Regulus Black / Significance of DD & Sirius having brothers

[exodusts]

No: HPFGUIDX 147331

Alla:
<SNIP>
> So, if not to show Aberworth and Regulus as complete opposites of 
> Albus and Sirius ( imagine that this is  the case), what do you 
> think is the plot significance of them being in the picture at all?
> 
> I mean, Regulus sure seems to get a nice, if secondary storyline, 
> but in terms of him being Sirius' brother and Aberworth being Albus 
> brother, I just don't see how important that could be, when book 7 
> has so much to deal with.
> 
> I guess I can sort of see them offering help to Harry in his quest, 
> sort of substituting for Sirius and Albus, but would not that be 
> easier and less convoluted not to kill off Albus and Sirius in the 
> first place?
> 


I think the main reason they were killed off is to serve the drama, 
see HBP Ch 30:

"And Harry saw very clearly as be sat there under the hot sun how 
people who cared about him had stood in front of him one by one, his 
mother, his father, his godfather, and finally Dumbledore, all 
determined to protect him; but now that was over. He could not let 
anybody else stand between him and Voldemort; he must abandon for 
ever the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one: that the 
shelter of a parent's arms meant that nothing could hurt him. There 
was no waking from his nightmare, no comforting whisper in the dark 
that he was safe really, that it was all in his imagination; the last 
and greatest of his protectors had died and he was more alone than he 
had ever been before."

Regarding Regulus Black, I think one reason JKR put him into the 
story is as yet another clue-hinted plot-twist. He was clearly 
foreshadowed in OotP as Sirius-doppleganger Stubby Boardman (someone 
on this list, I can't remember her name, even picked that up when 
OotP was released, without even needing the extra hints of his 
importance from "R.A.B." in HBP). Frankly, I'm amazed this hasn't 
been more widely publicized. Regulus Black means "Little King Black". 
Where would you find a little black king, apart from on a chessboard 
(and we know wizards enjoy chess)? So he becomes a stubby (little) 
board man.

We have Dumbledore telling Draco that he can't be found if he 
is "dead". There are no other dead Death Eater turncoats (Karkaroff 
just ran away) we know about, apart from Regulus Black. Who else can 
DD be talking about (only Emmeline Vance, IF her death was faked to 
give Snape extra mole points with Voldemort)? We know R.A.B. is vital 
to Book 7, and we are certain R.A.B. is Regulus Black. We guess he 
was about the same age as Harry when he sailed across the Inferius-
infested lake with an adult accomplice (Caradoc Dearborn)? THEN JKR 
drops into HBP that 6th year students learn how to brew the Draught 
of Living Death (page 10 of their Potions textbook).

The only question is how Harry will find Regulus. My guess is that 
Zacharias Smith, withdrawn from Hogwarts by his father, lives in 
Little Norton, and that Harry will be going to see him in book 7. 
While he is there, he will bump into one of the neighbours and be 
momentarily shocked into thinking he is seeing Sirius' ghost.

exodusts