Why did the dementors love attacking Harry so much?

[Pip]

Has anyone ever wondered why JKR invented a soul sucking fiend in the Harry Potter series? Was it just for the purpose of being the worst possible sentance for a prisoner in Azkaban or is there another reason....

What do people think about this (dont know if there any threads on this or not, sorry)....

If Harry is a horcrux i.e part of Voldemorts SOUL is in him, what if Harry is somehow able to use a Dementor to suck out that bit of Voldemorts soul from his body (without losing his) and therefore destroy it ?????:eek:

Dementors seem to be drawn to Harry more than anyone else in the books, maybe they can sense that theres an evil bit of soul lurking inside him.... :confused:

[Alz]

..or even because the piece of Voldemort - that evil, twisted, loveless piece of Voldemort would make a great feast?
OK - this is the first time I have seen the concept of the soul hoover versus someone who is placing soul around ... and I like it.
Thinking about it - the link was never really there till HBP and the fact we know Voldemort is ripping and hiding soul - a soul sucker makes perfect sense!
My only semi contradiciton is that they are drawn towards happiness and make people sad - I'm not sure Voldemort's soul would ever qualify as happy.
But there is something about this I like a lot - and as I said before - something I never though of till I read it!
Nice thread Pip!

[Vold. E. Mort]

For a long time, I've wondered why they went after Harry in COS. As I understand it, Dementors see the dark parts of your soul and they attack/exploit those parts. Well if, Harry is indeed a horcrux, as so many believe, then that means part of the darkest soul that has ever existed resides inside of Harry. That would explain their obsession with attacking him and why he hears the screaming. As a child, he was present at his parents' murder, but as evidenced by the fact that he cannot see the Thestrals until after Cedric is killed, he clearly did not witness the murder nor have any memory of it. I propose, the screaming he heard was indeed his mother, but, as seen/heard from Voldemort's perspective. The reason for the Dementors attacking Harry in COS is that they're going after the Voldemort fragment that lives inside Harry. I also believe the fragment resides in the scar itself, and once that fragment is removed, the scar will go with it. Harry isn't a horcurx, but his scar is. :eek:

discuss..... :D

[Alz]

OK - first off I wanted to say I totally agree - the fact Harry holds two kinds of soul in that body is like a dream feast to a Dementor!
I think that is exactly why the Dementors are so attracted to Harry - he is carrying more than the average meal ..

But you also uncovered something else in my mind - I just need to work out how to pitch it ... will give credit when I formulate it!

[Fortescue]

Unfortunately, if that were the case and the reasons the dementors liked Harry so much and continuously tried to suck out his soul only because he has a bit of Voldemort's evilness in him, then why is it that Voldemort, with the same dark bit of soul in him, can control the dementors and make them do what he wants?

I would think that if Harry had a bit of Voldemort in him the dementors would recognize that and wouldn't try to harm him.

[notposs]

hmmm ... I thought that Dementors feed on good feelings ... so if Harry has a bit of Voldemort in him ... that would mask his good feelings and leave him looking pretty normal to the Dementors.

somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Alz]

Unfortunately, if that were the case and the reasons the dementors liked Harry so much and continuously tried to suck out his soul only because he has a bit of Voldemort's evilness in him, then why is it that Voldemort, with the same dark bit of soul in him, can control the dementors and make them do what he wants?

I would think that if Harry had a bit of Voldemort in him the dementors would recognize that and wouldn't try to harm him.
Why - because the Dementors are only interested in where they can get their next meal - Voldemort wreaks misery, destruction and fear where ever he goes - can you see the reason why the Dementors defected?
In Azkaban they get new meat in there and suck the happiness out of them pretty quickly - so the pool is diminishing - Voldemort would have pitched a sale to the Dementors he could give them feasts - a chance to run rampant and consume what they wanted ...
End of the day - Voldemort had the better deal ... simple as that me thinks!

And the happiness comment - happiness is used to create a patronus which can be used to block the Dementors - they suck out people's happiness and feast on it ...

Regardless of the 'state' of the soul fragment in Harry - his more dominant self will be the main draw - the secondary piece of soul would offer up a tempting extra that seems almost unique!

[SnarkologyMajor]

I can remember discussing this awhile back and can't remember the details(HiaH thread I think)-but I am reminded of that scene in the POA movie where it sure looks like the dementor is sucking two souls out of Harry. I was reading Dudley Demented again and there were a few lines in there that I didn't notice so much until post HBP. One is when Harry mentions something about Dudley feeling like a big man when it's four guys to one(can't get to copy right this minute:( ) and when Harry screams at Dudley "Keep your mouth shut!" several times. This screamed Snape at the end of HBP to me-is this the reason why Snape's last comment is to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed? Is he trying to prepare him for another major dementor scenario? If Forte is right and dementors have something to do with horcrux creation - and if HSiaH, then not only does the dementors fascination w/Harry make perfect sense, but this could also point to an old theory that the dementors will be key to Voldemort's destruction and perhaps Harry's ability to survive?

[Alz]

I think Harry told Dudley to keep his mouth shut so the Dementor couldn't give him a snog ... you know, Dementor's kiss?
The PoA film thing - that was a great catch and yeah that is in another thread - JKR did say there was stuff in there that was clues, unintentionally of course!

[Tonks]

I don't think that Voldemort's soul would so much as cancel out the "happiness" of Harry.. yes, it could act against that, but in general, I think the Dementors simply look for any part of happiness (however deep down) to suck out. It doesn't really matter if there's some bad stuff in there too.. although that could be a slight turn-off..

Still, there are some parts where the dementors don't really need to be attracted just by Harry's potential two parts to go near him and affect him. At Privet Drive, obviously they were sent after him.. in PoA, they were going for Sirius and suddenly decided to go after those helping him as well (Hermione and Harry) .. and at the Quidditch match, they were thought to be attracted by the excitement out at the pitch - and once there they didn't necessarily go after Harry as much as he was just affected by their presence simply from being there..

At the same time though, I really do like the bit in the first post about Harry's memory being from Voldemort's point of view. Harry would have been too young to understand what was going on so all the screaming and yelling doesn't necessarily make sense if simply from his memory. Yet at the same time, Dementors are said to make people relive the worst memories of their lives. Voldemort did lose his powers that night - but does this night have the potential to be his worst memory ever?

[Alz]

Given Voldemort absolute fear of death - enough that he didn't mind decimating his own soul to prevent it - yeah I think being ripped from his body and left as a spiritual existence would rank up there as being his worst nightmare!

I agree somewhat with what you are saying - in OoTP and Privat Drive, the dementors seemed more interested in Dudley to start with - but in PoA given all the positive and happy thoughts floating around from the crowd - they did go after Harry specifically ..
Then of course the first time we saw a Dementor in PoA - it went straight for Harry once again ... now there has to be something about Harry they see as a more fitting feast rather than anyone else around him - because it seems like they center on him quite quickly!

[Pip]

See Why Can Dementors Suck Out Your Soul http://www.thefinalhorcrux.com/forum/showthread.php?p=21909#post21909

[Angelis]

I like what your saying, i don't think harry is a horcrux, but agree that the dementors could be after the part of voldemort in harry , i dont think the scar will fade, who would harry potter be with out his lightening scar ,

[Alz]

I think the linking between Soul and Dementors isnt just a clever co-incidence ... I think a soul vacuum and objects sealed with pieces of soul could be logically linked and used together?
If it wasnt for Sluggy saying it was a spell that was used to seal a Horcrux - I would go as far as to sat that is how Voldemort was doing it - they were and are now once again his natural allies ...
You can see why they dont really bat an eyelid around him though cant you - I mean a decimated soul that has been ripped to pieces!

[Sirius Potter Fan]

just a thought here . . . could it be possible that the dementors have their own "seers"? just as humans and centaurs do? perhaps they as well have had a prophecy telling them that Harry will/could defeate Voldemort, and without the dark lord making people miserable there wouldn't be as much misery for them to feed off of.

[Alz]

It's a thought I suppose ...
I think Dementors are like parasites - they feed off of other living things - in this case human emotions - they don't have loyalty and the likes - just a desire to feed and more importantly who can give them the best meals ... I think they float in between factions based on the ability to feast - ergo Voldemort is offering more food than the ministry ...
This is why I think they like Harry that much more - more food than the usual meal ticket!

[notposs]

Slightly going off tpoic I know. But, howcome there is never a ... how to put it ... like a 'rouge' dementor that disagrees with the group. There must be some kind of leadership because when one defects to Voldemort, they all do. Do they have like a leader that tells them what to do or what?

AAAHHH now Im going realy off topic

[Sirius Potter Fan]

Slightly going off tpoic I know. But, howcome there is never a ... how to put it ... like a 'rouge' dementor (http://www.thefinalhorcrux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2148&page=2#) that disagrees with the group. There must be some kind of leadership because when one defects to Voldemort, they all do. Do they have like a leader that tells them what to do or what?

AAAHHH now Im going realy off topic
now I KNOW we have discussed this elsewhere. We talked about them being a kind of "hive mind" like the borg for ST fans. I know that thread is around here somewhere!

[Alz]

Yeah you are right SPF - we have a thread discussing the mannerisms and characteristics of the Dementors ... and I liked the idea of a collective mind in a hive.

Going back on topic - when the Dementors went into the carriage in PoA - it was Harry they effected so much - once again this seems like there is something to Harry they like above all other souls - and I am not sure it is because he is filled with happiness - we know he hasn't had the best upbringing and young life!