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Who is R.A.B. and where is Slytherin's Locket?

by David Haber

In the dramatic climax of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore and Harry recover a locket from Voldemort's secret cave. Only after Dumbledore "dies" does Harry open the locket and find the note from R.A.B. But who is R.A.B., and where is the locket now?

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Reader Comments: (Page 2)

Umm...yeah that's a good possibility but I think there's some other reason too. Why would Aberforth want to buy Slytherin's locket?

Well we don't know much about him but I don't think he's too particularly interested in gathering precious artefacts now that the wizarding community is in a state of 'open warfare' as he's a member of the Order. Unless of course he KNOWS its a Horcrux...?

Posted by Aditi Dani from Nagpur, India on October 8, 2006 10:39 AM

Fredrik from Sweden has a good point. In Dutch translation Sirius Black is called Sirius Zwarts and the initials are R.A.Z.
It's very likely that it is a member of the Black family!

Posted by Aletta from Holland on October 8, 2006 11:11 AM

Quick question. Is Aberforth Hog's Head's barkeep?

Posted by Aditi Dani from Nagpur, India on October 8, 2006 11:50 AM

There is a section of the HP community that thinks Aberforth is the Hog's Head barman, Aditi Dani, it would account for Dumbledore frequenting the bar as a suitable alternative to Madame Rosmerta's. He did, after all, not think it a good place to meet (see his interview with Trelawney).

I think JKR has posed a large Red Herring by allowing Sirius to communicate the information about his brother. That information is also limited - Voldemort 'may' have had him ed as his brother appeared quite low in the Eater pecking order - but we only have Sirius' word for that. If he was on the outside he won't know for sure. We just seem certain because it is Sirius who told Harry.

Does Voldemort know about the locket being removed - is this why Regulus was ed. Most people think so, but, why not remove the locket if it's empty? I would have assumed Voldemort would do so. Hmm?

I think Sirius probably had no idea about the depth of involvement of his brother in the Eaters, and thought Regulus took after mum and dad. I wonder if he is another big suprise JKR is going to pull. One thing I do know is though - the locket they brought out is not the horcrux it was when it went in (if you follow). Regulus exchanged it, only JKR knows why.

Posted by Marjorie from New Zealand on October 8, 2006 9:44 PM

Based on RAB's note, 'by the time you read this I be ' (paraphase) I must conclude that stealing the locket is not why RAB was snuffed. Sirius indicated in GOF that he wanted out as a eater.

I had forgotten they couldn't open the lock in GOF and about Dung and Aberforth being together in HBP. However Aberforth is DD's brother and in COS DD alludes to some embarassing incident with Aberforth and a goat (?) to Hadrid and the kids. He might well have negotiated it because he knew what it was worth. Might be good bartering material or... he might be planning to give it to DD someday.

Posted by John from Riverside, CA on October 9, 2006 08:09 AM

How can the Hog�s Head�s barman be Aberforth Dumbledore? Harry has seen Aberforth in the photograph Mad-Eye Moody showed him of the original Order of the Phoenix. So he would have recognized him when he saw him again at the Hog�s Head in �Order of the Phoenix� and later when he sees him with Mundungus in �Half-Blood Prince.� Wouldn�t Aberforth be hiding from Voldemort and his eaters?

Unless he�s a metamorphagus - then his own brother wouldn�t have been able to recognize him. The only time we�ve heard Albus Dumbledore talking about his brother is in �Goblet of Fire�:

- "Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily.

"Hagrid, look what I've got for relatives!" Harry said furiously. "Look at the Dursleys!"

"An excellent point," said Professor Dumbledore. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery...." �

Here�s the part when the Hog�s Head barman (who we think is Aberforth Dumbledore) is with Mundungus in Half-Blood Prince:

- The exceptions were two men a little ahead of them, standing just outside the Three Broomsticks. One was very tall and thin; squinting through his rain-washed glasses Harry recognized the barman who worked in the other Hogsmeade pub, the Hog's Head. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew closer, the barman drew his cloak more tightly around his neck and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms. They were barely feet from him when Harry realized who the man was.

"Mundungus!" -

So the barman now has Slytherin�s locket, which is what he was hiding when he �drew his cloak tightly around his neck and walked away.� Another clue that the barman might be Albus Dumbledore�s brother is that he was �very tall and thin,� which is also Albus Dumbledore�s description.

Posted by Javed from New Delhi, India on October 9, 2006 10:14 AM

Wow, that's a good theory Javed. Maybe Aberforth could be RAB. Dunno how but its just the sort of thing JK could do!

Posted by Aditi Dani from Nagpur, India on October 9, 2006 11:21 AM

Do you think the Bloody Baron could be RAB? He's this gaunt ghost with silver blood stains. He's a fishy character I think. Silver blood does come from Unicorns but was the blood really silver or is it merely so because he's 'pearly-white and transperent'? And we don't know how long ago he came to Hogwarts. If he's RAB, great for Harry! Right there at Hogwarts and all...

Posted by Aditi Dani from Nagpur, India on October 9, 2006 11:53 AM

i think that regulus black is RAB. it is only fitting that sirius's brother has something to do with harry because everyone else who is related to sirius is in it. AND why else would JKR mention him if he doesnt have anything to do with harry, dumbledore, or voldemort?

also, i think that dumbledore's brother, what's his name?, has the slytherin locket. i completely agree with Javed on this because why else would someone pull their collar together as soon as they saw someone who they didnt want to see?

Posted by ali from oil city, pensylvania on October 9, 2006 1:10 PM

Aberforth has been acknowledged as the familar-looking bartender of the Hog's Head by J.K.Rowling on her website.

Kreature first nabbed the locket from Sirius' spring cleaning rampage. Mundungus has aquired it from Kreature for a promise or in exchange for another item. Mundungus did speak to the Hog's Head barman and did exchange something that was kept hidden (my personal guess: a letter to the Order) but has been overtaken by the locket (MY Precious! Yes) and had Dung still had the Horcrux on him when he was arrested and sent to Azkaban for what seemed to be impersonating an Inferi.

This sets up a visit to Azkaban for Harry's Horcrux crusade to battle a He-Who-Must-Not-BE-NickNamed--controled Mundungus on the grounds of Azkaban itself. As it turns out with the Eaters and the Dementors both absent, Azkaban is one of the safest hideyholes in all of Wizardom. Maybe Harry stash the now-endangered Dursleys there during his multiple showdowns.

It makes sense that Regulus' middle name is that of a Star or other celestial object just like Sirius and Merope and many of the other tragic characters from the Potterverse.

Who ed Regulus and where and when and with what? Harry Potter slew Regulus in the Chamber of Secrets at the end of Book Two with Godric's Sword! Look for a new version of the "Clue" board game coming soon! Regulus is one of the names for that King of Serpents -- the Basilisk.

Posted by Ken Rowand from LA CA USA EA(rth) on October 9, 2006 1:41 PM

I suspect there is more back story to Regulus as there is to Severus Snape. The Pro and Anti Snape factions all must agree there is more to be disclosed on that front.

I remember back in the distant past Arthur Weasley commented that during a raid Mundungus tried to hex him, it seemed only a passing comment at the time, but in view of the fact that Mundungus has constantly reappeared, (always seemingly in the act of wrongdoing) I think - cobmined with him being caught outside the pub in 'off' company could be a valuable lead to one of the Horcruxes in Book 7.

Not sure I think much of Regulus the Snake though!

Posted by Marjorie from New Zealand on October 9, 2006 2:25 PM

I feel certain RAB is, as reported, the brother of Sirius and that the locket, found at 12 Grimauld Street is a horcrux. I also think, since they couldn't open it, it still has Voldemort's horcrux inside. The cup could have been the one used by Dumbledore in the cave and he was obviously wearing the ring because it nearly destroyed his finger. So...how many are left?
Voldemort...the locket...the cup...the ring...the diary...which leaves two more. Harry could be one, because it would be like Voldemort to use something that bizaare. Or, he could have put one in Wormtail's hand. He had Cedric ed and ed Frank Bryce himself...so he could have planted two more horcruxes anywhere. The list goes on and on doesn't it? Waiting for the last book is torture, suspense, maddening but, most of all, extremely sad.

Posted by Dee from Bolivia, NC on October 9, 2006 3:52 PM

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