Harry is Not a Horcrux or Maybe he is...

[saraquel_omphale]

No: HPFGUIDX 137788

> Finwitch wrote:
> > So yes, I'd say that, a piece of Voldemort's soul was within 
Harry, 
> > and it communicated with Harry's soul... However, when Voldemort 
> > seemingly 'attempted to possess' Harry, maybe he that piece of 
his 
> > soul joined the rest of him?
> 
> Valky:
> I really think you're on to something there Finwitch.

Ok, Pheonix!Finwitch/Valky I'm hanging onto your tail here as you 
take flight, but just before we hit orbit I want to throw in an 
anchor – When I responded to Vivian's post I quoted two pieces of 
cannon, Finwitch only snipped the second quote and Chinese whispers 
like, ISTM something has got lost in the telling :-)

Here's the first one again:
Uk Ed COS p245
"Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to
you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to
do, I'm sure 
"
"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said thunderstruck.
"It certainly seems so."

DD seems to think that what was transferred to Harry was Voldemort's 
*powers* not a bit of his soul.  Now I am presuming that both 
wizards and muggles both have souls.  There is no cannon evidence to 
support this, but I feel reasonably confident that it is so.  The 
difference between muggles and witches (let's have gender balances 
here) is their magical ability – their powers.  It therefore seems 
to me that magical powers are a separate entity to the soul.  When 
Voldemort loses his body, he says that he still had his powers, (GoF 
graveyard scene) as though he speculated that he could have been in 
that situation without his powers. (Although I well realise that you 
could make an argument that if powers are a soul-add-on then of 
course he would still have them. But maybe that's an argument for 
another post, I'll make this point first.)

I think DD was right on both counts – Voldemort transferred his 
*powers* and he failed to make Harry into a Horcrux – accidental or 
otherwise. (Lost count of the times I've said Harry is *not* a 
Horcrux, and for someone who has a bed, sofa and kitchen sink on the 
fence, that's something.)

This is something I've been thinking about but wasn't going to post 
yet, but now I've started, as they say, I'll continue.

I think that Harry has Voldemort's powers so that they are on an 
*equal* footing.  Yes, this is what I think it means when the 
prophecy says – mark him as his equal. I think the reason for this 
is thematic, and not to do with destroying Horcruxes, or making 
complications for the final confrontation.  IMO, it's much more 
about choices. Harry and Voldemort have the same resources to use, 
the important thing is that they choose to use them differently.  
Also, having those particular powers, which so far I think consist 
of parceltongue, legilimency and possession (thank you to the 
unnamed person who pointed out the last one to me – perhaps it was 
you Valky?) means that Harry has ideal powers to be tempted to the 
dark side, and IMO JKR is ratcheting it up on that score. Just in 
case your puzzled, we all know Harry is a parceltongue, I posted 
recently on Harry being a natural legilimens, and it wouldn't 
surprise me if possession features in the final showdown – watch 
this space for ideas on that.
  
The question I am still turning over in my mind is exactly how do 
powers manifest and where do those powers reside in the body?  I'm 
toying with the idea that they are in your hands – hence, the 
reference to "at the hand of the other" in the prophecy and DD only 
offering two fingers of his left hand for destroying a Horcrux and 
the fact that his dead right hand would mean his powers were 
diminished, as we were told they were.

Finwitch wrote:
> > You see -- that was Harry's childhood 'friend', Tom Riddle. 
(that 
> > deja vu)... an invisible friend, too.

Valky wrote:
>Tom Riddle, a name that was familiar to Harry, as though it was
> a childhood friend he'd forgotten,

I think that having something as personal as Voldemort's special 
powers would be equally as effective for your arguments about the 
familiarity of Tom Riddle.

I've now anchored myself, I'm not sure if I'm just left holding a 
bunch of tail feathers, or whether you're hovering round me.  I look 
forward to finding out, Finwitch and Valky.

Thanks for your enthusiasm, it never fails but to bring a smile to 
my face!

Saraquel