The following podcast contains audio extracted from videos on the Harry Potter Theory YouTube channel.

Voldemort was considered the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, and for a while, he was feared by the entire wizarding world, even by those who followed him.

But after his initial downfall at the hands of baby Harry, he was little more than a shadow,

weak, powerless, and holding onto life by a thread. Well, seven threads.

But eventually, after a brief stint in the forests of Albania, he does come back.

He regains his strength, rebuilt his body through dark and ancient magic, regains his followers,

and eventually reclaims his place as the dark lord. So my question is, why didn't anyone finish

the job the first time around? Why didn't Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic, or anyone else,

track down what was left of Voldemort and destroy him before he had the chance to return.

Could the Second Wizarding War have been avoided altogether?

Let's take a look.

Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. After baby Harry was

done with him, Voldemort was reduced to nothing more than a completely non-threatening

wisp-like state. I was ripped from my body. I was less than spirit, less than the meanest

ghost, but still I was alive.

But as we move through the course of the films and books, we see Voldemort's physical

form transition from something requiring a host, i.e. his possession of querel in the first book,

to some semblance of an independent physical form in the fourth.

He basically goes from ghost-like wisp to creepy baby that Wormtail has to carry around.

And this is all thanks to Voldemort's own creation, the rudimentary body potion,

a potion crafted from unicorn's blood and Nikini's venom.

And fortunately for Voldemort, Wormtale was able to source both of these ingredients and to produce the potion for the Dark Lord under his instruction,

...