Born Tom Riddle Jr. at Wool’s Orphanage, Voldemort goes on to become the most feared dark wizard in existence by the end of his life. It’s difficult to imagine how someone could descend to such lows as Riddle does throughout his lifetime, and how he could be capable of living without compassion, empathy or love. But a look into his past reveals a lot about how he came to be known as the Dark Lord.
There’s a lot of information in Voldemort’s past that the wizard would probably prefer to hide from his followers, as well as the people who fear him. And interestingly, he has a lot in common with Harry Potter, who goes on to become his arch-nemesis.
Keep reading to find out these unnerving details about Voldemort’s past.
20 He Used His Powers On Other Children In The Orphanage
Like Harry, Voldemort didn’t grow up with his parents around him. Instead, he grew up in an orphanage, and as he got more comfortable with his magical powers, he would use them on the other orphans. On one occasion, he literally silenced two other orphans after luring them into a cave and showing them something unspeakably scary with his powers.
19 He’s Distantly Related To Harry
If you trace his family tree back far enough, Voldemort can be linked to the Potters. He is a descendant of Cadmus Peverell, one of the three brothers in the story of the Deathly Hallows who received the resurrection stone. We know that Harry is a distant relative of Ignotus, the brother who received the invisibility cloak, so the two are linked.
18 He Got A Retail Job After Graduation
It looks like the Dark Lord may be more relatable than we thought! After being rejected from becoming a teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts and turning down several offers of work from the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort decided to work at Borgin and Burkes. That’s more or less retail!
17 He Often Manipulated The Teachers At Hogwarts
While he was at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle stood out for his brilliance and flair for magic. But he used his influence to manipulate some of the teachers at the school. The most well-known instance of this was when he used his charm to find out information about Horcruxes from Professor Slughorn.
16 His Lineage Isn’t All Pedigree
It’s ironic that Voldemort should align with the values of Salazar Slytherin and look down on people who don’t come from magical families because he himself was born of a muggle father. While his mother, Merope Gaunt, came from a pureblood family with a high opinion of themselves, his father, Tom Riddle Sr., was a lowly muggle.
15 And His Purebred Line Was Tainted By Dark Realities
The House of Gaunt may not feature muggle blood, but it was far from perfect. As a result of inbreeding designed to keep the blood pure, his matrilineal line was tainted with violence and mental instability. Nothing about Voldemort’s birth or childhood was easy, thanks in large part to the Gaunt family and their many issues.
14 Not All Of His Relatives Were Bad
Lots of bad eggs were born into the House of Gaunt, but that doesn’t mean they were all bad. Rionach Steward, who was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin and one of Voldemort’s relatives, did not agree with the values of discrimination and magical snobbery shared by her family. She purposely had no children to avoid continuing the line of Slytherin.
13 He Founded The Death Eaters While He Was Still At School
While at school, Tom Riddle was a model student in many ways, but his tendencies for the dark side were already showing. He banded together with other likeminded wizards who eventually became his followers, and started referring to him as Lord Voldemort before they even graduated. Many of them went on to become Death Eaters years later.
12 At The Orphanage, Voldemort Was A Thief
Not only did Voldemort use his powers on his fellow orphans when he was a child, but he also showed other signs of lacking a conscience. By the time Dumbledore came to meet him at the orphanage, he was in the habit of stealing things from the other children and hiding them. If only stealing was his worst habit …
11 He Put A Curse On Defense Against The Dark Arts
Fans of the series are well aware that Hogwarts has serious problems with maintaining its Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year. Many believe that this is because Voldemort cursed the position when he was denied the role himself for a second time. Dumbledore always saw right through him.
