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  • The Atlantic

    The Psychology of Voldemort

    J. K. Rowling’s investigation of her villain’s mind echoes the intrigue of a true-crime serial-killer profile.
    by Julie Beck Sep 23, 2015 4 minutes
    Source: Warner Bros.

    In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in J. K. Rowling’s series, Voldemort is back, big time. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, essentially the embodiment of all evil in the Potter universe, was resurrected from the dead in the fourth book, and in the fifth, revealed himself at the Ministry of Magic, quashing the doubts of wizards who said he couldn’t possibly have returned.

    But though the sixth book, which is 10 years old this year, ends with a bang (an more like), the first two-thirds of it are remarkably calm, considering the whole wizarding world is supposed to, Rowling seems to be using the conventions of true-crime books to enhance her magical world. The story is primarily dedicated to Harry and the Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledorebuilding a psychological profile of their antagonist.

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