Of Souls and Death

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 148826

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Paul" <paulspilsbury at ...> wrote:
> Paul:
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> But a bigger flaw is involved. The use of one or more horcruxes may 
> prevent death, but it does not increase life, it only prolongs it, 
> like Sauron's Ring. Riddle's secondary aim is to dominate others, 
> but how satisfying will that prove to be in the long-term? Riddle's 
> nemesis (apart from anything Harry may achieve) may be simply 
> boredom- a never ending but ultimately aimless life, just being 
> beastly to people. I think, eventually, he would be glad to destroy 
> the horcruxes himself!
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Paul
>

bboyminn:

Excellent post Paul; every insightful.

On the subject of 'Harry-the Horcrux', there is one small flaw in the
thinking that I think must be cleared up before I can accept the
theory. That is - Dumbledore doesn't seem to agree.

No one knows more about what has happened to Harry and to Voldemort,
or about what has happened between them than Dumbledore. He is the one
who acknowledges that some of Voldemort's powers were transferred to
Harry. It is from or through Dumbledore that all our knowledge of
Horcruxes comes. In one speach, Dumbledore warns Harry of the
distinction betwen Voldemort's power and Voldemort's soul. If he
hasn't put two and two together, then I find it hard to believe it is
there. So, if someone could explain how the great all-knowing
Dumbledore could have missed this bit, then I would like to hear the
explanation. 

To the last point made by Paul, I certainly agree. Voldemort has
prevented death, that is he has guarded himself against being killed,
but he hasn't extended life. By that I mean, his physical body is
aging at a somwhat normal rate. What is Voldemort, assuming he doesn't
advance his anti-death precausions further, going to do in a hundred
or two hundred years when his physical body starts to fail? He has
used the 'bones of his father', so I suspect that old 'create a new
body' charm is out. 

Perhaps in the final showdown, Harry will not have all the Horcruxes
destroyed, yet to prevent Voldemort from harming any more people,
Harry will be force to (AK) destroy Voldemort's body. When Voldemort's
Vapor!Soul form appears, Harry will quickly encase it in an inanimate
object, Horcrux style. Now Voldemort has his wish. He will live,
trapped in that object, fully alive and fully self-aware, for
eternity. Now that is a fate worse than death. To be trapped in a life
that can't actually be lived. To be trapped, fully conscious, in time
that simply passes. All knowledge that you ever existed, lost to the
centuries.

I suspect with a moderate degree of certainty, that this is also the
fate of Voldemort if he is soul-sucked into a Dementor. His soul, or
conscious self-awareness will reside inside that Dementor, trapped
forever, while the Dementor feeds on the torment.

Bit of Irony really, Voldemort's greatest most agonizing punishment is
to finally get his deepest wish, for his dream to finally come true.
Now that is sweet sweet sweet Karmic punishment. Though a bit too
horrible to imagine.

Steve/bboyminn