In Little Hangleton, the old Riddle house stands abandoned after the Riddle family was found dead there 50 years ago. Frank Bryce, the gardener, was accused of the crime but was later found innocent. The murderer was never caught. One night, Frank sees a strange light in the Riddle house and goes inside to chase off the trespassers. He overhears two men talking: One is called “Wormtail,” and the other is simply referred to as “My Lord.” Frank listens as the two men discuss a boy named Harry Potter, their plan to strike after something called the Quidditch World Cup, and their recent murder of a woman named Bertha Jorkins.

They use strange words like “Muggles” and “wizards,” and the master says that he has a faithful servant at a place called “Hogwarts.” Frank is equal parts horrified and confused. Wormtail expresses fear and hesitation about killing people, but his master is determined, and he promises that “one more death and [their] path to Harry Potter is clear” (4). Suddenly, a massive snake slithers past Frank, and he is discovered. Frank sees Wormtail immediately, but when he orders Wormtail’s master to show himself and “face [Frank] like a man” (6), he finds himself face to face with a terrifying creature that raises a wand and kills him with a spell that casts a blinding green light.