He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named aka Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord, or even Tom Riddle at some point in his life, was the most feared Dark Wizard in the Harry Potter World. His hatred of Muggles and obsession with power made him dangerous and caused many deaths and destruction. He was responsible for both the First Wizarding War (1970-1981) and the Second Wizarding War that happened from 1995 to 1998.His power was often compared to Dumbledore's and therefore, the headmaster was truly the only one he feared aside from Harry Potter. The movie adaptations of the Harry Potter novels showed fans a lot about the Dark Lord, but there are some facts about him that only book readers know.
7 His Father Was Under A Spell
Before Tom Riddle was born, his mother, Merope, wanted to catch the eye of the wealthiest Muggle, Tom Riddle Senior, who lived near her home in Little Hangleton. Albus Dumbledore suspected that she may have failed, which is why she forced him a Love Potion or perhaps even used the Imperius Curse on him.
Merope eventually stopped using her methods of bewitchment in the hope that Tom Senior actually developed feelings for her and his newborn son and would stay. However, her plan backfired when he fled from his new family after realizing what had happened. He was never seen again, and his son was raised without a father.
6 Tom Killed His Muggle Family
Tom was convinced his father was the wizard of his family instead of his mother, and when he learned the truth, he dropped his last name. He didn't want to be associated with a Muggle. One summer, he went to his mother's house, the Gaunt Shack, and met his uncle, who told him all about his father.
Tom was so angry with the information he received that he sought revenge upon his father and went to his home. That night, Tom used the Killing Curse and his uncle's wand to murder his father and grandparents. He then framed his uncle by altering his memory to make him guilty of the crimes. His uncle went sent to Azkaban, and Tom was proved innocent.
5 He Wanted To Be A Teacher At Hogwarts
After Tom graduated, he tried to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position to stay at the school. To hide his true motivations, Tom explained his reason to stay was that he saw Hogwarts as his home. He wanted the teaching position to learn more about Hogwarts and its many secrets. Becoming a teacher would also help him recruit future Death Eaters for his army.
Despite his efforts, the headmaster back then thought Tom was too young for the position, and when Tom tried to apply later, Dumbledore wasn't interested. Out of anger, Tom cursed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, which explains why no teacher ever taught that class for long.
4 Tom Once Had A Job
During his search for objects to use as Horcruxes, Tom got a job at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. While working there, he met Helga Hufflepuff's descendent, Hepzibah Smith, and befriended her with ill intent. Once he gained her trust, she showed him two of her most prized possessions, her ancestor's cup, and his ancestor's locket.
Since both objects would make perfect Horcruxes, Tom poisoned Hepzibah, altered her house-elf Hokey's mind to think it was the one responsible for the poisoning, and Tom quit his job before fleeing with the objects. His plan worked, and Hokey was believed to be the culprit.
3 The Prophecy That Sent Him To The Potter's Home
When Sybil Trelawney met with Albus Dumbledore to talk about becoming the next teacher for the Divination class, she went into a trance and informed Albus of a prophecy about someone who would cause the fall of the Dark Lord. Severus Snape overheard the prophecy but was thrown out of the Hogs Head by Aberforth Dumbledore before hearing the rest.
Severus, being a Death Eater, immediately told Voldemort about it. Voldemort felt threatened by this news, and after searching for more information, he discovered that the prophecy was about one of two boys. It was either Lily and James Potter's son Harry or Neville, Frank and Alice Longbottom's son. He went after Harry since Voldemort believed he was the greater threat as he was half Muggle and Wizard. If Voldemort's plan hadn't failed, he would have killed Harry on that fateful day and if he hadn't gone to the Potter's home, Neville would have been the chosen one.
2 Voldemort Almost Killed Molly Weasley
During the battle at Hogwarts, Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters managed to get into the Great Hall. While Voldemort fought against Professor McGonagall, Slughorn, and Shacklebolt, Bellatrix Lestrange fought against Molly Weasley.
Upon Bellatrix's death, Voldemort, filled with fury for his loyal ally's death, was about to kill Molly but was stopped by a Shield Charm that was cast on her by none other than Harry himself. Until this point, everyone thought he was dead. These events happened differently in the movie adaption of the book.
1 Voldemort Learned About The Elder Wand's True Owner
In the movies, Voldemort thought he had successfully inherited the Elder Wand by killing Severus Snape, but in the final novel, Harry told him the truth before the final duel. Voldemort learned that, although he had killed Severus, the Elder Wand actually belonged to Draco Malfoy, and since Draco was disarmed by Harry earlier, Harry was the rightful owner.
The Dark Lord also learned that Severus was always loyal to Dumbledore and that the two of them planned the attack in the Astronomy Tower that caused Albus' death. However, despite all this information, Voldemort didn't want to surrender and attacked Harry nevertheless. Since a wand can't attack its owner with the Killing Curse, the spell rebounded off of Harry and killed Voldemort.