Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 solves the mystery of R.A.B. in an anticlimactic scene that neglects to address the sacrifice of Regulus Arcturus Black, one of Slytherin’s greatest unsung heroes. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, made up of seven novels and anthologies of additional Wizarding World content, is widely known for its rich characters and interconnected plot elements. Everything in the Wizarding Universe is connected, and elements often reappear with unexpected importance, down to seemingly insignificant secondary characters. One such character is the mysterious R.A.B., the author of a note to the Dark Lord found inside a fake version of Voldemort’s Horcrux, Slytherin’s Locket, by Harry Potter and his friends.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover that the Horcrux found in The Crystal Cave and recovered by Harry and Albus Dumbledore was a fake. When Slytherin’s Locket was opened, there was only a mysterious note inside. The note signed by the unknown “R.A.B.” explains how the author discovered Voldemort’s secret, found the real Horcrux, and intended to destroy it. The trio had no idea who R.A.B. was or if they succeeded in destroying the Horcrux – and if not, where Slytherin’s real locket could possibly be.
The early chapters of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book solve the mystery of R.A.B. Harry, Ron, and Hermione take refuge in the abandoned Grimmauld Place, former home of the Black family and headquarters for the second Order of the Phoenix. Here the trio discovers that the mysterious note’s author is none other than Regulus Arcturus Black, younger brother to Sirius and former member of Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters. Despite the resolution of the mystery of R.A.B.’s identity, there are still quite a few lingering questions about the situation that The Deathly Hallows Part 1 fails to address. Fans of the movies who have not read J.K. Rowling’s book series may never know the true story of Regulus Arcturus Black unless they find, as many have, that the movie does not do an adequate job of explaining his role in the quest for Slytherin’s Locket.
In the book version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the story of Regulus Arcturus Black is given an entire chapter of exposition. The Black family house-elf, Kreacher, reveals Lord Voldemort had asked Regulus for the use of his house-elf and that Kreacher was taken to the Crystal Cave. There Voldemort forced Kreacher to drink the potion that protected the Horcrux to ensure that his protective enchantments on the Cave were sufficient. Once Kreacher had finished the potion, Lord Voldemort placed the Horcrux and left Kreacher for dead. Before Kreacher could be dragged away by the Inferi, he used his house-elf magic to escape and tell Regulus what had happened. This was the deciding factor in Regulus’s defection from the Death Eaters.
In an emotional chapter that leaves the usually crotchety house-elf in tears, Kreacher tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione that once Regulus discovered what Voldemort had hidden in the Cave, he set out to steal it. Regulus brought Kreacher back to the Cave but drank the potion himself and was left weakened when the Inferi attacked. As Regulus was dragged to his death, he ordered Kreacher to take the Horcrux, escape the Cave, and destroy it. Kreacher had to obey and leave his Master Regulus to die, though he was never able to destroy the Horcrux.
Unlike his rebellious brother Sirius, Regulus felt he had to live up to the Black family name. He became a Death Eater at a young age and was the only member of the Black family who showed any semblance of kindness to Kreacher. Though there is some speculation about why he decided to betray Lord Voldemort, Regulus knew that his sacrifice could be an important step in bringing down the dark tyrant.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of Regulus’s story is that it was unknown. Kreacher was the only being who knew the truth behind Regulus’s death. Sirius and the rest of the Black family only knew that he had been killed for his dissent, but not the details. Sirius tells Harry that he believed Regulus was in over his head and refused one of Voldemort’s orders out of fear. This couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Not only did Regulus Black reject the Death Eaters, but he was also one of the first to attempt to strike Voldemort from inside of the Death Eaters, and where he was most vulnerable. Kreacher’s story puts Regulus in an entirely new light, one which Harry is the first to know, and which would have made Regulus a hero in the fight against Lord Voldemort. Though Regulus Black’s true sacrifice is unknown until many years later, the movie version of the book takes that one step further and erases that sacrifice from the narrative altogether.
Any pertinent information about Regulus Black in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is condensed to a single scene that lasts less than three minutes. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the trio discovers the initials R.A.B. while hiding out in Grimmauld Place, and surmises that R.A.B. must have been Sirius Black’s brother. The movies reveal little about Regulus, just that he was a Death Eater who died young. In the brief scene, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discuss Regulus and discover that Kreacher has been spying on them. Harry asks Kreacher if he has seen the locket before, and Kreacher confirms that the real Horcrux locket was once in Regulus’s possession. Kreacher then says that Slytherin’s locket was at Grimmauld Place before it was stolen by Mundungus Fletcher, who Harry then dispatches Kreacher to find. From here, the plot moves forward as Harry hunts the real Horcrux locket, and Regulus is entirely forgotten.
While the story of Regulus is, admittedly, not entirely necessary for the action of the film to be carried forth, it is a shame that such an omission came at the expense of such an interesting character. Of course, many details from Rowling’s novels had to be cut in order to assemble a feature-length film version of a several-hundred-paged novel, but where Regulus is concerned, the film offers very little information. How Regulus knew about Voldemort’s locket, how he retrieved it, and why he might want to try to destroy it are all questions for which the movie offers no explanation. More importantly, they are all questions that flesh out Regulus Black’s character and paint an entirely new perception of his character, revealing him to be one of the better Slytherin heroes in Harry Potter.
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