The fifth installment of Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, is one of the finest outings in J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series. The film is known for its catapulting shift to Harry’s primary conflict against Voldemort and for bringing the latter’s threat into the magical world. With new characters, more magic, and way more enthralling wand duels, Order of the Phoenix took the franchise to new heights of adventures.
Unfortunately, that movie has also suffered from a mysterious plot hole. In the film, when Harry arrives at Hogwarts, he and his friends meet Luna Lovegood. The weird-behaving girl is a charming and intelligent one who, like Harry, can see the Thestrals driving their wagons. Up until that moment, Harry was unaware of these creatures. Later, when Harry confronts Luna in private, she tells him that only a person who has witnessed death can see Thestrals. Luna has seen her mother pass away, making Thestrals visible to her. It’s implied in the movie that Harry can see them because he witnessed Cedric’s murder the previous year.
But there was an obvious question in fans’ minds – Why couldn’t Harry see Thestrals earlier, considering he had seen his mother’s demise?
A well-detailed Reddit thread has now shed some light on this mystery.
The thread relates the idea of death and the proper understanding of the notion of death. The idea is that death must directly affect them due to a death they witness. Being able to see Thestrals is related to the grief of death, which Harry couldn’t have realized as a baby following his mother’s demise.
It’s an interesting take on the matter. It explains why Cedric’s death was more impactful for Harry’s character arc than his mother’s. Thestrals are seen when death changes you for the worse, and that’s what happens to Harry when Cedric is murdered. It not only changes him as a person, but also changes his idea of his conflict with Voldemort and sets him on a path to end the latter’s reign of terror over the wizarding and muggle world.
The thread ends by highlighting another striking similarity between Dementors and Thestrals. While Dementors embody sorrow and unhappiness, Thestrals embody grief, giving these creatures a broader significance in the series. Moreover, it also provides magic and wizardry or witchcraft with a more significant meaning – something more than just spells and knowledge. It implies that magic is deeply rooted in individual emotions and feelings and alters people’s abilities to understand and withstand the concept of magic beyond anyone’s thought.
J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World has spawned a very successful and visually spectacular franchise, and Order of the Phoenix is at the center of its magical unraveling. It’s good to see that fans have made every bit of it complete with their theories and opinions, as they must have gathered from experiencing those films.
