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magical creatures - Why COULD Harry see Thestrals following Cedric Diggory's death?


Pursuant to my question here, asking why Harry couldn't see Thestrals immediately following Cedric Diggory's death, now I want to know why Harry could see Thestrals, as a re-read of canon shows that Harry actually did NOT see Cedric get killed. He had covered his face and eyes with his hands and his eyes were closed as Cedric was killed.




And then, without warning, Harry’s scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all, his head was about to split open. From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, ‘Kill the spare.’

A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: ‘Avada Kedavra!’

A blast of green light blazed through Harry’s eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes.

Goblet of Fire - Page 553 - British Hardcover



And:



‘Righ’, now, who can tell me why some o’ yeh can see ’em an’ some can’t?’

Hermione raised her hand.

‘Go on then,’ said Hagrid, beaming at her.

‘The only people who can see Thestrals,’ she said, ‘are people who have seen death.’

‘Tha’s exactly right,’ said Hagrid solemnly.

Order of the Phoenix - Page 394 - British Hardcover



According to the above passages, Harry technically did not see Cedric get killed, but witnessing a death is required for seeing Thestrals. So how is it that Harry was able to see Thestrals?



Answer



The obvious answer would be that the literal act of seeing isn't necessary, rather that it's experiencing someone's death that is key.


Rowling somewhat backs this up:




Harry did not see his parents die. He was one year old and in a cot at the time. Although you never see that scene, I wrote it and then cut it. He didn’t see it; he was too young to appreciate it. When you find out about the Thestrals, you find that you can see them only when you really understand death in a broader sense, when you really know what it means.


Someone said that Harry saw Quirrell die, but that is not true. He was unconscious when Quirrell died, in Philosopher’s Stone. He did not know until he came around that Quirrell had died when Voldemort left his body.


Then you have Cedric. With Cedric, fair point. Harry had just seen Cedric die when he got back into the carriages to go back to Hogsmeade station. I thought about that at the end of Goblet, because I have known from the word go what was drawing the carriages. From Chamber of Secrets, in which there are carriages drawn by invisible things, I have known what was there. I decided that it would be an odd thing to do right at the end of a book. Anyone who has suffered a bereavement knows that there is the immediate shock but that it takes a little while to appreciate fully that you will never see that person again. Until that had happened, I did not think that Harry could see the Thestrals.



Source


She does refer to Harry "seeing" Cedric's death, but also explicitly says it's the act of appreciating the death that makes the difference.


Personally I think it's something that slipped through the gaps (nice catch!), but I also think it's explainable in-universe.


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