Return of Lord Voldemort

### Cause

Months of planning and preparations made by Voldemort and two of his Death Eaters to ensure that Harry Potter is entered in the Triwizard Tournament

### Result

Death Eaters tactical victory, Order of the Phoenix strategic victory. Voldemort regains physical form, but fails to keep this secret from Albus Dumbledore. Harry Potter inadvertently bound to life by Voldemort. Death of Cedric Diggory.

Combatants| * Cedric Diggory (live and as an echo)
* James Potter I (echo)
* Lily Potter (echo)
* Frank Bryce (echo)
* Bertha Jorkins (echo)
* Lucius Malfoy
* Walden Macnair
* Crabbe
* Goyle Snr
* Avery
* Nott
* At least twenty-three additional Death Eaters

> "*But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron.*"
> ― Harry Potter witnessing Voldemort's rebirth[source]
>
>

The **Return of the Dark Lord** took place on the 24 June, 1995 in the graveyard of Little Hangleton, when Voldemort was restored to physical form and full magical power after being incorporeal for nearly fourteen years.

The rebirth was the result of months of meticulous planning by Voldemort and his servants, Peter Pettigrew and Bartemius Crouch Junior, who manipulated the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that year in order to deliver Harry Potter to Voldemort. Once Harry was delivered to Voldemort, Pettigrew murdered Cedric Diggory, who was transported along with Harry, and used some of Harry's blood in the ritual to restore Voldemort. Voldemort then called his Death Eaters to him and duelled Harry, who managed to escape and warn Albus Dumbledore.

This event marked the beginning of the Second Wizarding War, although the Ministry of Magic did not admit this until a year later, due to their desire to maintain the peace they worked so hard to create.

## History

### Background information

#### First Wizarding War

> "*The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!*"
> ― Bellatrix Lestrange during her war crimes trial[source]
>
>

During Lord Voldemort's first rise to power, a prophecy was made about an infant with the power to defeat him who would be born to a couple who had thrice defied him. The prophecy stated that the infant would be a boy and would be born at the end of July. Voldemort marked Harry, son of Order of the Phoenix members James and Lily Potter, whom had thrice defied Voldemort.

The Potters went into hiding, yet Voldemort soon located them and arrived at their home in Godric's Hollow. Although his murder of James was immediate and effortless, he offered Lily a chance to save herself because one of his Death Eaters, Severus Snape, had requested it of him. Finally, Voldemort used the Killing Curse on her and then on Harry. Because Lily had willingly and lovingly sacrificed herself for Harry by refusing to stop shielding him, the curse backfired. This left the boy with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead and Voldemort's body was destroyed. The rebounding Killing Curse split Voldemort's already mangled soul once again; the piece of Voldemort's soul that broke off then attached itself to Harry's body, inadvertently turning him into a Horcrux.

This marked the end of the First Wizarding War, after which many of Voldemort's followers were imprisoned in Azkaban or managed to convince the Ministry of Magic of their innocence. Sirius Black was imprisoned for Pettigrew's crimes, as everyone believed him to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Pettigrew went into hiding for years in his Animagus form of a rat, known as Scabbers, acting as a pet to Percy Weasley and later to his younger brother Ron. Some Death Eaters, such as the Lestranges, declared that the Dark Lord would return, while others resisted arrest and were ultimately killed, such as Evan Rosier.

#### Plot surrounding the Triwizard Tournament

> "*Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you to prevent you from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon?* I did*.*"
> ― Barty Crouch Junior revealing the tournament plot[source]
>
>

Voldemort made attempts to regain physical form and power in the following years, including his attempt to use Quirinus Quirrell to obtain the Philosopher's Stone and to murder Harry Potter. None of these plots were successful until Peter Pettigrew, the man who had treacherously provided the whereabouts of Harry's parents in the first place, returned to his service. Pettigrew's true identity and crimes were exposed in 1994, after Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, and, with the assistance of his old friend Remus Lupin, confronted Pettigrew and informed Harry of the truth behind his parents' deaths. Pettigrew managed to escape and contact his former master. They also managed to free Bartemius Crouch Junior, one of Voldemort's fanatical Death Eaters, from his father's control. Voldemort ordered Crouch to infiltrate Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and to bring him Harry Potter, a task which Crouch completed with success.

Crouch managed this by abducting Alastor Moody, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts and using Polyjuice Potion to take his place. In this position, he was able to manipulate the Triwizard Tournament so that the Goblet of Fire selected Harry as a fourth Champion. Harry was bewildered by this and by how his scar was increasingly beginning to burn. By the Third Task of the Tournament, Crouch had succeeded in turning the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey that would transport whoever touched it to Little Hangleton, where Voldemort and Pettigrew were waiting. Harry and Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts champion, agreed that they were equally winners and thus touched the Cup at the same time.

### Restoration of Lord Voldemort

#### Cedric's murder and the ritual

> "*Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe.*"
> ― Peter Pettigrew conducting the ritual to restore Voldemort[source]
>
>

Harry and Cedric were both transported to the graveyard of Little Hangleton. Voldemort ordered Pettigrew to "*kill the spare*," and Cedric was struck with the Killing Curse. To his horror Harry saw a flash of green light then heard the sound of a body hitting the graveyard's ground. He was then restrained to Tom Riddle Snr's grave marker so that Pettigrew could cut his arm open and take some of his blood to use in a Dark potion to restore Voldemort to full power and strength. While taking Harry's blood Pettigrew refused to make eye-contact, possibly feeling some reluctance regarding his actions.

Pettigrew also took a bone from the grave of Tom Riddle Snr and his own hand as part of the potion. Voldemort regained a corporeal body and therefore was returned to full power. He ordered Pettigrew to stretch out his uninjured left arm, bearing the Dark Mark. Voldemort touched it and at once Death Eaters who were loyal or evaded capture came to him at once.

#### Duel

*Main article: Duel in Little Hangleton*

> "*You know of course, that they have called this boy my downfall? You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to save him — and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen... I could not touch the boy. His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice... This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it... but no matter. I can touch him now.*"
> ― Voldemort's first downfall and the magic that caused it[source]
>
>

Voldemort greeted and confronted several of the Death Eaters for not trying to find him during his absence, such as Lucius Malfoy, Crabbe Snr, Goyle Snr, Nott Snr, Avery, and Walden Macnair. They all claimed to still be loyal to him, though he uncovered these hasty lies with ease. He expressed fury and disappointment at their lack of faith, torturing Avery. Voldemort also swore vengeance on those who did not respond to his summons, such as Igor Karkaroff. He praised the Lestranges for their loyalty, announcing that they will be honoured beyond their dreams for their loyalty. He explained his situation after his first downfall. At this point he also created a silver hand for Pettigrew in reward for helping him return to his body. The Dark Lord then turned to Harry, remarking upon how the boy had survived his Killing Curse thirteen years ago and how, with his blood in his body, he could now touch him. He used the Cruciatus Curse on Harry briefly and then demanded that he duel him. He used the Imperius Curse on him briefly to force him to bow, which Harry was able to resist, much to the astonishment of all those present.

The duel started with Voldemort casting the Killing Curse, while Harry cast the Disarming Charm. Because the cores of their wands shared the same source, Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand are brothers and thus the rare effect of Priori Incantatem was created when they conflicted. A battle of wills began and Harry's wand (the dominate) forced Voldemort's wand (the submissive) to regurgitate its past spells, Voldemort's murder victims emerged in spirit form. Cedric's spirit asked Harry to return his body to his parents and the spirits of Harry's parents told him that they would provide a distraction so that he could escape. Harry quickly seized Cedric's body and the Triwizard Cup with the Summoning Charm, transporting back to Hogwarts. During the duel, according to Albus Dumbledore, when Harry's wand forced Voldemort's to regurgitate its spells, it had absorbed a part of Voldemort's own dark powers, making Harry's wand even stronger and more powerfully effective, but only against Voldemort himself. This would later save his life in the Battle of the Seven Potters.

#### Exposure of Barty Crouch Junior

> "*Mad, am I? We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him — and now — I conquer you!*"
> ― Barty Crouch Junior before trying to murder Harry Potter[source]
>
>

Chaos erupted when Harry returned to Hogwarts with Cedric's body in tow. Crouch, disguised as Moody, managed to usher Harry away from the panicking crowd to interrogate him about Voldemort's return. He wanted to kill Harry, but Albus Dumbledore and several other members of the Hogwarts staff arrived to stop him. Under the influence of Severus Snape's Veritaserum, Crouch confessed everything. Before he could testify before the Wizengamot, however, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge arrived with a Dementor, which performed the Dementor's Kiss on him.

### Aftermath

*Main article: Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter*

> "[...] *in the light of Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.*"
> ― Albus Dumbledore after Voldemort's return[source]
>
>

The Ministry of Magic refused to believe Harry Potter's account of Voldemort's return, even when he was supported by Albus Dumbledore, due to Fudge not wanting the peace and tranquillity they worked so hard for to be destabilised by this announcement. The Ministry publicly denied the Dark Lord's return and branded Harry and Dumbledore either liars or nutters in the press. Voldemort and his Death Eaters took advantage of this to operate in secret, while Dumbledore called for a reconstitution of the Order of the Phoenix.

**Minerva McGonagall**: "*You fool! Cedric Diggory! Mr Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of some lunatic!*"
**Cornelius Fudge**: "*I see no evidence to the contrary! It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilise everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!*"
— Fudge's delusional denial of the truth[src]

The issue of Voldemort's return would be highly divisive amongst the public. In Harry's next year of school, many of his fellow students were sceptical of his claims, even some he considered friends, such as Seamus Finnigan. Percy Weasley also had a severe falling out with the rest of his family over their loyalty to Dumbledore over the Ministry. The Ministry was so suspicious of Dumbledore that Dolores Umbridge was installed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as High Inquisitor during the 1995–1996 school year, a position she used to monitor and undermine Dumbledore and to spread Ministry propaganda.

This prompted Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley to found Dumbledore's Army, a group in which students could learn practical Defence Against the Dark Arts and oppose Ministry control at Hogwarts. Harry's side of the story eventually got to the public after Hermione arranged for Rita Skeeter to interview him and Luna Lovegood helped get it published in *The Quibbler*. In the meantime, Voldemort was able to gain more followers and to stage a break-out of many of his Death Eaters from Azkaban.

The Ministry did not admit that Voldemort had returned until June of 1996, after the Dark Lord was seen by the Minister for Magic himself in the Ministry following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

Voldemort's usage of Harry's blood for his revival was due to his belief that it would allow him to bypass the protection that Lily bestowed onto him. This, however, was a mistake due to Voldemort's lack of understanding of the power of love, and while Voldemort was able to touch Harry without injuring himself, in truth, it strengthened the protection by anchoring Harry to the world of the living even after being struck by the Killing Curse again, thus ensuring Voldemort's defeat three years later.