OOP Thestral mistake?

[lhunneb]

No: HPFGUIDX 63271

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "davidbartmess" 
<david.bartmess at m...> wrote:
>      In OOP when Hagrid teaches his class about thestrals, we learn 
> that "The only people who can see thestrals are people who have 
seen 
> death".  When everyone arrives at Hogwarts at the start of the 
year, 
> we find the carriages that have always pulled the students to the 
> castle, are pulled by thestrals, and this year for the first time 
> Harry can see them.  Luna Lovegood tells them though, that "I've 
> been able to see them ever since my first day here.  They've always 
> pulled the carriages."  
> 
>      Now supposedly, Harry was able to see them for the first time 
> this year because he saw Cedric die last year, at least that's what 
> I'm lead to believe, but the problem is that Harry saw death long 
> before last year.  Harry was present when LV killed his mom, wasn't 
> he?  Do you have to be old enough to remember seeing the person 
> die?  Was Harry in the same room when LV killed his mom?  Possible 
> mistake by JRK?  What do you think?

It may be that, because Harry was so young when his mother was 
killed, he didn't really know what was happening.  You may need to be 
fully aware when it is happening that this is what you are seeing.  

The other possibility is that Harry was in the other room and only 
heard his mother pleading for his life without actually witnessing 
the death.

My problem is not with that, but with the timing of the Cedric 
thing.  Harry saw Cedric die before the end of term.  Didn't the 
carriages take the students back to the train to go home *after* 
that?  He should have been able to see them then.