Lord Voldemort has garnered a massive reputation in the Harry Potter franchise as an evil leader with cruel tactics and deadly intentions ⏤ so much so that the mere mention of his name keeps the entire Wizarding World on its toes. Furthermore, his cold interior is only exacerbated by his terrifying exterior. Voldemort’s bizarre appearance undoubtedly strikes fear in the hearts of many, with his sharp teeth, sunken eyes, and pale white face giving him a presence that is nothing short of menacing. The Dark Lord’s most intimidating feature is undoubtedly is the exclusion of his nose, which is actually two small, snake-like nostrils in place of a common schnoz.
Despite his strange appearance, Voldemort did not always resemble a snake. In fact, when he was still Tom Riddle, he appeared as a relatively normal-looking human. However, Riddle had already begun to experiment with dark magic and the evil powers that would aid him later on in life during his time as a student at Hogwarts. Over time, he went from being a handsome student to the powerful Dark Lord lacking a proper nose ⏤ but how, and why?
What happened to Voldemort’s nose?
Over the course of the enthralling Harry Potter films, many fans have theorized the various possibilities. One possibility is that Voldemort’s human appearance began to lessen during the formation of the Horcruxes. This theory suggests that each time he created a new Horcrux, that specific Horcrux diminished a part of his soul. Thus, his nose began to sink in, eventually disappearing altogether. Due to his tampering with dark magic, his human appearance evolved into a more snake-like state. Experimenting more with the Dark Arts drastically distorted his appearance throughout the years. His physical appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, for example, is quite different from how he looks in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
Other fans have speculated that a potion given to Voldemort by Wormtail, aka Peter Pettigrew, caused the deterioration of the Dark Lord’s nose. This theory maintains that Pettigrew gave a potion made up of unicorn blood and Nagini’s venom to Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when he was in the form of a little creature. The sole purpose of this potion was to allow Voldemort to return to human physical form; however, Voldemort required more to achieve this transformation successfully. Thus, it’s believed that the potion forever altered his appearance, mirroring his menacing descent into the Dark Arts.