The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World of Harry Potter (4 page)

Tom Riddle, although a handsome, exceptional wizard many years ago at Hogwarts, tended to frighten, rather than befriend, most people. As he got older, Riddle set out to create a world of pureblood wizards (which is interesting, given that he himself was not of pure blood … he is, indeed, a riddle!). As he gained power, Tom created the name Lord Voldemort for himself, a name that represents three French words:
vol
(theft),
de
(of), and
mort
(death)—“theft of death”—which is another way to say “immortal.” In the second
Harry Potter
novel, Rowling also shows us that “I am Lord Voldemort” is an anagram of “Tom Marvolo Riddle,” his full name.

In an attempt to gain immortality, Voldemort created horcruxes (see Chapter 13), in which he stored pieces of his soul. The idea was that even if his physical body were killed, he could still live. This is why, although he was nearly killed when his curse against Harry Potter bounced back at him, he was able to survive. Through the use of magic, he slowly regained human form, first by cohabitating the body of another person, and later by taking on his own human form, although he appears much more snakelike than human throughout this process. (See Chapter 16 for the final word on Lord Voldemort and what his intentions are.)

Because of his great power—and the fear his power instills—Lord Voldemort is often referred to as “You-Know-Who” and “He-Who-Must -Not-Be-Named.” Even evil wizards who work for Voldemort abstain from using his name, calling him the Dark Lord.

Voldemort is, in essence, the leader of the Dark Wizards. Like Hitler’s campaign to put Aryan Germans in charge and eradicate those of Jewish descent, Voldemort is a demagogue, appealing to the emotions of pureblood wizards, touting the idea of purifying the wizarding community by putting purebloods in charge and somehow getting rid of those born to Muggle parents. Pureblood wizards, who fear changes in their world, tap into that emotion and are persuaded to do evil.

What better name for a common, ordinary boy than “Harry Potter”? A “potter’s field” is, in fact, a cemetery in which people of unknown identity or the very poor are buried. Although a hero in the wizarding world, Harry is as common as dust in the Muggle world; Harry is overshadowed by his spoiled bully of a cousin, Dudley Dursley, who, like his parents, wants nothing more than to be ordinary.

Harry’s story is a tantalizing one to young readers, who are at an age when it is normal to wish for and hope to be reunited with a powerful, wealthy blood relative living in a distant land. Centuries of folk and fairy tales tell the tale of a child ripped from the arms of a loving and powerful king or queen (or other respected person), “adopted” by ordinary people (used for slave labor is more like it—the orphan is usually treated badly), and eventually reunited with his or her true family (or loved by someone of similar rank). Cinderella, anyone? Harry’s story contains many elements of this typical folk and fairy tale.

Harry, someone who is utterly invisible in his world, is, in another world, a hero, a sports star, and a savior. He simply needs to find his place, as do most children and middle-grade readers.

Every hero has a sidekick, and Harry has two of them: Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (see the following section). Hermione is Muggle-born (her parents are, believe it or not, dentists), and she is an only child. That the name Hermione (her-MY-oh-nee) is from Shakespeare’s
The Winter’s Tale
(many believe Shakespeare’s inspiration for the name was from Helen of Troy’s daughter in Greek mythology; the name stems from the name of the Greek god Hermes) says more about her parents and their desire to impress people with their daughter’s literary name than it does about Hermione as a character. Hermione, too, is extremely intelligent; Harry ranks her as one of the best wizards to ever study at Hogwarts.

The Weasley family is a pureblood family that lives simply, in a house they call The Burrow. Unlike other pureblood families, they do not use their influence or magical abilities to manipulate others, enhance their wealth, or gain power. The Weasleys are all exceptional wizards and students; all have red hair, fair skin, and freckles; and all are loyal to Professor Dumbledore and against Lord Voldemort.

The word “weaselly” means to avoid commitment or responsibility, which doesn’t fit the family per se, but that definition would match the opinion of many other pureblood families, who find the Weasleys’ friendships with both Muggle-borns and half-blood wizards to be a betrayal.

Part wizard and part giant, Rubeus Hagrid is a large, yet gentle man, standing head and shoulders above his peers, but often seen knitting or tending to orphaned magical creatures. He is Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, has taught Care of Magical Creatures, and was the first person at Hogwarts with whom Harry had contact. They remain good friends.

Rubeus
is Latin for something produced from a bramble or thicket, which fits Rowling’s description of Hagrid as “wild.” Hagrid may come from the term “haggard” (or “hagard”), which also means wild, untamed, and unruly.

The only student to have died in Rowling’s novels, Cedric Diggory is portrayed as an exceptional student, wizard, and person. He died because he arrived unexpectedly during one of Lord Voldemort’s plots to get to Harry Potter.

Pronounced SED-rick, Cedric is a common Welsh name that appears in both Sir Walter Scott’s
Ivanhoe
and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s
Little Lord Fauntleroy
(although Cedric was a bit of a sissy in the latter novel).

But the last name has an interesting heritage: the professor in
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
is Digory Kirke. When Digory was a young boy, he traveled with his friend Polly to Narnia, where he picked an apple that he brought back to save his dying mother. The seeds from that apple grew a tree from which the wardrobe was made.

It was likely not without intention that Rowling used the name “Black” for this wizard family, obsessed with their pure blood and turning to the Dark Side to protect the wizarding world from the effects of Muggles intermarrying wizards. “Black” and “Dark” go hand in hand. Here are the key players in the Black family: