Horcrux

Horcrux
Object information
Location	Worldwide
Manufacturer	Herpo the Foul Tom Riddle
Made	Ancient Greece (Herpo the Foul) 1943–1994 (Tom Riddle)
Usage	To contain fragments of one's soul and prevent their death
Owners	Herpo the Foul Tom Riddle

"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction —"

— Magick Moste Evile

A Horcrux is an object in which a Dark wizard or witch has hidden a fragment of his or her soul in order to become immortal. Horcruxes can only be created after committing murder, the supreme act of evil. The process for the creation of a Horcrux involves a spell and a horrific act is performed soon after the murder has been committed. There are usually protective measures made to prevent a Horcrux from being stolen and destroyed, such as Counter-Charms and curses. The Horcrux is considered to be the darkest art and the most terrible of all dark magic.

Origins

The first known Horcrux was created by Herpo the Foul in Ancient Greece. The only other known creator of a Horcrux was Lord Voldemort, who was likely the only person to have successfully created more than one Horcrux.

The nature and concepts of Horcruxes were so terrible, they were kept secret from most of the wizarding world, and very few people were ever made aware of their nature. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry banned any study of the subject of Horcruxes; Albus Dumbledore was particularly adamant in enforcing this rule.

Very few books, even those revolving around the Dark Arts, would mention Horcruxes even in the slightest detail: Magick Moste Evile, a book that contained much information of advanced dark arts, barely skimmed the subject of Horcruxes as a subject so evil that it should not be spoken of. In fact, only one known book, Secrets of the Darkest Art, had detailed information on the method and consequences of creating a Horcrux. No document in existence has information regarding a single individual creating multiple Horcruxes, as no wizard before Voldemort even thought of attempting such a feat; he only dared to when he asked the experienced Horace Slughorn for an expert opinion, under the guise of creating more than one Horcrux in theory.

Nature and creation

"A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul... Well, you split your soul, you see, 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."

— The nature of Horcruxes

Secrets of the Darkest Art gives clear instructions on making a Horcrux

The only known book that provided specific instruction on the creation and nature of a Horcrux was Secrets of the Darkest Art, which was once held in Hogwarts' library (and later in Dumbledore's office). Due to the book's extremely dark and dangerous nature, Albus Dumbledore hid it away in his office when he became the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It was believed that Tom Riddle had found the information necessary to make a Horcrux in this book before Dumbledore managed to get hold of it. While a Horcrux could be anything at all, including a living being, it was most advisable to create a Horcrux out of an inanimate object to decrease the chances of it being destroyed.

Horcruxes by their nature appeared to be extraordinarily durable, as only very destructive magics and processes could truly destroy them.

To create a Horcrux, a wizard first had to deliberately commit murder. This act, said to be the most supreme act of evil, would result in the murderer metaphysically damaging their own soul. A wizard who wished to create a Horcrux would then use that damage to their advantage by casting a spell which would rip the damaged portion of the soul and encase it in an object. If the maker was later killed, they would continue to exist in a non-corporeal form, although there were methods of regaining a physical body. However, according to Horace Slughorn, few would want to live in such a form, and death would be preferable to most, and he found the concept so dreadful that he wished not to know the process of creating such a vile object.

Tom Riddle creates his first Horcrux at the age of sixteen after murdering Myrtle Warren

As a fragment of soul, a Horcrux seemed to retain the identity of its creator at the time of its creation. Voldemort, for instance, created a Horcrux (his diary) during what was presumably his fifth year at Hogwarts. As such, the fragment of soul contained within the Horcrux took on the appearance and mannerisms of Voldemort as he had been when he was sixteen years old.

Horcruxes were said to be essentially the opposite of a person. Where a person's container, their body, could be destroyed without any damage to their soul, the fragment of soul contained inside a Horcrux was dependent on the container for its existence. If the container was destroyed, so too would be the fragment of soul within it.

Horcruxes were originally conceived of as being a singular act. As such, it was unknown for many centuries what the attempted creation of multiple Horcruxes would result in, as nobody thought it possible to accomplish such an act. However, Voldemort planned to create six Horcruxes in the hope that it would make him stronger than just creating one, due to his belief in the power of the number seven.

It was stated at one point that Voldemort had already "pushed his soul to the limit" in creating his Horcruxes. This implied a finite number of Horcruxes any one person may create before the process became too dangerous to attempt again. It also implied that the creation of a Horcrux used a set amount of soul and that this amount was the same every time the process was undertaken. Creating multiple Horcruxes rendered the soul unstable and liable to break apart if the creator of the Horcruxes was killed. For instance, Albus Dumbledore explicitly stated that Voldemort's soul had become so unstable that it simply "broke apart" when Voldemort tried to murder Harry Potter for the first time on 31 October, 1981 in Godric's Hollow.

Destruction

Harry Potter: "So if all of his Horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort could be killed?"

Albus Dumbledore: "Yes, I think so. Without his Horcruxes, Voldemort will be a mortal man with a maimed and diminished soul."

— A discussion on how to go about killing Voldemort

Harry Potter destroying the diary Horcrux with a Basilisk fang (unknowingly destroying one of Voldemort's Horcruxes)

Destroying a Horcrux required that the object containing the soul fragment be damaged to a point beyond any and all physical or magical repair. When a Horcrux was damaged to that point, it may appear to "bleed" (ink in the case of Tom Riddle's diary and a "dark blood-like substance" in the case of Ravenclaw's Diadem) and a scream may be heard as the soul fragment perished. However, as a safety measure to protect one's immortality and precious soul fragment, the creator would usually place powerful enchantments onto the artefact to prevent damage.

It was unknown if the creator of the Horcrux would be able to sense that their soul fragment was destroyed, although Dumbledore stated that in the particular case of Voldemort, he would not feel their loss because his soul had been split too many times and had been in that state for too long.

Ron Weasley destroying the locket Horcrux with the Sword of Gryffindor

All known methods of Horcrux destruction required the "receptacle" to be damaged beyond repair (which, in the case of living receptacles, meant that they must be killed).

For example, methods were Fiendfyre (as evidenced by the destruction of Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem), which required extreme skill to control, the Killing Curse on living Horcruxes. However, Harry Potter was never an intentional Horcrux and so it may not work on a proper animate Horcrux (like Nagini) and probably had unforeseen side effects, along with Basilisk venom and the touch of sacrificial love (on pseudo-Horcruxes). This was seen on Professor Quirrell when he was destroyed by Harry Potter's touch.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger both used the fangs of Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk to destroy Tom Riddle's Diary and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, respectively. This was only achievable as basilisk venom was an extremely destructive substance capable of destroying Horcruxes. Although beyond repair when exposed to this venom, living Horcruxes could potentially be saved through the speedy administration of phoenix tears, an extremely rare substance. Fawkes demonstrated this ability for Harry when he was bitten by the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Because he was a living Horcrux himself, Harry was not destroyed then because the tears saved his life.

Albus Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom all used Godric Gryffindor's Sword to destroy Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, Salazar Slytherin's Locket and Nagini, respectively. This was only achievable as goblin-wrought silver is a destructive enough metal capable of absorbing qualities that strengthen it. The sword demonstrated this ability for Harry Potter when he used it to slay the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Because it was made of goblin-wrought silver itself, the sword was imbued with basilisk venom and became capable of destroying Horcruxes.

Powers

Ron Weasley: "The bit of soul in that diary was possessing Ginny, wasn’t it? How does that work, then?"

Hermione Granger: "While the magical container is still intact, the bit of soul inside it can flit in and out of someone if they get too close to the object. I don’t mean holding it for too long... I mean close emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into that diary, she made herself incredibly vulnerable. You’re in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux."

— A Horcrux's ability to possess and eventually control a person

The main purpose and power of a Horcrux is to anchor the creator to the mortal realm for the sake of achieving immortality. As long as at least one Horcrux exists, the creator's soul will be bound to the world of the living. Hence, if the body is destroyed, the soul will remain as a lingering spirit instead of passing through to the other side. Though being in such a state of existence is what very few would prefer over death, the soul can possess others to regain physical form, which shortens the host's lifespan drastically. It is also possible (through a second party) to use certain potions to create a rudimentary body or even the true body of the Horcrux creator's soul to possess. Because of this purpose, a Horcrux is usually kept hidden and dormant, and its other powers are rarely explored or utilised.

The fragment of a person's soul within a Horcrux was capable of thinking for itself and had certain magical abilities, including the ability to influence those in their vicinity and affect them mentally. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were carrying Salazar Slytherin's locket around their necks in 1997, it brought out the worst in the trio by making them moodier, more prone to fighting, and slowly darker aspects of them began to appear, especially Ron as he carried the locket much longer than his friends. However, when away from a Horcrux its influence and effects would begin to wane and then disappear and those influenced would return to their normal selves, as soon after leaving Ron came to his senses and regretted his actions. They were also unable to summon their Patronuses while wearing the locket since the soul fragment inside was darkening their thoughts. A person with an affinity for the Dark Arts, on the other hand, would be strengthened by the influence of a Horcrux, as Dolores Umbridge was when wearing Salazar Slytherin's locket.

The diary Horcrux takes possession of Ginny Weasley

If a person is more emotionally vulnerable, it is possible for the soul inside the Horcrux to take control of him or her, as Ginny Weasley using her. In fact, Voldemort took advantage of this possessive power over Ginny to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, using the diary as a weapon rather than a safeguard. Voldemort himself was able to possess Harry Potter and take control of his mind when Harry was heartbroken over Sirius Black's death and angry enough to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange and almost perform the Killing Curse on her. This quasi-sentient entity that is capable of sapping life-force to create a physical form differs from a "mere memory", which the diary's manifestation claimed itself to be, as no mere charmed object can achieve such a feat, though Lucius Malfoy thought that was what the diary simply was.

In this way, a Horcrux can gradually feed on another person's life or negative emotions to strengthen itself and increase the ability of the soul fragment within to act independently in the physical world. The best example of this is in the case of Tom Riddle's diary. For decades, the diary lay dormant in Lucius Malfoy's possession, doing nothing other than safeguarding the soul fragment of Tom Riddle. When Ginny Weasley began to transcribe her fears and insecurities into the pages of the diary, the fragment of Tom Riddle's soul contained within was not only able to write back to Ginny but eventually drained enough life out of her to actually manifest itself in a semi-corporeal form and work magic with Harry Potter's wand.

While she wore the locket Horcrux, the evil Dolores Umbridge grew stronger

Likewise, Salazar Slytherin's locket slowly gained power when it was in the possession of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the months prior to its destruction. It can be theorised that the locket gained somewhat less power from them (not enough for Riddle to fully manifest but still enough to speak and create illusions) because Harry, Ron, and Hermione were actively resisting the locket's influence instead of embracing it as Ginny had done with the diary. On the other hand, Horcruxes which have been isolated for long periods of time (such as Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem) were very passive by comparison and took no real measures to protect themselves. Even Slytherin's locket was fairly inert when it was initially discovered in a cabinet in the drawing-room at 12 Grimmauld Place. It displayed no powers and gave no indication that it possessed superior magical properties.

Sensing imminent destruction, the locket Horcrux taunted Ron as its last defence

Horcruxes also possessed some last line of defence against destruction. The fragment of soul within the Horcrux seems to be able to sense impending threats and can act to defend itself. For instance, Slytherin's locket viciously taunted Ron Weasley with visions of his deepest fears in the hopes of preventing him from stabbing it with Godric Gryffindor's sword, and even attempted to strangle Harry Potter when he was close to obtaining the Sword with the intent of piercing the locket. However, this form of defence may not be viable if the soul fragment in question is not given enough strength or chance to retaliate, as while Harry opened the locket with Parseltongue before allowing Ron to attack it, both Hufflepuff's Cup and Ravenclaw's Diadem were swiftly destroyed the moment the trio were given an opportunity.

Aside from its self-defence mechanism from the soul fragment, a Horcrux is usually enchanted by the creator to have other forms of defences to prevent destruction. Marvolo Gaunt's ring contained a deadly curse that would kill anyone who touched it. At least Salazar Slytherin's Locket was unbreakable by even house-elf magic. Tom Riddle's diary was completely waterproof and impervious to spilled ink.

Side effects

"Tamper with the deepest mysteries — the source of life, the essence of self — only if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind."

— The first of the Fundamental Laws of Magic

To create a Horcrux is to divide one's soul — the "essence of self" — and it is therefore in the creation of a Horcrux that one falls prey to Adalbert Waffling's first Fundamental Laws of Magic, which essentially states that tampering with one's soul inevitably results in grave side effects. Creating Horcruxes is considered perhaps the most dreadful act possible.

Dehumanisation

One of these such side-effects is the "dehumanising" effect the mutilation of one's soul is said to have. The more Horcruxes one creates, the less human they become, both emotionally and physically; for example, in the house-elf Hokey's memory Tom Riddle was initially shown to be hollow-cheeked but otherwise normal, though ten years later his features look as if they have been burned and blurred, and his skin was extremely white.

Lord Voldemort after his transformation

One should note that it is unclear whether the red eyes and slit-like nostrils that Voldemort had after he was reborn were caused by having more Horcruxes than he did than when he applied for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post a second time, whether they are characteristics of a person who has been resurrected with the help of serpents (which have continued to play key roles in his revival), or whether due to any other alterations he had made to himself. Dumbledore speculated that Voldemort underwent other dangerous transformations, as well as creating Horcruxes which resulted in Voldemort's hideous appearance.

Instability

A third side effect of Horcrux creation is that the master soul itself becomes unstable (even with creating just one Horcrux).

For example, the creation of Voldemort's sixth "Horcrux" (of seven) — Harry Potter — is known to be the direct result of this. When Voldemort was hit by the back-fired Killing Curse at Potters' home in Godric's Hollow, it caused Voldemort's soul to split, with one fragment immediately seeking out the only other living thing in the room and latching onto it — Harry Potter. The rest of Voldemort's mutilated soul fled. However, this parasitic fragment of Voldemort's soul that attached to Harry did not make him a true Horcrux, since it was not created intentionally and the necessary parts of the Horcrux creation process were not carried out.

Limbo

"Something that is beyond either of our help..."

— The fate of those who create a Horcrux

After wrecking his own soul from many Horcrux creations, the fragments of Voldemort are trapped in limbo for eternity

The final known side-effect of Horcrux creation is a possible inability to move on from limbo after death. This was seen when Voldemort's Killing Curse destroyed the part of his soul that resided in Harry Potter. This broken and mangled piece of soul was forced to exist in the stunted form of a flayed and mutilated baby that Harry saw in King's Cross during his visit to limbo, unable to return to the land of the living, unable to become a ghost, and unable to go to the land of the dead because his soul was maimed and corrupted.

The same fate was implied to have been suffered by Voldemort's "main" soul piece, the one that inhabited his body; it is unknown if this was a standard fate meted out for all Horcrux creators, or if it was unique to Voldemort due to the number of his Horcruxes. Regardless, reconciliation apparently cannot occur after death, as the soul's state at death remains forever, so the greatest of all consequences incurred by Horcrux creation may be the possibility of eternal limbo of the soul. Voldemort's soul fragments also appeared to possess only the awareness and intelligence of the infant they appeared to be.

Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes

"I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality...."

— Lord Voldemort to his gathered Death Eaters after his rebirth

Lord Voldemort, obsessed with immortality and unable or unwilling to understand the importance of the soul's well-being, went further than any wizard known to history to create seven — although he wanted six Horcruxes to have a seven part soul. He accidentally created a pseudo-Horcrux when he failed to murder Harry Potter in 1981, and later made his pet snake Nagini into his seventh Horcrux. As a student named Tom Riddle at Hogwarts in the 1940s, he learned of Horcruxes through books in the Restricted Section, including Secrets of the Darkest Art, and sought out Potions Master Horace Slughorn for further information about creating more than one, of which no book would have any record. Albus Dumbledore removed those books from the Hogwarts Library soon afterwards, although later he suspected that Slughorn had given information to Riddle about Horcruxes, as Slughorn refused to reveal the true account of what really happened. Voldemort did understand that his soul had a limit to how many times he could split it, as he ceased creating any more Horcruxes once he intentionally reached his desired six and refused to create any replacements for the ones that were destroyed.

Dumbledore later assigned Harry to retrieve the stored memory of it during the 1996-1997 school year, in which Harry was able to get it through the use of Felix Felicis. Although Voldemort had been warned that the usage of Horcruxes would render one's soul to live a miserable existence should their living flesh be destroyed, and Voldemort even experienced this first hand for fourteen years, he would regardless prefer to live in such a state when the alternative was death, which he feared the most, since he was willing to continue his creation of his sixth true Horcrux even in his crippled form. Voldemort's streak of independence made it intolerable for him to utilise any other methods to obtain his immortality (such as the Elixir of Life); he chose to rely on Horcruxes because they were magical extensions of himself.

Having split his soul multiple times, it became extremely unstable that upon his Killing Curse's first rebound on him, Voldemort's already maimed soul split apart and attached to the only living being in the room at the time: Harry Potter. It was also the creation of so many Horcruxes that led Voldemort's humanity to deteriorate severely. As Voldemort's soul fragments have been separated from him for so long, he could no longer feel them should they be destroyed.

This was part of Dumbledore and Harry's quest to determine, locate, and destroy, in secret, what they believed to be as many as four of Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes (two had already been destroyed). After Dumbledore's death, Harry took up the quest with his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Hermione was able to summon the books on the subject to her from the Headmaster's office at the end of the 1996–1997 school year to aid them in their research on Horcruxes.

Although Voldemort had six true Horcruxes (not including Harry) in total, no more than five existed at one time because Tom Riddle's diary was destroyed before Nagini was turned into a Horcrux. Concerning Nagini, it is not known if she had to have been killed by Godric Gryffindor's Sword or if any other means, such as a regular sword killing her, would have destroyed the Horcrux. However, as Albus Dumbledore stated, using a living being as a Horcrux was a risky business, due to it being able to move around and think for itself. It is unknown if any method that would normally kill Nagini would also destroy the Horcrux. It is also unknown what would happen if Nagini had died a natural death, or if that were possible, since Horcruxes have mechanisms in place to prevent destruction.

All of Voldemort's Horcruxes were made from objects that had extreme value, in his desire to secure his position as the greatest sorcerer in history, and that only noteworthy items could live up to his standards and have the honour of housing a fragment of his precious soul. As such, he had originally made it his desire to collect four items of the four founders of Hogwarts; he found only three, and gave up after failing to find Gryffindor's sword, but made Horcruxes out of other items that had sentimental value to himself, if not as a priceless artefact of the Wizarding world. Believing that the number seven is the most powerful number when it comes to magic, Voldemort intended to split his soul into seven pieces, with six Horcruxes housing one fragment each and his body containing the seventh. He hid these Horcruxes in special locations and kept their existence and purposes from absolutely everyone. However, his arrogance had also inadvertently let him leave behind subtle hints of their whereabouts, leading to their destruction. Because Voldemort was the first (and by far, the only) known wizard to have created more than one Horcrux, both Dumbledore and Voldemort himself believed that he was the closest to true immortality than any other wizard or witch before him.

A secondary reason why Voldemort chose to create multiple Horcruxes is to utilise the effects of having a soul fragment to weaponize some of these artefacts, as opposed to keeping them as hidden safeguards. Voldemort felt more comfortable placing these few Horcruxes in the risk of destruction knowing he had more hidden safely to maintain his immortality. It was for this reason he chose to use his diary to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, and sending Nagini on missions from time to time.

Although Voldemort created multiple Horcruxes so that if one was destroyed, it would not be detrimental to him, he would nevertheless be furious if any one of them were destroyed. He was wrathful at Lucius Malfoy for indirectly causing the destruction of the diary Horcrux, despite intending for it to be a weapon instead of a safeguard, due to Lucius acting without instruction. When Voldemort found out that Hufflepuff's cup was taken, he massacred all the Gringotts employees within the bank that failed to protect the cup. Discovering that Slytherin's locket and the Gaunt family ring were taken from their hiding places infuriated him even more, though it became more understandable as he was aware that he was losing more Horcruxes as time went on. His arrogance prevented him from adding more defence for the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, which led to its destruction. He went out of his way to protect his last Horcrux, Nagini, and was horrified and angry beyond words when she was killed by Neville Longbottom with Gryffindor's sword, thus stripping him of his immortality.

In an alternate reality where Cedric Diggory became a Death Eater and killing Neville during Voldemort's Last Stand, Nagini was not killed as a result, thereby allowing Voldemort to maintain his immortality and kill Harry Potter while also conquering the Britain wizarding community.

List of Voldemort's Horcruxes

Tom Riddle's Diary
Hiding place	Created with the murder of	Location of murder	Date created
In the possession of Lucius Malfoy, later given to Ginny Weasley (without her knowing it), and eventually found by Harry Potter in the girls lavatory on the second floor.	Myrtle Warren by the Serpent of Slytherin	First-floor girls' lavatory, Hogwarts Castle	13 June, 1943
Destroyed by	Destruction method	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Harry Potter	Stabbed with one of the Basilisk's fangs.	Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts Castle	29 May, 1993
Marvolo Gaunt's Ring
Hiding place	Created with the murder of	Location of murder	Date created
In the Gaunt Shack	Tom Riddle Senior with Morfin Gaunt's wand.	Riddle House, Little Hangleton	c. October 1943
Destroyed by	Destruction method	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Albus Dumbledore	Cut with Godric Gryffindor's Sword.	Headmaster's office, Hogwarts Castle	July 1996
Salazar Slytherin's Locket
Hiding place	Created with the murder of	Location of murder	Date created
The Crystal Cave, later stolen by the combined efforts of Regulus Black and Kreacher; moved to 12 Grimmauld Place, later stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, who gave it to Dolores Umbridge as a bribe.	A Muggle tramp	Unknown	c. 1946 or later, but before 1979
Destroyed by	Destruction method	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Ron Weasley	Stabbed with Godric Gryffindor's Sword.	Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire	28 December, 1997
Helga Hufflepuff's Cup
Hiding place	Created with the murder of	Location of murder	Date created
The Lestrange family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.	Hepzibah Smith	Hepzibah Smith's home.	c. 1946 or later
Destroyed by	Destruction method	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Hermione Granger	Stabbed with a Basilisk fang.	Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts Castle	Battle of Hogwarts, 2 May, 1998
Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem
Hiding place	Created with the murder of	Location of murder	Date created
In the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts Castle.	An Albanian peasant	Albania	c. 1946 or later
Destroyed by	Destruction method	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Vincent Crabbe Stabbed with a Basilisk fang and then kicked into Vincent Crabbe's unintentional Fiendfyre.	Fiendfyre	Room of Requirement, Hogwarts Castle	Battle of Hogwarts, 2 May 1998
Nagini
Hiding place	Created with the murder of	Location of murder	Date created
Always with Lord Voldemort after the cup was stolen.	Bertha Jorkins	Albania	Summer 1994
Destroyed by	Destruction method	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Neville Longbottom	Beheaded with Godric Gryffindor's Sword.	Front steps of Hogwarts.	Battle of Hogwarts, 2 May 1998

Pseudo-Horcruxes

While he does not fit the definition of a Horcrux, as he was not created intentionally using the Horcrux-making spell for the purpose of obtaining immortality, Harry Potter essentially became a Horcrux. After Voldemort‘s curse rebounded on him, a piece of his mangled soul split off and latched onto Harry. Dumbledore explained that for simplicity's sake, Harry was a Horcrux.

Harry Potter
Hiding place	Location of murder	Date created
Harry Potter	Godric's Hollow, West Country	31 October, 1981
Destroyed by	Destruction site	Date destroyed
Lord Voldemort	Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry	2 May, 1998

Etymology

The word Horcrux may be comprised of "hor" or "hore" (old English/middle-English) meaning "dirt, evil, impurity" and "crux" or "crúce" (old English) meaning "container, pitcher(ful), jar" which would therefore mean "container of evil".

Alternatively, Horcrux can be seen as a combination of a shortening of "horrible" and "crux" (meaning "the Cross" in Latin). In this sense, a Horcrux would be something that a follower of the Cross would regard as horrible.

On the other hand, "hor" could be derived from the French "hors", which means "outside". Thus, "Horcrux" would mean something that is "outside what is permitted under the Cross".

The Greek "hor" means "boundary", which could refer to the boundary between life and death. Latin "crux" also lends way to words such as "crucify" and "excruciating", meaning "pain/torture", which may describe either the experience of ripping one's soul apart, or the terrible deeds that must be performed in order to create a Horcrux.

Behind the scenes

• J. K. Rowling stated in Pottermore that Professor Quirinus Quirrell served as a temporary Horcrux when Voldemort's soul possessed his body during Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts. A notable difference, however, is that the piece of soul within Quirrell was able to exist without its container, as it abandoned Quirrell and left him to die in the Underground Chambers. This is due to it being the "master" soul that serves as the awareness and consciousness of Voldemort's psyche.
  • Based on this, the animals that Voldemort inhabited during his years of exile, such as rats and snakes, can also be considered temporary Horcruxes.
• J. K. Rowling knows exactly what the process for the creation of a Horcrux is, but is not telling — yet. All she will say is that a spell is involved, and a horrific act is performed. The information was initially planned to be revealed in the Harry Potter Encyclopedia. However, since the encyclopaedia may have been cancelled, the information may eventually be revealed onPottermore.
  • The likelihood of the incantation to this spell being revealed is very low, as Rowling said that she could not "possibly tell [us]. Some things are better left unsaid." in an interview, on July 30th, 2007.
• J. K. Rowling described the invention of the Horcrux as comparable to the splitting of the atom: "Something that people imagined might be able to be done, but couldn't quite bring it off, and then... and then people started doing it with sometimes catastrophic effects."
• In an interview, J. K. Rowling was asked why the Horcrux within Harry wasn't destroyed after he was poisoned by the basilisk in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She replied that Fawkes's tears "mended" him before he could be destroyed beyond repair.
• The only Horcrux that Harry personally destroyed was Tom Riddle's Diary, even though he was the only one clearly stated to be sent for the mission. Also, he did not even know that it was a Horcrux at the time. The Ring was destroyed by Albus Dumbledore, the Locket by Ron Weasley, the Cup by Hermione Granger, the Diadem with Fiendfyre that was conjured by Vincent Crabbe, Nagini was killed by Neville Longbottom, and the fragment within Harry was inadvertently destroyed by Voldemort himself. In the film adaptation, however, the Diadem is stabbed with a basilisk's fang by Harry and then kicked by Ron into the oncoming Fiendfyre.
• Of the seven Horcruxes Voldemort created (intentionally and unintentionally), four of them were destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts, along with Voldemort himself. In fact, aside from Salazar Slytherin's Locket, all Horcruxes were destroyed within Hogwarts grounds, either during or before the aforementioned battle.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the only Horcruxes mentioned are the diary, the ring, and the locket, leaving Harry with no direction in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In addition, Ginny hides Harry's potion book while Harry closes his eyes (as well as kissing him for the very first time), and there is no indication that Harry sees the diadem.
• There has been controversy of the fact that, in the films, Harry, Ron and Hermione do not have any leads to find the remaining Horcruxes, apart from the locket. However, in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is shown that a Horcrux will leave a trace of Dark magic - this gives the person who touches the Horcrux visions of associated events and other related Horcruxes. A scene in the sixth film shows Harry touching Marvolo Gaunt's Ring and experiencing a flow of high speed visions including Tom Riddle screaming in agony (possibly due to the method of ripping his soul) and Nagini, one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. This is also stated in Steve Klove's script for the film. This would ultimately lead Harry, Ron, and Hermione to know most (if not all) of the Horcruxes in the film versions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
• A person who is a Horcrux also seems to possess some of the creator's abilities such as Harry Potter being able to use Parseltongue which is one of Voldemort's inherited abilities. It also creates a mental link between the two the strength of which seems to depend upon the strength of the creator. For example, when Voldemort was weak and only in a spiritual form, Harry could only sense his presence when he was close by and feel his anger, but after he returned to somewhat of a body, this expanded a bit into the occasional dream vision of things happening with Voldemort. After Voldemort returned to full power, this link expanded so that Harry got full visions in his dreams of what Voldemort was dwelling upon, but the link can also be two-way and Voldemort was able to use it and Legilimency to implant a false vision in Harry's mind. The link can be shut off with Occlumency on the part of one of the two with the link, but if the Occlumency slips, the link can reopen. The only way to sever the link completely and remove the abilities the Horcrux gives is to destroy the Horcrux itself.
• It is debatable if the Killing Curse can destroy inanimate Horcruxes, although given the extreme measures Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to go through to obtain Basilisk venom to destroy the Horcruxes they found during their search, it seems unlikely. It is also possible that none of them were capable of performing the curse, as successfully executing an unforgivable curse requires dark intentions, making it nearly impossible for a non-dark wizard to do.
• According to Dumbledore, Voldemort was preserving the creation of his Horcruxes for significant deaths. However, this stands to be another one of Dumbledore's deductions being wrong, as Voldemort has used a Muggle tramp and Albanian peasant to create two of his Horcruxes, with no known significance for the two. However, Dumbledore only knew for certain of two of the murders committed to create Voldemort's Horcruxes: the murder of Moaning Myrtle (his very first killing) to create the diary, and murder of Tom Riddle Snr, his father, for the Gaunt Ring Horcrux. Both of these murders were very significant, but it turns out later that Dumbledore was incorrect that all Horcrux-related deaths were important ones.
• J.K. Rowling's exact definition of a Horcrux is "a receptacle prepared by dark magic in which a Dark wizard has intentionally hidden a fragment of his soul for the purpose of attaining immortality."
• The concept of a "soul container" is not original to the world of Harry Potter. See this page for more information.
  • Most notably, the concept of storing ones soul in an external vessel is similar to the idea of a Lich, popularised by the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons. A lich is a spell-caster who has stored their soul in a vessel called a phylactery to prevent death.
• It is unknown whether a Dark Wizard protected by a Horcrux could still be killed by being thrown through the Veil. It's also unknown whether a Horcrux could be kissed by a Dementor, thereby presumably destroying it.
• Interestingly, no one destroyed more than two Horcruxes (counting Quirrell) and half of them were destroyed by someone other than Harry, Ron, and Hermione. (This does not apply to the films, however, as Harry (and Ron, to an extent) destroy the diadem, which is destroyed by Crabbe in the book.) The majority of the people who destroyed Voldemort's Horcruxes didn't know what they were destroying at the time. Neville didn't know what Horcruxes were when he killed Nagini, Harry didn't know about Horcruxes when he destroyed the diary, Voldemort didn't know he was destroying a Horcrux when he attempted to kill Harry Potter, and Vincent Crabbe didn't know what he was destroying when he destroyed the diadem. Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore all knew that they were destroying Horcruxes, which was exactly what they were trying to do.
• The books previously established that Voldemort can't feel when a Horcrux is destroyed. However, this was completely reversed in the movies. That is the reason he starts on the journey of seeing if all the Horcruxes are safe in the books, but in the movies it is unclear if he even checks his hiding spots. When Hermione destroys the Hufflepuff Cup, Voldemort, Harry and Nagini all seem to be momentarily incapacitated by pain. This also happens when the Ravenclaw Diadem and Nagini are destroyed, clearly showing that all Horcruxes and the Master Soul feel the destruction of the others.
  • Interestingly enough, this only starts to happen when the cup is destroyed, as Harry does not react to the locket's destruction and Voldemort remains oblivious when both it and the ring are destroyed. The reason for this is unclear, but it may be because the cup marked the destruction of half of Voldemort's soul.
• In the fairy tale The Warlock's Hairy Heart, the main character of the story stores his own heart outside of his body via dark magic, similar to Horcruxes in both function and consequences. It was a feat considered impossible outside of the storybook, and was probably a metaphor for Horcrux-making, altered so that misguided readers may not try to imitate the exact process, but still similar enough for virtuous reader to understand the story's Æsop. This in turn resembles the Slavic tales of Koschei the Deathless.
• According to Dumbledore, even when Voldemort's Horcruxes were destroyed his brain and his magical power would remain intact.
• Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy both never learned that they were each entrusted with a Horcrux despite being told to keep them under the strictest security. Furthermore, Severus Snape was unable to figure out Voldemort had created Horcruxes despite being told that a fragment of Voldemort's soul resides within Harry. In fact, despite Voldemort surviving the first rebounding Killing Curse and telling his Death Eaters that he alone went further than anyone on the path of immortality, none of them were able to understand that he utilised Horcruxes to achieve this. This all suggests that even among the most devoted Dark Arts practitioners such as them, they could not fathom that their master would dare mutilate his own soul for the sake of immortality. The only Death Eater who successfully learned Voldemort had created a Horcrux was Regulus Black.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First identified as Horcrux)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)
• Pottermore
• Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (Mentioned only)
• PotterCast