Questions about Thestrals

[pegoheart144]

They are mentioned in Fantastic Beasts under Winged Horses.

[Scabbers]

What about Neville hie parents were killed when he was a baby and has not witnessed a death since so how come he saw them?

[remi]

... on the night Harry's parents died. i have seen mentions of this traced along other topics, but i think it deserves one of its own.

First, in book III, Harry's memories of that night are of Lilly's pleas, and then a flash of green light. i remember that somewhere in the books we are told that James attempted to delay Lord Voldemort while Lilly took care of Harry, but i can't recall the circumstances this was stated under.

In book IV, however, the shadow of James comes out of The Dark Lord's wand before Lily's, indicating beyond doubt that he was killed more recently (i read someone saying that this was a 'printing error' or something - that's ridiculous.)

And then, again, in book V, we receive further evidence that what we think we know is incorrect. Harry can only see the thestrals after having witnessed Cedric's death - but hadn't he supposedly already witnessed his mother's? Apparently not....

We also know, from Harry's memories in book III, that Voldemort was trying to avoid killing Lilly. Why would he, though? He doesn't exactly strike me the type to avoid surplus murder. Also, why did Lilly resign to pleading? According to the description we received so far, she could at least have tried to disarm him ... and if James was delaying Voldemort while Lilly took care of Harry's safety, couldn't she had done any better?

We can probably assume for certain that Harry's mum died to defend him, or otherwise the charm protecting Harry would not work.

We can also be sure that Voldemort has tried to perform Avada Kedavra on Harry, and that it backfired, because we have the scar and Voldemort's testimony on this (book IV). We also know for sure James died standing 'like a man' from the same source.

Does anyone think this could be tied, somehow, to Neville's poor memory? After having seen that he is also very significant in relation to The Dark Lord and the profecy, i feel very justified in bringing him into consideration. Harry's memories in book III seem reliable, but Neville's memory is poor enough to indicate some sort of powerful memory charm ... maybe he had gotten involved with Lord Voldemort without his knowledge?

i'm going to reread all the relevant portions of the book and try to figure this out. You're all welcome to join me....

[Puffskein]

His parents weren't killed at all. It was his grandfather's death he saw.

[Europa]

In Fantastic Beasts it has, under Winged horses the Abraxan (the kind that Madame Maxime had to pull her carriage in GoF), the Aethonan, and Granian, and then it says ...and the rare Thestral (black, possesed of the power of invisibility and considered unlucky for many wizards). So they can become invisible...does that mean they can tell who has and who hasn't seen death and kind of change accordingly?:??:

[PeterDB204]

James coming out first is certainly an interesting point and I haven't seen any confirmations that it was a printing error.

[Scabbers]

ahh yes thank you for correcting me Puffskein, yes it was his grandad. Still my question stands how come Neville could see the thestrals even though he was a baby and most problerly could not remeber (just like harry) the murder. he hasnt seen any other deaths has he? and if he still remembers surely harry would too

[tabby]

His grandfather wasn't murdered Scabbers. We don't know when or how he died, just that he did and Neville witnessed it. He could have simply died of old age.

[moon_lit_raven]

i always thought lily came out first cause she goes "hang on your father wants to see you" or something like that, so she comes out first, but weren't the only people at godric hollow lily, james, and harry, and two of them are dead and one was a baby,

but then there is the thing with nevillie maybe his parents also lived near the potter's and nevillie could have found out from his grandparents or somethingand that might be why some one put a memory charm on him, they didn't want harry knowing what happened at godric hollow? just a thought...

[Scabbers]

ahh what ever
still neville saw him die, when he was a baby, he shouldnt be able to see the thestrals

[too_wicked]

raven: I thought about that too but I think JK just made some mistake with the Priori Incantatem.

Anyway, I think we will be able to know what really happened that night. I was thoroughly convinced after book 3 that Harry hearing his parents death was the end of the puzzle in Godric's Hollow. But after GoF and OotP, i think there's more.

Besides, Godric's Hollow, as in Godric Gryffindor. What's up with living in a village named after the founder of Gryffindor house?

[tabby]

Where does it say Neville was a baby when he died?

[dan_r]

Can Hagrid see them??? as he is probably the one who hooks them up to the carrages isnt he?

[Inkwolf]

JKR just said on the live webcast just now that the Thestrals were always there, but that she didn't want to bring them into the story yet...so she decided that people could only see them when they actually had to deal with a death and let it sink in. Harry was too young to understand death when his parents died.

She also says something about their having been mentioned in one of the Comic Relief books, but I didn't remember which one, I was busy typing Snape revelations. .

[Cat]

They are mentioned in Fantastic Beasts! They're mentioned under 'Winged Horses', but only briefly.

[lilbit]

sorry, it was definately a printing error. Later editions of the book have James coming out of the wand first. I was a little disapointed we didn't get more about this in OOTP, at least an explaination of Godrics hollow!

[remi]

sorry, it was definately a printing error. Later editions of the book have James coming out of the wand first. I was a little disapointed we didn't get more about this in OOTP, at least an explaination of Godrics hollow!

And according to the story we've been told, Lilly should've come first.

[JenJen]

I'm pretty sure lilbit meant Lily - I have one of the earlier editions, and James comes out first, but my Mom has a later one, and Lily comes out first. JKR realized she made a mistake and fixed it in later editions

[vickygirl4]

No, JKR explained why he couldn;t see the thestrals before, he had to process the death, really understand it, before he could see them. He was just too youg when lily and James died.

[lilbit]

I'm pretty sure lilbit meant Lily - I have one of the earlier editions, and James comes out first, but my Mom has a later one, and Lily comes out first. JKR realized she made a mistake and fixed it in later editions

right. I'm a goofball!! meant Lily. Sorry.