Reddit Theory Reveals Voldemort's Biggest Mistake With Horcruxes
In fact, Harry Potter's archenemy could have secured himself an easy victory.
The face-off between The Boy Who Lived and Lord Voldemort was especially tough for Harry because of Voldemort's horcruxes — artefacts that contained parts of his soul that did now allow him to die.
However, after Harry and his friends embarked on a mission to find and destroy the horcruxes, Voldemort's defeat was only a matter of time — something that the dark lord could have easily avoided if it was not for a huge missed opportunity, according to this Reddit theory.
"Dumbledore was fatally wounded by the Gaunt Rings curse, yet Voldemort didn't bother cursing all the other Horcruxes as well," the theory goes. "It has been said that by old wizard folklore the number 7 has special magical properties, which is why Voldemort wanted 7 horcruxes. However he made Harry Horcrux number 8 by mistake."
After Harry destroyed the Tom Riddle diary in the Chamber of Secrets, there were 7 horcruxes again. If Voldemort bothered to curse all his horcruxes, he could have easily shielded himself from any attempt to destroy them, as "no matter which Horcrux would have been destroyed or touched at that point would have mortally cursed the person who did the deed", according to the theory.
While true in some sense, the theory does ignore the fact that all horcruxes were in fact cursed, one fan argued.
"However if you think about it, the rest of them were cursed. The diary had the ability to possess anyone who wrote in it. The locket caused their moods to drastically change and eventually fight. Even when it was opened, there was a defense mechanism to stop them from wanting to destroy it. If I'm remembering correctly, the cup was hot to the touch in the books," Redditor bipolarqueen_ argued.
Besides, the objects being cursed would have drawn a lot of unnecessary attention to something that must remain hidden, according to other fans.
"If people really start digging into why some tiara is cursed it might lead to figuring out that it is a horcrux and destroying it," Redditor RickTitus noted.
After all, Voldemort's recklessness with his horcruxes allowed Harry and his friends to defeat him, so if it wasn't for his mistake, the ending of the Harry Potter saga might not have been happy at all.