Frank Bryce

Frank Bryce was a Muggle veteran of the Second World War and the long-serving gardener for the Riddle family in the village of Little Hangleton. For fifty years, he was ostracised by his community after being wrongly suspected of the Riddles' murders. His significance lies in his murder at the hands of Lord Voldemort, which serves as the opening event of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and was witnessed by Harry Potter in a dream, establishing the recurring connection between them.

Frank Bryce fought in a major war, which left him with a permanently stiff leg and a profound aversion to crowds and loud noises. After the war, he took a job as the gardener for the wealthy Riddle family, living in a cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House. In 1943, Tom Riddle Snr., his wife, and his parents were mysteriously found dead in their drawing room. As Frank was the only person with a key to the house besides the Riddles themselves, he was arrested and taken in for questioning. Frank maintained his innocence, telling the police that the only person he had seen near the house was a dark-haired teenage boy, a description that matched the Riddles' son, Tom Marvolo Riddle. With no evidence of how the Riddles died, the Muggle authorities were forced to release Frank. Despite his official exoneration, the villagers of Little Hangleton continued to believe he was the murderer, and he lived the rest of his life as a reclusive and distrusted figure. Frank continued to tend the grounds of the Riddle House for a series of new owners, though none stayed for long. By the summer of 1994, the house had fallen into disrepair. In August of that year, the elderly Frank noticed a light in the window of the old house. Believing it to be local youths who often vandalised the property, he went to investigate. Inside, he overheard a conversation between Lord Voldemort, in a rudimentary physical form, and his servant Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail). They were discussing the murder of Bertha Jorkins and their plot to capture Harry Potter. Before Frank could alert the police, Voldemort's snake, Nagini, slithered past him and alerted her master to his presence. Frank, unafraid, confronted the pair, but was ultimately murdered by Lord Voldemort using the Killing Curse. Harry Potter, miles away at the Dursley residence, witnessed the entire event in a vivid dream. Frank Bryce's death was later reported in the Muggle newspapers as a disappearance. During the duel between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard, the effect of Priori Incantatem caused echoes of Voldemort's most recent victims to emerge from his wand. Frank Bryce's echo was among them, and he helped Harry escape by distracting Voldemort.

Frank was an old man by 1994. He had a bad leg that caused him to walk with a stiff-legged gait and was hard of hearing in one ear, both injuries sustained during his time at war. He was a gruff, solitary, and proud individual, shaped by his wartime experiences and fifty years of unjust suspicion from his neighbours. His dislike of crowds and noise made him a recluse. Despite his age and infirmities, he remained dutiful in his care of the Riddle House grounds and was courageous enough to investigate the disturbance and confront the intruders he found there.

As a Muggle, Frank Bryce possessed no magical abilities. He was completely unaware of the existence of the Wizarding world until the moment of his death.

• Cottage: A small, tidy cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House where he lived.
• Key: A key to the main Riddle House, which initially made him the prime suspect in the Riddles' murders.
• Gardening Tools: As a lifelong gardener, these were his primary tools of the trade.

• The Riddle Family: Frank was their employee. He was unjustly blamed for their murders, which were actually committed by their own son, Tom Marvolo Riddle.
• Lord Voldemort: The man who murdered Frank. Frank was one of the first people Voldemort killed upon gaining a rudimentary body with Pettigrew's help.
• Harry Potter: Harry witnessed Frank's murder through his scar-link with Voldemort. Frank's ghostly echo later appeared from Voldemort's wand and encouraged Harry during Priori Incantatem.
• Peter Pettigrew: Frank overheard Pettigrew plotting with Voldemort just before he was discovered and killed.

• Frank: The name is of Germanic origin, meaning “free.” As an English adjective, “frank” means to be open, honest, and direct. This reflects Frank Bryce's character, as he was direct in his dealings and honestly maintained his innocence for fifty years.
• Bryce: A name of Scottish origin, possibly from a Celtic word meaning “speckled” or “swift.” There is no obvious connection to the character's story.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Frank Bryce was portrayed by actor Eric Sykes.
• J.K. Rowling revealed in an interview that Voldemort used the murder of Frank Bryce to create his final Horcrux: Nagini the snake. (J.K. Rowling interview)