Question #4--Why so long for the last Horcrux?

[zanooda2]

No: HPFGUIDX 183437

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kennyg1864" <kennyg1864 at ...> wrote:

> side question about the locket:  Does the basin on the island in the
> cave automatically refill, once correctly emptied by drinking?  
> i.e., after RAB stole the real one, how did the fake one get 
> covered by potion, to be retrieved years later by Harry and DD?  
> Or did RAB re-do the potion curse, so that LV wouldn't suspect 
> anything?


It was always my belief that the basin was self-refilling, because,
when LV came back to the cave to check on the locket in DH, the basin
was filled with potion again, although neither DD nor Harry refilled
it before leaving the cave in HBP. "... he looked down upon a basin
whose potion had turned clear, and saw that no golden locket lay safe
beneath the surface -" (DH, p.595 Am.ed.). LV didn't see an empty
basin, he saw a basin full of potion, he just turned it clear to be
able to see through. 

I know that Kreacher told Harry that LV himself filled the basin with
more potion after Kreacher drank it ("Kreacher's Tale"), but I  think
that either the elf misinterpreted what he saw, or maybe this can work
both ways - the basin can be refilled using a spell, but, if the spell
is not cast, after a few minutes it just refills itself. BTW, I don't
believe that Regulus was in a condition to cast refilling spells after
drinking the potion ;-(.


zanooda, who can answer only Kenny's side question, unfortunately ...