Why Did Voldemort Kill Harry Potter’s Parents?

Within the “Harry Potter” books — and the movie franchise they spawned — Harry, performed on-screen by Daniel Radcliffe, faces off in opposition to a number of different villains and antagonists (too many, one may argue, for a child who’s not even 18 by the point the story ends). None of them loom fairly as massive as Voldemort, although. Initially named Tom Marvolo Riddle and performed, after he regains corporeal type in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Hearth,” by Ralph Fiennes, the Darkish Lord was one of the vital feared and evil wizards in the complete wizarding world … Till he obtained his butt kicked by a child. Let me clarify.

Earlier than the correct narrative of “Harry Potter” even will get going, Voldemort takes it upon himself to “go to” the Potter household dwelling within the sleepy wizarding hamlet of Godric’s Hole in order that he can homicide the trio, together with child Harry and his mother and father James (Adrian Rawlins) and Lily (Geraldine Somerville). So, why does Voldemort try infanticide and homicide two individuals within the course of? Why would not it work — or extra particularly, why is among the strongest wizards round unable to take out slightly child? How does this have an effect on Harry’s life, and the way does he finally convey Voldemort down for good? Here is the complete breakdown.

By the point Lily and James Potter know they’re in Voldemort’s crosshairs — because of their work with the Order of the Phoenix, a resistance group preventing in opposition to the Darkish Lord’s regime — they understand they should disguise their dwelling utilizing enchantments and protections in Godric’s Hole. In search of assist, they flip to Albus Dumbledore (performed by Richard Harris after which by Michael Gambon after Harris handed away in 2002). Dumbledore gives to function the Potter household’s “Secret-Keeper”: in the event that they solid the Fidelius Attraction over their dwelling and keep inside, just one individual will know the place they’re hidden, and solely their Secret-Keeper can move the key to others. However as a substitute of Dumbledore, James and Lily elect to go along with Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), James’ longtime finest pal. 

Sirius then makes a grave error in judgment. Pondering that Voldemort will certainly goal him as a result of he is a formidable fighter, Sirius convinces the Potters to make their weaker pal Peter Pettigrew (performed on-screen by Timothy Spall) the Secret-Keeper as a substitute, considering that no person, particularly Voldemort, will ever suspect that Peter holds this secret. Sadly for Sirius and actually everyone concerned, Peter (extra generally often called “Wormtail,” as a result of he is an Animagus who can rework right into a rat) is in cahoots with Voldemort and provides up James and Lily’s location kind of instantly. 

The rationale Voldemort targets a younger couple and their one-year-old child comes again to 1 particular second: a prophecy delivered by Sybill Trelawney (Emma Thompson), the longer term Divination professor at Hogwarts Faculty of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Trelawney’s predictions are sometimes fairly doubtful, however when she goes right into a form of trance, it is the true deal. That is what occurs when she meets Dumbledore in a non-public room on the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, at which level she drops this absolute banger of a prophecy: 

“The one with the ability to conquer the Darkish Lord approaches… born to those that have thrice defied him, born because the seventh month dies… and the Darkish Lord will mark him as his equal, however he could have energy the Darkish Lord is aware of not… and both should die on the hand of the opposite for neither can dwell whereas the opposite survives… the one with the ability to conquer the Darkish Lord will likely be born because the seventh month dies….”

Here is the issue. A younger Severus Snape — the eventual Potions grasp at Hogwarts performed by the late, nice Alan Rickman — is listening on the door on Voldemort’s behalf and experiences simply the first a part of the prophecy to his grasp (that means the half about being born to “those that have thrice defied him” and “because the seventh month dies”). When Voldemort kills Lily and James, solely to finish up felled by a literal toddler, Snape, who beloved Lily since childhood, is bereft. Below important duress, he agrees to be a double agent in opposition to Voldemort and for Dumbledore for the rest of his life, defending Harry within the course of.

Apart from solely listening to half of a prophecy and dashing to behave on it, Voldemort made a second mistake in attacking the Potters — though you may very simply learn it much less as a “mistake” and extra as a “determination.” Because it occurs, there was a second toddler hanging round who was born in July whose mother and father “defied” Voldemort thrice: Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), Harry’s Gryffindor classmate.

Had Voldemort merely sauntered over to the Longbottom residence on Halloween in 1981 (the date he attacked the Potters) and picked on Neville as a substitute, the books and flicks would, I suppose, be named after him as a substitute. As Dumbledore tells Harry, although, the explanation why Voldemort “picks” Harry is definitely fairly essential. Neville comes from a pureblood household, whereas Harry’s mom Lily is Muggleborn — that means that she apparently had no magical capability till it offered early in her childhood, shocking her non-magical household. Voldemort’s mother and father, a rich Muggle named Tom Riddle Jr. and a witch named Merope Gaunt, bore a stronger similarity to Harry’s than Neville’s, so Dumbledore surmises that Voldemort “marked” the kid most just like him.

In any case, Voldemort ensures that the prophecy refers to Harry, and never Neville, when he assaults the Potters. So, how and why does Harry survive the night time although his mother and father perish?

After Voldemort enters the Potter dwelling and kills James, Lily barricades herself in Harry’s room, placing her physique between herself and her son. Voldemort simply breaks down the door and tells Lily to “stand apart,” as a result of he is actually simply there to kill a tiny human being who’s (in all probability?) nonetheless carrying diapers, however Lily will not budge. Although he repeatedly tells Lily she would not should die, Voldemort kills Lily to get to Harry after which casts the Killing Curse, “Avada Kedavra,” on the newborn. The curse rebounds, giving Harry his signature lightning bolt scar and “killing” Voldemort. (He would not truly die because of his Horcruxes however does lose his human type; I am going to circle again to that momentarily.)

So why does this occur? As Dumbledore explains to Harry after his first yr at Hogwarts — and Voldemort’s subsequent try on Harry’s life, which entails possessing the physique and head of a Hogwarts professor — Lily’s sacrifice created a uncommon and robust magical safety surrounding Harry that mainly positioned an impenetrable defend between grownup Voldemort and child Harry. Till Harry comes of wizarding age at 17, he has to spend every summer time together with his mom’s sister, his terrible Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw within the motion pictures) and her odious husband and son. However as Dumbledore explains to each Petunia and Harry, Lily’s blood runs in each of their veins … and he should name the home dwelling not less than typically with a purpose to hold the safety alive. In “Harry Potter,” love is the strongest magic there’s, which explains how and why Lily’s sacrifice carries such weight.

Here is the place issues get slightly bizarre. Within the fourth e-book and movie, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Hearth,” Voldemort units a wildly elaborate lure for Harry, making certain that he wins the Triwizard Match by inserting his title in the titular Goblet of Fire and sending a Demise Eater disguised as a Hogwarts professor to mainly assist him cheat his method by the sport. On the finish of the third process — a large maze on the grounds of Hogwarts — Harry and his fellow Hogwarts champion, Hufflepuff scholar Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), resolve to take the Triwizard Cup collectively and share the glory, at which level they’re unexpectedly transported to a second location.

What Harry and Cedric had no method of realizing was that the Triwizard Cup was truly enchanted to be a Portkey (a magical type of transportation). After they land in a mysterious graveyard, they’re understandably confused and cautious. Tragedy strikes instantly when Wormtail, who revealed himself to Harry within the earlier installment (“The Prisoner of Azkaban”) as Voldemort’s loyal foot soldier, reveals up. On Voldemort’s orders, Wormtail kills “the spare,” that means Cedric. Harry barely has any time to react earlier than he is tortured repeatedly by Voldemort utilizing two of the three Unforgivable Curses — “Cruciatus,” which causes horrible ache, and “Imperius,” which gives the spellcaster full management, are banned within the wizarding world alongside “Avada Kedavra.” When Voldemort invitations him to combat earlier than his loss of life, Harry decides to die standing like his father earlier than him.

When the 2 begin to duel — Voldemort with “Avada Kedavra” and Harry with the Disarming Attraction “Expelliarmus” — one thing actually unusual occurs. The wands, because of their twin phoenix feather cores, join, and specters of Voldemort’s victims — together with Cedric and Harry’s mother and father — emerge from the Darkish Lord’s wand, swarming him as Harry grabs Cedric’s physique and the Triwizard Cup and escapes. 

After dueling Voldemort in “The Goblet of Hearth,” Harry encounters Voldemort straight as soon as once more within the fifth e-book and movie, “The Order of the Phoenix,” however has to mainly do an entire host of facet quests earlier than dealing with off in opposition to the Darkish Lord for actual in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” (The movie franchise splits “Deathly Hallows” in half, so the showdown occurs in “Half 2.”) Earlier than Harry can really defeat Voldemort, he has to hunt the Darkish Lord’s Horcruxes — magical objects that comprise items of Voldemort’s soul — and destroy them; sadly for Harry, a kind of Horcruxes resides inside him after Voldemort’s assault when he was a child. 

Harry picks up one of many three Deathly Hallows — particularly, the Resurrection Stone — and heads in direction of Voldemort’s place in Hogwarts’ Forbidden Forest, getting ready for his loss of life (primarily based on the prophecy, “neither can dwell whereas the opposite survives”). Utilizing the Stone, he summons the ghosts of his misplaced family members, together with James and Lily, who, even in spectral type, encourage him and lend emotional assist. Harry permits Voldemort to solid the Killing Curse, and after a short keep in a form of limbo — with Dumbledore’s ghost, no much less — Harry returns to the world of the dwelling and duels Voldemort for the ultimate time.

Moreso within the e-book than within the movie, Harry delivers a rousing monologue to Voldemort about how love is the one magic the Darkish Lord cannot presumably perceive and casts Expelliarmus for the ultimate time in opposition to his nemesis, rebounding Voldemort’s Killing Curse as soon as once more. Voldemort’s defeat is at Harry’s palms, sure, but it surely traces again to Lily Potter’s sacrifice … and explains how, when Voldemort selected to assault the Potters, he signed his personal loss of life certificates.