Tom Marvolo Riddle (31 December, 1926- 2 May, 1998), later known as Lord Voldemort, was a Half-Blood wizard and considered to be the most powerful Dark wizard of all time. He was the son of wealthy Muggle Tom Riddle Senior, and witch Merope Gaunt, who died shortly after childbirth. He was the heir of Salazar Slytherin and felt the need to finish his work. Tom Riddle Sr. left his wife soon after she became pregnant with their son, having been released from the enchantment of a love potion which had started their relationship. Their son, Tom Marvolo Riddle, was born and raised in a Muggle orphanage, but eventually attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1938-1945) and was sorted into Slytherin house. Tom Riddle was the most talented pupil to ever attend Hogwarts. To the school at large he appeared to be an exceedingly handsome and polite child. In reality, however, Riddle was arrogant, cruel, sadistic, manipulative, psychopathic and megalomaniacal. Having achieved outstanding grades in every examination he took, Riddle left Hogwarts and went on to a brief employment at Borgin and Burke's, before disappearing from public view completely.

Having embraced the Dark Arts he encountered in his travels, the former Tom Riddle, now known exclusively as Lord Voldemort, raised an enormous army comprised of followers he recruited both at school and afterwards, and many dark creatures. This army, known as the Death Eaters, began a campaign of terror and violence never before seen in Britain. After hearing half of a prophecy referring to a single being with the power to destroy him, Voldemort set off to kill Harry Potter, to whom he believed the prophecy referred. After murdering Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter, Voldemort turned his wand upon the boy, but due to Lily Potter's loving sacrifice, Voldemort's curse backfired on him and his body was destroyed. Stripped of his physical form, Voldemort fled to a far-flung forest in Albania, to await the day when he could regain a body and return to power. After thirteen years of waiting that day would finally arrive, and with the use of Potter’s own blood, the Dark Lord rose again.

Although he initially laid low, Voldemort was soon forced into the open, and began his bloody conquest of the wizarding world anew. After two years of constant warfare, Voldemort finally gained control of the Ministry of Magic, and ruled relatively unopposed, save for a few pockets of resistance. Despite his hold over the country, Voldemort was still unsatisfied, as he had yet to remove the danger the prophecy presented to him. After learning of Potter's location, Voldemort set out to destroy the boy once and for all launching his entire amassed force against Hogwarts. Upon arriving at the school, Voldemort was met by a full scale rebellion of Hogwarts staff and students, along with the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the residents of Hogsmeade. As the battle progressed the Death Eaters were driven into the Great Hall, where Voldemort engaged Harry Potter in a duel, and, because all of his Horcruxes were destroyed, Tom Marvolo Riddle was finally killed once and for all.

Tom Riddle's mutilated soul was then trapped in limbo for eternity, unable to move on or return as a ghost.