New RAB theory...

[annemehr]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2"
<carolynwhite2 at ...> wrote:
 
> Carolyn:
> I think we saw from Dobby's curious interpretation of house elf 
> rules, and indeed Kreacher's own peculiar behaviour that they seem to 
> have a good deal of latitude in obeying orders. I would have thought 
> a reluctant Kreacher was an extremely dodgy companion to take on such 
> a dangerous mission, and I don't believe Regulus would be strong 
> enough to command him. It's a bit like riding a horse, all about 
> willpower. IF Kreacher accompanied young Reg, it may have been 
> because Mrs Black told him to, and tying that into Judy's point above 
> about the death dates, maybe the reason she told him to was because 
> Voldie had just killed her husband?

Anne:
My interpretation is that house elves are more bound to obey than that
-- I don't think Regulus would have had any trouble with Kreacher.

Kreacher obeyed Harry, who is the last person he would want to take
orders from, and who has no experience with giving orders to elves. 
If Regulus gave Kreacher orders to be carried out in his presence, I
don't think Kreacher would have the opportunity to fudge on the orders
to suit himself.  House-elves' order fudging would seem to be
something they manage to do by stealth, not in their masters' faces. 
Although Kreacher "interpreted" an order to get out of Grimmauld
Place, he was still unable to tell Narcissa anything that Sirius had
specifically forbid him to.

I also don't see why Kreacher would want to disobey Regulus (the
younger) in the cave.  He has no house-elf loyalty to Voldemort, but
to the "approved of" Blacks, of which Regulus was one.  I don't
imagine Regulus explaining the "mission" to Kreacher, either, so the
elf wouldn't be likely to have any objections -- at least, not until
he started drinking the potion.  I'm not even sure he had to drink the
potion at all, elf-magic being both very powerful and very different
from wizards'.


> Anne:
> On the other hand, there's nothing to rule out Regulus the elder,
> either.  His opportunities are not as clearly delineated, though.  He
> was 36 in 1942, which was the date on the Diary, so he did not know
> Tom Riddle in school (though, as a younger son of Phineas Nigellus's
> eldest son, he may have known Slughorn, and met Tom at a party).  Tom
> Riddle worked for a while and begon collecting trophies -- but when
> did he begin gathering DEs or their precursors?
> 
> Can't rule either of them out, can we?
<snip>
 
> Carolyn:
> ...er, now wait a minute! Neither of you are arguing from known facts 
> here. Regulus the elder had infinite opportunities to know all about 
> Tom Riddle through the myriad Slytherin and inter-bred connections. 
> He is also the right age to have been taught by DD, and to have ended 
> up on the other side of the fence. 
> 
> Either way, DD told us in HBP that Voldemort had an adult gang of 
> supporters as early as 1954, as they were waiting for him back at the 
> Hogs Head when he came to ask for the Dark Arts job after a 10 year 
> absence at the age of 28.

Anne:
Nah, I wasn't arguing there -- just trying to evaluate some of
great-uncle Reg's possibilities on their face.  It's true Jo could
write any number of scenarios to put him together with Tom Riddle --
but it's those opportunities which are not known facts.  Anyway, I
wasn't saying *much* there, I admit, just that Old!Reg has the
possibility to have got involved with Riddle, and Young!Reg certainly
had.  And that Jo could put anything in book 7, so who knows?

Other than that, we can root for our favorites and wait and see.

~Anne