Voldemort's childhood

[annemehr <annemehr@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50818

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Andrea <ra_1013 at y...> wrote:
> --- manawydan <manawydan at n...> wrote:

<snip>
  
> > 2. How did he later find out his family history, given that his 
mother was
> > dead and presumably (if he was in a muggle orphanage) there were 
no
> > wizard relatives nearby to bring him up?
> 
> I picture a pregnant Mrs. Riddle, abandoned by her husband for being 
magic
> and cast out by her family for consorting with a Muggle, knowing she 
was
> weak and there's a strong possibility she won't survive the birth.  
So she
> writes out a long letter to her unborn child, which she gives to 
someone
> at the orphanage and insists he be given the letter at a certain 
age.
> 

Alternatively, if you don't want to suppose that Riddle's mother 
feared she would not survive childbirth, Riddle could have found out 
about his mother's family after his arrival at Hogwarts.  It would be 
easy to believe that there would be *someone* there he could ask about 
the name "Marvolo", who would remember the man himself (Riddle's 
grandfather), and could tell him very much.  Riddle probably found out 
all he could from different people and began putting things together. 
One thing I'm not sure of is how he made the connection between 
Marvolo and Salazar Slytherin.  I could theorize that he eventually 
was able to see some personal records of Marvolo's which either 
spelled it out or pointed to other possible clues.  Maybe JKR will 
tell us more eventually.  Marvolo himself I believe to have been dead 
by then since we have heard nothing of Voldemort hating his "filthy 
Wizard grandfather" who, if he were alive, would also have had to have 
abandoned TMR.

In a similar vein, in the Muggle world, I'm sure an intelligent boy 
like Riddle would find ways of investigating his surname (and don't 
forget, he'd always been able to "charm the people [he] needed" to 
help tease information out of people).  Imagine his shock and fury to 
find that the father who abandoned him was alive, well, and very rich!


Annemehr