Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort through a gradual and dark transformation driven by his obsession with power, immortality, and his desire to reject his Muggle heritage.
Key Steps in Tom Riddle's Transformation into Voldemort
- Early Life and Origins : Tom Riddle was born to Merope Gaunt, a witch who used a love potion to seduce a Muggle named Tom Riddle Sr. When the potion wore off, his father abandoned Merope, who died shortly after childbirth. Tom grew up in an orphanage feeling abandoned and unloved, which contributed to his hatred and self-loathing
- Hogwarts and Discovery of Heritage : At Hogwarts, Tom was sorted into Slytherin and was a model student outwardly, but inwardly he was cruel and manipulative. He discovered he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, which fueled his belief in his superiority and his disdain for Muggles and Muggle-borns
- Name Change and Rejection of Muggle Identity : To distance himself from his father and Muggle roots, Tom rearranged the letters of his name "Tom Marvolo Riddle" to create the alias "Lord Voldemort," symbolizing his new identity and ambition
- Dark Magic and Horcruxes : Tom’s fear of death led him to delve deeply into the Dark Arts, especially the creation of Horcruxes—objects containing fragments of his soul to achieve immortality. Each Horcrux required murder, which further corrupted his soul and appearance
- Murder of His Family : At age 16, Tom murdered his father and paternal grandparents, using their deaths to create a Horcrux and sever any remaining ties to his past and humanity
- Disappearance and Return as Voldemort : After graduating Hogwarts in 1945, Tom disappeared for about ten years. During this time, he traveled, practiced dark magic, and his appearance became increasingly distorted due to the soul fragmentation caused by Horcrux creation. When he re-emerged, he fully embraced the identity of Lord Voldemort and began openly using the name
- Rise to Power : Voldemort gathered followers known as Death Eaters and sought to dominate the wizarding world through fear, hatred, and violence. His quest for power culminated in multiple conflicts with the wizarding community, including attacks on Hogwarts and the murder of Harry Potter’s parents
In summary, Tom Riddle's transformation into Voldemort was a combination of his traumatic origins, rejection of his Muggle heritage, obsession with immortality through Horcruxes, and his embrace of dark magic and evil deeds, which ultimately corrupted both his soul and physical form
