Lord Voldemort

image=This fan-made poster for the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie pictures Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes) when he has returned to power. It is not yet known what Voldemort will actually look like in the film, although a swedish newspaper recently showed a picture showing Voldemort which they claimed was from the movie. See more here.

His rise to power

Little more is known about Riddle until he rose to power as Lord Voldemort in the 1970s. There have only been hints at the full horror of his attempt at control. It would seem when Voldemort first appeared, he started his campaign with the idea of "purifying" the Wizarding race by purging Muggle-born people (notably despite, or perhaps partly because of, his own 'half-blood' heritage), which appealed to the old Wizarding families. He briefly resurfaced to contact Dumbledore, now the Hogwarts Headmaster, asking again to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He was once more turned down. At some time he "showed his true colours," which apparently caused him to lose the support of some of the old families. The Ministry of Magic — led largely by Barty Crouch Sr. — worked against Voldemort, along with the Order of the Phoenix, led by Dumbledore. Dumbledore is said to be the only wizard whom Voldemort ever feared, and Hogwarts was one of the few safe places during that dangerous time.

Related Topics:
1970s - Defence Against the Dark Arts - Ministry of Magic - Barty Crouch - Order of the Phoenix

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During this period, there were high levels of suspicion and fear in the wizarding world. People felt they could never be sure who was on Voldemort's side and who wasn't. Voldemort and his followers used curses which could cause excruciating pain or instant death, or allow the spellcaster to control another person. This third curse, the Imperius curse, was the subject of controversy, as many who supported Voldemort later claimed that his followers had been using this curse on them. Some of these people were later set free, but there is conclusive evidence that at least one, Lucius Malfoy, was acting of his own free will.

Related Topics:
Wizarding world - Curses - Lucius Malfoy - Will

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Voldemort had his own group of trusted aides: the Death Eaters, over whom he maintained control by continuous, and often brutal, punishment. The Death Eaters would employ the Dark Mark, a green skull ("mors mordre") with a snake emerging from its mouth, as their symbol. This would be used to terrorise people – by its appearance above a house where the Death Eaters had committed a murder, for instance.

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Despite the efforts of the Ministry and Dumbledore, Voldemort appeared to be on the verge of victory, having infiltrated many of their organizations with his spies. The wizarding community remained under siege and was being torn apart by widespread suspicion.

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Then, in early 1980, Sibyll Trelawney, great-great-granddaughter of a famous and gifted seer, Cassandra Trelawney, entered a trance in the presence of Dumbledore and uttered a prophecy:

Related Topics:
1980 - Sibyll Trelawney - Seer - Cassandra Trelawney - Trance - Prophecy

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:"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his 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 ..."

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Two boys fit the description of the prophecy: Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. A Death Eater named Severus Snape overheard the prophecy as Trelawney was making it and informed Voldemort; however, he only managed to hear the first few lines, missing out key details about the subject of the prophecy being marked 'as his equal'. Voldemort believed Harry the most likely of the two to be a risk to him, even though Neville was a pure-blood (and thus, according to Voldemort's creed, the better wizard) and went to kill the child. In doing so, he "mark him as equal" and confirmed that Harry was the one to whom the prophecy referred.

Related Topics:
Neville Longbottom - Harry Potter - Severus Snape

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In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore reveals further truths relating to this prophecy. He tells Harry that by attempting to kill him, Voldemort, besides giving Harry his scar, began the chain of events that would eventually lead to fulfilment of the prophecy. This theme of inevitable fulfilment of prophecy initiated by those who seek to prevent it is a common motif in ancient myth, particularly in ancient Greek tragedy and most famously in the story of Oedipus.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Scar - Greek tragedy - Oedipus

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