An almost plausible explanation for how the cave was found.

[saraquel_omphale]

No: HPFGUIDX 138171

Saraquel:
At last, I think I've come up with something almost plausible for 
how someone found the cave. It's still got gaping holes, but I think 
it holds together as well as the other theories currently available 
and I have found some canon support for it.  I said I'd be willing 
to drop Transfigured!Horcrux for a plausible explanation :-)

This theory could work for a Lucius/Regulus/Kreacher scenario.  But 
the "great wizard" needed to penetrate the cave defences would have 
to be Kreacher IMO, with his elf "powerful brand of magic"  (sorry 
can't give you chapter and verse on that quote – can't remember 
where it comes in the books.)

Depending on your POV, fortunately or unfortunately, it could also 
work for a Snape/Regulus pairing – with Snape as the "great wizard". 
And I must admit that he is the only character in the books other 
than DD and Voldemort, who would fit that requirement, as far as I'm 
concerned.  

At this point, anyone reading this immediately takes sides and cocks 
their weapons.  So before you start, I think this one most strongly 
supports OFH!ESE!Snape (Out for himself, Ever so evil, if you're new 
to the list.) Am I about to lose 65% or so, of my readers before I 
even start, or will they make a case for Lucius/Regulus/Kreacher :-)


All quotes from UK editions

It started with a line in GoF, after the graveyard scene, that has 
always intrigued me, but I've never found a satisfactory relevance 
for:

GoF ch 36 p613
(Harry says) "I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! 
Lucius Malfoy –"
Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's 
eyes flew back to Fudge."

So what was it about Lucius in particular that got the wind up 
Snape?  Snape does not jump at Harry claiming he can name people.  
It is after Harry names Lucius that the reaction comes. Well now I 
think I might have an explanation.  We know that Voldemort gave 
Lucius the Diary before the GH incident, how long before we are not 
sure.  As far as I can remember there is no canon evidence directly 
supporting a friendship/relationship between Lucius and Snape, but 
Snape's immediate acceptance and favouritism towards Draco, and the 
fact that they were both DEs together would imply some sort of 
connection.

Lucius has been instructed by Voldemort to keep the diary and plant 
it at Hogwarts when instructed.  Possibly by this time Snape has 
been instructed by Voldemort to get the DADA job (which he fails to 
get but overhears the prophecy instead). If this is so, then isn't 
it quite possible that Lucius would have a little chat with Snape 
about Hogwarts?  This depends on the timeline stuff, which my mind 
has refused to boggle over, so help me out here, please.  Anyway, 
let's say that Snape gets to know about the diary, and, in order for 
the Snape/Regulus scenario to work, gets access to the diary on his 
own.  Something I think Snape would be quite capable of doing.  If 
you're on the Guilty!Lucius track, then no need to involve Snape.

Ok, now to examine the diary.  We have a seemingly blank book.  Now 
where have we seen blank bits of parchment that aren't blank at 
all?  Ones that reveal their secrets at the behest of a password or 
phrase.

An awful lot of ink came out of the diary when it was destroyed.
COS ch17 p237 "Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming 
over Harry's hands, flooding the floor <snip> Silence except for the 
steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary"

I have always wondered why so much ink came out, when the diary 
appeared to be blank. Yes it could have been all of Harry/Ginny's 
writing and Riddles replies, but there is a possibility that it also 
contained a written version of Tom Riddle's proof of why he is the 
Heir of Slytherin.

DD says to Harry in the Horcruxes chapter, 
HBP Ch23 p468 "But there could be no doubt that Riddle really wanted 
that diary read, wanted the piece of his soul to inhabit or possess 
somebody else, so that Slytherin's monster would be unleashed 
again."  "Well he didn't want his hard work to be wasted," said 
Harry. "He wanted people to know he was Slytherin's heir, because he 
couldn't take credit at the time." "Quite correct," said DD nodding."

Then on p472 DD says "The diary, as you have said yourself, was 
proof that he was the heir of Slytherin; I am sure that Voldemort 
considered it of stupendous importance."

In COS what Harry says is ch18 p242 "It was this diary, <snip> 
Riddle wrote it when he was 16." 

HBP p467 DD says to Harry
"The diary, Riddles's diary, the one giving instructions on how to 
reopen the Chamber of Secrets" 

What's puzzling me here, is that if Voldemort wanted the diary to be 
read, why were the words not visible?.  What does DD mean here?  It 
makes no sense for DD to, in one breath say the diary was to be 
read, and in the next phrase imply that it's purpose was for 
possession – as a weapon.  Many of the references hear, imply words 
to be read.  I must admit to being confused about this vital bit of 
evidence for my theory. Herein, right at the heart of the theory, 
obviously lies one of the gaping holes mentioned above! But is there 
enough ambiguity to make a case?

However, from COS, we know that Ginny suffered because she *wrote* 
in the diary and it replied to her.  That gradually over the course 
of time, Voldemort was able to possess Ginny because of her 
confiding in him.  Ginny was relating to the Soul fragment, rather 
than reading the diary.  Let's for argument's sake, say that 
Snape/Lucius did not write in the diary, but were able to read it, 
what would they have found out.

Lucius/Snape works out how to read the diary, possibly by 
discovering the incantation that reveals the words (well if you 
think it's unlikely, the twins did it for the map). Or maybe at that 
time the words are there for all to read, and in order for Lucius to 
work his plan, he hides them (unlikely I think, but if it was 
Lucius, he had an object belonging to what he thought was a gone-for-
ever Voldemort which he thought he could use to further his own 
ends, he might have done it)  Whatever the scenario, on reading the 
diary, what does Lucius/Snape find out?

I think it would be in character for Voldemort, as part of his proof 
that he is the heir, to put in the whole history of his 
extraordinary powers, which would of course include his little trip 
to the cave with Benson and Bishop.  How at such a young age, he was 
so fantastically powerful, that he could manage to get himself and 
two children down an impossibly steep cliff and into a hidden cave 
etc etc. He probably didn't give a grid reference for the cave, but 
might have hinted that it was on a holiday – the evidence that DD 
had.

So now, possibly,  we have information about the cave accessible to 
others.  

Neither Snape nor Lucius it seems, suspected that the diary itself 
was a Horcrux. According to DD, "I understand that Voldemort had 
told him the diary would cause the Chamber of Secrets to reopen, 
because it was cleverly enchanted."  I suspect that the "I 
understand" implies that this information came from Snape, which if 
correct, is proof that Snape knew more about the diary than just 
that when it had been destroyed Voldemort was apoplectic.  

What is also Very Interesting is that Snape is *not* present at the 
denouement of COS, only DD, McGonegall and the Weasley family are 
there. (see the start of ch18) which means he was not party to any 
information which might have led him to realise that it was a 
Horcrux.  DD probably told McGonegall to keep her mouth shut, and 
the Weasly's wouldn't talk to Snape, and neither would they want to 
broadcast Ginny's error. This may well lead somewhere, but I have no 
time to investigate that at the moment.

If we take the line in GoF, much quoted recently, that implies that 
the death eaters knew about Voldemort making at least one Horcrux,  
we have a reason for an ESG!Snape, whose remorse knows no end, to 
hunt for the cave and a Horcrux. But beware, for if our gallant ESG!
Snape is the one to destroy the Locket, he very quickly becomes ESE!
Snape for accidentally forgetting to let DD in on the loop.  And 
would this not make Snape blanch at the thought that his whole cover 
might be blown by dear Lucius somehow, when he shows up at the 
rebirthing party.  Did Harry witness anything to connect Snape to 
Lucius, the Diary and hence the Cave and the Fake Locket lying where 
the Horcrux once was?

Or do we have a careless Lucius who somehow lets RAB in on the 
loop.  Because in order for the Lucius outline to work, we have to 
get Regulus on board and knowing about the cave.  Yes, it's 
possible, they are closely related.  If we have a Regulus who wants 
out, who uncharacteristically for a Slytherin, is concerned about 
others (is this the good Slytherin which the list has hunted for, 
and JKR has hinted exists :-)  ) knows that Voldemort has made a 
horcrux and decides to take this opportunity to take it out, then 
the Lucius case can continue. And all the convoluted problems of the 
cave still lie before us.

Let's say it is OFH!ESE!Snape, who has a problem with Voldemort 
because of the prophecy, and a possible problem with DD over how he 
dealt with the  Marauder's "joke" or perhaps, as I've suggested 
before Snape just wants a place to research the dark arts to his 
heart's content, and DD has denied it to him.  Who know's why Snape 
might hate DD, but that it's possible has been revealed by the 
Lightening Struck Tower.  He now needs a fall guy to take the 
punishment that is obviously waiting in the cave, between him and 
the Horcrux.  And there is poor old Regulus, wanting out, gullible 
enough to believe Snape's tale of how he can earn himself 
redemption, by helping him with a little project.

I can believe that Snape was a great enough wizard to find his way 
round the defences, and that Regulus, did not have enough magical 
oomph to sink the boat.

But the complexities of the cave still lie before us, and Saraquel, 
who has spent a long time constructing this, really, really does 
need to go and attend to Real Life, as she has been trying to do for 
2 days now.  So I will leave it to you, to follow through on this, 
if you think it worth it.  To ponder, what went through Snape's mind 
when DD came back having destroyed the Ring – did Snape suspect 
another Horcrux?  What is the story of the potion in this instance.  
Are they Snape's memories in the potion?  If so, how did they get 
there?  Do we assume that our devious Snape forced Regulus to put 
his initials on the note to disguise his own involvement and throw 
the blame on Regulus.  Was it Regulus that drank the potion, and if 
that didn't kill him, did Snape simply get rid of the evidence as 
the note suggested. Poor, Regulus, if this was so, he knew he was 
writing the truth when he wrote "I know I will be dead long before 
you read this".  And if Snape is the guilty party, where is the 
Locket now? It would make little sense to point the finger at 
Regulus, and then hide it in Grimauld place.

Questions, questions, questions.  Well, I never promised answers to 
everything, just a vaguely plausible explanation for how someone 
could know about the cave. What do you think?

Saraquel
Who may not have time to answer replies, and apologises in advance!