[HPforGrownups] The Bloody Baron's identity

[alicit at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 51497

In a message dated 2/2/2003 5:23:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
innermurk at catlover.com writes:

> When young Tom Riddle managed to make his way, well, the Bloody Baron was 
> right there to guide him. But since the chamber wasn't able to stay open, 
> his work is not finished and he's still around.
> 
> I'm not convinced this is his true identity. But it's a theory to think 
> about.
> Anyone?
> 

I think that someone would notice if the baron was salazar... Harry does 
recognise the statue in CoS, doesn't he?  *Looks it up in the book*  Odd, he 
actually doesn't seem to at first:

"Harry had to crane his neck to look at the giant face above:  It was ancient 
and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the 
wizard's sweeping stone robes," (cos american paperback, 389)

But then he later identifies it as slytherin:  "Harry,..., watched Riddle 
stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin" 
(Cos, american paperback, 402)

*realizes she's gone off on a tangent*  Well, anyway, Harry's a smart boy, he 
probably figured that the statue in slytherin's chamber is slytherin...

Anyway, if Bloody baron = Salazar slytherin, harry would have probably picked 
up on it...  Anyway, the description of the Baron in Cos is this:  

"a gaunt, staring, Slytherin ghost covered in silver bloodstains" (167)
(he's also described like that in PS)

I think if he looked like a monkey, or had a huge beard, it would be 
mentioned.

But, i really like the idea of the baron helping Riddle.  Maybe the Baron is 
some ancestor of riddle's, and is a descendant of Slytherin himself.  Back 
then, each generation could have been told about the chaimber of secrets 
great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Salazar left in hogwarts, in hopes 
that one of them would have the gifr of parseltounge.  This would also 
explain how riddle knew he was a descendant of Slytherin.

ooh, i like this idea...

-scheherazade


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