Dear readers, this is yet going to be one of the most complicated articles I’ve written ever. Prepare yourselves.
You are your own enemy, right? But in Voldemort’s case, that’s way too true. Long ago, he came to the Potter’s house, his mission breeze and easy… kill Harry Potter. Oh but the mother’s love that we all learn about in the series! The mother’s love is stronger than anything else, even than the evilest and most feared villain in the wizarding world.
Lily Potter was able to shield her child by sacrificing herself, and the curse backfired!
“Avada Kedavra”, Lily was killed.
“Avada Kedavra”, Voldemort retreated into the abyss.
Horcruxes and The Deathly Hallows
Let’s leave that little introduction here and come back to it later on. Now, we want to talk about the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows.
So, the Horcruxes are the darkest form of magic, to which were only used by two wizards… their master and Lord Voldemort, who created six of them! (or seven)
No one would ever speak about the Horcruxes in Hogwarts or anywhere in the wizarding world, it was banned. Only a book called Secrets of the Darkest Art had detailed information about them, and only Tom Riddle (Voldemort) dared to look and ask.
How to Create a Horcrux
Okay now, how would one wizard or witch create a Horcrux?
You have to deliberately commit murder, without any regret or remorse (refrain from attempting this at home, or anywhere for that matter). This would damage your soul, and you would use such damage to encase it in an object!
If you were to be killed, you’d exist immortally!
Now such a thing would sound appealing to the evilest power in the wizarding world, right? Right.
When Voldemort was just a student at Hogwarts back in the 1940s, he learned about the Horcruxes in the restricted section of the library, as he read the book I mentioned above. But Tom Riddle (Voldemort at that time) was cunny and greedy, he wanted more. He wanted not one Horcruxes, but 6! Why?
Because 7 is the holy magical number. Okay, but there are 6 Horcruxes, how is that possible? The last fragment of soul is represented in Voldemort himself, so together, the Horcruxes would become 7 with him! Yes! Anything more evil? He wanted to make himself a Horcrux! That’s why he sought the Potion Master, Horace Slughorn, for further information.
And on Lord Voldemort created the 6 Horcruxes!
The diary of Tom Riddle
“The diary was proof that he was the Heir of Slytherin; I am sure that Voldemort considered it of stupendous importance.” In Tom 5th year at Hogwarts, he was able to open the Chamber of Secrets and terrorize the muggle-born students, killing allong Mrytle (the ghost we all love and hate). He then used the damaged part of his soul to infuse the journal with a piece of him. It was the first Horcrux he ever made. After this, he started his quest for creating the other 5. The dairy was then discovered by Ginny Weasly years later on. Due to her emotional vulnerability, Voldemort was able to control her mind and demand her to write threats and terrorize Hogwarts.
The Ring Of Marvolo Gaunt
The ring was the property of Tom’s mother, Merope. It was a Gaunt family heirloom. They were as pure-blood as the line could go, they actually descended from Salazar Slytherin himself. That’s why he used the ring as a Horcrux. The ring was later destroyed by Dumbledore using Godric Gryffindor’s sword, which was later impregnated with Basilisk venom by Harry.
The Locket Of Salazar Slytherin
Tom only had Hogwarts to call home. That’s why he chose to use one of the founder’s valuables as a Horcrux. He killed a wealthy woman and forced her elf into confessing where to find the Locket. It was hidden in a seaside cave. It was one of the most valuable Horcruxes to Voldemort as it belonged to his favorite founder.
The Cup Of Helga Hufflepuff and The Diadem Of Rowena Ravenclaw
Two other Horcruxes that belonged to the other founders of Hogwarts. However, they were the last from the seven to use because Tom never touched anything that belonged to Godric Gryffindor.
The Snake, Nagini
The whole series, we didn’t know much about Nagini. She was a snake that was deeply connected with Voldemort, who he could communicate with. Later on, we learn that she was a Horcurx, bearing a part of his soul.
However, “Voldemort pushed his soul to the limit”, meaning he became too weak. He split his soul into 6 parts for all we know! And on one dark night, with what he had left of himself, he went on to the Potter’s house, wanting to kill Harry and create the last and 7th Horcrux.
“AVADA KEDAVRA!”
But your spell is too weak Voldemort… You’re only a fragment, a little piece of a whole soul split around. Remember when we spoke up about the mother’s shield? That’s why it was too powerful, that’s why it protected Harry and the spell backfired.
But something else happened there…
Something that Voldemort didn’t know about. He created a seventh Horcrux! When the spell backfired, it turned on Voldemort, and a part of his soul took refuge in Harry!
Everything went wrong! Now Voldemort had 8 Horcruxes. How could he bind them into one? Into Voldemort? He never intentionally wanted to create 7 in the first place. He only wanted 6 to bind them into himself.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Oh but Tom Riddle is always wrong. There is nothing perfect about 7 Horcruxes, or one binding whole. As soon as Voldemort started to create more of them, he became less human. His voice changed, he became less stable, his features became less distinct, and he made a lot of mistakes. The perfect number of a soul is one. That is what Voldemort never realized. That was the mistake that cost him his life, his revenge, and everything else he planned for.
Oh lord Voldemort…
