My shocking idea - the case for Tom Riddle

[bookraptor11]

No: HPFGUIDX 73095

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Wanda Sherratt" 
<wsherratt3338 at r...> wrote: (in response to the info Kelly wrote 
about the basilisk and Myrtle episode coming before Tom killed his 
father and grandparents)

> You're quite right, this is the weak point of the theory.  If the 
> basilisk episode took place first, then it means that Tom was 
> already a killer when he went to seek his father.  I believe that 
> the killing of the Riddles happened first, in the summer between 
his 
> fourth and fifth year, and the basilisk happened when he went back 
> to school, but I can't prove it.  Both incidents are described as 
> taking place 50 years ago (or 'half a century ago'); if we take 
that 
> literally, then the basilisk happened first, and the Riddle 
incident 
> 2 years later, in the order in which we read about them.  

Me

Although since we're speculating here, how about this: Tom finds his 
father before the basilisk incident, visits his grandparent's house, 
and confronts them. He's rejected, told they don't want to have 
anything to do with him, and he runs off with his tail between his 
legs. At the orphanage and Hogwarts he has time to brood and hate; he 
vows that he will continue learning all he can about the Dark Arts 
and that someday he will return to the Riddle house and have his 
revenge. While looking up spells in the restricted section, which 
he's broken into, he finds info on the basilisk. We don't know if he 
knows he's the heir of Slytherin, but he could have found out he can 
talk to snakes in a similar way Harry did, and he realizes if he can 
find the basilisk he can control it. Maybe he even has plans of 
showing up at the Riddle house with the basilisk. The basilisk 
incident plays out as it's been told in COS, and Tom realizes it's 
too dangerous to keep using. He doesn't want Hogwarts closed, 
returning his to he orphanage and disrupting his studies. He then 
returns the next year to the Riddle house armed with AK this time and 
already a murderer.

Thanks for your theory, by the way, I never thought of it. I could 
only thought of this refinement of yours because I read yours first.

Donna