harry was at #12 GP... the empty portrait OOTP
*(494) Harry was about to run away...
" --he seized one end of his trunk and had dragged it halfway toward the door when a sneaky voice said, "Running away, are we?"
He looked around. Phineas Nigellus had appeared upon the canvas of his portrait and was leaning against the frame, watching Harry with an amused expression on his face."..........
*(495) "Harry ignored him. His hand was on the doorknob when Phineas Nigellus said lazily, "I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore." ...... (skipped some dialogue) ......"Dumbledore says, 'Stay where you are.'"
GOF info on Phineas Nigellus keeping an eye on Harry. He even gives Harry a message from Dumbledore.
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(77 OOTP) Is it possible that Mrs Black may have a portrait also hung at the Malfoys house? LOL! Na!
~~~Ok you may wonder where I am going with all of this. I believe that the portraits are spies. But I will lead you in a couple of different directions that will answer a couple of big questions about Dumbledore, that everyone has asked. And no one has been able to answer so far. First, I will make statements about each quote/note and how I see them fitting in with my theory.~~~
1) RC March 2001 with WEB LINK Raincoast Books
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2001/0301-raincoast-interview.html
~ "Has Harry ever used the Internet?"
(JKR) "No. He's not allowed near Dudley's computer and Dudley's the only one who's got a computer. He gets beaten up if he goes too near the keyboard. So no, he's never used the Internet. I use it a lot but not Harry. Wizards don't really need to use the Internet but that's something that you'll find out later on in the series. They have a means of finding out what goes on in the outside world that I think is more fun than the Internet. Could anything be more fun than the Internet? Yes! "
...................................
~~~Quotes five through ten, are more evidense that the portraits are used in this way... to keep an eye on things and report to DD what he has them assigned to do. But to skip lots of quote readings, and get down to my nitty gritty theory. These first four quotes, from Rowling herself, are really what my theory is based on. Trying to get down to figuring out answers to questions that happened that night when Voldemort payed a visit to Godric's Hollow.~~~
................................
3) ** The significance to the name Godric's Hollow Rowling quote
HE 2 November, 2001 on WEB LINKBBC Newsround, aboard the Hogwarts Express
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_2353000/2353727.stm
(question) "The significance of the place where Harry and his parents lived - the first name..."
(JKR) "Godric Gryffindor. Very good, you're a bit good you are aren't you. I'm impressed."
~~~Notice that JKR herself put a second name on it. The interviewer asked about the 'first name' and JKR adds "Gryffindor," then the rest of her statement. She's dancing around not saying, 'no' or 'no comment' again.. but still, not really saying anything is she? *headscratch* Was she impressed that someone guessed that there may indeed be a link there? Why would she be impressed if it were not so?~~~
................................
** How Dumbledore knew to send Hagrid to the Potter's to get Harry?
~~~Ok now we arrive at the one certain night when Voldemort arrived at the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow.
People have wondered about how Dumbledore had known that something was wrong, to know to send Hagrid to go get Harry from there. They would want to keep in close contact with Dumbledore since he was the one helping hide them. We know that he was not yet let in on the Potter's secret or he would have known that Sirius was NOT the secret keeper, that Peter was. So Dumbledore could not have been there.
It still leads us back to my theory of just how Dumbledore knew that there was something wrong. The portraits are the key. If we take that the Potters might have been living in a house that belonged to the descendants of Godric Gryffindor, and the significance to the name "Godric's Hollow," the cottage might just have been his families property for ages. If it was, then the cottage was not just some random hiding place. I know, in a lot of people's family's home, they like to keep old paintings. Some, maybe, of past family members, still hanging over the mantle of the fireplace. So, this leads me to believe that Godric Gryffindor may just have an old portrait hanging at the cottage.
Now putting two and two together, just who was he? He was one of four founders of Hogwarts. Meaning he was one of the old headmaster's at Hogwarts. (Whether he was the most prominent of the four or if they each had their own headmaster office, we do not know yet. So far we only know of is the one behind the the statue of the stone gargoyle. Now having said that, we need to remember that not all of the portraits in Dumbledore's office have been named. Only just some. I really believe that all of the four founders have portraits in there somewhere. They just have not spoken up yet.
We all know that in Dumbledore's office that all of the past headmasters have a portrait hanging there on the wall. It's so easy to believe that Godric Gryffindor might have been present, in his portrait, at the Potter's cottage, when Voldemort came to visit. I can see him rushing back to raise the alarm, to inform Dumbledore immediately of this visit. He may not have been a witness to everything that happened there. But he had to have been witness to the first part, when Voldemort just arrived and killed James. Dumbledore had to have known that they could not get there in time to get Lily and Harry out safely. Voldemort would have gotten to them quicker than help could get there. That's why there was a lot of speculation as to the events that happened in the room where Lily and Harry was. I doubt that Gryffindor's portrait could have been in every room of the house.~~~
As for sending Hagrid, many people believe that since the potters were both killed and the house destroyed this might mean that the spell to hide them is now broken. If this it true, then anyone can find the house now.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
**Why Dumbledore can trust Snape? ((now this one I have a NEW theory on, but for now this was my original one. ;) ))
~~~I have put up enough quotes, but another one I was tempted to put up was the one where Fred and George first gave Harry the Map. Harry had noticed that Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in his office. Fred and George mentioned that he does that a lot..... sooooo. Could he have been conversing with the portraits all of these times? DD seems to know an awful lot of what goes on at the school that people can't figure out how he does it.
Also, more food for thought... could we not expect that Dumbledore may have also used the portraits to keep an eye on the teachers that might be.... say questionable? Snape for instance? Just to see how he behaves when Dumbledore is not in his presence? How many years has Snape been right under DD's nose and not even slipped up even once? Could this be how Dumbledore came to trust Snape by watching his actions..... or Snapes choices, when Snape does not know he's being watched? I'm still trying to figure out why Snape and Dumbledore had their little dispute out near the forest instead of the privacy of his office. But that is a whole different issue.
In an interview about the movie Prisoner of Azkaban. ... Rowling said that there are things that the movie makers decided to put in the movie that was not in the book. ... things that people will look back, after reading the whole series of HP books, and will rewatch the movie and say, Hey there is a clue....
Remember the scene where both Harry and Snape were wandering the halls late at night? The portraits talked to both of them. That was not in the book. It was a combination of several different scenes from the book all done in one scene.... but still, there were no portraits that talked to either of them then. I know it is a stretch, since the portrait was not keeping an eye on them, but just wanted to sleep. It wanted them to turn the light out. Still, it was noted that they were seen by the portrait.~~~
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***EXTRAS ONLY! ***
Just more book quotes to show that the portraits have a very spacific purpose
5) ** quote from first part of HBP where the muggle minister has a portrait.
*(HBP page 2, 3 and 5.)
(The muggle minister) ... "It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind him.
He froze, nose to nose with his own scared-looking reflection in the dark glass. He knew that cough. He had heard it before. He turned very slowly to face the empty room.
"Hello?" he said trying to sound braver than he felt.
For a brief moment he allowed himself the impossible hope that nobody would answer him. However, a voice answered him at once, a crisp decisive voice that sounded as though it were reading a prepared statement. It was comming-- as the Prime Minister had known at the first cough-- from the froglike little man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small, dirty oil painting in the far corner of the room.
"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Fudge."
The man in the painting looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister.
"Er," said the Prime Minister, "listen.... It's not a very good time for me.... I'm waiting for a telephone call, you see... from the President of--"
"That can be rearranged," said the portrait at once. The Prime Minister's heart sank. He had been afraid of that.
"But I really was rather hoping to speak--- "
"We can arrange for the President to forget to call. He will telephone tomorrow night instead," said the little man. "Kindly respond immediately to Mr. Fudge."...
(hbp 5) "He (muggle minister) had been standing alone in this very office, savoring the triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when :::he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself."...
(hbp 7)"... Occasionally he could have sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye the occupant of the painting yawning, or else scratching his nose; even, once or twice simply walking out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of muddy-brown canvas behind. ... "
~~~The first quote, I believe that Rowling was talking about the portraits are the "means of finding out what goes on in the outside world that I think is more fun than the Internet." See quote 5. The portrait at the muggle ministry's office points to prove this.~~~
......................
6) ** McGonagall was warned that the minister was on his way to the school.
(627 HBP chapter 29) "But before any of them could respond to this, a sharp voice spoke from high on the wall: A sallow-faced wizard with a short black fringe had just walked back into his empty canvas.
"Minerva, the Minister will be here within seconds, he has just Disapparated from the Ministry."
"Thank you, Everard," said Professor McGonagall, and she turned quickly to the teachers."
Even in quote 6, we see that McGonagall was warned that the minister was on his way to the school. She was keeping tabs on him from the school, to know when he was comming. She wanted to be ready for his arrival. I seriously doubt that he knew she was informed in this particular way. Now we all knew that he was going to arrive soon anyway because Slughorn said that the ministry has been informed. So, I'm not saying that she used the portrait to know IF he was comming, but only what percise time he would be arriving.
...........................
7) ** quote from OOTP where dd sends one portrait to st mungos and the other to the ministry.
*(468) "But Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry jumped, and addressed one of the old portraits hanging very near the ceiling.
"Everard?" he said sharply. "And you too, Dilys!"
A sallow-faced wizard with short, black bangs and an elderly witch with long silver ringlets in the frame beside him, both of whom seemed to have been in the deepest of sleeps, opened their eyes immediately.
"You were listening?" said Dumbledore.
The wizard nodded, and the witch said, "Naturally."
"The man has red hair and glasses," said Dumbledore.
"Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure that he is found by the right people---.""
~~~OK we know that they stepped out of these frames and went to the ones they have hanging at the Ministry and at St. Mungos, to do as DD asked of them. Dumbledore knows what is going on at other places without the people there even knowing they are being watched.~~~
*(469) "Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts's most celebrated Heads, " Dumbledore said, now sweeping around Harry, Ron, and Professor McGonagall and approaching the magnificent sleeping bird on his perch beside the door. "Their renown is such that both have portraits hanging in the other important Wizarding institutions. As they are free to move between their own portraits they can tell us what may be happening elsewhere...."
*(485) When they went to visit Arthur at St Mungos.
"Dilys was eyeing the Weasley party closely as though counting them; when Harry caught her eye she gave a tiny wink, walked sideways out of her portrait, and vanished. "
~~~(No doubt to inform Dumbledore)~~~
~~~Then again in quote 7, we see that Dumbledore sends one portrait to to the ministry, to search for Arthur "Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure that he is found by the right people---." .... and then another, "...Dilys!", to St. Mungo's to see if he has arrived safley. Well, ok I did not put up that quote but you know that is what happened. But I did put the quote where he used Dilys to tell him when the Weasley's party was arriving to the St. Mungo's.~~~
.........................................
8) ** Harry has been watched even more closely than he realizes. .. (Dumbledore, book 5)
9) ** The Fat Lady
** Violet, the Fat Lady's friend, told her what took place in the "next chamber" off of the great hall, after Harry was chosen in the GOF book*
(GOF 273 chapter 17)
"... Harry went throught the door out of the Great Hall and found himself in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite him."
"The faces in the portraits turned to look at him as he entered. He saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache. The wizened witch started whispering in his ear. "
*(GOF 284) "Harry got a shock to find himself facing the Fat Lady already. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbor's painting when he had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him with the keenest interest."
"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"
~~~Again we see how the portraits are good at observing and giving information of what they witness in other places. I still can't remember where it was stated, nor by whom, but someone said that Harry has been watched even more closely than he realizes. You can see that the portraits still keep an eye on everything that goes on within the castle as well as outside places. Think of the entire stairwell. Is the Fat Lady more than just the way to get in and out of the Gryffindor's dorms? Is she simply keeping an eye out for those who might be sneaking around late, or those go out after curfew. She's an excellent guard too. (different from the slytherin's way in and out of their dorms.) You know if Dumbledore were to ask her any question then she would definately answer him. She can actually give him information. She was able to tell who was trying to get in to the dorms when Sirius Black tried to get in.~~~
......................................
10) ** quote about when Harry was at #12 GP... the empty portrait OOTP
*(494) Harry was about to run away...
" --he seized one end of his trunk and had dragged it halfway toward the door when a sneaky voice said, "Running away, are we?"
He looked around. Phineas Nigellus had appeared upon the canvas of his portrait and was leaning against the frame, watching Harry with an amused expression on his face."..........
*(495) "Harry ignored him. His hand was on the doorknob when Phineas Nigellus said lazily, "I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore." ...... (skipped some dialogue) ......"Dumbledore says, 'Stay where you are.'"
GOF info on Phineas Nigellus keeping an eye on Harry. He even gives Harry a message from Dumbledore.
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(77 OOTP) Is it possible that Mrs Black may have a portrait also hung at the Malfoys house? LOL! Na!