Thestrals in POA

[horcrux hunter911]

How come Harry couldn't see the thestrals in his 3rd year? hadn't he witnessed his mother dieing or was he too young.

[Chimera]

Assuming having been a witness to death is enough to make thestrals visible he should've seen them from book 2. I guess the image of seeing death has to in some way haunt you, and with Lily it's hearing it that affects him rather than seeing it.

[Snow_Crystal]

This has crossed my mind several times, Whether he remembers Lily being killed or not he still witnessed her death. I reckon JKR made a mistake on that, he should have been able to see them.

[kp-peanut]

Yeh that's what i thought......
I think JKR just didn't mention them in the other books because they didnt have any relevance to the story....she only mentioned it when they were learning about and using the thestrals.
But then again, Harry said in the book that he had never noticed them before and always thought the carriages were pulled themselves along so it is strange...

[Alexandra]

she made a mistake
no matter how young he was he saw somebody dying and thats enough to make thestrals visible

[SunsetG|rl]

This is something I found on the Harry Potter lexicon (God, that is one good site! )

Email: Harry saw his parents die so why hasn’t he been able to see the Thestrals before?
JK Rowling: I knew I was going to get that one…that is an excellent question. And here is the truth. At the end of Goblet of Fire we sent Harry home more depressed than he had ever been leaving Howarts. I knew that Thestrals were coming, and I can prove that because they’re in the book I’d produced for Comic Relief (UK) Fantastic Beaststs and Where to Find Them.
These are lucky Black Winged Horses. However, if Harry had seen them and it had not been explained then it would cheat the reader. So, to explain that to myself, I decided you had to have seen the death and allowed it to sink in a bit… slowly…these creatures became solid in front of you. So that’s how I’m going to sneak past that one.

[kp-peanut]

Hummmmmmm JKR always seems to get past any questions........
raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Snow_Crystal]

Yeah it just sounds like she's covering. In my mind, she only thought about using Thestrals later on.

[Alexandra]

thats for sure
but she had to give some excuse
she couldnt knew that she will use them when she was writing first book

[choki]

Actually, JKR dun have to sneak/weave her way out of the Thestral/death issue cos... nobody remembers anything when they are a baby.

Seriously can anyone remember what happen when they are 1? I can only remember events up to 4/5... No recollection or whatsoever under 4

So why should Harry remember seeing death when he was a baby?

[Snow_Crystal]

That is true I suppose but personally I remember crawling and on another occasion falling out of a window when I was 1 year old.

People are different though.

Harry on the other hand now remembers the green light so it stands to reason that he might remember other things too.

[Alexandra]

he may not be remembering it but he saw death, didnt he??
it doesnt matter if he remebers or not he SAW DEATH

[SunsetG|rl]

He might have saw it but aparently you need to be aware of it and to be affected by it as JKR says. And after all it's her book she decides what you need to do.

I to believe she didn't think to use them before. But anyway, I think she's only human. That's why sometimes I've got this feeling that not everything will be explained by the next book.

[choki]

And that is the very reason we will have more hidden theories, hypotheses at the end of Book 7...

[Alexandra]

in the end of the fourth book writes that hermione is smiling while the coaches without horses are coming
harry has seen digory dying so he would see thestrals but he didnt so there is a proof
she should just have said that she wasnt planning to use thestrals
and there is no way that everything will be explained in the last book