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

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 169734

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. 

Magpie:
Well...she doesn't do the obvious (always--sometimes she does), but this
isn't really about the obvious but meaningful. RAB being Regulus is
well-foreshadowed so that it actually means something. The only thing Amy
Benson really brings to the table is that two of the letters of her name
are the same and there's very little chance anyone will think of her.
Regulus seems more obvious because it being him means something even
without further explanation. We've heard part of his story and this
revelation completely revises it, turns it on its head and makes it better.
The only satisfaction out of it being Amy Benson that I can see is that
people who happened to remember her name (and are willing to assume that
for some reason she goes by her middle name to make it even more of a
surprise) will know who she was. She's not tied into the plot. If we learn
it's her, it will not be a cool revelation until we get the whole story.
She was mentioned by name, but doesn't Regulus seem set up to play the
larger role? He's been mentioned more than once in two books. He's
connected to characters we care about.

Of course characters named have some part to play, if small. But then, Mark
Evans part was a lot smaller than people thought based on his name.
 
It just always makes me blink when people refer to Regulus being too
"obvious" because it being him already promises new revelations and answers
to stories that are already important, so that other characters become
better choices because they're so random nobody would guess them. All they
bring is surprise, because as far as we know there's nothing interesting to
be learned there. For instance, we were told enough about Peter so that
when he was revealed we would be able to be shocked just at the revelation.
If we go just for surprise in terms of it being strange for anyone to even
think of the person, it's more like if Scabbers the rat turned out not to
be Peter Pettigrew (who as one of the Marauders was too obvious) but
rather...one of the Prewett brothers!

Yeah, it's a surprise and they're connected to somebody, but it's only
after you explain the story that I'll even have any reason to know why I
should care. It's *good* that Regulus' groundwork is already laid so well,
imo. (Laid by telling us about three times that he was defined by being in
over his head and therefore couldn't have done anything significant.)

-