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Harry Potter: 7 Reasons Why Tom Riddle Jr. Was The Nicest Person In The Series

Harry Potter: 7 Reasons Why Tom Riddle Jr. Was The Nicest Person In The Series
Image credit: Warner Bros.

As a community, we should stop vilifying Tom Riddle Jr. and appreciate his kind deeds — both for Hogwarts and for Harry.

7. Tom Valued Harry’s School Education

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Insidious plans or not, it’s not for us to decide — but however you call them, Tom Riddle’s schemes were almost always timed in a way that wouldn’t jeopardize Harry Potter ’s education.

Every time, they met at the end of the school year, since Tom didn’t want Harry to miss out on that sweet knowledge.

6. Tom Gave Hogwarts Its Best Professors

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On the topic of education, Tom Riddle was very invested in the quality of the DADA classes at Hogwarts. Some of the most competent teachers — Quirrell, Fake Moody, and Snape — were all sent by him, and Tom even tried to become a professor himself to share his expertise with new generations.

5. Tom Cared About Harry’s Proper Presentation

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Knowing that Harry Potter’s father unfortunately wasn’t there to teach him some essential wizarding etiquette, Tom Riddle took it upon himself because he was just such a nice guy. He even took Harry to a field trip to teach him proper dueling manners once, proving he cared about Harry’s presentation.

4. Tom Valued Harry’s Health And Welfare

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“Attempted murder” accusations against Tom Riddle are ridiculous. He specifically instructed his Death Eaters to not kill Harry and bring him alive when he wanted to chat. When he had a possessed girl in the neighboring dorm, he didn’t tell her to kill Harry. Tom, after all, died twice rather than kill the boy!

3. Tom Gave Harry Great Early Advantages

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What Tom Riddle’s haters also choose to ignore is that he shared many things with Harry. Tom literally gave the boy a piece of his soul — what more proof do you need? Knowing parseltongue, extending Lily’s blood protection, and granting unique power were included. That’s called, “setting up for success!”

2. Tom Helped Harry Meet His Departed Family

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Well-aware of how much it hurt to be an orphan from experience, Tom Riddle didn’t want Harry Potter to suffer through it like he did. During their field trip, Tom helped Harry finally meet his parents’ ghosts; and he even created a special ring that later allowed Harry to communicate with them again.

1. Tom Was A Supportive And Good Listener To The End

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Even when Harry rebelled against his older friend, Tom didn’t take it personally: he still remembered being a teen. During their confrontation, he proved himself a caring and active listener. Tom didn’t interrupt Harry’s speech and allowed the boy to vent, helping him express his thoughts and feelings uninterrupted.

We solemnly swear this piece needs to be taken with a grain of salt.