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OK this is a theory that kind of popped into my head while I was listening to MuggleCast (gasp)

Dumbledore never explained why his hand was injured (Harry thought it looked dead) but we assumed it had something to do with horcruxes.

Also, after OotP, I expected to hear a lot about the veil in the 6th book... but there wasn't anything about it...

So... I thought that the veil in the Department of Mysteries has something to do with Voldy's horcruxes, and that Dumbledore actually stuck his hand in the veil, and it died (assuming that the veil does kill people).

That would also explain why Harry would go to the DoM in the 7th book... to study the veil and try to understand what it had to do with horcruxes.

What do you think? ;-)

An interesting theory but I don't buy it, sorry.

To destroy a Horcrux you need to free it from an object it's been encased in. The stone in the ring has been broken - this fact suggest that somebody forced the bit of soul encased in it out.

I suppose if destroying the ring consisted of simply putting it behind the Veil, why did Dumbledore risk his own hand? It would be enough to throw it through the arch, even tied to a rope if you needed it back. Nobody sane would risked their own hand if they didn't need to.

I read this theory posted by someone in Unfogging the Future. Until then it hadnt really occured to me as a possible theory but on reflection, to me it sounds plausible. Nothing had explained what happened to DDs hand ... neither how or what it was. And, this theory covers two things in one go; how the ring's stone came to be broken, and what happened to DDs hand.
Snape has been brewing a potion for DDs hand, so this potion could be one not to *cure* the hand but to prevent the death reaching the rest of his body.
The Veil seems to have a lure, it sucks people in, Harry himself felt the urge to walk through it. Sirius was pushed through it by the force of the curse. Luna on the other hand knows not to go into the Veil, & therefore it's a sure bet that DD would know the same. He could have anchored himself in some way, either literally binding himself to an inanimate object or by using a spell or charm to prevent him going through ... he is the most powerful wizard of all time so this wouldn't be beyond his knowledge or ability.
Seeing as how we're discussing magical theory, I guess the focus has to be on how the Veil works or what its purpose is, and why DD (if this is what happened) had to put his hand through the Veil rather than simply throw the Ring through it.
If the Veil, or what lies beyond it, brings instant death it could be conceivable that throwing the Ring through would suffice but, this is one of LVs Horcruxes we're talking about so maybe some of the protections on it, or maybe the anchoring by the other Horcruxes, prevented the Ring simply being thrown in so easily, forcing DD to actually put the Ring beyond the Veil, killing the piece of LVs soul so brutally that the stone broke but also killing DDs own hand. When the stone broke the soul was freed from the object incasing it, hence destroying the Horcrux.

I really like that theory, of course it would have been reasonable not to put in his own hand, but maybe he had to because he was in a hurry with voldie on his heels or something. didn't somebody say he injured his hand duelling with LV?

I think that what you're thinking of is in the Spinner's End chapter, when Snape says:



The duel refers to the incident at the Ministry, during which LV and DD exchanged amazing curses and countercurses, i.e. the wall of water, etc. The injury refers to the dead-hand-thing that DD suffered afterwards during the destruction of the ring-horcrux.

Hello everyone

The thoughts about the veil are interesting. However if you re-read the chapter entitle horcruxes DD states what happened to his hand. I'll paraphrase it here:

T The "it" is referring to the ring. There was some sort of spell placed upon the ring that activated. Because DD's reflexes are now slower, he wasn't able to dodge or deflect the curse quickly enough and that's why he was injured.

This is true, & I re-read a lot but I guess I interpret things in various ways. This theory is one I heard only recently & personally I like it, although I'm still not sure whether I am totally convinced by it. But, DD could still have put his hand (& the Ring) through the Veil without contradicting canon. The fact of a terrible curse being on the Ring isnt changed by the fact of him putting his hand through the Veil or not. And, it could be his slow reflexes in not getting his hand back fast enough, that caused his hand to die.