Morfin Gaunt

"Hissy, hissy, little snakey, Slither on the floor You be good to Morfin Or he'll nail you to the door."

- Morfin Gaunt in Parseltongue

Morfin Gaunt (fl. 1925-1943) was a pure-blood wizard descended from Salazar Slytherin. He was the son of Marvolo Gaunt, brother of Merope Gaunt, and uncle of Tom Marvolo Riddle. After he cursed Tom Riddle Sr., a Muggle who lived near his home in Little Hangleton, because his sister was infatuated with him, Morfin was imprisoned in Azkaban for three years. When he returned home, his father and sister had already died. In 1943, Morfin met his nephew, who killed his paternal family and then altered Morfin's memory so that he believed he was the murderer. Morfin died in Azkaban, but not before Albus Dumbledore learned the truth about the Riddle murders.

Early life
Morfin lived with his father and sister in a shack near Little Hangleton. Generations of inbreeding in the Gaunt family caused a defect in Morfin, rendering him mentally deranged and violent. He almost exclusively spoke in Parseltongue and frequently terrorised Muggles, including Tom Riddle Sr. after Morfin noticed his sister watching him with interest. He, like his father, was abusive toward Merope.

First imprisonment
"She likes looking at that Muggle. Always in the garden when he passes, peering through the hedge at him, isn't she? And last night... Hanging out of the window waiting for him to ride home, wasn't she? But I got him, Father! I got him as he went by and he didn't look so pretty with hives all over him, did he, Merope?"

- Morfin to his sister about her infatuation with Tom Riddle Sr.

Morfin's violent behaviour eventually led to the Ministry of Magic pressing charges against him; in particular for causing Tom Riddle Sr., a Muggle, to erupt with hives. Bob Ogden, head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, was sent to summon Morfin to a hearing, but the Gaunts resisted violently, including firing a jinx that caused yellow puss to flow form Ogden's nose. When Ogden returned with reinforcements, he arrested both Morfin and Marvolo. Morfin received a three-year sentence in Azkaban while his father was imprisoned for six months.

While they were incarcerated, Merope married Tom Riddle, probably by using a Love Potion on him. She died soon after giving birth to a son, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Marvolo returned from prison to an empty house and died before his son was released from Azkaban. When Morfin finally returned, he found his father dead. He, therefore, became the last heir to the Gaunt family and inherited the shack and the family signet ring, their last heirloom. Over the years, Morfin lived in a much more deplorable state than ever, as Merope was no longer there to clean the house. Morfin let his hair grow to extreme lengths and mouldy food and dust appeared to cover the entire inside of the house.

Second imprisonment and death
"Whatever Morfin Gaunt was, he did not deserve to die as he did; blamed for a crime he didn't commit."

- Albus Dumbledore on Morfin's death

Morfin's teenage nephew came to Little Hangleton to learn about his family in the summer of 1943. He met Morfin, who thought that this stranger looked "mighty like that Muggle", referring to the elder Tom Riddle. He told him of what transpired between the man and Merope, which infuriated Riddle Jr. to the point of seeking revenge. After stunning Morfin, Tom went to the Riddles' home and murdered his father, grandfather, and grandmother with the Killing Curse, using Morfin's wand. He covered up his crimes by altering Morfin's memory, causing him to believe he was the killer. When the Ministry of Magic investigated the crime, Morfin freely admitted to it and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Tom also took the family signet ring from Morfin and wore it like a trophy at Hogwarts, which led Morfin to lament how his father would kill him for losing the ring for the rest of his life. It was eventually turned into one of Tom's Horcruxes.

Albus Dumbledore sought Morfin out in prison, and after difficultly extracting the true memory of his meeting with his nephew, determined that his memory had been tampered with. Dumbledore immediately used the true memory to appeal for Morfin's release from Azkaban. Unfortunately, by that point Morfin was weakened to such an extent that he died before he could be exonerated. He was buried beside the prison alongside the other prisoners who expired within its walls.

Physical description
"The man standing before them had thick hair so matted with dirt it could have been any color. Several of his teeth were missing. His eyes were small and dark and stared in opposite directions. He might have looked comical, but he did not; the effect was frightening, and Harry could not blame Ogden for backing away several more paces before he spoke."

- Harry Potter's impression of Morfin Gaunt while in Bob Ogden's memory in the Pensieve

Morfin is described as having thick hair matted with dirt, missing teeth, and small dark eyes that stared in opposite directions. Harry thought such an appearance should be humourous, but instead Morfin looked frighteningly deranged. Upon meeting Bob Ogden, a Ministry of Magic representative, Morfin brandished both a wand in one hand and a short, bloody knife in the other. After his sister's departure and father's demise, Morfin eventually let his hair and beard grow so long that it covered his eyes and mouth.

Personality and traits
Generations of inbreeding in the Gaunt family has caused a defect within Morfin, rendering him an overall violent and deranged individual. Morfin shared the same ideology with his father and liked to torture and hex muggles, without caring about the law, the community, or anyone else, except for his father, whom he respected, because they were both violent and pure-blood supremacists. As Merope was a blood traitor, Morfin was very disrespectful and abusive to her. After her departure from the shack, he brutally insulted her and called her a thief for stealing the locket heirloom. Furthermore, Morfin was sadistic, as he liked to torture snakes, nailing them to the door, despite his ancestor's affinity towards them.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Nonverbal Magical skills: Morfin attacked Bob Ogden with a flurry of hexes without a single incantation. He also cast a curse on Tom Riddle which resulted in him being covered in painful hives and did the same to Bob Ogden.
 * Parselmouth: As with the rest of his family, Morfin inherited the ability to speak to snakes from their ancestor. Morfin is proficient with the language, enough to communicate with his family and Ogden with it.

Etymology

 * The name Morfin is a variaton of "Morfey", an Anglo-French surname meaning "ill-omened," or "ill-fated".

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

Notes and references
Morfin Gaunt Morfin Gaunt Морфин Мракс