Hermione's Vulnerability (prediction)

[Athena Appleton]

I kind of got the feeling that Nearly Headless Nick kind of regrets coming back as a ghost. Because Dumbledore didn't fear death in the least (his words: "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure"), he wouldn't be clinging to the sort of half-life ghosts have.

Talking portrait, however, DEFINATELY.

[uggy]

DD would not have become a ghost.

To become a ghost you do not need a horcrux

[espionage]

i thought that in OotP nearly headless nick said being a ghost was kind of like a choice you made aftre death...like as though before you go to heaven or whtever someone asks you "do you want to be a ghost?" and you can say yes if you want and then you are a ghost and never get to see what lies beyond if you dont want to be a ghost. im pretty sure thats right. horcrux is definitely not required.
and as for dumbledore: ghost, no way - he is not scared of death. talking portrait, naturally. i am interested in whether harry will be able to consult it as though it was a living dumbledore though...