Dumbledore's hand / horcruxes

[Isis 227]

No: HPFGUIDX 134755

On 7/25/05, rachel <rachel.evans14 at btinternet.com> wrote:
>  
>  I am intrigued by Dumbledore's withered and black hand in HBP and I am sure
>  that there is more to this than meets the eye.  In the latter part of the
>  book Harry asks Dumbledore about his hand and is never given a straight
>  answer, in fact the book closes without a reasonable explanation of why it
>  happened.  We do know that Snape tended to the hand (and may therefore know
>  all about the hunt for the horcruxes) - could this be linked to the reason
>  Dumbledore sacrifices himself at the end.  Is it possible that when the
>  vessel for part of Voldermort's soul (the ring) is destroyed that the soul
>  fragment found a new host in the headmaster's hand, causing it to die and
>  decay?  This would mean that he had a reason to choose death, and a reason
>  to ask Snape to be the one who commits the deed.  After all, apart from
>  Voldie, only Harry, Dumbledore and Snape appear to know anything about the
>  Horcruxes.

Hi!  I'm new here (and wasn't going to post anything until next week),
but I really wanted to comment like this, because, I think, if we do,
in the end, find out that Dumbledore was, at the very least, aware of
the fact that he would have to die, there is going to be some sort of
connection to him *having* to die in order for Harry to destroy all of
the Horcruxes.

I think this theory above is one of the good examples of what may be
the situation-- we never do find out what really happened to his hand
(except for the quick thinking of Professor Snape-- hardly the story
we are led to believe exists throughout the book).

The other theory that I have is that there is something to that potion
that Dumbledore drank in the cave, and Horcruxes-- something will come
with that.  I keep thinking that if that was just a trap, then the
whole trip into the cave was virtually for nothing (considering the
locket that is supposed to be the horcrux wasn't even there).  JKR
talked about how Sirius' death was just senseless, and shows that
sometimes there is no reason for death.  I find it difficult for her
to use the same type of example with yet another character readers
love.  I just can't get over the fact that Dumbledore's death has to
be *essential* to the resolution of the books (i.e., if he did not
die, Harry could not defeat Voldemort)-- I just don't know what that
reason is yet :-).  The one thing I keep thinking (farfetched as it
is) is, perhaps the liquid itself was a horcrux, and therefore,
Dumbledore had to die to destroy that Horcrux (which would mean there
are only 3 out there for Harry to get...)

Any thoughts?  I'm pretty sure we'll be waiting at least 2 years to find out!!
-Isis