Regulus Black (R.A.B.): The Forgotten Hero of Harry Potter
R.A.B., the forgotten hero
- House
- Slytherin
- Occupation
- Death Eater who turned against Voldemort
- Signature
- R.A.B.
- Died
- In Voldemort's sea cave, dragged down by Inferi
He died alone in a cave, and his own brother remembered him as a coward. Regulus Black changed the course of the war without anyone knowing, and it took until Deathly Hallows to understand.
Who he is
Regulus is Sirius's younger brother. While Sirius left home at sixteen, fed up with his family's obsession with pure blood, Regulus stayed and obeyed. He was sorted into Slytherin, joined the Death Eaters very young and believed what he was taught, until he saw up close what they were capable of.
Sirius describes him to Harry as the good son who did everything expected of him (Order of the Phoenix, ch. 6).
Key moments
- Order of the Phoenix, ch. 6: Sirius talks about his brother without knowing what Regulus really did, and writes him off as a fool who died for Voldemort.
- Half-Blood Prince, ch. 26: Harry and Dumbledore drain the basin in the cave and find a fake locket in its place.
- Half-Blood Prince, ch. 28: Harry reads the note signed R.A.B., the one Regulus left in the locket.
- Deathly Hallows, ch. 10: Kreacher tells the whole story: how Voldemort used the elf, how Regulus went back to the cave and how he died.
- Deathly Hallows, ch. 19: Ron finally destroys the locket Regulus had stolen.
Relationships
With Sirius, a bond of brothers who took opposite roads and died without ever explaining themselves to each other. Each died an enemy of Voldemort without knowing the other had. With Kreacher, a real affection: the elf loved him more than anyone in the family. With Voldemort, admiration at first and rejection later.
With his parents, that of a model son who never contradicted them. And with Slytherin, his house, a case showing its students aren't all villains.
What almost nobody notices
Regulus rebels over what was done to Kreacher, not over an abstract cause. When he understands that Voldemort left the elf to die without a second thought, he learns what kind of leader he is serving. His decision comes from cruelty he saw with his own eyes.
And he orders Kreacher to tell nobody in the family. That order, obeyed for years, is why nobody knew the truth (Deathly Hallows, ch. 10).
To follow the story of that locket, read Regulus Black and Slytherin's Locket: The Forgotten Hero.
Content created with AI assistance, reviewed and edited by our editorial team.
Keep reading
Regulus Black and Slytherin's Locket: The Forgotten Hero
Who R.A.B. was, how Regulus Black stole Voldemort's locket and why Kreacher kept the secret. The third Horcrux, with book chapters.
Slytherin House: Why It Isn't the House of the Villains
Voldemort came from Slytherin, but so did Snape, Regulus and Narcissa. Why the snake house isn't the villains' house, with proof from the books.
