The Riddles' Murders (WAS: The only one he ever feared?

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 117946


Kim asked:
>And I'll toss out this last question:  who do you think taught young 
Tom Riddle how to perform an Avada Kedavra?<

JP replied:
>I think that Tom had "theoretically" known how to use the AK Curse, 
you know, knowing the incantation and everything... <snip> ... the 
user must mean it... savor the pleasure of hurting or killing someone 
in order to use it properly.  And I think that Tom Jr did: he meant 
to kill his family, and following logically the attitude of the 
present day Voldy, had the pleasure of doing so.>

Kim replies:
I see what you're saying, but I was wondering specifically *who* 
taught young Tom the Unforgiveable Curses?  Not that I really have 
any idea myself.  Learning AKs, etc. would seem to require more than 
looking in a book, even for a gifted student.  And at Hogwarts at 
least, these curses are pretty much forbidden, aren't they, despite 
the fact that Moody!Crouch taught them in GoF?  So maybe learning 
Unforgiveables was part of an "underground movement" among the bad 
students (bad, as in mean and nasty), similar to the way "the 
Marauders" had to learn how to become animagi without the knowledge 
of their professors.  But studying Unforgiveable Curses on one's own 
would have to be kept even more hushed up than studying animagus 
transfigurations, because of the shear illegality of Unforgiveables.  
Maybe TR and friends found outside help in their studies from 
unsavory types, whoever they may have been.  Something to ponder 
anyway! 

Cheers, Kim