Why Harry Doesn't See His Parents Dying (WAS: Voices from the past)

[erisedstraeh2002]

No: HPFGUIDX 47193

Finwitch asked:

> Why didn't Harry *see* his parent's death in this, BTW? He says he 
> *hears* them, but doesn't mention anything he saw except ever-so-
> famous Green Light?

Now me:

How painful do we want to make this experience for the poor boy??  
But even putting that aside, IMO, JKR is intentionally withholding 
crucial information about the night Lily and James died.  We probably 
won't know all of the answers about that night until Book 7.  We're 
getting bits and pieces along the way, but we clearly don't have the 
full picture, and there must be a good reason - it must be crucial to 
the plot, and therefore crucial that we don't have all of the answers 
just yet.  So when Harry comes face to face with the dementors, fog 
conveniently obscures his senses, and all he can do is hear.

Harry also passes out after hearing the voices.  His experience right 
before fainting is very similar to the pre-fainting experiences I've 
had - where I can still hear what's going on, but everything starts 
to go blurry.

~Phyllis