Chapter Thirteen: The Secret Riddle
In chapter thirteen of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Dumbledore bullies an orphan child, and Riddle wears a Weasley sweater with “I’m Evil” on it.
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
So Harry’s still fulfilling a ton of Drarry fantasies by spending every waking moment obsessing over what Malfoy’s doing at any given time while Ron and Hermione keep insisting that the dude who’s been threatening Muggleborns the entire time they’ve known him is a virtuous soul above reproach.
But it’s time for another Riddle backstory of cliches! First Dumbledore is like “la la la thanks for the info about Katie being attacked by Malfoy I’m investigating it don’t worry” even though DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT IS MALFOY WHO ALMOST KILLED KATIE, AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER. Eh well, the Greater Good rights Dumbles? Just let Malfoy potentially kill Katie to protect him from Voldemort!
We find out Burke is a raging assrag who finds it hilarious that he ripped off a poor pregnant woman for Slytherin’s locket, and that Merope most likely let herself die in childbirth. Harry, and I, feel some sympathy for baby Riddle here.
I don’t feel a lot of sympathy for Dumbledore, however, because it’s around this chapter that I really start to find him insufferable. You see, Mrs. Cole, the head of the orphanage, isn’t buying Dumbledore’s feeble explanations about Riddle getting a scholarship, and so he decides to use magic on her (the Confundus?) and GET HER DRUNK AT HER JOB. You know, the job where she’s in charge of orphan children. #GreaterGood right Dumbles?
Drunk and Confunded Mrs. Cole spills what she wouldn’t have otherwise, like the state of poor Merope when she came to give birth, and some more evvvvilll cliched backstory. Riddle didn’t cry as a baby, and tortures animals, and bullies children, and drinks vampire bat blood in his tea and was fathered by satan and hates candy and presents or whatever.
What follows is an interesting yet awful scene, where TR Junior is like “hey I just met you and this is crazy, but I’m evil, so call me Salazar Beezlebub baby,” because….telling a stranger how you’re a budding murderous sociopath is definitely the move a genius would make, amiright? Then Dumbledore is like “hey you thought you were awful well I’m an adult man who’s going to set your wardrobe on fire to prove I can do magic and then let you, a tween boy who’s never been around magic and just told me you’re a future Lex Luthor wander around Diagon Alley by yourself!”
The more you read this scene, the more appalling Dumbledore comes across. Compare and contrast with how joyous Hagrid and Harry’s scene was, how Hagrid went out of his way to welcome Harry to the magical community. Of course Riddle is awful and bratty in this scene and I get why Dumbledore wouldn’t enjoy spending time with him…but be a responsible adult and mentor the kid crying out for a positive influence, you ass!
It does make me wonder what would’ve happened if Dumbledore had taken an interest in a thoroughly unlikable kid…and it’s not like he learns his lesson either, does he? Who does Dumbledore mentor in the present day aside from Harry? Malfoy maybe could’ve used a positive influence.
But there’s no time for that, because a Chest Monster approaches!
<—Previous Chapter Next Chapter —>
Join in with your thoughts below, on twitter, or instagram with #ReadHarryPotterWithMe. Follow me on my twitter @HSecretLibrary, pinterest, and my instagram @hermionessecretlibrary
What do you think about Dumbledore manipulating Mrs. Cole?
Would Dumbledore have made any difference with Riddle if he had tried?
Why doesn’t Dumbledore tell Harry what these memories are building to right away? (I.E. horcruxes?)
Picture taken in Kilkenny, Ireland. Send me/tag me in your pics of you reading Harry Potter!