Killing tears the soul apart redux. WAS: Re: Snape's penance?

[ibchawz]

No: HPFGUIDX 139672

Kemper Wrote:

To add to the discussion... Is taking the life just physical? What 
about the victim's soul? Is destroying a soul evil? What about part of 
it?  Dumbledore destroys Salazar's Ring that contained part (my guess 
is half) of his original soul given the Ring was the first Horcrux. 
Dumbledore destroys part of Tom Riddle's soul. Is Dumbledore wrong? He 
destroyed the Ring, but it wasn't in self-defense. Of course, it could 
be argued that it was a pre-emptive strike.
Any thoughts?

ibchawz responds:

What about Harry destroying the Tom Riddle's diary in COS?  I thought 
the diary was the first Horcrux (thus containing the first part of TR's 
soul).  He essentially killed the almost re-born Riddle to save Ginny's 
life by destroying the diary.  Yet Dumbledore tells Harry that he is 
still pure of heart. 

My question is: What happens to the soul fragment once the Horcurx is 
destroyed?  

Is that part of the soul destroyed?  Is it released to rejoin with the 
original person to whom the soul belongs?  Could it be released to go 
to "the next great adventure"?

ibchawz