Quote 1
“So you
came back, didn’t you?” said Harry urgently.
“People can come back, right? As ghosts.
They don’t have to disappear completely.”
At the end of Chapter 38,
Harry skips the Great Feast in order to spend his evening desperately
searching the halls of Hogwarts for one of the school’s many resident
ghosts. When Harry finally locates former Gryffindor member Nearly
Headless Nick, Nick does not seem particularly surprised to see
Harry. Often, students who have just dealt with the death of a close
friend or family member seek out the spirits of Hogwarts, demanding
more information on death and the afterlife. Harry is presently
mourning the tragic death of his godfather, Sirius Black, and is
incapable of accepting the idea that he may never be able to seek
counsel from Sirius again. Harry is a bright and brave wizard, but
his inability to accept the finality of Sirius’s end speaks volumes
about the tenderness of his heart. As Dumbledore explains when he
is telling Harry about Trelawney’s prophecy, it is the strength
and conviction of Harry’s heart that sets him apart from the evil
Lord Voldemort. While the strength of his heart causes Harry much
pain, it is ultimately his greatest asset.
Nick responds to Harry’s inquiry by assuring Harry that
Sirius is, indeed, gone. While some Wizards choose to continue walking
the Earth, most decide to move on, and Nick quietly laments his
own choice to remain at Hogwarts. Even after his encounter with
Nearly Headless Nick, Harry is still not convinced that Sirius has
left him forever. He runs into Luna Lovegood, who is the only person
Harry doesn’t mind talking to about Sirius. Luna reveals to Harry
that her mother died and explains that the voices she and Harry
heard coming from behind the black curtain at the Ministry of Magic
(the same curtain Sirius fell through to his death, and the same
curtain Harry was inexplicably drawn to) are the voices of ghosts.
Harry is skeptical but once again filled with hope that he might
meet Sirius again.
