Green Potion, Regulus, Snape, and DD (was: Dumbledore's Past?)

[sylviampj]

No: HPFGUIDX 169732

I've been reading HBP for the first time and it does appear that the 
incident in the cave is going to be absolutely crucial to the events 
of the 7th book.  I looked through the archives and found this post 
from a few weeks ago. 

<<<<Jen: Just for the sake of clarity and not because I think the 
theory
will happen, the idea was RAB was one of the kids in the cave, Amy
Benson specifically,.>>>

I think the idea of RAB being Amy Benson is an inspired guess. It 
proves to me what I have suspected since joining this group that 
there are many members who are better at thinking outside the box 
than I am! Regulus Black was the obvious choice but JKR rarely does 
the obvious.  Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop are mentioned by name in 
HBP and we know that JKR rarely mentions people by name unless they 
are going to play some part in the story, however small. 

<<<< 
.and she went on to use a different name when
adopted and realized she was magical (someone Harry knows now)
Problems abound though, most notably she would need to be a female of
a certain age and McGonagall would be the most likely for an 'aha'
moment. The idea McG. was hiding something from Dumbledore doesn't
work all that well, for me anyway.>>>>>

I was initially taken back by this idea but when I think about it, 
it is possible. I'd always thought of Mcgonagall as being older than 
Voldemort but if we work from the timings in CoS, he would be about 
70 by HBP. Mcgonagall could well be the same age or slightly 
younger.  And it could be that Dumbledore knew of her past, but 
hadn't told Harry because it would violate her privacy.  However Mrs 
Cole at the orphanage says that neither child was `quite right 
afterwards' – doesn't seem like a description of Prof. M. who is the 
sanest and most down to earth person you could imagine. 

Before I read this thread I was surmising that the next thing Harry 
would have to do would be to find Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop to 
find out the significance of what happened in the cave. Then I read 
a post saying – of course!!! – that Dumbledore must have already 
spoken to at least one of them, because otherwise he wouldn't have 
known where to find the cave. (I'm starting to feel very dense by 
now!) 

Then there is the question of Dumbledore's words in the cave. 




<<<Jen: 

.
In reading the words again I was struck by the sequence: At first
Dumbledore seems to be talking to Harry about the potion, "I don't
want...don't make me...let me go." Even "make it stop" could be
directed at Harry making him drink. Then there's a transition
here, "It's all my fault, all my fault...please make it stop, I know
I did wrong, oh, please make it stop and I'll never, never again..."
Next the words stop making sense in reference to the potion and
definitely seem to be referring to a different event in which one
person is watching other persons being hurt: "Don't hurt them, don't
hurt them, please, please it's my fault, hurt me instead..."

Finally the person in question, at least I think this refers to a
person and an actual event, makes an offer: "...not that, not that,
I'll do anything...." and then last is "KILL ME" and maybe there is
a killing.>>>>


I wondered about the theory suggested by someone else that the 
potion itself was a Horcrux and I wondered whether Dumbledore in 
drinking it was somehow reliving Tom Riddle's own experience in the 
cave. Not even knowing at that time that he was a wizard did he 
stumble across some powerful magic? Did some dark wizard torture Tom 
Riddle as well as the two other children? The problem with this 
theory that Voldemort even as a child would never have uttered the 
words "Don't hurt them, don't
hurt them, please, please it's my fault, hurt me instead..." Perhaps 
Dumbledore is uttering the words spoken by Amy Benson. But why would 
it be her fault since it was Tom Riddle who took her to the cave? 

I found the other theories suggested such as a link between Snape 
and Regulus Black, DD's childhood experiences, very interesting, but 
my personal opinion is that there is so much `back history' in HBP, 
seen through the Pensieve that the `answer' to the mystery of the 
cave must somehow be hinted at in the material we already have.

Anyway, Jen and all of you who have been engaging in some creative 
and lateral thinking, I am enjoying reading your posts very much. We 
only have 7 weeks to go so if you have a theory now is the time to 
bring it on! those of us who have only recently discovered HP are 
enjoying your insights.

Sylvia.