[HPforGrownups] What's a horcrux?

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 143673

pcpal67 wrote:
> Forgive my ignorance, as I am a dedicated muggle.  But I just 
> can't keep track of every new detail of the wizarding world.  
> I like how the novels are written.  That we as readers learn 
> as Harry learns.  The fact that Harry once lived as a muggle 
> makes the books very appealing, but as the books get more 
> sophisticated so does the tangled web of knowledge one needs 
> to follow in order to remember and discuss the stories.

Bart:
But not to enjoy them.

There was a wonderful carrtoon in the New Yorker a few years (decades!) 
  back. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are sitting in their living room. 
Holmes is looking at a gift-wrapped package with his magnifying glass. 
The caption is, "Oh, Holmes! Just open it up and be surprised like 
everybody else!"

JKR likes to plant hints and clues within the stories. In some cases, 
the clues are outside the stories (for example, her tendency to plant 
specific clues in specific numbered chapters). However, you don't need 
to know any of these to open it up and be surprised like everybody else.

On the other hand, for this group...

Bart