Harry Potter Fans Are Confused About The Voldemort Showdown In Order Of The Phoenix

There are a lot of little things about "Harry Potter" that leave fans confused, even years after the books and movies drew to a close. Not every single aspect of the franchise needs a clear explanation, although the series author Joanne Rowling has definitely cleared up things that nobody ever once asked for (like a "mystery" about how wizards got through their bathroom activities without indoor plumbing). Now, though, fans are asking a very specific question about Lord Voldemort, played in the films by Ralph Fiennes (in his fully restored form), and his appearance at the wizarding world's Ministry of Magic.

This Reddit thread asks how, when Voldemort, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), and an assorted crew of Hogwarts students and Death Eaters are fighting one another deep within the Ministry of Magic, the authorities immediately recognize Voldemort upon arrival. Throughout the fifth book and film, "Order of the Phoenix," the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) strenuously denies Harry's correct claim that Voldemort has returned to full power, but when he gets to the Ministry, he immediately knows Voldemort is there in the flesh. This led u/TooCoolForCabbage to a question: "How do the ministry employees and Fudge recognise Voldemort when they see him at the end of Order of the Phoenix? Are there photos of him in existence? Or do they just see a spooky pale guy and go 'well now I'm convinced Harry is telling the truth, that must be You Know Who.'"

Plenty of Redditors had opinions about it and even debated it, but it all boiled down to one thing: before being unexpectedly taken down by baby Harry, Voldemort was pretty distinctive-looking. Thanks to the process required to create his Horcruxes — severed pieces of his soul that ensure his continued survival — Voldemort is really weird-looking during the wizarding war that preceded the murder of Harry's parents and Voldemort's attempted infanticide, and users were ready to point that out. As u/magecal put it, "I think he probably looks the same as he did during the first war. Where reports of his appearance likely contributed to the fear and hysteria around him."

Some people still had questions, though, like u/d_alina_b: "But (correct me if I'm wrong) wasn't he described as handsome before? I thought he just got his distinct noseless appearance through the resurrection ritual? The only thing he already had in in the first war were the red eyes if I remember correctly but still a nose & hair, etc.. Or am I misremembering things? I would think it more likely that the fact he is fighting Dumbledore, Bellatrix company & the description from Harry's Interview gave it away."

Because this all went down on Reddit, someone did come along to correct the other user when they were, in fact, wrong. u/Dex_Hopper jumped in with the right explanation, writing, "In the flashback in Half-Blood Prince of Voldemort asking for the DADA position at Hogwarts, he's already halfway between 'handsome young man' and 'terrifying snake man'. It can be determined then that his appearance was warped by the mutilation of his soul making Horcruxes, and not the death and resurrection."

So why is Voldemort — one of the most legendarily dangerous and infamous wizards in this universe — freely wandering around the Ministry of Magic? Well, in "Order of the Phoenix," he's desperate to get his hands on a prophecy made long ago about him and Harry, and only subjects of prophecies can retrieve them from the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort uses his shared mind connection with Harry to trick the young wizard and a handful of his friends into infiltrating the Ministry, making Harry think his beloved godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) is being tortured within its halls. Sirius is nowhere to be found, but Harry and his friends come face to face with a bunch of Death Eaters, all demanding that he hand over the prophecy.

That's when Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix arrive to help out, and with Harry between them, Voldemort and Dumbledore have a knock-down, drag-out wizard duel unlike anything previously seen before in the "Harry Potter" franchise. Voldemort tries to break into Harry's mind once again, but can't stand all of the love within the young wizard's soul and departs — but not before Fudge and other Ministry cronies spot him. There aren't a ton of wizards in this universe with snake-like slits where their noses should be, so all in all, Voldemort is definitely conspicuous.