This may seem a little strange at first, but it is quite interesting. Near the end of OOTP, Harry has a little chat with Nearly Headless Nick. Harry wonders if Sirius will come back as a ghost. Nick tells Harry that he won't, even before Harry tells him who he is curious about. How in the world does Nick know if Sirius chose to come back as a ghost or not?

It's true, Nick is dead, but how would he know for sure. Nick may have know Sirius, but not closer to his death. There is something very strange about this.

My question is, if Nick knew what Sirius choice was, could he possibly know what Dumbledore chose, if DD is dead.

Ya i was thinking the exact same thing!!!
I love the books but havnt reread them
I was just sort of quick skimming through the fifth and the sixth a while ago.
I slowed down the skimming to the end but i was still skimming.
That exact same thing just popped up on me, it was just like a sudden burst jumping up.
I have a wierd feeling that that thing is going to be really important.
JK never did anything useless in her books, everything was powerful and important.
Nick may have done important things but he shows up alot more than the other ghosts.
Its like JK is trying to tell us smthing.
Nick will do something important in the next book.
Maybe he knew about horcruxes from DD and other things and was instruted by DD not to tell HP. He might tell HP now that DD is dead.
Was Nick around 50+ years ago?
Could he have witnessed somethings that Tom Riddle did?? with a horcrux???
Maybe and that would be important.

Oh, I think that Nearly Headless Nick knows many many things indeed. What he knows? I'm not quite sure, but I think that he can provide insight within the story and plot line and possibly help Harry. However, I don't think that he knows much about Voldemort's horcruxes. I think that only RAB and Dumbledore, now Harry Ron and Hermione, ever knew about his horcruxes. But maybe Nick knows something that can help in the search....

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i think nick may have an important role but i dnt think that he will know anytong about the horcruxes cause he's 200 something years onld cause in the second book harry goes to his party.

i just wonder if nick one time heard or saw riddle making or thinking about making a horcrux.

because hes so old, and if so mabye he held this info back from DD cause he though he was just imaginig.........[center]

It's true that JKr rarely made sth useless. Maybe NHN (Nearly Headless Nick) knows pretty much everything about death. Therefore, he may know about Horcruxes and how to destroy them perhaps. Nick may also be a connection to the world of the dead, Harry may be able to communicate with the dead through Nick. What do you think?

i think thats a very interesting question. we know nick has been dead for over 500 years and i guess he has been at hogwarts since his death.

what i wondered is how he knew sirius was dead. did he hear it through gossip because it seemed quite soon after it happened.

nick said that sometimes people talk to him after a relative has died so he was expecting it.

i think nick could have seen tom riddle find out about or do something wih horcruxes so harry will have to go back to hogwarts to find out what it is.

But remember, Nick is also scared of many things, and is nervous arounf the Barin, slytherin's ghost. I am sure that he would not have gone to anyone other than in his own house, like Voldemort, and i do not think that Nick would have wanted to go near him either!!

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I always had this weird feeling that Headless Nick knew a lot more than was let on. He's not a very "active" character, but it would occur to me that he's been involved with Hogwarts more than probably most other people. Funny how he barely says anything. Perhaps he knew a lot more things than was ever brought up, maybe this isn't the first time.

I agree with you! Nick certainly knows a lot, although I do not see how Nick could have known Sirius, since he died around 300 years ago. I can not remember the exact date he died though. Maybe he does know something about the Horcruxes. I mean he does seem like the type of ghost who could keep a secret, he is always going on about how he is loyal. And I don't think you can do spells on ghosts so he couldn't be tortured by a Death Eater.

That's an interesting thought. I bet Nick does know more than he lets on in the books. Nick probably knows Sirius from when the Marauders were around, afterall he is Gryffindor's ghost. Maybe ghosts have connections with people who are dead. Maybe they can communicate with each other. We haven't really been told a lot about ghosts and Nick hasn't had a very big role. Maybe Nick will come into play in the 7th book when Harry needs Dumbledore.

Being a ghost is for those who desired not to experience death.. most likely being afraid of Death. Therefore this leads me to believe that Nick doesnt know much more than he told Harry. He has never experienced a full death, for he opted to be a ghost. Remember, he is "neither here nor there".

As for Nick being able to communicate with the dead... no, I dont think so. If you can still contact those who chose death over being a Ghost, then why not be a Ghost. Being a Ghost is not exactly a luxury. You are bound to the tracks you walked while living and cannot pass on. Perhaps there is a way to free a ghost, but thats a different topic.

Nick may have one last piece of information up his sleeve, but I wouldnt count on it.

~Albus

I also find it extremely strange that everything that gives us mounds and mounds of information happens on Halloween.

The day Harry stumped Voldemort at age 1
The day Lily and James Potter die
The day Nearly Headless Nick's dies

IF YOU WANT TO GUESS THE LAST HARRY POTTER TITLE DO NOT READ THE NEXT PART!!!





The new Harry Potter book is called "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" which I personally think is reffering to Hallow's eve being deathly, and we have evidence that in the past years it has been, including for Voldemort (though he wasn't really dead.)

I think knows much more than he is letting on...

I believe to be the only ghost of any importance..

I think he knew more about Sirius than he told Harry. He's been at Hogwarts a long time so he will know a few things.. But i think he knows more than the average ghost does. Afterall his Gryfinndor's house ghost.. And sirius and Dumbledore were both in Gryfinndor. That might have nothing to do with it..

But can'tbe to sure.

Nick most definatly knows more than he's telling. I mean, who would know better about this kind of stuff than a person who decided to become a ghost themselves? He must know all about the 'process' or whatever...
But how much he actually knows, I'm not sure. Probably not a whole lot more than how a person becomes a ghost. I mean, how on earth would he know if Sirius decided to become a ghost or not? He might know about Dumbledore, but definatly not Sirius...

I haven't thought all that much about this yet, mostly cause it didn't really strike me as all that important (and I am sorry about my hand writting, but I'm trying to do this quietly in the dark, which is really hard for me), but it is an interesting idea. Well, Nick's been around a while, and he hears things other people don't, mostly cause they don't realize he's there, and they speak, and he just catches onto things like that. And he's been around for a while, so he's bound to know something about something. I agree with what Al-buus has to say, in that he opted to be a ghost, he is neither here nor there, and all that other stuff he said, which I'm too lazy to put into quotes. He know's what he knows, although what he knows might be a lot more than what he told Harry, cause maybe he knows something that he doesn't want Harry to know cause he believes Harry to be a child, just like what they did in Full Metal Alchemist to Edward, cause he was a child, but I doubt that he knows little more. I might just be treading on thin air here, but if Nick does know something, I do not think that he is going to be revealing it to anyone soon. Somethings are better left unsaid.

~La MaitressedeMort

I think it's significant that he is "Nearly Headless" Nick. The head is an indication of intelligence and identity. Nick is nearly lacking his, but in the end is not lacking it. So I think maybe that means he is an intrinsically ambiguous guy information-wise. And certainly he has shown that he is indecisive by being stuck a ghost.

His relationship with the Slytherin ghost is relevant, I suspect. It is unlikely that the Bloody Baron has held back from gloating to the other ghosts over the years, so maybe the ghosts have a glimmer about what LV might have been up to as a student. Also, the "Baron" is the only other character I can think of at the moment who, like "Lord" Voldemort, has a name that references some kind of political "noble" status. Interesting?

I don't know if Nick would play more of a roll than he already has. I kinda thought he was put in the books for a comic relief. He is a minor character and has not played that big role. I think his role will stay the same. That is if Harry returns to school and in what manner.

If Harry goes back to school like normal for a seventh year then I think his character will stay the same but if he goes back seeking information on horcruxes then I can see him as a source of info.

Yea nick has always been an interesting character throughout the series.

Rowling mentioned the significence of the two way mirrors in the coming book. (the mirrors which nick advised and informed harry on)

Assuming they can be 'reparo'ed if you will, they might tie in with nick yet again.

Yeah, I agree. Nick is definately put in the story for a reason. And of coarse he knows more than he told Harry, he had to become a ghost. And I think that he (and all others wishing to become ghosts when death comes) had to take a trip to the *Deathly Hallows* to declare that he wanted to become a ghost. I beleive that the deathly hallows are a place where a witch or wizard goes to make it formal and clarified and officail that they are going to become a ghost. So, he knows that Seruis has not been to the Hallows. Am I confusing anybody?

I think that nick might join the good side and might help them in a way. Or maybe he is already helping the good side or how else would he know about sirius chosing to die instead of living.

Well, i think that it was obvious that it was Sirius, even though Nick may not hace known him...
or it could also be that DD tells all the ghosts that someone has died and that their relative might come to see them if they are in tha ghosts' house...
ya, that sounds rational to me...

The reason why NHN knew that Sirius wouldn't come back was actually somewhat stated in the book. NHN said that he is a ghost because he fears death. He says and that only people who fear death may become a ghost. He didn't actually know if Sirius was a ghost or not, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't become one because everyone knew that Sirius wasn't a coward.

I agree with those of you who believe there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Sir Nicholas DeMimsy-Porpington or Nearly Headless Nick. Let's just call him Nick to save time. I do believe he knows much more than he let on, but in accordance with LeMaitressdeMort, I don't think he will be revealing anything, at least not freely or willingly. But that all remains to be seen, when HARRY POTTER and the DEATHLY HALLOWS is released.

it does say "Neither her nor there" but he manages to communicate quite well with the lving; he knows so much about what is going on a Hogwarts : "...did you hear, Harry Potter has been made the new Gryffindor seeker, I always knew he'd do well.." So what does that mean ( neither here nor there )? He is obviously interracting in the "here".

Aren't all Gryffindors put into Gryffindor because they are brave? Brave meaning they face their fears - not that they are without fear. So, I think that I can't say that Snuffles won't become a ghost because he isn't a coward. Nick wasn't a coward either or he wouldn't have been in Gryffindor to begin with.
Yes, Nick says he is a ghost because he was afraid to die but how do we know that Snuffles was ready to die/didn't fear death. If he hung on in Azkaban why would he be so ready to throw in the towel now - when so much is just about to happen and his godson will need him so much?
I'm probably just hoping against hope that both Snuffles and DD will somehow communicate with Harry in his hour of need.

Very intersting topic, thanks!

I cannot recall but why was Nick to be beheaded anyway? And was he a wizard.

Because he was griffindor house ghost and he known of not only Sirius from his days at Hogwarts but also James and Lily. He very well maybe come a useful source of information. Intresting thought, when Sirius Black was stalking the school, didn't all of the ghost including the Bloody Baron assist the teachers.

I totally think Nick knows more than he's letting on. Maybe he's pulling a Dumbledore, though, and thinks harry's to young. I agree with thecortni; he may be to insecure, afraid, or even ashamed to reveal what he knows, and it may have to be forced or pried out of him. I think he will tell if he realizes the info he has could be helpful to harry.

Im sure Nick knows many things,for he has been dead for about 500 years. Im sure he's learned many things,but only tells them when people or other ghosts ask him about it. I mean,you wouldnt just burst out random things in the middle of a conversation would you?