Voldemort's Horcruxes

Lord Voldemort's 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 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.

Lord Voldemort chose objects that were either historically significant or personally meaningful to him to serve as his 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. Lucius later slipped it into 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 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.

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 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.

The existence of the 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.

• 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.