Magical Portraits

• Type: Magical Artefact, Communication Device, Guardian
• Owners: Varies widely; includes Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, prominent magical families (e.g., the Black family), and institutions like the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
• Maker: The portrait is physically created by a wizarding artist, but its magical personality is an imprint imparted by the subject themselves.

Magical portraits appear superficially identical to high-quality Muggle paintings. They are typically rendered on canvas with oil paints and can be found in a variety of sizes and artistic styles. However, they are enchanted to be animate, with the painted subjects able to move, speak, and exhibit emotions. The figures within the frame possess a two-dimensional existence but can interact with the three-dimensional world by speaking to observers or reacting to events in their vicinity. A related magical creation is the magical photograph, in which the developed images also move. While the figures in photographs are animated, they appear to be less sentient and communicative than the subjects of true portraits, often replaying a short loop of movement.

The enchantments on magical portraits grant them several significant properties, making them a versatile and integral part of wizarding society.

• Animation and Personality: A portrait's primary magic is its ability to house a conscious imprint of its subject. Albus Dumbledore explained that this is achieved by the subject spending significant time with their portrait after its completion, teaching it to act and think like them. The result is a magical echo that retains the subject's memories, personality, and mannerisms up to the point of the portrait's creation. They are not truly alive and cannot generate new thoughts beyond their programmed personality, functioning as highly sophisticated, interactive recordings.
• Inter-Portrait Travel: A subject is not confined to a single frame. If more than one portrait of an individual exists, they can travel between their various paintings, no matter how far apart they are. This makes them exceptionally effective messengers and spies. Notable examples include:
  • Phineas Nigellus Black: Routinely traveled between his portraits in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts and at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place to relay messages for Albus Dumbledore and later Severus Snape.
  • Dilys Derwent: A former Headmistress of Hogwarts who could move between her portrait at the school and another at St. Mungo's, allowing her to report on events at the hospital.
• Guardianship: Portraits can be enchanted to serve as guardians for entrances, only permitting entry to those who provide the correct password.
  • The Fat Lady: The portrait of a woman in a pink silk dress that guards the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. She is known for her friendship with the portrait of Violet and was once viciously attacked by Sirius Black.
  • Sir Cadogan: A portrait of a short, excitable knight who briefly replaced The Fat Lady as guardian, proving to be overzealous and changing the password on a daily basis.
• Advisory Council: The collection of portraits of former Headmasters and Headmistresses in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts serves as a council of advisors to the current Head. After his death, Dumbledore's portrait was instrumental in guiding Snape's actions to aid Harry Potter.
• Concealment: A portrait can be used to hide a secret entrance. The portrait of Ariana Dumbledore in the Hog's Head Inn concealed a secret passage leading directly into the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, which proved vital during the Battle of Hogwarts.

While the exact origin of enchanting portraits is not detailed in the novels, the practice is clearly ancient and deeply embedded in wizarding culture. At Hogwarts, it is a long-standing tradition for a portrait of every Headmaster and Headmistress to be commissioned upon their retirement or death, ensuring their wisdom remains accessible. For old pure-blood families like the Black family, portraits served to preserve the presence and ideology of their ancestors. The life-sized portrait of Walburga Black at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, secured by a Permanent Sticking Charm, was a shrieking testament to her enduring prejudice and foul temper.

Magical portraits serve multiple functions in the narrative. They are a key element of world-building, vividly illustrating the integration of magic into everyday life. They also act as important plot devices, providing exposition, guarding secrets, and relaying critical information. The portraits in the Headmaster's office offered counsel and history, while The Fat Lady and Sir Cadogan presented minor but memorable obstacles for the students. The portrait of Walburga Black personified the decay of a dark family. Most significantly, the ability of portraits to travel and communicate was crucial in the Second Wizarding War. Phineas Nigellus Black's unwilling service as a spy allowed Dumbledore and Snape to monitor events from afar, and Dumbledore's own portrait provided Snape with the posthumous instructions needed to deliver the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry. The portrait of Ariana Dumbledore provided a lifeline for Dumbledore's Army and the final, secret entry point for Harry into Hogwarts before the final battle.

• J.K. Rowling has explained that the creation of a magical portrait involves both the artist's magic and the subject's active participation. The subject must spend considerable time with the finished portrait, imparting their memories and personality into it. The more time spent, the more complex and realistic the portrait's personality becomes. (Pottermore)
• The portraits at Hogwarts are particularly advanced because the Headmasters and Headmistresses typically have a long time to “train” them before they pass away. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptations, the portraits are often depicted as more chaotic and noisy, with figures constantly interacting and moving between frames along the castle's staircases, adding to the bustling and magical atmosphere of the school. (film)