======Voldemort's Horcruxes======
=====Introduction=====
Lord [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]] were a series of seven advanced magical objects that formed the central pillar of his quest for [[immortality]]. A [[Horcrux]] is an object in which a [[Dark Wizard]] has hidden a fragment of their [[soul]], thus tethering them to the mortal world even if their body is destroyed. Driven by his obsession with the number seven, which he considered the most powerfully magical number, [[Voldemort]] deliberately planned to split his [[soul]] into seven pieces—six stored in [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]] and the final piece remaining in his body. This act of extreme [[Dark Arts]] made him extraordinarily difficult to kill and was the primary obstacle that [[Harry Potter]] and his allies had to overcome in the [[Second Wizarding War]].
=====The Seven Horcruxes=====
[[Lord Voldemort]] chose objects that were either historically significant or personally meaningful to him to serve as his [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]]. The hunt for and destruction of these items became the primary mission for [[Albus Dumbledore]] and later for [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]].
  * **[[Tom Riddle's Diary]]**
    * **Object:** A small, black, blank diary purchased by [[Tom Riddle]] in [[London]].
    * **Creation Murder:** The murder of [[Myrtle Warren]] (later known as Moaning Myrtle) in 1943.
    * **Location Hidden:** Entrusted to [[Lucius Malfoy]] for safekeeping. [[Malfoy, Lucius|Lucius]] later slipped it into [[Ginni Weasley|Ginni Weasley's]] cauldron at [[Flourish and Blotts]].
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Harry Potter]].
    * **Method of Destruction:** Stabbing it with a [[Basilisk]] fang in the [[Chamber of Secrets]].
    * **Details:** This was [[Voldemort]]'s first [[Horcrux]], created during his fifth year at [[Hogwarts]]. The diary retained a memory of the sixteen-year-old [[Tom Riddle]], which was able to possess [[Ginni Weasley]] and open the [[Chamber of Secrets]]. [[Harry Potter]] destroyed it in his second year, unknowingly eliminating the first of [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]].
  * **[[Marvolo Gaunt's Ring]]**
    * **Object:** A gold ring set with a black stone, which was secretly the [[Resurrection Stone]], one of the [[Deathly Hallows]]. It bore the [[Peverell]] coat of arms.
    * **Creation Murder:** The murder of his father, [[Tom Riddle Sr.]], in the summer of 1943.
    * **Location Hidden:** The ruins of the [[Gaunt Shack]] near [[Little Hangleton]], protected by numerous powerful enchantments.
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Albus Dumbledore]].
    * **Method of Destruction:** Shattering it with the [[Sword of Godric Gryffindor]], which was imbued with [[Basilisk]] venom.
    * **Details:** The ring was an heirloom of the [[Gaunt family]] and a direct link to [[Voldemort]]'s ancestor, [[Salazar Slytherin]]. [[Dumbledore]] located and destroyed it, but not before being afflicted by a deadly [[curse]] placed upon it.
  * **[[Salazar Slytherin's Locket]]**
    * **Object:** A heavy, ornate gold locket marked with the serpentine 'S' of [[Salazar Slytherin]].
    * **Creation Murder:** The murder of an unknown Muggle tramp.
    * **Location Hidden:** A seaside cave from [[Voldemort]]'s childhood, placed in a basin of potion on an island in the middle of an underground lake guarded by [[Inferi]].
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Ron Weasley]].
    * **Method of Destruction:** Opening it with [[Parseltongue]] and striking it with the [[Sword of Godric Gryffindor]].
    * **Details:** The locket was stolen from [[Hepzibah Smith]] by [[Tom Riddle]]. It was later stolen from the cave by [[Regulus Black]] and his [[House-Elf]], [[Kreacher]]. After passing through several hands, it was eventually recovered by [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]]. The [[Horcrux]] had a powerful negative influence on those who wore it.
  * **[[Helga Hufflepuff's Cup]]**
    * **Object:** A small, golden cup with two finely-wrought handles and an engraved badger, the symbol of [[Hufflepuff House]].
    * **Creation Murder:** The murder of its previous owner, [[Hepzibah Smith]].
    * **Location Hidden:** Entrusted to [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and secured within her vault at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]].
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Hermione Granger]].
    * **Method of Destruction:** Stabbing it with a [[Basilisk]] fang retrieved from the [[Chamber of Secrets]].
    * **Details:** [[Tom Riddle]] murdered [[Hepzibah Smith]], a wealthy collector, to obtain both this cup and [[Slytherin's Locket]]. The trio broke into [[Gringotts]] to retrieve it during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]].
  * **[[Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem]]**
    * **Object:** A delicate silver diadem said to grant wisdom to the wearer, inscribed with the words: "//Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.//"
    * **Creation Murder:** The murder of an Albanian peasant.
    * **Location Hidden:** The [[Room of Requirement]] at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]].
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Vincent Crabbe]] (unintentionally).
    * **Method of Destruction:** Consumed by [[Fiendfyre]], a cursed fire summoned by [[Crabbe]].
    * **Details:** The [[diadem]] was stolen from [[Rowena Ravenclaw]] by her daughter, [[Helena Ravenclaw]] (The Grey Lady). [[Tom Riddle]] charmed the story out of her ghost and found the [[diadem]] in a hollow tree in [[Albania]]. He hid it within [[Hogwarts]] years later when he returned to request a teaching position.
  * **[[Nagini]]**
    * **Object:** A large, green female snake who was [[Voldemort]]'s constant companion.
    * **Creation Murder:** The murder of [[Bertha Jorkins]] in [[Albania]] in 1994.
    * **Location Hidden:** Kept by [[Lord Voldemort]]'s side at all times.
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Neville Longbottom]].
    * **Method of Destruction:** Beheaded with the [[Sword of Godric Gryffindor]].
    * **Details:** [[Nagini]] was the only living [[Horcrux]] (besides [[Harry]]). Her creation allowed [[Voldemort]] to regain a rudimentary physical form. Due to her proximity to [[Voldemort]], she was the last [[Horcrux]] to be destroyed before [[Voldemort]] himself.
  * **[[Harry Potter]]**
    * **Object:** [[Harry Potter]] himself.
    * **Creation Murder:** The rebounded [[Killing Curse]] that "killed" [[Lord Voldemort]] after he murdered [[Lily Potter]] in 1981.
    * **Location Hidden:** Lived unknowingly with the Dursleys, and later at [[Hogwarts]].
    * **Destroyed By:** [[Lord Voldemort]].
    * **Method of Destruction:** A [[Killing Curse]] cast by [[Voldemort]] in the [[Forbidden Forest]]. The [[curse]] destroyed the fragment of [[Voldemort]]'s [[soul]] within [[Harry]] but left [[Harry]] himself unharmed due to the protection from his mother's sacrifice and [[Voldemort]]'s use of [[Harry]]'s blood to regenerate.
    * **Details:** [[Harry]] was the unintentional [[Horcrux]] that [[Voldemort]] never knew he had created. When the [[Killing Curse]] intended for baby [[Harry]] rebounded, [[Voldemort]]'s own [[soul]] was so unstable that a fragment latched onto the only living thing in the room. This connection gave [[Harry]] some of [[Voldemort]]'s abilities, such as [[Parseltongue]] and a telepathic link to [[Voldemort]]'s mind.
=====Destruction of the Horcruxes=====
A [[Horcrux]] can only be destroyed by means so severe that the object is damaged beyond any form of magical repair. This ensures the soul fragment within cannot survive. The only two substances explicitly stated in the novels to be capable of this are:
  * **[[Basilisk]] venom:** A highly corrosive and deadly poison with only one known antidote, [[phoenix]] tears. The [[Sword of Godric Gryffindor]] was able to destroy [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]] because it had become imbued with [[Basilisk]] venom after [[Harry]] used it to kill the [[Basilisk]] in the [[Chamber of Secrets]].
  * **[[Fiendfyre]]:** A powerful and uncontrollable cursed fire whose flames are capable of destroying even a [[Horcrux]].
=====Role in the Story=====
The existence of the [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]] is the central mystery that drives the plot from the end of //[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]// through //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//. [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s research into [[Voldemort]]'s past revealed their existence, and he tasked [[Harry Potter]] with finding and destroying them all. The Horcrux hunt forced [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]] to abandon [[Hogwarts]] and go on a perilous journey across the country, testing their friendship, courage, and resourcefulness. Each destroyed [[Horcrux]] was a victory that brought the wizarding world one step closer to making [[Lord Voldemort]] mortal and finally defeating him.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * J.K. Rowling has stated in interviews that the process of creating a [[Horcrux]] involves a spell and a horrific act that she has not detailed, as she found the specifics to be deeply disturbing (J.K. Rowling interview).
  * In the film adaptation of //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2]]//, the destruction of the [[Diadem of Ravenclaw]] is slightly different. [[Harry]] stabs it with a [[Basilisk]] fang before [[Ron]] kicks it into the [[Fiendfyre]] as the fire swells (film). In the novel, the [[diadem]] is simply lost to the fire, with [[Harry]] only realizing later that the [[Fiendfyre]] would have been sufficient to destroy it.