Here's Why Lord Voldemort Left Professor Slughorn Alive Despite All He Knew
For everyone who always thought it was weird for Voldemort to leave the only person who knew his secret alive, we feel you… But we’ve come up with a few explanations.
Lord Voldemort was not the type of person to leave any witnesses behind without a specific reason. His lust for power and immortality led him to commit numerous murders: some to cover up his tracks, some to achieve his current goals, and some just because he was a twisted maniac who found joy in killing innocent civilians.
All the weirder was his decision to leave Professor Horace Slughorn alive. The Head of Slytherin was the only person in the world Tom Riddle had ever spelled the word “Horcrux” to, and he was a massive liability. It would’ve been logical for Riddle to kill him after embracing his Dark Lord identity… So why didn’t he even try to do that?
Reason 1: Good Old Slughorn Was a Coward
Even when he was still a student, Tom Riddle was an excellent legilimens who could read people’s nature like a book. By the time of their Horcrux discussion, Riddle had already spent years being close to Professor Slughorn, and he knew him really well.
Most likely, Tom Riddle didn’t see Horace Slughorn giving up this information willingly — and he was pretty much right as the Professor kept quiet throughout the entire war.
Reason 2: Good Old Slughorn Knew Nothing
Even though the talk Riddle and Slughorn had was peculiar, to say the least, it didn’t contain any practical information. The only thing Slughorn’s memory or words could confirm was that Tom Riddle showed interest in Horcruxes…and that’s it.
For someone eager to destroy Lord Voldemort, this would reveal that he made Horcruxes — but their locations, containers, and other details were not there at all.
Reason 3: Good Old Slughorn Was Good and Old
Even though Tom Riddle later turned into an inhumane monster, we’ll take the liberty to assume that he was still fond of his former Professor. It was Slughorn who showed young Tom just how special he was, and despite anything, Riddle still liked the man.
Not only did Voldemort decide to not destroy Horace Slughorn, which he could, but he also spent months trying to find the man to offer him a job. That’s fondness, even if it might be hard to believe that the abomination Riddle had turned into was capable of such feelings.