Is RAB Important?

Is RAB Important?


  • Total voters
    54

Alz

Administrator
Staff member
I bounded this one around a bit in the RAB thread but just wanted to address the importance of RAB versus his name.
I figured I would poll it ... Is RAB Important?
You can of course share your thoughts at to why you think he is or isn't ...

Personally, I'm not convinced he was anything more important that being an anagram that needed to be undone ... I still think the real merit in this is the horcrux that was stolen and who aided him do it ... I think they are the important details about RAB ...
 

Seeker615

Ghosthunter
I voted yes.

I think it would depend on how JK uses this in her final book. If RAB is Regulus Black I think it may be a key in the final book. Being he is Sirius's brother ther may be valuable info somewhere in Grimmauld place that Regulus knew concerning Voldy.
 

Sir

Through the Veil
Well we know that it would have taken two people to get to the locket, so I think that whoever assisted RAB is going to play a more important role in the next book (Especially if he/she is still alive.) If it is Regulus though, I doubt it would be in Grimmauld place solely for the fact his crazy mother probably wouldn't have let him back in the house after deserting Voldemort (I think she would consider that a pretty cowardly act and another stain on the family name.)
 

Luna

Time Turners
I think RAB is very important. Regardless of who he is is (I firmly believe it to be Regulus) the fact that he knew about the horcrux, where to find it, how to get it, and seemingly knew about the prophecy from the wording of the note, all suggest to me that this is one smart wizard! I don't think this is the last we hear of RAB, just the beginning........
 

Alz

Administrator
Staff member
Interesting comments coming out here ...
Given it would have required 2 people to have done the job ... isnt it more possible that the second person has it .. and also knows about what they were looking for, who it belonged to and more importantly - where the horcrux now is ... and most important of all ... is still alive ... ???
That is my basis for RAB not being that important other than to be a firm link to the second person ...
The exact nature of the second person might still be the more interesting facts ...
Second person sound speculative ... but look at what happened to Dumbledore and Harry ... and Dumbledore said one alone could not have done it ...
 

Sirius Potter Fan

Night Patroll
Well, I have't voted yet . . . riding the fence at the moment. There are some good points here. We don't know who was with RAB, but we do indeed know that there certainly must have been someone. Did that someone die or not? that is a big key, but it still doesn't put in cement whether RAB is important or not either. It is most certainly someone with guts and inteligance, and a pretty good dose of reckless abandon . . . in other words someone alot like Sirius . . . And although I feel fairly certain it is indeed Regulus, I still don't think his identity is the key to RAB's importance. If we were to learn the story of how RAB learned of the horcrux, and how he succeded in stealing it (and with whom) I think that is important no matter who either is. I think that the importance is more in whether the back story gives Harry a clue to a weakness of Voldemort's. . .
 

SnarkologyMajor

Time Turners
Are we absolutely certain RAB had to have help? I had been thinking that the potion which required both Dumbledore and Harry must have been left by RAB because if Voldemort was the one who refilled the potion-he would have most certainly noticed the fake locket. If Regulus is the one who refilled the basin after stealing the horcrux-then we don't know for sure what potion(if any) was originally in the basin. It could be that I'm forgetting something-my mind goes awandering these days.:(
 

Alz

Administrator
Staff member
No, is an interesting point ... but let's remember Voldemort had to be able to check those hocruxes ... I think there is a way of getting past that potion ... or maybe even an antidote ...
BUT, the potion Voldemort left in there, well it would have been a bad one ... one exactly like Dumbledore had to drink, designed to stop them completing it ... but keeping them alive ...
What I am saying is that if RAB had replaced the liquid with his own potion - I doubt that Voldemort would have drank it (He would have used the plug on the side - stupid Dumbledore was too clever to look for the plug ... :rolleyes: :D ) and not sure RAB would have wanted to stop anyone else looking in there ...
I think that RAB is dead ... I think the person that assisted him is not ... and I am not 100% convinced the person that helped him was a friend in the end ...
I'm thinking of someone who was very close to Voldemort, someone who may have gotten the information or been privy to enough to actually piece it together ... someone who may have framed RAB in the end so that he was killed and the real person with the knowledge of Horcruxes and the locket is still alive ...
Maybe even someone who understood the contents of the bowl ...
Apart from my wild thoughts at the end ... I still feel that in order to piece together that information about Voldemort, Horcruxes, items used and location stored that it would have been a culmination of multiple pieces of information and a smart guy to fit it together ...
 

Luna

Time Turners
Great thoughts here. Being a No0B, I'm still reading as much as possible before posting so I don't repeat those before me, but if I do forgive me.:eek:

When I voted that RAB is important, I was doing so because of what he had done - to discover the existance of horcruxes and go out and retrieve one is phenomenal and takes an exceptionally talented wizard. Just think what Dumbledore had to do to even gain entrance to the cave. Harry stands and watches DD use touch and looking at things Harry can't see. RAB before him must have had to do the same as I don't think the enchantments would have been different. I don't think RAB would have wanted Voldemort to realise anyone had been there until he picked up that locket and read that note....

But am I giving too much credit to RAB? I agree with most others that there had to be at least two of them to retrieve the Horcrux but I am assuming the brains behind the operation was RAB because of the wording of the note - a personal vendetta. But picking up from Alz' point below, what if the note was written by the second person to deflect all attention. RAB is Regulus, already killed, meaning second person gets away?

Now this would only work if Voldemort really believes RAB could have discovered his secret. If RAB is an unimportant DE then, I believe, Voldemort would see through it immediately and focus his attention elsewhere. So, whether RAB wrote the note or the other person, to me, RAB remains important as Voldemort has to believe him capable of discovering his darkest secret.
 

Alz

Administrator
Staff member
Perhaps I should clear up what I am suggesting ...
RAB has some back story and an identity, of course the uncovering of those are important ... but I was suggesting the actual real important facts about RAB isnt so much about him, after all he is suppose to be dead ... and if he is Regulus then we do have a certain amount of backstory ...
What I am suggesting is important is the real horcrux, who now has it or where it is and if there was a second person, could he be the guiding light and thus the important one in book7 ... of course mind goes to Snape if this was the case because of how the books are setup - Harry needing Snape to get a horcrux would blow the mind with possibilities ... but also we have a thread on this very subject that halliemei nicely fuelled for me with her fantastic observations and thoughts ... :D

What I am suggesting is RAB/Regulus seems to offer limited scope - but I will contradict myself and say if RAB is Regulus and he is proved to link in with his Dad's death ... then RAB/Regulus could be huge!
 

Fortescue

Totally Potterfied!
I voted yes, only because if it was Regulus and an unknown, the fact they did what they did shows that not all of the bad guys are afraid enough of Voldemort to stand back and not take action against him. JKR gave enough clues to the fact that there was more then one person there the night they stole the locket. As for the potion being replaced - I'd say it's a magic potion and basin. What could be the most important is not the potion, but the basin itself. Maybe the basin refilled itself after R.A.B drank the potion and removed the locket. After all, whomever knew enough about Voldemort and his Horcruxes also knew he didn't have to possess them in order for them to work.

Once hidden, he would never need to go out and look for them in order to activate them, so R.A.B. would not have filled the basin with a potion meant to kill Voldemort. I believe the basin was filled with the potion at the same time the locket was placed there and it was charmed to refill itself after the person drank part of the potion, lost their mind, and wandered into the water with the Inferi.

We saw the effects of the potion on whomever drank it, so Voldemort, being the solitary person he is would have thought that any "one" person who might try to track down his secret would not last long enough to drink all the potion and take the locket. We saw how Dumbledore lost all sense of who he was and where he was. If he'd been alone, would he even been able to force himself to drink all the potion, take the locket and then leave the cave on his own accord? I doubt it!

R.A.B. had to have other motives for stealing the locket at the risk of his own life. The letter left with the locket gave the writer sole credit for the theft of the locket, but in no way does it indicate that the Horcrux inside was to be destroyed. Maybe the importance in R.A.B. is not so much who they are, but why they did what they did and what role their actions will play in the final book.
 

Alz

Administrator
Staff member
Wow - guess I am still the one solitary person that feels RAB isn't that important ..:eek:

I think you made a few good comments there - one of the main points to support multiple people there was because of the potion - there was no way a single person could have taken the 12 goblets of potion and still be around enough to extract the horcrux and get back across the water...
This is what makes me wonder - in complete wild spec - if the 'jumper' in the cave was RAB ... perhaps he had to get a drink of water and ended up inside the lake ... would certainly make it harder for Voldemort to get it out of there ... but there is a thread for that and I don't want to digress :eek:
 
re: The second "person"...

What if......... it was Kreacher? Think about it.. Who would have been a perfect helper for finding the horcrux? Who could he have used and abused however he saw fit? Who, when a "heavy locket no one could open" recovered it from the trash and kept it among his posessions asi if protecting it? Yes, I believe Kreacher was RAB's second, and I believe the locket found in GP is Voldemort's horcrux.

Write it down folks, you read it here first ;)
 

Blanche A. McFusty

Time Turners
Kreacher is an interesting suggestion. I -did- read it here first.

I agree with you, Alz, that RAB is not as important as the implication that someone has messed with Voldemort and his existence. After reading your post I realized that I had not voted, ...so I did. You know, as with other pieces of puzzle that Rowling reveals, RAB will probably unravel a string of "ahas" and "oh mys" as we learn new secrets and threads of discovery.

I have actually resigned myself to the fact that RAB could very well -not- be Regulus. The idea of figuring out who else might be applicable, though, left me kind of bored and uninspired. I don't know. Maybe I just don't have it in me to figure it out. Nevertheless, here's what is exciting about the stolen horcrux.

Voldemort is fallible and Harry has the evidence of "how so" in his possession. That note is a clue for Harry about how to capitalize on VMs weakness. All he has to do is follow the lead (RAB) to get him there.
 

Alz

Administrator
Staff member
Vold. E. Mort said:
re: The second "person"...

What if......... it was Kreacher? Think about it.. Who would have been a perfect helper for finding the horcrux? Who could he have used and abused however he saw fit? Who, when a "heavy locket no one could open" recovered it from the trash and kept it among his posessions asi if protecting it? Yes, I believe Kreacher was RAB's second, and I believe the locket found in GP is Voldemort's horcrux.

Write it down folks, you read it here first ;)
Sorry - sadly not - a few other people were guessing kreacher just after HBP came out and the RAB debate was in full effect ... :p

I think the beauty of the situation we find ourselves in is - what exactly is important information that requires investigation?
There is still so many unanswered questions and I am sure many will remain just that - but JKR had to find a way of keeping people talking but not stumble across anything that would make a real leap into what to expect in book 7 - ergo a few red herrings .. I still feel the identity of RAB could be looked at as this - afterall it is the other 101 questions surrounding RAB and how he got to that stage and after that is really important now ...
 

Angelis

Time Turners
yes i think he is & i have been re reading ootp & have found that when there clearing out grimmauld place they come across a locket which they are unable to open , so did r.a.b distroy the horcrux ?
i wonder if he found any more horcruxes.
 

Seeker615

Ghosthunter
If RAB is Regulus Black do you think maybe kreacher asisted him in getting the locket out of the cave?

I made that comment a few posts up from you

I think it is a possibilty only because he would have to do what Regulus says as he is honor bound as a house elf.
 

SnarkologyMajor

Time Turners
Although my gut says that Regulus did this alone(I think he left the potion), while Kreacher is a possibilty, there are plenty more-
Snape-is his animagus a phoenix?, he's a master at potions, was a deatheater w/Reg, he knew the prophecy, he's fooled Voldemort for a very long time...etc.
Sirius-his animagus is a dog, he's Regulus's brother, and he has alot of mystery still surrounding him
Orion-What do we know? nada! He died the same year as his younger son though.
Yikes! We sure have alot of suspects to ponder:D Also it seemed that Dumbledore had been to that cave before, why would that be?
 

Angelis

Time Turners
i'm dont think so now & i dont think he distroyed the horcrux,as i said in another post that when they found the locket at grimmauld place they couldn't open it.
so maybe jk just put it in just to lead us a stray
 
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