[HPforGrownups] Draco vs. Regulus, or vice versa (Was: Ginny Haters/ a bit of Draco)

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 152179

Carol responds:

That, IMO, is different from Regulus, who joined the DEs thinking they
were some sort of crusaders for pureblood rights (which is why his
parents thought he was "a right little hero" for joining up)--not
exactly a noble motive, but very different from Draco's awareness that
the DEs engage in Muggle-baiting for sport and many of them routinely
use Unforgiveable Curses. (Surely Draco knows about Aunt Bellatrix and
the Longbottoms, for example.) But when Regulus, in contrast to Draco,
was asked to do something overtly cruel or evil (perhaps "a spot of
Muggle torture," though we don't know what it was), he apparently
refused. I'm assuming, based on LV's usual treatment of his DEs, that
he was Crucio'd for his disobedience the first time, but instead of
being brought into line by his punishment, he became determined to
help destroy Voldemort by stealing his Horcrux (the only one Regulus
knew about), and destroying it if he could (IMO, he failed, as the
locket is still sealed shut), knowing that he would soon be dead--not
for the theft of the Horcrux, which LV wouldn't know about, but for
further refusal to follow LV's orders. (I have my own theories as to
how Regulus knew about the Horcrux, discussed months ago in a
different thread. And, of course, I'm taking for granted that Regulus
is RAB.)

Magpie:
We have no canon at all to suggest Regulus was so different from Draco at 
all in terms of thinking the DEs would be above torturing Muggles, or that 
Draco is so different than Regulus in not considering the DEs a noble cause 
for Pureblood rights.  Canon suggests Draco knows nothing about the 
Longbottoms, and from what we see of Regulus' house I don't think we can 
assume he would be any more naive about Voldemort's use of Unforgivables 
than Draco.  He joined up during Voldemort's reign of terror so would be 
seeing this all around him.

Carol:
Draco *volunteered* the information about the linked Vanishing
Cabinets as a way for the Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts, which
inevitably led to his assignment of repairing the broken cabinet. So
even if he hadn't been ordered to murder Dumbledore as well, he would
still have been voluntarily doing something very dangerous that could
well have led to the deaths of his fellow students.

Magpie:
It never occured to me reading the book that Draco was supposed to have come 
up with the cabinet plot and brought it to Voldemort, only then to be given 
the extra assignment of killing DD.  To me canon and the way all the adults 
talk about what's going on suggests something more straightforward: 
Voldemort gave an assignment to Draco to kill Dumbledore, which Draco 
eagerly accepted as an honor and a way of avenging his family and proving 
himself.  His plan for doing this was the Vanishing Cabinet.  Bringing DEs 
into the school alone is a serious crime, but they themselves are just there 
to make sure DD gets killed.

We don't know how Regulus joined up except for Sirius' description of his 
being a right little hero--though Sirius also believes that Regulus died 
without ever doing anything worthwhile, so it's not not necessarily 
accurate.  All we know is that apparently Regulus volunteered to be a DE.

Carol:
And he was
actually proud, not only of the assignment to repair the cabinet but
of the further mission to kill Dumbledore. Regulus, in contrast, not
only refused to obey Voldemort, for which he was ultimately killed,
but actively attempted to bring about the Dark Lord's destruction, as
his signed note plainly states.

Magpie:
We don't know what Regulus was ordered to do and refused.  For all we know 
he'd killed other people and then was assigned to kill Sirius and balked at 
that.  All we know, imo, was that Regulus ultimately decided that Voldemort 
was wrong and took action to bring him down--something Draco has never done. 
But we don't know that early Regulus before he made that decision, was so 
different from Draco.

-m