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"You see? It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father’s name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother’s side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry. I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!" —Tom Riddle's transformation into Lord Voldemort[src]

Tom Marvolo Riddle (31 December 1926[13] – 2 May 1998), later known as Lord Voldemort or, alternatively as You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or the Dark Lord, was an English half-blood[2] wizard considered to have been the most powerful and dangerous Dark Wizard of all time.[14][15] He was amongst the greatest wizards to have ever lived, often considered to be the second most powerful wizard in history, his only superior being Albus Dumbledore. The only child and son of Tom and Merope Riddle (née Gaunt), Riddle was raised in the Muggle-run Wool's Orphanage after his father abandoned his new family on the streets of London when the potion's influence was lifted, and his mother died moments after giving birth to and naming him after his father and maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt.

Riddle began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1938 and was sorted into Slytherin house. Some of his early activities included the opening of Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and the use of its monster to attack Muggle-born students; several months' service as a purchasing agent for the Dark artefacts shop Borgin and Burkes; use of the ability to speak Parseltongue; and the attainment of immortality between the years of 1943 and 1998, a process begun upon the creation of his first Horcrux at the age of sixteen.

Splitting his own spirit into a total of eight fragments, Riddle created seven Horcruxes, one unintentionally and without his knowledge — Harry Potter. Abandoning his 'Muggle' name, he became the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort, which was an anagram of his birth name. He commanded a veritable army of wizards and Dark creatures, committed numerous murders personally and through his followers, and on one occasion nearly succeeded and on a later occasion did succeed in taking over the Ministry of Magic, installing a puppet Minister, Pius Thicknesse, who was controlled with the Imperius Curse.

Voldemort was ripped from his body in 1981 after attempting to kill Harry and, though unable to die, was not able to regain a permanent and physical body until 1995, thus spending the intervening fourteen years "a shell, less than the meanest ghost", but alive. He was finally killed by his own backfiring curse after Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, following Dumbledore's death, succeeded in destroying all of his Horcruxes.

Unknown to most, however, Voldemort's legacy and bloodline would live on through his daughter Delphini, whom he conceived with his loyal follower Bellatrix Lestrange; sometime after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996 and before Voldemort's death at the hands of Harry in 1998.

Riddle's broken and mutilated soul was then trapped in Limbo for eternity, unable to move on to the afterlife or even return as a disembodied spirit.

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Biography

Family lineage

"The Gaunts, a very ancient wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins." —Description of the House of Gaunt[src]

By Harry Potter's time, Tom's family on his mother Merope's side were the last known members of the House of Gaunt. The Gaunts were an ancient, and formerly wealthy, wizarding family, noted for producing individuals with violent and unstable personalities due to generations of inbreeding.

Previous, named members of the Gaunt family — Tom's distant relatives — included Corvinus Gaunt, Tom's maternal ancestor, and a Parselmouth who hid the Chamber of Secrets entrance in a girls' restroom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Rionach Gaunt, the mother of Ilvermorny founder Isolt Sayre; and Gormlaith Gaunt, the sister of Rionach; maternal aunt of Sayre; maternal great-aunt of Rionach Steward and Martha Steward; and, it is believed, the "last of the Irish branch of the Gaunt family".

Because of the Gaunt family's liking for grandeur, along with little sensibility at their indulgences, the family gold was gambled away and gone long before the last known heirs of the lineage were born. Likewise, a tendency to "marry their own cousins" to "keep their bloodline pure", following the beliefs of their ancestor Salazar Slytherin, caused the heirs to the Gaunt name to suffer the ill-effects of generations of inbreeding and incest.

In North America, in what would later become the state of Massachusetts in the United States, the descendants of the Irish branch of the Gaunt family, through the Sayre's line, were thought to have died out sometime in the 17th or 18th century. Rionach Steward, Sayre's Half-blood daughter and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Ilvermony, was also rumoured to have inherited the ability to speak Parseltongue from her mother. Unwilling to further Slytherin's bloodline, since she viewed him as a Dark Wizard, Rionach never married or had children, and she later died without heirs.

However, Rionach was unaware that another branch of the Gaunt family was still present, alive and well, across the ocean in England. It was from this line of Gaunts from which, centuries later, another Half-blood descendant, Tom Marvolo Riddle, would be born.

Rionach's sister Martha, unlike her sibling, married a No-maj (Muggle) friend of the nearby Pocumtuc Native American tribe. Born a Squib, without any magical powers, Martha felt ostracised within the growing American wizarding community, despite being the child of an important family. In the end, due to the emotional pain caused by being unable to perform magic, and the stigma of being the the only Squib to grow up at Ilvermorny, Martha decided to live her life henceforth as a Muggle.[16]

Tom's maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, and his maternal uncle, Morfin Gaunt, claimed to be the last known male, pure-blood descendants of Slytherin by the early 20th century. As such, they regarded themselves as "royalty" for their ancestry, despite their poverty; squalor; lack of education; and mental and physical disorders from centuries of familial inbreeding.

Tom's father, Tom Riddle Senior, was a wealthy Muggle living in the village of Little Hangleton, near the Gaunt shack, who was forced into a relationship with Merope Gaunt through the suspected use of the Imperius Curse or a love potion.[17] After some time, it is speculated by Albus Dumbledore that Merope discontinued her bewitchment of Tom, in the hopes that he had really fallen in love with her, or would at least stay for their child's sake. To Merope's great sorrow, Tom Snr fled from her after he came to his senses and regained his free will and never wanted to see her again.[18]

Early life (1926-1938)

I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt if I want to... I can speak to snakes too. They find me, they whisper to me." —Tom Riddle regarding the things he can do[src]

Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on 31 December, 1926 at Wool's Orphanage in London. His mother Merope staggered to the door of the orphanage, gave birth to Tom there, and died shortly after. Riddle grew up in the dingy orphanage, completely unaware of his wizarding heritage. Since the Muggle orphanage staff did not know anything about his mother, they did not know about his magical background. Instead, they believed that Merope was a circus worker, as Mrs Cole told Dumbledore shortly before his first meeting with Riddle. It is unknown whether or not the staff relayed this to Riddle before his first encounter with Dumbledore.

Despite his ignorance of his mother's true background, Riddle did have some grasp on his abilities beyond that of normal magical children of his same age, and an unusually high degree of control over them. He could move objects with his mind and cause them to float wherever he wished, manipulate animals and creatures as he wished, speak Parseltongue, and use his power to inflict harm on other orphans. After getting into a fight with fellow orphan Billy Stubbs, he used his powers to hang the boy's rabbit from the rafters. On one occasion, he took two other orphans, Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson, into a cave, where he performed an act so horrifying that the two orphans were traumatised into silence. Afterwards, he may have told them, in some means, not to tell anyone what happened in the cave. Riddle also stole from other orphans and hid their things in his cupboard like trophies.

Discovery of being a wizard

Harry Potter: "Did you know, sir? Then...?" Albus Dumbledore: "Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all-time? No." — A memory of Dumbledore meeting Tom Riddle for the first time[src]

When Riddle was eleven, Dumbledore, who at the time was the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts, talked to Mrs Cole, who informed him of how unusual the boy was, sharing tales of his extraordinary influence over the other children. When Dumbledore was at last introduced to the boy, Riddle at first believed him to be a doctor or psychiatrist of some sort, come to take him to an asylum because of what the staff had seen. He was convinced after Dumbledore demonstrated his power by using a Flame-Freezing Charm on Riddle's cupboard and revealed that Hogwarts was a school for people with magic, whereupon Riddle realised that was what his abilities were. Tom also mentioned his proficiency for Parseltongue in this same meeting, asking if it was a common gift amongst wizards, to which Dumbledore gave no reply. Dumbledore also admonished Riddle for stealing from others and made him return the items with his apologies. He also warned Riddle to stop his misbehaviour, as Hogwarts had an honour code whereupon lying, cheating and stealing were not tolerated.

At a very early age, it was clear that Riddle displayed a desire to be different and set apart from others (as it was hinted when he mentioned his dislike of his own name, because it was such a common name).

Riddle was not surprised upon being informed by Dumbledore that he was a wizard — he was, in fact, eager to believe that he had special gifts that no one else had. Riddle also showed an eminent fear of death, considering it a human weakness. He claimed that his mother could not have been a witch, because if she was magical, then she would have been able to avoid dying, and thought his father was a wizard. He asked if his father was an alumnus of Hogwarts, to which Dumbledore said he did not know offhand.

Riddle's abuse of his wizarding powers alarmed Albus. He resolved to keep a close eye on him, something he should have done in any case, seeing as he was "alone and friendless". Dumbledore also warned Riddle that at Hogwarts he would be introduced to the laws that controlled the usage of magic in the wizarding world, and that law-breakers were punished with severity not by Hogwarts but the Ministry of Magic. Riddle's demeanour changed after Dumbledore reprimanded him; he became more guarded and shielded his reactions. Dumbledore provided Riddle with enough information to find Diagon Alley and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He also provided Riddle with a stipend from school funds so that he could purchase his books and equipment. Travelling on his own to Diagon Alley, Riddle bought some second-hand robes and spell books for himself, along with his wand — thirteen-and-a-half inches, yew, phoenix feather core — at Ollivander's. Garrick Ollivander later said that the wand was very powerful; Voldemort was very pleased with it until the wand failed him during his confrontation with Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard.

Hogwarts years (1938-1945)

"When I first met young Mr Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant boy, committed to becoming a first rate wizard. Not unlike others I've known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep within." —Horace Slughorn regarding his first experiences with Tom Riddle[src]

Riddle was educated at Hogwarts from 1938 to 1945, and was sorted into Slytherin House, a nod to his ancestor Salazar Slytherin. During summer breaks, he was forced to return to the Muggle orphanage, which he despised and dreaded more than any other place on earth.

Riddle described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student."[7] Due to his exceptional acting abilities, he was able to convince virtually all of the Hogwarts staff and instructors that this facade was his true personality. The sole exception to this was Dumbledore, who, though not necessarily suspicious of Riddle, never forgot about his misdeeds at the orphanage, nor his unsettling behaviour during their first meeting. In turn, Riddle realised that he had been careless in showing Dumbledore his true character upon their first meeting, and never attempted to win him over as he had with his other instructors. In time, he came to fear and despise Dumbledore.[18]

Over time, Riddle gathered to himself a gang of Slytherin thugs, a motley composition of "the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty," most of which would become the first Death Eaters. Riddle claimed they were his friends, and made it appear so in public, but in truth, they amounted to little more than servants, and he cared almost nothing for them. He often manipulated them into committing petty crimes and other misdeeds, but none of these incidents were reliably traced back to the group.

Opening the Chamber of Secrets

Main article: Plot to open the Chamber of Secrets

The last time the chamber was opened, a Mudblood died." —Draco Malfoy, regarding the first opening of the Chamber of Secrets[src]

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Riddle became obsessed with his heritage and began researching it with an insatiable hunger. He focused solely on the identity of his father, thinking him to be the magical parent, as he felt his mother could not have been a witch if she had died. He searched for his father's name in the school trophy room, in the records of Hogwarts prefects and in records of wizarding history, but found nothing to suggest his father had even attended Hogwarts. He was eventually forced to accept that his father was the Muggle parent, and that his mother was the magical one. It was around this time that Riddle gave himself the alias "Lord Voldemort", to spare himself of the reminder of his "filthy Muggle father."[19]

Using his middle name, Marvolo, which was taken from his maternal grandfather, Riddle discovered his mother's heritage and the Gaunts' bloodline connection with Salazar Slytherin. Once Riddle learned of his ancestry, it was not long before he discovered the existence of the Chamber of Secrets under Hogwarts, during his fifth year, and tamed the Basilisk which dwelt within. As the Heir of Slytherin through his mother's family, Tom was able to open the Chamber Slytherin had left behind in order to "purge the school of all those who [were] unworthy to study magic" — in Riddle's and Slytherin's eyes, Muggle-borns.[7]

Around 13 June, 1943, the Basilisk injured many at Hogwarts, with its last victim being a student named Myrtle Warren, who was killed in the girls' bathroom when she saw the Basilisk's yellow eyes. In light of this incident, the Hogwarts Board of Governors decided that Hogwarts was to be closed. During that year, Riddle made a special request that Headmaster Armando Dippet would allow him to stay at school over the summer break. However, Dippet informed him of the governors' decision, and denied his request. Realising that the Chamber would need to be closed and the culprit caught in order to keep the school open (and not have to return permanently to the orphanage), Riddle framed fellow student Rubeus Hagrid and his pet Acromantula, Aragog. He convinced Dippet that Aragog was the monster that had terrorised the school. Hagrid was expelled, and Riddle received an engraved trophy for Special Services to the School.[7]

Dumbledore, who did not believe that Hagrid was responsible for the killing, managed to arrange for him to be kept on as Hogwarts's groundskeeper. Distrusting Riddle, Dumbledore kept an "annoyingly close" watch on him after that. Due to this, Riddle realised that he would not be able to risk opening the Chamber while still a student. As such, he preserved a part of his soul within his own school diary, the very first of his seven Horcruxes, hoping it would one day lead someone to finish Salazar Slytherin's "noble work".

Murder of the Riddle family

Main article: Murder of the Riddle family

Morfin Gaunt: "I thought you was that Muggle, you look mighty like that Muggle." : " Riddle: "What Muggle?" Morfin Gaunt: "That Muggle what my sister took a fancy to, that Muggle what lives in the big house over the way, you look right like him. Riddle. But he's older now, in 'e? He's older 'n you, now I think on it... he come back, see." — Riddle confronts his maternal uncle[src]

Around August 1943,[20] Riddle went to Little Hangleton to learn about his mother's family. While at the Gaunt Shack, he met his uncle Morfin Gaunt, with whom he was far from impressed. Morfin mentioned offhandedly at one point during this meeting that he thought that Tom looked "mighty like that Muggle," Merope's husband, Tom Riddle Snr. Riddle immediately demanded the identity of the Muggle in question, and Morfin told Riddle the story of his Muggle father, which infuriated Tom to the point of seeking revenge. Riddle stunned Morfin and took his wand, went over to the Riddle House and, using his uncle's wand, murdered his father, grandfather, and grandmother with the Killing Curse.

Riddle covered up his crimes by altering Morfin's memory, causing him to believe that he was the killer. When the Ministry of Magic investigated the crime, Morfin, who had previously served three years in Azkaban for using magic in front of and against Muggles, freely admitted to the deed and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Tom took the Gaunt family's signet ring from Morfin and later on would preserve another part of his soul within it to make his second Horcrux, wearing it like a trophy at Hogwarts.[18]

Learning about Horcruxes

Riddle: "How do you split your soul?" Horace Slughorn: "Well, you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature." Riddle: "But how do you do it?" — Discussion of how Horcruxes are made[src]

During his sixth year, Riddle questioned Professor Slughorn, who was taken in by Riddle's charisma, about the possibility of creating more than one Horcrux, something Slughorn felt deeply ashamed of in later years. In his mid-teen years, Riddle already sought to make himself immortal; being unable to find any recorded information on creating multiple Horcruxes. He wanted to split his soul into seven, as this is the most powerful magical number, and asked the experienced and knowledgeable Slughorn for an opinion before attempting this unknown feat. Slughorn answered all of Riddle's questions under the belief it was merely academic curiosity but was deeply horrified at the thought of creating multiple Horcruxes.

Riddle succeeded in doing so at some point during this year, creating his first Horcrux in the form of the aforementioned diary and his second in the form of the inherited ring. During Riddle's seventh year at Hogwarts, he was made Head Boy, earned outstanding marks in every examination he took, and received a Medal for Magical Merit. Riddle was regarded as one of the most brilliant students ever to attend Hogwarts, a fact admitted by Dumbledore himself.

After Hogwarts (1945-1949)

Albus Dumbledore: "Rumours of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them." Riddle: "Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore." — A business intercourse between a headmaster and his old student[src]

After graduating, Riddle immediately approached Dippet and asked him for a chance to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, and to remain at Hogwarts, for reasons that he did not confide with the then-headmaster — Hogwarts being his true home at heart, using the influential position as a teacher to recruit students into his future army, and to continue to learn the castle's magical secrets. Dippet rejected this offer, deeming the boy too young, but invited Riddle to reapply in a few years, if he was still interested in the post, something that Dumbledore heavily advised against.

Shortly before leaving Hogwarts, however, Riddle charmed Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw and the ghost of Ravenclaw House, into telling him the location of her mother's diadem, which she revealed as a hollow tree deep within a far-flung forest in Albania. He presumably travelled there at her instruction, murdering an Albanian peasant along the way before retrieving the diadem, which he later preserved a third part of his soul within to make his third Horcrux.[21]

Upon his return to Britain, Riddle was offered several positions in the Ministry of Magic, but ended up working at Borgin and Burkes, to the disappointment and surprise of many. Riddle set to persuading witches and wizards to part with their valuable magical heirlooms — a job at which he was very good.[18]

The rise of the Dark Lord (1950-1970)

Murdering Hepzibah Smith

But before they were sure beyond doubt that the cup and the locket were both gone, the assistant who had worked at Borgin and Burkes, the young man who had visited Hepzibah so regularly and charmed her so well, had resigned his post and vanished. His superiors had no idea where he had gone; they were as surprised as anyone at his disappearance. And that was the last that was seen or heard of Tom Riddle for a very long time. " —Tom disappears after murdering Hepzibah Smith[src]

While working at Borgin and Burkes, Riddle befriended Hepzibah Smith, a wealthy but elderly descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Between 1955 and 1961,[18][22] Hepzibah showed Riddle her two most valuable treasures: his ancestor's locket and her ancestor's cup. Tom's eyes flashed red with greed and avarice upon seeing these objects, seeing the locket to be rightfully his as Slytherin's heir and the cup as a reminder of Hogwarts, as well as a priceless artefact.

Riddle murdered Hepzibah, by using a "Little known poison", to steal these coveted objects and vanished without a trace. He again covered his tracks well by implanting another false memory into an innocent bystander — Hokey, Hepzibah's house-elf. Hokey admitted to accidentally putting poison into Hepzibah's cocoa, which was believed, as Hokey was elderly herself. Meanwhile, Riddle immediately resigned his post at Borgin and Burkes and fled with the cup and locket, subsequently turning them into two more Horcruxes using the murders of Hepzibah and an unidentified Muggle tramp.[18]

Lord Voldemort's request

"I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed —" —Tom regarding the magical experimentation he did while abroad[src]

Riddle disappeared for ten long years. He slipped deeper into the Dark Arts, travelled extensively, consorted with disreputable people, began to become distorted in appearance and lose his handsomeness due to splitting his soul so many times, and began to use the alias "Lord Voldemort" openly. He also severed contact with Slughorn, who became upset for not living up to the Potions Master's employment offers.

Ten years after Hepzibah Smith's murder, Riddle appealed once more to the Headmaster of Hogwarts, now Albus Dumbledore, for the position of Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. After a short, superficially amiable chat, Dumbledore directly confronted Riddle regarding why he had requested the position, as he knew full well that Riddle had no desire whatsoever to teach. Riddle, unable to make an open request of Dumbledore due to the malicious nature of his true intentions, simply left after a final, gentle rebuke from his former teacher. From that day on, Hogwarts was never able to keep a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for more than a year, which was attributed by Dumbledore to a curse by Riddle. The visit to Hogwarts was not fruitless, however, for Riddle used the opportunity to hide the diadem in the Room of Requirement, where he believed it would never be found.[18][21]

Voldemort, as Riddle was now exclusively called, spent the next few years before the First Wizarding War gathering followers in witches and wizards who called themselves, collectively, Death Eaters.[23] Some were supportive of his cause to dominate Muggles and Muggle-borns; while others were greedy for domination, wealth and fame; and yet others joined the Dark Lord out of fear. Voldemort considered them more like servants than friends or family. According to Sirius Black, Voldemort also used tricks, jinxes, and blackmail to get people to willingly join him.

At some point around this time, Voldemort greatly enhanced his skills in Legilimency, to the point that he quickly earned a reputation as the greatest Legilimens alive. Voldemort could read, control and unhinge the minds of others, and could almost always tell when he was being lied to. According to Severus Snape, Voldemort often enjoyed telepathically invading the minds of others, creating visions designed to torture them into madness. Only after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony, only when he had them literally begging for death, would he finally kill them.

First Wizarding War (1970-1981)

"He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em." —Voldemort's actions during the First Wizarding War[src]

In 1970, Voldemort started the First Wizarding War by taking advantage of one of the wizarding world's greatest weaknesses: the beings and creatures that they had outcast. The Dark Lord recruited the giants, who had long ago been driven by Wizardkind into the mountains, and werewolves, who were persecuted by most witches and wizards. Many feared the goblins would also join him, as they were restricted from wand use, but it never happened. In fact, Voldemort murdered a family of goblins near Nottingham at some point during the War, for an unknown reason (possibly anger at the neutrality of the goblins, or no reason at all). Voldemort's army caused widespread destruction and mayhem during the war.

Bartemius Crouch Snr, who was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time and was known for his fanatical hatred of the Dark Arts, issued an edict that gave Aurors authorisation to use Unforgivable Curses on Death Eaters without warning, and suspects were sometimes handed over to the Dementors without a Wizengamot trial. Many innocent people were locked away. Due to the atrocities committed by the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and his terrifying persona, people were even afraid to speak his name, and he was referred to as "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Under the staunch protection of Dumbledore, the only person Voldemort truly feared, Hogwarts remained a safe place of learning throughout the entire war. The Order of the Phoenix was created by Dumbledore at this time to fight against Voldemort. The war itself lasted for eleven long years.[24]

Visiting the Lee family

Eventually, Lord Voldemort visited the home of the father of Barnaby Lee. He told his son he was capable of anything if he could become as strong as the Dark Lord, showing his faith in his master. He later drowned Barnaby's pet Kneazle.[25]

Testing his Horcrux's defences

To the Dark Lord - I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know it was I who discovered your secret, I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can, I can face death in the hope, that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once again. -R.A.B." —Regulus Black's letter to Voldermort before his untimely death.[src]

In 1979, Voldemort decided to test the defences around his Horcruxes. He placed Slytherin's locket in the crystal cave, and asked Regulus Black, a loyal 18-year-old Death Eater to lend him his house-elf, Kreacher. Voldemort took the elf with him to the cave, forced him to drink the Emerald Potion, and left him to die on the Crystal Cave Island. Kreacher was able to escape using house-elf magic, and told Regulus of what had happened. Over the years, Voldemort created an army of Inferi from the people he had killed to further strengthen his defences. Upon hearing Kreacher's story, Regulus, who had already been somewhat uncomfortable with the reality of being a Death Eater, decided to defect. From clues left behind by Voldemort, he deduced that his master had created a Horcrux in order to become immortal. He took a duplicate locket and placed a note inside for Voldemort to find, then ordered Kreacher to take him to where the real locket was hidden. Kreacher guided Regulus past the cave's defences. At the island, with the basin of potion containing the locket, Regulus ordered Kreacher to take it once the potion was gone and replace it with the fake one, then escape without him and find a way to destroy the Horcrux. Regulus drank the potion himself, and when he tried to get water from the lake to quench his thirst, he was dragged to his death by the Inferi. Kreacher obeyed his master's orders and switched the lockets before escaping. However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to destroy the Horcrux.

During this time, Voldemort gave his old diary to Lucius Malfoy, his loyal Death Eater, and ordered him to hide it. Malfoy kept it safe in his manor, but the Dark Lord never told him that the diary contained a fragment of his soul. Voldemort informed him only that the diary was cleverly charmed and smuggling it into Hogwarts will cause the reopening of the legendary Chamber of Secrets and send the Basilisk living inside the chamber to finish Slytherin's idea of cleansing the school of all Muggle-borns, thus proving that Voldemort was Slytherin's true heir.

Voldemort also left the Hufflepuff's cup in the care of Bellatrix Lestrange, another one of his loyal Death Eaters. Bellatrix, much like her brother-in-law Lucius, was ordered to hide it, so she stored it in her family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which was considered to be impossible to plunder. She treated the object with extreme priority, although Voldermort hadn't informed her that the cup was a Horcrux. The cup was protected by the bank's extensive security measures, but Lestrange casted some protective curses on it, like a spell which would cause any object to multiply exponentially if touched by anyone other than the vault's owners or to cause the object itself to glow hot as fire and burn the flesh of anyone trying to remove it without authorization.

Probably during this time he returned Gaunt's ring to the Gaunt shack. He placed the ring inside a golden box and hid it beneath the shack's rotting floorboard, setting up many protective enchantments to deter outsiders from entering the shack and finding the ring. He also placed a powerful curse on the ring as well, one that would quickly lead to the death of the ring's wearer if not stemmed.

The Prophecy

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." —Sybill Trelawney's first prophecy[src]

Ten years into the war, when Voldemort was at the height of his dominion, a prophecy was given by Sybill Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore which predicted the fall of the Dark Lord. This prophecy was given in the Hog's Head Inn during an interview for the position of Professor of Divination This prophecy was overheard by Death Eater and informant Severus Snape According to Dumbledore, Snape only heard half of the prophecy and was then thrown out by the barman, Aberforth Dumbledore , Albus' brother. He relayed to Voldemort what he had heard, not realising that he had missed an important part of the message.

Trelawney's description of the night's events was a bit different however, as she stated that after feeling "ill," Aberforth burst into the room with Snape in tow, whom he had caught eavesdropping at the door. This is in contrast with Dumbledore's description of events. However, this may be due to the fact that Dumbledore had wished to conceal the identity of the spy from Harry, and told him a simplified version of the events. In any case, Voldemort received only the first part of the prophecy. Feeling threatened, he sprang into action to prevent the fulfilment of the prophecy.

There were, at the time, two babies to whom the prophecy could have referred — Harry Potter, the half-blood son of James and Lily Potter; and Neville Longbottom, the pure-blood son of Frank and Alice Longbottom. Both families had sought to thwart Voldemort three times, and both families were members of the Order of the Phoenix. Both children in question were born at the end of the seventh month, July. Voldemort chose to target Harry instead of Neville; Dumbledore suspected this was because Harry shared a similar family heritage with Voldemort, both of them being half-bloods.[24]

First fall from grace

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" —James Potter moments before his death[src]

Some time after Harry's birth, Peter Pettigrew , member of the Order of the Phoenix and the Potter's Secret Keeper began working as a Death Eater for Voldemort. On 31 October 1981 he told Voldemort of their location. The Dark Lord travelled to the Godric's Hollow and with the Potter's Fidelius Charm broken, he simply walked into their home . Once inside he proceeded to murder James and Lily, who did not have their wands. However, when he used the Killing Curse on Harry, it rebounded and seemingly obliterated his body. This happened because Lily lovingly sacrificed her life to protect her son, creating a powerful defence of ancient magic around Harry which protected him for many years.After eleven years of domination and warfare, Voldemort was defeated for the first time.

It was at this point that Voldemort's next Horcrux was unknowingly created. Years of experimentation, murder, and deliberately ripping apart his soul into so many Horcruxes had rendered the remainder of his soul so unstable that, when his body was destroyed, a small shard of his soul broke apart from the rest and latched unto the only other living being in what remained of the room: Harry Potter himself. The soul shard latched unto Harry's own soul, granting him some of the Dark Lord's own powers and providing him with a latent connection to Voldemort's own mind. Ironically, Harry became the Dark Lord's sixth Horcrux, the desired number Voldemort wanted in order to split his soul into seven pieces. What remained of Voldemort's mangled soul swiftly escaped from the ruins of the house that same night.

Missing years (1981-1994)

"I was ripped from my body, less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost, but still, I was alive." —Lord Voldemort regarding his fall from power[src]

After Voldemort's first fall from domination, the Death Eaters dispersed and attempted to return to normal life. Many claimed they had been under the Imperius Curse , while others stayed true to their master and continued his work, most notably the Lestrange family , who were eventually taken into custody, convicted at trial, and imprisoned in Azkaban. Most of them however, managed ultimately to remain free and to re-integrate into society.

Voldemort lost his physical form and magical powers, but he remained alive in ghostly form. The Horcruxes he had created kept his spirit bound to the physical world. He retreated to the forests of Albania, where he had previously found his fifth Horcrux, and waited for his faithful Death Eaters to find him, but many of them now believed him dead, and those still faithful to him were either dead or in Azkaban. His one remaining power was possession. He gained physical form by inhabiting animals, mainly snakes, though he disliked doing so because the bodies of such animals were ill-equipped to perform magic, and because his possession significantly reduced their lifespans; none of his hosts survived for too long. Additionally, any help that he could have potentially rendered himself required the use of a wand, and animals, obviously, could not be used for this purpose. Voldemort did not dare enter the communities to possess humans, as he knew that Aurors were still abroad, looking for any signs of him.[26]

Search for the Philosopher's Stone

"Harry Potter... we meet again." —Voldemort speaking through Quirrell[src]

In 1991 , Voldemort formed a plan to regain his physical body. Hogwarts Professor Quirinus Quirrell had made a voyage to Albania, where his foolish and gullible mind was vulnerable to Voldemort. He latched onto Quirrell's body and came back to England with him.

Somehow, Voldemort learned of the Philosopher's Stone, and how it could somehow return him to his physical form. He ordered Quirrell to steal the stone from a Vault 713 in Gringotts Wizarding Bank so he could make the Elixir of Life. Voldemort discovered the Stone had been removed earlier that same day, and through Quirrell's connections at Hogwarts, learned it was hidden at the school.[26]

The same year that Voldemort set to the task of stealing the Stone, Harry Potter began his first year at Hogwarts. There were many barriers protecting the Stone. Severus Snape, who had switched sides near the end of the war and become a professor of Potions, was suspicious of Quirrell and hounded him relentlessly. On 31 October, Quirrell released a troll in the Hogwarts dungeons as a distraction and sneaked to the Third Floor Corridor, where the Stone was being hidden. Snape followed him and blocked him off, but he has been bitten on the leg by the three-headed dog Fluffy in the process.[26] Voldemort was not to be stopped.

Later in the year, during a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Voldemort ordered Quirrell to kill Harry Potter. Quirrell jinxed Harry's broomstick to throw him off, but Snape tried to save Harry with a counter-curse. Hermione Granger, observing the crowd through binoculars to figure out who was jinxing the broom, saw Snape discreetly uttering the counter-curse incantation but erroneously assumed he was performing the actual curse. Running to Snape's stand and setting fire to his robes to distract him and make him stop, she accidentally knocked Quirrell over. This meant that Quirrell broke the necessary eye contact for performing his spell correctly.

"The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry -- unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry -- he couldn't move for fear" —Voldemort feasting on Unicorn blood[src]

Throughout the year, hosting Voldemort's soul drastically weakened Quirrell's body. Voldemort ordered Quirrell to prey on unicorns in the Forbidden Forest and drink their blood so he could gain strength from the unicorn's healing abilities and keep Quirrell alive. Quirrell met Harry, Draco Malfoy , and Fang there, and was about to attack Harry until the centaur Firenze rescued him. About a week before Harry's exams, Harry overheard a conversation between Voldemort and Quirrell, in which the Dark Lord ordered the Defence teacher to try to get the stone again. Potter mistook the conversation for an argument between Snape and Quirrell, because after the match with Slytherin he saw the Potions Master trying to intimidate Quirrell.Voldemort, perfectly aware of Hagrid's love for magical creatures from their school days and well knowing that Fluffy belonged to the half-giant, forced Quirrell to trick the Hogwarts groundskeeper into telling him how to get past the three-headed dog. One day at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade , a hooded Quirrell met Hagrid and enticed him into a card game with the wager of a dragon Hagrid assumed that the mysterious man was a dragon dealer and fellow dangerous creature enthusiast. Under the influence of a fair amount of mead, Hagrid divulged Quirrell that playing music for the Fluffy would put him to sleep.

On 4 June 1992, Voldemort ordered Quirrell to send a fake letter to Albus Dumbledore, asking him to go to the Ministry of Magic. Voldemort moved forward with his goal, moving through the security barriers to the Mirror of Erised. Quirrell saw himself presenting the stone to his master, but could not figure out how to get it.

See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapour ... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds.... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own.... Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?" —Voldemort explaining to Harry his non-corporeal and parasitic state of existence[src]

It was only when Harry arrived, believing he was protecting the Stone from Snape, that Voldemort saw a way to get it. Dumbledore would later say, "Only those who wanted to find the stone, but not use it, could get it from the mirror." Voldemort figured this out, and Quirrell attacked Harry. When he touched Harry, however, his hands blistered and burned. Harry placed his hands on Quirrell's face, severely injuring him. However, before Quirrell could harm Harry, Dumbledore appeared, and Voldemort's soul fled, killing Quirrell in the process. Voldemort returned to the Albanian forest, weaker than ever. He had to wait yet again for someone to help him.

Reopening the Chamber of Secrets

Voldemort: "Well, how is it that you — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent — managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort’s powers were destroyed?" Harry: "Why do you care how I escaped? Voldemort was after your time. . . ." Voldemort: "Voldemort, is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter. . . ." — Voldemort revealing his true identity to Harry Potter[src]

When Voldemort, after an unsuccessful attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone, was still hiding in Albania, Lucius Malfoy was still into possession of his diary. In the summer of 1992, Arthur Weasley began conducting raids on several wizarding households to confiscate Dark or illegally enchanted objects under his recently proposed Muggle Protection Act. Before Malfoy Manor could be raided, Lucius sold several of his more incriminating possessions at Borgin and Burkes and set in motion the old task that Voldemort assigned him which involved reopening the Chamber of Secrets. At Flourish and Blotts Malfoy planted the diary on eleven-year-old Ginny Weasley, who brought it to Hogwarts. By doing this, he hoped to kill two birds with one stone: he would rid himself of any ties connecting to the Dark Arts and he would discredit Arthur Weasley. Ginny began writing in it, and found that a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle was answering. She found comfort in the diary, confiding it with her worries, not knowing she was being manipulated. Riddle would always have sympathy. The diary slowly drained the life and energy from Ginny, transferring it to itself. Under the diary's control, Ginny re-opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the basilisk, which petrified several students. While possessed, she also killed Hagrid's roosters and wrote threatening messages on the school corridors in rooster blood. Ginny became upset and confused, knowing that the diary was doing something to her, and tried to flush it down the toilet in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Harry and Ginny's brother Ron accidentally stumbled upon it, and Harry began communicating with the diary.[7]

When Ginny saw that Harry had the diary, she stole it back for she did not want Harry to find out all the things she had written in the diary, or what she had done while under its influence. When this piece of Voldemort's soul was ready to take his physical form from Ginny's life, the diary lured her into the Chamber while ignoring her pleas and cries for mercy. Harry found Ginny in time and destroyed the basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's Sword. Fawkes also arrived, summoned by Harry's profound devotion and loyalty to Dumbledore.

This encounter and Horcrux is what revealed Voldemort's past as "Tom Marvolo Riddle" to Harry. At first, Harry thought he was an ally, and asked him to help. Then, when revealing his future identity to Harry, Riddle implied that he wanted to kill Harry in revenge for destroying him over even continuing Salazar Slytherin's wish of purging the school of Muggle-borns. Instinctively, Harry used the basilisk's fang to stab the diary, thinking it would destroy its dark power.[7] Not only was the diary destroyed, but Harry also unknowingly destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.[18] As Dumbledore surmised, the shard of Voldemort's soul that contained his core identity was still in hiding in Albania and remained unaware of these occurances for at least another year and a half.

Return to full strength (1994-1995)

""I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Wormtail -- courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord Voldemort's wrath --" —Voldemort informing Wormtail of his plot to murder to Harry Potter[src]

Gathering the old comrades

In the summer of 1994, when Voldemort had all but given up hope of obtaining any help from his former servants, Peter Pettigrew, also known as "Wormtail," who had faked his own death years earlier and hid from authorities in his Animagus form of a rat, travelled to Albania. Wormtail, tired of travelling and hungry, decided to eat something in an inn near the forest in which Voldemort was hiding. He was found there by Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic worker, who was on holiday in Albania. Although she recognised Peter, Pettigrew lured her into Voldemort's forest hideout and overpowered her, before handing her over to the Dark Lord. Upon torturing her, Voldemort was surprised to find that someone had put a powerful Memory Charm on her. After breaking the charm, Voldemort learned from her that this year the Triwizard Tournament would be held at Hogwarts and that Alastor Moody, an ex-Auror, will teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. She also revealed to him that Bartemius Crouch Jnr, one of his loyal Death Eaters, who had been imprisoned in Azkaban after his fall and was thought to be dead, is alive. Bartemius Crouch Snr was concealing his son at his home after helping him escape prison. Jorkins had stumbled upon Crouch Jnr at his house, and Crouch Snr placed a Memory Charm on her so that she would not report it.[27] Voldemort, unable to possess her body and mind, which were damaged by the spells he cast, murdered her. Voldemort, knowing also that Wormtail had been deemed dead by the wizarding community, and would have attracted too much attention, didn't possess his body as well. Together, they built a rudimentary body that Voldemort used for travel and performing magic. While in this form, Voldemort was forced to drink a Rudimentary body potion made from unicorn blood and venom from Nagini, a snake he befriended, to sustain his life. At some point, after Jorkin’s murder, he turned Nagini into his last Horcrux, believing his soul being in seven pieces.

Knowing that Dumbledore was sure to have seen to it that the Philosopher's Stone was destroyed, Voldemort knew he would not be able to use the Elixir of Life to create a new body for himself.[28] Voldemort decided to attempt an old piece of ritualistic Dark Magic to create a potion that would restore him to a body. He made plans to travel to England in order to obtain two of the three key ingredients: a bone from his father and the blood of his most hated enemy, Harry Potter. The third ingredient, the flesh of a servant willingly given, he would obtain from Wormtail himself.

Returning to the Riddle House in Little Hangleton, Voldemort set his sights on finally killing Harry Potter. He considered kidnapping Harry during the 422nd Quidditch World Cup, where protection from his relatives and Dumbledore would not be so effective, but he was not strong enough to do it with the whole horde of Ministry employees running about, and instead began to concoct a plan to have the boy delivered to him instead, which lead to Bartemius Crouch's infiltration of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the guise of the far-famed Auror Alastor Moody, whom he eventually learned that Albus Dumbledore had persuaded to come out of retirement to fill the role of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the 1994-1995 school year.

"But I am not a man, Muggle. I am much, much more than a man. However...why not? I will face you...Wormtail, come turn my chair around." —Voldemort revealing himself to Frank Bryce, before murdering him[src]

As they were discussing their plans, Voldemort and Wormtail were unaware that a Muggle caretaker of the Riddle House, Frank Bryce, who has been suspected by the villagers for the murder of the Riddle family for a half of a century, had been standing behind the door eavesdropping on their plans. When Nagini arrived in the corridor and spotted him, she informed Voldemort in Parseltongue about his presence. Voldemort invited him into the room and after a short conversation he killed him for overhearing their plan.[27]

Eve of war

During the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch Jnr escaped from his father's enchantments and cast the Dark Mark, but was quickly recaptured again. Voldemort and Wormtail went to the Crouch estate, where Voldemort placed Crouch Snr under the Imperius Curse and freed Crouch Jnr for good.[27] Voldemort ordered Crouch Jnr and Pettigrew to capture Moody at his home. When they did it, Crouch placed Moody under Imperius Curse and created Polyjuice Potion which he used to impersonate Moody for the entire school year. He influenced the Tournament for months, ensuring that Harry would be the one to get to the Triwizard Cup first which, unbeknownst to anyone, was a Portkey. Meanwhile Voldemort returned to the Crouch estate with Wormtail, where they ordered Crouch Snr to continue about his business as usual.[27]

When Crouch Snr started to show signs of resisting the Imperius Curse, Voldemort decided it was no longer safe to allow him to leave the house, and instead made him stay home under the presumption of being sick. In late May of 1995 Crouch Snr continued to fight through Voldemort's control and eventually escaped due to Wormtail's negligence.[27]

Voldemort quickly alerted Crouch Jnr to stop his father at all costs as he surmised that Crouch was intending to tell Dumbledore all about his past actions and Voldemort's plans. Upon Jnr's success, Voldemort spared Pettigrew from being given to Nagini as meat instead opting to punish him with the Cruciatus Curse.[27]

Duel in Little Hangleton

"And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?" —Voldemort expressing his resentment towards his Death Eaters[src]

On 24 June 1995, Harry, in the spirit of sportsmanship, requested Cedric Diggory to tie with him for the win. When they both touched the Portkey, they were transported to a Little Hangleton graveyard where Wormtail and Voldemort were waiting. Under Voldemort's orders, Pettigrew murdered Cedric with the Killing Curse and went on to have Harry tightly bound and gagged to the Riddle family tombstone.[27]

After Wormtail had placed Voldemort's rudimentary body into a cauldron containing the near finished potion, he added the first two ingredients, one of which was his hand, causing it to turn from a poisonous-looking blue to burning red before he proceeded to obtain Harry's blood and added it to the potion for his master's rebirth.[27] Once the final ingredient was added, the potion turned blinding white, sending out bright sparks as it simmered before dying down and a thick white steam issued from the cauldron: the ritual was now complete, Voldemort regained his physical body, and emerged from the cauldron. Calling on Wormtail to robe him, the reborn Dark Lord took some time examining his body and getting reaccustomed to it. Then he called for his servant to show him his arm and used the now activated Dark Mark to summon his Death Eaters.

I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist. ... I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited. . . . Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me. . . one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body . . , but I waited in vain. ..." —Voldemort admonishing his Death Eaters for failing to resurrect him sooner[src]

Those who were perhaps most loyal to him, save for those who willingly went to Azkaban in his name, appeared. Voldemort welcomed them before he scorned them for believing him to be dead and informed them that he would expect better of them now that he had returned. The Dark Lord told the Death Eaters of the events that had led to his first downfall, his years in hiding before he tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone by possessing Quirrell and eventual defeat before finally of how Pettigrew had located him, and they set out to orchestrate his resurrection. He rewarded Wormtail by constructing a silver hand.[27]

"You have been taught how to duel. Harry Potter? We bow to each other. Harry, Come, the niceties must be observed. . . .Dumbledore would like you to show manners. . . . Bow to death, Harry. ... I said, bow, Very good, And now you face me, like a man . . . straight-backed and proud, the way your father died. . . ." —Voldemort preparing to duel Harry Potter[src]

Voldemort then set his attention on Harry, and began to mock and humiliate the boy before the Death Eaters. He then had Harry untied so he could force the young wizard into a duel where the Dark Lord had a greater advantage over Harry. After inflicting the Cruciatus Curse several times and the Imperius Curse on Harry, Voldemort was ready to end the one sided duel and kill Harry once and for all. Yet as Voldemort castHarry simultaneously castand their twin-core wands became locked in Priori Incantatem

People who had been killed by Voldemort's wand came out as spectral visions: First, Diggory, next Bryce, then Jorkins, and followed by Lily and James Potter. They encouraged Harry, while distracting Voldemort. Harry pulled away and had enough time to grab Cedric's body and the Triwizard Cup to return to Hogwarts infuriating Voldemort who had lost his chance at killing Harry right then and there which resulted in Harry alerting Dumbledore to Voldemort's return which then created obvious obstacles in his plans to regain his power over the Wizarding World.[27]

Back at Hogwarts, Crouch Jnr was discovered by Dumbledore and Harry but was subjected to the Dementor's Kiss before he could be put on trial before the Wizengamot.[27] Thus, the only knowledge of Voldemort's return was Harry's word, which was vigorously disputed by the Ministry of Magic. Voldemort was able to grow in power in secret,[24] concentrating on recruiting many wizards as well as the giants to his side in addition to stealing the full record of the prophecy regarding himself and Harry.

Second Wizarding War (1995-1998)

Bid for the Prophecy

In 1995, Dumbledore reconvened the Order of the Phoenix once more, using Sirius Black's family home at 12 Grimmauld Place as headquarters. Harry, Ron and Hermione Granger set up a similar organisation at Hogwarts called Dumbledore's Army, which was originally created to thwart the Ministry's meddling at the school under Dolores Umbridge.[24]

Thanks to the Ministry's denial of Voldemort's return and the Daily Prophet's smear campaign against Dumbledore and Harry, the general public was left unaware and ignorant of his presence, making it easy for his operations to run smoothly and without interference. Eventually, Voldemort travelled to Azkaban and freed several of his most loyal Death Eaters, such as Bellatrix Lestrange. Voldemort had little trouble with this, as many of the Dementors were happy to obey him. The Dark wizards returned to his side thereafter.[24]

Voldemort's first attempt at securing the prophecy was to have Malfoy put Order member Sturgis Podmore under the Imperius Curse and send him to take the prophecy. However, Sturgis was unable to get into the Department of Mysteries.

His next attempt was to use the Imperius Curse on an Unspeakable named Broderick Bode. He was ordered to retrieve the prophecy, but was seriously injured in the process and was put into a permanent ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. From this, Voldemort learned that the only people who could retrieve a prophecy are the people who are included in the prophecy. Voldemort could not risk going into the Ministry himself, so he used a telepathic link through Harry's scar to cause him to go there instead.[24]

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Main article: Battle of the Department of Mysteries

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore? Above such brutality, are you?" —Voldemort duelling with Albus Dumbledore[src]

Members of Dumbledore's Army, including Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna Lovegood went to the Department of Mysteries seeking to rescue Sirius Black, whom they believed to be trapped there. Harry wound up retrieving the prophecy from its shelf. At once, Death Eaters appeared, demanding Harry hand over the prophecy. Dumbledore's Army fought back, and during the battle that ensued, the prophecy was destroyed. Voldemort was forced to come to the Ministry, but upon learning of its destruction he tried to murder Harry.[24]

Voldemort's attempt was foiled by Dumbledore, and a fantastic duel ensued. Despite Voldemort's overwhelming magical abilities, much to his great frustration, Dumbledore managed to hold his own against the Dark Lord, calmly avoiding and deflecting Voldemort‘s barrage of attacks while also maintaining the offensive. Though he deflected all of Dumbledore attempts to contain him, and even managed to nearly kill his former teacher, Voldemort was eventually trapped in an orb of water that he was forced to Disapparate out of.

Voldemort then attempted to possess Harry instead, hoping Dumbledore would kill the boy in an attempt to destroy Voldemort himself, but Harry's heart, full of grief over the loss of his godfather Sirius, was able to force Voldemort out of his mind. With both the loss of the prophecy and his failure to kill Harry and defeat Dumbledore, Voldemort aborted his mission, dragging Bellatrix along as he fled, but not before Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and the other Ministry officials arrived, witnessing for themselves that the Dark Lord had, in fact, returned. After a year of operating secretly, Lord Voldemort's cover was now blown and the remaining Death Eaters incapacitated by the Order, including Lucius, were taken into custody and sent to Azkaban.[24]

Sometime following this, Voldemort would secretly engage in a sexual relationship with Bellatrix Lestrange. Out of this union would be born their daughter Delphini, who would be given over to be raised by the Rowle family, a family sworn to Voldemort.[29] At another point, Voldemort discovered that Malfoy had been careless with the diary Horcrux and it had been destroyed, leaving Voldemort highly furious.

The start of open war

"I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be." —Voldemort discuses Harry Potter's triumphs and his own failures[src]

With Voldemort no longer needing to keep his actions silent, the Second Wizarding War had begun. The Dementors left Azkaban to side with the Dark Lord, who could offer them more scope for their powers. As a result, there were many attacks by Voldemort's army. Mass Muggle killings were rampant; what was claimed to be a hurricane to the Muggle world was in fact a rampage by the giants, whom Voldemort had drawn into allegiance. Voldemort himself duelled and killed Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who was described as having put up a good fight against him and as one of the greatest witches of the age.[18] Dementor attacks were daily, the effect on the Muggles manifested in severe depression and grim weather. Voldemort attempted to blackmail Cornelius Fudge, and when he stood his ground, the Dark Lord initiated the destruction of the Brockdale Bridge, sending at least twelve cars into the water.

In July 1996, Voldemort required a spy within Hogwarts and inducted Lucius Malfoy's son Draco as a Death Eater. He ordered Draco to kill Dumbledore, for he wished to punish Lucius for his failings by giving his son a task he could not do. If Draco failed, he would meet terrible consequences. However, Draco was able to sneak a group of Death Eaters into Hogwarts through a pair of Vanishing Cabinets that connected Borgin and Burkes with the Room of Requirement. The Battle of the Astronomy Tower ensued.[18] Voldemort's plans were carried out when Snape used the Killing Curse on Dumbledore, as Draco himself was unable to bring himself to commit murder despite the threat he was under. Although the Death Eaters fled Hogwarts, the intrusion of the castle signified that there was no longer a single place safe from the Dark Lord.[18]

Meeting at Malfoy Manor

Main article: Meeting at Malfoy Manor

"For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yes . . . Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles . . . how they are not so different from us . . . Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of Wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defence of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the purebloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance. . . . She would have us all mate with Muggles . . . or, no doubt, werewolves. . . ." —Voldemort tormenting Charity Burbage before murdering her[src]

Voldemort took over Malfoy Manor as his headquarters. During the summer of 1997, he captured the Hogwarts Professor of Muggle Studies, Charity Burbage, and killed her during a meeting with his Death Eaters before feeding her to Nagini. Voldemort also imprisoned and interrogated the kidnapped wandmaker, Garrick Ollivander, about why his wand could not duel against Harry's. Ollivander revealed that their wands shared the same core, and would not work properly against each other. This came as a great relief to Voldemort, who worried that Harry had escaped from him in the graveyard by superior skill. Ollivander told Voldemort that he merely needed another's wand, and so he took Lucius Malfoy's. This served as a way to punish and demean the Malfoy family. At this point, he was nearly ready to conquer the Ministry, while insisting that Rufus Scrimgeour must be surrounded entirely before he made his next move.[21]

Battle of the Seven Potters

Main article: Battle of the Seven Potters

"He felt Voldemort before he saw him. Looking sideways, he stared into the red eyes and was sure they would be the last thing he ever saw: Voldemort preparing to curse him once more — " —Voldemort attempting to murder Harry Potter during the Battle of the Seven Potters

On 27 July 1997, when Harry left 4 Privet Drive for the final time, Voldemort flew to the scene with his Death Eaters to fight the Order of the Phoenix. In the ensuing battle, Voldemort murdered Alastor Moody. When he attempted to attack Harry, Harry's wand acted of its own accord, releasing golden fire at him and destroying Malfoy's wand. Before Voldemort could react, Harry reached the protection of the home of Ted and Andromeda Tonks, and Voldemort was forced to retreat.[21]

Voldemort returned to his headquarters at Malfoy Manor and, accompanied by Peter Pettigrew, accused Ollivander of deliberately misleading him and tortured him with the Cruciatus Curse. Ollivander told him truthfully that never in wandlore has he ever heard of such a thing happening between two wands. Voldemort ordered Ollivander to tell him everything he knew about the legendary wand known as the Elder Wand.[21]

Ministry take-over

Main article: Fall of the Ministry of Magic

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." —Kingsley Shacklebolt warning the Order of the Phoenix[src]

Shortly after this, the Ministry of Magic was compromised and fell to the power of Voldemort when Minister Rufus Scrimgeour was tortured for information and murdered, with the official version being that he retired. News of this came to the Order of the Phoenix during the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour at the Burrow due to Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus.

Voldemort established a totalitarian police state, with Pius Thicknesse, under the Imperius Curse, serving as a puppet Minister for Magic and Death Eater Corban Yaxley as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Muggle-Born Registration Commission was created to round up Muggle-borns and imprison them in Azkaban. Harry Potter was declared Undesirable No. 1 with a reward on his head, on the basis he was wanted for questioning over the death of Dumbledore. Seveurs Snape, meanwhile, took over as Headmaster of Hogwarts, while Death Eater siblings Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow became teachers.[21]

Voldemort placed a Taboo Curse on his name which enabled his Death Eaters to instantly locate anyone who spoke it out loud in the open. Voldemort chose not to publicly declare himself Minister of Magic in order to maintain an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

The search for the Elder Wand

Main article: Mission For The Elder Wand

"Kill me then, Voldemort!... That wand will never, ever be yours!" —Grindelwald confronting Voldemort in Nurmengard[src]

With his servants taking care of business in Britain, Voldemort travelled to Germany to seek out the acclaimed wandmaker Mykew Gregorovitch and obtain the Elder Wand. Eventually, after murdering several people who got in his way, Voldemort found him, but was informed that the wand had been stolen. Voldemort performed Legilimency on Gregorovitch and saw the memory of a young blond boy who stole the wand. Voldemort demanded to know the identity of the thief, but when Gregorovitch didn't know it, Voldemort killed him.[21]

On Christmas Eve of 1997, Nagini summoned Voldemort to Godric's Hollow, where Harry and Hermione Granger were visiting the graves of Harry's parents and investigating the possibility that Bathilda Bagshot might have the Sword of Gryffindor. Harry and Hermione barely managed to escape. However, Voldemort found a picture of the aforementioned blond boy at Bagshot's home; this boy turned out to be none other than Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, whom Dumbledore had defeated in 1945.[21]

In March of 1998, Voldemort travelled to Austria and broke into Nurmengard prison, where Grindelwald was being held, and demanded to know the location of the Elder Wand. Grindelwald baffled Voldemort by being completely unafraid of him and saying that he welcomed death. Voldemort then murdered him in a rage without gaining any information.

At that moment, Bellatrix Lestrange summoned him by pressing the Dark Mark. Harry Potter had accidentally broken the Taboo an hour prior, and he and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were captured by a group of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback, and were brought to Malfoy Manor. He departed Germany to end Harry's life, but before he could arrive, they managed to escape with the assistance of house-elf Dobby. The arriving Voldemort caused physical harm for Bellatrix and the Malfoys, and forbade them to leave the manor as punishment.

Shortly after this, Voldemort deduced that Dumbledore, who had defeated Grindelwald, had won the Elder Wand. Voldemort then went to Hogwarts, where he met with Snape and proceeded to break into Dumbledore's tomb and thus stole the Elder Wand.[21]

Learning of the Horcrux Hunt

Say it again! Say it again! Impostors? What impostors? I thought Gringotts had ways of revealing impostors? Who were they? And they took? Tell me! What did they take?" What did they take —Voldemort interrogating a Gringotts Goblin, becoming aware of Harry's Horcrux hunt[src]

On 1 May 1998, Voldemort was informed by several goblins from Gringotts that Harry Potter and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, had robbed the Lestrange vault. This caused Voldemort to panic, and when he was informed that a small golden cup had been stolen, he flew into a rage. Voldemort massacred all those who told him the news, having realised at that moment that Harry was hunting his Horcruxes. However, he could not figure out how he had discovered his secret when he never told anyone.

In truth, Dumbledore and Harry had worked out, from studying Voldemort's past, that he had created Horcruxes, and also what they were and where they were hidden. Dumbledore first theorised about the Horcruxes and then passed the knowledge onto Harry; from there, Harry was able to complete the hunt. Voldemort listed all the locations of his Horcruxes in his mind, unaware that Harry was connected to his mind at the time. He unwittingly revealed that his last Horcrux was at Hogwarts, just as Harry previously suspected. This caused Harry, Ron, and Hermione to venture to Hogwarts.

Following these revelations, Voldemort went to check out the Gaunt Shack and the Cave, only to discover to his fury that the Horcruxes stored there were missing and thus were likely destroyed.[21]

Battle of Hogwarts

Main article: Battle of Hogwarts

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight." —Voldemort's ultimatum before the final battle begins [src]

Voldemort then returned to Hogwarts, where the residents had already ousted the Death Eaters teaching there and had begun preparing a defence against him. Voldemort rounded up his entire army of Death Eaters, Snatchers, Werewolves, Giants, and Dementors, and commanded his army to fight the Order of the Phoenix members, professors, and students who were in the castle: the Battle of Hogwarts ensued.

Voldemort himself was not present at the opening stage of the battle, as he was staying within the Shrieking Shack, feeling there was no need for him to fight at the time. While in the shack, he investigated why the Elder Wand did not work any differently from his old wand. He came to the conclusion that it needed to accept him as a master and ordered Nagini to kill Snape. He believed this would solve the problem by transferring mastery of the wand to himself, assuming that since Snape killed Dumbledore then he was the current master of the wand.[21]

Voldemort then called a one-hour armistice, requesting Harry in exchange for peace and no further deaths. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, Harry carried within him the seventh Horcrux: the scar on his forehead, which was formed when Voldemort failed to kill him as an infant. When Harry met Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, Voldemort used the Killing Curse on him almost immediately, but only destroyed the Horcrux, rendering his scar "normal." What was not revealed to Voldemort was that when he used Harry's blood three years prior in order to gain himself a new body, the blood passed Harry's mother's protection to Voldemort and anchored Harry to the living world through the Dark Lord. Harry was merely knocked to the ground and feigned death. Voldemort, as a result of destroying his soul shard in Harry, was also knocked out.[21]

Final duel and death

"Something had happened when he had hit Harry with the Killing Curse. Had Voldemort too collapsed? It seemed like it. And both of them had fallen briefly unconscious and both of them had now returned. . . " —Voldemort after having "killed" Harry Potter[src]

Unsure of what had just happened, Voldemort ordered Narcissa Malfoy to check Harry's body. Narcissa did so and pronounced Harry dead, eliciting celebration from the Death Eaters. Voldemort then declared that no man could threaten him any more. He degraded Harry's body by performing the Cruciatus Curse, then forced the captured Hagrid to carry it back to Hogwarts for all to see. Voldemort did not realise, however, that Narcissa had lied to him in order to enter the castle so as to find her son.

"You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!" —Voldemort rejoicing over Harry Potter's "death"[src]

As Voldemort and his army marched to Hogwarts, Voldemort claimed Harry had been killed while trying to escape. Neville, instead of surrendering, charged at Voldemort. After Neville refused to join him, Voldemort placed a Full Body-Bind Curse and the Sorting Hat on him and set the hat on fire to make an example of him, claiming that Slytherin would be the only Hogwarts House from then on. But at that moment, reinforcements for the Hogwarts defenders arrived. Neville was able to throw off the curse and pulled Gryffindor's Sword from the Hat, and used it to decapitate Nagini, destroying the last remaining Horcrux. Enraged, Voldemort attempted to kill Neville, but Harry, now beneath his Invisibility cloak, interfered and cast a Shield Charm between them.[21]

"You won't be killing any of them. You won't be killing anyone ever again." —Harry Potter informing Voldemort of his impending doom[src]

During the second round of the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort tried to strike down everyone within his reach and his weakened army forced its way into the castle. In the Great Hall, his army was gradually cut down as Voldemort fought Slughorn, Shacklebolt, and Minerva McGonagall all at once and later blasted them away. When Bellatrix Lestrange was killed by Molly Weasley, Voldemort turned his wand on her in rage. At that time, Harry cast a Shield Charm to protect her, and revealed himself to be very much alive. The two wizards then faced each other in the Great Hall.[21]

"But what does it matter? Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone . . . and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy. . . ." —Voldemort threatening Harry in his final moments[src]

Here, Harry mentioned that by willingly sacrificing himself to Voldemort, he had protected everyone he cared about in Hogwarts with the same magic his mother created when she died for him. Harry tried to explain to Voldemort that he had magic Voldemort did not have, and a weapon more powerful than his, in addition to warning Voldemort of the fate that lay in store for him if he was unwilling to feel remorse for his actions. Goading him by using his birth name, Harry told him that Snape's loyalty was with Dumbledore all along, that Dumbledore's death was planned, and that Snape had not been the master of the Elder Wand; Draco had been.[21]

Originally shocked, Voldemort remained unworried, because Harry did not have his original wand, and he told Harry he would kill him and then dispose of Draco to gain full mastery of the Elder Wand. But Harry revealed that he had already disarmed Draco, so the Elder Wand was now rightfully his. Refusing to believe this, Voldemort fired a Killing Curse at Harry, while Harry countered with his "trademark" spell of Expelliarmus. The Elder Wand refused to kill its true master, and Voldemort's spell rebounded off Harry's, killing the Dark Lord once and for all.

Legacy

Post-mortem

Harry Potter: "Professor, what is that?" Albus Dumbledore: "Something beyond either of our help." — Description of Voldemort's ruined soul[src]

After his death, Voldemort's body was moved to a separate chamber away from the Great Hall. It is unknown what happened to it afterwards, but it can be assumed that his body was disposed of. Meanwhile his mutilated soul was trapped in Limbo for eternity, as the soul is meant to stay whole and intact. Because of the destruction done to his soul, he was unable to move on or return to the land of the living as a ghost.[30] After his confirmed death, the wizarding world at large seemed to be able to speak his name without any more fear. In the end, Lord Voldemort, who was extremely afraid of death, received a fate far worse than that.

Return to peace

The death of Lord Voldemort changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of witches and wizards for the better, and Harry Potter was held in high esteem for removing complications of an enormous variety from many peoples' lives. However, his bloody campaign had left a great deal of damage that would not soon be repaired. Following the restoration of the original timeline, Delphini would attempt to go back in time to the night where Voldemort went after the Potters in Godric's Hollow and prevent him from doing so, hoping to ensure Voldemort was never defeated. Harry, Albus, Draco, Scorpius, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione would then go back to try to stop her. During this attempt, the group tried to catch her off guard by making Harry disguise himself as Voldemort. While he was eventually discovered, the group was nonetheless able to prevent Delphini's plan from succeeding and captured her. However, before they left back into their own time, both Harry and Delphini were forced to witness Voldemort's attack at Godric's Hollow, resulting in Harry witnessing his parents' deaths, and Delphini seeing her father's first defeat.[31]

During the Calamity which occurred during the 2010s, a Portrait of Riddle became one of many things that became Foundables, magical artefacts which appeared throughout the Wizarding world without explanation. A memory of a young Riddle also manifested in the world as a Foundable.[32]

Alternate timeline

More than twenty years following his death, Voldemort's daughter Delphini would attempt to rewrite the timeline in order to bring back her father. Though she would ultimately fail, one of the attempts by Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy to change the timeline and save Cedric and prevent his death (unknowingly to them orchestrated by Delphini herself), would result in a temporary timeline where Cedric never died, and where Voldemort succeeded in killing Harry at the Battle of Hogwarts. This alternate timeline where Voldemort both lived and won the Wizarding War would eventually be prevented and changed back into the original timeline through the efforts of Scorpius and the alternate timeline's versions of Snape, Hermione, and Ron.[33][34]

Physical appearance

The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry...and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's but with slits for nostrils...." —Description of Voldemort after his rebirth[src]

During his childhood and early adulthood, Tom Marvolo Riddle was tall and handsome, with pale skin, jet black hair, and dark eyes. When Harry saw him in a memory in the Pensieve, he saw that there was no trace of the Gaunt family in his face, and that he was his father in miniature: "tall for eleven years old, dark-haired and pale".[7][18] Riddle's good looks continued to increase as he grew older, and he cunningly used them to charm many of the teachers at Hogwarts. While in Wool's Orphanage, he wore the standard grey tunic as with all the other children, and switched over to the Hogwarts uniform when he attended the school, gaining the Prefect and Head Boy badges when he attained those positions. When he worked in Borgin and Burkes, he wore a simple black suit.[18]

However, as he became more involved in the Dark Arts, his good looks gradually left him. His features became increasingly waxy and reptilian, his skin became bone-white, and the sclera of his eyes took on a perpetually blood-shot appearance.[18] After he regained his body, his features became even more warped. In his final body, Voldemort was described as having pale white skin, a skeletally thin body, and dark scarlet eyes with cat-like slits for pupils. He had a chalk-white face that resembled a skull, snake-like slits for nostrils, and large hands with unnaturally long fingers like spider's legs.

It is also mentioned that Voldemort had no hair or lips.[21] He had long, sharp, pale blue fingernails,[27] and took to wearing a black hooded cloak and several sets of elegant black robes and no shoes. Voldemort had a high, cold voice which was sometimes described as being sibilant. The transformation into this monstrous state is believed to have been the result of creating his Horcruxes, becoming less human as he continued to divide his soul. Dumbledore also speculates that Voldemort may have gained his hideous appearance by also undergoing dangerous magical transformations.

Personality and traits

"His knowledge remained woefully incomplete, Harry! That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth that he has never grasped." —Albus Dumbledore on the power of love[src]

Voldemort was considered by many to be "the most evil wizard in hundreds and hundreds of years". His nature far exceeded that of any common evildoer and Dumbledore stated that he "went beyond normal evil" in the extent of his crimes. Hagrid claimed that while all Dark Wizards "go bad", Voldemort went "worse than worse". Indeed, Voldemort speedily developed into a power-obsessed megalomaniac of the worst kind and the worst of any known Dark Wizard, being considered by all to be far more evil than even Gellert Grindelwald. He was unable and unwilling to express remorse or empathy for the countless crimes he had committed. This was a stark contrast to Grindelwald, who proved to display genuine remorse for his crimes and even before his fall, pity for those abused for their magic and even if only a little, care for his followers, all which Voldemort completely lacked. These anti social traits were seen in his childhood, from stealing, to disturbing incidences with other orphans. Dumbledore stated that the young Riddle had a certain disregard for rules. In adult life, he performed the darkest of magic and had no regard for human life. He was a prolific killer, killing so many he created an army of Inferi. Voldemort also did not believe in the concept of good and evil, as he made clear to Harry in their encounter at the Mirror of Erised, and that only power and "those too weak to seek it" truly mattered.

He was highly intelligent, as evidenced by his top performance at Hogwarts and his tremendous magical achievements, but his interests were narrowly focused on the usefulness of people, objects, and powers to his goals. His inability to see the larger picture and inattention to events, powers and human traits that were not immediately useful to him was a serious flaw that led to most of his setbacks and ultimately his downfall.

After his first defeat, many (namely Hagrid, Dumbledore, Neville's grandmother among others) believed that he had yet to be truly vanquished, and would one day return on the grounds that there was not enough humanity left in him to die in the first place. At the same time, due to his excessive evil and brutality, others (namely Cornelius Fudge and a good deal of the wizarding world) would deny he was still alive for a sense of self-comfort, until evidence was given to their very eyes. During his lifetime including much of his childhood, he was shown to be highly ruthless, cruel, merciless, and sadistic, showing as little mercy to his followers as he did his enemies. According to Dumbledore, he felt no desire or need for human companionship or friendship. The closest he came to caring about another living being was feeling affection for his pet snake, Nagini.

Voldemort thought of everything in terms of power (which he equated to domination through magical ability). He was somewhat willfully ignorant of people or matters which he considered to have no value. He was dismissive of the unique magic of house-elves due to their social status, and thus was dealt major setbacks by house-elves on two occasions: first Kreacher, who escaped the cave with Slytherin's locket due to the sacrifice of his beloved master, Regulus Black, and Dobby, who bypassed the defences of Voldemort's headquarters (because Voldemort had neglected to render it inaccessible to house elves as he had to wizards) and helped Harry escape right before Voldemort could arrive to kill him.

Voldemort had a need for independence that bordered on pathological, and he preferred to operate in secrecy and solitude whenever possible. Dumbledore claimed that even if he had managed to obtain the Elixir of Life, he would have eventually found his dependency on it intolerable because it would have robbed him of his sense of self-reliance. Instead, he preferred to make Horcruxes, which were magical extensions of himself. Voldemort was a sociopathic narcissist, to the point that he frequently referred to himself in the third person as "Lord Voldemort." He detested being common, as when he heard of another person named Tom he expressed his dislike; Voldemort always considered himself unique and above all others due to his magical powers among an orphanage of Muggles, his rare ability to speak Parseltongue among his schoolmates, and his own esteemed lineage as the Heir of Slytherin. Ironically, Voldemort's actions to ensure his own league of fame made him no different from any tyrant who would come to fear the ones they oppressed. It was said that if Voldemort looked into the Mirror of Erised, he would see himself, all-powerful and eternal.[35]

Despite his independent streak, it is not to say Voldemort would completely reject all assistance, if only he was forced into a desperate measure. When he lost his physical form at the Potters' cottage, he placed his hopes for his faithful Death Eaters to find him and help restore his body, to the point that he even feared that they all abandoned him, and when Peter Pettigrew finally came back to him, he relied on his cowardly servant to brew the potion to maintain the rudimentary body as well as carry that body around for transport. In between the time of his first defeat and rebirth, Voldemort came to rely on Quirinus Quirrell to seize the Philosopher's Stone for him, while using the young wizard's body as a temporary way to regain a grip on the physical world. Although Voldemort rejected the use of the Elixir of Life for immortality, he would be prepared to drink it to create a new body for himself, but nothing more. Aside from his desperate times, Voldemort would also rely on his Death Eaters and army of versatile beings to do his bidding, knowing that he could not overtake the Ministry all by himself (or with only a small handful of Death Eaters), or depend on them to handle the more trivial matters that he did not think was worth his effort. He even trusted the conquered Ministry of Magic to his army while he would focus on other matters personally. He entrusted two of his precious Horcruxes to his lieutenant Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy, knowing they have the resources and skills to provide satisfactory security, but did not tell them the truth of these unholy artefacts, furthering his reliance on their skills over any genuine trust. Overall, Voldemort's need for solitude and independence is not so much as doing absolutely everything himself, but to make use of everyone around him to the fullest without ever gaining any sentimental attachment to them, as he was easily prepared to discard anyone or anything once they fulfilled their purpose.

Voldemort had very little attachment to anything that did not amplify his fame or existence, He viewed his followers as nothing more than disposable pawns to carry out his tasks, only valuing their usefulness and physical abilities. Despite doting on pure-bloods, he was willing to execute any of them (or anyone else) if it suited him, even if they were completely loyal to him. Even his wand, which served him powerfully and faithfully for nearly six decades, was disposable when he discovered the even more powerful Elder Wand. The reason he valued his Horcruxes was because they were an extension of himself, giving him independence, a reason why he carefully chose objects of extreme fame or importance to become worthy hosts to his precious soul.

Voldemort did not believe in anyone but himself, nor did he value his fellow human beings except to the extent that they were useful to him. He often described his followers as 'friends' and his Death Eaters even as 'family', but in no way treated them like an ordinary person does their friends or family. He demanded his followers' unswerving loyalty and obedience, spitefully took revenge for their mistakes or even bad luck by torture or going after family members and mistreated or even killed them at the slightest provocation. His cold-blooded murder of the man he believed to be one of his most powerful and useful followers, Severus Snape, just to be sure he was the true master of the Elder Wand and his callous attempt to sacrifice Draco Malfoy by ordering him to assassinate Dumbledore as punishment for Lucius Malfoy's blunders, are evidence of this. He was, however, capable of rewarding his followers should they aid him, as he, when otherwise admonishing Wormtail for having fear act as his motivating factor for returning to Voldemort instead of genuine loyalty to him, nevertheless supplied him with a silver hand to replace the one he lost when restoring Voldemort to life, specifically citing that Wormtail nevertheless proved his usefulness in the past few months.

"If he could only have understood the precise and terrible power of that sacrifice, he would not, perhaps, have dared to touch your blood... but then, if he had been able to understand, he could not have been Lord Voldemort, and might never have murdered at all." —Albus Dumbledore talking about Voldemort's inability to understand or comprehend love when talking about the sacrificial protection Harry received from his mother[src]

The fact that Voldemort was conceived through coerced "love" (theorised to be a love potion by Dumbledore or to be the Imperius Curse by Harry)—administered/used by witch Merope Gaunt to Muggle Tom Riddle Snr - was related to his inability to understand love: it was a symbolic way of showing that he came from a loveless union - but of course, everything would have changed if Merope had chosen to live for the sake of raising her son with love. The enchantment under which Tom Riddle fathered Voldemort is important because it shows coercion, and there can't be many more prejudicial ways to enter the world than as the result of such a union.[36]

As a child at Hogwarts, and in the early years of his adult life, Riddle was considered an intelligent, polite young man who showed an enthusiasm to learn and was able to use his superficial charm to make many do his bidding, showing his skill at being an exceptional master manipulator. He described himself being viewed by others as poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student.[7] His reputation as a model pupil had earned him the trust and respect of his teachers and of the customers he was sent to deal with at Borgin and Burkes. However, this was all a ruse, as he was very manipulative, with Dumbledore claiming that there were a number of "nasty incidents" that happened throughout his time at Hogwarts that the authorities were never completely able to link to him. In his youth, Voldemort was capable of charming everyone at Hogwarts except Albus Dumbledore and surround himself with a group of "friends" which would eventually become his Death Eaters. This was in direct contrast of his behaviour in the orphanage, where he terrorised his fellow residents, open enough to leave a negative reputation among the children and staff, but discreet enough to avoid persecution.

Voldemort's arrogance inevitably led to his major downfall. He suffered from thanatophobia, a pathological fear of death, which he regarded as a shameful and ignominious human weakness. He equated death with being defeated or loss of domination, the ultimate humiliation. His Boggart would be his own corpse, which shows his extreme fear of death.[35] The biggest difference between Harry and Voldemort was that Harry, as the true Master of Death, accepted mortality, which ultimately made him a stronger person than his nemesis.[36] His fear of death and obsession with immortality led him to create seven Horcruxes, a feat unheard of.

Voldemort had an extremely obsessive nature. When Harry glimpsed into his mind, he often saw repetitive imagery, symptomatic of Voldemort's inability to let go of thoughts or diversify his interests. In his fifth year, he travelled with Voldemort down the locked corridor in the Department of Mysteries for many nights. During the second war, he followed Voldemort's unfolding obsession with the "merry-faced thief", Grindelwald, and the Elder Wand. He was able to use Voldemort's compulsive mental check of his Horcruxes to uncover the location of the one he had not yet found: Ravenclaw's Diadem, hidden at Hogwarts.

"Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress. All of them realise that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!" —Albus Dumbledore regarding Voldemort to Harry Potter[src]

Voldemort's main obsessions were; immortality, pure-blood supremacy, the attempts on Harry Potter's life, and the search for the Elder Wand. This was reflected in his daily habits as well: he had a magpie-like tendency to collect lots of small objects and hold onto them. As a child, he is shown hoarding things that he stole from the other orphans, which eventually blossomed into his conception of the Horcruxes. This could also have been seen as trophy taking, a trait seen in serial killers. This was especially seen after a particularly cruel act, such as the incident at the Cave, and creating Horcruxes after killing. Dumbledore said to Harry in the Limbo King's Cross that his obsession with the Elder Wand was to rival his obsession with Harry himself. The Dark Lord stopped at nothing in his many attempts to kill Harry Potter. The search for the Elder Wand was an extension of his obsession with murdering Harry, which, in turn, was an extension of his preoccupation with immortality (which he felt that Harry's very existence threatened). Ironically, his obsession of eliminating Harry in person, an obsession seemingly multiplied by every single failed attempt, is what led to his own death. Dumbledore noted that Voldemort was no different from any other tyrant in paranoid fear of an individual rising against him because of his own obsessive actions. This trait could be traced back to his childhood when he was convinced at first that Dumbledore had come to take him to an asylum. In another ironic twist, this indicates that Voldemort failed to make himself unique as he had the flaw of any evil tyrant.

Few ever saw anything troubling about the young Tom Riddle, but Albus Dumbledore observed psychological issues and their potential dark implications from their very first meeting. Dumbledore described a "magpie-like tendency" to collect trophies, to obsess over his collection, that led him to make a correct guess at what was behind the secret of his immortality: multiple Horcruxes. Dumbledore noted a similarity between Voldemort and other famous tyrants, in that obsessive actions driven by paranoia can bring about the thing most feared. Tom Riddle remained charming and well-liked as a young adult, and at first seemed to be aiming lower on the scale of ambition than his talents would have supported. He used his stint at Borgin and Burke's to develop his knowledge of the Dark Arts, and to track and collect powerful magical objects. Only a few people ever had an ominous feeling about his imminent rise as a powerful dark wizard: Hepzibah Smith, who saw his eyes flash red with avarice when he saw her treasured artefacts, and, again, Albus Dumbledore, who refused to give him a job teaching at Hogwarts. realising he would use his influence as a teacher to recruit students and do evil.

Gradually taking more and more power, eliminating rivals and those who stood up to him, and transforming his appearance and his social image into a serpentine persona that inspired a level of fear so profound that wizards avoided mentioning his name even after they thought him dead, Voldemort reached the peak of his powers in 1980.

"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon 