The previous time we read the word “Horcrux” it was:
Harry mentally noted down the word horcrux for future research,...
In canon, Tom Riddle found Horcrux research difficult and had to ask Professor Slughorn. Harry might suspect something Horcrux-like exists, but I don’t see how he could be confident in the name.
Horcruxes are important for Harry to learn about, because Harry already suspects that (1) Quirrell did something Horcruxy to Pioneer 11 in 1973. (2) Quirrell asks about hiding important artifacts, in a winking sort of way. I expected learning about Horcruxes to visibly change Harry’s opinion of Quirrell—it changed my opinion of Quirrell.
The previous time we read the word “Horcrux” it was:
In canon, Tom Riddle found Horcrux research difficult and had to ask Professor Slughorn. Harry might suspect something Horcrux-like exists, but I don’t see how he could be confident in the name.
Horcruxes are important for Harry to learn about, because Harry already suspects that (1) Quirrell did something Horcruxy to Pioneer 11 in 1973. (2) Quirrell asks about hiding important artifacts, in a winking sort of way. I expected learning about Horcruxes to visibly change Harry’s opinion of Quirrell—it changed my opinion of Quirrell.