Aberforth was another former DE, now living in witness protection...

[vmonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 135695

colebiancardi wrote:
vivian - please read my post
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/135368
there is a link in it that points to why the reason why Snape turned
*good* and the key is....Regulus

original theory link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/135111

vmonte:
I also think that the reason Snape went to Dumbledore was because of
Regulus, but not for the reason you have (although of course you may
be right).

I cannot see Snape being friends with anybody, sorry. (If they did
have a friendship it will turn out in book 7 that Snape was just
using Regulus for information.) We already know that Snape has a
habit of following people around, snooping, and working things for
his best interest. I believe that Snape was probably suspicious of
Regulus and somehow found out about the horcruxes.

R.A.B.'s note to Voldemort says that he knows that he will probably
be dead before V finds out what he has done. I think that Regulus
realized that Snape was suspicious and it was just a matter of time
before he is killed.

Now this is key: Did Regulus drink the potion? Because there would
have to be something wrong with his memory for both our theories to
work. Regulus has knowledge of the horcruxes, why wouldn't he tell
Dumbledore about them right away? In HBP, Dumbledore even goes to the
same lake Regulus was already at. Why would he do this? If Regulus 
were
alive wouldn't he tell DD not to bother going there?

So, either Regulus is indeed dead, or he is alive but not quite the
same man he was before. Hence the reason for the goat smell at the
bar and the illegal goat spell. Is he ill? Does he need to take
medication for the adverse effects of the lake potion?

I still, however, like the idea that Regulus would have made Kreacher
drink the potion. It sounds so Slytherin to me.

If Regulus is dead because of Snape, it's quite possible that Regulus
died without revealing where he thinks the horcruxes are. This would
be a good reason for Snape to get in good with the Order, especially
if he thinks that Regulus confessed this knowledge to the Order. I'm
starting to think that the horcruxes are the real reason why the
Longbottoms were attacked. Is there a horcrux at the Longbottom
house? Was Regulus last seen in the company of the Longbottoms before
he was killed? Do the Longbottoms know something? Did Snape
participate in their torture? Is this the real reason why Neville
fears him? Is this memory something Neville is repressing? If so, I
bet the Longbottoms never gave up the information. Could be why Snape
hates Neville (just like he hates Harry because of his parents).

So, who the heck is Aberforth? Is he really Dumbledore's brother? It
would be great if this person turned out to be someone else entirely.

http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/aberforth.html