Dumbledore shares the answers to the questions with Harry Potter and us in the Half-Blood Prince. He and the Pensieve reveals Lord Voldemort's history throughout the book. Slowly, bit by bit, over the chapters, Harry learns what has shaped Lord Voldemort to be the dark wizard he is today. The dark wizard who other magic folk only call "You-Know-Who."

Lord Voldemort birth name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. His mother is Merope Gaunt Riddle. Marvolo Gaunt, Merope's father, is his grandfather. Morfin Gaunt, Merope's brother, is his uncle. Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort's father, is a muggle. He left his son's mother alone and desitute in the streets of London.

Lord Voldemort was born on New Year's Eve in an orphanage. His mother dies after naming her child, leaving him an orphan. There he lives until Dumbledore finds him as a preteen and takes him to Hogwarts.

Dumbledore finds a handsome Lord Voldemort with dark hair and pale skin. He is a Parselmouth, able to speak to serpents. (He shares this ability with his grandfather and uncle.) The young teen is friendless, a loner of choice. He loves to play nasty tricks and steal items from fellow orphans.

At age sixteen, Lord Voldemort finds his Uncle Morfin Gaunt. He discovers his father's whereabouts from his uncle. In revenge, he kills his father plus his paternal grandparents. Morfin Gaunt is named as the killer by the Ministry. Gaunt spends his last days behind the walls of Azkaban. Lord Voldemort escaped detection by putting a spell on his uncle and using his uncle's wand as the weapon.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Amazon.com

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