The Riddle House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harry Potter locale | |
 The Riddle House, as depicted in the Goblet of Fire movie. |
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| The Riddle House | |
|---|---|
| Location | Little Hangleton |
| Owner | "A wealthy man," according to Goblet of Fire |
| Affiliation | Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort |
| Permanent residents | Currently none, formerly Tom Riddle Sr. and Frank Bryce |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
In the fictional universe of Harry Potter The Riddle House is a location where a number of events related to the character of Lord Voldemort take place. It first appears in the opening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire were Frank Bryce is murdered. It also appears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where it is seen in a number of flashbacks produced by Dumbledore’s pensieve.
The Riddle House is not far from the village of Little Hangleton, where Tom Riddle Sr. (Voldemort's father) and his parents lived. Not far from the Riddle property lived the "town tramp", Marvolo Gaunt, and his two children, Morfin and Merope. Merope, apparently using a love potion, convinced Tom Sr. to marry her. At some point in the first year of their marriage, he returned home, claiming to have been "bewitched."
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[edit] The Riddles' murders
Years later, after learning the truth about his parentage from his Uncle Morfin, Tom Riddle Jr. came into the Riddle House and murdered his father and grandparents, then placed a false memory in Morfin, making him believe that he killed the Riddles. The Ministry of Magic knew that this was a murder committed using magic, and after hearing Morfin confessed, he was sentenced to a life sentence in Azkaban.
Voldemort's grandfather had been the squire of Little Hangleton, and whatever good relations the Riddles had with the locals of Little Hangleton had since passed. To the locals, the Riddles were snobbish and rude, and their unusual deaths became somewhat of a morbid curiosity. All three Riddles were discovered dead, at the same time, in what seemed to be perfect health.
[edit] Frank Bryce
The locals accused the gardener, Frank Bryce, of their murders; he was the only one with a key to the Riddle House, and there was no one else, in their minds who could have done it. Although Bryce was never charged with any wrongdoing, he was shunned by the local community, and continued to live out his life taking care of the grounds of the Riddle House. The Riddle House passed from various owners, until at some point in time "a wealthy man purchased it for tax reasons"[1]. Nearly 50 years after the murder of the Riddles, Frank saw a light coming from inside the house. Assuming it to be children on a prank, he instead discovered Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew (aka Wormtail) discussing plans to capture Harry Potter and ensure Voldemort's return. Voldemort murdered Frank shortly thereafter.
[edit] Continued use?
Voldemort and Wormtail stayed at the Riddle House for the following year (during the events of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), at the end of which Voldemort was resurrected in a churchyard near the house. It is unknown whether Voldemort and his Death Eaters continue to use it as a base of operations.
[edit] References
- ^ [HP4] Rowling, J.K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. UK ISBN 074754624X/US ISBN 0439139597. Chapter 1.
