Destruction of Ring Horcrux (WAS: Re: Expelliarmus and backfir...)

[zanooda2]

No: HPFGUIDX 184625

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Zara" <zgirnius at ...> wrote:
 
> And the Sword lies discarded on the desk, not put away as I would 
> expect given the man's obsession with secrecy. This is the key 
> detail that leads me to believe an already cursed and dying Albus 
> destroyed the Ring.


zanooda:

I think your timeline is absolutely correct, Zara, but the Sword on the 
desk is not the most important detail here, IMO :-). We definitely know 
that the ring-Horcrux was destroyed in DD's office, because Phineas 
Nigellus witnessed it: "... the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor 
leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a 
ring" (p.304, Am.ed.).

Next, in "The Prince's Tale" Snape says to DD: "It is a miracle you 
managed to return here" (p.681) - meaning that DD returned to Hogwarts 
already cursed. He put the ring on his finger right there in the Gaunt 
house, and then managed to slow the curse down somehow and come back. 
That's why he mentions his "prodigeous skill" in HBP - a less skilled 
wizard would have died from that curse almost instantly, I suppose :-).
In HBP DD also mentions "Professor Snape's timely action when I 
returned to Hogwarts, desperately injured" (I can't give you the page, 
because someone is reading my book right now :-)).

Also, in "King's Cross" DD explains what happened: "I picked it up, and 
I put it on ..." (p.719). This definitely sounds as if the second 
action immidiately follows the first - DD just lost his head at the 
sight of the Ring and put it on right then and there, in the Gaunt 
house. Then, "desperately injured", he returned to Hogwarts and decided 
to destroy the H-x first, in case he won't survive the curse. Only 
then, too weak even to hide the sword, he summoned Snape.