Ghosts ( Was Where did the Nimbus 2000 come from?)

[bookraptor11]

No: HPFGUIDX 36942

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Jedi Knight Jo" <jloveys at z...> wrote:

> >>I think that either James and Lily are ghosts (although JKR 
> has stated in one of the interviews on the Scholastic website that 
> only unhappy people become ghosts) or something similar or are not 
> truly dead?<<
> 
> I remember someone saying that before about only unhappy people 
>becoming ghosts, but then what about the Fat Friar? He's been 
>described as being cheerful.  If he was that cheerful in life, maybe 
>something happened surrounding his death that made him stay?  Or 
>maybe he just wanted to keep people company.<

Also Professor Binns, who continues to teach the History of Magic. 
Maybe it's only a question of deciding to stay. While unhappiness 
gives some the willpower to stay, others (like Binns) may just be 
such creatures of habit that they don't want to leave. Or perhaps 
Binns really loves to teach. Other ghosts might have a mission or 
specific task they want to perform before they can rest.

Which brings me to the graveyard scene in GOF. Harry doesn't know 
whether the people released from V's wand are ghosts; they are grey 
and more solid than ghosts. Dumbledore is very careful to call them 
echoes and shadows, spell residues. Whatever they are, on p.667 of 
the hardcover American edition, Lily tells Harry, "When the 
connection is broken, we will linger for only moments..." If only for 
this reason, I don't think James and Lily are staying around.  I do 
wonder if they are ghosts, or would be if they'd made the decision to 
stay. 

As others have posted about other things in the series, probably 
Dumbledore knows more than he's saying.

Donna