10 Problems With Harry Potter Movies That Nobody Wants To Admit

4. Portraits Are Severely Underused

The notion of portraits and their inherent power is something introduced and then abandoned by Rowling within the novels and their subsequent film adaptations - another embellishment that might have proven to be more trouble than its worth. Which is to say, portraits in the world of Harry Potter seem to retain the personalities of the people they depict; which means that they're crammed with information on the lives and doings of said people, too. At one point in the series, Harry Potter consults with a portrait of Dumbledore after his death, and learns valuable information as a result. Which begs the question: why aren't people using portraits all the damn time to find out what they need to know about essentially everything? Forget books - the characters in the portraits are as good as speaking to the people themselves; preservations of former witches and wizards at anybody's disposal, whenever they need it. What a waste!