Tommy Riddle's birth (was Re: No Sex, Please, We're British)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 83786

> Ginger again:  

> This is the part that interests me:  When did little 
> Tommy find out the details?  I agree that she was most likely 
> attended by a midwife (I think it was Grannybat who said that), 
and 
> that the midwife told the orphanage people, who told Tommy the 
> details of his birth and naming.  
> 
> But who told him about his mother being abandoned due to being a 
> witch?  Who told him about Slytherin's heir and the whole CoS 
thing? 
> Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm, where's the ibuprofin?
> 

Jen (reaching for the ibuprofen as we speak):

Ginger, that is a great question. Er, no, I don't have an 
answer...just speculation with a (very) little canon to back it up.

Did Tom learn his magical history at Hogwarts? If the name Marvolo 
came from the Mom's side (as many have speculated) maybe their 
lineage was in "Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century" (SS, 
chap.12, p.197)  or "Hogwarts a History", and he was able to piece 
together some of his magical history, the part about descending from 
Salazar Slytherin

Maybe his Mom had a diary or other papers the midwife brought to the 
orphanage, and Tom received these when he left for Hogwarts. Tom 
already knows of his father's actions while at Hogwarts, when he 
describes his Dad as a "..foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even 
before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch.." 
(COS, US paperback, chap. 17, p. 314). So we can rule out that Tom, 
Jr. forced the story out of his Dad before killing him.

The thing I keep coming back to is (grannybat and Geoff were 
discussing this in up-thread), where was the magical family during 
this time?  Sure Tom is "half-blood", but he's still magical and 
descended from Salazar Slytherin--wouldn't that make up for the 
Muggle dad somewhat? 

**Speculation** I'm thinking the magical family never knew of Tom, 
Jr.'s birth or his acceptance into Hogwarts. Or they rejected him 
anyway. And this perceived rejection also fuels Tom's transformation 
into LV. From a psychological standpoint, Tom's obssession with 
ridding the world of Muggle-blood mirrors his personal "dangerous, 
magical transformations" (COS, US paperback, chap. 18, p. 329) that 
are an attmept to rid *himself* of his own Muggle blood.**

Any other thoughts?