Harry Potter Thoughts...

[conuly]

1. Their names are both very common, as proven with the phrase "Every Tom, Dick, and Harry". Let's not make any jokes about where Dick is, now....

2. They are reputed to look alike - hair color, build, etc.

3. They both had unhappy childhoods with "the muggles". Whether or not Tom's childhood could've been happier if he weren't, y'know, a sociopath is left up to the reader. However, it is interesting to note that many sociopaths were abused as children, and, of course, institutions are rife with abuse, especially then.

4. They both are Parselmouths. It is possible that Harry inherited this skill directly from Tom.

5. They are both consistently refered to by other people with titles instead of their real names.

6. They both were suited for Slytherin.

7. They're both defined as half-blood by Wizarding culture. Additionally, the way they were raised should've marked them as "muggle-born", even though technically they're not.

8. They both were able to open the Chamber of Secrets. Riddle was able to do this because he was the Heir of Slytherin. Harry did this through luck and pluck.

9. They have related wands. This is unlikely to be a coincidence.

10. Hogwarts was the first home either of them had

We know what some of the Horcruces are:

Slytherin's ring
Hufflepuff's locket
Something from Ravenclaw
Something (most likely) from Gryffindor
The diary

We have speculation about the other two. The most popular speculation that I've seen (and I've only glanced casually at this, so I might be rehashing old ground) is that the other two Horcruces are Nagini and, for some reason, Harry's Scar.

*taps foot*

I've never liked the Harry's Scar idea. It seems too pat, too.... no. I really don't see that.

But here's something I haven't seen mentioned. Why wouldn't he, say, Horcrucify his trophy? The one he got for Special Services? That'd be clever, wouldn't it? First off, it's something of his, and proof of his role as Slytherin's Heir. Secondly, it relates to the school, something which preoccupies him. Third, and most important, it'd be hidden right under his enemy's nose. This would protect it doubly - not only because they'd be unlikely to look for cut-up souls in their own school, but because they'd be forced to protect it while protecting the school. And they'd keep it all nice and shiny in the process, with generations of schoolchildren doing detentions. It's perfect.

We know that Voldie never attacked Hogwarts. Is it because of Dumbledore that this was so? Because he loved the school, and didn't want to attack it unless he could do so without destroying it? Or because he didn't want to risk destroying his trophy?

This is all speculation, of course, but I can see JKR making the trophy a Horcrux far more than I can see the Scar theory. What think you?

Comments

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

I've always found it interesting that Draco calls Hermione "mudblood" but doesn't call Harry the same.

[l33tminion]

Harry's not a "pureblood", but he's not "muggle-born" like Hermione. Neither of Hermione's parents have any sort of magic.

[rachelkachel]

I may have misunderstood something, but I thought there were only six Horcruces, because he'd been defeated the night he killed Harry's parents and didn't manage to finish. Unless he made another one later, but in his weakened state that doesn't seem likely.

[conuly]

We don't know if there are six or seven horcruces. He may have, for all we known, made seven before attacking Harry's parents. Or, alternatively, he may have made one that night. Maybe killing is the last part of making a horcrux. Even his defeat couldn't stop that, then.

[rachelkachel]

True. I ought to read the book again at some point, of course, but that'll have to wait until I'm home again.

[ywdw.livejournal.com]

He almost certainly got the last Horcrux in Goblet of Fire when he killed Frank Bryce, but there were only six because seven is the most powerful magical number in the Harry Potter universe and the last portion of his soul stayed with his body.

[conuly]

Now, I was under the impression that the first horcrux separated all of his soul from his body, and hid it elsewhere.

[conuly]

Or, alternatively, that he separated his soul seven times, making a total of eight parts. Whatever.

[ywdw.livejournal.com]

Hmm, now I have to get the book out and check... OK, here are two quotes from Slughorn in chapter 23 (on pages 464 and 465 in my copy of the book):

'Well, you split your soul, you see,' said Slughorn, 'and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged...'

'...Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: he would encase the torn portion -'

I'm pretty sure that means that each time a person kills someone some of their soul gets torn off, they can then hide the ripped off part in an object to form the Horcrux. Here's another quote from the same chapter, this one is Riddle talking about about the number of pieces he wants his soul in:

"...Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger to have your soul in more pieces? I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven -?'

I'd take that to mean that he wants his soul in seven pieces, not ripped seven times, and Slughorn interprets it the same way. Oh, and then a few pages later Dumbledore corrects Harry after Harry says 'He made seven Horcruxes?':

'...But firstly, no, Harry, not seven Horcruxes: six. The seventh part of his soul, however maimed, resides inside his regenerated body. That was the part of him that lived a spectral existance for so many years during his exile; without that, he has no self at all. That seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack - the piece that lives in his body.'

Dumbledore could be wrong, but assuming he isn't there are six Horcruxes and seven pieces of soul.

[conuly]

Ah, my apologies.

I still consider the trophy to be a far better candidate for horcrucification than Harry's scar.

(Of course, after the fact, Voldie may have decided to make still more Horcruces. Why not 7 squared: 49? Surely nobody would notice an extra 49 dead people wandering about, and he had to build up his infernal inferi army *somehow* right? But I'm just grasping at straws here.)

[ywdw.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the trophy is definitely a better idea than the scar.

Now that I think about it, if he made a Horcrux at the start of the fourth book (this Horcrux would probably be Nagini) it could have been a replacement for the diary and not one of the original six. Then there'd be an extra Horcrux, although I'm not sure if he would prefer to have a soul that was currently in seven pieces or a soul that had been in seven pieces but had some destroyed.

[ex-chaos-by-699.livejournal.com]

I find it hard to believe that Harry's scar is a Horcrux, simply because that would mean Harry would be storing a piece of Voldemort's soul. At the end of OoTP, Voldie couldn't even possess Harry for a couple of seconds, because Harry is so full of Love Powah. So I doubt that a piece of his soul could survive in Harry, even in his scar, because I think it would get destroyed by Harry's Love Powah.

The trophy though is a good theory. Makes a lot more sense.

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

I have nothing intelligent to add to what you've said, but wish to inform you I am delighted by your use of the phrase "Love Powah".

I shall now use that gratuitously when speaking to friends.

[ex-chaos-by-699.livejournal.com]

Ha! Awesome. I'm always happy to add to anyone's lexicon.

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

I've always found it interesting that Draco calls Hermione "mudblood" but doesn't call Harry the same.

[l33tminion]

Harry's not a "pureblood", but he's not "muggle-born" like Hermione. Neither of Hermione's parents have any sort of magic.

[rachelkachel]

I may have misunderstood something, but I thought there were only six Horcruces, because he'd been defeated the night he killed Harry's parents and didn't manage to finish. Unless he made another one later, but in his weakened state that doesn't seem likely.

[conuly]

We don't know if there are six or seven horcruces. He may have, for all we known, made seven before attacking Harry's parents. Or, alternatively, he may have made one that night. Maybe killing is the last part of making a horcrux. Even his defeat couldn't stop that, then.

[rachelkachel]

True. I ought to read the book again at some point, of course, but that'll have to wait until I'm home again.

[ywdw.livejournal.com]

He almost certainly got the last Horcrux in Goblet of Fire when he killed Frank Bryce, but there were only six because seven is the most powerful magical number in the Harry Potter universe and the last portion of his soul stayed with his body.

[conuly]

Now, I was under the impression that the first horcrux separated all of his soul from his body, and hid it elsewhere.

[conuly]

Or, alternatively, that he separated his soul seven times, making a total of eight parts. Whatever.

[ywdw.livejournal.com]

Hmm, now I have to get the book out and check... OK, here are two quotes from Slughorn in chapter 23 (on pages 464 and 465 in my copy of the book):

'Well, you split your soul, you see,' said Slughorn, 'and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged...'

'...Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: he would encase the torn portion -'

I'm pretty sure that means that each time a person kills someone some of their soul gets torn off, they can then hide the ripped off part in an object to form the Horcrux. Here's another quote from the same chapter, this one is Riddle talking about about the number of pieces he wants his soul in:

"...Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger to have your soul in more pieces? I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven -?'

I'd take that to mean that he wants his soul in seven pieces, not ripped seven times, and Slughorn interprets it the same way. Oh, and then a few pages later Dumbledore corrects Harry after Harry says 'He made seven Horcruxes?':

'...But firstly, no, Harry, not seven Horcruxes: six. The seventh part of his soul, however maimed, resides inside his regenerated body. That was the part of him that lived a spectral existance for so many years during his exile; without that, he has no self at all. That seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack - the piece that lives in his body.'

Dumbledore could be wrong, but assuming he isn't there are six Horcruxes and seven pieces of soul.

[conuly]

Ah, my apologies.

I still consider the trophy to be a far better candidate for horcrucification than Harry's scar.

(Of course, after the fact, Voldie may have decided to make still more Horcruces. Why not 7 squared: 49? Surely nobody would notice an extra 49 dead people wandering about, and he had to build up his infernal inferi army *somehow* right? But I'm just grasping at straws here.)

[ywdw.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the trophy is definitely a better idea than the scar.

Now that I think about it, if he made a Horcrux at the start of the fourth book (this Horcrux would probably be Nagini) it could have been a replacement for the diary and not one of the original six. Then there'd be an extra Horcrux, although I'm not sure if he would prefer to have a soul that was currently in seven pieces or a soul that had been in seven pieces but had some destroyed.

[ex-chaos-by-699.livejournal.com]

I find it hard to believe that Harry's scar is a Horcrux, simply because that would mean Harry would be storing a piece of Voldemort's soul. At the end of OoTP, Voldie couldn't even possess Harry for a couple of seconds, because Harry is so full of Love Powah. So I doubt that a piece of his soul could survive in Harry, even in his scar, because I think it would get destroyed by Harry's Love Powah.

The trophy though is a good theory. Makes a lot more sense.

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

I have nothing intelligent to add to what you've said, but wish to inform you I am delighted by your use of the phrase "Love Powah".

I shall now use that gratuitously when speaking to friends.

[ex-chaos-by-699.livejournal.com]

Ha! Awesome. I'm always happy to add to anyone's lexicon.