Skip to main content

harry potter - Why didn't the basilisk bite in Chamber of Secrets destroy the Horcrux?


As the title asks, why didn't the basilisk bite received in the Chamber of Secrets destroy the Horcrux inside the bitten person?


Yes, I know Fawkes quite quickly healed the bite wound with his phoenix tears, but when Harry used the basilisk fang to destroy Tom Riddle's diary the destruction of that Horcrux was immediate. When Ron hit the locket with the Sword of Gryffindor, it was destroyed immediately. Although the destruction of the ring occurred off-page, Dumbledore used the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy it, so presumably, like the locket, it was gone right away. Nagini died straightaway when Neville decapitated her. The destruction of the Hufflepuff cup happens off-page. The diadem seems to have been destroyed by Fiendfyre immediately as well, as when Harry examined it outside the Room of Requirement it was already leaking a blood-like substance, and then it cracked in half. When Voldemort hit Harry with Avada Kedavra in the forest, Harry woke up in limbo with the last fragment of Voldemort's soul - that awful flayed baby-like being - separated from him immediately.


Is there a logical/canon-based explanation for why the fragment of Voldemort's soul residing in Harry wasn't destroyed upon Harry being bitten by the basilisk?


NOTE: I've read the HP Wiki's entry on Horcruxes; however, I find the HP Wiki to be inconsistent in its accuracy, so I'm hesitant to accept the Wiki's explanation on the matter. I'd prefer an explanation constructed from information in the books or a statement by JKR, or the like.



Answer



I believe it has to do with the fact Harry didn't die from it. Everything else was given the chance to die from whatever destroyed it, but Harry was saved from death by the phoenix tears. Maybe the logic works that his body can last longer with the poison than a book, locket, cup or ring and theoretically if a phoenix had cried on those immediately after being stabbed they would have resurrected/been ok and the Horcrux would still function/exist. This idea also fits with the Horcrux being destroyed by Voldemort's Avada Kedavra spell (and of course, Harry survived because of the protection from a mother's love). Following this logic, if Harry had died from the Basilisk bite, then the Horcrux would have been destroyed (but that didn't happen).


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...