Actually, that was suggested a while ago. :) It was one of the wilder theories; I don’t think I bothered to record a prediction for it.
(IMO, I don’t think it works. Consider Voldemort: he was destroyed by an Avada Kedavra and became a wandering spirit anchored by his physical Horcruxes, yes? So what would happen if he and Harry were mutual Horcruxes? You Avada Voldemort; he becomes a wandering spirit anchored by the physical living Harry; then you Avada Harry so Harry becomes a wandering spirit—but wait, there is no physical Horcrux, it was already destroyed! And with Harry now gone, so is Voldemort.)
In canon, Dumbledore claims that Voldemort’s soul latched onto Harry’s soul, which means that this would work. Dumbledore is very smart and knows much more about magic than I do, so I think that it would probably work.
Souls might not exist in HPMOR. But I think they very well might. Otherwise:
Dumbledore is wrong. That doesn’t seem likely on the basis of his general intelligence alone. Since he’s really experienced and has access to tons of knowledge Dumbledore is even more likely to be right because he has evidence for souls that we don’t.
Magic becomes bizarre. Souls are really the only way to make sense of Human to Animal transfiguration, or the fact that Horcruxes require murder specifically to divide one’s identity, and they’re referenced a lot elsewhere in the magic system (for example, with the Dementor’s Kiss).
Voldemort wouldn’t have survived. But he did.
Since there’s no HPMOR world evidence against souls, and some evidence for souls, rational people inside HPMOR should believe in souls. This is sort of similar to how rational people from thousands of years ago probably would have been justified in believing in a deistic God.
We, however, have access to a counterargument, because we live outside HPMOR. The best reason to disbelieve in HPMOR souls is that Eliezer probably wouldn’t like them. That would overwhelm the above three problems, if Eliezer dislikes souls enough to either put a lot of extra work into the story in order to solve those problems, or enough to feel justified in leaving the problems as is.
I can’t evaluate that, because I don’t know Eliezer’s preferences.
In canon, Dumbledore claims that Voldemort’s soul latched onto Harry’s soul, which means that this would work. Dumbledore is very smart and knows much more about magic than I do, so I think that it would probably work.
Latching onto Harry’s soul doesn’t prove that mutual horcruxes would work since it doesn’t address my example of destroying horcruxes one at a time, and I’m pretty sure Dumbledore nowhere says that the mutual horcrux scheme would work.
Actually, that was suggested a while ago. :) It was one of the wilder theories; I don’t think I bothered to record a prediction for it.
(IMO, I don’t think it works. Consider Voldemort: he was destroyed by an Avada Kedavra and became a wandering spirit anchored by his physical Horcruxes, yes? So what would happen if he and Harry were mutual Horcruxes? You Avada Voldemort; he becomes a wandering spirit anchored by the physical living Harry; then you Avada Harry so Harry becomes a wandering spirit—but wait, there is no physical Horcrux, it was already destroyed! And with Harry now gone, so is Voldemort.)
In canon, Dumbledore claims that Voldemort’s soul latched onto Harry’s soul, which means that this would work. Dumbledore is very smart and knows much more about magic than I do, so I think that it would probably work.
Souls might not exist in HPMOR. But I think they very well might. Otherwise:
Dumbledore is wrong. That doesn’t seem likely on the basis of his general intelligence alone. Since he’s really experienced and has access to tons of knowledge Dumbledore is even more likely to be right because he has evidence for souls that we don’t.
Magic becomes bizarre. Souls are really the only way to make sense of Human to Animal transfiguration, or the fact that Horcruxes require murder specifically to divide one’s identity, and they’re referenced a lot elsewhere in the magic system (for example, with the Dementor’s Kiss).
Voldemort wouldn’t have survived. But he did.
Since there’s no HPMOR world evidence against souls, and some evidence for souls, rational people inside HPMOR should believe in souls. This is sort of similar to how rational people from thousands of years ago probably would have been justified in believing in a deistic God.
We, however, have access to a counterargument, because we live outside HPMOR. The best reason to disbelieve in HPMOR souls is that Eliezer probably wouldn’t like them. That would overwhelm the above three problems, if Eliezer dislikes souls enough to either put a lot of extra work into the story in order to solve those problems, or enough to feel justified in leaving the problems as is.
I can’t evaluate that, because I don’t know Eliezer’s preferences.
Latching onto Harry’s soul doesn’t prove that mutual horcruxes would work since it doesn’t address my example of destroying horcruxes one at a time, and I’m pretty sure Dumbledore nowhere says that the mutual horcrux scheme would work.