Canon Voldemort chose his horcruxes for symbolic value. HPMOR!Voldemort presumably chose the plaque for its indestructibility by human hands (though it might have symbolic value too). On the other hand, Bacon’s diary has nothing to commend it in terms of material (it is just a book), and Voldemort has no special attachment to Muggle science as a whole—indeed he is inimical to much of it.
There’s a couple potential advantages to having a horcrux in Harry’s possession: Harry’s then guarding it, and it might be used to possess Harry later on. Though that’s less helpful if, as in canon, Harry is a horcrux. But even then, I’d hardly be shocked to see Voldemort creating an additional horcrux on a whim.
On the other hand, Bacon’s diary has nothing to commend it in terms of material (it is just a book),
I’m not arguing, but how do we know that? IIRC we’ve never seen exactly what was in there, and Harry never got around to reading it. And it doesn’t sound like Quirrell to just make a gift just because it’s an “old rare item”, especially since he doesn’t quite like science and Bacon’s relevance to Harry is not that he had magic, but that he was a (proto-)scientist.
We’re told that Bacon’s research into magic did not get very far without a wand, and he never had any formal magical training since he refused his letter. It thus seems unlikely that he enchanted his diary in any interesting way.
Canon Voldemort chose his horcruxes for symbolic value. HPMOR!Voldemort presumably chose the plaque for its indestructibility by human hands (though it might have symbolic value too). On the other hand, Bacon’s diary has nothing to commend it in terms of material (it is just a book), and Voldemort has no special attachment to Muggle science as a whole—indeed he is inimical to much of it.
There’s a couple potential advantages to having a horcrux in Harry’s possession: Harry’s then guarding it, and it might be used to possess Harry later on. Though that’s less helpful if, as in canon, Harry is a horcrux. But even then, I’d hardly be shocked to see Voldemort creating an additional horcrux on a whim.
“You can never have enough big white belts, remember that.”
I’m not arguing, but how do we know that? IIRC we’ve never seen exactly what was in there, and Harry never got around to reading it. And it doesn’t sound like Quirrell to just make a gift just because it’s an “old rare item”, especially since he doesn’t quite like science and Bacon’s relevance to Harry is not that he had magic, but that he was a (proto-)scientist.
We’re told that Bacon’s research into magic did not get very far without a wand, and he never had any formal magical training since he refused his letter. It thus seems unlikely that he enchanted his diary in any interesting way.
We have only Quirrell’s word for most of that, though it seems plausible to me too.
He gave it to Harry. It’s something Harry would unquestionably want.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t come up again, so maybe not.