Lord Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Riddle, is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series and is one of the darkest wizards of all time. Over his seven decades of life, Voldemort committed many heinous acts with some of the worst of these occurring in his teenage years.
The terrifying fact is that not all of Tom Riddle's life is fully documented, and so his known crimes may only just be scratching the surface. Nevertheless, the following are some of the worst things ever done by Lord Voldemort, including some truly terrible acts that he seemingly felt no remorse for.
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7 Voldemort Murdered Hepzibah Smith & Framed A House-Elf To Steal 2 Artifacts
1950's - Before The Events Of The Harry Potter Series
One of the many things that only book readers will know about Voldemort is that he worked at Borgin and Burkes after leaving Hogwarts, and as part of his job collecting and selling magical antiques, he befriended a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, Hepzibah Smith.
However, after she made the mistake of showing the charming young Riddle Salazar Slytherin's Locket and Helga Hufflepuffs Cup, he poisoned her and stole the magical artifacts that he would turn into Horcruxes. He also framed Hebzibah's loyal house-elf for her murder, distancing himself from the crime.
6 Voldemort Murdered The Workers Of Gringotts In A Fit Of Rage
1998 - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
While many of the atrocities committed by Lord Voldemort were premeditated and often painstakingly planned out, he was also known for his fits of rage. One of the worst incidents involving Voldemort's wrath happened in The Deathly Hallows when the Dark Lord was informed that the Lestrange Vault within Gringotts Bank had been plundered.
As he was told that Harry Potter was the culprit and that a small golden cup had been taken, Voldemort quickly realized that the Boy Who Lived was hunting his Horcruxes. At this realization, he flew into a fit of rage and brutally murdered the bearers of this bad news. Even loyal followers such as Bellatrix Lestrange fled the scene to escape death.
5 Lord Voldemort Killed His Most Loyal Servant
1998 - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
Voldemort killed many people over the years, many of them being those he deemed enemies, as well as plenty of innocent bystanders. However, his personal greed and desire to overcome death also saw him murder Severus Snape, a man he believed to be his most loyal follower.
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While Voldemort appeared to be incapable of forming friendships, it is still troubling to think that he would kill a trusted follower, simply to gain true control over the Elder Wand.
4 Attempted Murder Of The Baby Harry Potter & Murders Of James And Lily Potter
1981 - Before The Events Of The Harry Potter Series
On the fateful Halloween night of 1981, Voldemort attempted to murder the one-year-old Harry Potter solely based on a prophecy he heard. To get to Harry, Voldemort first killed James Potter, a promising young wizard in his early 20s. While he was willing to spare Lily Potter's life at the behest of Severus Snape, Voldemort also killed her when it became clear she would not stand aside. Although the Killing Curse directed at Harry ultimately backfired, it doesn't change the fact that Lord Voldemort willingly tried to murder an innocent baby who he had just orphaned.
3 Voldemort Murdered His Muggle Father And Grandparents
1943 - Before The Events Of The Harry Potter Series
Kinslaying is one of the most atrocious acts imaginable, and yet it is one that Tom Riddle committed while still a student at Hogwarts. When the young Voldemort found out that his father was a Muggle, he wasted little time in murdering not only his father but his paternal grandparents too at their manor in Little Hangleton.
He then modified the memory of his mother's brother, Morfin Gaunt, framing him for the murders, and also stole Marvolo Gaunt's ring, which he would subsequently turn into a Horcrux. Voldemort clearly felt no remorse for this act, as he would later return to his family home at the start of The Goblet of Fire.
2 Voldemort Opened The Chamber Of Secrets Twice, Killing A Student
1943 & 1992 - Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Hidden deep within Hogwarts lies The Chamber of Secrets, a legacy of Salazar Slytherin, and until Harry Potter slayed it, the chamber was home to a deadly Basilisk. Tom Riddle as an heir of Slytherin, opened The Chamber of Secrets in 1943 with the intention of using the Basilisk to kill Muggle-born students. However, when Myrtle Warren was killed and Riddle heard that Hogwarts might be closed, he reluctantly sealed the chamber and framed a young Rubeus Hagrid in order to keep the school open.
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Undeterred, however, Riddle planted a memory of himself within his diary with the hope that it could be used to open the chamber once more in the future. This plan came to fruition in 1992 when Ginny Weasley was possessed by the diary and opened The Chamber of Secrets. If it wasn't for a series of fortunate circumstances, many more children would have been killed due to Voldemort's actions.
1 Voldemort Unleashed War On The School Of Hogwarts
1998 - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
Arguably the worst thing that Lord Voldemort ever did, at least in terms of casualties, destruction, and potential danger, was to attack Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in May of 1998. While the aim of his assault was to capture or kill Harry Potter before all his Horcruxes could be destroyed, Voldemort knowingly and willingly attacked a school full of children. The Battle of Hogwarts resulted in the loss of many lives, many of them young, and if Harry and others hadn't saved the day, the scale of Voldemort's destruction would have been unimaginable.
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