Nagini as Horcrux

[felicitys_mind]

The argument for Nagini as the sixth Horcrux
(Tweaked on 9-9 in response to comments)

In an interview with The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet in July 2005, Rowling said,

“Dumbledore's guesses are never very far wide of the mark. I don't want to give too much away here, but Dumbledore says, ‘There are four out there, you've got to get rid of four, and

Comments

[tunxeh]

Very interesting, and it's good to see someone defending this possibility - it seems to be unpopular far out of proportion to its likelihood. And also, very interesting catch re who killed Frank.

Dumbledore may have assumed Nagini had killed on Voldemort’s orders and eaten Frank Bryce’s body,

But since we know he was incorrect here, how much can we trust the rest of the line of reasoning that depends on this assumption?

Your own reasoning based on what Dumbledore didn't know, how dependant Voldemort was during the following year, makes up for the weakness of this part of the argument, anyway.

Voldemort is not likely to have entrusted Wormtail with Horcrux information, but he would have been able to turn Nagini into a Horcrux using Frank Bryce’s murder without Wormtail being any the wiser.

Would he? I don't think we've been shown what goes into the creation of a horcrux, whether it's a very showy ceremony or something quick and wordless.

the murder comes before the Horcrux is made rather than being an internal part of the Horcrux-making process

A very strong argument against the Harrycrux theories.

[felicitys_mind]

"Dumbledore may have assumed Nagini had killed on Voldemort’s orders and eaten Frank Bryce’s body,

But since we know he was incorrect here, how much can we trust the rest of the line of reasoning that depends on this assumption?"

I'm reading Dumbledore's "error" as information from Rowling about the steps involved in Horcrux-making. What Dumbledore's assumption tells me, since Dumbledore has surely made a point of learning how Horcruxes are made and destroyed, is that it's a two-step process and the Horcrux can be made some time after the murder has occurred:

"...After an interval of some years, however, he used Nagini to kill an old Muggle man, and it might then have occurred to him to turn her into his last Horcrux."

So I do not see this as a reason to cast doubt on Dumbledore's Horcrux knowledge but rather a way to let us know what is involved in making one, and perhaps to confirm that the diary Horcrux was made with Moaning Myrtle's death (something I've seen doubted all over the place).

So this passage is telling me that Hepzibah's death by poisoning and Myrtle's death by the basilisk qualified as soul-splitting murders. And it also tells me that Riddle could have made the ring Horcrux from the triple Riddle homicide some time after those murders were committed since it would have been possible to make a Horcrux out of Nagini almost as an afterthought. In other words, a murderer doesn't have to have Horcrux-making in mind when committing a murder, but would be able to use the soul tear at a later time if the decision was made to make a Horcrux.

I don't think it would much matter whether the Horcrux-making ceremony were verbose or silent. Wormtail had to make that potion with unicorn blood, so he must have had to go out regularly, leaving Babymort alone for an hour or more. What would make a difference is if lots of physical work were involved, but there doesn't seem to be any reason why making a Horcrux out of Nagini would require it.

Thanks for reading and your thoughtful comments.