Thestrals

Okay, so we all know that Harry sees the Thestrals because he saw Cedric Diggory die and stuff - but why didn't he see them before? I mean, he saw Lily die, right? What kind of death does it have to be to be able to see the Thestrals? Does it have to be a magical death or...?

This is just something I've been thinking about with my brother, and his solution was 'BECAUSE!!!!!!'

We don't actually know he saw Lily die. He was a baby - his eyes may have been closed or he might have been looking the other way.

As for Cedric, well that's odd. Because in OotP it would seem that he is surprised to see the thestrals, as though it is the first time he is seeing them. But surely on the way back to Hogsmeade station at the end of book four he would have seen them?

Might just be a flint on JKRs part.

Well, why would a baby look the other way if he hears screaming when his mother dies? :D I've tested this! (only not by actually killing someone...) I put little Jessica on the floor (she's not even one!!!) and went across the room and screamed, and she immediatly tried to look where I was.

...or then Finnish babies are just stupid like that...

Another reason that maybe he couldn't see thestrals is even if he saw Lily die, he was only a year old, he might not of known she was dead, and he would not have a memory of it. Maybe to see thestrals you have to know and remember you saw someone die?

Yeah, I think that to see threstals, you have to remember the death and know that the person is dead and all... that's why I think he didn't see them on the way back to the train after Cedric died. His death hadn't sunken in, and Harry hadn't realized that he really WAS dead.

Or so I think. Might be wrong. Who knows?

Yes, that makes sense. It's repeated that Harry never knew his parents (he knew who they were, but never knew knew them, you know? xD), but Cedric he knew, right? And it made a great impact on his life, riiiiight? He's all angsty, but then again, who wouldn't be?

So, one more thing I'm wondering about... does it have to be a magical death, like the Killing Curse, and with Luna's mother one of her spells went wrong... so do you see thestrals only if you see a person be killed magically?

Maybe I think it is like someone else said you have to remember the death. Or maybe be upset by it. I mean yeah Harry is upset about his parents but he never knew them so its not that big well it is but bleurgh I understand what I'm saying.

Yeah, I agree with stephy, but also, as to the whether or not it has to be a magical death, I think you would at least have to be magical to see them but that's a really good question...I wouldn't think so though...cause Neville could see them too, and from what we know he never saw anyone die from a magical death.

I never understood why Harry couldn't see them earlier because of Quirrell. It's not like Quirrell was already dead and his body was just being animated by Voldemort. He was alive, and then Harry saw him turn to dust (which is dying).

Hmm...well I think in the book Harry went unconscious before Quirrell actually died, didn't he? So then it would make sense....*runs off to fetch book*

Yeah, I was wondering if he was unconcious too. But in the movie he was looking right at him. So at least in the movies he should have seen them before.

Yeah, in the movies they definitley show him dying but that might have been more for the audiences sake then Harry's. And I got my book and he did go unconscious first.

Philospher's Stone wrote:

He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, donw...down...down...

And Quirrell leaving his grasp is most likely Dumbledore pulling Quirrell off of Harry.

Sweet, thanks for looking in the book. I thought I remembered him being unconcious, but then I watched the movie and got confused again. That was probably just so small of a thing to notice (if you aren't a HP geek) that the filmmakers didn't think anything of it.

Yeah, and also (correct me if I'm wrong) but I think the movie came out in 2001 and OotP came out in 2003 so they wouldn't even have known about the whole thestrals thing when they filmed.

Well, the book OOtP did come out in 2003. But by the time Prizoner was being made (sometime in 2003), they would have known about the thestrals, if they had read the book. My film teachers would just say that it wasn't an important enough detail. They would have had to add the CGI thestrals into another movie, which would have cost extra money. It's one of those things that makes sense to me from a filmmaker's standpoint, but bugs me from a geek standpoint.

I thought we were talking about Quirrell's death in PS? When would they have needed thestrals for PoA? *tries to think back*

I just mean that since they showed Harry seeing Quirrell's death, there wouldn't have been an opportunity before OOtP to show that Harry could already see thestrals without adding an extra scence somewhere to a previous movie. It's just one of those little blips that doesn't really matter to the integrity of the film. It was better that they kept it being Harry's first time seeing them in OOtP, because him seeing Quirrell's death could have messed up the story line a little. The people who made Sorcerer's Stone should have had him pass out or look away or something when Quirrell died. But they didn't, so it doesn't really matter. It just bugged me.

Oh oh oh oh! I get what you're saying. Yeah, that's why I always think it's best to keep things like the book cause little things like that can become important...though I think in the first two movies they did a very good job of staying close to the actual story line.