Splitting the Soul (was: Voldemort killed personally)

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 157398


> > >>Mike:
> > But, I'm postulating on what the requirements are to perform *Dark 
> > Magic* in a *magical* universe, not making moral judgements on 
> > degrees of barbarity.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Right.  The dark magic is the bit where you seperate that ripped bit 
> of soul from yourself and stick it somewhere else.  I don't see 
> where it's suggested that the rip itself needs dark magic (or magic, 
> period) to happen.  The only requirement is murder.


Ken:

I agree, Betsy. All Slughorn says is that you split your soul by
committing murder. He did not qualify how you commit the murder. It
seems to me that in the Potterverse anyone who commits murder by any
means splits (or rips for those who prefer that) their soul into two
pieces. I assume that this is true of Muggles as well as witches and
wizards. It is only the latter who may be aware that this happens and
can potentially make use of it. 


> 
> Betsy Hp:
> 
> (Honestly, I think the really dark part of the horcrux is that it 
> prevents healing.  Just as Crucio encourages sadism and Dementors 
> trap you in depression.)
>  

Ken:

I agree again. The horcrux reference that Hermione finds describes
them as extremely wicked. I think it would be fair to say that to
create a horcrux is essentially to curse your own soul. My sense is
that the split caused by a murder will eventually heal but the
creation of a horcrux makes the split permanent. Rowling has not yet
discussed the afterlife and maybe she never will but I wonder if the
split in your soul isn't eternal when you create a horcrux. Slughorn
makes a point that the soul is supposed to remain whole for some
reason. I think there may be more to it than what we have seen so far
although the changes in LV are pretty grim in themselves.

The concept of cursing your own soul, which I think is implied by
canon but not explicitly stated, is the reason I think that Harry
could be an accidental Horcrux. Some here feel that you *must* split
your soul and *then and only then* perform the horcrux spell to send
one of the pieces into an external object. That is logical to be sure,
and allowed by canon. It is not the only logical methodology allowed
by canon and it is not explicitly stated in canon or even implied as
far as I can see. If you view the horcrux spell as a curse on your own
soul you can see that curses can be cast before, even long before,
they take effect. Examples are the cursed necklace, Marvolo's ring,
and Hermione's cursed parchment listing the members of Dumbledore's
Army. We don't know if a ripped soul heals or not. I lean towards the
notion that it does heal. If it does heal we don't know how long that
takes. It could be a fraction of a second or years and years. If the
horcrux spell can be cast before the murder to take effect only when
the soul is split then we don't need to worry about how fast the soul
heals, the horcrux will be created as soon as the split occurs. But
that also means that when LV cast the AK at GH that fateful night
something unexpected could have happened. 

I would rate the following at perhaps a 5-10% chance of turning out to
be true. We've seen at least one horcrux that was cursed. Perhaps the
horcrux spell itself allows one to put a curse on the horcrux as it is
created. I admit this is pure speculation on my part. If Harry's scar
is an accidental horcrux it might also be cursed to kill whoever trys
to destroy it. Going into their final confrontation LV may have one
horcrux that neither he nor Harry knows about. He may hit Harry right
between the eyes with an AK. That AK could conceivably kill the
horcrux instead of Harry. The curse on the horcrux could then kill the
now mortal LV. My point is that Harry/horcrux does not necessarily
doom Harry to either die or to commit murder as so many fear.

I have another thought on the soul splitting process. Being a
Christian JKR might well be aware of the following passage from
Matthew 5:27-28 (NASV):

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her
has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "

Rather than getting all bogged down in discussions about agents versus
instruments I wonder if the process isn't more like the above. It
isn't the manner in which the death is caused, it is the intent to
kill which splits the soul. When LV hissed "kill the spare" he might
have split his own soul and Pettigrew undoubtedly split his by
carrying out the order.

Ken