Tom Marvolo Riddle

From Hpwiki

Tom Marvolo Riddle was brought up in a muggle orphanage after his mother Merope Gaunt died giving birth to him. Tom was told she lived just long enough to name him Tom after his father and Marvolo after his grandfather. He was always considered different as a child and treated somewhat differently by the caretakers at the orphanage. When Dumbledore arrives to tell Tom that he is a wizard, the matron tells Dumbledore that Tom uses magic, (though she doesn't recognize it as such) to bully the other children. Tom even fully admits to stealing the other children's possessions. Dumbledore keeps a close eye on his after that. Tom also displays, even at the age of eleven, a want to be different. Disliking his name for being common and wanting to buy his school things independently. He is sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts and later becomes a prefect.

Tom looked on Hogwarts as the only real home he had ever known. He was a popular student with both teachers and pupils. He was also a member of The Slug Club a group of students who were hand picked by Horace Slughorn for having possible potential. It was from here he found information on horcruxes. Despite his angelic appearance Dumbledore always questioned Tom's innocence especially after he opened the Chamber of Secrets in his sixth year and framed Rubeus Hagrid, for the crime of setting Slytherin's Monster (a Basilisk) on several students and finally killing one. Tom recruited the first of his followers here which were later known as Death Eaters. Tom also discovered the last survivor of his mother's family in his sixth year and through his uncle Morfin Gaunt, he finds his father and grandparents. Discovering they are muggles, he kills all three Riddles and frames his uncle for the crime.

After leaving Hogwarts, Tom was offered a position at the Ministry of Magic many times but he refused. Tom worked at Borgin and Burkes for a while where he killed Hepzibah Smith and stole the cup that once belonged to Hufflepuff and her locket that once belonged to Slytherin. Her house elf Hokey was blamed for her murder.

Tom applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts job at Hogwarts but was twice turned down. After his second rejection, the job seemed jinxed as no teacher lasted longer than a year.

Riddle changed his name to Lord Voldemort, an anagram of Tom Marvolo Riddle. This is yet more proof that Tom always wanted to be thought of as different of special.

However when Lord Voldemort was at the height of his powers he heard the end of a prophecy foretelling that a boy born at the end of July to parents who had thrice defied him would have the power to kill him. This is why, fearing he would grow up to kill him, Voldemort murdered Harry Potter's parents then tried to kill Harry himself. The curse to kill him however rebounded on Tom himself and it took him sixteen years to regain his powers. The prophecy though came true and Harry killed Voldemort at the end of The Deathly Hallows.

His wand is described as Thirteen-and-a-half inches, made of Yew, with a phoenix feather core and very powerful. The phoenix feather is from the same phoenix (Fawkes) as Harry's.