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hd_writersThis is perhaps one of the most hotly contested topics in Harry Potter fandom:
WAS HARRY A HORCRUX?
Probably the most compelling evidence, and most often quoted passage from Deathly Hallows regarding Harry being a Horcrux occurs when Harry and Dumbledore meet again in King's Cross station after Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort.
‘You were the seventh Horcrux, Harry, the Horcrux he never meant to make. He had rendered his soul so unstable that it broke apart when he committed those acts of unspeakable evil, the murder of your parents, the attempted killing of a child. But what escaped from that room was even less than he knew. He left more than his body behind. He left part of himself latched to you, the would-be victim who had survived.'
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - page 568 - Bloomsbury - chapter 35, King's Cross
Seems pretty darn definitive in favor of Harry being a Horcrux, doesn't it? Ah, but we can rarely take anything at face value in Potterverse ;) Let's review what Professor Slughorn has to say about Horcruxes in Half-Blood Prince when Tom Riddle comes to him asking questions.
‘Look sharp, Tom, you don’t want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect ...’
‘Sir, I wanted to ask you something.’
‘Ask away, then, m’boy, ask away ...’
‘Sir, I wondered what you know about ... about Horcruxes?’
‘Well,’ said Slughorn, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystallised pineapple, ‘well, it can’t hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.’
‘I don’t quite understand how that works, though, sir,’ said Riddle. His voice was carefully controlled, but Harry could sense his excitement.
‘Well, you split your soul, you see,’ said Slughorn, ‘and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one’s body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, existence in such a form ...’ Slughorn’s face crumpled and Harry found himself remembering words he had heard nearly two years before. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ... but still, I was alive. ‘... few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable.’
But Riddle’s hunger was now apparent; his expression was greedy, he could no longer hide his longing. ‘How do you split your soul?’
‘Well,’ said Slughorn uncomfortably, ‘you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature.’
‘But how do you do it?’
‘By an act of evil – the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: he would encase the torn portion –’
‘Encase? But how –?’
‘There is a spell, do not ask me, I don’t know!’ said Slughorn, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. ‘Do I look as though I have tried it – do I look like a killer?’
‘No, sir, of course not,’ said Riddle quickly. ‘I’m sorry ... I didn’t mean to offend ...’
‘Not at all, not at all, not offended,’ said Slughorn gruffly. ‘It’s natural to feel some curiosity about these things ... wizards of a certain calibre have always been drawn to that aspect of magic ...’
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - pages 464-465 - Bloomsbury - chapter 23, Horcruxes
Okay, I won't tease you any longer. You'll note that Slughorn tells Tom Riddle that there are three steps in the process of making a Horcrux.
1. A murder must be committed; murder splits the soul, allowing a piece of the soul to be broken off.
2. The broken-off piece of soul must then be encased within an object. In Tom Riddle's case, he uses his diary, a family ring, the founders' treasures, etc.
3. The final step in creating a Horcrux is to cast a spell -- Slughorn tells Tom Riddle that he doesn't know how to perform the spell (anyone else suspect he was perhaps bluffing here?)
Well, the unbelievably geeky research I've done on Harry and whether or not he truly was a Horcrux revealed an important fourth step, which J.K. Rowling outlined: There must be absolute and total intent to create a Horcrux while the previous three steps are taken.
If we look at Harry, the piece of Voldemort's unstable soul that latched onto Harry, when Voldemort's Avada Kedavra spell rebounded and hit Voldemort himself, did so accidentally. That Harry was the closest living being to Voldemort at the time Voldemort's unstable soul split again was entirely incidental. Say if Lily had still been alive, the piece of Voldmort's soul could have conceivably, accidentally latched onto her soul.
So, regarding Harry, we have the first criteria for making a Horcrux: a murder. The second criteria was also met: the piece of Voldemort's soul was indeed encased inside Harry and latched onto Harry's soul. However, was the Horcrux spell cast by Voldemort after the first two criteria were met? No, it wasn't. The Horcrux spell, which is essential for creating a Horcrux, was not cast. Voldemort, you'll recall, was at that point "ripped from [his] body, less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ..." He was physically incapable of casting magic. We must also ask, did Voldemort go to the Potter's home the night of October 31, 1981, with the overt intention of creating a Horcrux? Again, the answer is no.
I can imagine what you might be thinking. If Harry was not a Horcrux, why, in the King's Cross chapter in Deathly Hallows, does Dumbledore expressly tell Harry that he was a Horcrux, the Horcrux Voldemort never intended to make? J.K. Rowling's explanation is basically "for lack of a better way of putting it." Here's what she has to say:
MA¹: After we got back from Carnegie Hall, we brought back your message of "Harry is kind of not really a Horcrux." And I don't want to dwell too long on Horcruxes, but I'd love to hear you talking about how he is or isn't, or wasn't.
JKR: Well, I'll tell you- do you know what? This will not end the discussion. I know that, and you know that, but here is the thing: for convenience, I had Dumbledore say to Harry, "You were the Horcrux he never meant to make," but I think, by definition, a Horcrux has to be made intentionally. So because Voldemort never went through the grotesque process that I imagine creates a Horcrux with Harry, it was just that he had destabilized his soul so much that it split when he was hit by the backfiring curse. And so this part of [Voldemort's soul] flies off, and attaches to the only living thing in the room. A part of it flees in the very-close-to-death limbo state that Voldemort then goes on and exists in. I suppose it's very close to being a Horcrux, but Harry did not become an evil object. He didn't have curses upon him that the other Horcruxes had. He himself was not contaminated by carrying this bit of parasitic soul. The only time he ever felt it stirring and moving was in Order of the Phoenix, when he himself goes through a very dark time. And there's a moment where he's looking at Dumbledore, and he feels something rear like a snake inside him, and of course, at those times, it's because the piece of soul inside him is feeding off his emotions. He's going through a dark time, and that piece of soul is enjoying it, and making its presence felt, but he doesn't know what he's feeling, of course. Also, I always imagine that the Sorting Hat detected the presence of that piece of soul when Harry first tried it on, because it's strongly tempted to put him in Slytherin². So that's how I see it. Now, I know that won't end the debate, but I do think that the strict definition of "Horcrux," once I write the Scottish Book³, will have to be given, and that the definition will be that a receptacle is prepared by Dark Magic to become the receptacle of a fragmented piece of soul, and that that piece of soul was deliberately detached from the master soul to act as a future safeguard, or anchor, to life, and a safeguard against death. So that doesn't really clear anything up. Well, I think it -- it at least states what I believe, but I don't think it's necessarily going to convince people who have a strong feeling one way or the other on the matter. You know what? That's been the case with most of Harry Potter. I give my explanation, and it just fuels more debate.
Interview with J.K. Rowling - POTTERCAST -- THE LEAKY CAULDRON -- 12.23.07
DID YOU KNOW? DO YOU AGREE?
Bonus: Often fans like a reminder as to who Voldemort killed to make his Horcruxes, and in what order the Horcruxes were made.
1. Tom Riddle's diary - Moaning Myrtle
2. Peverell ring - Tom Riddle Sr and Riddle Jr's grandparents
3. Hufflepuff cup - Hepzibah Smith
4. Slytherin locket - a Muggle tramp
5. Ravenclaw diadem - an Albanian peasant
6. Nagini - Bertha Jorkins
¹Melissa Anelli - The Leaky Cauldron
² The Sorting Hat: Legilimens, yes or no? Also, SLYTHERIN!HARRY OMG YES!!!! Er, right. Pardon my moment of flail.
³The Scottish Book is a code name of sorts for J.K. Rowling's planned Harry Potter encyclopedia
Probably the most compelling evidence, and most often quoted passage from Deathly Hallows regarding Harry being a Horcrux occurs when Harry and Dumbledore meet again in King's Cross station after Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort.
‘You were the seventh Horcrux, Harry, the Horcrux he never meant to make. He had rendered his soul so unstable that it broke apart when he committed those acts of unspeakable evil, the murder of your parents, the attempted killing of a child. But what escaped from that room was even less than he knew. He left more than his body behind. He left part of himself latched to you, the would-be victim who had survived.'
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - page 568 - Bloomsbury - chapter 35, King's Cross
Seems pretty darn definitive in favor of Harry being a Horcrux, doesn't it? Ah, but we can rarely take anything at face value in Potterverse ;) Let's review what Professor Slughorn has to say about Horcruxes in Half-Blood Prince when Tom Riddle comes to him asking questions.
‘Look sharp, Tom, you don’t want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect ...’
‘Sir, I wanted to ask you something.’
‘Ask away, then, m’boy, ask away ...’
‘Sir, I wondered what you know about ... about Horcruxes?’
‘Well,’ said Slughorn, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystallised pineapple, ‘well, it can’t hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.’
‘I don’t quite understand how that works, though, sir,’ said Riddle. His voice was carefully controlled, but Harry could sense his excitement.
‘Well, you split your soul, you see,’ said Slughorn, ‘and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one’s body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, existence in such a form ...’ Slughorn’s face crumpled and Harry found himself remembering words he had heard nearly two years before. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ... but still, I was alive. ‘... few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable.’
But Riddle’s hunger was now apparent; his expression was greedy, he could no longer hide his longing. ‘How do you split your soul?’
‘Well,’ said Slughorn uncomfortably, ‘you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature.’
‘But how do you do it?’
‘By an act of evil – the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: he would encase the torn portion –’
‘Encase? But how –?’
‘There is a spell, do not ask me, I don’t know!’ said Slughorn, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. ‘Do I look as though I have tried it – do I look like a killer?’
‘No, sir, of course not,’ said Riddle quickly. ‘I’m sorry ... I didn’t mean to offend ...’
‘Not at all, not at all, not offended,’ said Slughorn gruffly. ‘It’s natural to feel some curiosity about these things ... wizards of a certain calibre have always been drawn to that aspect of magic ...’
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - pages 464-465 - Bloomsbury - chapter 23, Horcruxes
Tom Riddle splits his soul for the first time
Four of Voldemort's Horcruxes
How many more Horcruxes should there be? Two ... or three?
Okay, I won't tease you any longer. You'll note that Slughorn tells Tom Riddle that there are three steps in the process of making a Horcrux.
1. A murder must be committed; murder splits the soul, allowing a piece of the soul to be broken off.
2. The broken-off piece of soul must then be encased within an object. In Tom Riddle's case, he uses his diary, a family ring, the founders' treasures, etc.
3. The final step in creating a Horcrux is to cast a spell -- Slughorn tells Tom Riddle that he doesn't know how to perform the spell (anyone else suspect he was perhaps bluffing here?)
Well, the unbelievably geeky research I've done on Harry and whether or not he truly was a Horcrux revealed an important fourth step, which J.K. Rowling outlined: There must be absolute and total intent to create a Horcrux while the previous three steps are taken.
If we look at Harry, the piece of Voldemort's unstable soul that latched onto Harry, when Voldemort's Avada Kedavra spell rebounded and hit Voldemort himself, did so accidentally. That Harry was the closest living being to Voldemort at the time Voldemort's unstable soul split again was entirely incidental. Say if Lily had still been alive, the piece of Voldmort's soul could have conceivably, accidentally latched onto her soul.
So, regarding Harry, we have the first criteria for making a Horcrux: a murder. The second criteria was also met: the piece of Voldemort's soul was indeed encased inside Harry and latched onto Harry's soul. However, was the Horcrux spell cast by Voldemort after the first two criteria were met? No, it wasn't. The Horcrux spell, which is essential for creating a Horcrux, was not cast. Voldemort, you'll recall, was at that point "ripped from [his] body, less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ..." He was physically incapable of casting magic. We must also ask, did Voldemort go to the Potter's home the night of October 31, 1981, with the overt intention of creating a Horcrux? Again, the answer is no.
I can imagine what you might be thinking. If Harry was not a Horcrux, why, in the King's Cross chapter in Deathly Hallows, does Dumbledore expressly tell Harry that he was a Horcrux, the Horcrux Voldemort never intended to make? J.K. Rowling's explanation is basically "for lack of a better way of putting it." Here's what she has to say:
MA¹: After we got back from Carnegie Hall, we brought back your message of "Harry is kind of not really a Horcrux." And I don't want to dwell too long on Horcruxes, but I'd love to hear you talking about how he is or isn't, or wasn't.
JKR: Well, I'll tell you- do you know what? This will not end the discussion. I know that, and you know that, but here is the thing: for convenience, I had Dumbledore say to Harry, "You were the Horcrux he never meant to make," but I think, by definition, a Horcrux has to be made intentionally. So because Voldemort never went through the grotesque process that I imagine creates a Horcrux with Harry, it was just that he had destabilized his soul so much that it split when he was hit by the backfiring curse. And so this part of [Voldemort's soul] flies off, and attaches to the only living thing in the room. A part of it flees in the very-close-to-death limbo state that Voldemort then goes on and exists in. I suppose it's very close to being a Horcrux, but Harry did not become an evil object. He didn't have curses upon him that the other Horcruxes had. He himself was not contaminated by carrying this bit of parasitic soul. The only time he ever felt it stirring and moving was in Order of the Phoenix, when he himself goes through a very dark time. And there's a moment where he's looking at Dumbledore, and he feels something rear like a snake inside him, and of course, at those times, it's because the piece of soul inside him is feeding off his emotions. He's going through a dark time, and that piece of soul is enjoying it, and making its presence felt, but he doesn't know what he's feeling, of course. Also, I always imagine that the Sorting Hat detected the presence of that piece of soul when Harry first tried it on, because it's strongly tempted to put him in Slytherin². So that's how I see it. Now, I know that won't end the debate, but I do think that the strict definition of "Horcrux," once I write the Scottish Book³, will have to be given, and that the definition will be that a receptacle is prepared by Dark Magic to become the receptacle of a fragmented piece of soul, and that that piece of soul was deliberately detached from the master soul to act as a future safeguard, or anchor, to life, and a safeguard against death. So that doesn't really clear anything up. Well, I think it -- it at least states what I believe, but I don't think it's necessarily going to convince people who have a strong feeling one way or the other on the matter. You know what? That's been the case with most of Harry Potter. I give my explanation, and it just fuels more debate.
Interview with J.K. Rowling - POTTERCAST -- THE LEAKY CAULDRON -- 12.23.07
DID YOU KNOW? DO YOU AGREE?
Bonus: Often fans like a reminder as to who Voldemort killed to make his Horcruxes, and in what order the Horcruxes were made.
1. Tom Riddle's diary - Moaning Myrtle
2. Peverell ring - Tom Riddle Sr and Riddle Jr's grandparents
3. Hufflepuff cup - Hepzibah Smith
4. Slytherin locket - a Muggle tramp
5. Ravenclaw diadem - an Albanian peasant
6. Nagini - Bertha Jorkins
¹Melissa Anelli - The Leaky Cauldron
² The Sorting Hat: Legilimens, yes or no? Also, SLYTHERIN!HARRY OMG YES!!!! Er, right. Pardon my moment of flail.
³The Scottish Book is a code name of sorts for J.K. Rowling's planned Harry Potter encyclopedia
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 07:57 pm (UTC)But what I took away from this one is that JKR really doesn't like Slytherins, does she? My head canon is that the Hat wanted to put Harry in Slytherin, because he has a great deal of ambition towards being needed and wanted. And because he is a rule breaker. And... because slytherin!Harry is sfhsklajdbchdgeygf!HOT. Not because Slytherins are evil and Harry has a bit of evil soul stuck inside him!
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 08:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 08:26 pm (UTC)And I've always thought it's too convenient to call Harry a Horcrux.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 09:18 pm (UTC)It's annoying that she's so prejudiced, but at the same time, i really admire her ability to write characters so well, even when it's obvious that she has no sympathy for them.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 09:56 pm (UTC)Idk... I have a hard time accepting that message and thus build a lot of headcanon to get around her prejudice. If the world was full of Hermione's and Harry's, there wouldn't be the proper balance.
*huggles all the slytherins*
Anyways! I agree with you!! ^___^
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 10:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 11:19 pm (UTC)I understood from canon that Harry was not an intentional Horcrux or a complete one. The fact that Voldemort was well aware of Horcruxes when he killed the Potters doesn't matter. He simply did not take the time to perform the spell that would have made it intentional. But I do believe that Harry did carry around that bit and it did leave him with some residual gifts from Voldemort, like the Parseltongue and perhaps his ability to throw off the Imperious curse.
Fascinating discussion.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-27 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-27 04:26 pm (UTC)I think people may be pleasantly surprised :)
no subject
Date: 2013-01-29 03:07 pm (UTC)