Original “Wings” Scarf Made in Bishu, Japan Jacquard woven textile

I should be writing fic, rather than meta (which I never write) but I needed to get this out before I could re-enter the world of fan-creation.

I’ve seen this notion thrown about a bit in the Regulus tag today:

The reason Regulus Black defected was because he loved Kreacher and him defecting and going after the horcrux was to avenge Kreacher’s suffering.

…I doubt this.

From what Sirius tells us in the books, we know that the Blacks were supporters of pureblood supremacy who were, initially, on board with all that Voldemort had to say. However, upon seeing the methods that he was willing to use to execute his quest for world domination, they withdrew their support; something that Sirius, somehow, hears about, so it’s not a big secret.

Most likely, being the ‘soft’ one of the family, Regulus also no longer supported Voldemort after seeing the methods he was willing to go to. However, Regulus takes the Mark when he is sixteen, is still at Hogwarts (so obviously not out fighting, yet) and graduates the same year in which he dies. Assuming he dies at the latest date possible, that gives him six months to fight for the first time with the Death Eaters, volunteer Kreacher to Voldemort, mull over his horcrux hunting mission and then die.

Re-reading Kreacher’s Tale and Sirius’ explanation for his death, it comes across as more like Regulus sees first-hand what the Death Eaters are doing in summer 1979 and is immediately appalled but, having taken the Mark, he is in for the long-haul.

At some point after this, Voldemort requests the use of a House Elf for an assignment. Regulus volunteers Kreacher (someone Regulus trusts) to find out what this is (possibly something he might be able to use against him/use to get himself out of this mess – Regulus is a Slytherin, not an idiot, and he looks for things to use to his own advantage/ambitions), and orders Kreacher to do whatever Voldemort says and then return home. Kreacher says this is considered an ‘honour’, but Kreacher isn’t a reliable narrator – obviously Regulus wouldn’t tell Kreacher he is having doubts about his loyalty, as he is hoping to keep his family safe from the repercussions of his possible defection, as Hermione says.

Kreacher then returns from the cave and Regulus is horrified by the suffering that Kreacher has been put through by Voldemort, but I doubt he is shocked/surprised by this to the point that this was the big turning point that actually led to his defection, considering he is likely to have witnessed Voldemort and likely other Death Eaters torturing and murdering human beings and any other creatures standing in their way. That he actually orders Kreacher to come back suggests that he doubted Kreacher would be returned to him by Voldemort at all and he thought he might be kept somewhere on this assignment.

And so, after learning the truth about the horcrux, Regulus becomes withdrawn. He knows that Voldemort is invincible. He most likely has no wish to live at all at this point, as he knows he’s not willing to carry on serving as a Death Eater and is resigned to his own death (hence the RAB note) but decides that his death will not be in vain and he will die by retrieving and having Kreacher destroy this horcrux, thus rendering Voldemort mortal without the Dark Lord knowing about it.

At eighteen years old, he chooses to die, alone, drowned by Inferni, in an attempt to try and bring down Voldemort and make him mortal, so that whoever the ‘hero’ may be that defeats him actually has a chance. That his mission fails is irrelevant. Intentions matter, just as much as the end result. And Regulus has nothing to gain and everything to lose by going against Voldemort. If Voldemort wins, he and his loved ones would be just fine. Still, he defects.

That is why Regulus ultimately dies as a good person.

+ you covered his likely suicidal and/or depressive state by the time he did choose to retrieve the horcrux, in a really realistic way, bc of course you’re going to be fucked up when you realize the one person you literally idolized beyond compare (i’m looking at you, Voldemort shrine in Reg’s room) is actually terrible and the biggest piece of shit, ever, basically.