Why hasn't Harry seen his parents as ghosts, just like Nearly Headless Nick?

[crookshanks76]

Does anyone know about the Hogwarts ghosts? It seems like there are all these ghosts floating around like normal people, but Harry has never seen his parents like this. It's always been some intricately developed way. For instance:

SS: In the Mirror of Erised
PoA: Heard them through the Dementors
GoF: Prior Incantatem

Why hasn't Harry seen his parents just like the Bloody Baron, Nearly Headless Nick or Moaning Myrtle?

[pegoheart144]

I don't think there's been an explanation but I believe we're suppose to learn why certain people become ghosts after they die and others do not later in the series.

This is just my opinion but it the Killing Curse that was used on them somehow prevents them from coming back. Just as there seems to be something to the Cruciatus Curse that won't allow it's victims to pass out. That's why Neville's parents ended up going insane.

It might be the main reason why these are called the Unforgiveables.

[Sirius83]

I think the ghosts are only there if they die a violent death..so yeah, all the hogwarts ghosts...they died in some tradgic way...

[kit]

^I was going to comment something along those lines.

Except, his parents did die a violent death.

[cedric]

Crookshanks , i never notice that, you by might be on to something more, and rowling supposed to state why some poeple become ghost in the 5th book. There are so manyquestions and the 5 book has answers

[Emma]

Maybe you have to be dead for so many number of years for the ghost thing to take effect.

[Sirius83]

Or, perhaps by using the avada kedavara curse the soul is destroyed so theres no ghost? sad thought but possible...the avada kedavara curse just kills you straight away though, its not a violent death...just zap and you die. Not like the trauma of nick getting decapitated for instance

[jr119us]

you only come back for unfinished business, myrtle came back to haunt olive hornby...

[Sirius Black]

If they had a horrible or unfair death, they come back for unfinished business. About all those people dying by Voldemort, I think the curse absorbs the souls, so that's why Harry could see his parents and all those who died during Prior Incantem.

[Weatherby]

I'm not sure if they do have unfinished business. They died protecting their son. And they'd know Dumbledore would finish fighting Voldemort.

They must not be ghosts.
The mirror wasn't real and he was remembering when he heard them around the Dementors.
It was a ghost of a spell that enabled him to see his parents in GoF.

[symplet]

Maybe you have to die unhappy to become a ghost? :??:

Harry's parents died protecting him, knowing that he would remain alive, therefore they died with a "happy thought" in their head.

[SnowyOwl]

It is stated under Book Five info on Mugglenet's opening page that the happiest people do not become ghosts. I don't think this applies to the time right around their death, but to their lives in general. That would explain the relatively small number of ghosts.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Originally posted by SnowyOwl (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=172887#post172887))
It is stated under Book Five info on Mugglenet's opening page that the happiest people do not become ghosts. I don't think this applies to the time right around their death, but to their lives in general. That would explain the relatively small number of ghosts.


Good call, Snowyowl! Also, ghosts seem to haunt their former residence; wherever they spent the most time in life. At least, we can assume that based on Moaning Myrtle. In which case, if James and Lily were ghosts, they'd be haunting Wizard's Vale, not Hogwarts. And Harry has never been back there, at least not yet.

[1MelissaPotter]

I don't think Lily and James became ghosts. They probably had good lives, except for their deaths. And I hope Harry gets to go to Godric's Hollow and see where he used to live, though his house was blown up, he could see where is was.

[HbAznKyootie]

Originally posted by symplet (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=172865#post172865))
Maybe you have to die unhappy to become a ghost? :??:

Harry's parents died protecting him, knowing that he would remain alive, therefore they died with a "happy thought" in their head.


hmm, thats a good theory!! but, we dont know if james and lily knew that he was going to be safe. maybe lily sacrifice herself b/c she knew her life would be nothing without her husband and son, not b/c she knew it was gonna save harry.

[Aoife Diggle]

Originally posted by SnowyOwl (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=172887#post172887))
It is stated under Book Five info on Mugglenet's opening page that the happiest people do not become ghosts. I don't think this applies to the time right around their death, but to their lives in general. That would explain the relatively small number of ghosts.


Yup I agree with you SnowyOwl, I think it is the all round state of happiness in a persons life before they die, not just the circumstances in which they die, that decide if they are to become a ghost or not. I mean when you look at it logically, nobody dies a happy death really, nobody wants to die (well in most cases). So if you became a ghost because you were unhappy when you died then practically everyone would be a ghost.

[Beatrice Bottbean]

I don't think we can say that ghosts haunt their former residences or where they spent most of their time in life based on Moaning Myrtle as has been suggested. When Moaning Myrtle visited Harry in the prefects' bathroom, she mentioned that she followed Olive Hornsby everywhere, even to her brother's wedding until Olive went to the Ministry of Magic. It was only then she had to go back to her toilet. It is not clear, however, whether the Ministry ordered her to go to her toilet or that is where she chose to go once she was forced to leave Olive alone. This makes me wonder, how is it that the Ministry of Magic has dominion over ghosts? How exactly do you think they would enforce an order like this? Also, ghosts must have some freedom of mobility as even Myrtle can still travel through pipes and go out to the lake (whether accidentally flushed or just wanting to help Harry) and other ghosts can go on Headless Hunts or to Deathday parties. Any thoughts?

Also, I posted these other thoughts in another forum and thought I'd repost my thoughts here:

I am REALLY curious to hear what everyone thinks the significance is of the ghosts, particularly with regards to what we will learn about how someone becomes a ghost, etc. Moaning Myrtle wanting to haunt Olive Hornsby may be significant I think, but I also think it is significant that every ghost I can think of where we know how they died appears to have died prematurely: Nearly Headless Nick and the Headless Huntsmen, Moaning Myrtle, probably the Bloody Baron, can anyone think of any others? But clearly that is not enough b/c Harry's parents are not ghosts... so what factors in the death of an individual are necessary to become a ghost? I think being murdered or in some other way prematurely killed is necessary, but clearly not sufficient. What else? Do you think it is possible to be killed by the avada kedavra curse and then become a ghost? Or do you think that curse is too powerful for survival even as a ghost? I am just wondering why none of Voldemort's victims seem to be haunting him. Voldemort couldn't exactly get an order from the Ministry of Magic (like Olive Hornsby did) to stop his victims from haunting him. Any thoughts?

[crookshanks76]

Originally posted by Beatrice Bottbean (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=173064#post173064)) …so what factors in the death of an individual are necessary to become a ghost?


1.) Ghosts remain to haunt the earth until their spirit has been avenged.
2.) I think people who have accepted their deaths do not return as ghosts, but I came to this conclusion after reading up a little bit.

[Snowangel]

I'm also wondering if ghosts continue to exist forever and ever or if they finally come to some rest. That would be my guess but we'll just have to wait to find out. It seems to me that ghosts definetly are unhappy in some way. There's something about them that they cannot leave behind and move on. Maybe they're able to do this and then they can go find some peace. I don't know. This is all speculation.

[crookshanks76]

Restless ghosts find rest after their death has been avenged. It has been said some never find peace if they died a violent death (Nearly Headless Nick?)or if they committed crimes that were considered to be highly inhumane. In this case they aren't allowed spiritual peace (Bloody Baron?).

However, I also think the Hogwarts ghosts seem happy, or if you please...at rest at Hogwarts (caroling the corridors at Christmas, welcoming the first years, gossiping about school business and having death day parties.)
Maybe living at Hogwarts for these Ghosts is their form of peace. I don't know though because Myrtle still cries and the upset Nick gets everytime he applies for the Headless Club dearly crushes him, but other than these instances, the ghosts usually seem happy to be hanging around.

[Beatrice Bottbean]

Thanks Crookshanks76 and Snowangel!

You two have got me really excited about this ghost thing now. I love the way Snowangel phrased it:

There's something about them that they cannot leave behind and move on.

Look at how Moaning Myrtle still complains about being teased and Nearly Headless Nick obsesses about the fact that his head was not chopped off all the way. Also, Moaning Myrtle definitely decided of her own volition to come back b/c she was determined to haunt Olive Hornsby. It's so hard to tell what else is going on since we have not had much exposure to ghost's outside these two. We know just a bit about the Bloody Baron and the Fat Friar, but outside of these four, I can't think of a single ghost that provided a bit of insight into their characters.

[H_B]

I think they didn't die unhappy the were protecting something. Lil and James probley died happy because there son survive that mattred the most

[Jo O'Meara]

I've heard many times on Hp sites that you only become a ghost if you're sad or depressed. Just think about it; Nick couldn't get in the Headless Hunt, Moaning Myrtle was teased and taunted, The Bloody Baron was lonely, it all fits in. :'(

[pegoheart144]

Originally posted by Jo O'Meara (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=174453#post174453))
I've heard many times on Hp sites that you only become a ghost if you're sad or depressed. Just think about it; Nick couldn't get in the Headless Hunt, Moaning Myrtle was teased and taunted, The Bloody Baron was lonely, it all fits in. :'(
True but that doesn't really explain Professor Binns. He just fell asleep in the staff lounge (died) and got up and continued teaching just as he always had.

[i wish i knew]

jk has confirmed that u become a ghost if u r deppressed so maybe Binns was depressed earlier in his life. Asfor them not being ghosts maybe dying from avada kendavra had somthing to do with it.

[hpangel102]

I've heard that you only become a ghost if you die and your not happy. Such as nearly headless nick, he was upset because his whole head didnt get cut off or something, but Harry's parents had a good life.

Professor Binns was bored with his life, and therefore became a ghost so he could have an exciting time.

[Beatrice Bottbean]

I missed crookshanks76's most recent post before I responded last time but that clears up a lot for me. Can you tell me where JKR says that you become a ghost if you are depressed? I have summaries of most of her interviews and can't find it. Did she say that only people who are depressed become ghosts or that all people who are depressed become ghosts. This is important only because I am wondering whether it is the only and exclusive reason or one of several reasons.

This whole idea of being unable to rest or being determined to do something makes a lot of sense to me. I had forgotten about Professor Binns but he just seems determined to teach and to teach his own way - remember his frustration when Hermione dared to raise her hand in his class? Could you imagine if they hired a new teacher to replace him? I just have this funny image of him walking through the blackboard and continuing to drone and on during the new teacher's class...

[crookshanks76]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Some of the ghosts certainly do have a personality of their own.
_________________

Interview with JK Rowling - February 3, 2000:

Q. "What makes some witches/wizards become ghosts after they die and some not?"
"
A. "You don't really find that out until Book VII, but I can say that the happiest people do not become ghosts. As you might guess, Moaning Myrtle!
__________________

If this is so...I wonder if they were unhappy before they died or after they died?:??:

[Beatrice Bottbean]

Thanks for the quote, Crookshanks76. Does anyone know if there are sites that keep an archive only of JKR interviews? The books I have are only selected excerpts. It would be fun to look through them all again - particularly looking for more ghost references again. Are you even allowed to post links here? Pardon my ignorance.

I just remembered a quote from Dumbledore in Book One as well where he told Harry regarding Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel's death that "to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." Harry then repeats this quote which makes me think that it is of some significance if it was worth saying twice. I think it is interesting that the ghosts all in some way don't accept their own death - Professor Binns supposedly just got up to teach again even though no other teachers are ghosts, Myrtle gets upset when Harry talks about breathing in front of her in Book 4, Nick is still upset about his head not being chopped off completely, and several of them seem disappointed that they can no longer taste food (but that doesn't stop them from trying). Any thoughts?

[Kneazle]

Beatrice, you are allowed to post links here.

MuggleNet (http://www.mugglenet.com/jk.shtml) and the HPGalleries (http://history.250x.com/vaults/) both have lists of JKR interviews, and Aberforth's Goat (http://www.geocities.com/aberforths_goat/) is an extremely useful searchable archive of interviews/articles.

[i wish i knew]

i thinks its if u r sad whoile u die u know like being murdered. Harrys parents must have been sad they didnt know harry would survive but i think the curse has somthing to do with it.

[Jessie]

I'll put a simple answer of mine;
Some ppl become ghosts, some ppl don't. Anyway, if Lily & James DID become ghosts, why would they be at Hogwarts??

[Pumpkin Juice]

When Harry went to Nick to find out of Sirius could be a ghost, Nick told him that very few wizards choose that path. Do you think Lily and James could have chosen that path given the nature of their deaths and how important they knew it would be for Harry to live? Or do you think they passed on, having faith that Harry would be well taken care of and protected? If they're ghosts, where might they be and why have we never seen them? Or is it possible that they were not allowed to pass on because of the nature of their deaths? Is it possible their spirts were trapped in Voldemort's wand all those years and when their ghostly images came out at the end of book four, it finally released them? And if that was their release, did that mean they were doomed to be ghosts forever to be neither here nor there, or were they then given the option whether or not to pass on?

Hmm... I wonder if ghosts are allowed to pass through the veil like Sirius did. If maybe the true purpose of that veil was for ghosts and never meant for the living.

[Filius Flitwick]

Hmm, this question should probably be asked in this thread.

How does one become a ghost? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=11643)

[Pumpkin Juice]

That would be a good side question. But my main question is what's the liklihood that Lily and James are actually ghosts and that they might come back in a future book as ghosts?

[Queen of Wise]

I don't think Lily and James are ghosts, because if they were, they would probably have been mentioned as ghosts, and Harry would be able to see and talk to them. And as for them being released as ghosts in the future, I doubt that would happen, because Nick said that ghosts are wizards who feared death. Harry's parents didnt fear death, or else his mother wouldn't have died to protect him right?

[dracosgoddess89]

Ummmm .... If they chose that path then they would be present in the storyline, not to mention that someone would have known.

Also, If they had chosen that path i think that Sirius would have chosen that also, Nicholas says that in order to be a ghost you must choose it and leave part of yourself behind, he states it's mostly for people who are afraid of death. That doesn't seem like something the Potters would have done.

Oh and if thats true and you have to choose to become a ghost then how did Myrtle become a ghost hmmm just wondering

[Pumpkin Juice]

And as for them being released as ghosts in the future, I doubt that would happen, because Nick said that ghosts are wizards who feared death.
Actually, no, Nick didn't say that. Nick said that was why HE chose to become a ghost, but he did not say that his reason was the same for everyone.

Ummmm .... If they chose that path then they would be present in the storyline, not to mention that someone would have known.
Except that their ghosts came out of Voldemort's wand at the end of book 4 and we don't know where that graveyard was. It could be a long ways from Hogwarts for them to travel back. And there's the possibility that they embarked on a mission after that which would not take them back to see Harry.

Oh and if thats true and you have to choose to become a ghost then how did Myrtle become a ghost hmmm just wondering

I don't know, but it is true. If you want me to quote the book, I will.

"Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod," said Nick miserably. "But very few wizards choose that path." - pg. 861

So Nick said it is a choice wizards make. But he said he could not answer why everyone doesn't come back. He could just answer why he personally chose to come back.

Interesting how Harry chose to ask if Sirius became a ghost but has never asked if his parents did.

[dracosgoddess89]

Except that their ghosts came out of Voldemort's wand at the end of book 4 and we don't know where that graveyard was. It could be a long ways from Hogwarts for them to travel back. And there's the possibility that they embarked on a mission after that which would not take them back to see Harry.

You need to read that chapter a little more closley ... they were not ghosts they were shadows of the people they were when they were alive, when the conection was broken they vanished .... and i wasnt really asking anyone to explain myrtle i was just wondering into the abyss

[dobby_rocks]

I agree i dont think they are Ghost otherwise i belive they would have had some contact with Harry by now, of course that dosent mean the spirits later wouldnt appear to him, JK has just said we will never see them a live

[Pegasus]

Except that their ghosts came out of Voldemort's wand at the end of book 4 and we don't know where that graveyard was.
At the end of GoF (pp 697-8 in the American ed.) Dumbledore tells us that what came out of Harry's wand were not ghosts, but "kind of a reverse echo. A shadow..."
Actually, I think that if Harry's parents were ghosts (and I'm sure they're not), their "shadows" couldn't have helped Harry, but that's fully debateable.

[Pumpkin Juice]

Actually, I think that if Harry's parents were ghosts (and I'm sure they're not), their "shadows" couldn't have helped Harry, but that's fully debateable.
Interesting, a shadow then would be more powerful than a ghost? But then how do we explain Peeves? It's my understanding that a poltergeist is a different classification of a ghost.

You're probably right though, and Lily and James are not ghosts.

[dracosgoddess89]

Interesting, a shadow then would be more powerful than a ghost? But then how do we explain Peeves? It's my understanding that a poltergeist is a different classification of a ghost. You're probably right though, and Lily and James are not ghosts.

They vanished didn't they? When the wands connection broke Harry's Parents Shadows said they would remain for a few moments and then vanish, so they are gone, never to return... Did I miss something? Or am i on the right track?

[mynameisrene]

I don't think that Lily and James are ghosts. If they were, wouldn't Harry have heard about them or something? Anyway, what would be their reason for wanting to stay behind? As far as anyone knows, they didn't have any "unfinished business," except for maybe raising Harry. When Voldemort was vanquished that night, that would have finished off that business, too.

[Pegasus]

They vanished didn't they? When the wands connection broke Harry's Parents Shadows said they would remain for a few moments and then vanish, so they are gone, never to return... Did I miss something? Or am i on the right track?
Since they weren't actually there--they were just "smoke" from a wand, like a Patronus--they're not likely to return:). Since Priori Incantatem is a spell reversal (well, not quite, but hopefully you get my meaning), the spells used to kill the people who appeared to Harry have already been regurgitated, so they wouldn't be able to protect Harry in that form again.

[dracosgoddess89]

Thanks Pegasus :) I believed i was right but i was confused by the post in reply to my first post ... wow im not sure that made sense but w/e

[Pumpkin Juice]

Hey, that's a way cool trick! I've never seen that before on a message board where you could take an entire thread and move it into another thread. I like it!

[Pegasus]

Sorry to confuse you, Pumpkin Juice:) Interesting--who merged the threads? Usually the person who does it posts an explanation.

[Grapez]

You will come back as a ghost when you weren't ready to die, that's what I always thought. But that doesn't explain it either. We'll hear more about that, because a lot of people are going to snuff it anyway, happens in a war...

[ErickGama]

I also think that they must be dead like hundreds of years back like Nearly Headdless Nick died 500 years ago (am I right?), and his parents have just been like 15!

[hermy_weasley2]

Interesting how Harry chose to ask if Sirius became a ghost but has never asked if his parents did.

I don't think Harry wants his parents to be ghosts. If you think aout, he knows they're dead, and he's used to that by now. It's terrible to say, but if they hadn't died, they're wouldn't have been that thirteen years or so of peace between the wars.

[MnMbabe]

i agree with Hermy weasly2, harry doesnt want to see his parents as ghosts. i think he is scared of who they would be, or how they would turn out. He'd want to see them as whole, human, and just regular people instead of being a ghosts. maybe this is becuase he never knew them, and he doesnt want to change what memories or thoughts of them he has. Know for Sirius, Harry talked with him, met, actually conversed with him, unlike the Potters. Harry knows how Sirius is and wont be dissappointed by the outcome if he becomes a ghost. This is just my thought on things :)

[padfootgrim]

this is my theory...

you can only be a ghost if a) you are a wizard and b)you're not murdered with a spell...

as lame as it sounds it makes sense (Moaning Myrtle = Basilisk; Nearly Headless Nick = beheading, Bloody Baron = well something with blood)

so that is why Sirius, James, or Lily could not come back as ghosts....

[Venus_77]

I think it involves the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Its a pity you know, Sir Nicholas almost explained it on OotP, but because of Harry's experience about that place, we didn't 'heard' the explanation.

I really liked your opinion about the things that we don't see them (Sirius, James and Lily) as ghosts because they were killed by using the unforgivable curses. But I disagree.No offense meant but it seems too far-fetched and I think that the veil has something to do with it. At the veil, Luna also heard voices, maybe because you have to see someone die to hear those voices. Besides, there are a lot of ghosts at Hogwarts, how can you say that they aren't killed by not using the Unforgivable Curses? And remember, Luna's mother DIDN'T die because she was murdered by using the AVADA KEDAVRA curse. So if your theory is true, we should see Luna's mother gliding through walls. Although her (Luna's mother) ghost could be in Luna's house, Luna could have talked about it with Harry, right? I mean, she's very keen to let Harry know how her mother died.





" Why spiders? Why can't it be follow the butterflies?"
-Ron Weasley, CoS movie

[Doggy]

Harry hasn't seen his parents as ghosts because

a) (and this is something I don't believe) they are staying around haunting Godric's Hollow and waiting for him there.

b) They aren't ghosts at at all. After all, as Nearly Headless Nick said, you choose whether you want to live on as a ghost or not, and they chose not to, just like Sirius.

And Venus 77, if you don't want to write in your signature in your post everytime you post, you can always write your quote into your signature option in Magical Me. It may make things a little easier. :)

[Luna27]

I don't think Harry's parents are ghosts. For one, as others have said, surely they would have shown themselves to him by now? Surely Lupin, Sirius and Dumbledore would know they are ghosts and tell Harry about it?

Quick interjection...I think to an extent, a wizard who chooses to stay behind as a ghost does so based on personal reasons. I would think that a fear of death is a huge reason why most ghosts stay behind. But remember Moaning Myrtle? From her description it sounds like she stayed behind to haunt her classmate. So her personal reason was revenge.

From what we know of Harry's parents...I think they would face death head on. I think they would trust in Harry's ability to face whatever challenge comes his way. Also, I don't think JKR would have his parents floating around as ghosts somewhere because that would undermine their deaths. It would undermine the concept of death in general. It would undermine Lily's sacrifice. Hey, why don't we have everyone Harry ever loved come back as ghosts? It's a bit much. Doesn't seem like JKR is the type to want everything nice and pretty with a ribbon tied neatly around it.

[Adalbert Waffling]

Seeing as how this was written before book 5 came out, I'm forgiving. In OotP, Nick said that wizards choose to leave an imprint behind. He said Sirius didn't stay behind because he didn't want to live as "a weak imitation of life."

[koli]

well they didn't want to come back as ghosts (lily and james.) and i always so people who came back as ghosts to be kind of weak, in some way. they were so afraid of death they didn't want to "leave" so now they are stuck living a shadow of life forever and ever. It would be quite morbid. Lily and James knew they would see Harry again one day.

[Nys]

Nearly Headless Nick said that he was afraid of death, so he chose not to take that path. James and Lily quite obviously weren't afraid of death, both were prepared to put down their lives for others, fighting in the war, they knew what was likely to happen. I think they were both prepared to die.

[Venus_77]

I think it involves the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Its a pity you know, Sir Nicholas almost explained it on OotP, but because of Harry's experience about that place, we didn't 'heard' the explanation.

I really liked your opinion about the things that we don't see them (Sirius, James and Lily) as ghosts because they were killed by using the unforgivable curses. But I disagree.No offense meant but it seems too far-fetched and I think that the veil has something to do with it. At the veil, Luna also heard voices, maybe because you have to see someone die to hear those voices. Besides, there are a lot of ghosts at Hogwarts, how can you say that they aren't killed by not using the Unforgivable Curses? And remember, Luna's mother DIDN'T die because she was murdered by using the AVADA KEDAVRA curse. So if your theory is true, we should see Luna's mother gliding through walls. Although her (Luna's mother) ghost could be in Luna's house, Luna could have talked about it with Harry, right? I mean, she's very keen to let Harry know how her mother died.





" Why spiders? Why can't it be follow the butterflies?"
-Ron Weasley, CoS movieARIAL[SIZE=1]1
/SIZE]DARK ORANGE

ALWAYS BE AN :angel: TO YOUR PARENTS SO YOU CAN WATCH PoA!!

[cgrint]

you only come back for unfinished business, myrtle came back to haunt olive hornby...
This seems to be the general rule when it comes to ghosts. Although some might say that the Potters should have had unfinished business with Voldemort, they might not have. Maybe Dumbledore assured them that Harry was the only hope and that he would be in good hands with the Order.

[internetcuttie]

Okay I don't have the book in front of me so forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought that there was something like you chose to become a ghost or not. (Think, if you were a ghost you would gave to live forever, and without bad the good doesn't seem as good.)

[Hectate]

I believe Nick said that if you have unfinsihed business or don't accfept death or something, you come back as a ghost. Nick was afraid of death and came back as a ghost. The whole depressed theory could also work.

[aloisious]

As far as unfinished business for the Potters... Lilly, at least, placed her last effort to save her son in the charm she placed on Harry that did Voldemort in. I don't think she had any unfinished business when she died.

[chupachup07]

In OotP, didn't Sir Nick say that in order to stay after as a ghost, you have to make special preparations prior to your death and that not everyone chooses to? James and Lily seem the kind of people that would rather make a gracious exit than hang around forever.

[asrivathsan]

It is the desire... if you are too scared to leave the world then you come back as a ghost ... but james and lily are no way cowards

[fairy_lightz]

because in the last bok harry asks nearly headly nick if sirus would become a ghost and he d get to see him again and nick said that you get choose if you become a ghost or not and since all them werent scared of death they didnt choose to said behind

[popping corn]

i agree, i think its something to do with choice.
i think you make the choice the momment you die otherwise you will "go on".

[Lough Gabhra]

Is it possible that Harry's parents would be ghosts if they weren't killed with the wand?
I mean that Moaning Myrtle died because of the Basilisk and Nick's head was lopped off, for example... I don't have a chance to re-read GoF at the moment to check whether those figures that came out of lord Voldemort's wand were described as ghosts or not, but if they were, then maybe the ghosts of Harry's parents (and many others too) are captured in Voldemort's wand?

[weasley]

In OOTP Nearly Headless Nick said that only people who were scared of death would come back, and others would just "go on". Lily and James weren't afraid of death as they both gave their lives to save Harry's. They have probably "gone on" like Nearly Headess Nick had said Sirius. Dumbledore said in GOF that the "ghosts" of Lily and James were just shadows of their past selves, and that there was no way they could come back to life, presumably because they'd "gone on".

[asrivathsan]

Is it possible that Harry's parents would be ghosts if they weren't killed with the wand?

Maybe there is. Come to think about it, I think all witches/wizards have an option to be ghosts whether they are killed by wand or not

[Dark Arts]

It is the desire... if you are too scared to leave the world then you come back as a ghost ... but james and lily are no way cowards
I agree.
As with most things it comes down to a choice. The person must choose to leave part of himself/herself behind. I am not sure if fear is the only motivation for leaving that bit of yourself behind.

If fear were the only emotion for staying behind, one would think there would not be any Gryffindor ghosts... :huh:

[asrivathsan]

Yes, you do have a point. Maybe it is also the attachment and the strength of mind. If you have the will power to be able to leave the world .... then you won't be a ghost