A Horcrux is an object used to store part of a persons soul, protecting that person from death. It is a dark magical object in which a wizard can hide a piece of their soul, and it was introduced in the sixth book of the Harry Potter series. The creation of Horcruxes is an evil act that requires the wizard to rip their soul in two by committing murder. The number seven is a powerful number in magic, and Voldemort intended to split his soul into that many pieces, with six Horcruxes and the last piece reposing within his body. Voldemort created seven Horcruxes in total, and they were objects of great significance to him, such as his diary, a ring, a locket, a cup, a diadem, a snake, and Harry Potter himself, who became an unintentional Horcrux that needed to be destroyed for Voldemorts downfall. The destruction of Horcruxes was central to the later storyline of the Harry Potter novels, and Harry and his friends went on a mission to find and destroy them all.