Pretty sure she made up the idea of Horcruxes halfway through the series.
The second book, nearly the start of the series, centers around a diary that is nearly indestructible, can possess others, and can reconstitute Voldemort after his death. Even though it wasn’t called a Horcrux by name at the time, it hits all the key points of something you’d make to save yourself from death. It’s also known in that same book that he’s got more than one of the things.
She might not have had everything planned out, but it seems pretty clear to me she had an Immortal Dark Lord in mind when she made the first book and had already mapped out the mechanism by the second book.
The second book, nearly the start of the series, centers around a diary that is nearly indestructible, can possess others, and can reconstitute Voldemort after his death.
It was fireproof. No other conventional type of damage ever occurred to it. (ETA: oops.) Those other properties you mention are evidence that the idea of Horcruxes had not been settled on when the diary was created- none of the other Horcruxes were independent, sentient copies.
(Incidentally, did anyone else think Arthur’s line about “never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain” was hilariously stupid? Tons of magical stuff can think, and absolutely none of it has a brain.)
ETA: Amusingly, canon!Professor Quirrell was apparently a “pseudo-Horcrux”.
It’s fireproof, it doesn’t get damaged by water, and it can’t have the pages torn out. Ginny tried to destroy it in a variety of ways offscreen and wasn’t successful.
The only other Horcrux we get to see much of, the locket, constantly attempts mind control for about half of the 7th book. Luckily the heroes already know about it’s power of mind control and keep trading off the locket to prevent possession. Plus, they’re not impressionable eleven year old girls. IIRC the other Horcruxes are described as attempting similar but get such minor screentime they’re destroyed before it matters.
It didn’t need to possess Umbridge. A Voldemort horcrux influences you to be more like Voldemort, or do to things in favor of Voldemort. Umbridge was already doing precisely what Voldemort wanted, so the best thing for the horcrux to do was to STFU and let her continue.
Yes, I think ‘mind control’ is wrong here. It’s very similar to the One Ring, which occasionally does seem to deliberately slip off someone’s finger etc. but mostly just projects a certain feeling. I never felt the horcrux was plotting against them.
As to Harry the Horcrux, I don’t think accidental Horcruxes are crazy because the magic is implied not to be sophisticated so much as primal and brutal. At a narrative level, it fits very well. He isn’t accidentally casting a Horcrux spell, a Horcrux is accidentally being formed from the combination of a spare bit of soul and a well-suited container.
The second book, nearly the start of the series, centers around a diary that is nearly indestructible, can possess others, and can reconstitute Voldemort after his death. Even though it wasn’t called a Horcrux by name at the time, it hits all the key points of something you’d make to save yourself from death. It’s also known in that same book that he’s got more than one of the things.
She might not have had everything planned out, but it seems pretty clear to me she had an Immortal Dark Lord in mind when she made the first book and had already mapped out the mechanism by the second book.
It was fireproof. No other conventional type of damage ever occurred to it. (ETA: oops.) Those other properties you mention are evidence that the idea of Horcruxes had not been settled on when the diary was created- none of the other Horcruxes were independent, sentient copies.
(Incidentally, did anyone else think Arthur’s line about “never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain” was hilariously stupid? Tons of magical stuff can think, and absolutely none of it has a brain.)
ETA: Amusingly, canon!Professor Quirrell was apparently a “pseudo-Horcrux”.
It’s fireproof, it doesn’t get damaged by water, and it can’t have the pages torn out. Ginny tried to destroy it in a variety of ways offscreen and wasn’t successful.
The only other Horcrux we get to see much of, the locket, constantly attempts mind control for about half of the 7th book. Luckily the heroes already know about it’s power of mind control and keep trading off the locket to prevent possession. Plus, they’re not impressionable eleven year old girls. IIRC the other Horcruxes are described as attempting similar but get such minor screentime they’re destroyed before it matters.
Hm. I had forgotten the locket’s paranoia-inducing field. Revising my confidence downward.
Except, wait, Umbridge wasn’t possessed. (Googles...)
So, uh… I’ve got nothing.
It didn’t need to possess Umbridge. A Voldemort horcrux influences you to be more like Voldemort, or do to things in favor of Voldemort. Umbridge was already doing precisely what Voldemort wanted, so the best thing for the horcrux to do was to STFU and let her continue.
Yes, I think ‘mind control’ is wrong here. It’s very similar to the One Ring, which occasionally does seem to deliberately slip off someone’s finger etc. but mostly just projects a certain feeling. I never felt the horcrux was plotting against them.
As to Harry the Horcrux, I don’t think accidental Horcruxes are crazy because the magic is implied not to be sophisticated so much as primal and brutal. At a narrative level, it fits very well. He isn’t accidentally casting a Horcrux spell, a Horcrux is accidentally being formed from the combination of a spare bit of soul and a well-suited container.