Voldemort

=Lord Voldemort =  Maureen Bowler

Lord Voldemort is the main antagonist in the //Harry Potter// book series. Born Tom Marvolo Riddle to witch Merope Gaunt and muggle (non-wizard) Tom Riddle Senior, Voldemort began his life with a shaky start. With his mother dead and his absent father he was herded into an orphanage were he would live. And secretly, but not always intentionally, he would torture the other children of the orphanage with his strange powers. After about eleven years of this life Riddle it visited by an odd man named Albus Dumbledore, who asks Tom if he would like a place at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. Sensing power Riddle, after a little persuasion and reassurance, accepts the offer. Voldemort's Hogwarts career is an unexpectedly successful one. He is adored by his teachers and pupils for his brilliant mind, charming disposition and handsome face. And though he is a member of Slytherin House, a house commonly associated with dark wizards, his teachers see a bright future for Tom. But of course Dumbledore, even then, didn't trust Riddle and never seemed to fancy him as much as the rest of the staff. After leaving Hogwarts, Tom, with his band of followers from Hogwarts who would later become the original Death Eaters, he assumes the title of Lord Voldemort and so his ascension into an irreversible darkness begins. In the following years Voldemort began his reign of terror over the wizarding community. All of this leads up to the fateful night of October 31 when Voldemort travel to Godrics Hollow where he intend to kill, then one-year-old, Harry Potter. But Voldemort could not have foreseen what happened in his attempt. Voldemort slays James Potter, Harry's father, when he stand in his way and then proceeds to Harry's room where Lily Potter, Harry's mother, is doing her best to protect her child. Voldemort gives Lily the chance to stand aside but she refuses and uses the killing curse, Avada Kadavra, to end her life. But when he attempts the same on Harry his is ripped from his body and rendered powerless, merely a shadow of his once great self. After many years and a few face offs with the now older Harry Voldemort is returned to his body and picks off were he left off with his rein of terror over the Wizards. But Voldemort is defeated in a duel with Harry and so the most powerful dark wizard of all time Lord Voldemort is no more. Voldemort's greatest enemy throughout the series is of course Harry Potter himself. The reason Voldemort went to destroy Harry in the first place was due to a prophecy made that may or may not have been about Harry. In summary the prophecy stated that one would be born who had the power to defeat him and Voldemort assumed, the then one-year-old, was that person. Harry's initial hate for Voldemort is the plain fact that he murdered his parents, other reasons of course to develop as the series goes forward, but this is enough to spark an epic rivalry. Throughout his life Voldemort performs some truly despicable acts. He is responsible for numerous tortures and murders, he creates seven Horcruxes, the darkest of magical object in which one, after committing murder to tear their soul, places a piece in an object so if they are killed they can still thrive on the other part of their soul. He also creates an army of inferi, an inferious is a corpse that is bewitched to do the casters bidding. Voldemort also awakens the Chamber of Secrets, built by Salazar Slytherin, twice and sets loose a monster called a basilisk to kill muggle born witches and wizards. And this is only a short list of his many doings. Some have viewed the Dark Lord as a purely evil character driven by hunger for power and madness. While others, like myself, regard him with pity. He was truly dealt an awful hand. And who knows if he had had the upbringing that every child ought to get if he would have used his undeniable talents for good and perhaps he could have become the teacher he once wished to be. But regardless of what might have been Lord Voldemort is truly one of the most evil characters in modern literature. 

**"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, the battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour." -Lord Voldemort ** -This quote, spoken by Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, reflects not only the evil within him but also his ability to use manipulation. He can take a target, in this case Harry, and threaten the thing he cares about most, his friends and make Harry out to be a coward if he does not come face him. Leaving Harry no real choice but the one Voldemort wants. - Voldemort is wearing a black cloak to give him an air of mystery and also hide his face. This way no one can know what he is thinking. - His pail fingers have long and sharp nails protruding from them. They give him an inhuman feeling. - The snake wrapped around his shoulders symbolizes his past life in the Slytherin house but snakes also have commonly symbolized slyness and are not to be trusted. - The fire behind Voldemort gives him a more powerful and forboding look. Fire is also commonly associated with Hell, a place of great evil. - By looking at this picture it seems as though Voldemort is sitting at the head of a table. The head of the table is traditionally reserved for the leader, one in charge adn is a pcle of repsect. And this tells a lot about his stance amongst his peers.

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