Death, rings and spoilery things

[jlv230]

No: HPFGUIDX 130645

I know this is a really obvious speculation based on previous 
discussions, I have been connecting together this quotation from OoP 
(thanks to "seusilva"):

"Several times Kreacher sidled into the room and attempted to
smuggle things away under his loincloth, muttering horrible curses 
every time
they caught him at it. When Sirius wrested a large golden ring 
bearing the Black
crest from his grip, Kreacher actually burst into furious tears and 
left the
room sobbing under his breath and calling Sirius names Harry had 
never heard
before.
"'It was my father's,' said Sirius, throwing the ring into the sack.
'Kreacher wasn't quite as devoted to him as to my mother, but 1
still caught him snogging a pair of my father's old trousers last 
week.' "

And JKR's response to a question in the World Book Day chat:
"Why did you kill Sirius? It made me very sad :(
JK Rowling replies -> I'm really, really sorry. I didn't want to do 
it, but there was a reason. If you think you can forgive me, keep 
reading, you'll find out."

Also from Canadian Broadcasting Co Q&A, 2000:
"There are reasons for the deaths in each case, in terms of the 
story. So that's why I'm doing it."

And
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
the ring on the cover of HBP
 makes me think a number of things.

1) something very important to the *plot* is gained from Sirius' 
death – and I really don't think he died just to teach Harry an 
important life lesson – after all, he already knows that loved ones 
can be taken away
2) the ring is something relevant to the plot of HBP
3) Sirius had a ring – but it looks like he threw it away – but JKR 
saw fit to mention how particularly upset Kreacher was about this.
4) Sometimes JKR mentions little things in passing that turn out to 
be important (remember the bug in GoF?)

Let's, for fun, assume that the Black family ring was never thrown 
away – Kreacher took it back somehow. After all, in chapter 23, the 
trio look into Kreacher's den:
"In a far corner glinted small objects and coins that Harry guessed 
Kreacher had saved, magpie-like, from Sirius's purge of the house."
One of these things could possibly be a ring. Is this a cunningly 
hidden clue? Or am I not-so-much reading between the lines as going 
off the rails?

I'm going to go with `Crazy Sensible' (those Honda ads really sum up 
my feelings on HP4GUs!)

Now, given that Sirius is dead, we don't know what will happen to 12 
Grimmauld Place, its contents and Kreacher (actually I can't 
remember if this part is true – did Kreacher run away permanently?). 
The likely inheritance candidates (IIRC) are Sirius's cousins (his 
closest relatives) Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy and 
Andromeda Tonks or his friends Harry, Lupin or the Order of the 
Phoenix itself.  The main thing is that /because/ Sirius had died, 
the ring will change hands, Hence we have a possible reason that he 
had to die: to set off events in HBP. So I propose two scenarios:

Scenario A – Good Guys
The (good) person who inherits the house plays with the ring and 
finds out something magical about it, setting off a chain of events 
in the book


Scenario B – Bad Guys
The bad guys will recognise the ring's hidden power and use it, 
setting off a chain of events in the book


Any thoughts? I'm still trying to reach a conclusion on what the 
chain of events may be...
JLV xx