False Identity? RAB

[calamity]

No: HPFGUIDX 135034

Jen Reese <stevejjen at earthlink.net> wrote:
On another forum, HPFGU group member Carolyn White suggested RAB 
could be Amy Benson, one of the children Tom Riddle lured into the 
cave and terrorized as a child. That got me thinking about the 
possibilities. For starters, we have the interview with JKR:

<snip>
But back to Amy. So you have this person who actually visited 
the cave. And after the cave incident, she and Dennis Bishop 'were
never quite right afterwards.' So we assume they are simply
traumatized Muggles.

Now a couple of things could happen from there.

1) False Identity Theory: Amy was adopted and her name was changed.
Meaning one of the characters we already know is actually Amy 
Benson. She never forgave or forgot Tom Riddle and his cruelty, and 
made it her mission in life to seek revenge. Or she simply abhorred 
his cruelty and wanted to free the world of his evil nature. I like 
this theory because we already have a successful false identity in 
canon. Also, to make this work,  Amy would need to be several years 
younger than TR, and not someone he recognized at Hogawarts(or she 
attended a different wizarding school).


Cali here:

Amy would be a very good theory.  There's also the possibility it could be Dennis Bishop.  OR, the possibility also exists that they could have worked together - much the same way Harry and DD worked together to get through it.

 

back to Jen: **McGonagall would be my first choice here both because of her age 
and the fact that she knew how to dress like a Muggle in OOTP. 
Problem here is she didn't tell Dumbledore her identity or that she 
had already destroyed the locket. And she's not dead, although 
technically RAB doesn't have to be dead even if he/she expected to 
be after the posion or by Voldemort's hand.**

The lure of this one would be the moment Mcgonagall or other known 
canon figure reveals herself to be Amy Benson. We'd get not only get 
more explanation about Tom Riddle's past, but may get backstory on a 
well-known figure in canon and why she chose to keep her identity 
and actions secret. 


Cali's back:

I just don't get the McGonagall feeling.  I think she's just as she appears.  She's fussy and very much like Hermione.  There's also the possibility that she knows how to dress like a muggle because she may have been muggle-born.  We just don't know enough about her.  However, with her being so close to Dumbledore, I don't think she could have kept something like that a secret from him.  Just my opinion, though.

Now for an entirely different scenario:  If, as JKR hints, the identity of RAB can be found in HBP, does anyone else think it could be Rufus Scrimgeour?  The "R" is there, AND he walks with a limp, which indicates he has been injured at some point in time.  He's an accomplished wizard, and he's tough.  One who wouldn't be opposed to braving the cave and coming out intact.  I'm not sure if this theory has been proposed here, yet.  I haven't had time to read all the posts regarding RAB's identity.  If it has, my apologies.