Harry Potter Fans With No Life

anything and everything related to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series by British author J. K. Rowling.

Published: July 16, 2005

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I'm betting you guys already figured this out, but it just occurred to me that Portraits and Horcruxes are both very similar in their creations.

I don't remember any of the portraits having living persons in them. Photographs do, but the portraits are all of dead Headmasters, medieval monks and knights, ancient witches, and so forth. They're sentient, and able to carry on the sort of conversations and thought processes that the live person would have done, which indicates some aspect of the person has become part of the portrait.

For the making of a Horcux, a party puts a portion of their soul into an object or other living being, using some convoluted connection to the energy of a death, too.

Both Portraits and Horcruxes seem to have in common that a part of the person is preserved in an object through death-energy, with the chief difference being intent. Intent is a huge part of a Spell succeeding. With Portraits the person dying intentionally connects a part of them selves to the Portrait, while the Horcrux requires (presumably by unintentional participation) another's death to connect a part of the creating wizard to an object/being.

The difference seems to be the difference between light and dark magic. It seems that both creations would use similar Spells, but the outcomes are negative or positive depending on intention. The Portraits are created voluntarily and presumably for the Greater Good; the Horcruxes come from selfish purposes and theft.




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I'm not aware that the portrait subjects are willing participants. Unlike ghosts.

Well - this topic could really get deep!

Just some random thoughts ...

Portraits are the essence of a witch or wizard - representing the mind, body and soul. Maybe similar magic is used in the oil paints as in cameras. They can move about only from frame to frame but never become a three-dimensional physical form. Hogwarts (and likely the MOM) may have special enchantments/conditions that apply to VIPs when they enter their position of authority. For instance, all Headmasters become a portrait in the Headmaster's office - they offer advice to all succeeding Headmasters. There are likely magical contracts to ensure this happens - whether they like it or not. The intent is most likely for the good of future Official VIPs. Their souls are whole upon death.

With other portraits, maybe their essence does not exist until the earthly form departs. Maybe they chose to have their portraits painted (with the magical oils) so they could be productive after death. How did the Fat Lady become the keeper of the Gryffindor House entrance way? Was that decided pre or post death? Was the magic on the canvas pre or post?

A Horcrux is created from splitting the soul - which can only happen if you kill someone. A soul has to be complete before a witch/wizard can truly die. The fractured soul must search and find the split soul before it can become whole again. A Horcrux, and deep understanding of (dark) magic, are the only way to bring a fragmented soul back into a human form again.

that's all my thoughts for now ... maybe more later ...

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In reference to the entrance guarding, I'm sure that wasn't pre-demise. Since Sir Cadogan took over in the Fat Lady's stead.



I very much agree that this topic has the potential to go deeper than any of us would care to explore.