The Unfulfilled Plans of Voldemort in the Gringotts Graveyard

The Gringotts graveyard was supposed to be the ultimate battleground where the forces of light and dark would clash, but it turned out to be a setting that sealed Voldemort's fate. In this battle, Voldemort's plans failed miserably, which led to his ultimate downfall. Let us explore why.

Harry's Escape and Dumbledore's Early Warning

Harry was never supposed to escape the graveyard alive. Voldemort transported him there to ensure he was away from the protection of Hogwarts and Dumbledore. However, Harry managed to escape and immediately alerted Dumbledore to Voldemort's return. This was a critical mistake on Voldemort's part, as it squandered any plans he had to stay off the Order's radar.

The Blood Protection Backfired

The biggest failure was one that Voldemort was not even aware of. When Voldemort was resurrected, he used Harry's blood, feeling proud that he now had Lily's protection and could touch Harry without harm. However, this turned out to be his biggest downfall. By using Harry's blood, Voldemort ensured that Harry could not be killed by him as long as his protection now lived in both of them. This protection was inside Voldemort, making it impossible for him to kill Harry as long as he was alive. This safeguard only applied to Voldemort, meaning that anyone else could kill Harry with a killing curse, except Voldemort himself.

Read the following excerpt from Albus Dumbledore and Harry in the limbo between the living world and afterlife:

'But if Voldemort used the Killing Curse,' Harry started again, 'and nobody died for me this time – how can I be alive?'

‘I think you know,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Think back. Remember what he did in his ignorance in his greed and his cruelty.’

‘He took my blood,’ said Harry.

‘Precisely!’ said Dumbledore. ‘He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it! Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily’s protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!’

If Voldemort had put his ego aside and used Cedric's blood, the situation would have been different. The sacrificial protection from Lily would have only been partially effective, making it more likely that Harry would die, permanently. In this scenario, a Diggory-blooded Voldemort would have ended up killing both his piece of soul and Harry within Harry in Book 7, resulting in Harry's death and Dumbledore's despair.

Tragic Implications of Using Cedric's Blood

If Voldemort had used Cedric's blood, the Elder Wand's ownership would still have been with Harry, assuming all canon events still occurred. However, Voldemort would have permanently killed Harry in the forest, taking the full allegiance of the Elder Wand with him.

This would mean that everything would go canonically right up until Harry was brought to show the good guys that their saviour is dead. But this would truly be the death of Harry. Neville would still likely get a strike on Nagini, but imagine the destruction Voldemort would cause with the full power of the Elder Wand. This scenario would bring a dire end to the war, with Voldemort once again proving too powerful to defeat.

Voldemort's plans in the Gringotts graveyard were indeed unfulfilled. These missteps and the subsequent consequences from using Harry's blood led to his demise, cementing the significance of this decisive moment in the Harry Potter series.