Tom Marlovo Riddle

During his childhood and early adulthood, Tom Marvolo Riddle was tall and handsome, with pale skin, jet black hair, and dark eyes. When Harry saw him in a memory in the Pensieve, he saw that there was no trace of the Gaunt family in his face, and that he was his father in miniature: 'tall for eleven years old, dark-haired and pale'. Riddle's good looks continued to increase as he grew older, and he cunningly used them to charm many of the teachers at Hogwarts. While in Wool's Orphanage, he wore the standard grey tunic as with all the other children, and switched over to the Hogwarts uniform when he attended the school, gaining the Prefect and Head Boy badges when he attained those positions. When he worked in Borgin and Burkes, he wore a simple black suit.[26] Despite his façade of kindness and politeness, during ecstatic moments (i.e. discovering himself as a wizard and gaining confirmation that creating multiple Horcrux is possible) he was capable of a smile that did not enhance his handsomeness, but instead made him look less human.

However, as he became more involved in the Dark Arts, his good looks gradually left him. His features became increasingly waxy and reptilian, his skin became bone-white, and the sclera of his eyes took on a perpetually blood-shot appearance. After he regained his body, his features became even more warped. In his final body, Voldemort was described as having pale white skin, a skeletally thin body, and dark scarlet eyes with cat-like slits for pupils. He had a chalk-white face that resembled a skull, snake-like slits for nostrils, and large hands with unnaturally long fingers like spider's legs.

Voldemort also had no hair or lips. He took to wearing a black hooded cloak and several sets of elegant black robes and no shoes. Voldemort had a high, cold voice which was sometimes described as being sibilant. The transformation into this monstrous state is believed to have been the result of creating his Horcruxes, becoming less human as he continued to divide his soul. Dumbledore also speculated that Voldemort may have gained his hideous appearance by also undergoing several dangerous magical transformations.

Personality and traits Voldemort was considered by many to be 'the most evil wizard in hundreds and hundreds of years'. His evil nature far exceeded that of any common evildoer and Dumbledore stated that he 'went beyond normal evil' in the extent of his crimes. Hagrid claimed that while all Dark wizards 'go bad', Voldemort went 'worse than worse'. Indeed, Voldemort speedily developed into a power-obsessed megalomaniac of the worst kind and the worst of any known Dark wizard, being considered by all to be far more evil than even Gellert Grindelwald. He was unable and unwilling to express remorse or empathy for the countless crimes he had committed. This was a stark contrast to Grindelwald, who proved to display genuine remorse for his crimes and even before his fall, pity for those abused for their magic and even if only a little, care for his followers, all which Voldemort completely lacked. These anti-social traits were seen in his childhood, from stealing to disturbing incidences with other orphans. Dumbledore stated that the young Riddle had a certain disregard for rules. In his adult life, he performed the darkest forms of magic and had no regard for human life. He was a prolific killer, as seen by his killing so many that he created an army of Inferi. Voldemort also did not believe in the concept of good and evil, as he made clear to Harry in their encounter at the Mirror of Erised, and that only power and 'those too weak to seek it' truly mattered.

He was highly intelligent, as evidenced by his top performance at Hogwarts and his tremendous magical achievements, but his interests were narrowly focussed on the usefulness of people, objects, and powers to his goals. His inability to see the larger picture and inattention to events, powers and human traits that were not immediately useful to him was a serious flaw that led to most of his setbacks and ultimately his downfall.

After his first defeat, many (namely Hagrid, Dumbledore, Neville's grandmother among others) believed that he had yet to be truly vanquished, and would one day return on the grounds that there was not enough humanity left in him to die in the first place. At the same time, due to his excessive evil and brutality, others (namely Cornelius Fudge and a good deal of the wizarding world) would deny he was still alive for a sense of self-comfort, until evidence was given to their very eyes. During his lifetime, including much of his childhood, he was shown to be highly ruthless, cruel, merciless, and sadistic, showing as little mercy to his followers as he did his enemies. According to Dumbledore, he felt no desire or need for human companionship or friendship. The closest he came to caring about another living being was feeling affection for his pet snake, Nagini.

Voldemort thought of everything in terms of power (which he equated to domination through magical ability). He was somewhat wilfully ignorant of people or matters which he considered to have no value. He was dismissive of the unique magic of house-elves due to their social status, and thus was dealt major setbacks by house-elves on two occasions: first Kreacher, who escaped the cave with Slytherin's locket due to the sacrifice of his beloved master, Regulus Black, and Dobby, who bypassed the defences of Voldemort's headquarters (because Voldemort had neglected to render it inaccessible to house elves as he had to wizards) and helped Harry escape right before Voldemort could arrive to kill him.

Voldemort had a need for independence that bordered on pathological, and he preferred to operate in secrecy and solitude whenever possible. Dumbledore claimed that even if he had managed to obtain the Elixir of Life, he would have eventually found his dependency on it intolerable because it would have robbed him of his sense of self-reliance. Instead, he preferred to make Horcruxes, which were magical extensions of himself. Voldemort was a sociopathic narcissist, to the point that he frequently referred to himself in the third person as 'Lord Voldemort'. He detested being common, as when he heard of another person named Tom, he expressed his dislike; Voldemort always considered himself unique and above all others due to his magical powers among an orphanage of Muggles, his rare ability to speak Parseltongue among his schoolmates, and his own esteemed lineage as the Heir of Slytherin. Ironically, Voldemort's actions to ensure his own league of fame made him no different from any tyrant who would come to fear the ones they oppressed. It was said that if Voldemort looked into the Mirror of Erised, he would see himself, all-powerful and eternal.

Despite his independent streak, it is not to say Voldemort would completely reject all assistance, if only he was forced into a desperate measure. When he lost his physical form at the Potters' cottage, he placed his hopes for his faithful Death Eaters to find him and help restore his body, to the point that he even feared that they all abandoned him, and when Peter Pettigrew finally came back to him, he relied on his cowardly servant to brew the potion in order to maintain the rudimentary body as well as carry that body around for transport. In between the time of his first defeat and rebirth, Voldemort came to rely on Quirinus Quirrell to seize the Philosopher's Stone for him, while using the young wizard's body as a temporary way to regain a grip on the physical world. Although Voldemort rejected the use of the Elixir of Life for immortality, he would be prepared to drink it to create a new body for himself, but nothing more.

Aside from his desperate times, Voldemort would also rely on his Death Eaters and army of versatile beings to do his bidding, knowing that he could not overtake the Ministry all by himself (or with only a small handful of Death Eaters), or depend on them to handle the more trivial matters that he did not think was worth his effort. He even trusted the conquered Ministry of Magic to his army while he would focus on other matters personally. He entrusted two of his precious Horcruxes to his lieutenant Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy, knowing they have the resources and skills to provide satisfactory security, but did not tell them the truth of these unholy artefacts, furthering his reliance on their skills over any genuine trust. Overall, Voldemort's need for solitude and independence is not so much as doing absolutely everything himself, but to make use of everyone around him to the fullest without ever gaining any sentimental attachment to them, as he was easily prepared to discard anyone or anything once they fulfilled their purpose.

Voldemort had very little attachment to anything that did not amplify his fame or existence, as he viewed his followers as nothing more than disposable pawns to carry out his tasks while only valuing their usefulness and physical abilities.

Despite doting on pure-bloods, he was willing to execute any of them (or anyone else) if it suited him, even if they were completely loyal to him. Even his wand, which served him powerfully and faithfully for nearly six decades, was disposable when he discovered the even more powerful Elder Wand. The reason he valued his Horcruxes was because they were an extension of himself, thereby giving him independence, which was a reason why he carefully chose objects of extreme fame or importance to become worthy hosts to his precious soul.

The fact that Voldemort was conceived through coerced 'love' (theorised to be a love potion by Dumbledore or to be the Imperius Curse by Harry)—administered/used by witch Merope Gaunt to Muggle Tom Riddle Snr - was related to his inability to understand love: it was a symbolic way of showing that he came from a loveless union - but of course, everything would have changed if Merope had chosen to live for the sake of raising her son with love. The enchantment under which Tom Riddle fathered Voldemort is important because it shows coercion, and there can't be many more prejudicial ways to enter the world than as the result of such a union.

As a child at Hogwarts, and in the early years of his adult life, Riddle was considered an intelligent, polite young man who showed an enthusiasm to learn and was able to use his superficial charm to make many do his bidding, thereby showing his skill at being an exceptional master manipulator. He described himself being viewed by others as poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect and a model student.[6] His reputation as a model pupil had earned him the trust and respect of his teachers and of the customers he was sent to deal with at Borgin and Burkes. However, this was all a ruse, as he was very manipulative, with Dumbledore claiming that there were a number of 'nasty incidents' that happened throughout his time at Hogwarts that the authorities were never completely able to link to him. In his youth, Voldemort was capable of charming everyone at Hogwarts except Albus Dumbledore and surrounded himself with a group of 'friends' which would eventually become his Death Eaters. This was in direct contrast to his behaviour in the orphanage, where he terrorised his fellow residents, openly enough to leave a negative reputation among the children and staff, but discreet enough to avoid prosecution.

Voldemort's arrogance inevitably led to his major downfall. He suffered from thanatophobia, a pathological fear of death, which he regarded as a shameful and ignominious human weakness. He equated death with being defeated or loss of domination, the ultimate humiliation. His Boggart would be his own corpse, which shows his extreme fear of death.[41] The biggest difference between Harry and Voldemort was that Harry, as the true Master of Death, accepted his own mortality, which ultimately made him a stronger person than his nemesis. Voldemort's fear of death and obsession with immortality led him to create seven Horcruxes, a feat unheard of. It was because of this fear that Dumbledore believed that Voldemort would not use the Resurrection Stone even if he knew of its powers. However, Voldemort was not above desecrating graves, as he did to both his father's and Dumbledore's.

Voldemort had an extremely obsessive nature. When Harry glimpsed into his mind, he often saw repetitive imagery, symptomatic of Voldemort's inability to let go of thoughts or diversify his interests. In his fifth year, he travelled with Voldemort down the locked corridor in the Department of Mysteries for many nights. During the second war, he followed Voldemort's unfolding obsession with the 'merry-faced thief', Grindelwald, and the Elder Wand. He was able to use Voldemort's compulsive mental check of his Horcruxes to uncover the location of the one he had not yet found: Ravenclaw's Diadem, hidden at Hogwarts.

Voldemort's main obsessions were immortality, pure-blood supremacy, the attempts on Harry Potter's life, and the search for the Elder Wand. This was reflected in his daily habits as well: he had a magpie-like tendency to collect lots of small objects and hold onto them. As a child, he hoarded items that he stole from the other orphans, which eventually blossomed into his conception of the Horcruxes. This could also have been seen as trophy taking. This was especially seen after a particularly cruel act, such as the incident at the Cave, and creating Horcruxes after killing. Dumbledore said to Harry in limbo that his obsession with the Elder Wand was to rival his obsession with Harry himself. The Dark Lord stopped at nothing in his many attempts to kill Harry Potter, he also did not hesitate to use the people he cared about to reach him: being a fragment of his soul, he ordered a captivated Ginny Weasly to write her last message in blood warning that the girl would die in the Chamber of Secrets, implemented false visions to Potter through the spell Legilimency that he was holding Sirius Black in the Department of Mysteries and sent some of his Death Eaters to kidnap Luna Lovegood.

The search for the Elder Wand was an extension of his obsession with murdering Harry, which, in turn, was an extension of his preoccupation with immortality (which he felt that Harry's very existence threatened). Ironically, his obsession of eliminating Harry in person, an obsession seemingly multiplied by every single failed attempt, is what led to his own death. Dumbledore noted that Voldemort was no different from any other tyrant in paranoid fear of an individual rising against him because of his own obsessive actions. This trait could be traced back to his childhood when he was convinced at first that Dumbledore had come to take him to an asylum. In another ironic twist, this indicates that Voldemort failed to make himself unique as he had the flaw of any evil tyrant.

Few ever saw anything troubling about the young Tom Riddle, but Albus Dumbledore observed psychological issues and their potential dark implications from their very first meeting. Dumbledore described a 'magpie-like tendency' to collect trophies, as well as a need to obsess over his collection, that led him to make a correct guess at what was behind the secret of his immortality: multiple Horcruxes. Dumbledore noted a similarity between Voldemort and other famous tyrants, in that obsessive actions driven by paranoia can bring about the thing most feared. Tom Riddle remained charming and well-liked as a young adult, and at first seemed to be aiming lower on the scale of ambition than his talents would have supported. He used his stint at Borgin and Burkes to develop his knowledge of the Dark Arts, and to track and collect powerful magical objects. Only a few people ever had an ominous feeling about his imminent rise as a powerful dark wizard: Hepzibah Smith, who saw his eyes flash red with avarice when he saw her treasured artefacts, and, again, Albus Dumbledore, who refused to give him a job teaching at Hogwarts. realising he would use his influence as a teacher to recruit students and do evil.

Gradually taking more and more power, eliminating rivals and those who stood up to him, and transforming his appearance and his social image into a serpentine persona that inspired a level of fear so profound that wizards avoided mentioning his name even after they thought him dead, Voldemort reached the peak of his powers in 1980.

Despite his narcissistic nature, Voldemort could acknowledge his mistakes, as shown when he accepted the fact that the destruction of his body was more his fault then Harry's, even going so far to openly admit this to his Death Eaters. However, though Voldemort was capable of admitting his mistakes, Harry asserted that he didn't learn from them, especially relating to matters he did not value such as love. When he was angry, Voldemort was unpredictable: he was capable of being cold and calm, but could also explode with rage and when he lost his temper he never hesitated to slay even his own loyal followers. He expected complete respect from his Death Eaters but did not truly care for any of them in return. He did rescue Bellatrix Lestrange after his duel with Albus Dumbledore, and also screamed and attempted to avenge her after she was killed by Molly Weasley. It is likely, though, that he was furious about the loss of a very powerful and talented servant as well as the mother of his daughter Delphini, rather than truly missing Bellatrix as a person. Bellatrix herself was obsessively in love with him (incidentally, this somewhat mirrored the fascination that Voldemort's mother had with his father), but he never returned the romantic feelings due to his lack of understanding and desire for love, despite having engaged in a purely physical relationship with Bellatrix which resulted in the birth of their daughter.

One flaw that Voldemort did not possess, despite his egomania, was thinking himself infallible. He acknowledged his mistakes on several occasions, and with the candour and charm that had won him followers in the first place, he sought to make hay of his missteps, openly revealing such unflattering information to his followers and using it to illustrate how he could use his wits to further enhance his powers.

Upon his return, Voldemort showed a degree of calculated humility. He did not announce his rebirth to anyone besides supporters, realising he was not yet strong enough to take on the Ministry. He also showed his followers leniency, even though they had not sought to help him after his downfall, realising he could not afford to mistreat them until returning to full strength.

His first downfall was brought about by his greatest flaw: disregarding that which he could not understand. He did not realise that trying to cast a Killing Curse on a victim after killing a protector who had voluntarily sacrificed themselves would result in the curse rebounding off due to the magic of love.

Voldemort's talents for sowing discord and mistrust showed during the Second War, as did his violent temper. As he neared the last days of his life, he made error after error, alienating his followers with a grisly display of mass murder in the aftermath of the Gringotts robbery, tipping Harry off to the location of the last unknown Horcrux due to a compulsive mental check of their location accompanied by fear, which he should have known would make the thoughts readable on his and Harry's soul fragment connection, and neglecting to notice the signs of Harry's closeness to defeating him, Snape's duplicity and Dumbledore's last plan.

Deep under his terrifying demeanour, Voldemort was capable of fear whenever he didn't feel that things were completely in his control. On some occasions, such as when he tried to murder Harry while he was a defenceless baby, Voldemort displayed cowardice. He was also furious, yet terrified, when he found out that Helga Hufflepuff's Cup was stolen. Voldemort was also more afraid than Harry was when their wands underwent Priori Incantatem, although he refused assistance from his followers due to his desire to kill Harry unaided. Nevertheless, Voldemort was capable of suppressing and concealing his fears, and confronting the things that threatened him. When he entered Morfin Gaunt's home as a teenager and confronted his deranged uncle, even Harry could not help but admire Riddle's complete lack of fear when witnessing the event in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Gaunt was drunk, unstable and showed murderous inhumanity whilst wielding a knife in teenage Riddle's face, all of which nonplussed him. Voldemort was even bold enough to engage Albus Dumbledore in a duel, despite Dumbledore being the only wizard Voldemort was ever said to have feared.

Voldemort was also a pathological liar and a hypocrite, even when he was a child. He was sadistic to other children in the orphanage where he grew up and opened the Chamber of Secrets while at Hogwarts, resulting in the death of a fellow student. When confronted by Dumbledore on both occasions he denied any involvement. He also lied to Slughorn about his reasons for wanting to gain knowledge on Horcruxes. A further example of this is how Voldemort deemed himself a 'Merciful Lord' with respect for his enemies, when in fact he considered everyone he had killed to be 'worthless (as he held no regard for them) and nameless' (he had killed so many that they became vague figures and not people with names to him) and used the words 'The more the better' regarding how many people died fighting his army. Despite this, he had an intense hatred of being lied to or anyone trying to deceive him or withhold the truth. As a child, he demanded that Dumbledore tell him the truth in such a forceful way that Dumbledore was deeply unsettled by the young wizard's demeanour. Upon mastery of Legilimency, he was able to easily tell whether he is being lied to from most people, and would warn them rather menacingly, as he snarled at Pettigrew for trying to deny his fear of the Dark Lord's mangled temporary body, and told Frank Bryce 'do not lie to Lord Voldemort'.

Voldemort also announced to Hogwarts after Harry's supposed demise that he had died whilst trying to run away for fear of his own life, despite knowing full well that Harry had willingly walked to what he believed was his death in the hopes of saving his friends. However, Voldemort did have moments in his life where he was willing to keep his word: after his discussion on Horcruxes with Professor Slughorn he promised not to tell anyone about the subject (though this was mainly for Voldemort's own safety) and gave Hogwarts a chance to turn Harry Potter over to him and leave the school untouched (however this was only keeping with his 'Merciful Lord' façade). He also denied his blood purity having been a half-blood himself.

Despite the fact that he usually maintained a calm, reserved and sophisticated persona, Lord Voldemort was capable of phenomenally explosive and violent fits of rage. His rage would often get the better of him, as shown when he duelled Harry Potter in Little Hangleton, casting curses violently and screaming with fury whilst attacking Harry. He also roared with anger whilst duelling Dumbledore. When he experiences these mood swings, he would instinctively cast Killing Curses at whomever he saw first. The most famous display of fury was when he discovered that Gringotts Bank had been infiltrated, specifically his vault, and he murdered every survivor of the incident simply out of wrath, further supporting his fear of dying. In his burst of fury and fear of death, he became reckless enough to forget to close his mind while mentally organising his Horcrux' hiding locations, inadvertently allowing his archnemesis to learn of the final one.

Voldemort was shown to be highly intelligent and charismatic, able to inspire many powerful and influential wizards to follow him as his loyal Death Eaters. He could not care less what happened to anyone else, as long as he got what he wanted or avoided discovery for his crimes, shown as how he framed Hagrid, his uncle Morfin, and the House Elf Hokey for murders he had committed himself. He was never concerned with the consequences of his actions, only if they either benefited him or got him into trouble with the law. A prime example of how selfish Voldemort was, is how he killed Severus Snape, arguably the man who had (as far as he knew) served him more faithfully and helpfully than anyone, simply to unlock the full power of the Elder Wand.

However, despite Voldemort's general malicious ways, he had proven that he was capable of acknowledging the desires of others, but only if those desires did not interfere with his ambitions and were presented by someone whom he deemed a worthy servant. The only time this was ever really seen was when he agreed to Severus Snape's plea for Lily Evans' life. Although he did not agree to spare Lily unconditionally, he said he would offer her the chance to live if she did not attempt to stop him from murdering her son. Uncharacteristically, Voldemort followed through on his promise to Snape and gave Lily several chances to step aside. Doing this was what caused Lily's death to be a willing sacrifice, and in turn, is what protected Harry from Voldemort in the first place.

One odd incident in Voldemort's life, discovered by Harry through an inadvertent mind-reading, occurred on the night he murdered Lily and James. As he walked down a Godric's Hollow lane on his way to their house, on his way to kill the infant Harry Potter, in a most unusual act of mercy, he decided to spare the life of a Muggle child who had complimented the impressiveness of his 'Hallowe'en costume', not realising that Voldemort was not in costume, but a black-robed wizard with a pale, snakelike face. Killing him was an act Voldemort had deemed 'unnecessary'. Voldemort's reasoning for this was not made clear, though it can be surmised that Voldemort had chosen not to use magic until he had arrived at the Potters' house in case his presence was detected by any spies. Another possibility is that Voldemort simply thought the child was not worth his time or effort.

He also seemed to have respected, and sometimes even admired, bravery and skill, even when displayed by some of his enemies. After his return in 1995, he remarked to Harry that Harry's father had died 'straight-backed and proud'. Previously, at the end of Harry's first year at Hogwarts, he had referred to the Potters as 'brave' and said that James Potter 'put up a courageous fight'. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he appreciated Neville Longbottom's 'spirit and bravery' and wanted him to become a Death Eater, though this was also partially due to Neville being a pureblood. Although not caring for his Death Eaters, he did appreciate loyalty. When he learned that the Lestranges went to Azkaban rather than denounce him, Voldemort was so moved that he promised to reward them beyond their dreams. Similarly, when Harry seemed to take too long to arrive to offer himself to be killed to save the Hogwarts students and staff, he expressed some disappointment at Harry apparently abandoning the school to save himself, as he had hoped his ultimatum would ultimately drive Harry to be killed by him.

Voldemort apparently had a small degree of honour, as just before his duel with Harry in the graveyard and Harry tried to flee, Voldemort deliberately missed his Avada Kedavra and scolded Harry for turning his back on him, insisting that he refuses to kill Harry while the latter's back was turned and preferred to have Harry facing him when being killed, and during the Priori Incantatem event, he repeatedly insists that none of the Death Eaters interfere even on his behalf. However, it should be noted that he only did this because he was obsessed with wanting to kill Harry himself, and more importantly, he wanted to make sure he saw Harry's life leave his eyes before him.

Typical for a Slytherin and unlike his blood traitor mother, especially as the Heir of Salazar Slytherin, Voldemort greatly believed in blood purity. In fact, his beliefs were far more extreme than an average pure-blood supremacist. At the age of 16, Voldemort released Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets in order to purge the school of Mudbloods, thus showing his murderous hatred towards them, and kept a diary Horcrux in order to continue his actions, putting at risk a precious piece of his soul for his ideals. However, he was too much of a coward to give his life for his "cause".

Voldemort's obsession with blood purity also bred a strong disgust and hatred for the Muggle world. There are several indications — such as the statue Voldemort erected in the Ministry of Magic depicting Muggles being crushed — that Voldemort planned to manipulate and take over the Muggle government of Britain had he been successful. In addition, Voldemort, shortly after his return to physical form, told Harry about his Muggle family, only later to rebuke their memory and herald the return of his 'true family'.

In his later life, Voldemort claimed that Muggle-borns were actually Muggles who stole magic from real wizards and witches, rather than actually inheriting it rightfully, and so deserved to be severely punished for it. Whether he knowingly made this theory up or truly believed it (or if he was the first proponent of it) is unknown. He ruthlessly murdered Charity Burbage for supporting Muggle-borns. Despite his racist beliefs, however, he allowed the werewolf Fenrir Greyback to join his cause, though he did not consider him an official Death Eater. It is also interesting to note that he was willing to allow Lily Potter to join him, despite the fact that she was Muggle-born. This showed that if the wizard or witch was exceptionally talented, Voldemort was capable of suppressing his hatred towards Muggle-borns and half-bloods, as long as they were willing to serve him.

Despite his hatred towards non-pure-bloods, Voldemort himself was a half-blood. Under his rule for a year, he allowed half-bloods to continue to attend Hogwarts, albeit with less respect. Voldemort was ashamed of his Muggle-sided parentage so much that he denied it, left misleading hints that he was a pure-blood and proudly presented his ancestry from Salazar Slytherin. However, Bartemius Crouch Jnr appeared to be aware that Voldemort was a half-blood, telling Harry that he and Voldemort both had very disappointing fathers (though it was more likely that Voldemort simply relayed the disappointing father part while ignoring his blood status).

Voldemort's origins were extremely humble, even by Muggle standards: he grew up in an orphanage and his parents were the daughter of the Gaunts, the last decrepit, incest-ridden branch of the Slytherin family, and the son of a haughty, rich Muggle family, who was forced to marry and have a child with Merope. These humble origins made him an unlikely lightning rod for the wizarding aristocracy's pure-blood supremacist values, but due to his power, ability to trace his lineage directly to Salazar Slytherin, and willingness to give their cause a platform and an apparently sympathetic ally, he gained their support, and, in time, put them into a state of impressed terror that rendered their support unwavering.

Voldemort found it useful to maintain a system of followers drawn from the Slytherin-centric Wizarding aristocracy, disaffected paupers with long-gone noble origins, as well as criminal elements, and in their company spoke like one of them, lecturing on themes of blood purity, Muggle inferiority, and the proper order of society. On one occasion, he even tortured and murdered a witch considered to be a blood traitor, Charity Burbage, for their pleasure. But Voldemort did not truly work for their cause, and only allowed them to set up a pure-blood supremacist regime at the Ministry of Magic for his own reasons: to control the government, to compensate them for their service and to ensure their continued loyalty. Voldemort's preoccupations were increasing his own dominion and stamping out opposition: the wizarding aristocracy's concerns were of no real interest to him. The alliance between Voldemort and the Death Eaters was a natural result of Voldemort's ancestry, of having been raised in Slytherin house, and of promises to help them achieve their ends, but there should be no mistake — Voldemort was merely using them.

Despite claiming his actions were for the 'noble work' of purifying the wizarding race, there is evidence that Voldemort treated this with lesser importance than his preoccupations with immortality and domination. During his time studying at Hogwarts, while he used Slytherin's Basilisk to attack Muggle-born students, ultimately using the Basilisk to murder Myrtle, he didn't take credit for the crimes at the time, as doing so would result in getting him into trouble with the legal authorities of the magical community. He framed Rubeus Hagrid to both get away with his actions and to keep Hogwarts from closing down, which were both in his interests at the time. Knowing it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber of Secrets again with Dumbledore keeping a close eye on him, while he was still at school, he decided to create his Horcrux diary, with the intention of eventually repeating his actions through someone else. It was only after creating his identity of Lord Voldemort, that he began to openly acknowledge himself as the Heir of Slytherin, long after most people would have been able to link him to being both Tom Riddle and the one responsible for opening the Chamber of Secrets the first time round. This shows that while he does not full-heartedly support the pure-blood supremacy ideology (if only using it to enter the elite social circles), he does indeed hold Muggles and Muggle-borns with contempt for their alleged inferiority.

He was more concerned about eliminating threats to his planned eternal domination of the world than ensuring pure-blood supremacy: as demonstrated by his efforts to destroy Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, the Order of the Phoenix and any other opposition to his rule. He even went so far as to cast a Taboo on his own name, knowing that the only people who'd dared to speak it were those with the will to oppose him.

Voldemort was also extremely possessive, even toward objects that weren't of any use to him, such as when he discovered the twin cores of his and Harry's wands could not kill each other, so he asked for Lucius Malfoy's wand, but refused to give Lucius his old one, which also complements how egotistical Voldemort was; he actually mocked Lucius for even thinking of receiving Voldemort's wand in exchange for his. He also had a tendency to hoard trophies or other oddities from his childhood and transform them into Horcruxes.

Voldemort suffered from delusions of godhood. From an early age, he believed himself to be unique and different to others, telling Albus Dumbledore that he had always believed himself to be special. He frequently referred to himself in third person to further emphasise his own importance, and told Frank Bryce that he was 'much, much more than a man'. His inner thought processes showed that he perceived himself as 'most important and precious', showing the extent of delusions.

Although there was no questioning Voldemort's intellect, which was vastly beyond genius level, he nevertheless displayed symptoms of the mental instability that had pervaded the Gaunt bloodline from which he was descended. He was known for frequent and violent mood swings, being willing to attack anyone within his line of sight when angered. The Dark Lord's temper was so feared that even his most loyal supporters would flee to avoid being on the receiving end of his wrath. He also displayed poor impulse control, such as when he chose to fire a Killing Curse at Harry Potter even after being informed that the Elder Wand was loyal to Harry himself. His calm demeanour permitted him to strategise properly to operate in secrecy and safety which he was able to gain enough advantage to overthrow the government, but when angered, he would lose control and made error after error that ultimately led to his downfall.

Furthermore, due to his immense evil and lack of a human soul, he was completely unable to cast the Patronus Charm,[16][17] an incredibly powerful and benevolent protective charm that is a manifestation of positive energy, which Voldemort lacked.

Magical abilities and skills

Lord Voldemort was the most powerful, skilled and dangerous Dark wizard of all time. He was amongst the greatest wizards to have ever lived, often considered to be the second most powerful wizard in history, his only superior being Albus Dumbledore. Voldemort was extremely talented even while still a student of Hogwarts, with Albus Dumbledore himself saying Voldemort was the most brilliant student to have ever attended Hogwarts. As an adult, Voldemort became a tremendously powerful and accomplished wizard of nearly unrivalled skill, admired and feared by even the most powerful wizards and witches. Combined with his utter megalomania, Voldemort was regarded as the most powerful and most dangerous Dark wizard of all time,[21] being the only Dark wizard to surpass Gellert Grindelwald.

Magical mastery: Even at a young age, Voldemort proved himself to be a precociously gifted magical prodigy, as he was able to utilise and control magic, without the use of a wand or even knowing the very existence of magic itself, to an unnaturally high level: he had a power to move objects with his mind, to communicate with and control animals, and even inflict harm on those who opposed or annoyed him, which left even Dumbledore astonished.[26] As a student of Hogwarts, Voldemort was acknowledged by Dumbledore to be the most brilliant student in the school's history. As an adult, Voldemort's unimaginable power and skill were so great that he successfully terrorised all of Britain and defeated so many that he quickly earned the reputation as the most powerful and dangerous Dark wizard in history, surpassing even Gellert Grindelwald. He performed feats of magic thought impossible and his magical accomplishments eclipsed and dwarfed those of any dark wizard before him. Between his tremendous magical power and skill and profound capability for evil and destruction, Voldemort was thought to be unbeatable, with the only hope of the wizarding Britain during his reign of terror, up until the arrival of Harry Potter, being Albus Dumbledore. Because of this, Dumbledore was widely known as the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. Despite this, during their Duel in the Ministry Atrium, Voldemort proved capable of standing up to Dumbledore, although he was still ultimately held back by Dumbledore and was forced to flee. Possessing an incredibly deep amount of knowledge and understanding of magic, Voldemort had experimented and pushed the boundaries of magic farther than they had ever been pushed, and if he were to be granted a teaching position, he could teach students things that they could gain from no other wizard. Even Dumbledore himself acknowledged that Voldemort's knowledge of magic was more extensive than any wizard to have ever lived, with presumably only Dumbledore standing as his equal in terms of magical knowledge; additionally, Dumbledore admitted that even his most powerful protective spells and charms, which were further enhanced by the Elder Wand's legendary powers, could not effectively fight off Voldemort if the Dark Lord was ever at his full power. This degree of immense magical power and deadly skill, coupled with his blatant lack of morals, made him an extremely dangerous adversary indeed. Voldemort's magical might and knowledge made him capable of overcoming almost any magical protection in his way, making extremely few safe from him, with not even the combined efforts of all the professors of Hogwarts holding Voldemort off for long. Notably, Dumbledore and Alastor Moody were the only single wizards known to be capable of casting defence charms that could keep Voldemort at bay. In addition, although rarely applying this talent, Voldemort was as equally capable in protecting specific places magically as he was in breaking magical protections, as he set up many powerful wards on both the Horcrux Cave and Gaunt Shack to protect his Horcruxes, which were powerful enough to impress Dumbledore. Even though he managed to overcome them, the last and most powerful enchantments in the Horcrux Cave were powerful enough to block out even Dumbledore's magic. This was made even more impressive by the fact that Voldemort created the defences around the Horcrux cave before 1979, when he was less than 55 years old, whereas Dumbledore was more than twice that age at 115 years old, two months before his 116th birthday. Control of underage magic: Even before being told that he was a wizard, or having any knowledge of magic or the wizarding world at all, the young Voldemort displayed an exceptional degree of control over his usage of underage magic, which he used to torment many of the other children at the orphanage. He was able to move objects with his mind, control animals to do his bidding, and even make bad things happen to those who annoyed him. Even Dumbledore commented that his powers were surprisingly well-developed for his young age, and that his level of control over them had made him uneasy.

Dark Arts: Voldemort was exceptionally skilled in the Dark Arts, widely considered to be the most powerful practitioner of the Dark Arts the world had ever known during his reign of terror. He had a masterful knowledge of the most arcane and complex magic that wizardkind was capable of and could perform them successfully, such as the ability to create Horcruxes and raise an army of Inferi using necromancy. Voldemort murdered enough people to create an entire army of Inferi to do his bidding, using the Inferi to guard the Cave's waters against those who sought to steal Slytherin's Locket (a Horcrux). He was notably highly accomplished in the use of all three Unforgivable Curses. Despite being weakened, Voldemort was still able to cast the Cruciatus Curse with enough strength to force Bertha Jorkins to regain the memories that were suppressed by a powerful Memory Charm cast by Bartemius Crouch Senior and an Imperius Curse strong enough to control the latter for half of a year, and although he eventually resisted, he became delirious from it. He had a particular affinity for the Killing Curse, having murdered enough people to create an entire army of Inferi, and was able to cast this curse effectively while still under-aged and using Morfin Gaunt's wand. Voldemort was also capable of developing extremely powerful dark charms: he placed a jinx on the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher after being refused the post by Dumbledore that would cause something terrible to happen to those who held the post within a year and was powerful enough that not even Dumbledore could lift it, and another on Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, so as to protect it after it had been made into a Horcrux so that it would kill anyone who touched it. The curse was so strong, even Dumbledore could only contain the curse for some time and Snape, a wizard of exceptional knowledge in countering curses, was only able to suppress the curse for a year. Voldemort was also capable of casting an extremely powerful spell that fired a bolt of blinding and explosive energy that could penetrate the extremely powerful defences that shielded Hogwarts, which was strong enough to hold against the relentless attacks of his Death Eaters. He was also capable of using Dark Magic to protect the The Cave, where he kept Slytherin's Locket, which included a spell that made it so the entrance can only be opened if blood were to be spilled, as well as another which prevents any attempt to magically summon the Horcrux, and finally, an enchantment on the Potion of Despair that not even Dumbledore was able to overcome. Voldemort was also very knowledgeable in the use of dark potions, having been aware of and able to instruct Peter Pettigrew into brewing the potion that resurrected him fully. He could even craft his own potions, having made the Emerald Potion, which could show the drinker their most hated fears, and also the Rudimentary Body Potion, which he taught Peter how to brew in order to allow him to regain a physical form, albeit a very small and weak one. Voldemort had the power to possess living creatures and gain complete control over their actions by doing so. While in his spectral form, this was the only remaining power he had access to until his body was restored. Since he told his Death Eaters that this was his only remaining power, he must have been able to use this power during at least the First Wizarding War. Once the possession is done, the victims will have no knowledge of what happened. This form of possession shortens the lifespan of the small animals he inhabits, and in the terms of wizards, his face would appear on the back of their head. In this case, it would seem that his possession is partial, as Quirrell had some (albeit little) control over his actions. It also shortened the host wizard's life, but he was able to extend it via unicorn blood, and enhanced their magical abilities by combining their own innate powers with his weakened powers. He was also able to possess Harry and presumably others in his physical form. It is unknown if this ability is unique to him, as he is the only one known to use it.

Duelling: Voldemort was a duellist of immense, nearly unparalleled skill, with his only rival being Dumbledore. His abilities were so great that he was capable of matching Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn (who were masterful duellists themselves) simultaneously and overpower each of them, despite being incapable of harming them lethally due to Harry's sacrificial protection. He was also able to easily overpower many other prodigious witches and wizards, such as the extremely skilled Amelia Bones, and later also murdered the extremely powerful ex-Auror, Alastor Moody. Voldemort's duelling style was, ironically, much like Dumbledore's in its unpredictability: he could instinctively switch styles in the blink of an eye, and was extremely aggressive, using powerful Dark magic to overwhelm his opponents. Apparently, he only chose to face opponents whom he saw as worthy adversaries. Voldemort's duelling skills were even great enough that he was able to stay in combat and hold his own against the Elder Wand wielding Albus Dumbledore (who wasn't even fighting to kill), although he was steadily being held back and was eventually forced to abandon his effort and flee. He was the only known wizard in history to face Dumbledore and avoid defeat or capture. Although Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, it was only because he had mastered the Elder Wand, and Voldemort was using it at the time against Harry.

Potions: Voldemort was exceptionally knowledgeable of potions, as he was aware of an advanced dark Regeneration potion that could resurrect him to full power and corporeal form, which he successfully guided Pettigrew into brewing, allowing him to regain a corporeal body and full power. He possessed such incredible talents and skills in potions that he was capable of inventing advanced potions, such as the Emerald Potion (or the Drink of Despair), which he used to protect Salazar Slytherin's Locket within the Horcrux cave and would show those who drank it visions of the thing they fear the most and the Rudimentary body potion, which he instructed Peter into brewing to enable him to assume an extremely weak, barely-alive physical form. He also utilised poison very effectively, having spilled a little known one into Hepzibah Smith's evening cocoa to kill her, and making it appear as though the house-elf Hokey mistook the poison as sugar instead.

Alchemy: Voldemort was learned in the ancient art and science of Alchemy, to the point where he was confident that if he was able to steal the Philosopher's Stone, he would be able to not only use it to produce the Elixir of Life, but also manipulate the process of doing so in a manner that would allow him to 'create a body of [his] own' for his mangled soul to inhabit, thus restoring himself. Dumbledore also seemed to believe that Voldemort would certainly be capable of creating his own Philosopher's Stone, but chose not to because he would find the dependence on the stone to be intolerable.

Charms: Voldemort was extremely skilful with charms, as he was able to cast a Disillusionment Charm so powerful that it hid him from his own eyes, a very advanced level of magic. He also easily used the Summoning Charm the Sorting Hat from many floors above to punish Neville for opposing him, and then setting it alight with the Fire-Making Spell, and beforehand effortlessly disarming him with the Disarming Charm. He could effortlessly levitate objects out of the way, blast down doors and break locks. He effortlessly levitated the body of Charity Burbage with the charm Mobilicorpus in Malfoy Manor whilst torturing her there. He was capable of performing an incredibly flawless spell to create fabricated memories in his victims, having used the spell twice in his lifetime: first on the House-elf Hokey after having murdered Hepzibah Smith, to falsely implicate her for the crime, and again on his uncle Morfin Gaunt to frame him for the Murder of the Riddle family, both crimes he himself committed. He was effortlessly capable of casting a powerful Shield Charm, allowing him to deflect spells and magical assaults instantly. Before the Battle of Hogwarts, he amplified his own voice to a significant volume so all of Hogwarts could hear him deliver his ultimatum with the Amplifying Charm, that his voice even sounded as if it was coming from the castle walls. He also performed an outstandingly powerful Silencing Charm on the defenders of Hogwarts during the final half of the Battle of Hogwarts to silence all of them, after he had supposedly killed Harry Potter, in a blinding flash of white light, showing his skills in charm-work to be exceptional..

Apparition: Voldemort was exceptionally proficient in Apparition, and could apparat with pinpoint accuracy even when locked in combat, using this ability to dodge and evade spells when dueling Dumbledore. Voldemort was also able to apparat silently, something that only he and Dumbledore were reputed to be able to do.

Occlumency and Legilimency: Voldemort was exceptionally adept and gifted in the use of both Occlumency and Legilimency, being able to effectively shield his own mind and penetrate the minds of others. He was particularly talented and skilled in Legilimency, and as an adult, Snape claimed he was the most accomplished Legilimens the world had ever seen. His frighteningly exceptional prowess in Legilimency allowed Voldemort to delve and peer deep into the minds of others without needing to say the incantation or using his wand, seeing their deepest thoughts, and he can even use Legilimency to influence the minds that he invaded. Severus Snape has stated that Voldemort could not only read, but also control and unhinge the minds of others, often enjoying invading the minds of others, creating lifelike visions designed to torture them into madness (such as the one he sent to Harry Potter in 1996), and only killing them 'after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony', when he had them literally begging for death. He was also able to use Legilimency to briefly possess Harry, even though he had already regained a physical body, which caused Harry so much pain that he even begged for death. Hence, Voldemort could almost always tell when someone was lying. However, when Narcissa Malfoy lied that Harry Potter was dead, Voldemort notably believed her. The most remarkable part about this skill was that he seemed to have already been able to consciously use it while he was still a child in the orphanage. Extremely few people were skilled enough in Occlumency to shield themselves from him. Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, and also possibly Narcissa Malfoy were notably the only known ones able to block out Voldemort's Legilimency using Occlumency. Additionally, Harry Potter, despite his link to Voldemort's mind, discovered that he could block Voldemort's intrusions into his mind by feeling love, as direct contact with Harry's mind while he was feeling love was excruciatingly painful for Voldemort with his maimed and diminished soul. Using his mastery of Occlumency, Voldemort was able to block his connection to Harry, preventing him from seeing what he is doing, although it could be broken through when Voldemort was angered enough, which became increasingly so due to Voldemort's volatile temper rising from the exhaustive search for the Elder Wand and the destruction of his Horcruxes. While it's unknown if Severus Snape or Albus Dumbledore ever attempted Legilimency on him, it's likely that neither would be able to penetrate his mind despite being skilled Legilimens themselves. Dumbledore also feared that Voldemort could use Legilimency on Draco Malfoy to discover any potential confrontation over the young man's mission despite Draco learning Occulumency, suggesting Voldemort's skills were able to penetrate Occulumency if the target is not strong enough.

Flying: Voldemort was able, and invented the ability, to fly without support, defying the law of magic that states objects can only fly through use of a flying charm. He first exhibited this flying ability when in pursuit of Harry Potter over Little Whinging.[29] He frequently used his ability to fly throughout the Second Wizarding War, and was known to have taught Severus Snape how to duplicate the feat.

Parseltongue: Voldemort was a Parselmouth, a trait he inherited from his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, the magical ability to communicate with snakes.[6][26] It seems that most of his Gaunt ancestors (even his mother, grandfather and uncle) inherited this highly unusual trait; such traits are commonly passed down through families through inbreeding, a practice employed by the Gaunt family.[26] This ability was one that he favoured immensely, as he was extremely capable of communicating with the Serpent of Slytherin[6] and his loyal pet snake and Horcrux Nagini, commanding them to commit horrific actions in his various diabolical plots.

Immortality: Voldemort is the only Dark wizard who was known to have created more than one Horcrux. These Horcruxes were his school diary, the Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, Ravenclaw's Diadem, Hufflepuff's Cup, Slytherin's Locket, Nagini, and Harry Potter himself. As long as these Horcruxes remained active, Voldemort was immortal and undying, even by a magic as powerful as the Killing Curse.

Transfiguration: Voldemort displayed tremendous and near unrivalled skills in Transfiguration. He easily transfigured Dumbledore's fire-rope into a black snake during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He was also skilful in conjuration, as he could craft silver objects of incredible durability, as seen when he produced a silver shield strong enough to repel Dumbledore's curse, which was extremely powerful. He could even conjure artificial limbs that possessed far greater strength and immunity to some spells, as he created an artificial silver forearm and hand for Peter Pettigrew non-verbally.

Defence Against the Dark Arts: As Defence Against the Dark Arts was the subject Voldemort offered to teach when he tried to become a teacher, it can be assumed that despite being far more interested in using dark magic than learning to defend from it, Voldemort had achieved a high score on his O.W.L and N.E.W.T exam and therefore that this was his favourite subject as a student. He was excellently skilled in defending from dark magic in addition to being the most powerful practitioner of the Dark Arts. It can also be assumed that his knowledge of the Dark Arts also made him aware of many advanced defensive spells that few knew of, as he claimed that he could teach students magic they cannot learn from any other should he be the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Spell creation: Voldemort was also extremely capable of inventing his own magical spells, as evidenced with the spell Morsmordre, which summoned the Dark Mark in the sky, being one of Voldemort's own dark inventions. He and his followers used it to summon a floating, green Dark Mark, usually over the houses of their victims.[34] Voldemort also invented a spell which allowed a witch or wizard to fly without support, something long considered a magical impossibility. He once mentioned to his followers that a few spells of his own invention were used to assist in his rudimentary body.[11] It is also likely that some of the dark spells used to hide and protect his Horcruxes were constructed by him as even Dumbledore had difficulty in overcoming them.

Wandless and nonverbal magic: Voldemort was also immensely accomplished at both wandless and nonverbal magic, enough so to be capable of using both effortlessly. He could move objects magically without the incantations to do so normally, using his hand to remove the masks from the Death Eaters who returned to him after his rebirth while he scolded them and easily lifting the grounded Harry Potter up by harshly motioning him and later instantly disarming him with a simple wave of his arm during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He was also capable of pushing a dead giant out of his way with a lazy wave of his hand during the Battle of Hogwarts and also magically moving his cloak to restrain Harry Potter with a mere hand gesture. He was capable of casting spells ranging from simple charms to Dark spells and even the most advanced of magic such as the Unforgivable Curses to their full potency without speaking the incantation.

Wand versatility: Voldemort has shown the ability to use wands other than his own with no handicap. He used his uncle Morfin's wand to kill his father and paternal grandparents as a teenager and in 1997, he used Lucius Malfoy's wand for a period of time, and could effectively cast a Killing Curse on Charity Burbage with it. Later, during the same year, he intended on using Selwyn's wand, though this did not come to be. In the following year, he took ownership of the Elder Wand; despite not unlocking the wand's full power, he was still able to use his usual level of magic (which was described by himself and Snape to be extraordinary), being able to pressure and ultimately defeat three extremely skilled opponents all at once (Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt).

Intimidation: Lord Voldemort, due to his virtually unequalled capacity for heinous torture and murder, commanded an extremely intimidating presence, enough to frighten low-level thugs and make them work for him out of sheer fear of how he would react to their refusal. He was able to swiftly intimidate famed wandmakers Garrick Ollivander and Mykew Gregorovitch, both of whom instantly submitted to his malevolent demands, with even the mere sight of him effortlessly terrifying Frank Bryce and likes of the extremely courageous Harry Potter, the latter of whom would become haunted by the crimson eyes and cruel gaze of the Dark Lord for three years. Among the extremely few individuals who did not fear Voldemort included the tremendously fearless Albus Dumbledore (who remained staunch in consistently opposing the Dark Lord), the exceptionally brave Sirius Black and Remus Lupin (who were among the extremely few wizards unafraid to call him by name), along with those who defiantly stood up to Voldemort during his reign of terror and died fighting valiantly against him. He also failed to intimidate Gellert Grindelwald, who mocked him to his face and challenged him to kill him. His inner circle of Death Eaters overwhelmingly feared him and consequentially maintained their fierce loyalty to him at least partly out of fear of what he would do to them otherwise. Indeed, Voldemort's profound experience in intimidation tactics allowed him to instil great fear into the hearts of wizardkind, to the point that almost all feared uttering his name aloud to one another, with Boggarts even commonly appearing as Voldemort since he represented the worst fear of many members of wizardkind.

Intellectual genius: Voldemort was not only a great wizard, but also possessed an incredible, genius intellect, as he was considered to be the most brilliant student ever to attend Hogwarts by Dumbledore. His intellect is evidenced by his strategic cunning in being able to mastermind and orchestrate two of the most destructive wars in British wizarding history, with him overwhelming all of the Britain wizarding community and nearly triumphing in both the First and Second Wizarding War. He also proved himself to be a skilled researcher, having successfully discovered his heritage with his middle name, and, by extension, the location of the Chamber of Secrets and his status as the Heir of Slytherin.

Charisma: Even at a young age, Voldemort displayed remarkable talent for the manipulation of others, being able to manipulate Horace Slughorn into telling him about Horcruxes and gain the trust of every teacher in Hogwarts, with only Albus Dumbledore managing to not be swayed by Voldemort's charisma. He also surrounded himself with a group of friends who would become Death Eaters, though Voldemort felt no affection for any of them. He was considered charming by most people who met him, and was able to inspire others to follow him. As an adult, his skills in manipulation grew even further, successfully convincing many wizards and witches to join his cause, although Sirius Black noted that Voldemort also used tricks, jinxes, and blackmail to get people to join him. Even when his physical body and magical powers were severely weakened, Voldemort was able to use his charisma to manipulate Quirinus Quirrell into serving him, when Quirrell originally intended to be the other way around. He also earned the trust of Ginny Weasley when she discovered his diary.

Acting skills: Besides his formidable magical skills and extensive knowledge of magic, as a teenager, Tom proved to be a consummate actor, being able to hide his true nature from almost everyone in Hogwarts except Dumbledore. He was able to convince virtually all of the Hogwarts staff and instructors that his facade of being a model student was his true personality and was able to avoid discovery of him having opened the Chamber of Secrets.

Leadership skills: Even when he was still only a young student, Riddle was already a very effective leader, as he was able to lead the forerunners of the Death Eaters to effectively sneak past surveillance, being responsible for several nasty incidences that were never connected to them, showing that even at a young age, Riddle was a very competent leader. As he grew older and gained more experience in leading and thus honed leadership skills further, Tom's style of leadership presumably changed from the original charismatic rule of the Hogwarts gang to the tyrannical and completely ruthless - though no less highly effective - command of his Death Eaters demonstrated throughout both the First and Second Wizarding War. The best example of his efficiency as a leader would be the fact that he, with the help of fewer than forty united Death Eaters, completely overwhelmed and came very close to dominating the entire population of magical Britain during the First Wizarding War and eventually conquered the whole magical Britain during the Second Wizarding War.

Salesmanship skills: A largely overlooked talent of Voldemort's was his skills at brokering sales as an assistant at Borgin and Burke's when he was in his late teens. Even Dumbledore was impressed by his skills as a salesman during his time as an employee of Borgin and Burkes. His charisma and knowledge of various magical artefacts helped him in this job and allowed him to acquire a wide variety of magical relics for his employers at the time. This talent and job allowed him to discover the Locket of Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup in the possession of Hepizbah Smith. He was often reserved for rather delicate matters that took subtlety and persuasion, but which he also masterfully completed.

Teaching skills: When Voldemort attempted to apply for a position as a teacher at Hogwarts, he expressed full confidence in being able to teach the students things they can gain from no other wizards. Despite his ulterior motives that concludes his lack of desire to genuinely pass down knowledge to the next generation, his years of extensive studies and charisma would have certainly made him a successful instructor; something he intended to take advantage of to influence the students and recruit his future army. It can be assumed that had he been allowed to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, he would have been able to convince many of his students to join his cause and, given that he claimed to be able to teach them magic they cannot learn from others, he would have most likely successfully created a powerful army of wizards and witches. He had proven himself to be a powerful mentor; among his known feats are personally training Bellatrix Lestrange in the Dark Arts, instructing Peter Pettigrew how to brew advanced dark potions, and teaching Severus Snape unsupported flight. In general, the Death Eaters knew how to perform some spells of his own making, mainly the Morsmordre spell. Even Quirinus Quirrell believed that if he sought out Voldemort's remains, he would be able to learn some powerful magic from the Dark Lord. Physical aptitude: Voldemort was in excellent physical condition despite his skeletal physique, with his strength and agility easily overwhelming Harry Potter when he attacked him violently.