After the war, several new portraits were being put up. All those who had died in the Battle of Hogwarts each had a portrait in the Great Hall, and they – together with everyone else who had died in both the first and the second Wizarding War – also had a portrait at the Ministry of Magic. Harry had even made sure that both Severus Snape and Regulus Black had portraits made as well, except in Snape's case his portrait was hung in the Headmaster's office.
However, those were only the official portraits; almost every family who had lost someone had at least one portrait as well. There was a portrait of Fred Weasley in both the Burrow and at the shop, Andromeda Tonks put up portraits of her late husband, daughter and son-in-law, and Harry? Harry of course had a portrait with his parents; it had not felt right to him to put them in separate portraits, one of Sirius and, because he was bored being stuck on place, and because 12 Grimmauld Place had been his home too, Regulus.
As time passed the portraits begun taking an almost active role in their loved ones' life, as active as possible when you are stuck behind a frame. Nobody was sure whose idea it was, but eventually the portraits began relaying messages between their various locations, something made possible because of the large collections at both the Ministry and Hogwarts. There was one day in particular, during which the Hogwarts portraits were especially busy; September 1. On that day they would first look on with everyone else as the first years were sorted, then start racing around between their portraits passing the messages on so that before the banquet was done almost every parent of a first year knew into which house their child had been sorted. However, at one sorting things went a bit differently.
"Weasley, Fred." Deputy Headmaster Professor Flitwick called out. Quickly the boy in question went forward and put on the Sorting Hat.
"Well then." Came the voice within his head. "Another Fred Weasley, this should be interesting. No point in breaking a family tradition." Then, aloud for everyone to hear. "GRYFFINDOR!"
To the excited cheers of his new housemates – especially those of his cousins already in Hogwarts – Fred Lee Weasley made his way towards the Gryffindor table.
"Fred Weasley!"
The furious shout stopped him dead in his tracks and he turned nervously to where Headmistress Professor McGonagall was standing at the high table.
"No, not you. That one." She said pointing down towards the Memory Wall and now everyone knew the source of her fury. The portrait of the elder Fred Weasley – the one who had died during the Battle of Hogwarts – had clearly decided that his nephew and namesake should have a welcome to Hogwarts that would be remembered. Therefore, he had somehow managed to steal a bunch of fireworks from another portrait – McGonagall knew better than to ask – and was now happily setting them off inside his portrait. At first, Professor McGonagall tried to look and sound stern, but she quickly found that she could not really be angry at the portrait of a guy who had died much too young, and when several other portraits decided to join the fun she simply laughed along with everyone else.
"Alright everybody." She said, as soon as things were quiet again. "Be warned. There's a new Fred Weasley at Hogwarts."
Then a wave of dread washed over her as she remembered that in two years James Sirius Potter Would be starting at Hogwarts as well.