What about Grindelwald then? Did Dumbledore just sit around waiting for Gellert to come and poke him in the ass (*pun* intended)? Or did he actually force the duel that ended the Grindelwald war?

This is circular reasoning- how did he achieve the position to do so in the first place? Sure, he is powerful and dangerous, but to gather a following among purebloods you also need social standing. How to get it without a pureblood family name or any riches... damn hard. My AU idea of Voldemort getting himself an inheritance, including a secure HQ could close this logical problem.

 

He got the influence by earning respect, awe, and fear from classmates at school. He was a prodigy, powerful, possibly known as an heir of Slytherin, cruel, and charismatic. As children, the future wizarding upper class was seduced by Riddle, and when they graduated, Voldemort would be an established figure of respect. That respect would carry forward from his generation to the next; Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Severus Snape.

 

Riddle Manor isn't secure, Voldemort and the rat are discovered by a muggle while staying there... I grant you that Voldemort wasn't on the top of his game then, but this just underscores his need for a secure place of his own. But in canon he didn't get one even when he was fighting the first war...

Having his own respectable and secure place would've been a big plus on Lord Voldemorts side. Compare his behaviour to other villains in fiction and reality... having no place of his own doesn't make sense.

 

Dumbledore forced the duel, but the situation was different.

First, Dumbledore was fifty years younger, maybe at the peak of his magical skills.

Second, it was personal. Dumbledore actually felt responsible for Gellert actions since they “planned” them together and they had a close relationship. He could not let him continue and keep a good conscience (right or easy).

Dumbledore may have been disappointed by Tom, but he never had a personal relation with him.

Finally, everyone knew that Grindelwald Headquarter was at Nurmengard, Voldemort had no permanent Headquarter. No one knew where he was, so no one could bring the war to his “door steps”.


People choose to follow Voldemort because of his power, his magical ability and his ancestor (Salazar Slytherin), not because of his money (and since the Gaunt were poor, how could he inherit anything from them?)

 

The muggle only found the place because he'd been cleaning there for years. But, er... you could be right in that it didn't have very many protections on it if a muggle could enter at will.

On the other hand, though, that was pretty much when Voldemort first came to the house so you could argue that he hadn't got the protections set up yet.

But aside from that, wasn't the main reason why Voldemort didn't get attacked that no-one could actually find him in the first place? And besides that, the ministry was denying his existence altogether (unless I'm getting my canon book order muddled up) and every other person besides that was too terrified by him to go and attack him, let alone go around looking for him.

Again: just because it wasn't stated that he had a place doesn't mean he didn't. I would imagine he would have had places to meet all over Britain - in fact, if he didn't have a set headquarters it might actually be more secure for him than if he didn't.

 

Yeah, that's the canon story. Problem is, it doesn`t make much sense:

All his former classmates must also know that "Lord Voldemort" is in fact an obscure guy with a muggle name without any family, riches or standing. Why give him the time of the day? We must also take into consideration that Voldemort didn't start his rise to power directly after Hogwarts- he started in the early 70s, at least 15 years after graduating.

 

Heir of Slytherin > vast amounts of gold etc. Sure, the Malfoy's can buy anything and anyone they want, but Tom Riddle is the heir to one of the most prestigious bloodlines in the wizarding world. And, possibly more to the point, he's proven that he can and will set a basilisk on anyone who pisses him off.

 

Look towards the end of CoS - Dumbledore speculates that Riddle demonstrated his Parseltongue abilities to other Slytherins, and reveals himself as the heir of Slytherin; suggested, if not outright. And because he's a Slytherin to begin with, I believe that the general assumption was that he was an orphan.

OhWait.

And what was that place called, that he lived in?

Hospital? Morgue? Mcdonalds?

Orphanage?

 

Your math is off- Dumbledore was 25 years older when Voldemort began to recruit and 35 when the war peaked.

Same goes for Voldemort- Dumbledore was the one taking Riddle jr. into the wizarding world and did nothing to help him although his sociopathic tendencies were very clear. If you are interested in this topic, read this:

Last chance

Wrong. Nurmengard was a prison build by Grindelwald, not his HQ. We don`t know where he stayed while in power, but I doubt it was the place he build to hold his enemies.

The whole point of having an unplottable and secured HQ is that no enemy knows where it is.

I wasn't talking about the Gaunts, read #22 to understand what I meant with "inheritance".

 

Nevertheless, you're missing the point. While the premise may work in your mind, if it seems flawed to us, it'll seem flawed to a lot of readers, too.

We're not trying to attack your idea, just pointing out the flaws in it. Don't try to defend it; listen to what we have to say. Did you post it here because you wanted an opinion, or because you wanted a place to write it down?

If the latter, I suggest Microsoft Word, Open Office, Notepad, or, hell, be daring and jot it on a scrap of paper.

 

This is fanon, Slytherin died 1000 years ago. There is nothing much to inherit but the title.

This is all second war stuff, I was and still am talking about the first war.

If that is so, why would the Order have a HQ? It`s a more or less vigilant organization, a guerillia group just as the DE. Not to speak about the DMLE, the other faction in the first war. It seems as if canon agrees with me that having a HQ is a practical thing, even in the wizarding world.

An obscure orphan with a muggle name. But yeah, you are right in that displays of Parseltongue would be impressive.

Well, we are waaay off topic anyway. The question was if having his own well hidden and secure HQ could change potterverse history in the way I plotted out in #22.

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You are right. But I think it`s a question of execution.

Good point again. I get carried away sometimes.

 

Huh. I thought 'x > x' was pretty much universally recognised as 'x is better than x'. But to clarify, I meant that Heir of Slytherin beats vast amounts of gold.

 

Sorry, I read it as -->. Getting tired it seems.