I have read all four books that have been released…and wonder whether anyone else thinks that the following is either a) a major plot error or b)something that will get cleared up later in the series.
In Chamber of Secrets, it’s made abundantly clear that Tom Riddle (later to be Lord Voldemort) is an orphan (whose mother was a witch and father was a Muggle).
However, at the start of Goblet of Fire, the fact that the occupants of the Riddle house were killed is central to the plot. The Riddles would semm to be completely nonmagical. There is a mention that a “pale, dark-haired boy” had been seen nearby.
So it would seem that a) Tom isn’t an orphan and these are his real parents (what about his witch mother though?), b) These are maybe Tom’s relatives? (why didn’t he stay with them & not in the orphanage) or c) Rowling made a major mistake. Any ideas here???
I say stay tuned. I’ve read the books twice, working on the third time now(out loud to my son at night). My hunches are as follows:
Parents were killed by the Avada Kedavra curse cast by:
Tom Riddle, who has travelled back in time. The dark haired kid is Harry Potter, there for some to-be determined reason.
I seem to remember, and will keep an eye out for it now, that Lord Voldemort said he killed his parents. I think that was in Goblet of Fire. We know time travel is possible, remember Hermione Granger in The Prisoner of Azkaban.
Voldemort’s father, also named Tom, abandoned his mother (and his then unborn son, Voldemort) when he discovered she was a witch. Voldemort’s father returned to his family mansion and lived with his parents (Voldemort’s grandparents) for 15 years or so until Voldemort showed up as a teenager and killed all three of them. Voldemort’s mother died giving birth to Voldemort. Because Voldemort’s father had already abandoned his wife, the baby was treated as an orphan when the baby’s mother died.
With Voldemort’s father absent and his mother dead, Voldemort was sent to a Muggle orphanage to grow up. He attended Hogwarts while Dumbledore was a professor there. Hagrid was a third year student when Voldemort (Tom Riddle) was, IIRC, a seventh year. Voldemort summoned the basilisk from the secret chamber, and Hagrid took the blame. That’s why he was expelled.
Big HP fan here. Now that you’ve answered that question, how about some scoop on the next book? I’ve heard it’s due out in January, although even that info is dated, hence the question. When is it coming, and why no leaks? Goblet of Fire had the better HP sites going gangbusters with info before the release, most of which ultimately turned out to be correct. My sons are tired of re-reading and listening to the first four. We need fresh meat!
