When Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets introduced carriages that drove independently, we did not think there was a force behind it until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix introduced the Thestral.
The Thestral is a horse-like creature that can only be seen by those who have seen someone die. There has been a question why Harry Potter did not see Thestrals until after the death of Cedric Diggory.
Author JK Rowling said there was a reason why Harry didn’t see Thestrals earlier. The first death he would have seen was his mother when he was a year old. Harry was in his crib when Lord Voldemort murdered Lily in front of him. However, he was too young to understand what was going on—the second death of Quirrell during the events of the Philosopher’s Stone.
People begin to see the Thestrals when they accept that someone they saw die is gone. In regards to Harry Potter, he couldn’t see them until he had accepted Cedric was truly dead. They are horse-like creatures that look like skeleton horses with white eyes.
The Thestral Behind The Scenes
Thestrals can be conjured as patronuses. This was supposed to pop up in the films, along with a chimpanzee, but there just wasn’t a place for them, so the filmmakers left them out entirely. However, they were included in WizardingWorld.com (formerly Pottermore) as one of the creatures that can selected as a patronus.
In the video game Hogwarts Legacy, the Thestrals are associated with the Dark Arts, though it is unknown why this was done. The creatures are usually seen as gentle unless there is a reason for them to go on the defensive.
