Harry's Dead Parents: An Offshoot of my "Phoenix" Essay

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

So, this was just something that came to me as I was rereading my phoenix essay. Anyone else think that Harry has a bit of an unhealthy obsession with his dead parents? I mean, to be fair, I can understand that he’s upset that they’d die, since it’s thanks to that he has to live with his psychotically abusive aunt and uncle*, but even so....
 
( Consider the following... )

* Yes, I know the exact extent of their abuse is debatable, but just to give Harry the benefit of the doubt this once...

Confirmation that the heads' portraits DO roam free at Hogwarts

[terri-testing.livejournal.com]

I don't remember the post, but a while ago there was an argument that depended on whether the head's portraits were as free to roam the halls of Hogwarts as they were to visit their portraits in other locales (Dilys to St. Mungo's, Everard to the Ministry, Phineas to 12 Grimmauld).

Rereading PoA, here's the canon verification; in "The Firebolt' (p. 230 in my edition), Sir Cadogan is found "guarding" the Gryffindor entrance at Christmas entertaining "a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts, and his fat pony."

So yes, the heads' portraits ARE free to leave the office and visit other pictures in the Castle.