Do the DEs know that Voldemort is Tom Riddle? (Was: Snape as a Spy. . .)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 86502

Carol:
<snip> Do we know for sure that Snape knows Voldemort's true identity? 

bboy_mn:
I'm thoroughly convinced that Snape now knows about the Tom
Riddle/Voldemort connection, but exactly when he found out, I'm not sure. 
 
I also wonder just how much the Death Eaters know about Tom Riddle.
They must have some vague knowledge, and now that they have been to
the graveyard location of the re-embodiment of Voldemort, they have
surely made the connection. But exactly what they know about Tom
Riddle Sr and his being a muggle is unclear. I believe Voldemort made
the comment to Harry about Tom Riddle Sr. being a muggle and a fool
before the DE's arrived.


Carol:

Yes, Diary!Tom's comment to Harry was made in CS and the DEs didn't
know of Voldemort's return until the marks on their arms started to
burn in GoF. How much they knew before and even how much they know now
is still unclear, though we have some pretty clear evidence in some cases.

Malfoy, for one, knows that Voldemort was Tom Riddle since he had
Tom's diary in his possession (he put it in Ginny's cauldron). If I'm
right that he picked it up for Voldemort while he was a sixth- or
seventh-year student, he must have known that Tom Riddle was a
Slytherin, but he would certainly have assumed at that time that
Riddle/Voldemort was a pureblood. Whether he shared his knowledge of
Voldemort's former identity with his Slytherin gang or anyone else, I
don't know. At any rate, that was many years ago and he was still a
boy. He may be starting to draw some conclusions now, a thought I'll
get back to in a moment.

Peter Pettigrew also must know that Voldemort is Tom Riddle. Moreover,
unlike Malfoy, he certainly knows about Tom had a Muggle father after
digging up the grave in GoF and adding the "bone of the father" to the
mixture that would resurrect Voldemort. I don't think that the other
DEs necessarily made the connection, though, or even wondered what
they were doing meeting in a Muggle cemetery in GoF. Maybe it seemed
like an appropriate meeting place or maybe they were all too concerned
with their own skins to think about anything else. Malfoy, the
coolest-headed and slipperiest of the DEs present, may have drawn
conclusions that no one else did, but he nevertheless gave the
information about Sirius to Voldemort and was unquestionably trying to
obtain the prophecy for LV rather than himself. Consequently I don't
think he had made the connection yet.

A year later in the MoM scene, Bellatrix clearly doesn't believe Harry
when he inform her that Voldemort is a half blood with a witch mother
and a muggle father and tries to stupefy him in her rage at his
perceived lie (OoP 784 Am. Ed.) Interestingly, Lucius Malfoy and most
if not all of the other Death Eaters involved in the Mom incident are
also present during that exchange, but only Bellatrix seems upset by
it. The others calmly continue to follow orders from Malfoy, whose
sole concern at the moment is the safety of the Prophecy.

Still, Malfoy may have time to remember Harry's words while he's
sitting in Azkaban. Lucius, as we all know, is "slippery," and I can't
imagine him continuing to be a loyal follower of Voldemort if he knows
beyond doubt that Voldemort is a half-blood--which is not to say that
I think he'll stop being a Death Eater when he escapes, only that
he'll have his own agenda (if he doesn't already). If so, I think
Severus Snape will take full advantage of the opportunity to subvert
and distract his old friend, to the Order's (and his own) advantage.

Carol