Merged with related topic. Orig title: Look Into My Eyes -
my mother's eyes.... - PK mods

Well, I've been wondering this for a while but it was something that I read today that really flashed at me.

So, Harry has his mother's eyes. Now on a Newsround interview Lizo asked JKR if there was something important about a wizard and his eyes. JKR said "oo aren't you smart. yes there is something coming about that." Now, I know Harry's parents were pretty well known so a lot of people would probably be able to say "don't you look like your father" but it's something about people saying he has his mothers eyes that makes me wonder.

Now in "christmas on a closed ward" Tonks says "any seer blood in your family. I know Lily Potter was pretty good at charms according to Mr Olivander but something tells me she may have had some seer in her too. Perhaps she was also a skilled Occlumens too. Just a thought, but I think there's a lot more to Harry's eyes than, well than meets the eye. ...any thoughts?

Interesting concept. I've seen that same quote as well. And the 'seer' comment certainly stood out to me. But I don't thing the "Occlumency" approach ever crossed my mind up until now. If I remember correctly, bieng skilled at Occlumency required EYE contact. Perhaps there is something there. Great thinking, Ariadne!

I have a really outlandish theory about this in the James/Lily forum. It's in the Lily and Voldemort thread.

Maybe...very good thought.

Something also to take into account...

Green eyes are also a sign of the Fey or possibly being a magical creature. Lily may not have been a pure-blood, but that doesn't rule out other things being within her bloodline.

There's certainly SOMETHING in Lily's bloodline - go back to PS/SS and read through the Mirror Of Erised scene.

Are you referring to the other green-eyed people in the mirror, thereader?

Exactly!

I posted a theory (elsewhere on Portkey, perhaps? can't remember) that Harry having Lily's eyes was more symbolic than anything else. We've spent four books reading about how Harry is James's mirror image and how much he resembles his father -- and then we see the scene in the Pensieve, and we learn that Harry at fifteen acts nothing like James did. In fact, James is the sort of person that Harry doesn't seem to like at all. We also see Lily, who apparently has a very keen sense of right and wrong, and who is willing to pull a wand on James because he's picking on another student, even an unpleasant and unpopular one.

For all that Harry physically resembles James, and has his Quidditch skills and his surname, his personality seems to come from his mother. From what we've seen of his parents, he seems to have his mother's morals and, quite frankly, her bravery. The Marauders seem to be able to get away with a lot, and in the Pensieve scene Lily is the only person in that entire crowd of girls who tells James to can it. We've always been given the impression that the Marauders were well-liked and probably as close to an in-crowd as Hogwarts could have. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to people like that, especially for someone who's really not a nice person.

So for all that Harry is a Potter, he sees the world through Lily's eyes, and reacts accordingly. I think it's significant that we've never learned much about Lily -- far less than we know about James. In OotP we're constantly reminded that Harry is not James, that he is more cautious than James and does things or doesn't do things in different ways than James. That's because he's his mother's son, and that's what those green eyes represent.

/ramble
- Lisse

That's a very good theory and it all makes sense. However, I'm sure JKR did say that something was coming about the similarity between harry and lily's eyes. Also if you notice a lot of emphasis is put on eyes in the books. Often important characters' eyes are described in some detail and to me they always seem to give a lot away about a person's character...just a thought.

I love your theorie Lisse and I totally agree with everything you say. Since I read OotP I always thought that Harry is so much more like his mother than his father. I hated James more than anything when I finished reading that book. I thought he was a stupid git and acted more like a Malfoy than a good person. And I can't wait to learn more about Harry's parents, I think I look forward to that more than anything in the book (besides the ship of course) So thanks for that

Dreamer~

Very nicely put Lisse! Thats a very cool way of looking at it.

But I do think they may represent something more than just his mothers outlook on the world, I think they hold a power that Harry isn't even aware of yet or anyone else for that matter. I sometimes get this mental image of his eyes being like a snakes (not slitted or snake-like), holding someone enthralled in their gaze. I mean JKR goes on about eyes a lot: Dumble's, Harry's, Hagrid, Snape, even the Malfoy's and Voldy so there must be something else there other than metaphor and symbolism??

Nice topic going on here, keep it up.

I'm Nobody

I think divination and occlumency HAVE to come into the equation with harry's eyes. There just wouldn't be so much emphasis on divination (yeah I know the prophecy thing) and Harry if nothing was going to happen. I think there has to be another prophecy most likely by Trelawny. These things have to come in threes don't ask me why. Ooo, silly me, I've only just noticed another significance of Sybil Trelawny's name. Sybil - that's what the priestesses of the Oracle were called! Duh Ariadne!!

It's possible that there's something about Harry's eyes. It's mentioned so much, it'd be a let-down if there WASN'T something there.

I've heard it said that "the eyes are the gateway to the soul" so perhaps its something close to that...

Yeah, I think it'll be a big thing later on that his eyes are like his mothers. I'm not sure what yet, but it is made a pretty big deal in the books so I think it'll end up being something pretty big

Yes. The mentioning of having his mother's eyes is mentioned even more than him looking like a James clone.

And we all know Lily is pretty important to the HP series(because her love prevailed).

There is obviously something going on there…