Some of my detail-remembering may be off.
There’s not a chance in J K’s world (see what I did there?) that other wizards haven’t been conceived with the influence of love potions (see: rape drugs,) so that is no real reason for Riddle to have become Voldy. Like, I’m sorry, but there are sociopaths contributing to society everywhere. So he can’t love. So what? He still chose to be beastly.
HOWEVER. Riddle did NOT choose all of his beastliness. He was horrified by the idea of returning to the orphanage. BEGGED to stay at Hogwarts. A little countryside orphanage in, what, the 30’s-40’s, where we KNOW kid-to-kid abuse happened, that Riddle the terror was scared to return to? Let’s face it, Tom Riddle was a severely abused child who never got counseling, on top of being a sociopath and who only ever got the comfort/attention he wanted needed out of being abusive to his peers.
But. BUT! Here’s the thing: Professor Dippet (two t’s?) didn’t see all this damage. Idk, maybe the ministry deliberately put idiots in charge at Hogwarts, or maybe he was just less involved. He very likely had no idea why Tom didn’t want to leave over the summer. (Especially, re: my PS on this post, the wizard/muggle cultural divide.)
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Screw-you-Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was deputy headmaster; he could have intervened on Tom’s behalf. Could have found a wizarding family or even a less-awful orphanage for him to go to. Could have CONFUNDED A FAMILY INTO BELIEVING HE WAS THEIR SON (ok a stretch but he could’ve.) Could have TAKEN TOM RIDDLE HOME WITH HIM HIMSELF, or SET HIM UP WITH A ROOM IN THE LEAKY CAULDRON, or, basically, done ANYTHING HE WANTED to spare Tom Riddle further abuse.
Dumbledore, for all he pretends to recognize his own need for needing “seemly modesty,” is the most egotistical butthead ever. And, in this case, he perpetuated his own abused/witnessing abuse childhood (idk if it’s *exactly* canon but are you suggesting Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana we’re abused? Nvm that’s a different rant.) to hundreds or thousands of kids at Hogwarts.
Kids including Tom Riddle.
Dumbledore refers to Voldy as if he were destined to be evil. As if no one could have prevented it. Some unstoppable tragedy. But—HE could have. Dumbledore. He could have invested in Tom Riddle, preventing the rise of Voldemort and, what, MILLIONS of deaths? He was perfectly poised to do so—he had access. Intelligence. Influence. Funds. But because of his “I-survived-abuse, clever-people-survive” style ego, Dumbledore failed. He FAILED Riddle and, in so doing, all of England.
And you know the worst part? Literally the only thing he learned was to be sneakier. So when a young Mr. Potter was being abused? Dumbledore burrowed deeper into his secrets and lies and kept doing what he had always done.
P. S. My bestie would like me to remember that Tom Riddle was sent back to an orphanage in LONDON during the LONDON BLITZ that poor broken child.
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