Is there a limit on the number of Horcruxes a person can make?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 162262

Steve/bboy:
> My impression of Dumbledore's statements on this matter leaves me
> with an intuitive feeling that Dumbledore has his doubts about 
> Nagini. He seems to be saying that IF Voldemort made his 6th 
> Horcrux then it is /probably/ Nagini. Now I know that is far from a 
> direct quote, but Dumbledore's attitude combined with his 
> statements just doesn't leave me with the same feeling of sureness 
> that he has with the other known Horcruxes.

Jen: Dumbledore's not as definitive about Nagini as the other 
Horcruxes, that's very true.  He uses phrases like "I wonder"; "I 
think"; "it might have occurred to him to use..."  Not phrases that 
inspire complete confidence in his conjecture.  

Steve/bboy:
> So, in my opinion, the jury is still out on Nagini.  Dumbledore's
> statements could be a red herring, a misdirection to send Harry off
> on a /wild goose chase/.  Yet, is Harry likely to encounted 
> Nagini /before/ he encounters Voldemort? I don't see how, so if 
> Nagini is or is not a Horcrux, Harry can't possibly find out until 
> the last minute.

Jen:  I've always pictured Nagini being part of the final chapters 
regardless of whether she's a Horcrux or not and Harry will face a 
huge serpent under Voldemort's control once again.  Only this time 
Harry will understand his Slytherin traits are useful:  He doesn't 
fully grasp how his 'cunning' helped him obtain the memory from 
Slughorn, or why he identified so much with the HBP, but before the 
end of Book 7 he'll discover he can use the powers Voldemort passed 
to him to his advantage. The use of Parseltongue to control snakes 
was foreshadowed in COS and never played out because Harry didn't try 
it out in the chamber.  He does have the ability to control snakes 
just as Voldemort does, and he might be able to control Nagini. 

KJ:
> 2.  He has no more affinity for animals than he does people. I
> think that he values Nagini as something owns rather than important
> enough to use her as a horcrux. He possessed her on one occasion 
> for a short period of time.  As she is such a large snake, and the
> duration a short one, she suffered no ill effects.  When Voldemorte
> possessed smaller snakes and animals, they did not survive. 
> Voldemort would realize that Nagini's life span could not be 
> trusted to harbour a horcrux long enough.

Jen:  Nagini appeared in the story after Voldemort was in Albania so 
I figured he found her there and she was one of the snakes he 
possessed until Wormtail arrived on the scene.  The other possibility 
is when Wormtail arrived, Voldemort realized he had a helper to mix 
and administer the potion and they found Nagini at that point for her 
venom.  Either way, I think it's possible Voldemort possessed her 
before the time Harry dreamed about.  

On another thread I speculated the smoke snakes coming out of the 
silver instrument were Voldemort and Harry, symbolizing their growing 
connection but still 'in essence divided'.  Several people replied 
the smoke snakes were Voldemort and Nagini and that was the moment 
Dumbledore started to wonder if Nagini was a Horcrux.  I'm still not 
certain but if true, then Nagini is not like the other animals 
Voldemort possessed.  She is still able to retain her own essence 
even while being possessed which means she would be more like 
Quirrell than the rats or snakes in Albania.  Still, everything else 
you said about not having an indefinite life span is true and the 
choice to use her would be one of those decisions that leave you 
scratching your head about Voldemort's plans.

KJ:
> I think that Nagini is a red herring used to inform us that a soul 
> piece can be put in a living being, but that the living receptacle
> still has the ability to think for itself. I believe that Harry has
> a soul piece, which gives him the power the Dark Lord knows not,
> and that it will end up being the final soul piece to be destroyed
> somehow.  

Jen: Well, something is a red herring!  Either Nagini as a Horcrux or 
Dumbledore's explanation of the 'curse that failed' and transfer of 
powers.  A soul piece in Harry seems plausible to me, the only thing 
I stumble over every time with this explanation is Dumbledore knowing 
Voldemort 'put a bit of himself in Harry' and never guessing 
the 'bit' is a soul piece.  His biggest emotional mistake?  Maybe so, 
maybe so, he's said his love for Harry interferes with seeing the 
truth.

KJ:
> For this reason, I am convinced that Voldemorte has not made any 
> more horcruxes. If he does so, not knowing that Harry has his sixth 
> horcrux, what would the effect be?  Perhaps making one too many 
> horcruxes by accident would overwhelm the magic and destroy all of 
> them. That doesn't seem a very exciting ending though.

Jen:  Off on a tangent here:  I could see both Nagini and Harry as 
Horcruxes and Dumbledore being wrong about another Gryffindor or 
Ravenclaw object. That would leave only the cup to locate and 
destruction of the locket and cup.  Nagini, Harry's soul piece and 
Voldemort would all be destroyed near the same time in the final 
confrontation.  That would really narrow the quest down for Harry 
although he won't know he's reached the final bell when he, Nagini 
and Voldemort find themselves thrown together for some reason.  Harry 
would still think there are more Horcruxes to destroy not realizing 
all the reamining ones are present and accounted for.

Jen R.