Lord Voldemort waited patiently for ten years in Albania for one of his servants to come to his aid. He possessed the bodies of snakes and other animals to keep himself mobile, but it was not until 1991, when Hogwarts professor Quirinus Quirrell visited Albania and was taken in by Voldemort's charisma. Voldemort possessed Quirrell and lived on the back of his head like a parasite, forcing Quirrell to feed off unicorn blood to give him strength. Voldemort attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts Wizarding Bank and later Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but was thwarted by the wit and courage of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Voldemort's soul then fled back to Albania, leaving a terribly weakened Quirrell to eventually die.

During that year, centaurs Ronan and Bane predicted through Astrology that since the planet Mars was shining directly above Scotland, war would come soon.