Lord Voldemort (Tom Riddle) sought immortality and control of the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds. Starting in 1943, Riddle took the first steps in gaining immortality with his Horcruxes.
During the 1970s, he unleashed war on the Wizarding World, gaining ground in his quest for power. But in July of 1980, he learned of a prophecy that threatened his immortality and power.
Voldemort discovered that two boys, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, fit the contents of Sybill Trelawney’s first prophecy. Since Harry was a half-blood like himself, Voldemort saw Harry as the one who could destroy him, and this led him to target the boy and his parents.
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What Did Lord Voldemort Want?
Before we dive into why Voldemort had to kill Harry and his parents, we first need context of who the Dark Lord was and why he sought immortality and control over the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds.
Born to Merope Gaunt, a witch, and Tom Riddle Sr., a Muggle, Lord Voldemort grew up in a Muggle orphanage knowing he was different from everyone else.
He could make terrible things happen to the other kids if he wanted to, and he could even communicate with snakes. After Tom received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, he was sorted into Slytherin House and, in the ensuing years, he relentlessly researched his heritage.
Tom discovered he was descended from the legendary Hogwarts founder, Salazar Slytherin. That, along with distancing himself from his deceased mother, whom he viewed as weak and cowardly, led him to seek greatness.
His father abandoned his mother before his birth, which fueled a hatred for Muggles. In 1943, Riddle murdered his father and Muggle grandparents, the first of hundreds that he would kill in his life.
He formed the Knights of Walpurgis during his time at school, whose members were the precursors to the Death Eaters.
Riddle became good friends with Professor Horace Slughorn, who he charmed into telling him about Horcruxes, the darkest art in the Wizarding World.
This led Tom on a quest for immortality, and after leaving Hogwarts, he created several Horcruxes that included legendary relics like Slyherin’s locket, the Gaunt Ring, Helga Hufflepuff’s cup, and Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem.
As he sought immortality, along with seizing power over the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds, many power-hungry wizards and dark creatures joined him, officially forming the Death Eaters.
Throughout the 1970s, he unleashed terror in both worlds, and his Death Eaters gained more power and influence than ever. But when it looked as though he were on the verge of victory, a one-year-old boy named Harry Potter defeated him on October 31st, 1981.
What Made Voldemort Target Harry Potter?
In early 1980, Sybill Trelawney met Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the Hog’s Head Inn to interview for the open spot of Divination professor. Trelawney gave a poor interview, and Dumbledore stood to leave, only for Trelawney to go into a trance and utter her first prophecy.
The prophecy referred to a boy who would be born at the end of July of that year whose parents defied Lord Voldemort three times. This boy would possess power that Riddle didn’t know about, and that power could defeat the Dark Lord.
For a second, it seemed as though Dumbledore were the only one who heard this prophecy, but Severus Snape was secretly nearby. Snape heard a portion of the prophecy, but the inn’s owner, Aberforth Dumbledore, discovered and forced the Death Eater from the bar.
Undeterred, Snape relayed the prophecy to Voldemort, and the Dark Lord later discovered two boys fit the billing: Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. Since Voldemort was a half-blood, he targeted Harry over Neville, as the former was also a half-blood.
Voldemort felt his immortality and his power was in danger if Harry lived, and he believed that to save both, he had to kill the boy.
Why Kill Harry’s Parents?
The Dark Lord had a tough time locating the Potters’ home, but when Dumbledore recommended the Fidelius Charm to conceal them, the Potters made Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) their Secret Keeper over James’ best friend, Sirius Black.
Wormtail had a history of surrounding himself with those he felt gave him the highest level of protection. During his time at school, it was James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, but now that Voldemort was taking over, Wormtail defected and secretly joined the Death Eaters.
Wormtail confided in Voldemort the Potters’ location in Godric’s Hollow, and on Halloween Night, 1981, the Dark Lord invaded the home, immediately killed James, and attempted to turn his wand onto Harry.
In Chapter 17 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Batilda’s Secret, we got to see this scene take place from Voldemort’s point of view, but through Harry.
James instructed Lily to take Harry, saying he would hold off the Dark Lord. This prompted Voldemort to kill Harry’s father with Avada Kedavra.
Because Snape loved Lily, Voldemort had previously agreed to spare her, but she refused to stop shielding Harry, forcing Riddle to hit her with the Killing Curse.
Why Did Voldemort Continue to Target Harry Potter?
Lily’s sacrifice kept Harry safe from falling victim to the curse that killed her and James. This also gave Harry the power Voldemort didn’t anticipate, the power of sacrificial protection, which serves as one way to save an individual from getting hit with the Killing Curse.
This caused Voldemort’s curse to rebound, but thanks to his Horcruxes, it didn’t kill him. Instead, he existed as a shadow, something less than a ghost, but still tethered to the physical world.
Tom Riddle, whose father never really loved his mother thanks to the love potion Merope Gaunt used to hoodwink the elder Riddle into being with her, never understood love. And by extension, he never understood the power of sacrificial protection.
But during his time in exile, mainly in Albania, he came to realize how Harry defeated him. This was something that he explained to his Death Eaters the night he returned to his body on June 24th, 1995.
Voldemort still believed that Harry threatened his immortality, and now, with no mother to protect him, he thought he could kill the boy and finish taking over the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds.
He was wrong, however, since Lily’s protection still resided in Harry. And after Harry escaped him in the Little Hangleton graveyard, Voldemort then sought a weapon that he believed would finally hold the key to destroying Harry, and forever preserve his power and immortality.
Conclusion
Voldemort believed Harry Potter threatened his quest for immortality, something he sought in addition to taking control of the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds.
While Riddle did not need to kill James and Lily Potter, he knew James would try to hold him off for as long as possible. Lily was the one who never needed to die, but Voldemort killed her when she refused to stop shielding Harry from the Killing Curse.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.