Harry Potter centers on the titular protagonist’s confrontation with the terrifying Lord Voldemort. Desiring to control the Wizarding World, The Dark Lord sees Harry Potter as his main obstacle. It certainly seems like this may be true, as Harry is prophesied to defeat him and does indeed lead Voldemort to his demise.
But as the series advances, it becomes obvious that Harry isn’t Voldemort’s worst enemy at all. Albus Dumbledore—the sole wizard capable of facing Voldemort in combat—isn’t the one best suited for the role either. Voldemort is in fact his own worst enemy, as it is his numerous mistakes that ultimately lead to his defeat.
10 He Loses His Temper When First Meeting Albus Dumbledore
Before he ever became Voldemort, Tom Riddle was the half-blood son of Merope Gaunt and the Muggle Tom Riddle Sr. After his mother’s death, he lives at Wool’s Orphanage, unaware of his magical heritage. Despite his meager circumstances, Tom has an instinctive grasp of his magical abilities and soon becomes capable of wielding his magic against the other orphans. He may have done so in part to protect himself, but in the long run it doesn’t serve him well.
When Albus Dumbledore arrives at the orphanage, Mrs. Cole paints a truly horrible picture of him. Worse still, when confronting the wizard himself, Tom loses his temper and reveals some of his illicit behavior. His actions cost him as Dumbledore never forgets his behavior and always treats young Tom with suspicion.
9 Killing Myrtle Warren Threatens To Shut Down Hogwarts
While studying at Hogwarts, Tom learns he is the Heir of Slytherin. Upon finding the Chamber of Secrets, he unleashes the basilisk within, telling himself he will be continuing Salazar Slytherin’s "noble work." The basilisk’s gaze kills Muggleborn Myrtle Warren.
This backfires badly, as Myrtle’s death leaves Hogwarts in danger of being closed. The closure of the school would have not only sabotaged Tom’s education but sent him back to live at Wool’s during World War II. To prevent disaster, Tom blames Hagrid for the incident.
8 The Horcruxes Drive Him Insane Instead Of Saving Him
Myrtle’s death marks another landmark in Tom’s life. Using the vile act, Tom creates his first Horcrux, splitting his soul and preserving the memory of his Hogwarts self in his diary. His fear of death—as illustrated by his name—leads him to take this drastic step without considering the consequences.
He isn’t even content with a single Horcrux, but chooses to make seven, considering it the most powerful magical number. This basically makes the final form of Lord Voldemort an infinitesimal piece of Tom Riddle. His actions are often more akin to those of a feral animal than a revolutionary or even a would-be dictator. The Horcruxes are meant to protect Tom but they just drive him insane.
7 The Horcrux Hiding Places Are Too Based On His Attachments
Fascinated with precious objects, Tom chooses to turn the Founders’ artifacts into his Horcruxes, alongside other items of worth to him. He leaves two of the Horcruxes—the Hufflepuff Cup and the diary—in the care of Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy respectively. He hides the others in locations that are in some way related to him.
This seems unwise at best, as it just makes them vulnerable, allowing others to track them down. For example, the Gaunt ring is hidden in the Gaunt shack, originally owned by Tom’s family on his mother’s side. While each item has additional protections—such as the deadly curse on the ring—it seems more practical to use an innocuous item as a Horcrux and simply throw it into the ocean.
6 The Dark Mark Flaunts The Death Eaters’ Allegiance Too Openly
In order to bring his followers together, Voldemort creates the Dark Mark, using it to brand his Death Eaters. While appropriately fearsome and possessing intriguing magical properties, the Dark Mark doesn’t exactly have the most logical design.
It flaunts the Death Eaters’ allegiance too openly. Considering how many people were Death Eaters in secret, it seems counterproductive to brand them all with magical tattoos that would reveal the truth simply by lifting their sleeves up.
5 He Pursues The Prophecy And Chooses Harry Potter As His Enemy
Voldemort’s downfall truly comes when Severus Snape brings him news of a prophecy spoken by Sybill Trelawney, one mentioning a child with the power to defeat him. Two children match the description—Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom.
Voldemort decides to eliminate the threat in its incipience and targets Harry, perceiving him as the more likely threat. However, prophecies are self-fulfilling, and Harry is only the Chosen One because Voldemort chooses him. Had Voldemort not pursued the prophecy, he would have most likely managed to take over the Wizarding World unhindered.
4 He Ignores His Promise To Snape And Kills Lily Potter
Pleased with Snape’s work, Voldemort promises to spare Lily Potter despite having to kill her child. He fails to fulfill this promise. He gives her the option to survive but she asks for mercy for Harry instead. This is presumably what powers the sacrificial protection that keeps Harry safe, making Voldemort unable to touch him.
Since this concept of sacrificial magic is illogical even according to Rowling, fans have theorized that an Unbreakable Vow actually existed between Snape and Voldemort, or Lily herself may have done something else. Either way, killing Lily is a huge mistake, as when Voldemort attempts to kill Harry, his own curse rebounds.
3 He Drinks Unicorn Blood While Possessing Quirrell
Voldemort survives his encounter with Harry, but it is only in Harry’s first year at Hogwarts that he attempts to return. He possesses Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher Quirinus Quirrell and tries to steal the Philosopher’s Stone. But subsisting in this state isn’t easy and Quirrell’s own body is dying.
As a result, he resorts to drinking unicorn blood to survive. This is considered one of the foulest crimes against nature, and resorting to it leads someone to live a half-life. The potion Voldemort later uses to resurrect himself also uses unicorn blood, and, alongside the Horcruxes, this may have contributed to his insanity.
2 His Decision To Lure Harry Potter To The Ministry Seems Unnecessary
Even after his resurrection, Voldemort remains obsessed with the prophecy. As he and Harry are the only ones capable of retrieving it from the Department of Mysteries, he spends most of Harry’s fifth year luring Harry there with visions. It seems unnecessary and ultimately backfires. While he is attempting to keep a low profile, it wouldn’t have been that difficult for him to infiltrate the area.
Even with the Ministry watched by Dumbledore's forces, sneaking in himself would have still been a better option than adding the variable of Harry’s presence into the mix. In the end, Voldemort shows up at the Ministry anyway when the Death Eaters’ battle with the Order of the Phoenix goes downhill. The prophecy is destroyed, and the only thing the Dark Side accomplishes is to get Sirius Black killed and their own forces arrested.
1 He Attempts To Hunt Down The Elder Wand
For the final confrontation with Harry, Voldemort seeks out the Elder Wand. This seems like a good decision, as his own wand and Harry’s are brothers. But when he claims the Elder Wand from Albus Dumbledore’s grave, Voldemort believes its master to be Severus Snape, the man who had killed Dumbledore.
He kills Snape and thinks he has earned the wand’s loyalty in this way. In reality, the wand’s original master was Draco Malfoy, and from him, it goes to Harry himself. When Voldemort attempts to attack Harry with the Elder Wand, his curse rebounds once again, killing him.