Harry shouldn't see Thestrals

[xcpublishing]

No: HPFGUIDX 121784



>Arynn writes:
>But, according to Hagrid and Umbridge you have to witness 
>someone die, not see their dead body. I have seen dead people 
(within 
>half a minute after death, but have never actually watched someone 
>die, which (I assume) is a very different experience. Any thoughts?

I never took that to mean they had to witness an actual death.  To 
me, it seemed to mean that there had to be an immediacy to the death -
 one minute the person was there, living and breathing, the next they 
were gone.  For Luna, even if she walked in on her dead mother hours 
after she'd died, the shock of it (the immediacy) would be there.  
Hearing about a death (even a close relative) or seeing the body 
after hearing the news of the death, would just not have the same 
feel.  I sort of pictured it as the Spectre of Death touching the 
first witnesses, changing them internally forever (Harry didn't even 
particularly like Cedric, but witnessing his death has changed him 
irrevocably) and thereby allowing them to see the thestrals.

However, I still don't buy the "Harry was in shock" line.  She simply 
hadn't thought of it in time to get it into the book.  The problem 
with writing serials and publishing them as soon as they're done is 
that you can't go back and insert something.  I'll bet JKR has kicked 
herself at least twenty times because she would love to go back to 
book one or two and place a hook or a hint.

Too bad she can't rewrite the entire series when she's done.  Heck, 
she could release it as sort of a "Director's Cut" like they do with 
movies.  Should we start lobbying now?

Nicky Joe