This thread is inspired by a similar thread over at rpg.net. What would you do differently if you were Voldemort. This can be in general terms or book/situational specific. Personally I would have used polyjuice much more in both my first and second rise. I mean seeing at how easy it was to get Sirius Black sent away how much chaos and terror could be sown if members of the Order or high ranking Ministry officals were seen killing defenseless muggles or wizards. Hell, even at the very least people's reputations could be ruined by having them "seen" doing various unsavory and or criminal things. Also I wanted to qoute a post from the rpg.net thread because it amused me so very much.

"Yeah, less "I want to kill the boy myself", more "the first person to bring me 51% or more of HP in the form of a deli sandwhich gets to beat up the Malfoys for shits and giggles", would have gone a looong way to solving this one particular thorn in his side.

Killing Harry's two best friends who help him solve everything would have been a nice second place finish. HP is protected by all sorts of Deus Ex Machinae, I don't see the Grangers suffering from constant protective wards and OoP Auror protection - and sans Hermione we know the dynamic duo would be fucked three ways from Sunday by a simple knock-knock joke."

 

In HBP, let his Death Eaters beat the shit out of Harry, or actually take him with them.

 

After failing to kill Harry with two different wands I wouldn't go looking for a third. I'd decide that, in this one case, a muggle gun would work just fine for my Archvillain needs.

 

I agree with the guy on rpg.net- I would offer a reward to the person who killed him deadest.

-I would have also ignored the prophesy when it was first made.

-For post GoF- I wouldn't have spent Harry's fifth year looking for the prophecy and having tea parties with Malfoy, I would have taken over the ministry like in DH and then I would have made the Unspeakables break the prophecy so I could hear it.

-Also, I would have made 2 Horcruxes. One, a pebble with a charm that made it that only I could summon it, dropped into the Atlantic ocean, and the other one Ron. He wouldn't have been selfless enough for the AK to reflect, and killing him would screw up Harry lots.

There's probably a lot of better ones, but I'm too tired to think of any. Might edit in more.

EDIT As my Anonymous negrepper pointed out, the use of a pebble is stupid because it would erode away. Meh, this is why I shouldn't post on threads that matter when I'm sleep deprived and at work. Pretend I put an impervious charm and an unbreakable charm on the pebble.

 

I would never deny any kind of knowledge or upper hand I could get in a fight. Wand doesn't work? Get a gun and blow his fucking brains out. I would also know exactly what my limits and abilities were, and look at things from both sides whenever possible. Get into the heads of my enemies. Give even them a completely wrong idea of what I'm like.

Act like a braindead chimp which somehow got a rocket launcher (basically, act like canon Voldemort), and leave a clear, obvious idea of how best to kill me... and since I act so stupid and completely bound by tradition and symbolism, they'll never realize that it's leading them straight into a trap.

 

I'd abandon my Dark Lord dreams and become Minister of Magic. Book wise that guy is almost omnipotent. Become minister and shape the laws however you want.

 

If I was Voldemort, I'd find a way to nuke England. All muggles and unsuspecting wizards would die. Of course, the Death Eaters would have to be somehow evacuated first.

That or just kill Granger.

 

If I had been in the Dark Lord's shoes - or, in this case, robes - the first thing that I would have done was to not trumpet my rise to power the first time, so that the whole freaking magical community could have an excuse to stand united against me. In HBP, it is clearly stated that very few people have made the connection between Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort. If I had been him, I would have made sure that those few didn't know either - or, if they somehow put the pieces together, despite my careful planning, Avada them all the way into next week.

Obviously Dumbledore would have been the hardest to fool, since he has distrusted Riddle since his student days, but if the boy had been more cautious around the old codger in the first place, perhaps Dumbledore could have been kept in the dark - for a certain amount of time, if not indefinitely.

Next I would have kept my handsome, youthful appearance - honestly, what point is there in going through all sorts of 'dark rituals' that will not only make me look like a half-developed fetus. but will also cause my appearance to be nothing less than instantly recognizable by any bleeding Squib a hundred meters away? That way, it would be even harder to be suspected as really being 'that horrible dark wizard who's been killing Muggles and whatnot' and to continue working for the good side (a.k.a. Order of the Phoenix) who, in acknowledgment of my academic achievements, would most likely give me a strategically important position.

This way, with a certain dose of subtlety, I would have been able to play the field from both sides, striking only whenever it was in my general advantage and moving further my designs for the wizarding world, in a Palpatine-esque fashion (who, by the way, was an absolutely brilliant villain, defeated only by his over-confidence after twenty years of undisputed supremacy).

All Lord Voldemort needed for this plan to work was more finesse and subtlety, qualities which he only displayed in GoF, when devising the excellent plan for Harry Potter's capture. After the fellow finally managed to get something halfway resembling a human body, all subtlety and style seems to fly straight out of the proverbial window, as proven by his actions in the next books.

 

I'd have kept my yew wand and not relied on some strange and mysterious uber-artifact
furthermore I'd have taken a page out of severus' book and sectumsempraed the stupid halfwit to death, then fed him to the trolls and not relied on a curse that was ineffective once in the past already

reading the evil overlord's list until I could recite it forwards and backwards would also have been one of my top priorities, even before the first rise

as to lord rostrams post: I'd have also given the order, but it was snape that made sure that harry wasn't kidnapped

 

I would have taken the prophesy literally and strangled the little twerp with my bare hands. After I had raped his mind to get the full prophesy.

 

i would have swallowed my obscenely large ego and just let someone else kill him..then i would have cut up his body and sent the peices to the far coners of the world

 

I think I would have made the Triwizard Cup a 1-way portkey. I'd have made sure my horcruxes contained a wide variety of magical knowledge (the diary and the phoenix tears). I'd have made one of the horcruxes be some public monument that couldn't be destroyed without a great deal of public attention and outcry.

 

-If I had a Death-Eater pretending as a teacher, I wouldn't have waited a whole-bleeding-year for something as simple as slipping a portkey.

-I wouldn't have waited a year dreaming to hear the prophesy. Kidnapping the night-guard of the Atrium and a dose of polyjuice would have done the trick admirably.

-I wouldn't have tried to kill a boy after failing thrice to do such a simple task. There are lots of assasins, be it muggle or wizard around. Afterwards killing the one who did it and taking claim for the kill works just fine. Hell after the experience of almost dying I would have never tried that curse on the boy again. Ever.

-You know, when a barely 17 year old boy stands smirking and with a knowing look where he not-so-long-ago trembled, there should be something you are missing. Ever heard better be safe than sorry?

 

I think I'd make the Basilisk my familiar if I were Voldemort, instead of Nagini. Much more imposing and offensively useful. I mean, its looks can literally kill. Granted, there is the problem of housing a somenumber-foot long snake.

And assuming that Voldemort would still make the Basilisk a Horcrux, it would be amusing seeing Neville trying to strangle it.

 

I wouldn't be Voldemort.

I mean, conquering the world? Just too much damn work.

Minions, though ...

 

Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20, but how many of you would have the foresight to do any of that stuff?

 

halloween

I would have never busted into Harry's house all dramatic like that on Halloween instead I wouldve bombed the place a long way off with plenty of dodging room and then once I finished Id set the remains on fire just to make sure I got all the little bits and pieces

 

I probably would've given up on the whole 'Dark Lord' thing after I do the following:

Kill Lucius and James, then take Narcissa and Lily as my sex slaves. I'd be too busy having hot, steamy sex to be a Dark Wizard after that.

But that's probably because I'm a pervert.

 

Hasn't there been several threads similar to this one?

 

I woulnd't have named my followers "Death Eaters", and I wouldn't have acted so "Dark Lord" like. Instead, I would have gone around trying to convince everyone that the muggles were a threat to our society, and needed to be eradicated immediately. Make it a revolutionary group, not a terrorist organization.

He was highly charismatic, why make people fear you when you can make them fear you and love you at the same time? How many of Riddle's followers did slack jobs or half assed work because there was no true reward involved? No true acknowledgment?

I would have used the charisma to build a base group on something more than just fear and a shared racist goal.