[HPforGrownups] Tom Riddle and orphanage

[Calypso8604 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 28438

Well, he *did* have friends, they were the ones that called him Lord 
Voldemort as a nickname at school. I suppose JKR wants it to seem as if 
Slytherins don't care, its every man for himself....I really don't know 
actually, I'm trying to figure out why his friends wouldn't take him in 
myself.

The orphanage pat always bothered me too. But I think that after Tom's mother 
died he was turned in to his father who in turn dropped him off at an 
orphanage. 

Another thing, if Tom could have possibly stayed at Hogwarts why can't Harry 
now that the basilisk is dead? Hogwarts *is* one of the safest places...

~ Calypso


In a message dated 10/29/01 11:39:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
bookraptor11 at yahoo.com writes:


> Something that's been bothering me for a while, and I don't think 
> it's been discussed, at least not in the past six months (I tried to 
> check the posts).
> 
> Why is Tom Riddle put in a muggle orphanage?  I know his father 
> didn't want him, or may not have known about him.  He could have 
> walked out before Tom's mom even knew she was pregnant.  His mother 
> didn't have any living relatives apparantly.  However, you would 
> think the wizard world would make some provision for orphans, a good 
> friend of the family, foster care or something.
> 
> Every child who is born a wizard is recorded and a letter is 
> automatically sent when it's time to go to Hogwart's, so it's not as 
> if nobody knew he existed. Some spell must have been worked 
> so the head of the orphanage would think nothing of sending him off 
> to school and seeing him come back every summer.  I don't think 
> that's usual proceedure for an orphanage to send a child off to 
> boarding school, they'd be educated locally.
> 
> It's also strange that once he's in Hogwarts and is so talented, head 
> boy, etc., that he doesn't make friends who would take him in over 
> the holidays and summer. In COS he asks the headmaster if he can stay 
> that summer, and can't because of the basilisk.  Even when he frames 
> Hagrid, and the troubles end, there's no evidence that he get to stay.
> That's another question, I guess, maybe with all his talent and 
> popularity with the teachers (except Dumbledore), maybe he wasn't as 
> liked by the students?
> 
> Donna




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