Read how Tom Riddle secured Slytherin’s locket from a collector of fine things.
Slytherin’s locket comes into the fore as we read about how Tom Riddle was able to attain the piece from an unsuspecting witch named Hepzibah Smith.
Here’s the riddle for today’s Christmas treat:
“In the pensieve Harry sees a gold and emerald locket,
which a young Tom Riddle sincerely wishes to pocket,
but which serpentine member of the Hogwarts founders four did the ornate necklace belong to in days of yore?”
The full name will be required for you to get to the next scene.
Once in, you get to see poor Hebzibah showing Tom a locket that not even Mr. Burke, co-owner of Borgin and Burkes, knows about. If you recall in that chapter from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it’s known that before Tom Riddle disappeared from society, he was employed at Borgin and Burkes. During his time there, he apparently often visited Hepzibah, probably on the insistence of his employer to obtain some of her many collections.
Unfortunately, Hepzibah’s eagerness to receive all kinds of attention from the young Mr. Riddle became her downfall. She reveals not only the goblet of Helga Hufflepuff, but also Salazar Slytherin’s locket, which was sold by Tom’s mother, although Hepzibah didn’t know of that relation.
Ms. Smith died two days after the visit with Hokey the house-elf being framed for her murder. Riddle had already quit Borgin and Burkes and disappeared by the time anyone knew the two items were missing.
Although this information is already known, there was no new information given by J.K. Rowling. And also, there didn’t seem to be anything to collect, save a reminder of how the items were stolen.