Who is the 8th Horcrux?

Harry Potter is considered the unintended eighth Horcrux.

Lord Voldemort, in his quest for immortality, intended to split his soul into seven pieces: six Horcruxes contained in various objects or beings, with the seventh piece residing within his own body. However, due to an unforeseen magical event, an eighth soul fragment was accidentally created, attaching itself to Harry Potter.

Understanding Voldemort's Intended Horcruxes

Voldemort deliberately created six Horcruxes, each containing a fragment of his soul, by committing acts of murder. His goal was to make himself virtually immortal, as his soul would persist even if his body were destroyed, as long as these pieces remained intact.

The six intended Horcruxes were:

• Tom Riddle's Diary: Created after the murder of Myrtle Warren.
• Marvolo Gaunt's Ring: Created after the murder of Tom Riddle Sr.
• Salazar Slytherin's Locket: Created after the murder of a Muggle tramp.
• Helga Hufflepuff's Cup: Created after the murder of Hepzibah Smith.
• Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem: Created after the murder of an Albanian peasant.
• Nagini (Voldemort's snake): Created after the murder of Bertha Jorkins.

The Unintended Eighth: Harry Potter

Harry Potter became an Horcrux on the night Voldemort attempted to murder him as a baby. Voldemort's soul was already severely unstable and highly fragmented from his previous Horcrux creations. When his killing curse rebounded due to Lily Potter's protective sacrifice, a piece of his already precarious soul splintered off and latched onto the only living thing available – Harry Potter himself. This made Harry an accidental and unintentional Horcrux.

This event was a unique consequence of Voldemort's extreme soul-splitting and the powerful ancient magic of Lily Potter's sacrifice, which left a mark on Harry that shielded him.

Why is Harry's Status Unique?

Harry's status as a Horcrux stands apart from the others for several key reasons:

• Unintentional Creation: Unlike the other Horcruxes, which Voldemort meticulously planned and created through dark rituals, the soul fragment within Harry was created by accident, a byproduct of a failed murder attempt. Voldemort was unaware of its existence for years.
• Living Container: Harry was a living, breathing human being, not an inanimate object or a creature specifically chosen and enchanted by Voldemort. This meant the Horcrux within him was tied to his life force.
• Destroyed Differently: The piece of Voldemort's soul within Harry was ultimately destroyed by Voldemort himself during the Battle of Hogwarts when he cast the Killing Curse on Harry in the Forbidden Forest. This act, unknowingly to Voldemort, obliterated the soul fragment without harming Harry's own soul, allowing Harry to survive.

Here's a comparison of intended versus unintended Horcruxes:

Harry Potter's unique status as the eighth, unintended Horcrux was crucial to the defeat of Lord Voldemort, as it meant that a piece of Voldemort's soul had to be destroyed by Voldemort himself for the Dark Lord to truly be vanquished.