Voldemort "intentionally" makes Harry a Horcrux? - But WHY?

[gwen_of_the_oaks]

No: HPFGUIDX 146395

> bboyminn:
> 
> Sorry but you've competely lost me. First, why would Voldemort make 
a Horcrux with the specific intent of destroying it. Let's remember 
that you only need one Horcrux to protect yourself from death, and by 
the time Voldemort is ready to kill Harry, he already has five. He is 
more that well protected.
> 
> Further, why not just kill Harry rather than putting a piece of his
> own soul in Harry then killing him and thereby destroy the soul bit?
> Harry is no more or less vulnerable to attack because he has a bit 
of Voldemort's soul in him. 
> 
> It's a good thought, but you have really failed to explain any 
reason or advantage for Voldemort placing that soul bit in Harry. Nor 
do I see a clear reason for Voldemort destroying that action 
immediatelyafter commiting it. 


Now Gwen:

As to why choose Harry to be a Horcrux: 

At the time Voldemort hears the prophecy he is one Horcrux short of 
his magic number.  

Now he finds out there a wizard born who is - as far as LV knows from 
what he heard - the only one who has the power to defeat him.

If he makes this wizard into a Horcrux he has arranged it so that he 
will never have the fear the one with the power to destroy him.  
Because the one with the power to destroy him is unwittingly keeping 
LV immortal.  It is creating his own little catch-22.  "If he loses 
to me, I live and no one else can defeat me.  If he defeats me I live 
because he is a horcrux keeping my soul earth-bound."  Either way, in 
a duel with this wizard at any point later, LV wins.  As someone who 
likes to operate alone, this is perfect.

Now as to why he would try to kill him right afterward:

You are right, that part of the theory does not follow.  First, LV 
does not know that "one must die at the hand of the other " because 
he did not hear that part of the prophecy.  He has no reason to think 
that he *needs* to try and kill him.  LV only knows that the baby 
will grow to be powerful enough to destroy him.

Secondly, the very idea that the Horcrux is in him is the protection 
he needs.

What I like about the Make-Harry-a-Horcrux idea is that it gives a 
reason for Lily to step aside that does not involve complicated love-
triangles and unbreakable vows: Harry will live as a horcrux, and he 
will need a Mother. 

The question then becomes, as JKR said in an interview (IIRC), "Why 
did James *have* to die?".

Gwen