Is Harry A Horcrux? Part II

Is Harry A Horcrux? What clues has J.K. Rowling herself dropped? Snape: Villain, hero or something else? Who dies in Book 7? Ralph Fiennes — born to play Lupin, not Voldemort? If you’re interested in those topics, see previous posts, below.

(And let me just say that I’m fascinated by the theory (see comments in previous post) that it’s Harry’s scar that’s the Horcrux, and all he has to do is get rid of his scar. So a bit of dermabrasion would save the world from evil!)

Earlier today I promised a longer look at why some folks think there’s no way Harry could be one of the missing Horcruxes. Here’s one person’s semi-rant:

Do I think that Dumbledore was right and Voldemort intended to make a Horcrux with Harry’s murder? Yes. Do I think it’s possible to make a Horcrux accidentally? No. And if Harry was a Horcrux, it would certainly be accidental.

On page 498 of the American edition, Professor Slughorn says to Tom Riddle, “There is a spell [used to encase the split portion of the soul], do not ask me, I don’t know!” Now, it follows logically that to create a Horcrux, one would commit murder, then take the desired object and perform the incantation. And, presto, you have your Horcrux. Meaning that (a) it can only happen on purpose, (b) it can only happen after the murder has taken place and (c) it sure as hell didn’t happen to Harry the night his parents were killed.

On top of that, it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Is Snape evil?

For a couple of weeks – or maybe less, depending on reactions – I’m going to veer away from the usual Naked City topics here and instead offer this blog up for theories, comments and philosophizing about Harry Potter and the upcoming seventh and last book.

Why? Because for a lot of readers, it’s more fun than public policy, planning and transportation arguments. And because it’s July.

And because despite the mountains of hype, some very interesting Potter facts are out there, if you know where to look.

First, you have to endure my theory about what’s going to happen. I promise, it isn’t long.

For years I didn’t think J.K. Rowling would kill off Harry Potter in the end. Now, I’m not so sure. After all, the main character, Nathaniel, was killed off at the end of Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy about wizards in England. And I didn’t dream she would kill off Dumbledore.

Silly me. Rowling said in an interview in 2005, “In the genre of writing that I”m working in, almost always the hero must go on alone. That’s the way it is.”Or, as MuggleNet.com creator Emerson Spartz then said, during the interview, “The wise old wizard with the beard always dies.”

As I wrote in my column today (see www.charlotte.com/opinion), I think Snape’s out to kill Voldemort, because he was in love with Lily Evans Potter. When Voldy killed Lily, Snape snapped. He’s playing both ends against the middle, loyal to nothing but his rage. Dumbledore knew that and trusted Snape to protect Harry, since Harry must be the one to kill Voldemort.

So let’s hear it. Snape – good or evil? Comments below.

If you have topics you’d like to propose, put them in comments or e-mail me. I’ll be checking in daily, adding links and theories.And if you’ve time, read the lengthy Rowling interview on MuggleNet. Plenty of room for speculation in there. Such as when she says, “Dumbledore’s family would be a profitable line of inquiry …”