Regulus Arcturus Black
Origin: Harry Potter
Hair:
Eyes:
Species: Human
Birthday:
Parents: Orion & Walburga Black (not imported)
Siblings: Sirius Black
Partner(s):
Child:
Residence: Krappweiss Street 44 (25-116)
Occupation:
Affiliation:
Talent: Magic
Medical notes:
Sports/Instruments: Quidditch (Seeker)
Languages:
Import Date: 5 (+)
Regulus Arcturus[7] Black (1961 – 1979)[1] was an English pure-blood wizard and a member of the noble House of Black. He was born to Orion and Walburga Black, and the younger brother of Sirius Black.
He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1972 and was sorted into the Slytherin house. Regulus became a Death Eater in his youth but defected when he found what Lord Voldemort would do in order to reach his aims. Regulus also learned about one of Voldemort's Horcruxes and decided to destroy it. He was killed after acquiring Salazar Slytherin's locket in 1979.
Regulus was born in 1961 into the wealthy, pure-blooded Black family, as the youngest son of Orion and Walburga Black and younger brother of Sirius Black. It is assumed that he was named after his great-uncle, also named Regulus, and his paternal grandfather, Arcturus. Relatives included Bellatrix Lestrange, a loyal Death Eater of Lord Voldemort's, Andromeda Tonks, who married a Muggle-born and was subsequently disowned by the family, and Narcissa Malfoy, who married Death Eater Lucius Malfoy.
Regulus's parents considered him to be much different from his older brother Sirius Black. Although Sirius was the older son and heir, he didn't in any way whatsoever follow the Black family traditions, unlike Regulus. Their parents disapproved of this, and Sirius was later sorted into Gryffindor house when he attended Hogwarts, causing an even bigger strain on his relationship with the rest of the family.
Following this, Sirius left home at the age of sixteen and was subsequently disowned and burned from the family tapestry by his parents like Andromeda Tonks a few years before. Regulus, on the other hand, was admired by his parents for his loyalty towards his family and upholding their traditions.
Regulus, unlike Sirius, was sorted into Slytherin, and became a member of his house Quidditch team. Harry Potter discovered a photograph of Regulus's team years later, which suggested that he played as Seeker, based on the seating.[2] He attended Hogwarts from about 1972 to 1979.
From a young age, Regulus admired Lord Voldemort and had an ambition to become a Death Eater later on in his life. Regulus had photos and articles about the Dark Lord and his followers cut from the Daily Prophet, which were hung in his bedroom near a painting of his family crest. Regulus received his Dark Mark around the age of sixteen, which his family approved of as Voldemort was seen as striving to achieve pure-blood supremacy over other wizards and Muggles. Even though his parents were never Death Eaters themselves, they agreed with many of Lord Voldemort's own beliefs.[8]
After becoming a Death Eater, Regulus began to consider abandoning Lord Voldemort, partly because his master mistreated and intended to kill the Black family's loyal house-elf Kreacher whilst setting up the security measures for one of his Horcruxes.[9]
By 1979, Regulus had begun to have doubts about serving as a Death Eater, but was reluctant to act against the Death Eaters and Voldemort. One day, Voldemort asked Regulus for the use of his house-elf, Kreacher and Regulus eagerly accepted as he wanted to please his master. Voldemort used Kreacher to test the defences around his locket Horcrux, leaving him to die afterwards. Kreacher was able to escape using house-elf magic and told Regulus of what had happened. Regulus worked out that the locket was a Horcrux and was the reason behind Voldemort's immortality.
This was the deciding factor in Regulus's defection. He created a duplicate of the locket and placed a note inside for Voldemort to find, expecting him to check on the Horcrux in the future, and then ordered Kreacher to take him to where the real locket was hidden. Kreacher guided Regulus past the cave's defences. At the island with the basin of potion containing the locket, Regulus ordered Kreacher to take the locket once the potion was gone and replace it with the fake one, then escape without him and find a way to destroy the Horcrux. Regulus drank the potion himself, and when he tried to get water from the lake to quench his thirst, he was dragged to his death by the Inferi. Kreacher obeyed his master's final order and switched the lockets before escaping. However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to destroy the Horcrux.
Regulus's father, Orion, also died sometime in 1979.
The true circumstances of Regulus's death were entirely unknown to the members of his family, as he had asked Kreacher to keep the events at the cave a secret due to this being safer for the family.[10] Sirius Black, not knowing the truth of the matter, came to believe that Regulus had simply gotten in too far and was killed for trying to back out of being a Death Eater.[11] Remus Lupin believed that Regulus had tried to back out of being a Death Eater, commenting that he thought Regulus had lasted "a few days" after his defection before he had been killed.
In 1997, Kreacher told Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger of Regulus's attempt to destroy the Horcrux, having been there himself, as the trio also sought to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. They then realised that Regulus was R.A.B. that was signed on the note to Lord Voldemort. Following this, Harry gave Kreacher the counterfeit locket that Regulus had replaced the real one with, showing Harry's own respect for the house-elf. Kreacher later earned this respect by subsequently showing more respect towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The real locket was later destroyed by Ron Weasley with Gryffindor's Sword, finally accomplishing what Regulus had set out to do.
During the Battle of Hogwarts, Kreacher, having rallied many of the school's house-elves to assist him, ordered them to fight for Regulus while wielding knives against the Death Eaters' knees and shins.[9]
Physical description
"Regulus was instantly recognisable as the boy sitting in the middle of the front row: He had the same dark hair and slightly haughty look of his brother, though he was smaller, slighter, and rather less handsome than Sirius had been."
Regulus has been known to have resembled his older brother with the black hair and haughty good looks common to their family history. Harry Potter made an opinion that Regulus was "smaller, slighter, and rather less handsome than Sirius had been."[9] As a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm.
Personality and traits
Regulus, having been sorted into Slytherin house, was eager to show similarity with his parents, unlike Sirius, who would rather show difference. Regulus's parents had a preference of pure-blooded wizards, so it is assumed that Regulus took after them whilst growing up. Regulus's room was full of Slytherin banners, unlike Sirius's, whose room was full of Gryffindor's. Harry at one point compared the sign on Regulus's bedroom door to something that Percy Weasley would write suggesting some similarities in personality, namely haughtiness and pompousness.
Regulus, like his parents, admired Lord Voldemort, and believed that he was a great Dark wizard. However, after he became a Death Eater, he realised how desperate his master was to reach his goals, showing that Regulus had higher morals in spite of his general beliefs. Regulus later discovered the Dark Lord's creation of at least one Horcrux and the reason for his immortality. Having turned against his master, he decided to destroy the locket while sacrificing himself in the process, which showed both his bravery and selflessness as well. He also commanded Kreacher (his family house-elf) not to tell his family what had happened in order to ensure their safety. This showed how much he cared for Kreacher and his family, including Sirius, in spite of their estrangement, while further exemplifying how willing he was to sacrifice himself for people he cared about. Regulus also respected Kreacher as well and was among those of many who believed that Voldemort would be destroyed by the Chosen One.
Despite hailing from a noble wizarding family, Sirius himself doubted Regulus was ever exemplary enough to be personally killed by Voldemort, showing just how high the barring standards that Death Eaters have for their membership.
Magical abilities and skills
Flying: Regulus played as Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team during his time at Hogwarts, meaning he was a good flier, or at least so in his youth.
Dark Arts: Being a former Death Eater, Regulus would have been well-versed in Dark Magic. Regulus also had knowledge of Horcruxes, which few understood, and even deduced that Voldemort made one, when no other Death Eaters knew. He also managed to slip past the defences that Voldemort placed on the locket and managed to retrieve it in the Cave, though at the cost of his own life at the hands of Voldemort's Inferi in the cave's waters.[10]
Relationships
Black family
Regulus and his parents, Orion and Walburga, had a good relationship. Because his brother, Sirius, didn't share his parents' ideology, their parents told Sirius that "Regulus was a better son than him". Regulus's parents were very glad that their son was sorted into Slytherin house and that he became a Death Eater after leaving Hogwarts despite not being Death Eaters themselves. However, Regulus's parents were shocked when they learned what Voldemort would do to achieve his aims.
Regulus and his older brother Sirius didn't have a good relationship after their respective Sortings, in part because Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor house. Sirius also disliked Regulus because of his ambition to become a Death Eater, but he was unaware that Regulus later attempted to destroy one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Sirius regretted how young his brother died and wished Regulus hadn't been as soft to go with what their parents told him to do. Sirius originally speaks of his younger brother with derision, though his feelings are later softened.
Regulus's relationships with other family members, such as his cousins Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa, are unknown. It is likely that he got along well with Bellatrix and Narcissa since they all supported pure-blood supremacy and were involved with the Death Eaters. It is possible that he and Andromeda weren't close because the latter was considered a blood traitor for marrying Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born. She was also removed from the Black family tree tapestry. However, Bellatrix was a fanatically loyal Death Eater who would die for Voldemort. She was also among Voldemort's most sadistic followers.
Lord Voldemort
Regulus admired Lord Voldemort from an early age, having the same ideology as the Dark Lord. Voldemort thought Regulus was a loyal servant, as he trusted him enough to ask Regulus to lend him Kreacher, his house-elf. Voldemort wanted to test his magical protections and went with Kreacher to the Cave. When Voldemort ordered Kreacher to drink a potion, the house-elf obeyed. Voldemort left the house-elf to die and left the cave, laughing at Kreacher. However, the house-elf Disapparated, and told Regulus what had happened.
Regulus decided that he didn't want to serve Voldemort anymore and also discovered that Voldemort had created a Horcrux. Regulus went to the cave with Kreacher in order to take Salazar Slytherin's locket and drank the potion. He then ordered Kreacher to take the locket and leave. Regulus didn't manage to destroy the Horcrux, but he was the first person who learned about Voldemort's Horcruxes.
Kreacher
Kreacher, the house-elf of the Black family, was very loyal to Regulus, who always treated him with kindness. Kreacher respected Regulus very much, and he served Lord Voldemort when the latter asked Regulus to lend him a house-elf.
In fact, Voldemort wanted to test the magical protections of one of his Horcruxes. Voldemort ordered Kreacher to drink a potion, and the house-elf did so. Kreacher suffered dreadfully when he drank the potion, and he wanted water to quench the burning thirst that resulted. He tried to take some from the lake nearby, but he was caught by the Inferi. However, as Regulus had asked him to come back after he had accomplished Voldemort's task, Kreacher Disapparated and told Regulus what had happened. Voldemort's treatment of Kreacher and the knowledge of his Horcrux troubled Regulus deeply, eventually causing him to turn against his former master.
Knowing that he could not leave the Death Eaters and live, Regulus asked Kreacher to take him back to the Cave. This time, it was Regulus who drank the potion, even though he could have instead made Kreacher do it for him but apparently saw the house-elf as having suffered enough due to Regulus's connections as a Death Eater. Having made Kreacher promise that he would not tell Walburga about any of this, Regulus switched the lockets and told Kreacher to leave and take the Horcrux locket back. Suffering from the insane thirst caused by the potion, Regulus was dragged under and killed by the Inferi in the lake.
Kreacher was devastated by Regulus's death. It was the knowledge that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were endeavouring to do the same thing as Regulus that brought Kreacher onto Harry's side. He fought the Death Eaters of Voldemort in 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, in Regulus's name.