The rise of Voldemort occurred far quicker than many would have thought possible. Maybe because no one imagined there would ever been another Dark Magician like Grindelwald, defeated in 1945 by Albus Dumbledore.

Nobody had counted on the ambition of Voldemort, more often referred to in the whispers of legend as the Dark Lord. Voldemort watched, biding his time, gathering his followers around him and waiting for the right moment to strike.

Too late, it was realised that Voldemort had taken control of Azkaban, the newly formed Wizard prison, and with the aid of his Death Eaters and other followers was swiftly working to take over the Ministry of Magic (see entry 'Ministry of Magic').

Dumbledore, one of the few aware of the gathering darkness, gathered together the best and bravest wizards, including the now infamous and instantly recognisable names of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, and host of others. They were stationed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place that would ultimately become the last bastion of hope in the Wizarding world's darkest times.

(see additional entry)

Any rebellion splits naturally into its own factions, and during the Voldemort Wars, the most famous of these factions was known collectively as the 'Marauders'. The four leading members were Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. A group of troublemakers whilst at school, these four proved to be a dynamic force indeed.

Sirius Black was the designated leader of the group: a maverick with no seeming fear for his own safety, Sirius both planned and led one of the first attacks against the Dark Lord. But it was an almost unmitigated disaster.

The Dark Lord had placed a spy in Hogwarts, a spy to this day no one knows the identity of. Consequently, Sirius was captured and imprisoned in Azkaban, seeming beyond all hope of rescue.

Soon, more than 90% of the wizarding world was under the power of the Dark Lord, and it seemed nothing could stop the next phase of his plan. The taking over of the Muggle World!

All the resistance could do was small, one off attacks, trying to delay what many were hopelessly seeing as the inevitable.

Sirius Black was not a prisoner for long, however. Less than six months after his capture, he escaped from Azkaban. Exactly how this was accomplished is known only to Black himself, but possibly t had something to do with the rumours that abound about Black being an unregistered Animagus, something he has never either confirmed or denied.

Despite his much-weakened state, Black applied his strategic logic along with the inside knowledge he had gleaned whilst in Azkaban to plan and ultimately launch a massive offensive on Voldemort's base.

Many lost their lives on the day of the attack. Most notably, the entire Weasley family died in a valiant stand to hold off more than 100 Dementors in order to allow the main resistance force to re-group.

The final battle was said to have lasted more than 24 hours, and even the Muggle world was not free from the onslaught. An entire Muggle street was distroyed, including many offices and a dentist. All of the Muggles in the area were killed, either from the aftershocks of the magical blasts, or were fed upon by the roaming Dementors. The entire battle proved to be a logistical Ministry of Magic cover-up nightmare.

Eventually, the Dark Lord was defeated, thanks to the efforts of a never-named double-agent. But at great cost. In a move to save the life of his friend, James Potter was killed. And even though there was great celebration, after he had reported to Dumbledore Sirius disappeared not long after. He became legendary, as a mastermind and great strategist, but few ever saw him again. He became a recluse, shunning his fame. It is whispered that he has been unable to overcome the grief he felt at the death of his best friend, for which he still blames himself.

But what happened to the Dark Lord?

The official reports say he was killed during the battle.

Some say he died at the hands of Sirius, strangled with his bare hands.

Some say the Dementors finally turned on him.

Some even believe he still lives, buried deep beneath the deepest dungeon of Azkaban.

• Albus Dumbledore: now Headmaster of Hogwarts
• Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody: Auror, Ministry of Magic
• Sirius Black: whereabouts unknown.
• James Potter: now deceased
• Remus Lupin: believed to have gone mad and reverted to his werewolf state. This has never been proved.
• Peter Pettigrew: whereabouts unknown.
  

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