The Riddle Family

The Riddle family was a wealthy and influential non-magical (Muggle) family who lived in the village of Little Hangleton. They were the local squires and resided in a large, handsome manor known as the Riddle House. The family is primarily significant for being the paternal ancestors of Tom Marvolo Riddle, who would later become Lord Voldemort. Their violent deaths at his hands were a pivotal moment in his transformation into the Dark Lord and the creation of his first Horcruxes.

The Riddles were a long-established family in Little Hangleton, known for their wealth and snobbish, unpopular demeanor. The family consisted of Thomas Riddle, his wife Mary Riddle, and their son, Tom Riddle Sr.. In the mid-1920s, Tom Riddle Sr. became the object of obsession for Merope Gaunt, a local witch from the impoverished and ostracised Gaunt family. Merope used a Love Potion to ensnare Tom, causing him to elope with her and get married. After some months of marriage, Merope, believing Tom might have genuinely fallen in love with her, ceased administering the potion. The enchantment was broken, and upon regaining his senses, the horrified Tom Riddle Sr. abandoned his pregnant wife and returned to his family's home in Little Hangleton, claiming he had been “hoodwinked” and “taken in”. In the summer of 1943, a sixteen-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle travelled to Little Hangleton to seek out his paternal family. Enraged by his father's abandonment of his mother and his own Muggle heritage, he murdered his father, grandfather, and grandmother in the Riddle House using the Killing Curse. He stole his uncle Morfin Gaunt's wand to commit the murders, and by altering Morfin's memory, successfully framed him for the crime. The Muggle authorities were mystified by the deaths, as the Riddles were found with no marks of violence, only expressions of terror on their faces. Morfin Gaunt was convicted by the Ministry of Magic and died in Azkaban.

• Thomas Riddle: The patriarch of the family and a wealthy landowner in Little Hangleton. He was described as rich, snobbish, and rude by the villagers. He was murdered by his grandson, Tom Marvolo Riddle.
• Mary Riddle: The wife of Thomas Riddle and mother of Tom Riddle Sr.. She shared her husband's unpopular reputation and was also murdered by her grandson.
• Tom Riddle Sr.: The son of Thomas and Mary. A handsome and wealthy Muggle, he was bewitched into marrying Merope Gaunt. Upon being freed from the Love Potion's influence, he abandoned her and their unborn child. His murder at the hands of his son was used to turn Marvolo Gaunt's Ring into a Horcrux.

The Riddle family's primary role is to provide the backstory for Lord Voldemort and explain the origins of his hatred for Muggles and his obsession with blood purity. His patricide and the murder of his grandparents represented his ultimate rejection of his Muggle lineage and his past. This act of familial annihilation was a crucial step in his descent into darkness and the creation of his Horcruxes, specifically the one tied to Marvolo Gaunt's Ring. The family's history is revealed to Harry Potter by Albus Dumbledore through memories viewed in the Pensieve. Later, during the duel between Harry and Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard, the shadow of Tom Riddle Sr. emerged from Voldemort's wand due to Priori Incantatem. The echo of Tom Riddle Sr. helped distract Voldemort, encouraging Harry and allowing him to escape.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the opening scene depicts the murder of the Riddle family. However, it alters the timeline from the books. The film shows the newly-corporeal Lord Voldemort committing the murders shortly before the Quidditch World Cup, as witnessed by Frank Bryce. In the novel, the murders were committed fifty years prior by a sixteen-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle. (film)