The Man with Three Faces

Unlike other portraits in Order of the Phoenix, this portrait doesn’t have an inactive back side. The portrait isn’t asleep, like the rest, and Harry can talk to him from either side.

Technically, the side on the Fourth Floor, covered in the spider web, can be considered the back side. But even there, the portrait is already awake, happy to talk to anyone.

Both sides of the portrait are unlock simultaneously, after we help Neville learn the Incendio spell, and the Seventh Floor is unlocked, where Neville brings us.

In all versions of the game this portrait connects the Seventh Floor and the Hospital Wing on the Fourth Floor.

Once we find the other side of the portrait, we obtain his password: “Three heads are better than one”.

In the PC versions of the game, the portrait is not programmed how it’s supposed to be. It becomes very confusing, why is the portrait talking about himself as if he is multiple people. It’s especially hard to understand for kids, who never heard of split personality disorder.

The portrait argues with himself, interrupts himself.

In fact, it seems the voice actor of the Russian version of the game also didn’t know that there were suppose to be three characters. All the words are spoken in monotone, rather than forming a dialogue. It seems as if all the words are spoken towards Harry Potter.

Percival Pratt asks Harry to find “The Man with Faces Three”, which only makes things even more confusing. Many gamers, playing Order of the Phoenix for the first time, assume that they need to find 3 identical portraits. As it turns out, they only need to find one, but he’s also alone in the frame, for whatever reason.

Texture in the game

Within the textures, the portrait also has just one head, the other two simply weren’t put in the game.

The portrait is well animated: moving eyes, mouth, facial mussles, neck and hand with book.

So who is depicted on the portrait? A man with long hair and a cut beard is shown from three points of view: full face, 3/4 view and profile. The only decoration on the black cloak is a luxury lace collar.

This portrait is a mirrored image of a real life painting – “Charles I in Three Positions” by Van Dyck, a famous 17th century Flemish painter.

In the Nintendo DS version of the game, during the game’s story, the portrait appears does make an appearance in his usual spot next to the Hospital Wing.

In order to bypass the Inquisitorial Squad, patrolling the Seventh Floor and reach the Room of Requirement, the trio uses this portrait.

He simply allows Harry and his friends to use the passage, without even asking the password. After that, the portrait completely vanishes.

In this game we finally learn the name of the man on the portrait. It is Edward Rabnott.

In the more primitive version of the game on the GBA the portrait can always be found on the Fourth Floor corridor, but he is inactive, and plays no role in the story.