“Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion…….”

(Rubeus Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone).

The dolphin known as Voldemort.

Photo evidence provided by Daphna Feingold of Sea Watch Foundation.

Although the downfall of Lord Voldemort in 1998 has been well documented (see: “The rise and fall of Tom Riddle”, by Rita Skeeter), new evidence has come to light, suggesting that He Who Must Not Be Named may still be among us.

Every year since 2003, the Welsh branch of the Department of Magical Creatures, known locally as the Sea Watch Foundation, has received numerous reports of a menacing, well-marked, bottlenose dolphin, along the Welsh coast. Are dolphins magical creatures I hear you ask? No. But this particular dolphin has drawn quite a lot of interest from the magical community due to rumours of its association with the former Dark Lord. Evidence suggests that, in 2009, Voldemort (in dolphin form) engaged in the killing of a local harbour porpoise, perhaps his first kill in his new form?  A great deal of clouds were spotted above the attack site, leading to some speculation that the dark mark might have been visible for the first time in 11 years, however Ministry officials were unable to differentiate between the dark mark, or the heavy cloud cover routinely associated with Welsh weather.

Photographic evidence of Voldemort killing a harbour porpoise.

Photo by Louise Higby/ Sea Watch Foundation.

This particular dolphin is  also regularly seen in the company of other dolphins, possibly recruiting a new contingent of death eaters. His followers appear to primarily include Bond, Chris, and Smoothy, however on one or two occasions he has been seen in the company of Gandalf and Snape (fingers crossed the dolphin incarnation of Snape is still loyal to Lily Potters memory, otherwise we might all be in trouble…..! ). Of particular concern is Voldemort’s tendency to associate with mothers and juveniles, causing us to fear he might be looking for his next Bellatrix LeStrange or Draco Malfoy?

Watch this space as we hope to add Voldemort to our list of adoptable dolphins soon!

Photo by Giovanna Pesante/ Sea Watch Foundation

Recently he’s been spotted lurking around the many sea caves of the Ceredigion coast, potentially hunting for a new headquarters from which to base his future sinister endeavours. If you think you’ve spotted Voldemort, or any other dolphins that could be associating with him, then please report your sightings through our website. Only through local and national co-operation can we hope to better understand the motives and movements of this particular dolphin.

Thank you for your time,

Laura Bartlett, Department of Magical Creatures Chief Investigator/ Sea Watch Intern 2016