Voldemort

Lord Voldemort is a fictional character from the Harry Potter series of books and movies. He is a dark wizard who will do anything to ensure his own immortality, including murder.

Voldemort was born in a London orphanage in 1928 as Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was a half-blood, as his mother Merope Gaunt was a witch and his father Tom Riddle was a muggle, a person of non magic blood. He spent the first eleven years of his life under the care of the orphanage and discovered he could make strange things happen, especially when he was angry. He entered Hogwarts school of magic at age twelve. Riddle became infatuated with his ancestry after finding out he was of Slytherin blood. He delved deeper and deeper into the dark arts eventually learning how to split his soul using horcruxes in an attempt to be immortal.

Riddle changed his name to Lord Voldemort and developed a following of Death Eaters. Members would do his bidding and would wear the Dark Mark to be instantly summoned by him. Together with the Death Eaters Lord Voldemort tried to rid all the Muggles and anyone not of pure blood from his world. He discovered a partial prophecy stating that a child would be born at the end of July that could defeat him. In his attempt to kill Harry Potter he was almost destroyed as the spell backfired and he had to live for 10 years possessing the body of others. After possessing the body of Professor Quirinus Quirrell he was again defeated by Potter.

Voldemort believed his dark magic could conquer all. Albus Dumbledore told him from a young age that the power of love would be his downfall. His belief that he was invincible would be his downfall after the Battle of Hogwarts.

• Harry Potter Lexicon: Voldemort Timeline

• 1927: Tom Marvolo Riddle Born, Little Hangleton | Mother dies and leaves him in Muggle orphanage

• 1938: Begins school at Hogwarts

• 1943: Opens the Chamber of Secrets | Kills Myrtle | Frames Hagrid

• 1944: Murders grandparents and father | Begins 7th year at Hogwarts

• 1945: Leaves Hogwarts and travels the world

• 1970: Returns to open society openly calling himself Lord Voldemort

• 1970's: Gathers followers, openly uses unforgivables, lures Peter Pettigrew to the dark side

• 1980: Learns of the prophecy

• 1981: Targets and eventually kills James and Lily Potter, but is torn apart when he tries to kill baby Harry

• 1981-1991: Hides in the Albanian forest, unable to gain a body to use

• 1991: Inhabits the body of Professor Quirrel | Tries to steal the Philosopher's Stone

• 1992: Faces Harry and defeat | His memory uses Ginny Weasley to Open the Chamber of Secrets

• 1993: Harry defeats the basilisk and destroys Tom Riddle's Diary

• 1994: Peter Pettigrew rescues him from Albania | Begins working on a way to build a new body

• 1995: Restores body | Murders Cedric Diggory | Attempts to enter the Department of Mysteries as giant snake

• 1996: Faces Albus Dumbledore | Possesses Harry in hopes that Dumbledore kills him | Tells Draco Malfoy to kill Dumbledore

• 1997: Dumbledore begins destroying Horcruxes | Locket Horcrux Destroyed

• 1998: Final showdown between Harry and Voldemort

• May 2, 1998: Dies