In the Harry Potter book some wizards & whitches come back as ghosts so why not all of them?

Question

I mean in the books there have been some very famous wizarding people die. Why did they not come back, when other people like the Bloody Barren and Nearly Headless Nick did come back as ghosts?

Answer 1

You'll find a good explanation for this at the end of the 5th book. After Sirius dies, Harry asks Nearly Headless Nick why Sirius is not hanging around the castle as a ghost.
Nick answers him by saying that ghosts like himself are merely imprints of their former selves, they were scared of death and therefore chose for his imprint to stay behind in the world he loves.
I guess most wizards would rather just die the conventional way.

Answer 2

The reason for that was given by Nearly-headless Nick in book 5 when Sirius dies....Its that the people who are scared of what lies beyond come back as ghosts

Answer 3

Nearly Headless Nick said at the end of the 5th book after Sirius died : "Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves to walk palely where their living selves once trod," said Nick miserably "But very few wizards choose that path."...."I was afraid of death" ........."I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I chose my feeble imitation of life instead."....."He will not come back, he will have...gone on."

So.......I guess you can come back as a ghost if you want to, but most wizards dont want to.

Did I help?

Answer 4

I think this is explained in one of the books, and I hope I'm not just making it up, but I believe that some people come back because they have unfinished business, are angry about something... ergh... now that i'm writing this out i'm not sure exactly what it was. But I do think it was explained somewhere. Ok, just looked something up and I put the link as the source. It might help you out. :)