Voldemort made sure he could live forever by creating horcruxes. He hid them in varied objects, and he split parts of his soul - by killing - to do so. The theory, created by the great Stephen King, is that JK Rowling also wanted to live forever... well, her literature, anyway. Each book is a horcrux: just as Voldemort had created seven, so did Rowling. So is she a murderer? Well, she did kill several characters in her books, several characters who no doubt part of her soul. Why it's probably not true It's a bit of an abstract, metaphysical theory, isn't it? We'll never know if it's true, but it's certainly a clever idea. We'll also never know which seven characters were the ones she felt were a part of her soul: it's probable that Dumbledore was one, considering the rumours that he was based on her headteacher, but many are just speculation. Hedwig could represent a pet, Sirius or Snape could represent loved ones... we just don't know.