Lower Hogsfield

• Type: Hamlet
• Location: In a valley near Little Hangleton and Hogsmeade Village, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Notably, the Gaunt family, including Marvolo Gaunt, Morfin Gaunt, and Merope Gaunt.
• Key Features: An isolated and squalid settlement; home to the dilapidated Gaunt shack.

Lower Hogsfield is a small, impoverished hamlet situated in a wooded valley. It is reached by a “narrow, winding, and stony” path that descends into the hollow. The area consists of a few squalid cottages with overgrown gardens and grimy windows, suggesting a state of neglect and poverty. The most significant location within the hamlet is the Gaunt shack, the home of the last known descendants of Salazar Slytherin. The shack itself was in a state of extreme disrepair, covered in moss with a slithering, dead snake nailed to the door. Its interior was filthy and squalid, containing only a few pieces of decrepit furniture. The history of Lower Hogsfield is intrinsically linked to the downfall of the Gaunt family and the origins of Lord Voldemort. In 1925, Ministry of Magic official Bob Ogden visited the Gaunt shack to issue a summons to Morfin Gaunt for attacking a local Muggle, Tom Riddle Sr.. During this visit, Ogden witnessed the Gaunts' immense pride in their pure-blood heritage, their poverty, and their possession of two priceless heirlooms: Slytherin's Locket and the Peverell Ring. Following this confrontation, Merope Gaunt was able to bewitch Tom Riddle Sr. with a Love Potion, leading to their brief marriage and the birth of their son, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Years later, Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known as Lord Voldemort, returned to Lower Hogsfield. He murdered his father and grandparents, the Riddle family, in their manor in the nearby village of Little Hangleton, and used his magic to frame his uncle Morfin for the crimes. Voldemort also returned to the ruins of the Gaunt shack to hide the Peverell Ring, which he had transformed into one of his Horcruxes.

Lower Hogsfield is a location of profound historical significance in the series, primarily explored in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Albus Dumbledore shows Harry Potter a memory of Bob Ogden's visit to the Gaunt shack using the Pensieve. This memory serves several crucial purposes:

• It introduces Harry to Lord Voldemort's maternal ancestors, the Gaunt family, revealing their direct lineage from Salazar Slytherin.
• It provides the first glimpse of two future Horcruxes: Slytherin's Locket, worn by Merope Gaunt, and the Peverell Ring, worn by Marvolo Gaunt.
• It establishes the desperate and abusive environment in which Merope Gaunt lived, providing context for her decision to enchant Tom Riddle Sr., the act that directly led to Voldemort's conception.
• The location later becomes the hiding place for the Peverell Ring Horcrux, which Dumbledore retrieves and destroys, though at great personal cost.

Ultimately, the events that transpired in Lower Hogsfield are central to understanding Voldemort's heritage, his motivations, and the creation of his Horcruxes.

• The Gaunt Shack: The primary dwelling in the hamlet, home to the Gaunt family. A small, dilapidated structure where Voldemort's mother lived and where he later hid the Peverell Ring Horcrux beneath the floorboards.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the entire memory sequence set in Lower Hogsfield is omitted. The exposition about the Gaunt family, Merope's story, and the Peverell Ring is conveyed through dialogue from Albus Dumbledore in his office. (film)
• The name “Hogsfield” likely connects it to the nearby wizarding locations of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, while the prefix “Lower” refers to its geographic position down in a valley.