Harry Potter: How Were All 7 Horcruxes Destroyed? Explored

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As a long-time enthusiast of the magical world, I find myself constantly amazed by the intricate details and hidden treasures that J.K. Rowling weaves into her stories. The Horcruxes, these malevolent artifacts created by the dark wizard Voldemort, have always held a special fascination for me.

In the novel “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” it was Voldemort’s seven Horcruxes that enabled his return following the casting of the killing curse. However, these Horcruxes were eventually destroyed by Harry and his companions. The enigma surrounding Voldemort’s resuscitation after the deathly charm led to his complete reincarnation in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” In this sixth book, Harry is assigned with locating and annihilating the Horcruxes—malevolent magical artifacts that house a wizard’s soul—to impede Voldemort’s comeback.

In the film version of Half-Blood Prince, some crucial aspects about Horcruxes were left out. For instance, why Voldemort desired Horcruxes, their background, and the method used to create them were not shown. Horcruxes are sinister artifacts in the magical world, formed when a wizard murders another to divide their soul. In the end, Harry Potter and his companions managed to destroy all seven of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.

1. Tom Riddle’s Diary

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it is revealed that Voldemort’s first Horcrux – a youth diary – was created using the death of Myrtle Warren to split his soul. A deleted scene from the movies shows Lucius Malfoy admitting that he received this Horcrux from Voldemort during the First Wizarding War, with the intention of using it to open the Chamber of Secrets. Thinking Voldemort was dead, Malfoy planned to clear himself and incriminate the Weasleys by placing the diary in Ginny’s cauldron.

In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry utilized a basilisk fang, which he had inserted in his arm, to obliterate Tom Riddle’s diary – a Horcrux. He discerned that the diary was enhancing Riddle’s influence and made the decision to annihilate it to curb his power. Basilisk venom is an uncommon agent able to demolish Horcruxes, while only the tears of a Phoenix can serve as an antidote. Although Dumbledore understood Voldemort’s practice of employing Horcruxes when Harry returned the diary, he didn’t disclose this information until the Half-Blood Prince.

2. Salazar Slytherin’s Locket

In the magical world of Harry Potter, it was Ron Weasley who destroyed Salazar Slytherin’s Locket, one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Although the locket’s history is intricate and not entirely shown in the Half-Blood Prince film, here’s a brief summary: Originally belonging to the Gaunt family, the locket was eventually acquired by Voldemort’s mother, Merope Gaunt, who later sold it to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. Later on, Hepzibah Smith, a Hufflepuff resident, bought the locket along with Hufflepuff’s cup.

In a twisted turn of events, Voldemort seized the locket and chalice from Hepzibah Smith, employing a homeless man’s tragic murder as a means to forge one of his Horcruxes. Terrorizing two defenseless orphaned children in a cave, he was aided by Kreacher, the Black family’s house-elf. Regulus Black, who uncovered the truth about the Horcrux and its importance, called on Kreacher to flee the cave. It was this Horcrux that Harry first encountered in the Order of the Phoenix.

3. Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring

Marvolo Goat, the grandfather of Voldemort on his mother’s side, was a blood relative to Salazar Slytherin and harbored aggressive views against non-magical people. During his time at Hogwarts, Voldemort discovered his lineage and, at age 16, visited the Gaunt residence. There, he encountered his uncle Morfin who was wearing Marvolo’s ring. Upon learning about Voldemort’s Muggle father from Morfin, Riddle rendered him unconscious, erased his memories, snatched the ring, and brutally killed his Muggle parents and grandparents.

After these killings, Riddle crafted the Horcrux ring and sought guidance from Horace Slughorn on making more Horcruxes. He concealed the ring in the remains of the Gaunt dwelling, which Dumbledore eventually found. Tempted by the ring’s power, Dumbledore unfortunately succumbed to its curse. Yet, he managed to destroy the Horcrux using the Sword of Gryffindor, a sword that had absorbed basilisk venom, as the sword’s unique properties were crucial for destroying the Horcrux.

4. Rowena Ravenclaw’s Lost Diadem

The lost crown of Ravenclaw, Voldemort’s last created Horcrux before the fatal curse backfired on him, was unintentionally destroyed by fiendfyre, a dangerous fire, conjured by Vincent Crabbe, a companion of Draco Malfoy. Originally, this crown was stolen by Ravenclaw’s envious daughter, Helena, who later discovered it in Albania. The Bloody Baron found the diadem there. Before her death, Helena concealed it within a hollow tree trunk. While at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle recovered the diadem and transformed it into one of his seven Horcruxes by perpetrating the murder of an Albanian villager.

During a job interview for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Voldemort secretly placed the Diadem into the Room of Need, a place that fulfills one’s requirement. Harry Potter initially discovered this artifact in the Half-Blood Prince book and later recognized it during Deathly Hallows. In an attempt to find and destroy the Horcrux, he confronted Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle within the Room of Need. It was Hermione who knew that fiendfyre—a powerful spell—could annihilate a Horcrux. Unfortunately, Crabbe struggled to control the fire, leading to its rampant spread and ultimately the destruction of not only the Room of Need but also the hidden Horcrux.

5. Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup

Hufflepuff’s cup, one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, was destroyed by Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The cup was passed down through the Hufflepuff line and eventually came into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, a client of Borgin and Burkes. Voldemort planned to murder Hepzibah and frame her house-elf, Hokey, while stealing the cup and Salazar Slytherin’s locket. He used Hepzibah’s murder to create the Horcrux, but it is unknown when he left the cup in Bellatrix Lestrange’s care.

Bellatrix didn’t know the cup was important, so she put it away in her bank at Gringotts. Harry thought that the Horcrux might be hidden because of Bellatrix’s strange behavior when the trio questioned her at Malfoy Manor. After they lost the Sword of Gryffindor to Griphook, Harry and his friends had to rely on Ron and Hermione to use basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets to destroy the Horcrux during the final battle at Hogwarts.

6. Voldemort’s Snake Nagini

In the story of Goblet of Fire, it was Voldemort who changed Nagini into a Horcrux. Later on, during the same tale, Neville Longbottom beheaded her using the Sword of Gryffindor. The reason behind Nagini’s ability to transform into a snake stemmed from a blood curse, as we learned in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It is believed that Nagini and Voldemort had interactions prior to the events depicted in the story, possibly taking place in Albania, where she may have assisted him with a healing potion.

In “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” Nagini is one of the select Horcruxes that Harry is aware of. Since she’s always near Voldemort, Harry can’t destroy her before his sacrifice. Instead, he asks Neville Longbottom to do it. At a pivotal point during the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville manages to draw the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, and he beheads her with it.

7. Harry Potter

The last Horcrux crafted by Voldemort, which turned out to be Harry Potter, was ultimately destroyed by Voldemort himself. It was discovered that Harry unintentionally became a Horcrux the night the deadly curse bounced back, leading to a prophecy stating neither could survive while the other lived. Five Horcruxes were created from Voldemort’s fragmented soul, and when the curse rebounded, a piece of his soul connected to Harry, allowing him to communicate with snakes (Parseltongue) and perceive Voldemort’s thoughts.

In The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Harry voluntarily ventured into the Forbidden Forest to give up his life without retaliating when Voldemort hurled a spell at him. This selfless act shattered the Horcrux residing within him, allowing him to live on. As the main Horcrux, Harry held a piece of Voldemort’s soul. Furthermore, in an unintentional move, Voldemort employed Harry’s blood during his resurrection, thereby strengthening Lily Potter’s protective enchantment over Harry.

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2024-08-16 15:09