Although
the exact beginning of the woeful tale caused by Tom Marvolo Riddle
is difficult to pinpoint, there is a general thread that starts with
his complex family history. Much of what happened before his birth
set the stage for the unfortunate events that would come to pass in
later years, and for this reason, their importance should not be
dismissed. Tom Marvolo Riddle was the son of Tom Riddle Sr. and
Merope Riddle, nee Gaunt, the lineages of which hold significant
importance in his story, particularly that of his mother's.

Merope
Gaunt (c. 1907-December 31,
1926) was a pure-blooded witch and one of the last descendants of
Salazar Slytherin,
one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. The daughter of Marvolo Gaunt
and brother of Morfin
Gaunt,
she was physically and mentally abused for much of her life. Merope's
mother is unkown, though it can be assumed that she was a cousin of
Marvolo (the Gaunt family inbred often, one of the reasons for their
history of physical deformity). The Gaunt family was severely
impoverished due to the squandering of wealth for generations. The
small family lived in a shack on the edge of Little Hangleton, a mere
200 miles from Little Whinging, Surrey, the place where Harry Potter
would spend his childhood with the Dursleys years later. Because of
the years Merope was subject to physical abuse, her magical ability
was suppressed; ironically, this lead to further mental abuse by her
father, who repeatedly referred to her as a 'squib.'

Marvolo
Gaunt was a violent and bigoted man, much like his son Morfin.
Because of this connection the two shared a closer bond than did
Marvolo and Merope, whom he reportedly hated. Marvolo had two prized
possessions which he coveted beyond even his oldest son: a large gold
ring and a locket. The former was a family ring, passed down to all
male Gaunts, and would later prove to be the Stone of Resurrection.
The ring displayed the Peverell
coat of arms (later identified as the symbol of the Deathly Hallows).
The Peverells also shared lineage with the Gaunts, and can be traced
back to William Peverell (c. 1040-1115), a Norman knight who fought
in the Battle of Hastings. The locket Marvolo loved was actually the
locket of Slytherin; it is described as a silver locket with a green
'S' embedded in it. The significance of these items cannot be
overstated, as they both later became horcruxes used by Lord
Voldemort himself.

Merope's
brother Morfin was a brutish man who spoke almost exclusively
Parseltongue, a trademark of Salazar Slytherin's descendants. He
often tortured muggles for fun. Merope most likely did not attend
Hogwarts as a child, instead remaining home where she was at the
mercy of her family's torments. Although little more can be said with
specificity of Merope's childhood, it is known that she became
infatuated with the muggle Tom Riddle Sr. and often watched him
coming and going from his home in Little Hangleton, despite the fact
that he often taunted her upon sight.

Tom
Riddle Sr. (c. 1905-1943)
was an affluent muggle who lived in the Riddle House of Little
Hangleton nearby the Gaunt family shack (which was located on the
outskirts of the small community). The Riddle family owned much of
Little Hangleton and was known to be pompous and disliked by most of
the habitats, in particular the Gaunts – excluding, that is,
Merope. Tom Riddle Sr. was the son of Thomas Riddle (c. 1880-1943) and
Mary Riddle (c. 1883-1943), the latter of whom married into the family,
although her familial history is unknown past that point. Tom was
described as incredibly handsome, most likely the trait which
attracted Merope Gaunt to him. He often mocked the Gaunts for their
low status and “mental instability.” Although few personal
details are known of Tom Riddle Sr.'s early life, it is known that he
was at one point involved with a muggle named Cecilia.

The
story of Tom Riddle Sr. and Merope Gaunt's short affair begins with
the imprisonment of Morfin and Marvolo Gaunt in Azkaban in the early
1920s, after Morfin assaulted Tom Riddle Sr. by magical means.
Subsequently, he preceded to hex the Department of Magical Law
Enforcement Patrol officer Bob Ogden who was dispatched to him.
Morfin was later sentenced to three years in Azkaban, and his father
six months for his participation in the crime. It is commonly
accepted that Merope used a love potion, almost certainly Amortentia,
to produce a 'love' between herself and Tom Riddle Sr. while her
family was imprisoned. It was speculated at one point by Harry
Potter, however, that the same effect could have been derived from
the Imperius
curse. The two were married in late 1925 (to the shock of Little
Hangleton's community), and ran away together to London.

A
few months after the marriage Merope became pregnant with Tom's son.
Most likely because she'd grown tired of the charade and she believed
he could fall in love with her naturally, Merope released Tom Riddle
Sr. from her spell in 1926. Despite knowing Merope carried his son,
Riddle fled back to the Riddle family home in Little Hangleton where
he claimed he'd been “taken in” by Merope. It is believed that he
thought himself to have been bewitched but did not say so, possibly
because he did not want to be accused of insanity.

Her
husband's abandonment threw Merope Gaunt into major depression. She
began selling her valuables to survive, most notably her father's
prized locket to Caractacus Burke in December of 1926. Burke was one
of the founders of Borgins and Burke, a store specializing in dark
artifacts in Knockturn Alley. He discovered the true nature of
Gaunt's locket and swindled her, buying it for a mere ten galleons.
His part in Tom Riddle's story will be further explored in a later
chapter.

Soon
after this, on New Year's Eve of 1926, Merope Gaunt stumbled into an
orphanage and gave birth to her son Tom
Marvolo Riddle.
This is the same orphanage Riddle would spend his childhood before
Hogwarts. Gaunt asked the matron of the orphanage, Mrs. Cole, to name
her son 'Tom' for his father, 'Marvolo' for her father, and 'Riddle'
as a surname. Within the hour of Riddle's birth, Merope gaunt died.
Her last words are reported to have been “I hope he looks like his
papa.”

It
is interesting to note the origins of the name 'Marvolo' as they are
indicative of Tom Riddle's legacy. Mal,
meaning bad, and volo,
meaning want, which literally translates to “I want evil” or
malicious.” Perhaps Merope Gaunt should have considered this before
naming her son, although in hindsight the most elusive of dark magic
in the past has been foreshadowed in stranger ways.