Thestrals Plot Hole You Never Noticed in Harry Potter
Years after the release of the Harry Potter franchise, devoted fans are still finding peculiar things to debate about.
One of the latest is the fact that Thestrals remained invisible to Harry Potter at the end of the Goblet of Fire book, even though he had seen Cedric die. Plot hole much?
"Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages which were now trundling towards them up the drive…"
People are arguing whether this is a plot hole and Rowling has not thought everything out as well as she has had everyone believe. Did the author not create Thestrals at that point yet or was it her plan all along? Let's break it down.
True Ravenclaws have thought of a good reason why Harry did not see them in Book 4, and that is simply because he blinked at the moment of Cedric's death. This is so sophisticated, yet so simple. What a great way to make Helena proud!
However, this explanation does not really account for the fact that Harry had also seen his mum die when he was a baby. Did he also blink then? If not, why wasn't he able to see Thestrals from the start?
Practical Hufflepuffs prefer to turn to a more realistic theory, which is that Rowling did not make them up yet and/or that it would not make sense to give Thestrals a not-so-warm welcome at the end of Book 4 after all the climactic events had already occurred. That actually seems like the most likely explanation.
Let's hear from Rowling herself. On the official Harry Potter website, the whole not-seeing-Thestrals-for-years thing is given a brand-new outlook.
According to the website info, after Harry's mum's murder Thestrals remained invisible to him because he was too young to comprehend death, and then after Cedric's weeks had to pass for Harry to realize the finality of his death.
There you have it! It is not about the death itself but about processing it.
The writer could have fooled everyone but the most attentive fans note that it still does not make sense because in Hogwarts Legacy, which J.K. Rowling supposedly has contributed to creating, when your character witnesses someone's death, Thestrals become visible almost immediately.
One could argue that it is different for the purposes of the game but if you want a plot hole, one could shut up and let you have this one.