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deathtocapslockThis will be the first of some posts attempting to fill gaps in canon. In some places I rely closely on canon, in others canon is silent and I try to connect whatever dots I find, somehow.
Tom's return to Britain:
We are given the impression that Tom Riddle's job interview with Albus Dumbledore took place not long after Tom's return from 10 years on the continent ("I have come a long way"). Yet we are also told that by then he already commanded a group known as Death Eaters, and this group was originally composed of his old schoolmates. So how were they able to organize so shortly after his return? Well, perhaps the core of the group existed throughout Tom's absence (and may have existed continuously since his school days, through his days working for Borgin and Burkes). Maybe some of them would come to visit him for get-togethers and workshops in the Dark Arts. They could kidnap some Muggles to use as practice subjects, thus raising the unpleasant rumors - rumors about which both Tom and Albus agreed indicated Tom had been pushing the envelope of the Dark Arts.
The original Death Eaters included a Mulciber and a Rosier, people who share surnames with students in Severus' social circle in his younger years. I doubt that a father of a young boy would be inclined towards repeated travel, leaving his family behind. So if Mulciber and Rosier were the fathers of Severus' friends by the same respective surnames then I would guess Tom returned to Britain before the latter were born, sometime in the late 1950s. (Of course, if the younger Mulciber and Rosier were nephews or other relatives of the Mulciber and Rosier of the original group this reasoning does not apply.)
Going with the late-1950s return - why did Tom choose this time to return? He certainly wanted to return, and for more than just hops to hide his Horcruxes in 'significant' locations and perhaps to complete his collection (probably intended with the sword of Gryffindor, but that never worked out). In Britain he could use the Slytherin network to recruit more followers, and more importantly, to ensure that some of his followers are in positions that are useful to him - such as various Ministry departments.
His followers from his school days were dropping out of their meet-ups as they were settling down and starting families. He needed to establish himself close enough if he wanted to keep using them. And this move would also allow him access to the next generation. But he did not want to be connected to his earlier persona - not even by the second generation followers. How fortunate that the Dark Magic changed his appearance beyond recognition! (Or perhaps there was more design in his transformation?) Waiting for his appearance to change sufficiently defined the earliest time he could return. So the earliest he could return was when he was no longer recognizable, but he couldn't wait too long or he'd be abandoned by too many schoolmates. (He had to think of a more reliable way to keep people around.)
So what did he do in those pre-1970 years? Well, he had the opportunity to reunite with old admirers who did not visit him in Europe, or those who dropped out of such activities early on - they were by now established in their careers, and some of them had sons, the oldest of whom were entering Hogwarts. So there must have been much networking - getting involved with those families, exciting the sons with what they were going to achieve by joining him once they were grown. I'm guessing he did not seek to recruit his old schoolmates beyond those who stayed with him all along but focused on getting the sons who did not know anything of his background (perhaps their parents preferred to go along with the Lord Voldemort persona and never mentioned Tom Riddle the orphan because they saw the latter as politically disadvantageous). These sons were starting to leave Hogwarts in the mid-sixties. So I'm thinking Tom's program was to teach them Dark Arts in their free time, while they started careers wherever. During this time Tom remained under the radar so I'm guessing his victims were mostly Muggles.
Of course out of anyone's sight Tom was working on hiding his Horcruxes. He placed the diadem in the ROR the night of the interview. I'm guessing he next was getting hold of the Riddle House (Imperiurising the owners to sell it to him for pennies?), place the cursed ring in a golden box under the floor of the Gaunt hovel (with the addition of a Muggle-repelling charm on the shack). After that he started working on a more sophisticated death trap in his favorite cave, for his favorite Horcrux.
What was Albus thinking all this time? For this I must thank Terri for pointing out that at this point Albus was not concerned with Tom possibly having a Horcrux but with his connection to one of the Hallows, the Resurrection Stone. In the 1940s Tom showed up at school with a ring that had the mark of the Hallows in its stone. It may have seemed like a piece of Hallows Quester's jewelry, but perhaps at some point Albus suspected it was the actual Hallow. Because after 5 years of procrastination he finally went to meet Gellert. In part - because knowing Tom had the Stone meant that Gellert was not yet Master of Death and Albus stood a chance against him. And in part - out of fear that Tom would find out and go to Gellert himself - and Albus would end up fighting whichever of them ended up with (at least) 2 Hallows.
So how do Tom's actions look via a Hallows-tinted lens? He leaves school and goes to work in Knockturn Alley, not far from Ollivander's store. After a few years he goes to Europe and when he returns first thing he wants an interview with Albus. No doubt he learned from Ollivander about the rumor that Gregorovich had the Elder Wand and set for the continent at his convenience (once he also had Madam Smith's trinkets). Gregorovich was of little help because the wand had been stolen from him by some young man only few could recognize as Dark Lord Grindelwald. So Tom must have spent much time researching until he figured out what happened - and came right to the office of the Master of the Elder Wand. It all made sense! Tom must have come for Albus' wand! The entire conversation was a dance for domination between the two of them - and then Tom looked like he was reaching for his wand as he left. Was he trying for Expeliarmus? Accio Dumbledore's wand?
Of course Tom had no idea about the Hallows. But perhaps he was thinking he could Accio Gryffindor's sword, if it was anywhere around.
And then Tom spends years not showing any sign of being more than a 'coach' of a Dark Arts club. And definitely no sign of being in possession of a most powerful Dark artifact. So Albus waited, in puzzlement.
Tom's return to Britain:
We are given the impression that Tom Riddle's job interview with Albus Dumbledore took place not long after Tom's return from 10 years on the continent ("I have come a long way"). Yet we are also told that by then he already commanded a group known as Death Eaters, and this group was originally composed of his old schoolmates. So how were they able to organize so shortly after his return? Well, perhaps the core of the group existed throughout Tom's absence (and may have existed continuously since his school days, through his days working for Borgin and Burkes). Maybe some of them would come to visit him for get-togethers and workshops in the Dark Arts. They could kidnap some Muggles to use as practice subjects, thus raising the unpleasant rumors - rumors about which both Tom and Albus agreed indicated Tom had been pushing the envelope of the Dark Arts.
The original Death Eaters included a Mulciber and a Rosier, people who share surnames with students in Severus' social circle in his younger years. I doubt that a father of a young boy would be inclined towards repeated travel, leaving his family behind. So if Mulciber and Rosier were the fathers of Severus' friends by the same respective surnames then I would guess Tom returned to Britain before the latter were born, sometime in the late 1950s. (Of course, if the younger Mulciber and Rosier were nephews or other relatives of the Mulciber and Rosier of the original group this reasoning does not apply.)
Going with the late-1950s return - why did Tom choose this time to return? He certainly wanted to return, and for more than just hops to hide his Horcruxes in 'significant' locations and perhaps to complete his collection (probably intended with the sword of Gryffindor, but that never worked out). In Britain he could use the Slytherin network to recruit more followers, and more importantly, to ensure that some of his followers are in positions that are useful to him - such as various Ministry departments.
His followers from his school days were dropping out of their meet-ups as they were settling down and starting families. He needed to establish himself close enough if he wanted to keep using them. And this move would also allow him access to the next generation. But he did not want to be connected to his earlier persona - not even by the second generation followers. How fortunate that the Dark Magic changed his appearance beyond recognition! (Or perhaps there was more design in his transformation?) Waiting for his appearance to change sufficiently defined the earliest time he could return. So the earliest he could return was when he was no longer recognizable, but he couldn't wait too long or he'd be abandoned by too many schoolmates. (He had to think of a more reliable way to keep people around.)
So what did he do in those pre-1970 years? Well, he had the opportunity to reunite with old admirers who did not visit him in Europe, or those who dropped out of such activities early on - they were by now established in their careers, and some of them had sons, the oldest of whom were entering Hogwarts. So there must have been much networking - getting involved with those families, exciting the sons with what they were going to achieve by joining him once they were grown. I'm guessing he did not seek to recruit his old schoolmates beyond those who stayed with him all along but focused on getting the sons who did not know anything of his background (perhaps their parents preferred to go along with the Lord Voldemort persona and never mentioned Tom Riddle the orphan because they saw the latter as politically disadvantageous). These sons were starting to leave Hogwarts in the mid-sixties. So I'm thinking Tom's program was to teach them Dark Arts in their free time, while they started careers wherever. During this time Tom remained under the radar so I'm guessing his victims were mostly Muggles.
Of course out of anyone's sight Tom was working on hiding his Horcruxes. He placed the diadem in the ROR the night of the interview. I'm guessing he next was getting hold of the Riddle House (Imperiurising the owners to sell it to him for pennies?), place the cursed ring in a golden box under the floor of the Gaunt hovel (with the addition of a Muggle-repelling charm on the shack). After that he started working on a more sophisticated death trap in his favorite cave, for his favorite Horcrux.
What was Albus thinking all this time? For this I must thank Terri for pointing out that at this point Albus was not concerned with Tom possibly having a Horcrux but with his connection to one of the Hallows, the Resurrection Stone. In the 1940s Tom showed up at school with a ring that had the mark of the Hallows in its stone. It may have seemed like a piece of Hallows Quester's jewelry, but perhaps at some point Albus suspected it was the actual Hallow. Because after 5 years of procrastination he finally went to meet Gellert. In part - because knowing Tom had the Stone meant that Gellert was not yet Master of Death and Albus stood a chance against him. And in part - out of fear that Tom would find out and go to Gellert himself - and Albus would end up fighting whichever of them ended up with (at least) 2 Hallows.
So how do Tom's actions look via a Hallows-tinted lens? He leaves school and goes to work in Knockturn Alley, not far from Ollivander's store. After a few years he goes to Europe and when he returns first thing he wants an interview with Albus. No doubt he learned from Ollivander about the rumor that Gregorovich had the Elder Wand and set for the continent at his convenience (once he also had Madam Smith's trinkets). Gregorovich was of little help because the wand had been stolen from him by some young man only few could recognize as Dark Lord Grindelwald. So Tom must have spent much time researching until he figured out what happened - and came right to the office of the Master of the Elder Wand. It all made sense! Tom must have come for Albus' wand! The entire conversation was a dance for domination between the two of them - and then Tom looked like he was reaching for his wand as he left. Was he trying for Expeliarmus? Accio Dumbledore's wand?
Of course Tom had no idea about the Hallows. But perhaps he was thinking he could Accio Gryffindor's sword, if it was anywhere around.
And then Tom spends years not showing any sign of being more than a 'coach' of a Dark Arts club. And definitely no sign of being in possession of a most powerful Dark artifact. So Albus waited, in puzzlement.
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no subject
Date: 2012-07-29 10:34 pm (UTC)And actually, we usually assume that some of the earliest Death Eaters had been part of the Slug Club with Tom, but the only two boys mentioned by name in Slughorn's memory are Avery and Lestrange, and neither of them are named in Albus's memory of the interview. Albus lists Nott, Rosier, Mulciber, and Dolohov as being the new Death Eaters. So I don't think it's entirely certain that any of Lord Voldemort's followers were ever Tom Riddle's classmates.
I know that this leaves the question of how Tom was able to command a group called the Death Eaters so soon after his return to Britain. One possibility is that he took over the leadership of some pre-existing group. For instance, maybe Voldemort's earliest followers were from families who had been connected to Grindelwald.... families who were left rather directionless after Grindelwald's fall. In his ten years on the continent, Lord Voldemort could have established himself as someone who was capable of being Grindelwald's successor. The fact that he found more people interested in carrying on Grindewald's legacy in Britain than elsewhere in Europe may be because the Brits had been less directly affected by the previous war.
Or another possibility is that Tom spent some of his ten years on the continent teaching at Durmstrang, and his earliest Death Eaters were some of his former students.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-31 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 11:52 am (UTC)Somewhere, I think on her website, JKR said that the Death Eaters were originally known as the Knights of Walpurgis. From the Doyleist viewpoint this is a pun on St. Walpurgis' night (31 April), when witches were said to convene.. From the Watsonian perspective, although Walpurgis was an early British missionary, this night is celebrated in northern and eastern Europe, which would suggest a Durmstang/Grindlewald connection. It also suggests organisations like the Knights Templar, and Knights of Jerusalem. The Knights of Walpurgis may have been originally founded to protect witches and wizards from Muggles.
(Mrs Black is of course Walburga - same name)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 02:23 pm (UTC)Most of the DEs either have British names or have family ties in Britain, though a few do not.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 07:23 pm (UTC)There once was a real-life group in the UK that called themselves (among other names) the 'Knights of West Wycombe'. Their first meeting under that name was on Walpurgis Night (1752). This was the first meeting at their new location. A location move necessitated by the burning of their previous meeting place - the George and Vulture Pub (where they called themselves the Knights of St. Francis). The fire happened in 1749, destroying the property and was quite a noticeable blaze in London.
The reason I first looked into this club (known later on as the Hellfire Club - but not called such by its members) was Harry's history test, where he couldn't quite remember what happened in 1749 that threatened the secrecy of the wizarding world.
Part of what might have caused the fire was a 'everlasting fire' lamp - sounds a bit like the fire given to the giants in bk5.
Anyways, the club was rumored to be 'satanic' even tho' in reality it was more satirical, but especially mocking religious rites. One of the original members was named Thomas Potter (son of an archbishop of Cantebury) who later brought in his protege named John Wilkes (who later became a member of Parliament).
I can easily see this as a supposed brotherhood of wizards, with the burning of the pub as the possible threat to the secrecy act. However, I have no 'proof' that this was what JKR intended. Previously, I have been asked whether I truly believe JKR would have known of the incident. To this I have always referred others to the use of the club in the comedy 'Black Adder'. It must be at least somewhat well-known in the UK for a televised comedy satirizing British history to use it as part of it's plot. The names Potter and Wilkes cinched it for me.
All of this to reply to whether or not the Knights of Walpurgis might or might not have preceded the DEs. IF JKR was using this Hellfire Club as a model for her Knights of Walpurgis, then the group preceded the DEs by more than a century.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 08:27 pm (UTC)I don't think the name Potter is a significant clue because Rowling claims she chose that name after some kids who were her neighbors at some point. It is a common enough name, not all the Potters in history are connected to Rowling's writing. (I mean if she decided to use the name Potter because of those neighbor kids then the fact that someone named Potter was involved in some event that looks like it might be related to the books isn't indicative that Rowling knew about that event.)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 04:21 am (UTC)Tom is still recognizable 'as' Tom when he 'interviews' with Albus. He HAS changed a bit (IF I recall correctly his face had taken on a waxy appearance?). But, at that point, he IS recognizable as his past self and yet DEs are waiting for him at the HogsHead.
But past school 'chums' only knew his background as an orphan - but one who was convinced he was born from a wizard. And one who was researching possible relatives. Then over one summer, he returns to school bearing a ring with a 'Quester's symbol' and 'possibly' claiming a Slytherin ancestor (last part unknown). He need not tell them of a muggle father. Only that he had found his wizarding family, but could not discuss them. Possibly implying a cover-up of scandal, but still giving the impression that he was a pureblood.
I tend to think that it wasn't until his 'rebirth' that Voldy took on such a 'snakey' appearance and became unrecognizable. He had, after all, been living partly on Naigini's "milk" through all of bk4.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 06:23 am (UTC)Look at what happens in the Slug Club: Horace suggests Tom might become Minister, Tom says he lacks the right background for that (ie proven pureblood ancestry) - but the other boys are exchanging looks as if they know something that wasn't said.
Regarding his appearance - I think he could easily pass as 'someone other than Tom Riddle' to people who didn't know him well, such as people who had occasional contact with him in his days as shop employee or students several years above or below his. Or someone who knew him well at school but never saw the Lord Voldemort version of him up close. For example Horace probably only saw Lord Voldemort in photographs in The Prophet. So as long as his friends went along with only using the Lord Voldemort name when referring to him and Albus kept quiet there was no reason for anyone else to suspect who this Lord Voldemort fellow is.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-31 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 04:17 pm (UTC)On the other hand, I suppose it all comes down to whether or not one feels JKR intended to give us all the clues needed to figure these things out or whether one feels one can't trust anything to do with numbers that she gives (even in the books - which I admit is quite possible given the confusion over Charlie's Hogwarts years).
no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 06:59 pm (UTC)But it was pretty reasonable to assume that Albus became headmaster in 1956, when Minerva was hired to teach transfiguration, until Rowling said on Pottermore that Albus continued to teach as "head of the department."
no subject
Date: 2012-08-03 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-03 04:28 am (UTC)oh.... could you please explain?
no subject
Date: 2012-08-04 01:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-03 03:44 am (UTC)