When we talk about Voldemort’s rise, the first image that comes to mind is the Death Eaters. But what most ‘Harry Potter‘ fans like us forget is that the Death Eaters weren’t Voldemort’s first army. Long before the Dark Lord made his way into his followers’ arms, Tom Riddle had already been working with his own army at Hogwarts.
Yes, Hogwarts. The place meant to be safe for young witches and wizards was actually the training ground for Voldemort’s earliest band of loyal followers. So, how did our OG Tom Riddle actually do it?
The Dark Army Born In Hogwarts Corridors
By the time Tom Riddle reached his teenage years, he had already gathered a group of Slytherin boys who followed him like shadows. They weren’t friends, really. Riddle never wanted a friendship. What he wanted was control. Slughorn’s memories give us a perfect snapshot of this. Riddle would sit in the middle, not even the oldest among them, but without question the leader. The others hung onto his every word.
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Sure, they looked like an ordinary group of Slytherins, but behind the scenes, they were involved in what Dumbledore later called “nasty incidents.” The biggest, of course, was Riddle opening the Chamber of Secrets. While it was Riddle himself who spoke Parseltongue and unleashed the basilisk, his circle gave Riddle all the cover and distraction he needed. Basically, they helped him hide in plain sight. And he made sure nothing ever pointed back to him.
So why did these boys follow him so blindly? Dumbledore later explained it perfectly. These boys weren’t bound by true loyalty or love, but by need, fear, and ambition. Some were weak, fragile boys who liked the protection Riddle offered. Others were social climbers, and then there were the bullies. And, Riddle gave each of them exactly what they wanted. Safety, power, or the thrill of cruelty. And in return, he demanded loyalty and secrecy.
It was also with this circle that he started to reveal his darker identity. Even he began using the name “Lord Voldemort” among them. But surprisingly, when Riddle graduated in 1945, this schoolyard gang faded away. Without him constantly pulling the strings, they couldn’t last. But their job was already done.
He tested his methods on them and became a genius. By now, he knew how to recruit, how to inspire fear, how to make people believe in his power, and how to make them carry out his dirty work without leaving a trace. And, it’s some of the boys from this gang only who later became the first official Death Eaters. Turns out, Hogwarts was just the rehearsal.
The Real Beginning Of Voldemort’s Death Eaters In ‘Harry Potter’
There’s even evidence that this early circle carried a dramatic name: the Knights of Walpurgis. It’s not clear exactly when the title was used, but it’s believed this name eventually morphed into the “Death Eaters.”
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What’s most fascinating is that some of the surnames from Riddle’s Hogwarts gang appear again among Slytherins in the 1970s. That means the loyalty soon became a generational one. Families who once gave their sons to Riddle at school later produced children who grew up to become Death Eaters. Was it family ideology? Was it Voldemort’s own long memory for those who once served him? Probably both.
While most of us tend to think Voldemort’s reign began when he came back from his travels after Hogwarts, by now, you already know that’s not true. The Death Eaters we know so well were only the second part.
