Sympathy for Voldemort?

[CareALotsClouds at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 58873


I don't hate Voldemort, I do, in fact, feel sorry for him.  Let me explain 
why:

As we all know, Tom Riddle Jr was born an orphan when his mother died at 
child birth.  His father, abandoned him even before he was born learning that the 
Mother of his child was a witch.  What happened to the rest of Tom Riddle's 
family is not yet known, and maybe never will be known, I doubt JK will go down 
that path, but either way, Tom was stuck at a Muggle Orphanage.

What kind of child hood he had is also unknown, there is no canon saying that 
he was abused, bullied by other kids or anything of the sort, but what we do 
know is that he didn't like it as said when memory Tom Riddle was talking to 
Dippet.
We can all assume that he wasn't loved.  Orphanages offer you shelter, not an 
upbringing or nurturement (this information is been given to me at personal 
experience).  Espeically back in the 1930's when discipline was harsh.  I know 
what you must be thinking: Harry wasn't exactly nurtured either.  But then if 
you look at the nurture Vs. nature argument you will see that Harry's nature 
obviously takes after his parents who were good and just as said by just about 
every wizard that knew them in all four books.  Tom's parents consisted of a 
Slytherin Heir and an arrogant Muggle man (GoF the villagers comment on the 
Riddle's behaviour and how the Son, Tom Riddle Snr is even worse than the 
parents).

And so Tom gets a letter from Hogwarts, how the orphanage came to accept this 
is a different story - and how he learned of his heritage and how he found 
the chamber: is a different story.  But what IS with this story is that Tom did 
find the chamber, that he did turn evil at some point (or IMO as you will 
learn soon, psychotic).  Tom opened the chamber, he framed Hagrid, everyone 
believed him except DUMBLEDORE.  Now, Dumbledore knew he was, knew what he had done, 
but what did he do about it?  Nothing.  This is where I believe that 
Dumbledore is not perfect.  He has prejudice in him to have such lack of faith in Tom 
that Dumbledore didn't bother to help him.  Because thats what I believe Tom 
needed and still needs: help.  Harry is Dumbledore's little Gem, but not 
Riddle.  Dumbledore could of taken him under his wing, taught him right from wrong, 
done what the people at the orphanage didn't do.  Even if Dumbledore didn't 
believe that he could be helped (which is evident that he didn't) he still 
didn't tell anybody else?  And the fact that he let Hagrid get the blame is 
ridiculous: Isn't it obvious that Hagrid's Spider wasn't the monster: the effects of 
an Acromantula does not involve petrification or instant death.  You can tell 
by observing Mrytle's dead body that it wasn't an Acromnatula at work there.

Tom was known as an honest, handsome, hard-working boy and Dumbledore said in 
CoS that he was very convincing and that he could twist people to meet his 
needs.  So Tom was well loved at school, but was it really Tom or was it his 
charade?  Tom has never had anyone truely care about him, not then, not now.  Yet 
he feels love.  He loves his Mother.  His own behaviour is the resentment he 
has towards his Father for abandoning his Mother.  It's from that that he is 
driven to do the things he does towards muggles.  His pain, which no one helped 
heal has driven him into his extreme behaviour.  To murder Voldemort, or to 
arrest Voldemort would be discrimination since he is psychotic, would  a sane 
person kill hundreds of people?  Aren't killers there days that kill and kill 
known to be insane?  Whats so different about Voldemort?  

Tom was doomed from the day he was born, his 'choices' as Dumbledore says are 
not really his choices?  He 'chose' to be Voldemort's heir?  I don't see how 
he chose to be in Slytherin, since he was as clueless as Harry when he entered 
Hogwarts, he didn't know which house was which?  His extreme pain prevented 
him from turning the other cheek towards what his Father done, he was never 
given relief from it.  He hasn't got a heart?  I think he does for his Mother.

Don't get me wrong, I dont think that his past gives him the right to do what 
he has done, but its a jail or instant death that he should be given?  I 
think he should go to the nut house.  He doesn't deserve to die for he hasnt yet 
been given the chance to live.

I think there are a lot of holes in this opinion so feel free to disagree, Im 
curious to how everyone else feels towards Voldemort.

Oh, and sorry I didnt have the books at hand to do quotes.
Loadsa love Nic x  x  x

P.S. Why does Voldemort spend his life trying to find longer life when he 
isn't living a life?
P.P.S. Dementor's kiss just too harsh?  (Think that Sirius was going to get 
it when he was innocent).


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