[HPforGrownups] [HBP] Why didn't Voldemort Modify Hagrid's Memory?

[Shelley]

No: HPFGUIDX 190187


>>> First off, I'm sorry if this has already been discussed. In fact, I'd be
>>> surprised if it hasn't been.
>>>
>>> I was just listening to HBP (The Stephen Fry Ver.). Voldemort modified
>>> Morphin's memory to make him think he had killed the Riddles and Hokey the
>>> House Elf to make her think she had killed Hephzibah Smith, but didn't
>>> modify Hagrid's memory to make him think he had set Aragog on the
>>> muggle-borns/opened the chamber of secrets.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts as to why?
> Bart:
>       How about Riddle was younger, and not as skilled a wizard at the time?
>
>       Bart
Shelley now:
That was my thought is it had nothing to do with "skill", as much as 
"need". The "Hagrid" incident was the first of the three- and Riddle 
hadn't yet thought of modifying someone's memory. It's a step he takes 
with the later murders in "refining" his crimes to cover his tracks. In 
the Hagrid incident, he had his position as "trusted individual" over 
Hagrid who had a "prohibited pet" to blame, thus his tracks were covered 
and all suspicion averted from him. (He didn't kill Mertyl directly, the 
snake did, and do there was no direct connection to him.) With the later 
murders, Riddle was much more involved and thus he had to be much more 
careful so they couldn't be tracked back to him, which is why I think he 
researched the Memory Modification.

Shelley