Voldemort

Lord Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the principal antagonist of J. K. Rowling’s seven Harry Potter novels. He was born on December 31, 1926, in an orphanage in London to Merope Gaunt, a witch descended from Salazar Slytherin, and Tom Riddle Sr., a Muggle. Merope used magic to attract Riddle Sr., but after stopping the enchantment, she died shortly after giving birth. The child grew up believing that his abandonment justified contempt for both Muggles and ordinary human weakness.

At Hogwarts, Riddle was sorted into Slytherin and became an exceptionally talented, persuasive student. He learned about his ancestry, opened the Chamber of Secrets during his fifth year, and used the basilisk within it to attack students. The attack killed Myrtle Warren, later known as Moaning Myrtle, and Riddle framed the school’s groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. He eventually transformed his birth name by rearranging its letters into “I am Lord Voldemort,” rejecting the identity associated with his Muggle father.

After leaving Hogwarts, Riddle worked at Borgin and Burkes, where he obtained valuable magical objects, including Salazar Slytherin’s locket and Helga Hufflepuff’s cup. He turned these objects into Horcruxes, vessels containing fragments of his soul, after committing murders. His known Horcruxes included the diary used by Ginny Weasley, Marvolo Gaunt’s ring, the Slytherin locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem, Harry Potter, and Nagini. Creating Horcruxes made him extremely difficult to kill, but it also grotesquely divided his soul.

Voldemort first gained power during the First Wizarding War, commanding Death Eaters and targeting people who opposed his belief in pure-blood supremacy. In 1981, he attacked the Potter family after hearing a prophecy about a child capable of defeating him. His Killing Curse rebounded when Lily Potter sacrificed herself to protect Harry, leaving Voldemort bodiless and giving Harry his distinctive lightning-shaped scar. Voldemort returned physically in 1995 through a ritual involving Harry’s blood, his father’s bone, and a servant’s flesh. He later seized control of the Ministry of Magic, but Harry and his allies destroyed the Horcruxes during the Battle of Hogwarts. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry there, the curse rebounded again. Deprived of his soul anchors, Voldemort died on May 2, 1998.