Note in the Locket: R.A.B?

[Mistress Siana]

R.A.Z? What would the chances be of it not being him?

R. Andromeda Black, aka Zwarts? Regulus is so obvious it's almost too obvious. But it must be a Black...Yeah, I think it's him, too. Or maybe both? Regulus and Andromeda Black? I dunno, I find it so strange that DD needed Harry's help while young Reg seems to have been able to do it alone. Hm...

[Snow_Crystal]

I think that the potion was swapped by Regulas though and that the potion drunk by DD was actually intended for LV perhaps to poison him. I think LV left a different potion.

I think DD told Harry that he needed his help but it was more to give Harry an insight into how LV's mind worked so that he would be a bit more prepared to take on more horcruxes.

I'm certain it's Regulas especially as JKR said in her July interviews "that would be a fine guess" or something like that.

[Mistress Siana]

But why would LV drink the potion in the cave himself? Since it was his own Horcrux, I think he would have left himself a backdoor, like enchanting the potion in a way that it had to be drunk or touched by him personally.

[Snow_Crystal]

Hiya!

I think I was persuaded by someone else here on the forum when the book came out, think it was even in this thread (early on though).

It got me thinking...

LV singled Regulas out to hide one of his horcruxes.
LV gave him a potion and instructions on where and how to put the enchantments on etc.
Regulas followed the instructions etc but for the potion which he swaps.

Or

He discovers the secret of the horcrux etc perhaps from another DE/ or even Slughorn as he was his head of house...
Discovers where it is hidden somehow
Successfully obtains the locket
Then swaps the locket for a fake
He was forced to drink the potion covering the original locket which was originally a regenerating potion (LV would not have wanted to poison himself as DD said)
Then once he has drunk it, he has to replace it with something - perhaps he merely took a goblet of water from the lake and poured that in? Or maybe he brought a poison potion with him?
He then escapes using the boat etc..

Both are far reaching I know but a few thoughts still...

1) Perhaps Slughorn pointed Regulas in the right direction somehow
2) Regulas wanted LV to know it was him who discovered his secret - how did LV underestimate Regulas??
3) Does LV know that his horcrux has been stolen - I don't think so but then how did Regulas die - LV must have known he was treacherous but how much does he know?

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Perhaps the horcrux was never placed there. Perhaps Regulus got hold of it before...

It just seems so... obvious, though.

He was my first guess when I read R.A.B and thought about people that fitted it...

But I just... I don't think it sounds like two or more people.

How could he have done it though... Nothing made it sound as though he was very powerful...

[Snow_Crystal]

I don't think you necessarily have to be smart to work out LV - god knows Harry can be pretty thick at times, I just think you have to have a certain wit about you.

I can't believe Regulas could have been that dimwitted and I reckon he was probably quite cunning.

JKR said that we would guess easily on one of the clues. I don't believe it was more than one person and I'm certain it is Regulas. Remember how would anyone else have access to Grimauld Place?

Also just thought of another how did he do it...

What if Regulas stole the locket off a DE who had been charged with hiding the horcrux before they actually hid it? Maybe it was Bella who was charged with hiding the locket horcrux in the cave and Regulas stole it off her before she actually hid it?

[Mistress Siana]

I can't quite bring myself to believe that Voldemort let anyone else hide his Horcruxes than himself. He's careful to not even let his Death Eaters know about them; and I don't think he would have risked it to let anyone other than himself know the object, place and protection of a Horcrux. Not even Bella.

[Snow_Crystal]

I know what you mean but I think LV is a bit stupid sometimes. He placed a huge amount of trust in his DE's to return him to a body and they didn't come for 13 years (or whatever it was - a long time!). They were all secret cowards but I think at the time when LV was organising the hiding of his horcruxes (whether himself or a DE) he never doubted that his DE's wouldn't do as he asked if he asked them. He was arrogant in that sense.

He can be a bit of a trusting fool himself even though he criticised DD for trusting people. I don't know maybe I read too much into Bella saying "he trusted me with his most precious" but it just seemed to fit.

[Mistress Siana]

I wouldn't say it's that much about trust, rather about skill. Though I'd definitely call Bella a talented witch, I don't think she or Lucius or any other Death Eater would be capable of employing dark magic to the extend that the locket Horcrux was guarded. Bella's comment about LV trusting her with his most precious things, however, kept me wondering too...

[darkcloak]

We don't know why Regulus was a member of the Slug Club. Was it that he was just well connected or that he was highly skilled at something that helped him find the horcrux? Did Slughorn tell him something about LV's interest?

I think that the cave was exactly as LV left it. Dumbledore seemed to recognise the signs of Tom's work all the way through it.

In answer to the question: How would LV not poisoned himself when getting the locket? I think that when Voldemort went there to check on the Horcrux he would have taken a poor muggle with him (hence the boat would allow him to cross with just one wizard on board).

He then would have made the muggle drink the poison and then when it was all gone, he would have pointed the now thirsty muggle in the direction of the black lake and let them drink from it, waking the infer and pulling another victim to its depths and adding to its army.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

We don't know why Regulus was a member of the Slug Club. Was it that he was just well connected or that he was highly skilled at something that helped him find the horcrux? Did Slughorn tell him something about LV's interest?

We don't know why Regulus was a member of the Slug Club?

Regulus Black.

I think it's fairly clear why Regulus was in the Slug Club.

And I agree with what Voldemort would have done to retrieve his horcrux if the need called.

That's why it was so effective.

All you had to do to retrieve it was have something with you that you did not care about killing.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

We don't know why Regulus was a member of the Slug Club. Was it that he was just well connected or that he was highly skilled at something that helped him find the horcrux? Did Slughorn tell him something about LV's interest?

We don't know why Regulus was a member of the Slug Club?

Regulus Black.

I think it's fairly clear why Regulus was in the Slug Club.

And I agree with what Voldemort would have done to retrieve his horcrux if the need called.

That's why it was so effective.

All you had to do to retrieve it was have something with you that you did not care about killing.

[CaioKK]

In answer to the question: How would LV not poisoned himself when getting the locket? I think that when Voldemort went there to check on the Horcrux he would have taken a poor muggle with him (hence the boat would allow him to cross with just one wizard on board).

He then would have made the muggle drink the poison and then when it was all gone, he would have pointed the now thirsty muggle in the direction of the black lake and let them drink from it, waking the infer and pulling another victim to its depths and adding to its army.

Remember, it's only a potion. The only reason they drank it was because of an enchantment put over it, that only let the goblet be dipped inside. Now, if LV made the enchantment, he could very well just put his hand inside the potion and retrieve the locket.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

The problem with, the, er, enchantment though, is that there is a, er, counter-enchantment.

Now, you say that Voldemort put the enchantment over the, you know, thing, and that because he did that he didn't have to use anyone else, and could simply take it because he was the one that cast it?

Or perhaps you mean that he alone would know a counter-enchantment to allow him to take it?

I don't think so...

Lord Voldemort would know that anyone that had got thus far would be a powerful wizard, right? Perhaps Dumbledore even? Would he leave him a chance of a counter-enchantment?

No way.

He used a way that meant in order to claim the horcrux he must force another person to drink a potion of evil.

I think that's perfect for Voldemort's style.

Exploiting the goodness in people.

Knowing they would never harm or kill(as far as the person prior to drinking it knows) another person.

Just his style.

[uggy]

For all those who velieve the death eaters knew of the horcruxes this should tel you they did not
In HBP
'Then you told me two years later, on the night Voldemort returned to his body, he made a most illuminating and alarming statement to his death eaterd. "I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality." That is what you told me he said. "Further Than anybody."
And I thought i knew what it meant, though the death eaters did not.