The Owlery - What if Merope Survived?
Added 2024-11-17 17:00:09 +0000 UTC
Comments
I think the comparison to Anakin is really good, and the killing of Shmi/Merope is/could be a turning point. Because when young Tom/voldie kills the Riddles it is only after talking to Morphin and learning that Tom Sr left his mother which caused her death which in turn put him in the orphanage. Also, if Merope survived, but Tom Sr still isn’t in the picture. Tom jr still becomes evil, but does he find the cave? Or would he hide the locket somewhere else?
Sarah Jane
2024-11-20 17:57:11 +0000 UTCOh, my gosh! I LOVE the idea that the Fantastic Beasts series ends with Voldy’s birth!! 😍 Also, I’ve wondered about babies born out of one-night stands … Like that doesn’t “include” any real “love”, right?? 🤔 And, okay, so here’s another “What If” question for you: What if Voldy had been adopted as a BABY by a nice MUGGLE family who really loved him & cared for him as their own?? ‘Cause if you think about it, the orphanage had NO idea he was magical to begin with, either; it was a muggle orphanage, remember?? Would that have made a difference in his attitudes/beliefs towards muggles in ANY way, being raised by a truly nice, kind, caring, loving muggle family?? 🤔
AHuffleClawAndASwiftie
2024-11-19 17:10:08 +0000 UTCGrindelwald passes torch to Voldy similar to in the Buffy-verse, "in each generation, a slayer is born to fight the darkness."
Brandon Harper
2024-11-18 18:57:52 +0000 UTCVery interesting thought! Makes it a cool foil/parallel to Harry
H Huhum
2024-11-18 14:50:04 +0000 UTCOkay, here’s my line of thinking: I see two possible paths if Merope Gaunt survives. In the first, she survives and doesn’t suppress her magic, even after Tom Riddle Sr. leaves her. Tom Jr. grows up as a normal wizard—still cunning and charming—and rises to some position of power in the wizarding world. But I think the second path is more interesting. In this scenario, Merope discovers she’s pregnant, and while Tom Sr. still leaves her after the love potion wears off, she decides that her child is reason enough to carry on. However, she represses her magic, blaming it for the damage it caused to her relationship with Tom Sr. She raises Tom Jr. in a non-magical, impoverished household, as I don’t see her having many means of income. Despite her love for her son, she turns a blind eye to his darker tendencies—his sociopathy—because she’s consumed by her longing for Tom Sr. When Tom Jr. receives his Hogwarts letter, it’s a turning point. He excels at Hogwarts and discovers his own potential. At some point, he learns the truth about the love potion and comes to see his father as weak, despising him for abandoning Merope. This sets the stage for a significant moment: when Tom Jr. seeks the Gaunt ring to create his first Horcrux and murders his father in the process. This is where things could take an even darker turn. When Merope learns of Tom Sr.’s death at the hands of her son, her reaction could vary—she might lash out, devastated by what he’s become, or retreat further into herself. Either way, it would create a pivotal conflict between mother and son. Perhaps, in his growing ruthlessness, Tom Jr. kills her too. Her death could then become the catalyst for his second Horcrux—or perhaps it’s the first Horcrux, and he kills his father later. This creates an intriguing parallel with Harry Potter, as Tom Jr. would have killed both his mother and Lily Potter. Merope’s death, in this case, could serve as the beginning of his descent into ultimate darkness, just as Lily’s death becomes the foundation for Harry’s eventual triumph. Her loss might symbolize the opposite of Lily’s sacrificial love—a death that further fractures rather than redeems. It’s a fascinating interplay of fate and choice, with both mothers shaping the destinies of their sons in vastly different ways.
kay3la
2024-11-18 04:27:59 +0000 UTCOoh! Good follow up question!! 😊
AHuffleClawAndASwiftie
2024-11-17 18:08:36 +0000 UTCAgreed about Voldemort not really having a chance - also makes you think if there’s anything that could have saved Anakin or Snape knowing they have SOME redemption (but still). Great chat - I wonder what would have happened if Merope had managed to escape her family and did fall in love with Tom Riddle Sr in a requited and consensual way, but that also brings up Dursley marrying a witch/wizard sort of thing… and if it would ever happen…
H Huhum
2024-11-17 18:03:48 +0000 UTC
