Voldemort

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Voldemort (伏地魔)
Alias(es)	Tom Riddle; the Dark Lord
Species/Race	Wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Death Eaters (former master) 103
Occupation/Role	Dark wizard; former Dark Lord
Status	Disembodied soul remnant after the destruction of Quirinus Quirrell's body; escaped as a shadow-like soul fragment 121
First Appearance	Chapter 119 (first confirmed direct appearance) 119

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Path of Legend	226	Dumbledore estimates that Tom entered the Path of Legend in his twenties, after graduating Hogwarts and later disappearing from Borgin and Burkes. 226

Background / History

Origins and early crimes

Tom Riddle investigated his ancestry while still a teenager. After using the Imperius Curse on his maternal uncle, Morfin Gaunt, he learned that his father was a Muggle and that he was a half-blood born from Merope Gaunt's failed relationship. The revelation triggered a violent breakdown: Tom took Morfin's wand, murdered the Riddle family, altered Morfin's memories, framed him for the killings, and seized the Gaunt Ring. 143

While at Hogwarts, Tom opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the Basilisk, causing attacks on students and Moaning Myrtle's death. Dumbledore later theorized that the Chamber and Slytherin's legacy may have enabled Tom's rapid mastery of Horcrux magic. 268 269

The diary Horcrux preserves a version of Tom from his school years. It was an early, comparatively crude creation capable of consuming memories and life force, controlling consciousness, and preserving an intelligent soul fragment. 232 328

Rise and downfall

After Hogwarts, Tom worked for a time at Borgin and Burkes before disappearing. When he returned, his appearance had changed, a transformation Dumbledore associates with profound changes to his soul and Dark magic. 226

At the height of his power, Voldemort's spellcraft had surpassed ordinary limits. Dumbledore describes him as a legendary Dark wizard whose attempt to kill Harry Potter ended when his own Killing Curse rebounded, destroying his body rather than fulfilling the prophecy as he intended. 92

Disembodied survival

Following his downfall, Voldemort survived through Horcruxes as a grayish-white remnant neither fully alive nor dead. He hid in Albania for years, sustaining himself by possessing small animals before later parasitizing Quirinus Quirrell. 81 119

While using Quirrell's body, Voldemort sought the Philosopher's Stone and intended to kill Harry personally after restoring himself. He consumed Quirrell's remaining life force to temporarily manifest, but the host body's limits restricted his strength. 119 120

Vaughan Weasley ultimately defeated the battle-damaged Voldemort by pursuing him through Apparition, forcing Quirrell's body into a fatal Splinching incident, and separating its head. Voldemort's soul escaped as black smoke, leaving behind a curse that injured Vaughan. 121 122

Appearance

In his disembodied state, Voldemort manifests as a grayish-white haze or shadow that replaces the life aura of a possessed host. 119

When revealed on the back of Quirrell's head, his face has chalk-gray skin, bloodshot red eyes, and two narrow nostril-like slits in place of a nose, giving him a human yet serpentine appearance. 120

• As a teenager in Morfin Gaunt's memories, Tom appears as a tall, handsome, black-haired boy carrying an oil lamp. 141
• His physical appearance changed substantially after his post-Hogwarts disappearance, reflecting alterations to both body and soul. 226
• His voice is soft, hoarse, and unnervingly sibilant. 119

Personality

Voldemort is defined by immense pride, insecurity, and contempt. Dumbledore attributes his violence against the Riddle family to his inability to accept his Muggle father, while Vaughan views him as fundamentally cruel, irrational, and incapable of becoming a reliable ally. 143 151

He is exceptionally cautious when vulnerable, surviving for eleven years in hiding and refusing to trust even his former followers. Yet Dumbledore also describes him as impatient, and his rage repeatedly compromises otherwise calculated plans. 119 121 269

His ideology centers on the superiority of wizards and magical blood. He regards magical creatures as beneath consideration and believes that only wizards deserve magic; Vaughan, however, argues that Voldemort's recruitment of pure-blood followers was ultimately driven more by power and convenience than genuine loyalty to blood purity. 103 200

Abilities & Skills

Dark Magic and duelling

Voldemort is a legendary Dark wizard with an extensive arsenal of curses, hexes, and combat knowledge that even Dumbledore cannot fully catalogue. 120

• Casts Unforgivable Curses, including the Imperius Curse, to seize control of targets. 119
• Can corrode the battlefield with ash-gray Dark magic and unleash dangerous, difficult-to-identify curses. 121 122
• Demonstrated the ability to tear open a temporary rift in the World Within the Painting and erase Dumbledore's Transfiguration from a distance. 119
• Endured the dragon's plasma breath and continued fighting despite severe burning. 119
• His battle-damaged state inside Quirrell severely limited the power he could draw upon and made him vulnerable to Vaughan's close-range Apparition tactics. 120 121

Horcrux and soul magic

Voldemort split his soul into multiple Horcruxes, allowing his primary consciousness to remain in the world after bodily death. Horcruxes are anchors for a soul rather than resurrection devices by themselves. 328

• Created several Horcruxes, including ones made from founders' relics. 138
• Bound the soul fragment in the Gaunt Ring beneath layers of magic so it could not develop independent intelligence. 328
• Left the diary fragment unusually autonomous; it can absorb life force and appears designed to create another version of Voldemort. 328
• In his remnant state, he cannot be physically or magically restrained like an ordinary living being; Vaughan compares him to an untouchable shadow. 121

Memory magic and mental control

Tom displayed advanced memory magic while still a Hogwarts student. He altered Morfin Gaunt's memories so convincingly that Dumbledore states fewer than ten wizards could detect the tampering. 141

• Used altered memories to frame Morfin for the Riddle family murders. 141
• The diary's enchantments can read and devour memories, control consciousness, and draw life force from those who write in it. 232 328
• His possession of Quirrell allowed him to influence events while concealing his own remnant soul. 119

Parseltongue

As a descendant of the Gaunt family, Voldemort speaks Parseltongue. His discovery of this ability helped drive his investigation into Slytherin's legacy and the Chamber of Secrets. 141 269

Lasting enchantments

At his peak, Voldemort created defensive magic capable of persisting for over a decade around the seaside cave containing Slytherin's Locket. 331

• Concealed the cave entrance by embedding magic into the surrounding land and sea. 331
• Created a blood-activated entrance and an underground lake guarded by magical darkness and Inferi. 331 332
• Restricted travel across the lake, preventing ordinary flight, Levitation, and Transfiguration while concealing a boat for a single “real” wizard. 332
• Vaughan interprets the cave's darkness and corpses as manifestations of Voldemort's deeper fear of powerlessness, death, and the loss of magic. 332

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Tom Riddle's Diary — An early Horcrux formerly held by Lucius Malfoy; it contains an intelligent young fragment of Tom capable of life-force absorption and mind control. 224 328
• Gaunt Ring — A Horcrux created after the murder of the Riddle family; its soul fragment was heavily sealed against independent action. 143 328
• Slytherin's Locket — A Horcrux hidden in a magically fortified sea cave on Ireland's western coast. 330 331
• Ravenclaw's Diadem — A Horcrux hidden in the Room of Requirement after Voldemort returned to Hogwarts to apply for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. 138
• Hufflepuff's Cup — A Horcrux entrusted to Bellatrix Lestrange. 331

Relationships

• Harry Potter — His fated enemy. Dumbledore states that Harry and Voldemort are uniquely bound and can kill one another; Voldemort seeks to kill Harry himself after regaining a body. 92 119
• Albus Dumbledore — Former teacher and lifelong adversary. Dumbledore recognizes Voldemort as a legendary Dark wizard but actively investigates his Horcruxes and seeks a way to destroy him permanently. 226 128
• Vaughan Weasley — A dangerous opponent whom Voldemort remembers as the first-year student who forced him into an embarrassing defeat. Vaughan later defeats his Quirrell-hosted form in direct combat. 120 121
• Quirinus Quirrell — Host and servant. Voldemort parasitized Quirrell, tortured him after failures, and ultimately consumed his life force to manifest. 62 119
• Morfin Gaunt — Maternal uncle and scapegoat for the Riddle family murders. Voldemort controlled him, altered his memories, and stole the Gaunt Ring. 143
• Lucius Malfoy — Entrusted with Tom Riddle's diary Horcrux. 224
• Death Eaters — Former followers who served Voldemort during his rise; he remains too distrustful to rely on them openly while disembodied. 103 269
• DeSantis — Dumbledore suspects that Voldemort commissioned him to help gather Horcruxes. 328

Notable Quotes

“Showy, but useless!” — dismissing Dumbledore's spatial magic within the World Within the Painting. 119

“Boring little tricks...” — after enduring the dragon's plasma breath. 119