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Harry Potter: All 7 Voldemort's Horcruxes, Explained

Harry Potter: All 7 Voldemort's Horcruxes, Explained
Image credit: Warner Bros.

To split his soul into seven pieces, Lord Voldemort created six Horcruxes. But weren’t there seven Horcruxes in total, later? Let’s see how the math checks out.

7. Tom Riddle’s Diary

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The first Horcrux Harry Potter encounters, the Diary is exactly what it sounds like. Back in the day, one little boy called Tom Riddle wrote down his notes; later, he became a monster who turned his diary into a Horcrux that could communicate with the living, manipulate them, and even possess them for short periods of time.

Tom Riddle’s Diary was destroyed with the Basilisk’s fang by Harry Potter in The Chamber of Secrets.

6. Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring

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The second Horcrux was officially introduced four years later when Dumbledore was teaching Harry about these vile artifacts. Voldemort chose the Gaunt’s Ring because it belonged to one of his ancestors and proved that he was Salazar Slytherin’s heir. Apart from that, the Ring contained the Resurrection Stone in its construction.

Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring was destroyed with Godric Gryffindor’s Sword by Albus Dumbledore in The Half-Blood Prince.

5. Salazar Slytherin’s Locket

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The Horcrux that passed through more hands than even the Diary, the Slytherin’s Locket once belonged to Voldemort’s favorite Hogwarts Founder, so it’s easy to see why the Dark Lord chose it. The Locket was first discovered by Regulus Black who failed to destroy it and eventually ended up in Dolores Umbridge’s possession.

Slytherin’s Locket was destroyed with Godric Gryffindor’s Sword by Ron Weasley in The Deathly Hallows.

4. Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup

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While he was on the path of desecrating every Hogwarts Founder’s legacy, Voldemort got his hands on Hufflepuff’s Cup and decided, “Hey, why not?” The Cup was stored in the Lestranges’ vault in Gringotts for many years with countless safety precautions until the Golden Trio stormed in and stole the Cup and the local dragon.

Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup was destroyed with the Basilisk’s fang by Hermione Granger in The Deathly Hallows.

3. Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem

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Another Hogwarts Founder’s relic that was ultimately squished by Lord Voldemort’s massive ego, the Ravenclaw’s Diadem was once a powerful artifact rumored to increase its wearer’s mental capacity. After Tom Riddle turned it into a Horcrux, the Diadem spent years stored in the Room of Requirement’s Room of Hidden Things.

Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem was destroyed with the Fiendfyre spell by Vincent Crabbe in The Deathly Hallows.

2. Nagini

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One of the two unique living Horcruxes, Nagini was Lord Voldemort’s snake companion. According to Albus Dumbledore’s speculation, the Dark Lord likely turned it into a Horcrux only after he was resurrected to complete his initial seven-piece-soul plan, unaware that he already had seven pieces by then.

Nagini was destroyed/killed with Godric Gryffindor’s Sword by Nevilly Longbottom in The Deathly Hallows.

1. Harry James Potter

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Lord Voldemort’s only unintentional Horcrux — at least, that we’re aware of — Harry Potter was still a baby when a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul settled in his body. The fact that Harry was a Horcrux deeply disturbed Dumbledore who knew that for Voldemort to finally die, The Boy Who Lived would have to die first.

Harry James Potter was destroyed/killed with the Killing Curse by Tom Marvolo Riddle in The Deathly Hallows.