On Technology of Horcrux creation

Ne 09 ledna 2022

(my comments on “Diary Horcrux Murder” by berkeleyjake)

It may be possible that the result of the ritual sacrifice can be somehow stored and the ritual creating Horcrux can be done later.

What’s more important is this:

“Well, you split your soul, you see,” said Slughorn, “and hide part of it in an object outside the body. (HBP, chapter 23)

and

“By an act of evil — the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. 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 —”

“Encase? But how — ?”

“There is a spell, do not ask me, I don’t know!” said Slughorn, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. “Do I look as though I have tried it — do I look like a killer?” (still Slughorn in the same chapter)

and

[…] what would happen to the wizard so determined to evade death that he would be prepared to murder many times, rip his soul repeatedly, so as to store it in many, separately concealed Horcruxes. (Dumbledore in the same chapter)

and

“No,” said Ron, before Harry could answer. “So does it say how to destroy Horcruxes in that book?”

“Yes,” said Hermione, now turning the fragile pages as if examining rotting entrails, “because it warns Dark wizards how strong they have to make the enchantments on them. From all that I’ve read, what Harry did to Riddle’s diary was one of the few really foolproof ways of destroying a Horcrux.” (DH, chapter 6)

What I am saying is that Horcrux must be LATER created from a part of soul separated by a murder (or ritual sacrifice) BEFORE. Which means that first must be murder and then there is Horcrux-creating ritual (“a spell” as Slughorn said), and then perhaps even later there is some more magic to “make the enchantments on them” to protect the Horcrux from destruction.

Conclusion is obvious. It was not possible for Voldemort to create a real Horcrux and even less it was possible for him to make those protective enchantments on it when he was killed just after the act of murder which was supposed to rip a part of his soul by murdering Harry. Therefore, whatever was in the Harry’s scar was not a full-fledged Horcrux and certainly it lacked those protective enchantments (if there are any).


There is a flaw in my argument (I still stand behind Harry’s scar not being a full-fledged Horcrux, although we don’t know whether it still couldn’t somehow help Tom Riddle to stand back from death). What’s the deciding point in time is actually a murder not creation of a Horcrux. If Tom Riddle ripped part of his soul by killing Myrtle Warren, then it would remember only things which happened before her death.

How much alive is the part of the soul in the Horcrux? And does it have any means of perception? I don’t think so. So, even if it was still alive and it still had some self-consciousness (and that’s truly disgusting), it couldn’t learn about things which happened after Myrtle’s death, which Ginny didn’t know about.

Actually, there is a flaw even in this contra-argument. If the diary was made into a horcrux, it is probable that at least for the rest of his Hogwarts years (and possibly for a long time afterwards) Tom Riddle was carrying the thing around and perhaps even writing into it. So, his memories of post-Myrtle-death events could there that way. Umph, I am glad to have this solved.

So, yes, a horcrux is a living thing, which can still learn things. Ewww.

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