Accidental Harrycrux : a theory

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 155297

Carol:
> *Encase* means "enclose as if in a case." *That's* what the encasement
> spell does. And you can't encase the soul bit before the murder
> because the soul bit doesn't yet exist.
>  
> So a hypothetical preliminary spell, of which there is no suggestion
> in canon, would not in itself *encase* the soul bit in the Horcrux. At
> most it would open the Horcrux, but it would not place the soul bit
> inside or seal it up. If *encasing* requires a spell, an accidental
> Horcrux is impossible.

zgirnius:
Yahoomort appears to have eaten my earlier post in response to your 
earlier post. To borrow your analogy of the fruitcake, suppose that you 
are going to put the fruitcake in a hinged box.

The 'encasement spell' could be the equivalent of a spring-loaded 
mechanism which will snap the lid shut once a sufficiently heavy object 
is placed into the box. Once you open the box and set the mechanism, 
all you need to to to 'encase' the fruitcake is drop it in. If you 
leave, but an explosion in your kitchen knocks the cake off a shelf and 
into the box, you agency is no longer even needed. The set up you have 
created will encase it automatically.

By analogy, the Horcrux making spell could place the object in a 
magical condition whereby the addition of a torn soul piece would 
automatically complete the Horcrux making process. 

Now, whether magical backlash could cause such a spell to change its 
location from some suitable artifact Voldemort would have prepared in 
advance to Harry's forehead is a different question. But my feeling is 
that if Rowling wishes this to be possible in her universe, it would 
not be too great a stretch. Personally, I am undecided as to whether 
she would want to or not, but I think an interesting story could ensue 
if she did, or if she didn't.