Why would there be an internet? To begin with, we know that electronic devices like computers don't work well around magic and don't work at all at Hogwarts.But they could take care of that, if they can hide a big Quidditch ground, I'm sure they could hide a search engine from the wrong people, even Muggle computer technicians can do that.To keep the info out of the hands of the muggles?.'Who's Nicholas Flamel''How do you make/buy Polyjuice Potion' 'How do you survive underwater''What are Horcruxes' 'Voldemort's favourite places'.the list goes on. I know that everyone has thought of this but still, why is there no internet? Every book involves something which the Trio spends ages in the library figuring out which would take 5 seconds with internet.And more importantly, it would be a way to show respect for Snape's sacrifice by hanging it in Hogwarts. Creating a portrait of Snape after his death was possibly meant as a sort of memorial to someone Harry felt he had treated unfairly. Not the least being that a Portrait, while apparently alive and assuming the qualities of the subject, would not really be his parents. I think it's safe to say the thought occurred to him but Harry decided against it for a variety of reasons. Not everything that a character might think has to be put to page.So it seems possible they can be made after death. I recall Rowling once saying that Harry ended up commissioning a painting of Snape after he died.Since Dumbledore planned his death, it's possible he had himself painted beforehand and simply told Snape to pull the painting out after his death.

Half Blood Prince seems to dispute this, though, as Dumbledore's painting seems to be present immediately after his death, apparently without needing to be created by someone.So it seems unlikely Harry would request a painting of his parents a decade after their death-how would anyone capture their essence? And since paintings are far more lifelike than pictures, one could assume some powerful magic would have to be involved, perhaps even requiring the subject of the painting to help bring it to life.

Pictures and paintings seem to capture the attitude and personality of the person when they are taken/made/painted.

Therefore, any portrait that could be painted of James and Lily ten years after their death would be bound to be inaccurate no more the real James and Lily than the idealized version of his family that Harry saw in the Mirror of Erised. Moreover, according to Word of God as paraphrased by the wiki (so okay, this is shaky source), the portraits can only be created by an artist who is either painting the living person, or has known the real person well enough, because the protrait's personality and abilities will be based on the artist's feelings about the real person. If you need definite proof, Gilderoy Lockhart is noted to have had several portraits of himself in his office, which obviously weren't ways to communicate with the real one. I think it's fairly clear that the Portraits are not means to communicated with the actual dead person, but merely portraits that gain limited sentience thanks to magic. I can buy that there might be arguments against it along the lines of 'it wouldn't be real' or 'it wouldn't do to live in the past' or whatever, but surely Harry would at least consider it? Why then, does Harry never even consider having pictures of his parents (or Sirius etc.) painted.

It's established that in the Potterverse, the dead can be spoken to if there are pictures of them.

Harry potter novelty quick quotes quill