Thestrals were one of the most memorable magical creatures to come out of the Harry Potter franchise created by J.K. Rowling. The mythology surrounding the species was interesting in that only those who have witnessed and embraced death could see Thestrals with their own eyes. Thestrals were a breed of winged horses that were black and had skeletal, dragon-like features. Here’s every character that could see Thestrals, and why.

Thestrals were rare in the wizarding world, but there was a trained herd that resided in the Forbidden Forest on the Hogwarts grounds. The species was primarily used by wizards for transportation since they could travel far distances. And then during the Battle of Hogwarts, the trained herd of Thestrals attacked Lord Voldemort’s army of giants with the help of Buckbeak. Furthermore, Thestral tail hair was notably used as the core of the Elder Wand. It was known to be one of the most difficult substances to work with when crafting wands. Some believed that the Thestral hair gave the wand extra power.

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Whether that was true or not is unclear, but quite a few characters from the Harry Potter series were able to see these creatures with their own eyes – the main person being Harry Potter himsef. However, he certainly wasn’t the only one. Here’s every character that had a history with Thestrals.

Harry Potter

Harry didn’t immediately see Thestrals even though he witnessed the death of classmate Cedric Diggory during the Triwizard Tournament. After accepting the death a few months later, Harry finally saw the Thestrals pulling the carriages full of students to the gates of Hogwarts. Later, he used one to fly with his friends to the Ministry of Magic with the hopes of saving Sirius Black.

Rubeus Hagrid

Hagrid was on the of the few wizards allowed to directly handle Thestrals since they were viewed by the Ministry of Magic as being extremely dangerous. As Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid bred and trained the herd that was residing on the school’s grounds. He also taught students about their navigation abilities during his Care of Magical Creatures class. Hagrid was able to see Thestrals after witnessing several people die, including his father.

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Severus Snape

Snape was also able to see Thestrals, but it’s unclear when exactly he acquired the ability. Dumbledore once questioned Snape about how many people he watched die and the response was not promising. It’s likely that Snape directly witnessed several deaths throughout the First Wizarding War.

Neville Longbottom

During the Care of Magical Creatures class for fifth-year students, Neville mentioned being able to see Thestrals after witnessing the death of his grandfather. Neville also accompanied Harry and their friends by riding a Thestral on the mission to rescue Sirius. Conversely, Neville didn’t seem to be able to see Thestrals during the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Luna Lovegood

When Harry was uneasy after first seeing Thestrals, Luna was there to reassure him since she had always been able to view them while at Hogwarts. Luna’s mother died during a faulty experiment before her first year at Hogwarts. Luna viewed them as gentle creatures and rode one during the mission with Harry and their fellow classmates.

Other Harry Potter Characters Who Presumably Saw Thestrals

A number of other Harry Potter characters possibly saw Thestrals, but that was never confirmed. Albus Dumbledore often used them as transportation, so it’s likely he was able to see them. The same went for Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bill Weasley, and Fleur Delacour, who rode Thestrals during the Battle of Seven Potters. They probably wouldn’t have chosen a mode of transportation that they couldn’t actually see for a mission that serious. It’s also assumed that many more figures gained the ability to see Thestrals after the Battle of Hogwarts due to the numerous deaths.

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About The Author


Kara Hedash
(1744 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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