One thing that struck me as very odd when I re-read HBP was DD's reaction to the potion he drank in the cave. The potion is first described as "emerald green" and emitting a "phosphorescent glow." DD also realizes that it cannot be touched, Vanished, parted, scooped up, siphoned away, Transfigured, Charmed, or "otherwise made to change its nature." When DD begins to drink the potion, at first glance, the potion appears to simply be killing/injuring him, but as he drinks more of the potion, his responses become more interesting. Here I will list out the progression of DD's responses after drinking more and more of the potion (from p. 571-575, US version).
After finishing the potion, DD starts begging for water. I think that this whole scene is very important. The reader is freaking out at this point because we are so worried about DD, but I think more is hidden here. I propose that the potion acts almost as a memory or recollection of a Death Eater DD has tortured and killed for failing at a task LV assigned to him/her. I also think we see LV using all three Unforgivable Curses against the DE here, as well.
In the beginning (drinks 1-4), there are simply somatic changes we see in DD, he becomes white-faced, and looks ill. This could be the stage when the DE realizes that he/she has failed at the task, and realizes the horror of what will happen to him/her.
From drinks 4-12, however, DD begins to echo exactly what this DE says as Voldemort tortures him/her, perhaps by using the Cruciatus Curse. First, the DE resists what LV is trying to do to him/her as punishment, and pleads for LV to stop hurting him/her.
Then, by drink 6-9, we see that the DE is told that he/she will be forced to commit some heinous act that he/she cannot bear to carry out (maybe killing his/her own family, or someone else very close to the DE). This is where we see the Imperius Curse come into play. We continue to see the DE pleading to not be forced to commit the act he/she is being forced to do.
The final group of drinks, drinks 10-12, is where we see the previous curses becoming unbearable for the DE, and he/she pleads for death. He/she finally pleads for LV to kill him/her, and perhaps this was the intent of LV the whole time, because he does kill the DE.
Okay, so what does this all mean? I think this potion was NOT the original potion in the basin when the elusive R.A.B. retrieved the locket from the cave. I think that the DE in question is indeed, Regulus Black, and he placed this potion, that would make the drinker re-enact the horrors he faced in order to get the locket. Regulus clearly knew that he would be killed by LV for his actions, and he obviously wanted to leave clues for the next wizard(s) that came to retrieve the locket.
I think that the potion was put there by Regulus after he retrieved the real Horcrux, and its purpose is to show the next wizard(s) that came to the cave exactly what his sacrifice was in order to get that Horcrux. I am very interested to know what type of potion was in the basin when Regulus first got to the Horcrux, and exactly how he was able to overcome the horrors within that potion.
**By Kim I**Okay, so I know I am probably going to be drawn and quartered for even bringing up the idea that Harry is a Horcrux (original, aren't I?), but I would just like to express my views on the matter all in one place.
Firstly, I would like to go through a few books to cite information that points to Harry being the heir of Gryffindor, and then I will establish anomalies about Harry and his powers, and what this may suggest about him being a Horcrux, finally, I will examine the implications for Harry.
Let's begin at, well, the beginning. In SS/PS, the readers are given our first glimpse of Harry as a Gryffindor Heir. When Harry goes to Ollivander's to get his wand, when he finally picks the correct wand, it shoots out "red and gold sparks." Hm, red and gold…where in the devil have we heard this before...? Also in SS/PS, if memory serves me, we find out that James and Lily lived, or at least hid from LV in Godric’s Hollow. Okay, this just really screams Gryffindor heir to me. They picked the place named after their ancestor to try to escape being killed by LV.
Now, let's look to CoS; in this book, Harry confronts Tom Riddle in the ending scene, so we have Harry matched against the last heir to Slytherin. Now, we also know that in this battle Fawkes, who is again, red and gold (just pointing it out!), and the Sorting Hat come to Harry’s aid. We also know that the Sorting Hat was a relic of Gryffindor's, and what does the SH produce when Harry puts it on his head, but *gasp* Godric Gryffindor's sword. Later, when Harry is in DD's office, DD makes the comment about Harry being a "true Gryffindor," and again, I ask, are there really fake Gryffindors lurking about?
I would like to now examine information we are given that support the idea that Harry is a Horcrux. If you accept the idea that Harry is the heir of Gryffindor, then you also see that he could be the final Horcrux, so LV would have a trophy from each founder. First of all, even though we know that Harry and his actions scream Gryffindor, when he first placed the Sorting Hat on his head, it recommended that he should be in Slytherin. Why, you ask? Well, DD has always insisted that LV "transferred some of himself/his powers" to Harry when he tried to kill him years ago. Now, maybe this "transferring" refers to the part of LV’s soul now encased in Harry.
Also, Harry has some strange powers in reference to other Horcruxes. First, let’s take a look at the diary Harry destroyed when he was 12. Keep in mind, DD, the most brilliant and talented wizard of the time, was injured and almost killed in the process of destroying the Horcruxes, but Harry seems to emerge relatively unscathed. And, yes, you can point to the deu ex machina of Fawkes swooping in at the last minute to cure the Basilisk's poison, but if it is that simple, why did Fawkes not cure DD's hand? I propose that since DD is/was not a Horcrux, then he was injured by the other Horcruxes, but Harry’s ability to destroy the Horcruxes at such a young age suggests that he has other ties to them.
Looking more closely at how Harry destroyed the diary also gives us insight into why Harry is a Horcrux. Harry just "instinctively" knew that he had to pull the Basilisk fang out of his arm, and ram it into the diary. He was 12 at the time, and had no idea why he chose to do this, but he did anyways. Perhaps Horcruxes can signal each other, and even though Harry did not understand the implications of the diary at the time, he realized that it was some sort of terrible magical item. Harry also had a strong tie to the diary from the minute he saw it. Ron and Hermione were insisting that it was "just a diary," but Harry insists that there is something more to it. Now, does this mean that, again, there is some sort of tie between Horcruxes? I believe there is.
The incident with Harry and LV at Godric’s Hollow that fateful night also has a lot to do with Harry being a Horcrux, I think. First of all, LV kills James (splitting his soul once), then he DID NOT want to kill Lily. He gave her multiple opportunities to step aside, and JKR said herself that if Lily would have moved aside, she would have been saved. Now, she did not, so he killed her next (splitting the soul yet again?). Now, he turns to Harry, but his soul is oddly fragmented. Perhaps it is in 3 parts, or 4, depending on how multiple splits work. I think that this caused the anomaly that made LV turn Harry into an ACCIDENTAL Horcrux. For some reason, when LV's soul split when Lily died, and when the protection went to Harry, somehow Harry was turned into a Horcrux. This explains how the "powers" of LV were transferred to Harry, why Harry did not die (because I seriously doubt that you can commit Horcrux suicide), and why LV was reduced to a mere spirit. I think that after this, LV assumed that Lily's protection saved Harry, and that is why LV was hurt so much by the rebounded spell.
Now, I would like to examine Harry’s scar. I have read a lot of editorials about how the scar, rather than Harry, is the final Horcrux. I think this is an interesting theory, but why? The scar does not represent Gryffindor, and when would LV have gotten the chance to make the scar into a Horcrux? Rather, I think it is a marker that Harry is a Horcrux. Remember that on Marvolo’s ring, there was a crack down the middle. Crack, scar, follow me? I think that the crack appeared on the ring after LV put the Horcrux into the ring, and when the Horcrux was put into Harry, a similar scar appeared. Perhaps the marker on the Horcrux depends on the conditions under which it was made? (ie: vengeance/revenge, killing the family that deserted him and killing his enemies that had escaped him three times before). We also do not know if the crack was on the ring when we see Tom Riddle in Slughorn's party when we see him in the Pensive, or if the crack appeared after DD got the ring, so the timing is still nebulous (and I think JRK wanted it that way).
What does this all mean for Harry and Book 7 now? I think that if you accept this theory, it can easily go two ways, based on when the scar/crack appeared on the ring. If the crack appeared after LV made it into a Horcrux, then Harry will be able to extract the Horcrux, vanquish Voldemort, and survive (please let this be the case!) The other possibility is that the ring was cracked when DD took the magic out of the ring, in which case, Harry may be terminally injured by the removal of the Horcrux, and may have to die in order to kill LV. (I believe the former more strongly based on the "neither can live while the other survives" part of the prophecy. It makes it sound like either HP or LV will be alive at the end of this whole ordeal. And I can't bear the thought of Harry dying and evil winning, way too against the whole point of the novels thusfar.)
Again, I know that theories like this one abound on the internet now, but I just wanted to get some of my ideas out there, and I hope they also help explain my reasoning for why Harry is a Horcrux in my previous editorial.
What I love most about this site is the way it is carried on by theory contributors. Awesome work, guys! Anyways, I finally got back to thinking about Potter & Co., which led me to the information concerning Harry's eye color. We know that is important; that fact has been solidified by JKR herself. Why, though, do they hold significance, and to whom?
I believe that Harry's eye color is important for the sole purpose of Snape's "redeeming process," so to speak. The only emotions towards Lily (as well as James) that Voldemort possesses is loathing, so Harry having his mother's eyes would not affect him, not in my opinion, at least. Anyways, back to the main point...
Let's face the facts: Snape loved Lily. For this reason and this reason alone, Snape is going to impacted by Harry's emerald green orbs (poetic, no?). Imagine this: Snape is looming over an injured Harry, grinning fiendishly whilst raising his wand to deliver the most traitorous blow ever received by the young wizard. All of a sudden, as the former Potion master's lips part to release the "magic" word, a light shines down on Harry, illuminating the verdant green of Potter's eyes. Snape stands in bewilderment as his surroundings fade to black and Harry's face is replaced by Lily's, the bright eyes remaining the same throughout the transformation. "Severus," Lily whispers gently, "this is not the way." She reaches out to Snape, who responds by reaching his hand towards hers, and finally, the hook-nosed man snaps back into reality, the surroundings reappearing and Harry replacing Lily's image once again. Snape slowly lowers his wand and stands solemnly in front of Harry. No words are needed.
Basically, the reminder of Lily is what will keep Snape sane and will force him to remember what things are worth fighting for.
