Voldemort, the most feared and powerful dark wizard of all time, is a name that sends shivers down the spines of many witches and wizards. But who is he related to, and what are the origins of his evil? In this article, we will explore the dark secrets of Voldemort’s family tree, and how his ancestry influenced his rise and fall.
Contents
The Riddle Family: Voldemort’s Muggle Heritage
Voldemort was born as Tom Marvolo Riddle on 31 December 1926, in a London orphanage. His mother, Merope Gaunt, was a witch who belonged to an ancient and inbred pure-blood family that claimed descent from Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His father, Tom Riddle Senior, was a wealthy Muggle who lived in the village of Little Hangleton.
Merope Gaunt was obsessed with Tom Riddle Senior, and used either a love potion or the Imperius Curse to make him marry her and run away with her. However, when she became pregnant with their son, she decided to stop using magic on him, hoping that he would love her for who she was. She was wrong. Tom Riddle Senior abandoned her and returned to his family, leaving her heartbroken and destitute.
Merope Gaunt gave birth to her son at Wool’s Orphanage, where she died shortly after. She named him after his father and grandfather, and gave him the middle name Marvolo after her own father. She also hoped that he would inherit her magical abilities, which he did. However, she never told him anything about his parents or his heritage.
Tom Marvolo Riddle grew up in the orphanage, where he was bullied and isolated by the other children. He discovered his magical powers at a young age, and used them to hurt and manipulate those who annoyed him. He also developed a fascination with his own name, and rearranged the letters to form an anagram: I am Lord Voldemort. He hated his Muggle father for abandoning him and his mother, and despised his own half-blood status. He vowed to become the greatest sorcerer in the world, and to rid it of Muggles and Muggle-borns.
The Gaunt Family: Voldemort’s Slytherin Legacy
Voldemort’s mother’s family, the Gaunts, were one of the last remaining pure-blood families that traced their lineage back to Salazar Slytherin. They were also related to the Peverell family, who possessed the three Deathly Hallows: the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. However, the Gaunts were not proud or noble like their ancestors. They were poor, violent, and insane.
The Gaunts lived in a dilapidated shack near Little Hangleton, where they kept themselves isolated from the rest of the wizarding world. They spoke Parseltongue, the language of snakes, which they inherited from Slytherin. They also practiced inbreeding, marrying their cousins to preserve their blood purity. This resulted in physical deformities and mental instability among their offspring.
Voldemort’s maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, was a cruel and arrogant man who abused his children: Morfin and Merope. He was obsessed with his Slytherin heritage, and wore a ring that contained the Resurrection Stone as a sign of his status. He also had a locket that belonged to Slytherin himself, which he considered his most precious possession.
Marvolo Gaunt died in Azkaban prison after attacking Ministry officials who came to arrest him for assaulting Muggles. His son Morfin also died in Azkaban after being framed by Voldemort for killing his Muggle relatives: Tom Riddle Senior and his parents. His daughter Merope died giving birth to Voldemort at Wool’s Orphanage.
Voldemort inherited his mother’s magical talent and his grandfather’s ambition. He also inherited their Parseltongue ability and their affinity for Dark Arts. He sought out his Slytherin legacy by finding and stealing the ring and the locket from the Gaunt shack. He turned them into Horcruxes: objects that contained fragments of his soul, making him immortal. He also claimed the title of Heir of Slytherin when he attended Hogwarts as a student.
The Potter Family: Voldemort’s Unexpected Connection
Voldemort’s archenemy, Harry Potter, was not only his prophesied equal but also his distant cousin. Harry Potter was a descendant of Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers who originally owned the Deathly Hallows. Ignotus Peverell passed down his Cloak of Invisibility to his son Iolanthe Peverell, who married Hardwin Potter, the founder of the Potter family.
The Potter family was a respected and wealthy pure-blood family that produced many notable witches and wizards. They were also known for their kindness and bravery, and many of them were members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization that fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Harry Potter’s parents, James and Lily Potter, were killed by Voldemort when Harry was only one year old. Voldemort had heard a prophecy that a boy born at the end of July would have the power to destroy him. He chose Harry as his target, believing that he was the most likely candidate, as he was a half-blood like himself. However, he did not know that Harry was also related to him through the Peverell line.
When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, he was met with a powerful protection: Lily Potter’s love for her son. She sacrificed herself to save him, and her love created a magical shield around Harry that rebounded Voldemort’s killing curse. Voldemort’s body was destroyed, and his soul was ripped apart. He fled as a wraith, leaving Harry with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
Harry Potter grew up with his Muggle relatives, the Dursleys, who treated him poorly. He did not know anything about his parents or his heritage until he received his letter from Hogwarts. There, he learned that he was a famous wizard, and that he had a connection to Voldemort. He also learned that he had inherited his father’s Cloak of Invisibility, which was one of the Deathly Hallows.
Harry Potter faced Voldemort several times throughout his school years, and each time he managed to escape or defeat him. He also discovered that Voldemort had created seven Horcruxes, and that he had to destroy them all in order to kill him for good. He also learned that he himself was an accidental Horcrux, as a piece of Voldemort’s soul had latched onto him when he was a baby.
Harry Potter eventually succeeded in destroying all of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, including the one inside him. He faced Voldemort for the final time in the Battle of Hogwarts, where he revealed that he was the true master of the Elder Wand, another Deathly Hallow that Voldemort had stolen from Dumbledore. He disarmed Voldemort and used his own curse against him. Voldemort fell dead, and Harry Potter became known as the Boy Who Lived and the Chosen One.
Conclusion
Voldemort’s family tree is a complex and tragic one, full of secrets and surprises. It shows how his Muggle heritage shaped his hatred and fear of non-magical people, how his Slytherin legacy fueled his ambition and pride, and how his Peverell connection linked him to his greatest enemy. It also shows how his choices and actions led him to his downfall, and how love ultimately triumphed over evil.
