Voldemort

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Voldemort
Alias(es)	Tom Riddle; the Dark Lord
Species/Race	Wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Death Eaters
Occupation/Role	Dark wizard; leader of the Death Eaters
Status	Deceased; killed by Jon Hart with the Killing Curse. His body was later transformed into a statue at Azkaban's entrance 563 564
First Appearance	3

Background / History

Tom Riddle was a Hogwarts student and a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. While still at school, he opened the Chamber of Secrets and commanded its Basilisk against Muggle-born students. The Basilisk attempted to resist his murderous orders, but Riddle regarded it solely as a beast and tool of slaughter 44 539.

After leaving Hogwarts, Riddle rejected both his father's surname and his other relatives. He adopted the identity “Voldemort” and pursued immortality through Horcruxes, splitting his soul into multiple fragments despite the severe pain and instability this caused 163 367. He later sought the Defence Against the Dark Arts post at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore rejected him; a curse subsequently prevented any professor from holding the position for more than a year 518.

Fifty years after first opening the Chamber, Riddle's diary resurfaced at Hogwarts and was used to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. Although the Basilisk was destroyed, the diary itself remained hidden for a time 44 47. The diary was eventually identified as one of Voldemort's Horcruxes 58.

Voldemort regained a physical body in Little Hangleton through a ritual using his father's bone, Wormtail's flesh, and Harry Potter's blood. He restored Wormtail's Dark Mark and summoned the Death Eaters before duelling Harry 182.

After returning, Voldemort rebuilt his organization through espionage, intimidation, and recruitment. He ordered Yaxley to infiltrate Azkaban discreetly, tortured Lucius Malfoy over the loss of his diary, and relied on Barty Crouch Jr. for intelligence from Hogwarts 197. His first major confrontation with Dumbledore at the Ministry ended disastrously: Jon Hart destroyed the diary and Ravenclaw's diadem during the battle, while Voldemort was badly injured by Dumbledore and lost his body after Alastor Moody revealed himself 305 306 307.

While fleeing the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort realized that the destruction of his Horcruxes had reduced the instability and irrationality caused by his divided soul. He concluded that his attempt to create seven Horcruxes had been a mistake, even as their loss left him physically vulnerable 330 380.

Voldemort later used Horcrux magic to create another body and openly resumed attacks on Muggles, Ministry personnel, and the Order. He set traps for Jon Hart, used snakes to search for him, and withdrew when Dumbledore arrived at the West Coast battle 400 401 404.

During his assault on Hogwarts, Voldemort believed he had killed Dumbledore and used the distraction to protect his remaining Horcrux, Hufflepuff's golden cup. Jon's group located and destroyed the cup, causing Voldemort to abandon his body and flee as a wraith 493 497.

After all known Horcruxes had been destroyed, Voldemort survived by possessing animals and eventually an Albanian Muggle forest ranger. He recognized that Harry Potter was an accidental Horcrux created when his Killing Curse rebounded sixteen years earlier 509 546.

Voldemort attempted one final resurrection using Harry's blood, a Death Eater's flesh, and his own shattered soul. Because Harry was both his Horcrux and closely tied to his soul, the new body was weak. Snape's betrayal and the Order's intervention left Voldemort exposed, and Jon Hart killed him with Avada Kedavra 560 563.

Appearance

Voldemort is depicted as tall, thin, and skeletal, with a pale, wax-like or serpentine face, nearly no nose, and scarlet or blood-red eyes. His appearance becomes increasingly frail after the destruction of his Horcruxes 194 197 330 400.

• Pale, snake-like face with an almost absent nose 194 197
• Scarlet or blood-red eyes 194 305
• Tall, thin, skeletal build 305 400
• Long, pale fingers; frequently uses a yew wand 380 400
• His later body was visibly weak and prone to collapse after repeated Horcrux losses 330 497

Personality

Voldemort is cruel, elitist, and obsessed with deathlessness. He considers Muggle-born witches and wizards inferior, treats violence as a means of political control, and sees even devoted servants as disposable tools. His treatment of Lucius Malfoy, Yaxley, and the Malfoy family demonstrates that loyalty is valued only while it remains useful 197 466 561.

He is also calculating. He delays Yaxley's Azkaban operation to preserve secrecy, uses Fenrir Greyback's activity in Transylvania to draw Dumbledore away from Britain, and personally investigates threats when he distrusts his followers 197 380 486.

The destruction of his Horcruxes changes his temperament. While he becomes weaker, he also becomes less volatile and more introspective, recognizing that his fragmented soul had impaired his judgment for years 380. This greater caution is reflected in his decision to flee and abandon his followers when he senses the danger of death 497.

Abilities & Skills

Dark Magic

Voldemort is regarded as the most powerful Dark wizard of the past half-century. He wields lethal curses, advanced soul magic, magical bindings, and destructive conjurations 564.

• Casts the Killing Curse repeatedly in combat and executions 306 493
• Uses the Cruciatus Curse to punish failure 197
• Conjures a Fire Giant Serpent capable of trapping Dumbledore 306
• Creates green magical ropes that restrain victims and block magical transportation 400
• Produces and directs giant spectral snakes to search an area 400 401

Horcrux Creation and Soul Magic

Voldemort created six and a half Horcruxes, displaying exceptional knowledge of Dark magic involving the soul. His Horcruxes allowed him to survive bodily destruction, but their cumulative influence damaged his reason and stability 163 380.

• Used Horcruxes to evade permanent death and repeatedly regain bodies 400 423
• Accidentally made Harry Potter a Horcrux when his Killing Curse rebounded 509 563
• Retained the ability to survive as a disembodied soul after losing his body 307 497
• His soul fragments ultimately became a weakness once nearly all Horcruxes were destroyed 330 380 563

Parseltongue

As Slytherin's descendant, Voldemort can speak Parseltongue and command serpentine creatures, including the Basilisk of the Chamber of Secrets 44 539.

• Opened the Chamber of Secrets and directed the Basilisk 44
• Exercised command strong enough to override the Basilisk's own protective mission 539
• Used snakes as agents during his West Coast search operation 400 401

Legilimency and Possession

Voldemort can extract information through Legilimency and possess living creatures when reduced to a wraith-like state 110 509.

• Drained Bertha Jorkins's memories after her capture 110
• Possessed snakes while travelling through Europe 509
• Possessed an Albanian forest ranger after killing the snake he inhabited 509
• Used Muggle identities to evade magical authorities despite his contempt for Muggles 546

Horcruxes

Horcrux	Fate
Tom Riddle's diary	Destroyed by Jon Hart with Fiendfyre during the Ministry battle 305
Ravenclaw's diadem	Destroyed by Jon Hart with Fiendfyre during the Ministry battle 305
Slytherin's locket	Stolen by Regulus Black and later destroyed before Voldemort learned of its loss 495
Peverell's Ring	Destroyed before Voldemort learned that it contained the Resurrection Stone 495
Nagini	Killed before Voldemort's flight from the Ministry 330
Hufflepuff's golden cup	Hidden in the Lestrange family cemetery; destroyed with Godric Gryffindor's sword 492 493
Harry Potter	Accidentally created when Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded; using Harry in his final resurrection left Voldemort's new body weak 509 563

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Yew wand — used for lethal curses, bindings, snake conjurations, and other Dark magic 400
• Dark Mark — created on followers' arms to summon and communicate with Death Eaters 182 380
• Hufflepuff's golden cup — his final known object Horcrux before its destruction 330 493

Relationships

• Albus Dumbledore — principal adversary; Dumbledore repeatedly opposed him, rejected his Hogwarts application, and nearly defeated him at the Ministry 306 518.
• Harry Potter — enemy and accidental Horcrux; Voldemort's Killing Curse created a soul connection between them, and Harry's blood and soul were used in Voldemort's final resurrection attempt 182 509 560.
• Jon Hart — adversary responsible for uncovering and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes; ultimately killed Voldemort 305 495 563.
• Severus Snape — apparent trusted servant who was secretly an Order of the Phoenix spy; Snape's betrayal was exposed during Voldemort's final defeat 194 563.
• Peter Pettigrew / Wormtail — fearful servant who assisted in Voldemort's first resurrection and remained at his side while he was fleeing 182 330 380.
• Bellatrix Lestrange — fanatically loyal Death Eater entrusted with hiding Hufflepuff's cup 306 492.
• Lucius Malfoy — Death Eater repeatedly punished for failure, especially for losing the diary; Voldemort later regarded the Malfoys as traitors 197 466.
• Barty Crouch Jr. — a valued Death Eater and Hogwarts spy whose apparent loyalty was exploited by Jon Hart and Moody 197 307 495.
• Salazar Slytherin — ancestor whose legacy Voldemort distorted; unlike Slytherin, Voldemort intended the Basilisk to massacre Muggle-born students 44 539.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Chamber of Secrets legacy — Riddle's diary and prior command of the Basilisk drive the attacks at Hogwarts and reveal his extremist interpretation of Slytherin's heritage 42 44 47.
• Return in Little Hangleton — restores his body through a ritual using Harry's blood and summons the Death Eaters 182.
• Rise of the Death Eaters — rebuilds his forces through covert infiltration, fear, and intelligence operations 194 197.
• Battle of the Department of Mysteries — fights Dumbledore while Jon destroys two Horcruxes; loses his body after Moody's intervention 305 307.
• Fugitive Dark Lord — loses further Horcruxes, reflects on the damage caused by soul-splitting, and hides from the Ministry and Order 330 380.
• Second Wizarding War — resumes open attacks, targets Jon, and directs Death Eater operations against Muggles, the Ministry, and Hogwarts 400 401 486.
• Hogwarts assault and final Horcrux — attacks Hogwarts to draw out Dumbledore while Jon's group destroys Hufflepuff's cup 489 493 497.
• Final resurrection and death — returns through Harry's blood and soul, but the flawed resurrection leaves him weak; Jon Hart kills him 560 563.

Notable Quotes

“I will make your life worse than death!” 495

“No, I will give you six months... Do not be hasty, Yaxley. Do not expose our existence.” 197

Trivia

• Voldemort initially believed Hufflepuff's cup was his last remaining Horcrux, unaware that other Horcruxes had already been destroyed or removed 330 495.
• His attempt to create seven Horcruxes was later recognized by Voldemort himself as a catastrophic mistake because each soul fragment affected his mind 380.
• Despite despising Muggles, he used Muggle newspapers and a Muggle forest ranger identity to evade magical authorities 380 509 546.
• The Ministry displayed his transformed body at Azkaban as a warning to Dark wizards 564.