Editing Lord Voldemort (section)

=== Magical abilities and skills ===

Rowling establishes Voldemort throughout the series as an extremely powerful, intelligent, and ruthless dark wizard, described as the greatest<ref>[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]] Chapter 1 The Worst Birthday</ref> and most powerful Dark Wizard of all time.<ref>[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]] Chapter 2 The Scar</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/lord-voldemort| title = Lord Voldemort-Pottermore}}</ref> He is known as one of the greatest [[Magic (Harry Potter)#Legilimency and Occlumency|Legilimens]] in the world and a highly accomplished [[Magic (Harry Potter)#Legilimency and Occlumency|Occlumens]]; he can read minds and shield his own from penetration. Besides Dumbledore, he is also the only wizard ever known to be able to apparate silently. Voldemort was also said to fear one wizard alone, Dumbledore.<ref name="HP5ch33435">{{HPref|book=5|chapter=36}}</ref>

In the final book, Voldemort flies unsupported, something that amazes those who see it.<ref name="DH4" /> Voldemort, like his ancestral family, the Gaunts, is a [[Parseltongue|Parselmouth]], meaning he can converse with serpents. This skill was inherited from his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. The Gaunt family speak Parseltongue among themselves. This highly unusual trait may be preserved through inbreeding, a practice employed by the Gaunt Family to maintain their blood's purity. When Voldemort attempts to kill Harry his ability to speak Parseltongue is passed to Harry through the small bit of the former's soul. After that bit of soul is destroyed, Harry loses this ability.<ref name=LeakyCauldron20070730>{{cite web|url=http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/7/30/j-k-rowling-web-chat-transcript|title=JK Rowling web chat transcript|date=30 July 2007}}</ref> In a flashback in the sixth novel, Voldemort boasts to Dumbledore during a job interview that he has "pushed the boundaries of magic farther than they had ever before".<ref name="HP6ch20">{{HPref|book=6|chapter=20}}</ref> Dumbledore states that Voldemort's knowledge of magic is more extensive than any wizard alive<ref name="HP5ch33435"/> and that even Dumbledore's most powerful protective spells and charms would likely be insufficient if Voldemort returned to full power. Dumbledore also said that Voldemort was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen.<ref name="HP2ch17" /> Although Voldemort remains highly accomplished and prodigious in skill, he is enormously lacking and highly inept in the most powerful magic, love. This inability to love and trust others proves to be Voldemort's greatest weakness in the series. Voldemort initially voices scepticism that his own magic might not be the most powerful,<ref name="HP6ch20" /> but upon returning to power, he admits to his Death Eaters that he had overlooked the ancient and powerful magic which Lily Potter invoked and that would protect Harry from harm.<ref name="HP4ch33">{{HPref|book=4|chapter=33}}</ref>

On her website, Rowling wrote that Voldemort's wand is made of yew, whose sap is poisonous, and which symbolises death. It forms a deliberate contrast to Harry's wand, which is made of [[holly]], which she chose because holly is alleged to repel evil.<ref name="WAND">{{cite web|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=18 |title=Section: Extra Stuff WANDS |access-date=15 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070724184214/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=18 |archive-date=24 July 2007 }}</ref>

Rowling establishes in the books that Voldemort is magically connected to Harry via Harry's forehead scar. He disembodies himself when his Killing Curse targeting Harry rebounds on him, leaving the scar on Harry's forehead. In the books, and to a lesser extent in the films, Harry's scar serves as an indicator of Voldemort's presence: it burns when the Dark Lord is near or when Voldemort is feeling murderous or exultant. According to Rowling, by attacking Harry when he was a baby Voldemort gave him "tools [that] no other wizard possessed—the scar and the ability it conferred, a magical window into Voldemort's mind".<ref name="scarfaq">{{cite web|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=84 |title=jkrowling.com F.A.Q |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205110922/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=84 |archive-date=5 February 2012 }}</ref>