Quote:
Originally Posted by lyrica9
i got the impression that you had to comprehend the death for the thestrals to appear . . . .
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That's what I was getting at in wondering if there's a difference in "seeing someone die" and "seeing death."
ETA: I went back and found the interview where she talked about this. It was given at the Royal Albert Hall on June 26, 2003. Here's what she said:
Internet question from Jessica Wells, originally from Australia now living in London.
Email: "Harry saw his parents die so why hasn’t he been able to see the Thestrals before?"
JK Rowling: I knew I was going to get that one…that is an excellent question. And here is the truth. At the end of Goblet of Fire we sent Harry home more depressed than he had ever been leaving Howarts. I knew that Thestrals were coming, and I can prove that because they’re in the book I’d produced for Comic Relief (UK) "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
These are lucky Black Winged Horses. However, if Harry had seen them and it had not been explained then it would cheat the reader. So, to explain that to myself, I decided you had to have seen the death and allowed it to sink in a bit… slowly…these creatures became solid in front of you. So that’s how I’m going to sneak past that one.
The entire interview can be read
here.