[HPforGrownups] Destroying soul bits

[Kathryn Jones]

No: HPFGUIDX 141927

cubfanbudwoman wrote:
> SSSusan:
> For clarification's sake, are you suggesting that it might be worse to
> kill the soul bits than to kill Voldy himself?  Or are you wondering
> why it is that people seem to be concerned that Harry might end up a
> killer (by doing in Voldy in the end), but they don't seem concerned
> about his setting off to destroy soul bits?
> Assuming it's the latter question, I'll toss this out... and it may
> very well seem like a stupid answer, but....  I guess in my mind, when
> a person creates a horcrux, he has *already* sacrificed that part of
> his own soul.  He doesn't CARE!  So, yes, I agree with you that it's
> apparently something *viable,* but if it's already been sacrificed and
> cast off, in a sense, by its owner, should Harry or DD be concerned
> about destroying those bits?
> Siriusly Snapey Susan

   KJ writes:

     No, I don't think it's a stupid answer, and yes, I am curious about 
why a lot of the list will swear that Dumbledore would not ask anyone to 
rip his soul, but there is no hesitation to destroy a soul. It is as if 
it slips by us in the story. "Oh good, only four more soul bits to go" 
and Voldie's toast. There is also some confusion about how the horcruxes 
work. If Volemort's body is killed, does that kill his "at home" soul 
piece? Does one of the horcruxes support the life of the "at home" 
piece, or does it replace the loss of the "at home piece"? Does one 
horcrux get used up if Voldemort is killed? The diary horcrux was able 
to take on a life of its own because it had access to people. How would 
the horcruxes work that can not have any access to people because of the 
dense spells protecting them? It's all very perplexing. Why would it be 
less distressing to kill a soul than to kill a person? From a religious 
point of view, would not the soul be considered more impotant than the 
living person? The Dementors are so disturbing to the WW because they 
suck out the soul. Also, I wonder about the status of Inferi. Are they 
cadavers with no soul, or is their soul trapped in a dead mobile body? 
Then there are the Hogwarts ghosts, which would appear to be souls with 
no corporeal body. Then there are the Hogwarts paintings that seem like 
they are alive, sound like they are alive, and talk quite sensibly to 
Dumbledore, but we are told that they have no souls. Then there is 
Voldemort with perhaps four soul pieces in storage for emergencies. I 
don't think that he cast them off, I think  that he hid them or gave 
them to trusted people to look after. I am hoping that he gives them all 
to Snape. Apparently, I have no personal investment in the saving of 
Volemort's soul. ;)
    I am hoping for some explanation for all of this. Maybe JKR in 
building her plot line thought it would be amusing to make the villain 
harder to kill by making it necessary to kill six of him first, and 
forgot about all this other soul-oriented stuff. Any comments are welcome.
KJ