Merope Riddle

Merope Riddle (née Gaunt) (c. 1907 - December 31st, 1926) was a pure-blood witch, daughter of Marvolo Gaunt and his wife, and sister of Morfin. She was a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin and a Parselmouth. Merope lived in a shack with her father and brother, who mentally and physically abused her. Merope, however, had an obsessive love for Tom Riddle, a handsome muggle. When both her father and brother were imprisoned, she bewitched and married Tom, but when he recovered, he abandoned her and their unborn son. Merope soon died at an orphanage, after giving birth to her son, whom she named Tom Marvolo Riddle. Many years later, her son became the most dangerous Dark Wizard in history.

Early Life
"Pick it up! That's it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what's your wand for, you useless sack of muck?"

- Marvolo to Merope when she drops a pot

Merope Gaunt lived in a shack near Little Hangleton with her father Marvolo and brother Morfin. Generations of inbreeding left the Gaunts violent, mentally unstable, and poverty-stricken. Merope exhibited little magical talent in her early years and was mentally and physically abused by her father as a result. He believed her to be a Squib and frequently derided her for it, calling her a "disgusting little Squib", among other things. This, however, was actually a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Merope's magical abilities were suppressed largely because of her father's abuse. Based on this, as well as the family's poverty, it is unlikely that Merope attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, though she did have a wand. Merope seemed to be in charge of cooking and cleaning in her family home; it is unknown what happened to her mother.

However, Merope's magical ability flourished after her father and brother were incarcerated in Azkaban and she was free from their abuse.

Marriage
"Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban, once she was alone and free for the first time in her life, then, I am sure, she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot her escape from the desperate life she had led for eighteen years... The village of Little Hangleton enjoyed a tremendous scandal. You can imagine the gossip it caused when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter, Merope."

- Albus Dumbledore

At some point in her life, Merope secretly fell in love with Tom Riddle, a wealthy Muggle who lived nearby. Her father was livid when Morfin revealed this to him, and attacked her physically, but was restrained by Ministry official Bob Ogden. Ogden arrested both Marvolo and Morfin, who had cursed Riddle because his sister found him attractive. With her family gone, Merope made a play for Riddle. She left the shack with a farewell note revealing what she did, and her existence was never again mentioned by Marvolo.

Although Harry Potter, upon learning of these events, speculated that she might have used the Imperius Curse on Riddle, Dumbledore believed that she probably used a Love Potion because it seemed more romantic. In any case, Riddle became infatuated with her and they were soon married, running away to London together. This caused great scandal in Little Hangleton.

After a year of marriage, Merope became pregnant and decided to release Riddle from his mental enslavement, having grown tired of living a lie. Dumbledore thought that she did this hoping either that her husband would have truly fallen in love with her by that point or that he would at least stay for the sake of their unborn child. Unfortunately for her, Riddle did nothing of the kind. Riddle awoke into a nightmare and fled back to his family's home, believing to have been bewitched, although according to Albus Dumbledore, he probably didn't say that exactly, for fear of being thought crazy.

Childbirth and Death
"I hope he looks like his papa."

- Some of Merope's last words, regarding her newborn son

After her husband's abandonment, Merope fell into a deep depression and lived as a pauper in London, selling her valuables to survive. Specifically, she sold her locket, a family heirloom, to Caractacus Burke for only ten Galleons, either not knowing that it was a priceless artifact or simply no longer caring. Her heart broken and her dreams in tatters, Merope stopped using magic altogether after Riddle's desertion, not even willing to raise her wand to save her own life (although, according to Dumbledore, her powers may have been sapped as a result of depression).

On New Year's Eve of 1926, Merope entered labour. She stumbled into an orphanage, and gave birth to a son. She told Mrs. Cole, a woman who worked in the orphanage, to name him Tom Marvolo Riddle, after his father and maternal grandfather. Merope died within an hour, hoping he would turn out to look like his father.

Post-mortem
Years later, her son would find it difficult to believe that she could have been a witch, as she succumbed to something as mortal as death. It seems she was too depressed to use magic, let alone concern herself with carrying on with her life. Her son would grow up believing his father married Merope of his own free will, only leaving her after discovering she was a witch. Although Merope had a choice, she chose death in spite of a son that needed her due to the miserable existence to which she had been condemned. Merope's son would grow up to become the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Physical description
Merope had lank, dull hair and a pale, heavy face with eyes that looked in opposite directions. She kept herself cleaner than either her father or her brother, but was very defeated-looking.

Personality and traits
Merope was physically and emotionally abused by her family, and as a result was timid and miserable for most of her life, traumatized to the point of being unable to perform magic. She grew bolder and happier once Marvolo and Morfin were sent to Azkaban, and displayed enough cunning and magical skill to brew a love potion, or possibly use the Imperius Curse. She loved Tom Riddle Sr. rather obsessively, given the lengths to which she went to obtain his affection and her depression after he left her. Even the responsibility of having a baby to look after was not enough to give Merope the will to live after her husband abandoned her. Having lived an almost entirely miserable life, Merope had no hope left and not enough courage to make her want to keep trying, even for the sake of her newborn son. This decision had a negative impact on her son's psyche. According to Albus Dumbledore, she never had the courage of Lily Evans, Harry Potter's mother.

Family
Merope's relationship with her father and brother was a violent one. Her father, Marvolo, placed the utmost importance on his heritage, leading him to be derisive of his daughter's seeming lack of magical ability and furious with her infatuation with a Muggle. Morfin also made fun of Merope's romantic feelings for Tom Riddle, and laughed while watching Marvolo abusing her. "Pick it up! That's it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what's your wand for, you useless sack of muck?"

- Marvolo Gaunt to Merope

She was physically and emotionally abused by her family, and as a result was timid and miserable for most of her life, traumatized to the point of being unable to perform magic. She grew bolder and happier once Marvolo and Morfin were sent to Azkaban, and displayed enough cunning and magical skill to brew a love potion. However, Marvolo was shocked when he learned that Merope had left the house, and this was probably a shock that led to his death. Morfin then felt that Merope had betrayed him and Marvolo, for marrying that "filthy muggle".

Tom Riddle Sr.
"Within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumour flew around the neighbor­hood that he was talking of being 'hoodwinked' and 'taken in'... He left her, never saw her again, and never troubled to discover what became of his son."

- Albus Dumbledore on Tom Riddle Sr.

Tom Riddle was a wealthy, handsome muggle, who lived near Merope's house. He originally looked down and made fun of Merope and her family because of their poverty, their strange shabby appearances, and their exceptional disabilities. Merope then used a Love Potion on Tom, making them go on a runaway marriage. Merope eventually became pregnant with Tom's child. However, as Dumbledore had theorized, Merope, who was deeply, truly in love with her husband, could not bear to continue enslaving him by magical means, and made the choice to stop giving him the potion, convincing herself that he might have truly fallen in love with her of his own accord, or even if he had not, he would stay with her for their child's sake. This turned out to be a fatal mistake. The indifferent, insensitive, and self-involved Tom left his wife and unborn son, claiming he had been "hoodwinked" and "taken in". Merope later died giving birth to his son.

Tom Marvolo Riddle
"I remember she said to me 'I hope he looks like his papa', and I won't lie she was right to hope it, because she was no beauty — and then she told me he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father — yes, I know, funny name, isn't it? We wondered whether she came from a circus — and she said the boy's surname was to be Riddle. And she died soon after that without another word."

- Mrs. Cole to Albus Dumbledore.

Merope's son, Tom Riddle grew up in a Muggle orphanage, not knowing any members of his family. Merope died shortly after giving birth, not even attempting to use magic to save herself in order to raise her child out of depression over her husband abandoning her. Despite his maternal side of his family being direct descendants of the great Salazar Slytherin, Tom showed disappointment when he saw his uncle Morfin lived in a deplorable state, and was not above framing him for murder and stealing his prized heirloom ring. He also showed initial disgust of his mother, who he thought was a Muggle for being unable to survive. However, when he discovered the truth, he killed his own father only to avenge himself, and not his mother.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Parselmouth: Like her brother, father, and famous ancestor, Merope had the ability to talk to snakes.
 * Potioneer: (possibly) Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter speculated that Merope used a Love potion to have Tom Riddle fall in love with her.
 * Dark Arts (possibly) It is also possible that she used the Imperius Curse instead of a potion to achieve her goal, it is also not improbable because of the history of it's use within her family.

Etymology
Merope is the name of the faintest star in the star cluster Pleiades, named for a daughter of Atlas and Pleione in Greek mythology. This Merope was a nymph who married a mortal, Sisyphus, and bore him a son, Glaucus; some myths say that she is the dullest of the seven stars because she brought shame upon herself for marrying a mortal. Merope Gaunt's marriage to a Muggle may be an allusion to this marriage, as both suffered a resulting "fading away". Also, Merope of mythology was the seventh sister, and seven is the most magically powerful number, perhaps alluding to her incredibly powerful son, who would later plan to split his soul into seven pieces in an attempt to achieve immortality.

The name is also used in the famous Greek play, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles in 425 BC. The name, Merope, is given to the main character's adoptive mother.

Behind the scenes

 * J. K. Rowling has said that if Merope had lived and raised Voldemort, he would have turned out to be very different.
 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Marvolo's ring is said to have belonged to Merope, while Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt aren't even mentioned.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

Notes and references
Merope Gaunt Merope Gaunt Меропа Мракс Merope Kolkko