Yo Momma is a Horcrux!

Here is my response to one of Asian Provocateur‘s recent posts (applicaple part reposted) that I though some of y’all might like to read and discuss:

Highlight of my weekend was running into Spasticrobot and his wife and having a comprehensive, conspiratorial debate about the end of Harry Potter Book 7. No doubt JK has it all figured out in her head, and it’s just a matter of connecting the dots. My bet is on Harry as the final horcrux, but there’s some talk about Neville being the actual Chosen One. Oh, and Hermione will marry Ron and have a gaggle of red haired nonstep children. But did you really not see that one coming?!

My response:

First, I think it appropriate to start with the Prophecy given by Sybill Trelawney:

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.”

This, as with all good prophecies, is open-ended. The two main schools of thought say that the two main contenders for the title of “Vanquisher of Lord Voldemort” are Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. Both were born at the same time, and both had parents that defied Voldemort three times.

However, it just can’t be the Good Mr. Longbottom. Why? Well, he hasn’t been marked as the equal of Voldemort by the man himself. That’s the stickler, kids. Voldemort has labeled Potter as his arch-enemy, thereby defining aspects of our deliciously vague prophecy.

This brings me to the Potter as the Final Horcrux Theory. While interesting, and supporting my idea that both Potter _and_ Voldemort must die (good and evil, black and white, balance of power, etc.), I don’t think that it holds a lot of merit. The act of creating a Horcrux requires an evil and violent act: the murder of an individual. Think of that as an ingredient to a potion. Note that it is an important piece and not the entire potion itself. If that were the case, every time a person committed murder, then a Horcrux would be created. Kill a number of people, render yourself immortal. Not a bad deal.

I think a Horcrux is more of a multi-step process: possess an item to divert part of your soul into, commit a murder, say a spell. Rinse, repeat as needed. Maybe the order is different, but it has to be more involved, more intentional than just committing murder. And I’d have to say you have to finish the murder, intent is not enough. Voldemort didn’t successfully kill Harry.

“But, he killed Harry’s parents! He could be the Horcrux!”, I hear you proclaim. This is true. Let’s look at this from Voldemort’s point of view though. You’re bad, you’re evil, you know it. Harry isn’t. He is on the side of the goody-two shoes, the white, the righteous and just. You’ve killed his parents. Would you put part of your soul into him? Hell no! It’s a lose-lose situation for you. Either a) you have to kill him, destroying a Horcrux, part of your soul, or b) he dies (or kills himself to save everyone else after figuring out / discovering that he is indeed a Horcrux). Either way, not so much. Just doesn’t make sense from a mastermind such as Voldemort.

Now, an argument to the “But when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, some of his powers were transferred to him, if accidentally” position. True, that happened, but I’m going write that off as an odd, freak side-effect. I can’t really explain that outside of Horcrux creation, so much as I can reply with a question: If that were true, then when transforming an item (or animal, really) into a Horcrux, would it/they not also contain those powers as is the case with Harry? Would you want to give a snake the power to transform to another, uh, form? Sure, you may pass on that power, but do you think he’s have control of what might or might not get passed along? Is transfer of powers necessary? What if you don’t get to choose?

At the end of the day, we have to remember this is a fictional universe when magic exists. There are some things, that at the end of the day, just work. There is no real explanation, it’s just up to the author.