Who knows Voldemort was Tom Riddle?

[Mistress Siana]

Apart from DD, Slughorn clearly seems to know. But any one else? McGonagall never made the impression that she knew, neither did any other member of the order. Lucius owned the diary and probably could have guessed something.

What I wonder most about is if Snape might know. Maybe DD (or even Voldemort) told him because of their remarkably similar backstory? Actually, I think it would be deliciously irony if he didn't know.

And it was mentioned he went to school with a guy named Lestrange, very likely Rodolphus's and Rabastan's father. What became of his earliest 'friends'?


Anyone else?

[Dacre]

Interesting question, I had assumed everyone knew, but possible not - I mean they won't even speak the name he gave himself, so doubtful they'd use his real one.

[Lelie]

i think they probably all know (if they are old enough to care.) more than likely the younger wizarding generations don't care who he was before, they're just worried about who he is now.
wow, in my head i did a total generation skip. i was thinking that lestrange was rodolphus or rabastan. i guess i wasn't thinking clearly about the dates. i imagine that the old de's got married and made new de's! (ex. Malfoy)

[Mistress Siana]

Nope, DD told Harry only a few actually knew what became of Tom Riddle. I just wondered who those few were.

[thestral]

so far the list i've got is:

-DD
-Harry, ginny, ron and hermione
-Slughorn
-Hagrid
-lucius malfoy

i'm sure i've missed some out.

[glamourweaver]

I'm sure most of the inner circle of Death Eaters know that that was his name. They don't know about his parentage...

[Person1]

The DE would not be likely to know, for if they researched him, they would find he was a half-blood, and well, Voldemort doesn't want anyone to know that.

[glamourweaver]

The DE would not be likely to know, for if they researched him, they would find he was a half-blood, and well, Voldemort doesn't want anyone to know that.

Well clearly Wormtail knows, & I'd hazard to guess Snape knows. We know that Lucius knows. The LaStranges would know by virtue of their father. Seems to me a good bulk of the major Death Eaters know. It stands to reason that this would be the case since the Death Eaters were founded when he was still called Tom Riddle. Riddle's ancestry wasn't known while he was at Hogwarts, & I doubt its part of any official records even today.

[Person1]

good point, but Bellatrix L. got very angry when Harry told her that Lord Voldemort wasn't a pure blood wizard in OotP, so perhaps she didn't know, and being in Voldemorts inner circle, i would hazard a guess that few death eaters know.

[glamourweaver]

good point, but Bellatrix L. got very angry when Harry told her that Lord Voldemort wasn't a pure blood wizard in OotP, so perhaps she didn't know, and being in Voldemorts inner circle, i would hazard a guess that few death eaters know.

I didn't say they knew he's a Half-Blood. They just know that before declaring himself Lord Voldemort, he was called Tom Riddle, who's heritage is unknown. They know this because some of them knew him that long ago, others are the children of ones who did, or were recruited by ones who did.

[Salazar Slytherin]

i dont think many people know and if they do its not from him because he hated that name.

[Phinea Rogue]

I second glamourweaver's opinion. Some of the Death Eaters (especially those as old as Voldemort) probably know that he was called Tom Riddle, since they were his school-mates. They also must have known that he was an orphan, though it doesn't mean they knew he was a half-blood. It seems to me that they certainly knew that Voldemort is Salazar's descendant, but I doubt that he was talking much about his father. He could have kept that as a secret, telling a few about it.

Bellatrix seemed so angry when Harry called Voldemort a half-blood. She might not know...

[Eol]

Well the DE's certainly know. a majority of his followers went to school with him. Snape knows because he's in DD confidences. Hagrid knows, he went to school with him. McGonnagall may not have taught him, she probably started teaching once DD became Head, so she might not know. The Malfoys definitely know, because that's how Dobby knew in CoS. The list isn't all that small

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Hmm. This is an interesting discussion.

I'm thinking quite a few people know, but just prefer not to say. I mean, how often would it come up in conversation?

[Asphodel]

The way DD put it, if you know where to researcg, you can find out, but not many people have that kind of time or patience.