Horcruxes: Groundrules and Theories

[John Kearns]

No: HPFGUIDX 136102

I've been lurking for the past couple of weeks, but lately I've been 
thinking a lot about Horcruxes and, having also read through all the 
old Horcrux posts, I think we have much still to learn and discuss 
about the topic.  So I'm going to try to combine the thoughts I've 
read with a few of my own.  Bboyminn Steve, I hope this provides 
some of the background you've been asking for. :)

There are two parts to what I'm attempting: first is to determine 
what the groundrules are for Horcruxes, as I think clarifying those 
will help further discussion.  Second is to answer the three 
fundamental questions about Voldemort's Horcruxes: What are they, 
where are they, and when did he make them?

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My take on the groundrules for Horcruxes, in addition to those the 
text provides:

1) Horcruxes, whether created by spell or potion or whatever, can 
only be made deliberately.  "Killing rips the soul apart.  The 
wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his 
adantage: He would encase the torn portion... - there is a spell 
(Slughorn, HBP23)."  It's not possible to inadvertently create a 
Horcrux, any more than it's possible to inadvertently AK someone.  
And the failed attempt to kill Harry couldn't have inadvertently 
created one, because nobody actually died in that encounter.

2) The object in question must be present at the time and place of a 
killing in order to be turned into a Horcrux, or possibly soon 
afterward.  This is implied, I think, in the nature of the object, 
but also in Dumbledore's discussion of Voldemort using Nagini as a 
Horcrux: "He used Nagini to kill an old Muggle man, and it might 
then have occurred to him to turn her into his last Horcrux 
(Dumbledore, HBP23)."  In other words, Voldemort had to kill someone 
to create that last Horcrux - he couldn't fall back on one of his 
killings from years before.  At some point in time after killing 
somebody, you pass a threshold beyond which a Horcrux is no longer 
an option.  Perhaps you have to even plan it ahead of the murder.

3) There is a fundamental difference between the soul fragments 
contained in Horcruxes and the original soul: Horcruxes can be 
destroyed, but as long as they still exist, the original soul cannot 
be.  This is the only way it makes sense - we /know/ Horcruxes can 
be destroyed, and we know that killing Voldemort himself must come 
last, and that he survived the AK.

4) You can't go on making Horcruxes forever.  Slughorn is astonished 
at the idea of making even more than one, and Dumbledore says that 
terrible damage is done to the soul every time one is made.  It's 
logical that at some point, you've got to stop.

If you think any of these could/should be called into question (or 
others added), please do so!

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Now, the three big questions:

1) What are the Horcruxes, and is Harry one of them?

  -One is the diary, now destroyed
  -Two is the ring, also destroyed
  -Three is the locket, which R.A.B. planned to destroy.  Most 
    people think that this is Regulus and that the locket was the 
    one in Grimmauld Place, now held by Kreacher or Mundungus, but 
    we don't know.
  -Four is almost certainly Hufflepuff's cup.
  -Five is a huge question mark, even to Dumbledore.  He suspects 
    it might be an unknown artifact of Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's, 
    but that's not a lot to go on.
  -Six is somewhat questionable, but Dumbledore is pretty sure it 
    is Nagini.

 Numbers five and six have prompted some speculation, to say the 
least.

  -I do not think Harry is a Horcrux. Harry was only present at one 
    of Voldemort's murders - Lily's - and considering Voldemort was 
    planning to immediately kill Harry, making him a Horcrux when 
    killing Lily would have been quite stupid.  And as I said 
    before, Harry couldn't have been Horcruxed (hee hee) on the 
    rebounded curse, as it didn't kill anybody.  Aside from this, 
    when on earth would Voldemort have done it?  Harry's never been 
    around him within even years of his killing somebody.

  -The most believable theories I've seen on alternative objects 
    for Horcruxes are the obvious artifacts at Hogwarts: one of 
    Riddle's trophies, Gryffindor's sword, the sorting hat.  I have 
    two problems with these theories, though.  First, when would 
    Voldemort have killed someone while having any of these objects 
    available?  Second and more importantly, even the diary - which 
    Dumbledore said Voldemort was reckless with - was far better 
    protected than any of these.  Thinking of the protections on 
    the ring and the locket, I find it hard to believe that Riddle 
    would have made something out in the open into a Horcrux.

  -Just to address them, I've also seen theories on the following 
    objects being Horcruxes: Wormtail's hand, Droobles wrappers, 
    the HBP potions book, the potion Dumbledore drank, Dumbledore 
    himself, Fawkes, the prophecy, and the Golden Snitch.  These 
    are all quite farfetched though, I think, and really have none 
    of the characteristics that define all of the other Horcruxes.

  -"Dumbledore's shrewd ideas usually turn out to be accurate 
    (Lupin, OP5)."  I don't know if that quote was written with 
    this situation in mind, but I do agree with it.  Dumbledore's 
    ideas make far more sense to me than any of the alternatives 
    I've heard thus far.  So personally, I'm going to stick with 
    them.

2) Whew. Next Question: Where are the Horcruxes located?

  -One, the diary, was in Lucius Malfoy's protection, though he 
    didn't know what it was.
  -Two, the ring, was hidden in the ruins of the Gaunt house.
  -Three, the locket, was hidden in the cave, now is perhaps in 
    Grimmauld or elsewhere (see above).

In this case, I've heard many excellent suggestions from others 
regarding places important to Voldemort:
  -Somewhere in Hogwarts.  I'm sure this led to the speculation 
    about the trophies and such, but I think it's much more likely 
    it would be hidden someplace like the Chamber of Secrets.  
    Likelihood: Very high
  -The Riddle house.  We already know it's important to him, and he 
    did store one in his mother's house.  Likelihood: Very high
  -The orphanage.  Seems like a logical place, but harder to do.  
    Likelihood: Medium
  -Borgin and Burke's.  Also more difficult, and probably not as 
    imporant to Riddle.  Likelihood: Medium
  -A safe at Gringott's.  Doesn't really fit the criteria we've 
    seen so far.  Likelihood: Low
  -Azkaban.  Why?  Likelihood: Very Low
  -That was all of the places I noticed - any other ideas?

3) Finally, When were the Horcruxes created, and who was killed in 
the process?

The names I've heard most often in this sense are interestingly some 
of the least likely, logically speaking: Moaning Myrtle and the 
Riddles.  Myrtle was killed by the basilisk, which I doubt would 
allow for the creation of a Horcrux.  Also, the Riddle in the diary -
 presumably the only Horcrux item Riddle owned at that age - 
remembered things that happened after this incident (though there is 
a continuity problem in this, as Riddle at the age he appeared in 
CoS probably wouldn't yet have learned how to make Horcruxes).  As 
for the Riddles, Tom was already wearing the ring when he asked 
Slughorn about Horcruxes - if he'd created one when he killed his 
father, he wouldn't have needed to ask.

The only people Voldemort has certainly killed are: Lily, James, 
Frank Bryce, and Dorcas Meadowes.  So it's certainly frivolous to 
make any new conjectures based on that.

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I used dozens of old posts as references, but these are particularly 
worth reading:
133509, where Ragnarok discusses why Harry can't be a Horcrux
134031, where Derek gives an intriguing rationale for Voldemort 
        making Harry a Horcrux, though I disagree with the timing
134334, where Morgan explains the importance of the 7 soul fragments
135019, where Hokus discusses the relationship between the original 
        soul and the Horcruxes
135427, where Bboyminn Steve discusses Horcruxes and Harry's scar

Thanks for reading, and for input!  I'd like to refine this theory 
and round it out, with help. :)

John K