Horcruxes
A Horcrux is an object used to store part of a person's soul, protecting them from death. If the body of the Horcrux's creator is destroyed, the person is still able to survive, much the same way as Koschei in Russian folklore. When the body of a Horcrux owner is killed, that portion of his soul which had remained in his body will not pass on to the next world, but will rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected by another wizard, as in The Goblet of Fire. If all of someone's Horcruxes are destroyed, then his soul's only anchor in the material world would be his body, the destruction of which would then cause his final death.
This method was chosen by Voldemort to attain immortality. The concept is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, though Horcruxes are present in earlier novels without being identified as such. Rowling uses Horace Slughorn's expository dialogue to reveal that the creation of a Horcrux requires one to commit a murder, which, as the supreme act of evil, "rips the soul apart". After the murder, a spell is cast to infuse part of the ripped soul into an object, which then becomes a Horcrux. Rowling has never published the actual enchantment. In the final book of the series, Hermione finds the spell in a book titled Secrets of the Darkest Art. Rowling has revealed that she intends to detail the process and spell used to create a Horcrux in her long-mentioned Harry Potter Encyclopedia.
Both inanimate objects and living organisms have been used as Horcruxes, though the latter are considered riskier to use, since a living being can move and think for itself. There is no limit to the number of Horcruxes a witch or wizard can create. However, as the creator's soul is divided into progressively smaller portions, he or she loses more of her or his natural humanity and the soul becomes increasingly unstable. Consequently, under very specific conditions, a soul fragment can be sealed within an object without the intention or knowledge of the creator. While the object thus affected will, like any Horcrux, preserve the immortality of the creator, it does not become a "Dark object". For example, Voldemort has unusual control over Nagini, and consequently Nagini is able to communicate with Voldemort about the presence of Harry in Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Horcruxes made from inanimate objects are extremely difficult to destroy. They cannot be destroyed by conventional means such as smashing, breaking, or burning. To be destroyed, a Horcrux must suffer damage so severe that repair through magical means would be impossible. Very few magical objects or spells are powerful enough to achieve this. Once a Horcrux is irreparably damaged, the fragment of soul within it is destroyed. A Horcrux can be magically undone only if the creator goes through a process of deep remorse for the murder committed to create the Horcrux. The pain of this remorse can be so excruciating that the process may kill the creator.
Voldemort's creation of Horcruxes is central to the later storyline of the Harry Potter novels. As the number seven is a powerful number in magic, Voldemort intended to split his soul into that many pieces, with six Horcruxes and the last piece reposing within his body. When Voldemort attacked the Potter family, he inadvertently created the sixth Horcrux, Harry. When his body was destroyed by the rebounded Killing Curse, a piece of his soul splintered off and attached itself to the only living thing remaining in the room – Harry Potter – making him a Horcrux. Later on, Voldemort, unaware of Harry being the sixth Horcrux, went on to complete his collection of the intended six Horcruxes by turning his snake Nagini into one, thus fragmenting his soul into a total of eight (counting the one residing in his own body), not seven, pieces. Complicating things even further, no more than six Horcruxes (including Harry) ever existed at any one time in the series: by the time Nagini had been made a Horcrux, one of the Horcruxes (Tom Riddle's diary) had already been destroyed.
All of Voldemort's deliberately created Horcruxes were made using objects that had been important to him or that held some sentimental value. He hid them carefully so that no one could find and destroy them, although Horcruxes cannot be destroyed by any means of wand usage or physical force. The exception to this rule is Fiendfyre, which destroyed the lost diadem of Ravenclaw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry intentionally destroys the diary with a Basilisk fang, although unaware it was a Horcrux at the time, to free Ginny from its influence.
Rowling revealed in Pottermore that Quirinus Quirrell served as a temporary Horcrux when Voldemort's soul possessed his body during Harry'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. Based on this, the animals that Voldemort inhabited during his years of exile, such as rats and snakes, can also be considered as temporary Horcruxes.
This method was chosen by Voldemort to attain immortality. The concept is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, though Horcruxes are present in earlier novels without being identified as such. Rowling uses Horace Slughorn's expository dialogue to reveal that the creation of a Horcrux requires one to commit a murder, which, as the supreme act of evil, "rips the soul apart". After the murder, a spell is cast to infuse part of the ripped soul into an object, which then becomes a Horcrux. Rowling has never published the actual enchantment. In the final book of the series, Hermione finds the spell in a book titled Secrets of the Darkest Art. Rowling has revealed that she intends to detail the process and spell used to create a Horcrux in her long-mentioned Harry Potter Encyclopedia.
Both inanimate objects and living organisms have been used as Horcruxes, though the latter are considered riskier to use, since a living being can move and think for itself. There is no limit to the number of Horcruxes a witch or wizard can create. However, as the creator's soul is divided into progressively smaller portions, he or she loses more of her or his natural humanity and the soul becomes increasingly unstable. Consequently, under very specific conditions, a soul fragment can be sealed within an object without the intention or knowledge of the creator. While the object thus affected will, like any Horcrux, preserve the immortality of the creator, it does not become a "Dark object". For example, Voldemort has unusual control over Nagini, and consequently Nagini is able to communicate with Voldemort about the presence of Harry in Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Horcruxes made from inanimate objects are extremely difficult to destroy. They cannot be destroyed by conventional means such as smashing, breaking, or burning. To be destroyed, a Horcrux must suffer damage so severe that repair through magical means would be impossible. Very few magical objects or spells are powerful enough to achieve this. Once a Horcrux is irreparably damaged, the fragment of soul within it is destroyed. A Horcrux can be magically undone only if the creator goes through a process of deep remorse for the murder committed to create the Horcrux. The pain of this remorse can be so excruciating that the process may kill the creator.
Voldemort's creation of Horcruxes is central to the later storyline of the Harry Potter novels. As the number seven is a powerful number in magic, Voldemort intended to split his soul into that many pieces, with six Horcruxes and the last piece reposing within his body. When Voldemort attacked the Potter family, he inadvertently created the sixth Horcrux, Harry. When his body was destroyed by the rebounded Killing Curse, a piece of his soul splintered off and attached itself to the only living thing remaining in the room – Harry Potter – making him a Horcrux. Later on, Voldemort, unaware of Harry being the sixth Horcrux, went on to complete his collection of the intended six Horcruxes by turning his snake Nagini into one, thus fragmenting his soul into a total of eight (counting the one residing in his own body), not seven, pieces. Complicating things even further, no more than six Horcruxes (including Harry) ever existed at any one time in the series: by the time Nagini had been made a Horcrux, one of the Horcruxes (Tom Riddle's diary) had already been destroyed.
All of Voldemort's deliberately created Horcruxes were made using objects that had been important to him or that held some sentimental value. He hid them carefully so that no one could find and destroy them, although Horcruxes cannot be destroyed by any means of wand usage or physical force. The exception to this rule is Fiendfyre, which destroyed the lost diadem of Ravenclaw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry intentionally destroys the diary with a Basilisk fang, although unaware it was a Horcrux at the time, to free Ginny from its influence.
Rowling revealed in Pottermore that Quirinus Quirrell served as a temporary Horcrux when Voldemort's soul possessed his body during Harry'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. Based on this, the animals that Voldemort inhabited during his years of exile, such as rats and snakes, can also be considered as temporary Horcruxes.
Marvolo Gaunt's Ring
Created: After killing Tom Riddle Sr.
Hidden place: Gaunt shack
Destroyed by: Albus Dumbledore
Method Used: Godric Gryffindor's Sword
Tom Riddle created his first Horcrux using a ring owned by his maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, during the summer before his fifth year as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when he was fifteen years old. He casts the spell after murdering his Muggle father. The ring is introduced during the fourth chapter of Half-Blood Prince, having already been destroyed by Albus Dumbledore. In a Pensieve memory, it is revealed that Riddle had taken the gold ring, which has a black stone inscribed with a magical symbol, from his uncle Morfin Gaunt, whom he had framed for the murder of his father and grandparents by altering his uncle's memories. Riddle wears the ring while still a student at Hogwarts, but eventually hides it in the house where the Gaunt family had lived. It remains hidden under the floo
Hidden place: Gaunt shack
Destroyed by: Albus Dumbledore
Method Used: Godric Gryffindor's Sword
Tom Riddle created his first Horcrux using a ring owned by his maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, during the summer before his fifth year as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when he was fifteen years old. He casts the spell after murdering his Muggle father. The ring is introduced during the fourth chapter of Half-Blood Prince, having already been destroyed by Albus Dumbledore. In a Pensieve memory, it is revealed that Riddle had taken the gold ring, which has a black stone inscribed with a magical symbol, from his uncle Morfin Gaunt, whom he had framed for the murder of his father and grandparents by altering his uncle's memories. Riddle wears the ring while still a student at Hogwarts, but eventually hides it in the house where the Gaunt family had lived. It remains hidden under the floo
Tom Riddle's Diary
Created: After killing Moaning Myrtle
Hidden place: 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 2nd floor.
Destroyed by: Harry Potter
Method Used: Basilisk fang
Tom Riddle used his diary to create his second Horcrux during his sixth year at Hogwarts. He cast the spell after murdering his fellow student Moaning Myrtle using the Basilisk. The diary is introduced in the second chapter of Chamber of Secrets and is destroyed by Harry Potter during the climax of the same book.
Before Voldemort's downfall, he entrusted the Horcrux to Lucius Malfoy. While aware of its corrupting magical properties, Malfoy did not know the diary was a Horcrux. In an attempt to discredit Arthur Weasley as well as dispose of an incriminating Dark object, Malfoy hid the diary in Ginny Weasley's cauldron amidst her other books. Tom Riddle's soul-fragment possessed Ginny and, through her, reopened the Chamber of Secrets, eventually starting to draw her life from her. At the end of book two, Harry saved Ginny and destroyed the diary by stabbing it with the venomous fang of a Basilisk, making it the first Horcrux (in the novels) to be destroyed. His reports of the diary's behaviour to Dumbledore were the latter's first inkling that Voldemort might have created not just one Horcrux, but several: "What intrigued and alarmed me most was that the diary had been intended as a weapon as much as a safeguard", implying that Voldemort must have had backups of some sort. It is also mentioned that Malfoy was meant to wait for Voldemort's say so before allowing the diary to be smuggled into Hogwarts, and that he never received it before Voldemort's first defeat; Voldemort didn't know the diary was destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius, deeply enraging him at the manner Lucius had so blithely endangered a fragment of his soul.
To Rowling, a diary is a very scary object, having said in an interview: "The temptation particularly for a young girl, is to pour out her heart to a diary." Rowling's little sister Diane was prone to this, and her great fear was that someone would read her diary. This gave Rowling the idea to have a diary that is, in itself, against the confider. When asked what would have happened if Ginny had died and Riddle had managed to escape, Rowling declined to give a straight answer, but revealed that "it would have strengthened the present-day Voldemort considerably."
Hidden place: 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 2nd floor.
Destroyed by: Harry Potter
Method Used: Basilisk fang
Tom Riddle used his diary to create his second Horcrux during his sixth year at Hogwarts. He cast the spell after murdering his fellow student Moaning Myrtle using the Basilisk. The diary is introduced in the second chapter of Chamber of Secrets and is destroyed by Harry Potter during the climax of the same book.
Before Voldemort's downfall, he entrusted the Horcrux to Lucius Malfoy. While aware of its corrupting magical properties, Malfoy did not know the diary was a Horcrux. In an attempt to discredit Arthur Weasley as well as dispose of an incriminating Dark object, Malfoy hid the diary in Ginny Weasley's cauldron amidst her other books. Tom Riddle's soul-fragment possessed Ginny and, through her, reopened the Chamber of Secrets, eventually starting to draw her life from her. At the end of book two, Harry saved Ginny and destroyed the diary by stabbing it with the venomous fang of a Basilisk, making it the first Horcrux (in the novels) to be destroyed. His reports of the diary's behaviour to Dumbledore were the latter's first inkling that Voldemort might have created not just one Horcrux, but several: "What intrigued and alarmed me most was that the diary had been intended as a weapon as much as a safeguard", implying that Voldemort must have had backups of some sort. It is also mentioned that Malfoy was meant to wait for Voldemort's say so before allowing the diary to be smuggled into Hogwarts, and that he never received it before Voldemort's first defeat; Voldemort didn't know the diary was destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius, deeply enraging him at the manner Lucius had so blithely endangered a fragment of his soul.
To Rowling, a diary is a very scary object, having said in an interview: "The temptation particularly for a young girl, is to pour out her heart to a diary." Rowling's little sister Diane was prone to this, and her great fear was that someone would read her diary. This gave Rowling the idea to have a diary that is, in itself, against the confider. When asked what would have happened if Ginny had died and Riddle had managed to escape, Rowling declined to give a straight answer, but revealed that "it would have strengthened the present-day Voldemort considerably."
Helga Hufflepuff's Cup
Created: After killing Hepzibah Smith
Hidden place: The Lestrange family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Destroyed by: Hermione Granger
Method Used: Basilisk fang
Tom Riddle used a cup owned by Hogwarts founder Helga Hufflepuff to create his third Horcrux. The spell was cast after he murdered Hepzibah Smith by poisoning her. The cup is introduced during the twentieth chapter of Half-Blood Prince and is destroyed by Hermione Granger in the thirty-first chapter of Deathly Hallows.
Hepzibah Smith, who owned the cup, was a distant descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Riddle killed Smith, stole the cup, then framed her house elf Hokey for the crime. Voldemort entrusted the cup to Bellatrix Lestrange, who kept it protected in her vault at Gringotts Bank, a place to which Harry guessed a once penniless Voldemort would have always coveted a connection. Additional protective spells, including the Gemino and Flagrante curses, were used to protect the contents of the vault. Harry, Ron and Hermione, with Hermione disguised as Lestrange, broke into the bank and stole the cup. Hermione later destroyed the Horcrux using a fang from the remains of the Basilisk still in the Chamber of Secrets.
Hidden place: The Lestrange family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Destroyed by: Hermione Granger
Method Used: Basilisk fang
Tom Riddle used a cup owned by Hogwarts founder Helga Hufflepuff to create his third Horcrux. The spell was cast after he murdered Hepzibah Smith by poisoning her. The cup is introduced during the twentieth chapter of Half-Blood Prince and is destroyed by Hermione Granger in the thirty-first chapter of Deathly Hallows.
Hepzibah Smith, who owned the cup, was a distant descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Riddle killed Smith, stole the cup, then framed her house elf Hokey for the crime. Voldemort entrusted the cup to Bellatrix Lestrange, who kept it protected in her vault at Gringotts Bank, a place to which Harry guessed a once penniless Voldemort would have always coveted a connection. Additional protective spells, including the Gemino and Flagrante curses, were used to protect the contents of the vault. Harry, Ron and Hermione, with Hermione disguised as Lestrange, broke into the bank and stole the cup. Hermione later destroyed the Horcrux using a fang from the remains of the Basilisk still in the Chamber of Secrets.
Salazar Slytherin's Locket
Created: After killing a Muggle tramp
Hidden place: The cave by the sea from his childhood, later moved to 12 Grimmauld Place, later stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, who gave it to Dolores Umbridge as a bribe
Destroyed by: Ron Weasley
Method Used: Godric Gryffindor's Sword
Riddle created his fourth Horcrux using a locket once owned by Salazar Slytherin, which had once belonged to Riddle's mother, Merope Gaunt. The spell was cast after Riddle murdered a Muggle tramp. The locket is introduced briefly in Order of the Phoenix (described only as "a heavy locket that not one of them could open") and is destroyed by Ron Weasley in the nineteenth chapter of Deathly Hallows.
Slytherin's locket was passed down through the generations and eventually ended up in the possession of Merope Gaunt. After being abandoned by her husband Tom Riddle Senior, Merope sold the locket to Caractacus Burke, shopkeeper of Borgin & Burkes, for ten Galleons, a fraction of the locket's true value. The locket was eventually sold to Hepzibah Smith. Riddle stole the locket, along with Helga Hufflepuff's cup, after murdering Smith. Once the locket became a Horcrux, Voldemort hid it in a seaside cave where he had once terrorised two of his fellow orphans. The cave's magical protection included a door that could only be opened with a blood offering, an enchanted boat, a basin of potion that causes pain and horrific visions to the drinker, and the use of Inferi. Dumbledore and Harry Potter pursued the locket in The Half-Blood Prince, only to find a fake one at the bottom of the basin.
Disillusioned Death Eater Regulus Arcturus Black had learned about the Horcrux and its hiding place from his house elf Kreacher, whom he had originally volunteered to accompany Voldemort to hide the Horcrux. In an effort to bring about Voldemort's eventual downfall, he and Kreacher navigated the magical protection and stole the locket. While Black died in the effort, killed by the surrounding Inferi, Kreacher took the locket back to their home at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Unable to destroy it like Black ordered, Kreacher continued to protect the locket for years. However, while the Order of the Phoenix was using the house as its headquarters, the locket was stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, a petty criminal and member of the Order. He gave it to Dolores Umbridge as a bribe when she caught him selling stolen property.
Two weeks after learning these details, Harry, Ron, and Hermione infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, where Umbridge worked, and stole the locket. Ron later saved Harry from being strangled by it when he wore it around his neck while attempting to retrieve the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the bottom of a lake in the Forest of Dean. When Ron attempted to destroy the locket, the fragment of soul inside assumed the shape of Harry and Hermione and played on Ron's fear that his two friends had started a romantic relationship during his absence. Ron destroyed the locket using the sword of Gryffindor in the same forest.
After the release of the final book, several reviews noted similarities between Slytherin's locket and the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings, as both artifacts negatively affect the personality of those who wore them, are extremely difficult to destroy, and ensure their creator immortality. However, unlike the One Ring, the characters do not seem to have too much difficulty taking the locket off and willingly handing it to another person.
Hidden place: The cave by the sea from his childhood, later moved to 12 Grimmauld Place, later stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, who gave it to Dolores Umbridge as a bribe
Destroyed by: Ron Weasley
Method Used: Godric Gryffindor's Sword
Riddle created his fourth Horcrux using a locket once owned by Salazar Slytherin, which had once belonged to Riddle's mother, Merope Gaunt. The spell was cast after Riddle murdered a Muggle tramp. The locket is introduced briefly in Order of the Phoenix (described only as "a heavy locket that not one of them could open") and is destroyed by Ron Weasley in the nineteenth chapter of Deathly Hallows.
Slytherin's locket was passed down through the generations and eventually ended up in the possession of Merope Gaunt. After being abandoned by her husband Tom Riddle Senior, Merope sold the locket to Caractacus Burke, shopkeeper of Borgin & Burkes, for ten Galleons, a fraction of the locket's true value. The locket was eventually sold to Hepzibah Smith. Riddle stole the locket, along with Helga Hufflepuff's cup, after murdering Smith. Once the locket became a Horcrux, Voldemort hid it in a seaside cave where he had once terrorised two of his fellow orphans. The cave's magical protection included a door that could only be opened with a blood offering, an enchanted boat, a basin of potion that causes pain and horrific visions to the drinker, and the use of Inferi. Dumbledore and Harry Potter pursued the locket in The Half-Blood Prince, only to find a fake one at the bottom of the basin.
Disillusioned Death Eater Regulus Arcturus Black had learned about the Horcrux and its hiding place from his house elf Kreacher, whom he had originally volunteered to accompany Voldemort to hide the Horcrux. In an effort to bring about Voldemort's eventual downfall, he and Kreacher navigated the magical protection and stole the locket. While Black died in the effort, killed by the surrounding Inferi, Kreacher took the locket back to their home at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Unable to destroy it like Black ordered, Kreacher continued to protect the locket for years. However, while the Order of the Phoenix was using the house as its headquarters, the locket was stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, a petty criminal and member of the Order. He gave it to Dolores Umbridge as a bribe when she caught him selling stolen property.
Two weeks after learning these details, Harry, Ron, and Hermione infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, where Umbridge worked, and stole the locket. Ron later saved Harry from being strangled by it when he wore it around his neck while attempting to retrieve the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the bottom of a lake in the Forest of Dean. When Ron attempted to destroy the locket, the fragment of soul inside assumed the shape of Harry and Hermione and played on Ron's fear that his two friends had started a romantic relationship during his absence. Ron destroyed the locket using the sword of Gryffindor in the same forest.
After the release of the final book, several reviews noted similarities between Slytherin's locket and the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings, as both artifacts negatively affect the personality of those who wore them, are extremely difficult to destroy, and ensure their creator immortality. However, unlike the One Ring, the characters do not seem to have too much difficulty taking the locket off and willingly handing it to another person.
Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem
Created: After killing an Albanian peasant
Hidden place: Room of Requirement at Hogwarts Castle
Destroyed by: Vincent Crabbe (unintentionally)
Method Used: Fiendfyre (A type of fire made from Dark Magic. It is very powerful, as it cannot be put out by using the Aguamenti Charm or any normal type of water)
Lord Voldemort created his fifth Horcrux using Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. The spell needed to create the Horcrux was cast after Voldemort murdered an Albanian peasant. The diadem is introduced by name in Deathly Hallows, but actually first appeared in The Half-Blood Prince, described as "a tarnished tiara" in the Room of Requirement. Ravenclaw's daughter Helena, the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw, stole the diadem from her mother in an attempt to become more intelligent than her mother. She fled to Albania, where she hid the diadem in the hollow of a tree when the Bloody Baron searched for her. After Helena was murdered by the Bloody Baron, she became the Ravenclaw house ghost and Tom Riddle, while a student at the school, charmed her into telling him the location of the diadem. Shortly after leaving Hogwarts and after the murder of Hepzibah Smith (when Riddle stole Slytherin's Locket and Hufflepuff's cup from her), he travelled to Albania and seized the artefact while planning his rise to power. Years later, when Voldemort returned to Hogwarts, reapplying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position but denied the job by Albus Dumbledore, he hid the diadem (now a Horcrux) in the Room of Requirement. Because Voldemort believed himself the only one to have discovered the Room, he never placed curses around the diadem.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry first comes into contact with the diadem when he hastily hides Snape's old potions book in the Room of Requirement. The diadem was mentioned merely as an "old discoloured tiara" in the sixth book; Harry used it to help mark the spot so he could later find where he placed the book. Later, after having the diadem described to him by the Ravenclaw ghost, Harry recalls this scene and hurries to retrieve it from the Room. The diadem was unintentionally destroyed by a Fiendfyre curse cast by Vincent Crabbe as he, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy attacked Harry, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger inside the Room.
Hidden place: Room of Requirement at Hogwarts Castle
Destroyed by: Vincent Crabbe (unintentionally)
Method Used: Fiendfyre (A type of fire made from Dark Magic. It is very powerful, as it cannot be put out by using the Aguamenti Charm or any normal type of water)
Lord Voldemort created his fifth Horcrux using Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. The spell needed to create the Horcrux was cast after Voldemort murdered an Albanian peasant. The diadem is introduced by name in Deathly Hallows, but actually first appeared in The Half-Blood Prince, described as "a tarnished tiara" in the Room of Requirement. Ravenclaw's daughter Helena, the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw, stole the diadem from her mother in an attempt to become more intelligent than her mother. She fled to Albania, where she hid the diadem in the hollow of a tree when the Bloody Baron searched for her. After Helena was murdered by the Bloody Baron, she became the Ravenclaw house ghost and Tom Riddle, while a student at the school, charmed her into telling him the location of the diadem. Shortly after leaving Hogwarts and after the murder of Hepzibah Smith (when Riddle stole Slytherin's Locket and Hufflepuff's cup from her), he travelled to Albania and seized the artefact while planning his rise to power. Years later, when Voldemort returned to Hogwarts, reapplying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position but denied the job by Albus Dumbledore, he hid the diadem (now a Horcrux) in the Room of Requirement. Because Voldemort believed himself the only one to have discovered the Room, he never placed curses around the diadem.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry first comes into contact with the diadem when he hastily hides Snape's old potions book in the Room of Requirement. The diadem was mentioned merely as an "old discoloured tiara" in the sixth book; Harry used it to help mark the spot so he could later find where he placed the book. Later, after having the diadem described to him by the Ravenclaw ghost, Harry recalls this scene and hurries to retrieve it from the Room. The diadem was unintentionally destroyed by a Fiendfyre curse cast by Vincent Crabbe as he, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy attacked Harry, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger inside the Room.
Harry Potter
Created: (Unintentionally)After attempted killing of child Harry Potter
Hidden place: Inadvertently part of Harry's soul
Destroyed by: Lord Voldemort
Method Used: Killing Curse
When Voldemort attempted to murder Harry Potter, he inadvertently sealed a fragment of his soul within the boy and turned him into the sixth Horcrux. The event took place just before the opening chapter of Philosopher's Stone. Rowling has explicitly stated that Harry never became a proper "Dark object" since the Horcrux spell was not cast. Regardless, as with all Horcruxes, Voldemort would remain immortal so long as his soul fragment remained within Harry. That portion of Voldemort's soul is unintentionally destroyed by Voldemort himself at the close of the thirty-fourth chapter of The Deathly Hallows with the help of the Elder Wand.
As a baby, Harry Potter was in the room when Voldemort's fatal Killing Curse backfired. Voldemort's soul had been weakened and destabilised by his continuous murders and the creation of his previous Horcruxes. Harry became a Horcrux when a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached itself to him after the unsuccessful curse. The lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead is a direct result of this attempted murder, and the connection that formed as a result is used to explain several important plot points. Throughout the series, Harry is able to receive insight into Voldemort's mental and emotional states, allowing the reader to eavesdrop on the series' primary antagonist. This insight is usually accompanied by pain in the scar on Harry's forehead. Through Voldemort, Harry also inherited the ability to speak and understand Parseltongue. It is also revealed by Rowling in an interview that Harry's frequent pain in his scar when Voldemort is either active, nearby, or feeling strong emotions, is really the trapped bit of soul yearning to depart from Harry's body and rejoin its master's soul. This yearning was one of the reasons why the Killing Curse used by Voldemort on Harry in the Forbidden Forest destroys Voldemort's Horcrux within Harry but sends Harry just into a limbo-like state. Harry could return to his body despite being hit by the Killing Curse because when Voldemort used Harry's blood to regain his full strength in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it protected Harry from Voldemort killing him.
While Voldemort did learn of Harry's telepathic ability, Voldemort was never made aware that Harry was inadvertently protecting a portion of his soul. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry with the Killing Curse in the forest, near the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he destroyed the portion of his own soul embedded within Harry. With this destroyed, the connections between the two were also broken, and Harry never again felt pain in his scar. Rowling revealed Harry has also lost the ability to speak Parseltongue. In the epilogue of the movie, the scar has faded to a normal looking scar on Harry's forehead.
Hidden place: Inadvertently part of Harry's soul
Destroyed by: Lord Voldemort
Method Used: Killing Curse
When Voldemort attempted to murder Harry Potter, he inadvertently sealed a fragment of his soul within the boy and turned him into the sixth Horcrux. The event took place just before the opening chapter of Philosopher's Stone. Rowling has explicitly stated that Harry never became a proper "Dark object" since the Horcrux spell was not cast. Regardless, as with all Horcruxes, Voldemort would remain immortal so long as his soul fragment remained within Harry. That portion of Voldemort's soul is unintentionally destroyed by Voldemort himself at the close of the thirty-fourth chapter of The Deathly Hallows with the help of the Elder Wand.
As a baby, Harry Potter was in the room when Voldemort's fatal Killing Curse backfired. Voldemort's soul had been weakened and destabilised by his continuous murders and the creation of his previous Horcruxes. Harry became a Horcrux when a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached itself to him after the unsuccessful curse. The lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead is a direct result of this attempted murder, and the connection that formed as a result is used to explain several important plot points. Throughout the series, Harry is able to receive insight into Voldemort's mental and emotional states, allowing the reader to eavesdrop on the series' primary antagonist. This insight is usually accompanied by pain in the scar on Harry's forehead. Through Voldemort, Harry also inherited the ability to speak and understand Parseltongue. It is also revealed by Rowling in an interview that Harry's frequent pain in his scar when Voldemort is either active, nearby, or feeling strong emotions, is really the trapped bit of soul yearning to depart from Harry's body and rejoin its master's soul. This yearning was one of the reasons why the Killing Curse used by Voldemort on Harry in the Forbidden Forest destroys Voldemort's Horcrux within Harry but sends Harry just into a limbo-like state. Harry could return to his body despite being hit by the Killing Curse because when Voldemort used Harry's blood to regain his full strength in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it protected Harry from Voldemort killing him.
While Voldemort did learn of Harry's telepathic ability, Voldemort was never made aware that Harry was inadvertently protecting a portion of his soul. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry with the Killing Curse in the forest, near the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he destroyed the portion of his own soul embedded within Harry. With this destroyed, the connections between the two were also broken, and Harry never again felt pain in his scar. Rowling revealed Harry has also lost the ability to speak Parseltongue. In the epilogue of the movie, the scar has faded to a normal looking scar on Harry's forehead.
Nagini
Created: After killing Bertha Jorkins
Hidden place: Always by Lord Voldemort's side
Destroyed by: Neville Longbottom
Method Used: Godric Gryffindor's Sword
The seventh Horcrux is Nagini, the snake Voldemort has with him constantly. She is the only living Horcrux apart from Harry Potter. This Horcrux was created by Voldemort when he was hiding in the forests of Albania; the victim of murder who led to its creation was Bertha Jorkins. In the last chapter of Deathly Hallows, Nagini was killed by Neville Longbottom using the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Being the last remaining Horcrux, her destruction made Voldemort mortal.
Hidden place: Always by Lord Voldemort's side
Destroyed by: Neville Longbottom
Method Used: Godric Gryffindor's Sword
The seventh Horcrux is Nagini, the snake Voldemort has with him constantly. She is the only living Horcrux apart from Harry Potter. This Horcrux was created by Voldemort when he was hiding in the forests of Albania; the victim of murder who led to its creation was Bertha Jorkins. In the last chapter of Deathly Hallows, Nagini was killed by Neville Longbottom using the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Being the last remaining Horcrux, her destruction made Voldemort mortal.