Unveiling the Untold Legacy: The Real Heir of Slytherin in Harry Potter

Highlights

Salazar Slytherin built the Chamber of Secrets to preserve his pure-blooded legacy and only his true heir could open it and control the monster within.

Tom Riddle, famously known as Lord Voldemort, emerges as the legitimate descendant of Slytherin, establishing an undeniable bloodline link with the Gaunt family. While attending Hogwarts, Riddle courageously unveils the enigmatic Chamber of Secrets and cunningly implicates Hagrid as the culprit. Employing a bewitched diary, he manipulates Ginny Weasley to unwittingly revive the dreaded Basilisk.

In addition to its numerous other traits, Hogwarts is renowned for subjecting underage wizard students to perilous situations. In "The Chamber of Secrets," the second book in the Harry Potter series, it is divulged that Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, constructed a concealed chamber that would remain sealed until his rightful heir entered the wizarding school. As Harry embarks on his second year of magical education, the chamber, inevitably, opens, inciting panic among the students, particularly those of non-magical parentage, and prompting the question: who is the heir of Slytherin?

Salazar Slytherin, acknowledged for his aspiration to establish a society of pure-blooded wizards, constructed the Chamber of Secrets to safeguard his heritage. Only his legitimate heir possessed the ability to unlock its enigmas and control the beast concealed within. Numerous descendants of Slytherin have emerged throughout the centuries, predating the events of the Harry Potter saga. Nevertheless, it took well over a millennium for one of them to inadvertently release the monstrous basilisk within the school.

Is Harry Potter Related to Salazar Slytherin?

Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect Draco Malfoy as Slytherin's heir due to his family representing the ideals of the house. Lucius Malfoy, a pureblood supremacist, openly shares Slytherin's hatred towards muggles, which his son also embraces. However, they are surprised to learn that Draco is not directly descended from the Hogwarts founder, leading them to consider the possibility that Harry himself is the true heir.

Throughout the series, Harry's identity as a Gryffindor is questioned, causing even the Sorting Hat to wonder if he would have been better placed in Slytherin. After encountering the Chamber of Secrets, Harry discovers his ability to speak Parseltongue, a skill rare in the wizarding world but common among Slytherins, further making him a prime suspect. However, this ability is later attributed to the connection between Harry and Voldemort's soul within him, rather than any direct link to Salazar Slytherin. While it is theoretically possible for Harry to have family connections to Slytherin, there is no evidence of any Potter relatives being involved with Slytherin's descendants, and Harry's mother was a muggle-born, making it highly unlikely.

Who Is the True Heir of Slytherin?

Turning to the past, it is revealed that the true successor of Slytherin is none other than Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Dark Lord. In addition to inheriting the ability to speak Parseltongue, which he passed on to Harry after his failed attack, his bloodline can be traced back to the founder of Hogwarts. This connection stems from his maternal relatives, the Gaunt family. Tom Riddle, his biological mother Merope, uncle Morphin, and maternal grandfather Marvolo Gaunt were all direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself. The Gaunts were once a powerful and wealthy pure-blood family. In order to maintain their pure-blood status, they often married within the family, resulting in inbreeding and producing less intelligent but proud and arrogant wizards. Despite experiencing financial decline prior to Riddle's birth, the Gaunts held onto one heirloom from their former fortune: the Slytherin locket. This artifact further solidifies Riddle's connection to the legendary wizard and enhances his sense of self-importance.

Before becoming Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle, an ambitious and conceited Slytherin alumnus, aspired to create a pure-blood wizarding society. This pursuit eventually led him, along with others who shared the same goal, down a path of darkness and self-destruction. During his time as a student at Hogwarts, Riddle's association with the Gaunt family, and therefore Slytherin, enabled him to unlock the Chamber of Secrets. This marked his initial attempt to carry out Slytherin's mission and rid the school of "impure" blood. Tragically, student Myrtle Warren, who is now known as Moaning Myrtle, was killed after catching sight of the Basilisk near the chamber entrance. Riddle proceeded to close the chamber and frame Rubeus Hagrid and his Acromantula, Aragog, for the incident. Prior to graduating from Hogwarts, Tom transformed his diary into a Horcrux, an object that would possess the mind and take control of whoever wrote in it.

In Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Tom Riddle's Diary takes control of Ginny Weasley's body, using her as a vessel to open the Chamber of Secrets once again. By speaking Parseltongue, Ginny unleashes the Basilisk, which petrifies several students. The diary allows a sixteen-year-old version of Tom Riddle to regain a physical form at the cost of Ginny's life. Joined by Ron and Professor Lockhart, Harry ventures into the chamber and opens it by using his ability to speak Parseltongue. By defeating the Basilisk and destroying the diary, Harry saves Ginny and prevents further danger to the students. Despite the presence of various Slytherin relatives in Hogwarts' history, Tom Riddle's legacy remains the most notorious, leaving a dark stain on the wizarding world for eternity.