Why wasn't Harry able to see the horses from the very beginning?

In the fifth book, Harry sees the horse-like creatures pulling the carriages up to Hogwarts. Luna says she has seen them since her first day there. Why hasn't Harry been able to, do you think?

Well..the book says that the only way you can see the horses is only when you have seen death or someone die (or something along those lines)..I dont think he would've been able to see it his first year there..but i think he should be able to see it his second year, because remember at the end of the first book when

Spoiler:
Him and Quirrel/Voldemort were fighting, and he saw Quirrel die because he touched him

wasn't cedric the first guy he saw die and that was the end of goblet of fire, so the first time he would have a chance of seeing those horses was at the begggining

he never saw quirell die cuz quirell died after harry fainted. and i think harry shouldve been able to see the thestrals at the end of his forth year on the way back home cuz didnt the carriages take them to hogsmeade station?

Maybe because of all that happened Harry just didn't realize and comprehend that they were there or something.

but didnt harry see his parents die? so he shouldve been able to see the thestrals since the very start.

That's what I was thinking...Harry has seen his parents first..and for christ's sake..he can hear the voices sometimes....... yeah...and he remembers some things...VERY LITTLE though.

I think he was not really looking for them when he 1st came there....but maybe when he was little if he didn't remember much of it...he really couldn't see them......but with Cedric it was a recent thing.....

I don't know? Maybe it was because Harry was so caught up in everything and the death that he didn't even think to LOOK at what was moving the carriages!!! 'Cause to him they were invisible before, so I don't think he would have thought at the end of GoF," Oh, I saw someone die. Maybe I'll be able to see the creatures that pull the carriages!" This time though he was getting on the carriage and the death was sorta in the back of his mind with all the other stuff that happened that he ended up noticing them. And like airangel492 said. Harry was only a baby of one year, I can bearly remember things from when I was five, he won't remember actually seeing his mother fall. All he remembers is the green light and stuff.

very intresting ...to be honest this may be one of things that may never be understood fully but you never know j.k may explain it in the next one!

It is curious. But is it remembering the death that causes you to see it or just the fact that you have seen a death? I don't remember myself learning to walk but, sure enough, I can do it now without having to think about it.

theres a fault in the books. harry saw cedric being killed. but why he didnt see the horses at the end of the 4th book??

aaaah i just asked that q seraph!

anyway i dont think harry actually saw his mother die maybe he was sleeping and he saw the light through his eyelids (happens sometimes with the sun and u see red when eyes r closed) but who knows...maybe its just another mistake.
i dont think the man that harry heard when he was fighting the boggart/dementor was his father's jk never confirmed it..it couldve been his grandfather or something but well have to wait for the next two books to find out...

ok think of it this way....Harry did see his parents die....but....he cant remember all that well b/c he was jus a baby!....he saw cedric die correct?? but when he was getting into the carriages do u think he was thinking about reliving all that stuff that had just happend to him?? i think not....so....i think u have to have seen someone die before but also that......u must have a really strong recolection of it also.......but then again this too......it has to be something u are thinking about at the time that u see those creatures.................b/c harry saw his parents die and cedric he just doesn't like thinking about it but then at the beginning of this book or rather the beginning of the school year she has harry see these creatures for the first time therefore concluding that harry is thinking about death

who did luna see die????...oh...and, ..what happend to harrys granparents etc.????

luna saw her mother die

Well duh he probaly didn't watch his parents get killed. either that or it has to sink in. he didnt even know them anyway that well. 🙂

Roxy

Originally posted by unibrow
aaaah i just asked that q seraph!

anyway i dont think harry actually saw his mother die maybe he was sleeping and he saw the light through his eyelids (happens sometimes with the sun and u see red when eyes r closed) but who knows...maybe its just another mistake.
i dont think the man that harry heard when he was fighting the boggart/dementor was his father's jk never confirmed it..it couldve been his grandfather or something but well have to wait for the next two books to find out...

Spoiler:
dad

let me tell you why he can see them now because i completely understand the whole thing 'bout the neato spageeto horse creatures that have a wierd colour!...ok

it says that a person who sees death (meaning if some one sees somebody else being killed!!!) can see the thestrals! so he couldnt see them before because it never says he SAW his mum and dad being murdered, he didnt see quirrel die because quirrel didnt really die...he kinda uhm well he did something awfully strange...but he did see cedric diggory being murdered so that is probably why he can see those animals...they ARE animals right?

i agree with thingy above me. Everyone says he saw his mum and dad die but no one knows that, the film made it out like he had but he could've been in another room or something, all it says was that hagrid picked him up.