![]() ![]() Intermediate warning: Details follow which you may not wish to read at your current level. How come the Thestrals drawing the carriages at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire were still invisible to Harry? Does it take some time for the fact that you've seen a death to set in before you can see them? For that matter, why does he not see them from the very first story, as presumably he had seen his mother die?.Generally, what do those who devote their lives to Magical Beast research when they cannot see Thestrals (yet)?.Hagrid must also be able to see them, but he didn't see his father die: Hagrid told Harry that his father had died during Hagrid's first year.Neville's parents have not died, they are alive still, if insane.Study questions are meant to be left for each student to answer please don't answer them here. However, the main story line, involving Horcruxes as a means of cheating death, and the Deathly Hallows, perforce will involve itself with death. The author has commented that her mothers' death, midway through writing the series, may have caused something of an additional preoccupation with that transition in the books. The association with death that is caused by the Thestrals' selective visibility makes them undeservedly one such omen. ![]() (For purposes of these discussions, we will ignore the matter of Shades and Horcruxes, as those are extremely rare in the Magical world, so the average Wizard will not have seen them.) In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we are told that there is an entire book written about Death Omens, and from Ron we learn how seriously the Wizarding world takes them. This is somewhat perplexing, as Wizardkind can create and perceive Ghosts, where Muggles cannot, and one would think that ghosts prove the existence of life after death. One of the things we are beginning to perceive, by the time that Thestrals are introduced, is that Wizards in general are every bit as afraid of death as Muggles are. We will see them again briefly in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The ability of Thestrals to fly, and their navigation ability, will prove invaluable to Harry when he, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna need to get to the Ministry of Magic. Hagrid is proud of having the largest domesticated herd of Thestrals in the UK. Luna Lovegood (who saw her mother die) can see them as well but she is in Ravenclaw, and a different year, so she attends a different class. Only four students in Harry's Care of Magical Creatures class can see the thestrals: Harry himself, Neville Longbottom, a "tall, stringy Slytherin" who the author has identified as Theodore Nott and Luna Lovegood. It is not until Hagrid teaches a class on Thestrals that Harry is reassured that these are real creatures and he is not losing his mind. Because of the relationship with death, it is widely believed that seeing a Thestral is a bad omen. They are strong flyers and can carry you anywhere you want to go, and they have a good sense of direction. They are carnivorous, and are attracted to the scent of blood. It is Thestrals that pull the (apparently horseless) Hogwarts carriages to and from the train station at the beginning and end of the school year. Thestrals are invisible except to those who have seen death Harry can see them, but because his friends can't, he is initially afraid that they are a sign that he is going mad. ![]() ![]() Beginner warning: Details follow which you may not wish to read at your current level. ![]()
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