RAB

[Kimberly]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "quigonginger" 
<quigonginger at y...> wrote:
> Ok, I'm pretty well convinced that RAB is Reg Black.  Some have 
> suggested that he is now an Inferius.  If I remember correctly, 
there 
> is a Reg in the Discworld series who is a zombie.  It's been a 
while, 
> so I may be wrong.
> 
> Anyway.  Having more time than galleons, I set about to find 
another 
> RAB that hasn't been discovered yet, and to build a theory around 
> him/her.  Just for mental exercize, of course, although I will 
gloat 
> like mad if I'm right.  But you knew that.
> 
> So.  On to the theory.  R.A.B.
> 
> We know those DE's are a nicknamey bunch, starting with Tom "Elvis" 
> Riddle himself.  We have Wormtail, the HBP, so what if RAB is a 
> nickname?
> 
> What if he is (drum roll, please) Rabastan Lestrange.  They may 
have 
> called him Rab for short, and someone came up with a nice little 
> phrase for which RAB was an acronym.  Say he grovelled to everyone 
> and was known as RAB- Royal @$$ Buffer.  Or something like that.  
> 
> So now he's RAB.  Kind of a hanger-on, following the lead of his 
> delightful sis-in-law and her devoted hubby.  But he gets tired of 
> it.  He knows he's going to die if he leaves, so he sits on the 
> idea.  Toady that RAB is, LV decides he is about as trustworthy as 
> anyone.  Upon hearing the prophecy, LV wants to go check on his 
Hx.  
> But he needs someone to drink the goo.  LV takes RAB to the cave, 
> knocks him out, uses the levilicorpus (thanks, Snape) so he isn't 
in 
> the boat, and gets him to the other side (mobilicorpus?).  Makes 
him 
> drink the goo, shoves a bezoar down his throat (thanks again, 
Sevvie) 
> and takes him back, to the other side.  The Hx is sitting pretty.  
Of 
> course LV doesn't mention that he has others to RAB, he'll check on 
> those seperately. 
> 
> RAB goes back, bezoar in hand.  He drinks the goo, bezoar in his 
> mouth counteracting it, and replaces the locket.  He waits for LV 
to 
> discover his treachery.  But he never does.  That night, LV goes to 
> GH.  And the rest is history.  
> 
> RAB thinks that LV is gone for good, so when Bella shows up some 
time 
> later, with news that fellow DE Phil Intheblank has told them to go 
> to torture the Longbottoms, he thinks, "Hey, why not?"  He figures 
it 
> won't do any good, and it makes him look good in front of Bella, 
thus 
> promoting family harmony.  
> 
> There's my little theory.  What do you think?  Not likely, I know, 
> but at least it's someone that hasn't been thought of before.

I think it's a nifty theory!  I don't think it'll end up being true, 
but that's not the point anway.  I had looked at Rastaban, too in 
perusing the Lexicon for possible RABs, just for fun.  
Other possibilities I thought of:
Augustus Rookwood hates his given first name, Barnaby, and is RAB in 
reverse.
A member of the Bagman clan.
(Rebecca?) Alice (Brocklehurst?) Longbottom.
(Rolanda?) Andromeda Black (Tonks' mom)
Mme. Rosmerta (Audrey?) (Beaucorps?) 
Nothing but flights of fancy, obviously, but there you go.

But really, in all honesty, I fully expect RAB to be young Reggie.  
There's way to much to be getting on with for something like that to 
be a twist within a secret within a Riddle or anything.  Not enough 
page time left, and to the casual reader, Reggie will be a total 
surprise and a head-knocking "I shoulda seen that!" situation.

I do definitely believe Reggie took Kreacher with him, but I doubt he 
had Kreacher make him drink the goo.  I mean, he was a Black and a 
DE.  Blacks beheaded their elves when they got old, and mounted their 
heads on the wall.  He'd definitely give the nasty potion to the elf, 
who's magically bound to obey and drink it.  Which might have 
something to do with why the little beast is so nuts.  And Kreacher's 
got the locket, and Harry's not going to realize or think to ask him 
about it till it's almost too late.  It'll be the last snorcacks he 
finds, I bet.  Probably Hermione will be key in getting Harry to 
think of asking Kreacher, if not because she thinks of it, because 
she's nagging him about the little nutter.

That's my guess.  But I still spent an hour at the Lexicon looking 
for other possible RABs.  Obsession level rising.

kimberly