Voldermort has a secret.

[va32h]

No: HPFGUIDX 167831

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "toonmili" <toonmili at ...> wrote:
>
> Because of RAB's note I am inclined to think that Voldemort has a
> secret. At first glance we are supposed to believe that Horcruxes 
>made RAB turn away from Voldemort, but if you look at the wording 
>carefully <snip>
> It sounds to me like the secret prompted him to destroy the Horcrux 
>and not that the Horcrux is the secret.
> 
> Why would a Death Eater be surprised that Voldemort has Horcruxes? 
They
> know he kills mercilessly. So would it take such a stretch to 
imagine that he would have Horcruxes.
> 
> No the secret is not the Horcrux. The secret is much worse. 

<rest snipped>

va32h here:

I do agree that the secret is not the horcrux, and that people who 
call themselves Death Eaters would not find a horcrux particularly 
distressing. They'd probably want one for themselves, actually. 

My feeling is that the secret is Voldemort's half-blood status. It 
seems such a minor thing now, but I do think the original DEs were 
motivated to join on the whole "ethnic cleansing" program, led by 
Salazar Slytherin's last descendant who wished to carry on his noble 
work. 

Since I believe RAB is Regulus Black, and the Blacks were all about 
the blood purity thing,I find it plausible that a young boy, utterly 
convinced in the notion of blood purity, would be disgusted and 
horrified to learn that he had pledged himself to the service of a 
filthy half-blood. 

One idea that I've toyed with is that Regulus comes home boasting 
about his new and wonderful leader, and says something that makes his 
father, Orion, mention an old schoolmate named Tom Riddle, and Reggie 
puts two and two together. Or Voldemort has spun some tale about his 
pure-blood ancestry and Regulus checks up on the history and finds 
out about Merope. 

There are problems with these scenarios, but I definitely agree that 
the horcrux is not the secret. 

va32h