Note in the Locket: R.A.B?

[Stumpy]

I like the theory, its not going to be regulus as thats what she wants us to think and knows that the forums will be flooded with this theory, but there must be some kind of connection from a previous book. From what DD said tho he might of not done it alone

[Kalessin]

Regulus seems like the likely candidate, especially with the locket that was mentioned in passing when Grimmauld Place was being cleaned out.

However, it just doesn't seem to fit since Regulus was never conveyed to me as a rather intelligent or powerful wizard, hence him joining Voldemort in the first place. Dumbledore even guessed to cross the waters in the boat, one would need magical power near enough equal to Voldemort's own... this just doesn't sound like Regulus Black.

If RAB does stand for a person's name, then I think it could be any number of people. It could, as I've read in a thread that I can't now remember clearly, be that the B stands for Borgin or Burkes etc. who I would think would likely know of the horcruxes more than Regulus since Voldemort worked for their shop before dissapearing... plus, they knew that old lady at least had Slytherin's locket before she died eh?

If the RAB isn't initials, then my best bet is for Flamel who I think would meet the criteria involved in deducing the horcrux thing. I mean, Flamel is vastly intelligent, I would assume is magically powerful, and was alive long enough to possibly make the Riddle-Gaunt-Slytherin-Voldemort connection thing lol.

What do you think?

[Snow_Crystal]

Hmm Interesting thestral...

I haven't really given Scrim much of a go actually and haven't really thought about him much. I think whoever RAB is, he knows Voldemort and refers to him as LV like a Death Eater would. I can't imagine a Head Auror referring to him as LV and I certainly don't think Scrim is a Death Eater convert.

Scrim, like you say is no fool though and he certainly must have a significant purpose in the last book for him to be introduced to us at this stage.

The thing that bothers me is that Mad-Eye was gotten to as it were by a Barty Crouch Jnr, could it be that Scrim has also been had and is operating under the Imperius spell... maybe that's why innocent people are being arrested - if he's that bright then he would know people like Stan are just loud-mouths???

I suspect this probably isn't the case but that would be interesting too!!

To Kalessin
You quite rightly point out that Regulas doesn't come across as a bright wizard but we don't know how much the Death Eaters knew about the Horcruxes. In GOF LV says that "you all knew the steps I took to ensure my immortality" or words roughly to that effect. If he was told where they were, he wouldn't need brightness to find this one.

I read in a JK interview that she would leave big clues at the end of what would come next. one that we would work out very easily if we just thought about it. I think this might be it.

[thestral]

well i don't stand steadfastly by my theory, i just think that there are alternatives. but then it could be regulus because JK did say that the last book gave very clear indications as to what will happen, but i assumed that was to do with harry leaving hogwarts to find the horcruxes.

i don't know about regulus, i just has such a strong distrust and prejudice against any regulus theories. i don't know why. i just don' think from the way he seemed to me to have enough brains to magical ability to discover the horcruxes. also how could he have done it by himself? that potion needed 2, one to force it down the other to drink.

an i don't think it'll be nicolas flamel cos he's dead. JK said that in response to someone asking if he was the half-blood prince. so i think he's ruled out of that.

[Kalessin]

an i don't think it'll be nicolas flamel cos he's dead. JK said that in response to someone asking if he was the half-blood prince. so i think he's ruled out of that.

I wouldn't dismiss Flamel so quickly. After his stone was destroyed, Dumbledore said Flamel had enough elixer to set his affairs in order and the note said that the writer knew he was going to die and hoped they would have enough time to destroy the locket. Maybe Flamel and his wife went to the cave, I'm not sure, though I wouldn'y understand why he didn't consult Dumbledore about it all if it were Flamel... a major flaw in that theory I think...

[Snow_Crystal]

Hi Kalessin

Sorry I disagree with you and agree with Thestral on this one. I think if Flamel knew about it, he would have told Dumbledore earlier as he was a close friend - the only one he could trust with his stone.

Also who says that the original potion needed 2 people? The potion that Dumbledore drank needed 2 people because it was poison and it needed to be to be forced down. RAB could have substituted the real potion for poison because he expected Voldemort to return for his horcrux - after all that was who RAB's letter was addressed to.

[Kalessin]

Thats what I mean, the whole if Flamel not telling Dumbledore was my major flaw, though I still don't think its Regulus. I can totally imagine Voldemort showing uo with some abused house-elf, making it drink potion rather than himself - besides, I think if Voldemort returned he would be able to know his cave had been breached - maybe only at that point would he have emptied the bowl?

[Snow_Crystal]

Think I was writing and posting at roughly the same time as you Kelassin - didn't see your post where you spot the theory question mark I was responding to the one before. - I got interrupted!

I do like the last theory though that if Voldemort had returned to the cave he would have had a servant/Elf/DE drink it - he would not stoop low to do it unless he believed it contained some regeneration potion.

[Stumpy]

I like the Flamel theory as he obviously a powerful wizard as well as clever, plus he's been around the block. I think he would've said something to Dumbledore and i doubt DD knew that someone had been there as he wouldn't have left the castle knowing there was going to be an attack.

Unless he wanted to show Harry what he would need to do to complete the task of collecting LV's trophies

[Kalessin]

Whoever it is, they did it before Dumbledore and even left a fake locket with a note in it, cheeky!

Regulus fits the progile a little too well in my opinion as whoever it is is magically powerful and was seemingly ahead of Dumbledore by quite a bit. Its really a bitter turn of events that Dumbledore weakened himself so much only to find the horcrux wasn't there - whoever R.A.B. is, although acting on the 'right' side of things, seems to have not been in communication with Dumbledore/the Order. Interesting...

What enemies could Riddle have made who could have possibly sussed what he was up to then? It could be some fleeting mention of a name in one of the previous 5 books, or even in book 6, though the more I think on it, the more frustrated I get. Ah well, anyone with any ideas, please share...

[Stumpy]

He doesnt seem that far ahead unless he has already done the others! He has got one (maybe not destroyed it) DD destroyed one and Harry has done one.
One thing is sure, RAB is not afraid of LV as he not he left was ment to scare and wind up LV

[gadfly22]

"R.A.B." may well turn out to be Regulus Black. The only other possibility that occurs to me (other than someone completely unknown at the moment) is that the "B" stands for "Brotherhood" (or some other acronym), so the taking of the locket was carried out by the "R____ A______ Brotherhood". (You fill in the blanks.)

But what I think is clear is that Voldemort would know who "R.A.B." is. The signer of the note wished to identify himself/herself/itself to Voldy, but did so using only initials. Obviously, Voldy would have to know to whom those initials would belong if the identification was to be successful.

Maybe this is actually evidence for Regulus, since he was known to Voldemort and from a prominent enough family for the "B for Black" to be obvious.

[dibble2]

The only reason we think that Regulus wasn't talented and was kind of a whimp is because he tried to back out of Voldemort's service and was killed by Death Eaters. Great wizards have been killed by Death Eaters before. Also, Sirius, along with James, was one of the most talented students to attend Hogwarts. Why wouldn't his brother have a flare for magic?

Also, he wouldn't need to be alive when Harry found the note. In fact, I think we should assume that the person who left the note is already dead. It may not be Regulus; it seems a bit obvious for Rowling, but we can't dismiss him. That being said, do you think whoever RAB is managed to destroy the locket, and if so, did he secure any other of the horcruxes?

[Snow_Crystal]

I am now even more convinced that it is Regulas having read the snippet in OOTP about the locket they found - around page 100 (maybe 106), It says very clearly (but briefly) they found a locket in a cabinet at the Black House that they couldn't open, next paragraph JKR says that Kreacher was effectively sneaking about the place trying to salvage stuff. Later in the book Hermione delivers a patchwork quilt to Kreacher and they found an old Black family photo and lots of other shiny items but they don't mention the locket at this point.

By the way dibble2, I agree, we don't know Regulas wasn't bright, he could well have been. Doesn't the sorting hat put the most talented in Slytherin and the bravest in Gryffindor? Well Slughorn does say that Regulas was in Slytherin and we all know that Sirius was a brave one. Perhaps this might go some way to explain.

[Kalessin]

Even though I have my doubts about RAB being Regulus, if it is him and the locket-horcrux is the one mentioned in Ootp in the Black's house, it is possibly that Harry may have to hunt it down still since Mundungus was stealing from Sirius' house, so maybe that was mentioned explicitly so it would tie in with the locket being marketed away?

What do you think?