Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Lord Voldemort

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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character
Lord Voldemort
Gender	Male
Hair color	none (formerly black)
Eye color	Red
Related Family	Tom Riddle Sr., Merope Gaunt
Loyalty	Himself

Contents 1 Overview 2 Role in the Books 2.1 Philosopher's Stone 2.2 Chamber of Secrets 2.3 Prisoner of Azkaban 2.4 Goblet of Fire 2.5 Order of the Phoenix 2.6 Half-Blood Prince 2.7 Deathly Hallows 3 Strengths 4 Weaknesses 5 Relationships with Other Characters 6 Analysis 7 Questions 8 Greater Picture

[edit] Overview

Lord Voldemort is perhaps the greatest dark wizard ever known and the most powerful in his own time. It is said that the only wizard he fears is Albus Dumbledore. He apparently believes that there is nothing worse than death, and it seems that he is lacking the ability to love or accept love.

[edit] Role in the Books

[edit] Philosopher's Stone

When Harry was one year old, Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter during his effort to murder their son. Harry survived, but Voldemort apparently lost his own life in the attempt, although some doubted he was truly gone. Harry had received a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead in that attack.

Rubeus Hagrid, introducing Harry to the Wizzarding world, mentions Voldemort, and says how it was Harry who had made him vanish. Hagrid mentions that he personally believed that there was not enough left that was human in Voldemort to die.

Voldemort is mentioned when Harry is shopping for his wand. Having tried Harry with a large variety of wands, and seen them all unsuccessful, Mr. Ollivander finally tries him with one particular wand which he had evidently been holding in reserve. The wand suits Harry perfectly, and as he is leaving, Mr. Ollivander says "It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter ... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."

Voldemort is first revealed to us in the climactic battle at the end of this book. We discover that Voldemort's spirit lived, and he was able to possess Professor Quirrell's body. Throughout the book, he had driven Quirrell in an attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone and kill Harry. Revelations at the end of the book show us that many of the things that had happened during the story were in fact driven by Voldemort.

Voldemort, assisted by Quirrell, had attempted to steal the Stone from Gringotts Bank, not knowing that Hagrid had removed it earlier that same day.

Harry's scar first pains him at the Arrival Feast, when he sees Professor Snape looking at him. It is likely that Voldemort is now riding the back of Quirrell's head, concealed by the turban that Quirrell is now wearing. (Harry remarks that it is new; he had seen Quirrell earlier, at the Leaky Cauldron, and Quirrell had not been turbaned then.) We guess later that Harrys scar had pained him because Voldemort had perceived him.

At Voldemort's apparent bidding, Quirrell also tried to knock Harry off his broom by hexing it during the Quidditch match against Slytherin. Harry had, on that occasion, been saved by Professor Snape.

And it was Quirrell, again at Voldemort's instructions, who had been killing the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest so he could drink their blood to sustain Voldemort's tenuous life. Harry's scar again pained him when he encountered the robed figure that was attacking and killing unicorns.

In the end, Voldemort propels Quirrell through the elaborate security maze protecting the Stone at Hogwarts. He tries to use Harry, who has also bypassed the security, to fetch the Stone, and then orders Quirrell to kill him. With Quirrell's defeat and (probable) death, Voldemort is forced to flee his body and find a new host. Harry is nearly incapacitated by the pain originating in his scar, during the battle with Quirrell and Voldemort in the final chapter of the book.

In this book, Harry gains something of an understanding of the scar on his forehead. He discovers, in particular, that the scar becomes painful whenever Voldemort is nearby; Professor Dumbledore confirms this belief when he and Harry are talking about the events just past, in the Hospital Wing at the end of the book. Dumbledore mentions that it was the backfiring of a powerful curse that left that scar, and it likely indicated that there was something of a connection between Harry and Voldemort which the curse had left behind it. He does not, however, go into detail at this point.

[edit] Chamber of Secrets

Voldemort does not act directly in this book; instead, the story is driven by a remnant of his younger self, contained in a magical diary, when he still used his birth name Tom Riddle. Details are under that character entry.

[edit] Prisoner of Azkaban

Lord Voldemort is not seen directly, as he hides and regains strength. At the end, Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) returns to serve him after escaping Harry, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin.

[edit] Goblet of Fire

We first hear Voldemort (though we don't see him) when he takes up residence in the old Riddle manor in Little Hangleton. There, we are with Frank Bryce, as he listens to Voldemort and Pettigrew discussing how one Bertha Jorkins had died, and what they had found out from her. They also discuss Voldemort's one faithful servant, with the implication that Pettigrew is less faithful. Bryce also listens in as Voldemort and Pettigrew apparently plan the murder of one Harry Potter. Bryce is then discovered and brought into the room where Voldemort is, and shortly thereafter Voldemort kills him. We see all of this though Harry's mind, as Harry then awakens, as if from a dream, with his scar paining him. Knowing that pain in his scar has previously meant that Voldemort was near him, Harry is worried: is he about to be attacked, right there on Privet Drive?

Much later, Harry dreams again, this time that Pettigrew is being punished for a mistake he had made. The blunder was not fatal, as the man was now dead, but Pettigrew is punished again anyway.

When Harry and Cedric Diggory touch the Triwizard trophy, they discover that it has been made into a Portkey, and it carries them to a graveyard near what we soon realize is Little Hangleton. There, Pettigrew, on orders from Voldemort, kills Cedric and binds Harry to a gravestone. Here, while Pettigrew is off gathering potion ingredients, we get our first look at what Voldemort has become: the size of a baby, but with snake-like and scaled skin, slitted eyes, and a grown man's malevolence.

Pettigrew now lights a fire under the stone cauldron he has brought, and with some of the bones of Voldemort's father, Harry's blood, and his own flesh (his right hand), the potion he has created re-embodies Voldemort, who climbs out of the cauldron fully-formed. Exulting in his returned body, Voldemort briefly taunts Harry, then, ignoring the whimpering Pettigrew, summons his Death Eaters.

Now ignoring Harry, as well as Pettigrew, he greets his Death Eaters who have appeared, wearing hooded robes. One begs forgiveness and grovels before Voldemort, and is promptly tortured for having doubted Voldemort would return. Voldemort says that he does not forgive, he does not forget, and he will want thirteen years repayment for his Death Eaters having denied him. He then rewards Pettigrew for his service in bringing Voldemort back, by giving him a magical silver hand to replace the one Pettigrew cut off.

A Death Eater with the voice of Lucius Malfoy asks how Voldemort had come back. Voldemort says that he had taken measures to prevent his soul leaving if his body failed, and so when the curse on Harry had backfired, and his body had died, he had wandered as a naked soul, ending up in Albania. There, he had occupied small animals, none of which lived for long, until eventually a weak wizard had come along who he could take over. His attempt to capture the Philosopher's Stone had failed, and the wizard had died, leaving him alone as a spirit once more until Pettigrew had found him, and had brought Bertha Jorkins to him. It was through Bertha that he had discovered that he still had one true ally in the outside world, and had discovered the means to capture Harry and bring him to Voldemort. Bertha had been of no use after he had done with her, but Pettigrew had been able to craft him a body, small and almost powerless, but enough to keep him alive, and had sustained him with Nagini's venom, until now he had Harry Potter trapped. He demonstrates that he no longer needs to fear Harry's touch, by holding his hand against Harry's face; Harry is in agony from his scar. Voldemort then orders Pettigrew to fetch Harry's wand and release him, so that he and Voldemort may duel.

Harry finds himself with his wand and standing free, but surrounded by enemies and facing Voldemort. Voldemort forces him to bow, saying that the forms of dueling must be obeyed, and then curses Harry to demonstrate that Harry has no power over him. Recovering, Harry ducks behind a gravestone. Voldemort taunts him, and Harry decides that if he is going to die, it will not be cowering and hiding, but standing proudly. Rising from hiding, Harry casts the Disarmament spell at exactly the same time Voldemort casts the Killing Curse. Both Harry and Voldemort are amazed when a band of golden light unites their wands, the two of them are lifted and set down some distance away, and a dome of golden light starts to form around them. Harry finds that his wand is heating up, and vibrating fiercely. He also sees beads of light on the band joining the two wands, and finds that he can force them along the band towards Voldemort. Somehow, he feels that he must do this. Voldemort, obviously afraid, tells the Death Eaters to do nothing. As Harry forces the first bead of light into Voldemort's wand, both wands scream, and a misty shade of Cedric appears out of Voldemort's wand. Cedric's shade tells Harry not to break the connection between the wands. Harry keeps forcing beads of light into Voldemort's wand, though it feels as though his own wand will either explode or vibrate out of his hand, and in turn, shades of an old Muggle, a woman who Harry believes is Bertha Jorkins, and his own father and mother come out of Voldemort's wand. The shades of his parents tell him that when he breaks the connection, they will stay visible for a short while, and will cluster around Voldemort to obscure his vision; Harry will have the chance to run for it. Cedric's shade asks Harry to take his body back, for his parents. Harry breaks the connection, as the shades cluster around Voldemort, and runs through the tombstones. Stones splinter and crack around him as the Death Eaters, and Voldemort, throw curses; he reaches Cedric's body, Summons the Triwizard Cup, and is brought back, with Cedric's body, to the site of the Third Task.

From the hedge maze, Harry is taken by Professor Moody, who seems unsurprised to hear of Voldemort's return. He asks if the Death Eaters were summoned, and if they were punished for their lack of faith. As he talks, it becomes apparent to Harry that Moody is on Voldemort's side; Moody confirms this, saying that he had been arranging things so that Harry would be the first to touch the Triwizard trophy, and had made the trophy a Portkey that would carry Harry to Voldemort. He then says that, if he kills Harry, he will be great in Voldemort's eyes, and will be chief among the Death Eaters. As he prepares to kill Harry, the office door is broken down, and Moody is stunned by Dumbledore. Deprived of Polyjuice Potion, the stunned Moody shortly turns into Barty Crouch Jr.. Under the influence of Veritaserum, Barty reveals that Voldemort had come to his house with Pettigrew and had placed his father under the Imperius curse, and that with Pettigrew's help he had then attacked Moody and taken over from him. His actions throughout the year had been planned by Voldemort, specifically to get Harry away from the school and into Voldemort's power.

On being told all of this, Cornelius Fudge refuses to believe it, almost pleading with Dumbledore to admit that it is not true. When Dumbledore will not bend, Fudge decides that Dumbledore is creating this story in order to secure the office of Minister for Magic for himself. After his departure, Dumbledore assigns missions for Hagrid and Madam Maxime, if she will go; for Snape; and for Sirius.

At the Leaving Feast, Dumbledore tells the school that Voldemort has returned, and that he had murdered Cedric Diggory. He also says that this information will not be popular with the Wizarding world, and that many parents will wish that it had not been revealed to their children, but that it was still going to be something they would need to know.

[edit] Order of the Phoenix

Knowing that Voldemort has returned and that few in the Wizarding world believe this, Harry is on edge even during the summer. He makes a point of listening to the Muggle news for unexplained deaths and possibly magical disturbances, as well as scanning the front page of the Daily Prophet, for signs that Voldemort is trying to regain power. His tension is not eased by the fact that, though both Ron and Hermione are writing to him, their letters seem designed to tell him nothing of what's going on in the Wizarding world.

Shortly after Harry is attacked by Dementors, he tells his Uncle Vernon that Voldemort has returned; recognizing that this puts his own family in danger, Vernon orders Harry out of the house. He is forestalled, however, by a Howler, which reminds Harry's Aunt Petunia of the duty she has taken on. She overrides Vernon, but does not prevent Vernon from locking Harry into the bedroom again. Shortly, Harry is released by a group of wizards including Lupin and the real Alastor Moody; they escort him to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Here, he learns that the Order believes that Voldemort is deliberately doing nothing, staying out of sight while he rebuilds his organization. Harry is told that, by reporting Voldemort's return immediately to Dumbledore, he had made Voldemort's return much harder. He is also told that Dumbledore is looking for something, which is here referred to as a weapon.

Just after Harry's return from the hearing at the Ministry, as his celebratory dinner is being prepared, Harry's scar pains him sharply. Hermione is the only one who notices, everyone else is celebrating Harry's acquittal. In response to Hermione's concern, Harry says it's nothing, it happens all the time now.

Very soon after arriving at Hogwarts, Harry gets into an argument with the other people in his dorm. It seems that Seamus was almost not allowed to return to Hogwarts because of Harry's and Dumbledore's belief in Voldemort's return, though Neville echoes his grandmother's belief that Dumbledore is a lot more trustworthy than the Daily Prophet.

Shortly after classes start, Harry gets into an argument with the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge, as to whether Voldemort had returned or not. Umbridge refuses to believe that Voldemort has returned, instead accusing Harry of seeking attention. Eventually, Umbridge gives Harry detention, which turns out to involve writing lines. At the end of the detention period, which ends up covering two weeks, Umbridge takes Harry's hand to see how detention is progressing, and Harry's scar suddenly pains him. Later, talking this over with Ron and Hermione, Harry expresses concern that Umbridge may be somehow linked to Voldemort. Hermione suggests that he should tell Dumbledore about it, and Harry, stung by Dumbledore's apparent avoidance of him all summer, says that's all Dumbledore's interested in, his scar.

Harry does, however, need to talk to someone about it, so he crafts a message for Sirius. Sirius responds via the Floo network, saying that Umbridge is bad enough, but the Order don't believe there is any connection with Voldemort.

Harry is also having repeated dreams about a long corridor with a doorway at the end. In his dream, he longs to go through that doorway and find what is on the other side of it. While we don't yet know whether these are originating with Voldemort, the fact that Harry's scar is always prickling or painful when he awakens from these dreams is certainly suggestive.

Harry gets into trouble again with Umbridge by pointing out that the only Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor that Umbridge feels was competent, Professor Quirrell, had Voldemort stuck on the back of his head. During the detention that follows this outburst, Hermione and Ron suggest to Harry that he should teach his own Defence Against the Dark Arts class, seeing as how he was the only one there who had actually faced Voldemort and knew what it was like. Eventually, Harry agrees; this group will become known as Dumbledore's Army.

After a disastrous Quidditch practice, Harry's scar pains him again. Ron asks what is happening; Harry tells him that Voldemort is upset, there's something he wants and it is not happening fast enough. Looking back through his memories, Harry recalls that when Umbridge had touched his hand after detention, and his scar had hurt, Voldemort had been happy; the earlier occasion, before they came to school, he had been furious about something.

At the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army, Harry chooses to start them off with something simple: the Disarmament jinx. Zacharias Smith objects to starting with something so simple; Harry points out that he had used it successfully against Voldemort, and Smith subsides.

On Hagrid's return, he reports that he had been sent to try and recruit the Giants in the fight against Voldemort. He had failed, because Voldemort had sent Death Eaters who had gotten there first, and were offering better rewards.

Shortly before Christmas, Harry dreams again that he is in the long hallway, this time at a very much lower level. He sees a man there, asleep in front of a door; the man awakens, and Harry, feeling himself long and sinuous, rises and bites him with his snake's fangs. Waking up with a terrible pain in his scar, he tells Ron that he has just seen his father being attacked. Professor McGonagall, arriving on the scene, hears him out and takes him to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore also hears him out, and sends portraits to alert people near there. He also has Professor McGonagall bring all the Weasley children to his office, and then sends them all, and Harry, to Grimmauld Place. As he is sending them, Dumbledore happens to look into Harry's eyes for the first time this year; Harry feels the snake from his dream rise up inside him, full of desire to bite Dumbledore.

Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and the Weasley children, guarded by Moody and Tonks, visit Arthur in hospital. After the children have visited, the adults gather for what they believe is a private meeting. Harry and the others are able to eavesdrop, however, and overhear Moody suggesting that it is likely that Harry's seeing the attack, which seems to have been carried out by Voldemort's pet snake Nagini, means that somehow Harry and Voldemort have some sort of mental connection. Harry, already afraid that his experience means that he might turn into a snake and attack his friends, now fears that Voldemort might be looking into Headquarters through his eyes, and resolves to leave. He already has his trunk packed and is heading for the door when the portrait of Phineas Nigellus brings a message from Dumbledore: "Stay where you are." While Harry is again dismayed at the lack of information, he accepts the order, but resolves to stay clear of his friends in case he attacks them.

Very soon, however, Hermione arrives, having chosen to skip the planned skiing vacation with her parents. She finds Harry and almost drags him out of isolation. With Ron and Ginny, she discusses the belief that Voldemort may be possessing Harry. Ginny points out that she alone knows what it feels like, as she was possessed by Voldemort some years before. Harry apologizes for forgetting that, and after hearing Ginny's description of what it was like, accepts that he has not, in fact, been possessed.

As Christmas vacation comes to a close, Professor Snape, visiting Grimmauld Place, tells Harry that Dumbledore wants Harry to take Occlumency lessons from Snape. The intent is to prevent Voldemort from being able to put visions into Harry's head. It turns out that Harry is unable to calm his emotions in Snape's presence, and so is unable to close his mind. For the first time, in Snape's office, Harry is forced to think about the recurring dream he has had, and recognizes the hallway in the dreams as the one leading to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, and also as the place where Arthur Weasley was attacked. Harry discusses this later with Ron and Hermione, and they come to the conclusion that the weapon Voldemort is seeking is in the Ministry.

That night, Harry again finds himself felled by the pain in his scar. Asked by Ron what is going on, Harry says that Voldemort is very happy about something. Harry wonders what could have made Voldemort the happiest he has been in fourteen years, and in passing, whether Snape is perhaps tearing down his mental defences while claiming to be strengthening them.

The next morning, Harry finds out that what has made Voldemort so happy is a mass jail break from Azkaban. Ten Death Eaters have escaped, and Hermione sees this as an indication that Voldemort has managed to win the Dementors over to his side. Many wizards are as scared of Death Eaters as they are of Voldemort, and Harry finds that his students in Dumbledore's Army are working harder than ever. His Occlumency classes are not going as well; he is making little progress, and his scar is now tingling continuously. Harry can quite plainly see increased sensitivity to Voldemort's emotions dating back to the start of his Occlumency lessons, and again wonders if Snape is opening his mind rather than helping him close it.

In late February, Harry again starts seeing events through Voldemort's eyes. Now, he is looking at Rookwood, one of the escapees from Azkaban, who is explaining that as a one-time Ministry employee, he knows that the plan proposed by Avery would not work. Voldemort dismisses him, and sends for Avery; Harry awakens, screaming, and tries to ignore Voldemort punishing Avery while he explains to Ron what he has been seeing. Later, in discussion with Hermione, they conclude that Bode, who they had seen in St. Mungo's Hospital, had been put under the Imperius curse to try and retrieve the weapon. He had run afoul of the protective spells around the weapon, and had been left insane, but the nurse at St. Mungo's had said he was improving, so Voldemort had had him killed.

In his next Occlumency lesson, Harry again experiences the dream of corridors, but this time when he reaches the doorway, it is open. Snape breaks him out of the dream, and asks about it, but Harry does not wish to tell him. They are interrupted by screaming in the Entry Hall: Professor Umbridge has fired Professor Trelawney.

Shortly after Dumbledore's departure from Hogwarts, Harry again dreams of the corridor, but this time the door is open, and in his dream he proceeds to a room full of dusty glass phials on row after row of shelves. He knows that what he wants is almost within his grasp, when he is rudely awakened by an exploding firework.

Exhausted by preparations for his OWL exams, Harry falls asleep in the History of Magic test. He dreams again, finding his way to the room with the glass phials, and there finding Voldemort torturing Sirius, forcing him to pick up one of the phials. Harry is convinced that he must go to the Ministry and rescue Sirius. He remains convinced that he will be able to tell when Voldemort actually kills Sirius by the pain in his scar, which is tingling.

At the Ministry, Harry, with five fellow members of Dumbledore's Army, is confronted by twelve Death Eaters, who are after a prophecy that had been made about Harry. Harry and his fellows run, but are eventually disabled. Harry, alone, remains able to fight, and he is hampered by the presence of Neville, still gamely struggling although his broken nose prevents him from casting spells properly. Reinforcements, including Sirius, arrive from the Order of the Phoenix, and eventually the Death Eaters are neutralized, though one, Bellatrix Lestrange, escapes, managing to kill Sirius and get to the Atrium. Harry chases her, revealing to her as they duel in the Atrium that the Prophecy has been destroyed. She seems upset by this, the more so as Voldemort joins her, assisting her in her duel with Harry. Dumbledore appears, and duels with Voldemort, while summoning members of the Ministry. Finally, Voldemort flees, but then returns, possessing Harry and using his mouth to taunt Dumbledore. Harry, convinced that he is about to die, thinks that soon he will be with Sirius again, and Voldemort, unable to stand the overwhelming feeling of love in Harry's mind, flees.

Back in Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore starts by claiming responsibility for Sirius' death, saying that if he had been more open with Harry, Harry would have realized that Voldemort was leading him into a trap. Dumbledore reveals to Harry that the events that had left the scar on Harry's forehead had also created a link between Harry and Voldemort, through which Harry had been able to sense Voldemort's emotions, when they were strong enough, and also, occasionally, Voldemort's thoughts. While Dumbledore had been aware of this link, Voldemort had not, until Christmas when Harry had seen Nagini attacking Arthur Weasley. This is actually why Dumbledore had been avoiding Harry; he was worried about the way Voldemort would act if he had any idea that the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore was anything more than the relationship between student and headmaster. Sirius had told Dumbledore that Harry had felt something snake-like welling up inside him, and had wanted to strike at Dumbledore, just before the Portkey activated. This told Dumbledore that Voldemort was aware now of the linkage, and was able, sometimes, to see through Harry's eyes. It is because of this that he had wanted Harry to learn Occlumency from Snape, something, he now realized, that was impossible. Finding out about this link, Voldemort had started placing images in Harry's mind, that would eventually lead him to the Hall of Prophecy where the Death Eaters would be waiting.

Dumbledore explains to Harry why he had been placed with the Dursleys: his mother's sacrificing her own life to save Harry had provided powerful magical protection for Harry, the same protection that had saved him when Voldemort first tried to kill him, but that protection would only remain in force while he had a place that he could call home, and with his mothers' blood relation – his Aunt Petunia. Dumbledore, convinced that Voldemort would return, felt that Harry's safety outweighed everything else, even Harry's own comfort.

Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort has been trying to kill him because of a prophecy that had been made before Harry was born, and which Voldemort had only heard the first part. Voldemort's efforts this year have been bent towards recovering that specific prophecy, the one which Harry had found, so that he might hear the other half. Harry tells him that the prophecy had been destroyed. Dumbledore says that what had been destroyed was a recording of the prophecy, but that the prophecy was made to him. Bringing out the Pensieve, Dumbledore places a memory in it, and the figure of Sibyll Trelawney rises from it. In the harsh voice Harry heard once before, says, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have 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..."

Dumbledore goes on to say that the prophecy could refer to either Harry or Neville Longbottom. It is perhaps telling that Voldemort chose to kill Harry, the "half-blood", rather than the pure-blood Neville. By his attempt to kill Harry, Voldemort had marked Harry as his equal. The power that Harry has, that Voldemort does not, is love. It is the strength of that love that protected Harry from Voldemort, and it is that strength that will allow him to defeat Voldemort in the end. Dumbledore also confirms that, according to the prophecy, one of the two of them must kill the other.

With the Ministry finally accepting that Voldemort has returned, Dumbledore is re-instated as Headmaster of Hogwarts, and in his other offices.

[edit] Half-Blood Prince

The book opens with the Muggle Prime Minister being visited by Cornelius Fudge. Fudge tells the Prime Minister that, contrary to what Fudge had told him earlier, Voldemort was back, and in fact had been responsible for several crises that were damaging the Prime Minister's government. A bridge that had collapsed for no known reason had in fact been destroyed by Voldemort, two unsolved and apparently unsolvable murders were also his work, and the "tornadoes" that had done so much damage were, they think, actually the work of at least one Giant. Voldemort's return had also resulted in Fudge losing his position as Minister for Magic; he would remain as liaison, but his main purpose in the meeting was to introduce the new Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour.

We now see Draco's mother pleading with Severus Snape for assistance with something that Voldemort wants done. Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa's sister, who is also there, objects to Narcissa's approaching Snape, and challenges Snape as to his loyalty to Voldemort. Snape points out that Voldemort had had the same questions that Bellatrix was putting to him, had received answers from Snape, and had found them satisfactory; was she suggesting that she would receive better answers than possibly the greatest Legilimens the world had even known?

While Bellatrix hesitates over her response, Snape answers her questions. Where was he when the Dark Lord fell? At Hogwarts, where Voldemort had ordered him to spy on Dumbledore. Why did he not go looking for the Dark Lord after he had fallen? For the same reason many other Death Eaters did not: he thought the Dark Lord was finished. Bellatrix retorts that she had looked for him. Snape sarcastically comments about how "useful" she was while imprisoned in Azkaban, while he had collected sixteen years' worth of information on Dumbledore for Voldemort. Snape continues: Why did he stand between the Dark Lord and the Philosopher's Stone? Because the Dark Lord believed Snape had deserted him for Dumbledore, Snape was unaware that it was Voldemort that looking for the Stone. He thought Quirrell was searching for it for his own purposes and, of course, he acted to prevent that. Why did he not respond to the Dark Lord's summons when Voldemort returned? He returned two hours later, at Dumbledore's orders. That way, Dumbledore would continue to believe that Snape was spying on Voldemort for him, rather than the other way around. Bellatrix says she is unaware of any information Snape passed to Voldemort, although she should know: Voldemort says she is his most trusted lieutenant. Snape somewhat acidly wonders if she still is after the fiasco at the Ministry. And where was he at that battle? On the Dark Lord's orders, he stayed out of it. Did Bellatrix think Dumbledore would not notice if Snape had joined the Death Eaters in that battle? In any event, the information Snape supplied made Emmeline Vance and Sirius Black's deaths possible, and the Dark Lord was satisfied with his information. Why did Snape not kill Harry Potter? Because it was only Dumbledore who was keeping Snape effective as a spy and out of Azkaban. If he killed Potter, he would lose that protection and would be unable to help Voldemort. And that has been what has made him useful to the Dark Lord: Dumbledore's trust in him.

With Bellatrix's worries overridden, Narcissa explains why she has come. Voldemort has assigned her son, Draco, a difficult and probably deadly task. Narcissa asks Snape to protect him. Snape replies that it is folly for her to talk to him about it because that is breaking the Dark Lord's wish. Death Eaters seldom know what tasks their colleagues have been assigned. Luckily for Narcissa, however, Snape already knows about this task, but even as the Dark Lord's most trusted confidante, he cannot convince him to change his mind, nor will he try. Narcissa says assigning Draco this task is revenge for her husband, Lucius, having failed at the Ministry. Snape admits that the Dark Lord is angry at Lucius. Finally, though, Snape agrees to swear an 'Unbreakable Vow' that he will protect Draco, and if Draco is unable to complete his assigned task, Snape will do it for him.

It is mentioned that with the acceptance of Voldemort's return, the Ministry has gone all-out with stories about the threat in the Daily Prophet, and pamphlets of supposedly useful information, including methods of detection of those people who are under the Imperius curse.

As he and Harry are leaving the Dursleys', Dumbledore asks if Harry's scar has been giving him any pain. Harry replies that it has not, and admits to being surprised by this. Dumbledore says that he is not surprised, he believes Voldemort has discovered the danger of having Harry able to see into his mind and is using Occlumency to prevent contact.

A large part of this book is concerned with Harry discovering Lord Voldemort's early years, through the agency of Dumbledore's Pensieve. It is here that we learn about his mother Merope Gaunt, Salazar Slytherin's direct descendant, and his father Tom Riddle, a Muggle. As he is known, during this time, by his birth name, the discoveries Harry makes about his early career are under Tom Marvolo Riddle. In the latest of these sessions with the Pensieve, we see Dumbledore commenting that he already knows that Tom is using the name Voldemort.

Though Voldemort does not appear directly during Harry's sixth year, it turns out that he has ordered Draco Malfoy to kill Dumbledore. We believe that this is the mission that Narcissa Malfoy was so concerned about in the opening chapters of the book, and as she expected, Draco fails this mission. Snape must finish the mission by killing Dumbledore.

At the end of the book, as Snape and Draco flee, other Death Eaters attack Harry, who is chasing them. Snape stops them, saying that Voldemort wants Harry for himself.

[edit] Deathly Hallows

The story opens with two Death Eaters entering Voldemort's headquarters, Malfoy Manor. There, at a long table with an unconscious witch floating above it, Voldemort is holding court. He places one of the Death Eaters, Yaxley about halfway down the table, and the other, Snape, he places at his right side. He then asks for information about Harry Potter. Snape informs him that he will be moved to a safe house the following Saturday, while Yaxley says that his information is that it will be on Harry's birthday, three days later. Snape says that Yaxley's information, coming as it does from the Ministry, is suspect; the Order of the Phoenix believes that the Ministry is riddled with spies, and will have been laying a false trail. Voldemort looks deeply into Snape's eyes for a moment; many at the table seem to be made uncomfortable by this, but Snape does not. Voldemort then asks about plans to infiltrate the Ministry. Yaxley announces that they have places Pius Thicknesse, the head of the Auror branch, under the Imperius curse. Snape points out that, it being unlikely that they will have complete control over the Ministry in the few remaining days before Potter is moved, they will still have to work under cover.

Voldemort now mentions the concern that he has that Harry's wand, twin to Voldemort's, might well prevent Voldemort from killing him. He demands a wand from Lucius Malfoy, far down the table, who seems to momentarily believe that he'll be getting one in exchange, though Voldemort says Lucius will not be needing a wand. When Bellatrix Lestrange protests her position near the Malfoys at the table, Voldemort taunts her about her cousin, Tonks, who is marrying a werewolf. By means of testing the wand, he awakens the unconscious witch, and over her pleas for mercy identifies her as Charity Burbage, professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, and author of an article that stated that the decrease in the number of pure-blood wizards was beneficial, and that blood purity should no longer matter. Having thus stated her "crime", he uses the borrowed wand to kill her, and then tells his pet snake, Nagini, that it is dinner time.

Harry, about to come of age, will shortly lose the protection that he had received from living under his aunt's roof, and so must leave Privet Drive, and move to a safe house of the Order of the Phoenix. The Ministry has banned the use of the Floo network, Apparation, and Portkeys in the area of Harry's house, nominally for Harry's protection, but the Order believes that it is a way of monitoring arrivals and departures from Harry's vicinity, so as to track which safe house he will be going to. Thus, they decide to fly out. In addition, to make it harder to track Harry, there will be seven pairs headed for seven safe houses, each one composed of a protector and a Harry Potter. Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Fleur, and Mundungus Fletcher take Polyjuice Potion to become simulacra of Harry, and they take off, the real Harry with Hagrid in a sidecar on Sirius Black's flying motorcycle. They are immediately attacked by Death Eaters. Voldemort is among them, and (we find out later) chooses the Harry protected by the most formidable escort, "Mad-Eye" Moody; Moody's Potter, Mundungus, finding himself a target, Disapparates, leaving Moody to be killed by the curse that had been aimed at him. Realizing the real Harry would not have abandoned his escort in this manner, Voldemort next pursues Kingsley Shacklebolt, who is with Hermione.

Harry, meanwhile, is fighting off Death Eaters that are trailing him. Seeing that one of his attackers is Stan Shunpike, clearly under the effects of the Imperius curse, Harry disarms him. The other Death Eaters attacking him seem to realize that this is the real Harry, and vanish. Shortly, they return in force, with Voldemort, who is able to fly without a broomstick. In the screaming confusion of the battle, Harry's wand all by itself sends out a golden spell which apparently shatters Voldemort's borrowed wand. Voldemort, howling in anger, demands a wand from another Death Eater, but before he can put it to use, he apparently vanishes: Harry has fallen through the protective spells surrounding his destination safe house and Voldemort is unable to follow.

Later, Harry is moved by Portkey to The Burrow. There, he says that he must depart, because he feels that, as Voldemort is hunting him, he is endangering everyone there, but he is overruled. Shortly afterwards, he sees out of Voldemort's eyes as Voldemort tortures an old man, Ollivander, demanding to know how Harry had destroyed his borrowed wand. Ollivander tells Voldemort that he does not fully understand it himself. As the vision ends, Ron and Hermione arrive; Harry tells them what he has seen.

In the preparations for the wedding of Bill and Fleur, Harry sarcastically comments, in Ginny's hearing, that Voldemort isn't just going to kill himself while Harry stays safe and makes vol au vents. Ginny interprets this, correctly, as an indication that the mission that he has taken on, and that Ron and Hermione have agreed to accompany him on, involves the death of Voldemort. Harry tries to soften this revelation a little by making a joke out of it, but largely fails.

Just before his birthday, Harry again dreams that he is seeing the world through Voldemort's eyes. Voldemort is traveling through what appears to be Eastern Europe, looking for someone named Gregorovitch. Awakening, Harry recalls the name, but does not remember where he had previously heard it.

During the reception for the wedding, Harry speaks with Viktor Krum. It is then that he recalls where he had heard the name Gregorovitch: Mr. Ollivander had said that Krum's wand had been made by Gregorovitch.

Shortly after, Kingsley Shacklebolt sends word that the Ministry of Magic has fallen to Voldemort, and that Rufus Scrimgeour was dead. Harry, Ron, and Hermione Apparate away from the Burrow, ending up in an all-night café at Tottenham Court Road. There, they discuss plans, trying to decide what to do about their mission against Voldemort. While they are talking, two workmen come in; Harry recognizes them as they draw their wands, and with help from Hermione (Ron is unable to draw his wand in time and ends up tied up), manages to disable them.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione alter the Death Eaters' memory, and after some thought, Apparate to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. After they have determined that there is nobody else there, and after they receive an "all safe" message from Arthur Weasley, Harry again sees through Voldemort's eyes. This time, he is watching as Voldemort forces Draco Malfoy to torture Thorfinn Rowle, one of the Death Eaters who had tried to attack Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the café, for his failure to capture Harry.

Exploring the house the following morning, Harry discovers that a room in the house had been used by Regulus Arcturus Black, and guesses that this is the mysterious R.A.B. who had left the note in the locket that he and Dumbledore had retrieved from where Voldemort had hidden it. Remembering that they had found, and discarded, a locket in the house earlier, and that Kreacher was in the habit of reclaiming discarded "treasures," Harry summons Kreacher and asks him about it. Kreacher tells them that Mundungus Fletcher had stolen it from him, and seems very upset at having lost it, because it meant that he had not been able to carry out Regulus Black's orders. Asked what Regulus had to do with it, Kreacher explains: Voldemort had asked Regulus for the use of a house-elf, and Regulus had sent Kreacher. Voldemort had taken Kreacher to an island in the middle of a lake inside a cave, and had required him to drink a potion from a bowl on that island, and the potion had made him remember horrible things. Voldemort had placed the locket in the bowl, refilled it, and then, ignoring Kreacher's pleas for water, had departed. Kreacher had crawled to the lake to drink, been dragged under the surface, and then had returned to his master, Regulus, as ordered. Hearing this, Harry, while still upset that Kreacher had betrayed Sirius to Voldemort, is more bothered by Voldemort's ill-treatment of Kreacher, and chooses to make an ally of Kreacher.

Visiting Grimmauld Place, Lupin tells Harry that the murdered Scrimgeour had been replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who is under the Imperius Curse. This makes Voldemort effectively the head of the Ministry, and Ministry policies reflect that: Muggle-born wizards and witches are being rounded up and deprived of their wands, accused of stealing them, and all Magical children in England are being required to attend Hogwarts, presumably for indoctrination.

Based on the information from Kreacher, and from Mundungus once Kreacher had brought him to Grimmauld Place, the Trio determine that they must try to get into the Ministry to recover the locket. The day before they are to do this, Harry again experiences a pain in his scar, and sees Voldemort demanding that a woman tell him where Gregorovitch is. When the woman is unable to tell him, Harry witnesses Voldemort killing her and her family.

As they escape from the Ministry, Ron is injured; Hermione manages to largely heal him with essence of Dittany, but he is still weak from loss of blood. Harry and Hermione discuss their next steps; Ron asks that they not speak Voldemort's name, as to him it feels like a jinx. Hermione gives in, possibly not wanting to argue with the injured Ron. (Note that for much of the rest of the story, Harry, Hermione, and Ron avoid using Voldemort's name, instead using other common euphemisms such as "You-Know-Who" and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", though for purposes of brevity this summary will continue to use his name.)

Shortly afterwards, Harry's scar hurts again, and he is seeing, through Voldemort's eyes, a white-bearded man suspended upside down. Voldemort is demanding something from him, and Gregorovitch says it was stolen from him long before. Harry sees Gregorovitch's memory of the young, blond thief Stunning Gregorovitch and escaping through the window, and then sees Voldemort killing Gregorovitch. Returning to himself, Harry describes what he has seen to Hermione and Ron. Ron wonders what Voldemort really had wanted from Gregorovitch, saying that he could not have made a wand for Voldemort if he was all tied up.

Quite some time later, Harry and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow. There, they meet Bathilda Bagshot. They accompany her back to her house, where she indicates that there is something upstairs for Harry. Leaving Hermione in the sitting room, Harry and Bathilda go upstairs to her sitting room. As she indicates a pile of junk on a dresser, Harry hears Voldemort's voice, triumphantly demanding, "Hold him!" Voldemort's snake, Nagini, rises out of Bathilda's neck as her remains crumple to the floor. Harry attempts to save himself from Nagini but loses his wand; Hermione appears at the door and joins in, fighting her way past the snake to Harry's side as Harry finds his wand. The two of them jump out the window and Disapparate as Voldemort appears in the room behind them. Harry, trapped in Voldemort's mind, relives the events of sixteen years before: he sees Voldemort approaching his parents house and killing his father, he sees his mother pleading for Harry's life, and sees Voldemort killing his mother, and finally he sees Voldemort attempting to kill the infant Harry, and feels the pain of the spell rebounding on him.

When he regains consciousness some time later, Harry finds that one of Hermione's spells had nearly broken his wand in two. With Ollivander now a captive of Voldemort, Harry is dismayed that he will not be able to get a replacement.

The following day, Harry still feels lost; the now-broken wand had saved him from Voldemort, and in his escape from Nagini he had dropped a photo that he had found in Bathilda's house. The photo, which had been a picture of the thief who had stolen the object from Grindelwald, was now in Voldemort's hands, and this would no doubt help Voldemort find whatever he had been seeking. Shortly, Hermione approaches with a copy of Rita Skeeter's book, The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, and Harry finds that the blond thief is Gellert Grindelwald.

Shortly after this, Ron returns to the group bearing information about events in the Wizarding world. Among other things, Ron mentions that speaking Voldemort's name is banned for a reason: use of the name triggers a spell, which cancels many protective spells and summons Death Eaters or Snatchers (who are groups of wizards loyal to Voldemort on the lookout for underage wizards not attending Hogwarts, or wizards in general on the run). Ron reports that he had fallen afoul of a group of Snatchers when he had first left Harry and Hermione.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione visit Xeno Lovegood, and there hear the Tale of the Three Brothers, which introduces us to the three Deathly Hallows. Afterwards, Harry is intrigued by the idea of the Hallows, and the idea that he could stand against Voldemort and not have to fear dying. In thinking about the Hallows, and discussing the Peverells with Hermione, Harry recalls where he has heard the Peverell name before: Marvolo Gaunt had displayed a ring, which he had said had been handed down from the Peverells. Harry tentatively guesses that the Invisibility Cloak he has received is one of the three Hallows, and guesses that to be why Dumbledore had borrowed it from his father. He then leaps to the conclusion that the ring, marked with the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and possibly made from the Resurrection Stone, has been hidden inside the Snitch that Dumbledore had left him, and that it is a Hallow that Voldemort is seeking, specifically the Elder Wand.

One evening, Ron manages to tune in a pirate wireless broadcast, "Potterwatch", which among other things discusses Voldemort and his activities. A part of the broadcast is handled by Fred or George, who mentions that there have been far more reports of Voldemort's appearing than could be explained by there being one of him; there would have to be some nineteen of him. Fred or George also suggests that rumours about Voldemort's being able to kill with a glance are overblown, suggesting that people who believe this have Voldemort and basilisks confused, and offers a quick refresher in how to tell the difference.

Following the broadcast, Harry happens to mention Voldemort's name, despite a quick warning from Ron, and the tent is immediately surrounded by Snatchers.

The Snatchers suspect Harry's identity, despite Hermione's attempts to disguise him, and take him and their other captives to Voldemort's headquarters, Malfoy Manor. While this is going on, Harry is again inside Voldemort's mind; he sees, through Voldemort's eyes, a large, prison-like structure with a tall tower. Voldemort flies to the top of the tower and through a window, finding within an old man, older than Ollivander, who says that he knows what Voldemort wants, but that he never had it.

Harry's attention is pulled back to Malfoy Manor, where Narcissa, Lucius, and finally Draco Malfoy try to confirm his identity, and are uncertain, in part because of the wand he is using to replace his broken one. Bellatrix Lestrange, when she arrives, is also dubious, but says that they should summon Voldemort; then, catching sight of the Sword of Gryffindor, she stops Lucius from touching his Dark Mark, saying that if the Dark Lord is summoned now, it could imperil them all. She keeps Hermione upstairs for questioning, but the other captives are taken down to a cellar.

Harry, once again able to see into Voldemort's mind, sees the old man telling Voldemort that killing him will not gain him what he seeks.

Hermione, under torture, manages to say that the sword is a fake, that they found it in the woods; Griphook, brought up from the cellar, confirms this. Bellatrix, reassured that they have not been in her vault at Gringotts, now summons Voldemort. Harry, in the back of his mind, is aware of Voldemort's response to the summons, and feels his anger at being too far from Malfoy Manor to Apparate. Harry and Ron, managing to escape from the cellar, rescue Hermione from Bellatrix, and Disapparate before Voldemort can arrive.

While digging Dobby's grave, Harry finds that he is able to control how much Voldemort's mind is visible to him. He decides that he is now going to concentrate on Horcruxes, rather than Hallows, a choice he has not previously been able to make. He also, thinking about what he has learned, decides that he must speak with Griphook and Ollivander, who he has rescued from Malfoy Manor. Speaking first with Griphook, he asks for help in breaking into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts. Griphook at first demurs, but being convinced that Harry is not doing this for personal gain, agrees to consider it. Afterwards, Hermione asks Harry if he thinks that there could be a Horcrux in the Lestrange vault. Harry says he believes so, because of Bellatrix's reaction when it appeared that someone had been in that vault to retrieve the Sword of Gryffindor. Ron wonders why a simple Gringotts vault would be important to Voldemort, and Harry points out that having a vault at Gringotts, particularly one of the old, high-security vaults, would be a sign to Voldemort that he had arrived as a wizard, particularly as he had no money at all until after he had left Hogwarts.

Now, speaking with Ollivander, Harry asks about the Elder Wand, which Hermione has indicated is the most likely of the three Hallows to actually exist. Harry first determines how a wand transfers its allegiance. The trail of the Elder Wand through history is bloody; is it necessary to kill the current holder of the wand in order to get its full power? Ollivander says no, forcible capture of a wand is usually enough. Harry now asks if Voldemort is interested in that wand? Ollivander says that he is, and that he had confessed under torture that Voldemort's wand and Harry's shared a single source for their cores. Ollivander had told Voldemort that he could use another wand against Harry, but Harry's wand destroying Malfoy's was something he had never heard of before. Ollivander agrees that Voldemort will be looking for another, more powerful wand now. Harry says that Voldemort may know that Harry's wand is broken; having captured Hermione's wand, they may have used Prior Incantato on it to determine what it had been doing, and that could reveal that it had been used to try and repair another wand. Harry now asks if Ollivander had told Voldemort that Gregorovitch had once owned the Elder Wand. Ollivander, shaken, admits that he did, but that Gregorovitch may well have been lying about it. Claiming that he had the Elder Wand and was studying it could be a way of bringing in additional business.

Outside Shell Cottage, Harry tells Ron and Hermione that Gregorovitch had owned the Elder Wand, but that it had been stolen by Grindelwald, who in turn had lost it to Dumbledore. As he says this, he sees Voldemort approaching Hogwarts. He now sees through Voldemort's eyes as he greets and dismisses Snape, approaches and opens Dumbledore's tomb, and takes the wand from Dumbledore's dead hand.

After Harry, Ron, and Hermione have escaped from Gringotts, Harry again sees through Voldemort's eyes. This time, he is furious that the Horcrux he had put in the Lestrange vault for safekeeping has been stolen, and he lashes out at everyone in the room, killing several, although Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy manage to escape. Voldemort now wonders if "the boy" (Harry) knows about any of his other Horcruxes, and wonders if he can feel when his Horcruxes are destroyed. He knows the diary was destroyed, but he believes he could not feel that because he did not then have a body. Voldemort suspects Dumbledore had something to do with Harry's knowledge. The other Horcruxes? The ring, surely it is safe, nobody ever connected him to the Gaunts. The lake's defences are too strong, so only the one at Hogwarts is in danger, he will go check on that. Nagini must stay with him and be protected. But Dumbledore knew his middle name, so he will first check the ring. The lake, surely it is safe also, but all the same, he should check it.

Returning to himself, Harry tells Ron and Hermione that the final Horcrux is at Hogwarts. Voldemort, knowing that his Horcruxes are under attack, is checking them, but will visit Hogwarts last because he feels that the Horcrux there will be kept safe by Snape's presence. Harry feels that they should go immediately to Hogwarts to search for it; it is, after all, the last one, apart from Nagini.

Arriving at Hogsmeade, they set off an alarm, from which they are rescued by the barkeep of the the Hog's Head, who turns out to be Aberforth Dumbledore. In conversation, Aberforth says Voldemort has won, Harry should wait for the alarm to be disabled in the morning and then head for the hills and get away. Harry, however, tells him that Albus had known Voldemort could be killed, and had given him the tools to do that. Aberforth, seeing that Harry is not going to give up the fight, shows him the entrance to the tunnel that goes from the Hog's Head to the Room of Requirement.

While he is inside the Room of Requirement, Harry sees through Voldemort's eyes, and feels his rage, as he finds the place where the ring Horcrux had been hidden is now empty.

Harry now goes to the Ravenclaw common room with Luna Lovegood, to see the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and examine the sculpted diadem, as Harry believes the original has been made into a Horcrux. While there, he is surprised by Alecto Carrow, who on seeing him immediately touches her Dark Mark, summoning Voldemort. Harry, through the pain from his scar, sees Voldemort approaching the seaside cave where he had earlier been with Dumbledore, and feels Voldemort's exultation that Harry has been caught. Harry is restored to himself by the sound of Luna stunning Alecto. Back under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry hears Amycus Carrow, on finding Alecto Stunned, telling Professor McGonagall that Voldemort had said that Harry might try to get into Ravenclaw tower. Fearing Voldemort's anger if Harry should escape again, Amycus determines to pass off the summons as a student prank. McGonagall refuses to go along with that; when Amycus spits at her, Harry, from under the Cloak, disables him.

Harry is then consumed by Voldemort's rage as he finds the basin where the locket was hidden is also empty. Returning to himself, Harry tells McGonagall that Voldemort is on his way to the school, and that Harry must find something there before he arrives. McGonagall says that the school staff will hold Voldemort off as long as possible while Harry searches. Harry now tells McGonagall about the Room of Requirement, and the tunnel from there to the Hog's Head. Harry says that route can be used for evacuation of the younger students, as Voldemort will be looking for Disapparation within the school grounds, not from Hogsmeade.

Shortly after the duel between McGonagall and Snape, as Snape is leaving the school, Harry again sees into Voldemort's mind. Harry sees the boat in the cave of the Inferi grounding against the shore, and returning to himself, he warns McGonagall that Voldemort is on his way.

When Harry and Luna return to the Room of Requirement to report what is happening in the school, Harry again sees from Voldemort's eyes, now standing outside the gates of Hogwarts, looking in, with Nagini around his shoulders.

Professor McGonagall raises the school and brings the students to the Great Hall. There, as she tells the students that they will be evacuated to safety, the voice of Voldemort is heard, offering a reward to anyone who will bring Potter to him. Pansy Parkinson, seeing Harry, rises and aims her wand at him, followed by all of Slytherin. The Gryffindor students also rise, followed by the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students, in Harry's defence, and McGonagall says that all of Slytherin will be evacuated, though students in the other Houses who are of age may stay to help defend the school.

As the attack starts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in the Room of Requirement looking for the final Horcrux. They are found there by Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Draco indicates that he believes that by capturing Harry and taking him to the Dark Lord, he may be able to regain some of the power and influence his family has lost in Voldemort's eyes.

Though Voldemort is in command of the attacking forces, he plays no direct part in the battle. Asked to find out where Voldemort is, Harry enters his mind again, and senses him in the Shrieking Shack. He sees Voldemort speaking with a very hang-dog Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy is asking Voldemort about his son, Draco. Voldemort says that it was his own fault, he decided to stay in the school, rather than coming out with the other Slytherins to join him. Lucius now asks Voldemort to stop the attack so that he will be certain to get Potter himself, Voldemort dismisses this as Lucius simply trying to defend his son, and sends him to find and fetch Severus Snape.

Harry decides that he must go to the Shrieking Shack, and Ron and Hermione insist on accompanying him. At the end of the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, Harry watches from hiding as Voldemort talks to Snape. Snape offers to go and find the boy so that Voldemort can kill him, but Voldemort dismisses this request, saying that he has found the Elder Wand not as strong as he had been led to believe. Snape again offers to find the boy, but Voldemort says he plans to have the boy come to him. He then wonders aloud why the Elder Wand is not working for him, and wonders if it has not yet accepted Voldemort as his master. Saying that Snape has been a good servant, Voldemort says that when Snape had killed Dumbledore, he had won the wand's allegiance. In order for Voldemort to gain that allegiance, Snape must die. With no remorse, Voldemort sets Nagini on Snape, ordering her to kill. He then leaves with Nagini. As his last living act, Snape gives Harry his memories.

Harry then hears Voldemort announcing to everyone in Hogwarts that the battle will now stop, and giving Harry one hour to surrender. He also says that if Harry does not comply, everyone at Hogwarts will die.

In Snape's memories, Harry sees that Snape had been deeply in love with his mother, Lily, and that Snape's choosing to ally with the local Death Eaters at Hogwarts had come between them. Snape had carried the prophecy to Voldemort, but when Voldemort had said that Lily would have to die, Snape had demanded a secret, private audience with Dumbledore. There, he had agreed to spy on Voldemort for Dumbledore in return for Dumbledore's agreement to protect Lily. Pettigrew had betrayed James and Lily, however, and Voldemort had killed them. Dumbledore held Snape to his promise, saying that all he could now do is protect Harry, Lily's child, that being all that she had left behind.

After Dumbledore had revived from the curse on the ring Horcrux, he and Snape had talked about Voldemort's plan to have Draco Malfoy kill Dumbledore. Snape says that Voldemort does not expect Draco to succeed, that the intent is to punish the Malfoys for their failures. Dumbledore suggests that the plan likely was that Snape would step in when Draco failed, and overruled Snape's objections. Dumbledore says also that likely Voldemort will feel that he no longer needs a spy at the school after Dumbledore is killed, as it will then be entirely under his control, and charges Snape to look after his school once he is gone.

Snape, some time later, demanded to be let in on the entire story as to why he was doing this, and Dumbledore had told him that there was a fragment of Voldemort's soul that had sheared off when Voldemort had killed Lily, and had fastened itself to Harry. It was this fragment of soul that had made the link between Voldemort and Harry, and had provided Harry with the ability to speak to snakes. However, this did mean that, in order to finally defeat Voldemort, Harry would have to be killed by Voldemort. Dumbledore also says that, when Voldemort stops sending Nagini out but keeps her close to him and surrounded by protective spells, then would be the time that Harry would have to know about this.

Snape, talking with the portrait of Dumbledore some time later, is told that in order to remain in Voldemort's inner council, he must tell Voldemort Harry's true departure date from Privet Drive. If Snape can give the idea of having multiple Potters to Mundungus Fletcher, though, Harry will have a chance to escape unscathed.

Awakening from these memories, Harry realizes that he must meet Voldemort and be killed by him, in order that he may ultimately be defeated. Under the Invisibility Cloak, and protected by the shades of his parents, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, Harry proceeds undetected to the clearing where Voldemort and the Death Eaters are camped. The hour has expired, and Voldemort is musing that he may have been wrong; he had expected Harry to come. Harry then reveals himself, and Voldemort promptly kills him.

Harry now finds himself in a simulacrum of King's Cross Station, unoccupied except for himself, a small, flayed creature that is crying in pain, and very shortly Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore explains that when Voldemort had taken Harry's blood to re-animate himself, he had also extended the protection that he had previously gotten from his mother's sacrifice; his life was now tethered to Voldemort's, and Voldemort could not kill him as long as he was still alive himself. Further, he confirms that Harry having sacrificed himself for his friends at Hogwarts now affords them the same protection that Harry had initially received from Lily; Voldemort cannot now harm them. Dumbledore also says that the Killing Curse directed at Harry had destroyed the soul shard of Voldemort's that was adhering to Harry's soul.

Dumbledore also guesses that the reason the two brother wands interacted as they did during Harry's escape from Privet Drive is that after Harry and Voldemort's blood was joined, their wands, already connected by identical magical cores, and now wielded by wizards who shared not only pieces of their souls but also their blood, merged even closer. Furthermore, during Harry and Voldemort's duel, Harry was the stronger; Voldemort feared death, while Harry embraced the possibility. Harry's wand thus imbibed some powers from Voldemort's, making it more powerful than Lucius Malfoy's wand. That wand, even when wielded by Voldemort, was easily overpowered by Harry's.

When Dumbledore had bested Grindelwald, he had won and kept the Elder Wand; Grindelwald had lied to Voldemort, unsuccessfully, saying that he had never had it, but Voldemort had learned that the Wand had passed to Dumbledore.

Finally, Dumbledore tells Harry that if he wishes, as he sees this as King's Cross, he can go to the platforms, where he will no doubt find a train that would take him Onwards; or, he can return to the living world, for his chance to finish Voldemort. Harry chooses to return.

Returning to himself in the Forest, Harry remains still so that he will appear to have died. He hears the Death Eaters, in some apparent consternation, tending to Voldemort who has apparently fallen unconscious. As Voldemort recovers, he sends Narcissa Malfoy to find if Harry is dead. Narcissa, detecting Harry's heartbeat, very quietly asks him if Draco is still alive; Harry, equally quietly, says he is, and Narcissa calls out to the assembled Death Eaters that Harry is dead. Voldemort uses the Cruciatus curse to throw Harry's body around and demonstrate that it is truly lifeless; Harry, though prepared for the pain, finds that there is none. Voldemort now frees Hagrid, who had been tied to a tree, and forces him to carry Harry back to the school.

At the school, Voldemort addresses the students and staff, calling them out of the school to see their fallen hero, the Harry Potter of which so much was expected. Harry, through slitted eyes, notices that Voldemort no longer has protective spells about Nagini. Voldemort announces the abolition of all school Houses; all the school will be under one house, Slytherin. When Neville Longbottom protests, Voldemort invites him, as a pureblood, to join him; at Neville's refusal, Voldemort summons the Sorting Hat, sets it on a Petrified Neville, and sets it on fire.

Several things happen simultaneously. The families of students sent home arrive, howling war cries as they climb the outer walls. The Centaurs, ending their neutrality, charge the Death Eaters. Grawp reappears around the corner, headed for Hagrid. Neville frees himself from the body-bind curse, and drawing the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, hacks off Nagini's head, destroying the final Horcrux. Harry leaps up and places his Invisibility Cloak over himself, then casts a Shield Charm between Voldemort and Neville.

As the battle erupts again, the Death Eaters, retreating from the new threat behind that now includes Thestrals and Buckbeak, enter the castle. Harry, under the Cloak, heads for the Entrance Hall, searching for Voldemort. Inside, House elves, led by Kreacher, are hacking the Death Eaters' ankles with kitchen knives. Voldemort is simultaneously dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Bellatrix is likewise fighting Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. When Bellatrix barely misses Ginny with a killing curse, an enraged Molly Weasley pushes the three girls aside and challenges Bellatrix. As they fiercely duel, Molly proclaims that another Weasley will never be harmed and casts a powerful curse directly to Bellatrix's chest, killing her. Voldemort's fury over losing his most devoted follower blasts McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn backwards. As Voldemort turns to Molly, Harry casts a shield charm between them. When Voldemort looks around to see who conjured it, Harry pulls off his Invisibility Cloak, revealing himself to the audibly stunned crowd.

Harry warns everyone to stay back - the battle is between him and Voldemort now. They circle each other warily. Voldemort claims that Harry continually survives by hiding behind better wizards who sacrifice themselves for him. Harry urges Voldemort, who he boldly addresses as Tom Riddle, to feel remorse for his evil deeds. He then tells him that Dumbledore outsmarted him, planning his own death so that Snape was never the Elder Wand's rightful owner. The true master was Draco Malfoy, who unknowingly won the wand's allegiance when he disarmed Dumbledore, just before Snape killed him on the Astronomy Tower. When Harry overpowered Draco at Malfoy Manor and took his wand, the Elder Wand gave its allegiance to him; Harry reminds Voldemort that "The wand chooses the wizard". Also, Harry tells him, because he willingly sacrificed himself to Voldemort, the same magic that Lily Potter's death protected him with, now protects the fighters.

Voldemort casts Avada Kedavra as Harry simultaneously conjures Expelliarmus. But Voldemort's killing curse backfires, reflected by Harry's blood protection and the Elder Wand's allegiance to him, while Harry's disarming charm wrenches the Elder Wand from Voldemort's hand to his. With all his Horcruxes destroyed, Voldemort dies instantly.

[edit] Strengths

He is a very accomplished wizard and can make very powerful spells and curses.

He is also a very accomplished Legilimens and can see into almost anyone's mind. There is some question as to whether he can read Severus Snape's mind, or whether Snape's skill at Occlumency has protected him from that.

[edit] Weaknesses

Voldemort's lust for power compels him to use any means to achieve total domination over the wizarding world. He is loyal to no one, and he never hesitates to kill his own followers when it serves his purpose, or when he becomes enraged.

Among wizards, Voldemort fears Albus Dumbledore, who is recognized as one of the greatest and most powerful wizards ever.

Voldemort's greatest fear is death, and believes dying is the worst fate anyone can experience. He desires to become immortal, and has gone to extreme lengths to secure that immortality for himself. Dumbledore comments to Harry at one point that, when Harry and Voldemort dueled in the graveyard, Harry was the stronger wizard, because he was prepared to die, if necessary, while Voldemort still feared death despite his having recently returned from the dead.

Voldemort is overconfident and often overlooks minor details, which lead to his failures. In particular, he discounts magic that he does not understand, such as the magic of non-human races like house-elves. As part of this, while he is aware of the power of love in magic, this remains a purely academic awareness. He does not seem to experience love himself, and cannot stand to remain in possession of Harry's body while Harry is yearning to be rejoined with his godfather, as we see at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Because of this, he consistently underestimates the strength of magic fueled by that love.

Because he does not understand this source of strength in Harry, Voldemort attributes Harry's repeated successes to luck and tools. In particular, he fixates on Harry's wand, which he feels is the only thing standing between himself and Harry's ultimate defeat. While we learn early on that the twin cores of Harry's wand and Voldemort's are unable to attack each other, Voldemort attributes some super-magical power to this. This mistaken belief is fueled by Snape, as Voldemort's closest confidant, who has been heard saying that Harry is at best a moderately competent wizard, not a particularly strong one. Whether or not Snape believes this, Voldemort chooses to accept Snape's words as fact.

[edit] Relationships with Other Characters

Voldemort calls Death Eaters his friends, or his true family, but he does not have compassion for any of them, treating them as servants rather than friends. Indeed, Voldemort killed Severus Snape, who he probably considered one of his most trusted Death Eaters after Snape murdered Dumbledore, in an attempt to gain more magical power.

Voldemort becomes obsessed with Harry Potter after the incident in which he failed to kill Harry as a baby – he is angered that an attack on an infant could result in his downfall, and later tries any means possible to take revenge on Harry so he can once again be the most feared and powerful wizard.

Voldemort considered himself to be superior to all other witches and wizards, with one exception – Albus Dumbledore, said to be the only one he ever feared.

[edit] Analysis

Lord Voldemort or Tom Marvolo Riddle is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series and the only living descendant of Salazar Slytherin (by way of his mother, Merope Gaunt, and her father Marvolo Gaunt). His only allegiance is to himself, and his obession with the idea of living forever, and of total control. He believes in pure-blood elitism and, despite being from a Muggle Father and Witch Mother, sees other "Mudbloods" as filth. It has been said that Albus Dumbledore was the only person Voldemort truly feared, and Voldemort himself admitted that he himself had never "sought a duel" with Dumbledore, but then later declares that Dumbledore is "getting weak in old age" and he is "not the wizard he once was". He sees Dumbledore's views of love as a joke, and his over-confidence and own self-indulgence is eventually the cause of his downfall.

The core of Voldemort's wand is a phoenix feather; one of only two feathers given by the phoenix that also provided the feather in Harry's wand. This phoenix happens to be Dumbledore's loyal companion, Fawkes.

Voldemort is a parselmouth, a person who can talk to snakes. He acquired this trait from his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. As Slytherin's heir, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he is the only one who can control the basilisk; though aware that Harry is also a Parselmouth, Riddle says that the basilisk will not answer him, and Harry does not try. When he attempted to murder Harry, some of his skills, including Parseltongue, were transferred to Harry. The reasons for this are mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It is perhaps interesting to note that Harry's scar does not pain him in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, even when he is directly battling Tom Riddle. The attack on Harry happened some forty years after the creation of the diary, and so the Voldemort that had inflicted the scar, and the Riddle Harry was fighting, are quite different people. It is most likely for this reason that Harry's scar does not react to the returning Riddle.

[edit] Questions

1. It is clear that, despite being married, Bellatrix had, for want of a better word, romantic feelings for Voldemort. Is there any possibility that they could have been reciprocated?

[edit] Greater Picture

It is worth remembering that Voldemort, or Tom Marvolo Riddle, as he was then known, was born about 1926-7 on the 31st of December, and formed his world view in an orphanage in London, and later in Hogwarts, at about the time that the National Socialist (Nazi) party was coming to power in Germany. It is perhaps because of this that his views on the purity of the wizarding race, and the need to eradicate the Muggles, so closely mirror the concept of Aryan purity and the Final Solution proposed in Germany at that time. The author has mentioned this similarity as well, though she notes that she was rather taken by surprise on discovering the similarities in detail. This is not to say, or imply, that Voldemort was a Nazi, or had any sympathy for any part of the Nazi party's aims; he no doubt saw them as, if anything, an amusing but totally insignificant side show in the useless Muggle world. However, the "racial purity" idea, involving (in this case) elimination of anyone who could not prove that they were descended only from Wizarding families, certainly seems to have been the basis for most of the actions that Voldemort later carried out.

As mentioned above, Harry's scar did not pain him while he was fighting Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. One must assume that the main reason for the pain in the scar was the soul fragment of Voldemort's, which recognized and reacted to Voldemort's soul (or what was left of it) when the two were close, or when Voldemort was experiencing very strong feelings. The soul fragment that Harry was dealing with there had been separated forty years earlier, and so likely there was little recognition there; certainly not enough for the soul fragment within Harry to recognize it. In support of this, we should also note that Harry did not report any pain in his scar in the final confrontation with Voldemort, late in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, after the soul fragment within him had been killed.

In an interview after the publication of the final book in the series, the author stated that Harry's parselmouth ability, along with the view into Voldemort's thoughts, vanished with the destruction of Voldemort's soul shard within Harry. The author has further stated that Harry has never missed the ability.