“Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear.”

Much like the first novel in the Harry Potter series, the fourth novel opens with a scene told mainly through the eyes of a Muggle who is not privy to the secrets of the Wizarding world. The Muggle Frank Bryce does not understand the significance of this comment from Voldemort, but the avid reader will note that Voldemort and his servant Wormtail are closing in on Harry Potter, plotting to kill him and use him for something reprehensible. This scene functions as a rendition of a villainous monologue in which an antagonist shares their plan for world domination, but in this case, there are missing pieces that will be filled in throughout the novel.

“Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive.”

Harry Potter has spent the last few years of his life thinking about the night Voldemort killed his parents and the miraculous circumstances that protected him from Voldemort’s curse. Voldemort was reduced to a barely living creature, and although Voldemort lost almost all of his power, Rowling makes it clear that there are ways in which Voldemort can return to power. Voldemort may be weak, but he will always threaten both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, especially when his loyal servants hide in plain sight.