Merope Riddle

Merope Riddle née Gaunt (c. 1907 - December 31, 1926) was a pure-blood witch and the mother of Tom Marvolo Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort. She was a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin and a Parselmouth.

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. 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.

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.

Merope soon became pregnant and decided to release Riddle from his mental enslavement, having grown tired of living a lie. She did this hoping either that her husband would have truly fallen in love with her by this point or that he would at least stay for the sake of their unborn child. Unfortunately for her, he had not. Riddle awoke into a nightmare and fled back to his family's home, saying that he had been bewitched, although according to Albus Dumbledore, he probably didn't say that exactly, for fear of being thought that he was crazy. It is stated that the people in Little Hangleton thought that Merope told Riddle that she was having his child, and that was why he married her.

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

- Merope's last words, regarding her newborn son

After her husband's abadonment, Merope fell into 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 taken away from her, as a result of depression].

On New Year's Eve of 1926, Merope entered labor. 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.

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.

Personality and Traits
Merope is described as having lank, dull hair and a plain, pale face. She kept herself cleaner than either her father or her brother, but was very defeated-looking. She was physically and emotionally abused by her family, and timid and miserable for most of her life as a result, traumatized to the point of being unable to perform magic.

Merope grew bolder and happier once Marvolo and Morfin were sent to Azkaban, and displayed enough cunning and magical skill to brew a love potion. She loved Tom Riddle Sr rather obsessively, given the lengths 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.

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.

Merope Gaunt