#lord voldemrot

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and what makes a psychopath

First of all, I'm not a licensed therapist or psychiatrist, but I love reading things online. I also love analyzing fictional characters, so why not do both and show why Albus Dumbledore shows just as many signs of ASPD (Antisocial Personality Disorder) as Tom Marvolo Riddle and that both men are much more similar than they'd like to think.

Whats ASPD?

ASPD, also known as Antisocial Personality Disorder, is a personality disorder. This disorder encapsulates both what people commonly call "psychopaths" and "sociopaths" and is actually mischaracterized often. It is a real mental disorder and not all real-life people with ASPD are dangerous to be around like the fictional ones, some live completely lawful murder-free lives. This post is mostly an interesting thought exercise and not meant to be a diagnostic tool or to be seen as how all people with ASPD are.

So, personality disorders refer to mental disorders that affect thought processes, personality, and how a person interacts with the world as a whole. ASPD, as its name suggests, focuses on social interactions. It is categorized by a lack of empathy, a penchant for lying, irresponsibility, and disregard for other's rights or feelings along with a lack of remorse.

All in all it sounds a lot like what we'd associate with Tom Riddle, but Dumbledore fits just as many of the symptoms required for an ASPD diagnosis.

How is ASPD diagnosed?

The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) categorizes and describes how to diagnose all clinically recognized mental illnesses. The DSM-5's diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder:

A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

Disregarding the law, indicated by repeatedly committing acts that are grounds for arrest

Being deceitful, indicated by lying repeatedly, using aliases, or conning others for personal gain or pleasure

Acting impulsively or not planning ahead

Being easily provoked or aggressive, indicated by constantly getting into physical fights or assaulting others

Recklessly disregarding their safety or the safety of others

Consistently acting irresponsibly, indicated by quitting a job with no plans for another one or not paying bills

Not feeling remorse, indicated by indifference to or rationalization of hurting or mistreating others

2. The individual is at least age 18 years.

3. Evidence of conduct disorder typically with onset before age 15 years.

4. The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

So let's look at the boys, shall we?

This isn't meant to be a professional diagnosis, I just want to show how similar Tom and Dumbledore are in certain ways neither of them would like to confess and for that, we'll look through the behavior patterns used to diagnose ASPD.

1. Disregarding the law, indicated by repeatedly committing acts that are grounds for arrest

With Tom, this category of behavior is easy to tick off. He murdered multiple people. He led a terrorist organization. He cast illegal dark magic, including all three unforgivables, I don't think anyone would argue Tom didn't do many illegal things.

The thing is, Dumbledore disregards the law just as much, if, in different ways.

The Order of the Phoenix that he leads is an illegal paramilitary group separate from the government that is kept a secret from law enforcement at large and the general population, as shown in the news article leading to the publication of Rita's book:

WHAT was the real purpose of the secret organization known as the Order of the Phoenix?

(DH, 24)

This organization is illegal in their world. Additionally, Dumbledore shows no care for the ministry or its laws once it suits him. (It's not necessarily a bad thing because the Ministry of Magic sucks, but still). He showed as much in all his interactions with people like Fudge and Umbridge, going as far as actually resisting arrest in OotP after the DA was discovered. (again, he is right for doing it, but it still shows a disregard for their law, which I personally consider healthy because it's the Ministry of Magic)

And then, of course, there was Dumbledore's quest for muggle domination with Grindelwald:

Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLES’ OWN GOOD—this, I think is the crucial point. Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives up the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counterarguments. We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

(DH, 309)

None of which sounds awfully legal. His intentions back then were to rule over the muggles and take control by force if they had to. Showing that even in his youth, Dumbledore didn't have much consideration for the law.

2. Being deceitful, indicated by lying repeatedly, using aliases, or conning others for personal gain or pleasure

There are many examples of Tom lying for various reasons, I picked out one of them to exibit here:

Riddle laughed his high laugh again. “It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student . . . on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed

(CoS, 288)

But Tom lies a lot. Both at school, at the orphanage, and about his identity. He lies to his followers often and I'd say he also lies to himself, but that's another matter. This category literally mentions using an alias and that is one of the things Tom (or, well, Voldemort) is well known for.

As for Dumbledore, he lies and conceals just as much. Abeforth said he was always this way:

“I can’t leave,” said Harry. “I’ve got a job—” “Give it to someone else!” “I can’t. It’s got to be me, Dumbledore explained it all—” “Oh, did he now? And did he tell you everything, was he honest with you?” Harry wanted with all his heart to say “Yes,” but somehow the simple word would not rise to his lips, Aberforth seemed to know what he was thinking. “I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother’s knee. Secrets and lies, that’s how we grew up, and Albus. . . he was a natural.”

(DH, 477-478)

The "greater good" was all for the sake of appearances, it was a deception — a lie to make muggle domination more palatable for the general population. He lied in his position as headmaster and in his relationship with Harry:

Not telling Harry about, well, anything, and justifying it to himself by telling himself Harry would be better off not knowing, even when it isn't necessarily true.

Lying to Lockhart to get him in a dangerous position Dumbledore knew he was unfit for.

Lying about Lupin being a werewolf (this one is a lie that does have a good intention behind it, but I count it here anyway)

Lying about the petrifications in 2nd year. Dumbledore was at the school last time the Chamber opened and knew what was going on, still waited for Harry to act.

Same in 1st year. Harry himself says he's pretty sure Dumbledore always knew about Quirrell but wanted to give Harry the chance to face Voldemort.

Lying to Harry about Malfoy not being anything to worry about, even though he knows what's going on. But instead of agreeing there is concern and it is being dealt with he just tries to gaslight Harry.

I can go on, but I think the gist is clear.

3. Acting impulsively or not planning ahead

They are actually both planners when they want to be. But they can also be impulsive on occasion, if more rare for them. We'll consider this a symptom they don't have, mostly.

4. Being easily provoked or aggressive, indicated by constantly getting into physical fights or assaulting others

Now, Tom can get provoked and react aggressively, although, I won't call it easily. Tom actually avoids unnecessary bloodshed when possible:

He saw the small boy’s smile falter as he ran near enough to see beneath the hood of the cloak, saw the fear cloud his painted face. Then the child turned and ran away. . . . Beneath the robe be fingered the hand of his wand. . . One simple movement and the child would never reach his mother. . . but unnecessary, quite unnecessary. . . .

(DH, 295)

I mean, he wouldn't have been prefect and head boy if he constantly got into fights. So I feel safe in saying Tom didn't get into fights often and much of the behavior we see towards his followers is fueled by both general frustration and his feeling they deserve this punishment. These punishments are planned, they aren't often impulsive and in the moment of rage (and when they are, it's only when Harry Potter is involved).

Dumbledore is quite the same. He is capable of getting angry when provoked, but avoids violence he doesn't see as necessary.

We'll consider this a symptom they don't have.

5. Recklessly disregarding their safety or the safety of others

So many times... for both of them...

For Tom:

He clearly doesn't care about most of his Death Eaters, he wouldn't mind if they died and he endangered them often.

He also endagers himself just as much, if not more; by mutilating himself to create Horcruxes.

And by charging into battle himself often.

For Dumbledore:

Dumbledore endangers the Order's safety repeatedly. Yes, they made the decision to join, but he is still the one sending Hagrid to negotiate with the giants and Remus to talk to the werewolves. He is still the one who sends them towards danger and is willing to risk them.

Dumbledore endangers Snape, he manipulates him into the position of a spy and wilfully disregards Snape's safety.

Harry. Just everything, since he placed him on the doorstep of the Dursleys Dumbledore has willfully endangered Harry — from the abuse to setting Harry up to face the various yearly adventures every year.

Dumbledore tells Harry in HBP he takes his student's safety seriously, but he really doesn't: he knows about the Chamber, but still waits for Harry to resolve it, even when students are getting petrified. He knew Malfoy was planning something in HBP, but allowed him to continue with his ploys that sent Katie Bell to St. Mongos for months. There are more, but I think you get the gist.

Dumbledore also endangers himself quite carelessly from how he picked up the ring, his willingness to go into battle, his drinking of the potion in the locket's cave, and his willingness to die for his own plans.

6. Consistently acting irresponsibly, indicated by quitting a job with no plans for another one or not paying bills

We actually see both of them are capable of holding jobs for a long time (Dumbledore at Hogwarts and Tom at Borgin and Burkes) and even when Tom leaves Borgin and Burkes, he has a plan for his leave.

Both show irresponsibility in other ways. Tom allows his Death Eaters to wreak havoc in the ministry in book 7 while he's off chasing the Elder Wand, Dumbledore repeatedly shows how unconcerned he is with the education of the students at Hogwarts (his actual job) by hiring people like Lockhart, who he knew to be a fraud and allowing Umbridge to be hired (he had the Order, he could've convinced the real Mad-Eye Moody to come teach, or even Tonks, but no, he needed to teach Harry a lesson about the ministry so he allowed Umbridge into the school).

7. Not feeling remorse, indicated by indifference to or rationalization of hurting or mistreating others

Well, not feeling remorse is kind of a big part of Tom's character, isn't it:

“It’s your one last chance,” said Harry, “it’s all you’ve got left. . . . I’ve seen what you’ll be otherwise. . . . Be a man . . . try . . . Try for some remorse. . . .” “You dare—?” said Voldemort again.

(DH, 625)

That he isn't sorry for what he did at any point to anyone. Yes, he shows affection to Nagini and Bellatrix, but he takes occasional joy in emberessing Bellatrix.

He truly isn't sorry because he doesn't care. He is indifferent to the suffering of most.

The thing is, Dumbledore is the same.

He shows complete cold disregard for Lockhart's situation after his loss of memories, rationalizing it as "deserved".

As I mentioned, he doesn't care when Katie gets cursed by the necklace or when students get petrified in 2nd year. He allows it to happen because it isn't happening to anyone important.

Dumbledore is hellbent on killing Tom, on utterly destroying him, this is weird for a person who supposedly believes in second chances, especially a person who let Gallert Grindlewald live. Grindelwald had a much higher death count than Voldemort. He killed and hurt way more people, but Dumbledore likes him, so he rationalizes killing Tom, but not Gallert.

He disregards Harry's pain and hurt over Sirius's death:

“Oh yes, you do,” said Dumbledore, still more calmly. “You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care.” “YOU DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL!” Harry roared. “YOU — STANDING THERE — YOU —”

(OotP, 824)

He speaks calmly and coldly throughout the whole exchange, just waiting for Harry to calm down enough so he can tell him about the prophecy. Dumbledore doesn't empathize with Harry's pain.

He disregards Harry's abuse:

“Five years ago, then,” continued Dumbledore, as though he had not paused in his story, “you arrived at Hogwarts, neither as happy nor as well nourished as I would have liked, perhaps, yet alive and healthy. You were not a pampered little prince, but as normal a boy as I could have hoped under the circumstances. Thus far, my plan was working well.

(OotP, 837)

He says he knew Harry to be mistreated (and starved!) since 1st year, but he does nothing until 6th year when he needs Harry. No, instead he rationalizes Harry's abuse, it's necessary for the plan, so Harry won't be spoiled, it's for the greater good.

And, of course, he raised Harry like a "pig to slaughter":

“We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength,” said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut. “Meanwhile, the connection between them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth. Sometimes I have thought he suspects it himself. If I know him, he will have arranged matters so that when he does set out to meet his death, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort.” Dumbledore opened his eyes. Snape looked horrified. “You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?” “Don’t be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?” “Lately, only those whom I could not save,” said Snape. He stood up. “You have used me.” “Meaning?” “I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter—” “But this is touching, Severus,” said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?” “For him?” shouted Snape. “Expecto Patronum!”

(DH, 580)

I think it's telling how Severus Snape, who despises the concept of Harry, reacts more sympatheticly and emotionally to Harry's death than Dumbledore. Dumbledore is cold and uncaring, he just calls Snape out for caring as if Snape is in the wrong for reacting the way any human would. Because Dumbledore is cold enough to rationalize any sacrifice he considers necessary.

The last quote was also about how Dumbledore used Severus. He manipulated Snape into oaths and bonds to spy for him and protect Harry. Twisted Snape's guilt to get some use out of him. And for Dumbledore, it was justified, it was for the greater good.

Results

So, Tom got 5/7 for ASPD symptoms, and Dumbledore got 5/7. And you only need 3 for a diagnosis, so, yeah...

What I wanted to talk about and get to with all of this is Tom and Dumbledore's similarities that both of them hate to see. Their despise for each other is partly fueled by it, I think. They look at each other and see some of their own traits mirrored back, but arranged all wrong.

Dumbledore sees the worst version of himself in Tom Riddle and Tom sees their similarities and Dumbledore's hypocrisy to those similarities and hates him for that.

They were both the most brilliant wizards of their respective generations, top students at Hogwarts, when they graduated, Dumbledore planned to go on a tour of the world to study magic abroad like Tom did. They both received offers for ministry positions, which they both declined because they wanted to be professors at Hogwarts. They both lead paramilitary organizations (Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix) and they are both willing to make sacrifices in the quest for their goals.

Tom is willing to kill and tear himself up to create Horcruxes because it's necessary in his eyes:

Beneath the robe be fingered the hand of his wand. . . One simple movement and the child would never reach his mother. . . but unnecessary, quite unnecessary. . . .

(DH, 295)

Dumbledore is willing to sacrifice Harry and himself in the quest for the "greater good":

We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

(DH, 309)

I just find the fact that both of them show psychopathic traits in equal measure in similar ways super interesting. This distorted mirror is so fascinating, especially because the respective characters would despise being compared to each other.

#harry potter #hp #harry potter thoughts #hp thoughts #hp meta #harry potter meta #hollowedtheory #dumbledore #albus dumbledore #tom riddle #lord voldemrot #voldemort #tom marvolo riddle #aspd #i guess

[liquidluckandstuff]

“Will you stay?”

“Will you stay?”

Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Stay? Him? Of all people?

He turned back and looked into the cold cell. Voldemort looked pathetic in the prisoner garb they gave him, Harry was surprised they offered him anything to wear in the first place. 

“Why should I?” It was a fair question. Harry couldn’t assume the man wanted anything innocent. He had no idea what the man was capable of. It’s why he was locked in their most guarded cell in the first place. 

The dementors were close enough that Voldemort could feel the chill in his old bones, but far enough away he couldn’t speak to them. The man had quite the sway over them during his reign in the war, and no one was willing to take a chance.

Voldemort shrugged at Harry’s answer. It was so unlike him that Harry had to shake his head. How far the dark lord had fallen. 

“If you give me an answer, I’ll stay a little longer,” Harry reasoned. 

He looked up at him then, the shadows covering his face did nothing to hide his sunken cheekbones and red eyes. “Promise?”

A chill went down Harry’s spine at his childlike tone. “If you give me a good enough answer, then yes I promise.”

“You always keep your promises. Not like them,” The man spat as he pulled his thin legs close to his chest. 

Harry tapped his foot impatiently. “Well?”

A smile formed on Voldemort’s face. So innocent and full of hope. “I remember your name.”

“My... name?”

“Uh hu,” Then the man crawled closer to the edge of the cell until his skeletal fingers could wrap around the bars. “I don’t remember anyone else’s name. But I remember yours.” 

Harry sighed, and sat down next to him. It was a good answer. He might as well keep his promise. 

“And how did you remember my name?” 

“I was thinking of flying. And… a stag. It was big and blue and fought off those big hooded men that like to whisper at the end of the corridor.”

“You saw them?” If the dementors were getting brave enough to get close enough for Voldemrot to see them that would be a problem. What if he recognized them? What if they triggered the wrong memory-

“I don’t think they like me very much,” the man confessed. 

“Right,” Harry sighed. “Well then… What's my name?”

Voldemort’s eyes went wide and he looked around like Harry had said something scandalous. “I’m not supposed to say, they’ll get mad.”

“Who will get mad?”

In response, Voldemort shook his head in fear. 

“Who will get mad? It’s okay. I won’t tell.”

“They’ll hurt you,” Voldemort whispered as he looked around. “They hit you and starve you and keep you locked in a cupboard.”

“I-” No one knew that. Not really. His friends sort of knew what his childhood was like, but they didn’t have any details. “That was a very long time ago.”

“No, no it was yesterday,” Tears filled Voldemort’s red eyes. “They don’t love you. They never loved you and you tried so hard-”

“It’s… it’s okay now. I have a new family that loves me very much,” Harry comforted awkwardly. How did one comfort a crying Dark Lord anyway? “It’s over now.”

“No it’s not,” Voldemort insisted. “It still hurts you on the inside. There.” One long thin hand reached through the bars and pointed directly at Harry’s heart. “They don’t want you to say your name because they are afraid of you.” 

Harry didn’t know what to say. So he said the only thing he could think of “I’m sorry.” He didn’t want anyone to know about his past. It was embarrassing enough that the hero of the wizarding world couldn’t get past being unloved as a child. What kind of hero still years for parental love?

“I would have stopped them,” Voldemort said assuredly, suddenly sounding more like himself. “I would have made them regret ever hurting you.”

“I know,” Harry whispered. And he did.  If there was anything that was left of Voldemort it was a hatred of muggles and a desire for a justice he would never understand. 

“Will you stay?” Voldemort asked again. 

Harry shook his head. He wasn’t supposed to stay near Voldemort for very long. No one was supposed to, not after everything he did. But with his memory lost because of how many horcruxes they destroyed, and with him being reduced to… well a child trapped in a murderer's body, Harry couldn’t help but pity him. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll be back next week,” Harry promised.

#horror? #Voldemort loses #Harry Potter #Voldemort #Harry is always too kind #Harrymort #Tomarry

[invisibilicose]

Lord Voldemort and The White Thin Duke

I know probably no one cares about this, but since I was very young, I’ve always had this curiosity about the looks of the Dark Lord during the First Wizarding War. Especially, I was intrigued by his depiction in the Half Blood Prince when, already graduated from Hogwarts, he started working at Borgin and Burkes. It is written that he speaks with a soft voice, that he wears his hair longer than it had been at Hogwarts, that he is thin with hollowed cheeks and – shockingly – that he doesn’t wear wizard’s robes but a black suit.

This is all very interesting to me, since I have this weird obsession of looking for cues about his personality, even in these scarce descriptions about his appearance and of course I get mad because of how difficult it is. The fact that he wears his hair long could be both a sign of vanity or a way of communicating his lack of interest about his looks – leading to him being a handsome man anyways.  Of course, we know that he does not crave for being considered beautiful, since a few lines ahead we come to know that he altered his features forever, during his permanence in Albania:  

His features were not those Harry had seen emerge from the great stone cauldron almost two years ago: They were not as snake-like, the eyes were not yet scarlet, the face not yet masklike, and yet he was no longer handsome Tom Riddle. It was as though his features had been burned and blurred; they were waxy and oddly distorted, and the whites of the eyes now had a permanently bloody look, though the pupils were not yet the slits that Harry knew they would become. He was wearing a long black cloak, and his face was as pale as the snow glistening on his shoulders.

-      Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Chapter 20.

Can’t blame a young emo girl like me for falling in love with this man 10 years ago. Now, of course, my love remains unchanged, and I still have hard feelings for not have seen young Lord Voldemrot on the big screen, when I was a teenager (will the up coming series remedy to this? We don’t know).

So, my mind has wandered for a long time, searching for someone – made of blood and bones – that could resemble the description of First Wizarding War Voldemort that we are left with.

Conscious of the fact that no one is going to share my opinion, I think I’ve found an original solution to the problem and I’m going to stick with this till death.

In fact, while my literary heart is reserved for Lord Voldemort, my musical taste brought me to The Think White Duke, David Bowie. I know, it sounds crazy, but I believe that this amazing – and very missed – genius shares a lot of physical traits with young Lord Voldemort, during this mysterious years in the books.

So, I want to share with you this interview, hoping deep down that you’ll find the same similarities that I found some time ago and that never cease to warm my heart.

First, his voice: he speaks softly but fast – and with a wonderful British accent that, of course, he shares with Londoner Tom Riddle. He is polite but also elusive. He keeps all the attention on him and his words in the exact same way I imagine young Voldemort would do.

Second, his appearance: he is thin, almost skeletal and has something feminine in him that I personally find devastatingly attractive. He has the hollow cheeks and the thin lips with a crooked smile that – my personal point of view here – he could share with our young Lord Voldemort. He has long thin hands with slim fingers.

Now, imagine him with black hair – with the same haircut – and reddened eyes and I think we have it.

Also, I wanted to post here this picture, because I’m confident that this is the best representation we’ll ever have of what the Dark Lord should’ve looked like in the movies (I know I’m a minority here on this topic, but I absolutely dislike how Ralph Fiennes managed to act him in the movies, so disappointing). 

Let me know what you think about this and please be kind with your words, since of course, this is a topic I care a lot about.

Yours,

Mathildis.  

#lord voldemort #lord voldemort fancast #the dark lord #david bowie #people will think i'm mad #but what is life without risk? #tom riddle #tom marvolo riddle #first wizarding war