Voldemort

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Voldemort (伏地魔)
Alias(es)	Tom Marvolo Riddle; Lord Voldemort; the Dark Lord; Professor Tom Gaunt 193 211 363
Species/Race	Human wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Death Eaters; Ilvermorny, while operating under the identity of Professor Tom Gaunt 365 576
Occupation/Role	Dark wizard; founder and leader of the Death Eaters
Status	Complete downfall publicly confirmed; publications were compelled to use his name directly rather than treat him as an untouchable figure 769
First Appearance	Chapter 108, possessing Professor Quirrell 108

Background / History

Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on December 31, 1926, to Merope Gaunt after she was abandoned by Tom Riddle Sr.; Merope died in childbirth. Raised at Wool's Orphanage with no known relatives, he used instinctive magic to terrorize other children, steal their possessions, control animals, and inflict harm. Albus Dumbledore met him in 1937 and recognized both his exceptional ability and his cruelty. 193 647 648

At Hogwarts, Riddle was an outwardly courteous, brilliant student who won the favor of professors—especially Horace Slughorn—while gathering devoted accomplices. He learned of Horcruxes, traced his maternal line to the Gaunts, and embraced his descent from Salazar Slytherin. Rejecting his Muggle father's surname, he adopted the name “Voldemort.” 609 648 649

Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets, released the Basilisk that killed Moaning Myrtle, framed Rubeus Hagrid, and created his first Horcrux in his diary. At sixteen, he murdered the Riddle family, framed Marvolo Gaunt, and made the Gaunt ring into a second Horcrux. 649

His attempt to kill Harry Potter in 1981 rebounded, destroying his body and leaving him as a weakened spirit in Albania for roughly ten years. Quirrell eventually found him there and became his first known host. 78 79

Appearance

Voldemort's restored body is tall, gaunt, hairless, and unnaturally pale. His face is serpentine: scarlet vertical pupils, slitted nostrils in place of a nose, thin lips, and an expression repeatedly compared to that of a snake. 500 576 600

• Wraith form — black or grey mist, with scattered particles of magic, memory, emotion, and soul held together by Horcrux magic. 214 215
• Young Tom Riddle — pale-skinned, black-haired, slightly tall for his age, and conventionally handsome; even as a child, he carried a heavy, unsettling gloom. 648
• Restored attire — drifting black mist formed into loose black robes after his resurrection. 500
• Battle scars — faint pink scars remained visible on his pale face during the New York confrontation. 751

Personality

Voldemort is calculating, theatrical, and intensely controlling. He secures obedience through alternating rewards, threats, torture, and public displays of power; even his closest followers are treated as tools rather than companions. 502 505 576

He regards death as the ultimate enemy and pursues immortality through Horcruxes, possession, resurrection, and the acquisition of more powerful magic. His fear of death is exploited by Severus Snape, who identifies it as the source of Voldemort's fixation on Dark Arts, prophecies, and Horcruxes. 533 701

Despite preaching pure-blood supremacy, Voldemort is himself half-blood. He despises this origin, elevates his Slytherin ancestry, and argues that wizards should rule over Muggles when their societies inevitably merge. 211 214 769

His greatest personal weaknesses are arrogance and isolation. Dumbledore characterizes him as someone who neither has nor understands friendship, while Voldemort repeatedly underestimates opponents such as Dumbledore and Loren Morgan. 649 604 702

Abilities & Skills

Dark Magic and Dueling

Voldemort is regarded as an extraordinarily dangerous duelist whose magic carries a distinct aura of death. He can cast with minimal motion or incantation, overpower conventional spells, and maintain pressure on multiple opponents. 405 603 751

• Killing Curse mastery — casts unusually dense, charged Avada Kedavra and can split a single curse into a rain of smaller, serpent-like killing curses. 701 702
• Cruciatus Curse — uses torture to extract information, punish followers, and break prisoners, including Harry Potter, Dolores Umbridge, and Amelia Bones. 504 584 660
• Silver Shield — conjures a powerful silver defensive barrier capable of absorbing numerous incoming spells. 603 751
• Black-mist evasion — can transform into mist-like form and move with the weightlessness of a wraith, though Dumbledore's magic has forced him back into a wounded physical body. 603 604
• Limit — he has been driven off or severely injured by Dumbledore and was forced to escape after Loren's Piercing Bolt. 604 702

Horcrux and Soul Magic

Voldemort fragmented his soul into Horcruxes, binding himself to the living world even after his body was destroyed. This magic enabled his survival as a wraith, but made his continued existence dependent on vulnerable external vessels. 210 215 500

• Uses murder to split the soul and store fragments in objects or living beings. 210
• His Horcruxes can manipulate emotions, read memories, create illusions, and attempt to preserve or revive their soul fragments. 158 533 667
• He experimented with living Horcruxes, transforming Vincent Crabbe into both a soul vessel and a prospective wand core. 165 745 748
• A remaining fragment within Harry Potter is identified as a living Horcrux. 738

Possession and Mental Magic

As a bodiless spirit, Voldemort can inhabit hosts and exploit mental connections.

• Possessed Quirrell and used his body to seek the Sorcerer's Stone. 78 108
• Later stole Peter Pettigrew's body as a host. 363
• Used the diary Horcrux to converse with and probe Loren Morgan's memories. 158 161
• Manipulated Harry's dreams through their scar-based connection. 409 600
• Maintains strong Occlumency, fabricating false memories when he suspects Dumbledore may have detected a weakness. 404

Parseltongue and Serpentine Magic

Voldemort is a Parselmouth by birth and presents himself as Slytherin's heir. He revealed the ability to speak with snakes to Dumbledore at age eleven. 648

• Opened the Chamber of Secrets and commanded its Basilisk through his Slytherin inheritance. 649
• Received power from the Snakewood Tree on Mount Greylock and wielded a Snakewood Wand. 357 702
• His magic and physical features increasingly adopt snake-like qualities, including vertical pupils and a forked tongue. 357 701

Resurrection and Ancient Magic

Voldemort successfully returned to a physical body through an unprecedented resurrection ritual.

• The ritual used the bone of the father, flesh of the servant, and blood of the enemy; Barty Crouch Jr.'s body served as the vessel. 500
• His Horcruxes anchored his original soul long enough for a new body to be formed. 500
• After resurrection, he used Ancient Magic to restore Bellatrix Lestrange's severed arm while embedding part of his will within it. 501

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Yew wand — his primary wand during his Ministry confrontation with Dumbledore. 603
• Snakewood Wand — a wand associated with the Snakewood Tree and used to amplify his charged Killing Curse. 357 702
• Riddle's Diary — his first Horcrux, created after Moaning Myrtle's death; it was later destroyed after communicating with Loren. 649 161
• Gaunt family ring — his second Horcrux, created after murdering the Riddle family; it was attacked with Fiendfyre during the Horcrux hunt. 649 650
• Slytherin's Locket — a Horcrux capable of exploiting regret, guilt, and emotional vulnerability. 533
• Ravenclaw's Diadem — a Horcrux entrusted to Hermione Granger for destruction with the Sword of Gryffindor. 655
• Hufflepuff's Goblet / Golden Cup — a Horcrux destroyed by Ron Weasley with the Sword of Gryffindor. 357 667
• Living Horcruxes — Harry Potter carries a soul fragment, while Vincent Crabbe was remade as a living vessel and intended wand core. 738 748

Relationships

• Albus Dumbledore — lifelong adversary. Dumbledore recognized Tom's nature in childhood, rejected his later Hogwarts job application, investigated his Horcruxes, and repeatedly defeated or repelled him. 648 533 603 604
• Harry Potter — designated enemy whose blood was used in Voldemort's resurrection. Their scar connection allows Voldemort to intrude upon Harry's dreams and perceptions. 500 600
• Loren Morgan — a recurring target for recruitment. Voldemort calls him a “Sage,” offers him partnership and power, and later duels him after Loren destroys several of his plans and Horcruxes. 214 702
• Severus Snape — valued servant and spy whom Voldemort repeatedly tests for loyalty. Snape later openly rejects him and attacks him. 505 701
• Bellatrix Lestrange — fanatically devoted follower who helps enact the resurrection ritual and willingly sacrifices her arm for him. 500 501
• Horace Slughorn — former professor and admirer whose disclosure of Horcrux knowledge helped enable Voldemort's pursuit of immortality. 609
• Merope Gaunt — mother; died shortly after giving birth to him. 193
• Tom Riddle Sr. — Muggle father; Voldemort despised him and later murdered the Riddle family. 211 649
• Professor Quirrell — first known host after Voldemort's Albanian exile; possessed and directed toward the Sorcerer's Stone. 78 108

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sorcerer's Stone Incursion

Voldemort enters Hogwarts through Quirrell, pursues the Sorcerer's Stone, and confronts Harry after the Stone appears in Harry's pocket. His possession of Quirrell allows him to feel a human body for the first time in ten years, but the host body is destroyed during the ensuing battle and Voldemort's soul escapes through Harry. 108 109

Diary, Chamber, and Early Reconstruction

A diary fragment communicates with Loren, seeks to recruit him, and is destroyed after examining his memories. Meanwhile, Voldemort influences Vincent Crabbe through a serpent and begins experimenting with a living Horcrux, using the Chamber of Secrets to explain soul-splitting magic and demand murder. 158 161 165 210

Professor Tom Gaunt and the Search for Power

Operating as Professor Tom Gaunt at Ilvermorny, Voldemort teaches children through terror and cruelty while preserving his cover for institutional access. He receives aid from Snakewood, uses Peter Pettigrew's body as a host, seeks the Elder Wand, and schemes to exploit the Quidditch World Cup through Bellatrix and the Veela. 357 363 365 430 533

Resurrection and Return of the Death Eaters

At Little Hangleton, Voldemort uses Harry's blood, his father's bones, Bellatrix's flesh, and Crouch's body to regain physical form. He summons the Death Eaters, rewards the loyal, punishes the absent, and sends Snape back to Hogwarts as a spy. 499 500 502 505

Ministry Offensive

Obsessed with the prophecy concerning Harry, Voldemort attacks the Department of Mysteries and is lured into a prepared confrontation with Dumbledore and the Aurors. Dumbledore's Phoenix magic and the Department's defenses leave him severely wounded and destroy his body, returning him to wraith form. 602 603 604 605

Death Eater Regime and Final Campaign

Voldemort's forces seize the Ministry of Magic and establish it as a base while identifying thousands of wizarding households. He intends for Dumbledore to survive long enough to witness Death Eater rule, but Snape defects openly and Loren forces Voldemort to flee after their duel. 685 701 702

In New York, Voldemort rallies wavering Death Eaters by declaring that he has surpassed death, then moves to ambush Harry at the airport. The ensuing battle ends with Voldemort trapped beneath Loren's descending magical attack; later reporting confirms his complete downfall. 746 751 753 769

Notable Quotes

“And Voldemort is my past, my present, and my future...” 211

“The Dark Lord needs no allies!” 603

“Everything you have done was born of your fear of death.” 701

Trivia

• “Tom Marvolo Riddle” rearranges into “I am Lord Voldemort.” 211
• He once applied to teach at Hogwarts but was rejected by Dumbledore. 533
• Voldemort considers himself a pioneer of immortality, though Grindelwald dismisses his Horcrux-based survival as digging discarded magic out of history. 214 610
• His childhood habit of collecting stolen objects continues into adulthood as a fixation on prestigious historical relics. 648 649