GoF CH 1-3 post DH look

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 181745


> > > Alla:
> > > 
> > > I mean, to me it makes more sense that Voldemort as the only
> > > heir would have owned it, 
> 
> Mike:
> Yeah, me too Alla. Not necessarily because he was the only heir, but 
> because he would think it his birthright and would manipulate things 
> to put his name on the deed. 

Pippin:
Except, what would Voldemort care about Muggle deeds? I think he put a
minor curse on the house, not powerful enough for the ministry to
detect but sufficient to discourage Muggle occupancy. Probably some
Muggle did own it at a loss "for tax reasons" -- which are
sufficiently boring that even Jo Rowling couldn't make a further
explanation interesting.* 

It's highly unlikely that a prominent wealthy family like the Riddles
wouldn't have wills, though the ultimate heir might depend on whether
the Muggles could tell whether any of the Riddles had survived the
others. If Mrs. Riddle was the last to go then her relatives, who
wouldn't be Riddles, might have gotten the house, sold it and it
finally ended up as somebody's tax dodge. 

*I don't know how it works in the UK, but in America, you can take
depreciation on a building you own as an investment, which means you
get to deduct a percentage of the building's value as an expense
without actually laying out any cash. Meanwhile the land value might
be  increasing, but you don't have to pay a tax on that until you sell
it. I told ya it was boring...

Pippin