Character Analysis
Fortescue is a portrait of a "corpulent, red-nosed wizard on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk" (27.158). When Professor McGonagall realizes that Professor Umbridge promised to dismiss Willy Widdershins's criminal charges in exchange for evidence against Harry, Fortescue's portrait speaks up: "Blatant corruption! [...] The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!" (27.158). One of the things we love about the portraits in Professor Dumbledore's office is that they give a sense of how much wizarding history Hogwarts represents. We get so many different points of view on what's going on now from portraits of people who have died long ago – this is one wizarding invention we wish would carry over to our sadly Muggle world.