Tom Riddle -- Who Knew?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 126279


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "grindieloe" <andie1 at e...> 
wrote:

grindie:
> It surprised me slightly that in OoP when Harry is trying to get 
the 
> DE's / Bellatrix angry, he mentions how Voldie is a half-blood.  
> They act angry over this statement, but I'm assuming this is just 
> because they don't like it to be mentioned and not because they 
> didn't know.

Geoff:
This may remain as one of those bits of information about which we 
can only speculate.

My reading is that Bellatrix didn't know. Why? Because twice at least 
she uses the term "half-blood" as a pejorative term.

'"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak his name with 
your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's 
tongue, you dare - "
"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" said Harry recklessly. Hermione 
gave a little moan in his ear. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a 
witch but his dad was a Muggle - or has he been telling you lot he's 
pure-blood?"'

(OOTP "Beyond the Veil" pp.691-692 UK edition)

'"He dares - he dares - " shrieked Bellatrix incoherently, "he stands 
there - filthy half-blood - "'

(ibid. p.692)

(Poor girl's got herself in quite a tizz hasn't she?)

Her reaction is so violent that I read it as Harry attacking 
something she holds very dear. And it it his response to /her/ insult 
that triggers off his exchange.

Why did she choose that particular wording? She could quite easily 
have chosen other ways of putting Harry down. Mocking his age and 
lack of experience for example.

No, I feel that Voldemort has carefully hidden his background from 
the Death Eaters. We know that he was known as Voldemort to a small 
circle of friends when he was at Hogwarts but poeple like Bellatrix 
are from a later generation who have been indoctrinated with the 
pureblood theories.

However, as I said at the start, we may never know for certain.