| “ | Yes, Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by longsuffering and she never had your mother's courage. | „ |
| ~ Albus Dumbledore mentioning Merope Gaunt. |
| “ | I hope he looks like his papa. | „ |
| ~ Merope's last words, also her only known quote. |
Merope Gaunt is a posthumous character in the Harry Potter series. She was the mother of Tom Marvolo Riddle, who later became Lord Voldemort.
Her Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Her Heinous?[]
- She brainwashed Tom Riddle Sr. into "loving" her through a love potion, forcibly married him in his brainwashed state, and kept him that way for months, during which she raped him frequently enough that she became pregnant with his child.
- While the crime itself is completely off-page, the aftermath is not, as she left a huge impact upon Britain's magical community (even if she couldn’t have possibly known) as it spawned a pregnancy that birthed the most evil dark wizard of all time.
- Despite the incredibly high heinous standards of Harry Potter, Merope stands out due to being a rapist, which is very unique for the series, with only Corvus Lestrange committing the same crime.
- Her so-called love for Tom is merely limerence, motivated entirely by lust and obsessive infatuation given that he was her date-rape victim.
What Makes Her Inconsistent?[]
- Despite her heinous and unique sexual crimes, she is ultimately too tragic and sympathetic to be Near Pure Evil:
- She grew up under the thumb of her father Marvolo and her brother Morfin, who were both incredibly abusive and forced her to do housework for them. Their abuse was so severe that it suppressed Merope’s magical ability, causing them to believe her to be a Squib, leading to further abuse due to the Gaunt family being pure blood fanatics. When Harry sees her in a memory, he notes that he’d never seen a more defeated-looking woman.
- While her infatuation with Tom Riddle Sr. was ultimately one-sided and obsessive, she had genuine insecurities about him not loving her back that are played for sympathy, alongside her mistreatment from Marvolo and Morfin for loving a Muggle. It got to the point where, after she got pregnant with Voldemort, she stopped giving Riddle Sr. the love potion in hopes that he’d stay with her under his own free will, and when that was no longer a possibility, she was in such a severe state of despair that she was either unable or unwilling to do magic again.
- After Tom Riddle Sr. rightfully left her, she was left destitute and on the brink of death, being scammed by a magical artefact collector into selling Salazar Slytherin’s locket for a measly ten galleons to avoid dying of starvation.
- There are some people she genuinely cares for.
- While unwilling to continue living for his sake, she still loved her son Tom Riddle (Voldemort), ensuring he was taken in by an orphanage and noting that she hoped he looked like his father, implying she didn’t want him to suffer like she did.
- Although she understandably left him forever after his imprisonment in Azkaban (indirectly causing his death) she had some care for her father given that she gave her son his middle name to continue his legacy.
- She is ultimately a Scapegoat, as she essentially gave up on living through her childbirth as a result of her miserable life thus far.
- Despite Harry calling her out for not choosing to continue living for the sake of her son, both he and Albus Dumbledore take pity on her, acknowledging she didn’t have the strength and courage of Harry’s mother thus shouldn’t be judged harshly.
Trivia[]
- Merope is one of only two confirmed rapists in the entire series, alongside Corvus Lestrange, which makes her stand out even in a franchise with several mass murderers who have far more resources than her anyway. Molly Weasley and Queenie Goldstein aren't confirmed whether or not they've forced anyone (particularly Jacob Kowalski) into sex before. That being said, Merope is not a homicidal woman in any way, highlighting how depraved she is as she manages to stand out without as much as trying to kill anyone.
External Links[]
- Merope Gaunt on the Villains Wiki
- Merope Gaunt on the Harry Potter Wiki
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 Inconsistently Heinous
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Both Continuities Novel-Exclusive Video Games | ||