Counter-Horcruxes

[katherinemoor]

No: HPFGUIDX 136015

Okay, so Voldemort has split his soul into seven pieces, and 
contained six of the seven in objects (or possibly animals) outside 
his body. Dumbledore discusses with Harry (HBP Ch. 23) that this 
splitting of one's soul, while guaranteeing immortality, will prove 
dangerous for Voldemort in his quest to destroy Harry because 
Harry's soul is "whole." Dumbledore once again emphasizes Harry's 
ability to love and says that it is this quality which will give him 
the power to defeat Voldemort.

So, what if a healthy soul like Harry's is not split, but *shared* 
outside his own body? Think about it: it seems logical that if you 
truly love someone, part of your soul is transfered to them. This is 
one way to explain why we are so devastated when those close to us 
die--a part of us dies with them. So while Voldemort's soul has been 
ripped apart as he kills people, perhaps Harry's soul has grown and 
spread as he loves people. And perhaps this is why people close to 
Harry keep dying. Voldemort feels that in order to truly destroy 
Harry, he must destroy all of the people in which Harry has invested 
a part of his soul. 

Think about it: Harry came to view Sirius as a sort of parent--
Sirius served as an adult figure in Harry's life who could watch out 
for him and give him guidance from the point of view of experience. 
Granted, Voldemort himself did not destroy Sirius, but it could be 
that part of the Death Eaters' mission at the MoM included killing 
him. JKR has said that there was a reason for Sirius' death that she 
couldn't yet reveal to us--maybe it involves the fact that he held a 
part of Harry's soul. And Dumbledore: he was Harry's mentor and in 
HBP they reached a new level of friendship. Harry appeared to have 
more respect for Dumbledore than for any other character, and 
Dumbledore clearly valued Harry as well. It seems logical that 
through this powerful and personal mentor/student relationship, 
Harry invested part of his soul in Dumbledore as well. This theory 
adds another reason besides the obvious ("only one he ever feared") 
as to why Voldemort wanted Dumbledore dead.

This theory puts Hermione, Ron, and now Ginny directly in the line 
of fire--I think it's common knowledge that the people closest to 
Harry are in grave danger, but the idea of Counter-Horcruxes makes 
it more solid. It may never be defined in so concrete a manner in 
the books, but I believe that this is the crux (ha) of the idea that 
Harry's greatest power is love. Voldemort has irreparably damaged 
his soul by splitting it and storing it in objects outside his body, 
but Harry has strengthened and fortified his soul by sharing it with 
the people that he truly loves. Whether VM can destroy Harry's soul 
by destroying these people is the question, but I believe that he 
won't be able to--that even if Harry's Counter-Horcruxes have all 
been destroyed (which I hope doesn't happen because it'll be a 
little too depressing for me to handle), his power to love will 
still remain intact, and that is what will save him and destroy 
Voldemort.

Maybe a little half-baked, but I think it makes sense. Let me know 
what you think.

--Rin