Harry as a Non-crux - a few thoughts.

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 157899

>
> Ken:
> Slughorn and DD even disagree on what happens to the soul when a horcurx
> owner is "killed". Slughorn says *part* of the soul remains  
> earthbound, DD
> says *all* of it remains earthbound.
> 
> doug:
> Cool. Where does DD say such?
> 

Ken:

In the US HB version Slughorn's comments are on page 497 of the
Horcruxes chapter. If we believe Slughorn's version then on the night
of the attack at GH the part of Voldemort's soul that was in his body
was sent into the next life and something, his spirit(?), was anchored
to the Earth by his horcruxes. This spirit(?)lived on because of the
horcruxes and now inhabits his regernated body which would then seem
to have no soul except for the bits stored in horcruxes.

A few pages later (503 US HB) DD gives a different account. He says
that the seventh piece of Voldemort's soul, the part that was in his
body at GH, was that part of him that lived on all those years when he
had no body and it now inhabits his regenerated body. On the same page
DD says that all his horcruxes remained intact. That implies that
*none* of Voldemort's soul was sent on the night of the GH attack. Of
course at the time Harry and DD are having this conversation two of
the horcruxes *have* been destroyed but this is due to Harry's and
DD's actions subsequent to Voldemort's "unfortunate" accident at GH.

So what does this mean? Danged if I know. It is quite possibly just
evidence that the author changed her mind about the details of how
horcuxes worked and changed DD's comments to match it but forgot to
change Slughorn's. If that isn't the case then DD really, really,
really needed to comment on Slughorn's (apparent) mistake since it is
*absolutely critical* that Harry understand how horcruxes really work.
His silence is a HUGE mistake if it isn't just an editing error on
Rowling's part.

Ken