A Horcrux is a fictional magical object in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. The concept of a Horcrux was first revealed in the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, although Horcruxes are present in earlier novels without being identified as such. Rowling uses the character Horace Slughorn to introduce their properties. Their retrieval and destruction forms the main focus of the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.