harry potter - Why did Voldemort reveal himself at the end of OotP?

During Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort tries his best to lure Harry to the Ministry so that Harry retrieves the prophecy for him.

In the aftermath, while Harry follows Bellatrix towards the exit, he raises a valid question:

”Why couldn’t he (Voldemort) come and get it (the prophecy) himself?”

This is a valid question, the prophecy is labeled as referring to the Dark Lord and maybe Harry Potter. Only those mentioned can retrieve the prophecy, so Voldemort should have been able to get the it, assuming he is the Dark Lord of the prophecy.

Bellatrix gives a good answer:

“Get it himself?” shrieked Bellatrix on a cackle of mad laughter. “The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?”

Despite the cackle of mad laughter, the reasoning is sound, Voldemort didn't want to reveal himself.

Yet he does exactly that when he appears in the Ministry and is seen by the Minister himself, and he exposes himself for no gain.

Bellatrix may or may not have been able to escape without his help, but he couldn't know that before he came, and his other followers that were captured were freed again a few months later, so it wouldn't have mattered much, he would have freed her, too.

So why did he go to the Ministry and reveal himself?

Comments

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