155).ĭespite the blatant anti-Muggle sentiment in the Black household and the support for Voldemort that Regulus obviously displayed, the goodness in Regulus’ character is also evident through his treatment of the family house-elf Kreacher. Hermione discovers a collection of old newspaper cuttings which Regulus had collected in his bedroom, which she describes as being “all about Voldemort”, and that “Regulus seem to have been a fan for a few years before he joined the Death Eaters” ( Deathly Hallows, ‘Kreacher’s Tale’, pp. Regulus followed this family line as well. Harry associates the Black family with the Dark Arts as soon as he steps into the house at number 12, Grimmauld Place: “ house looked as though it belonged to the Darkest of wizards” (Order of the Phoenix, ‘Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place’, pp. 154-155) to further show his devotion to his family. 71), and endeavors to advertise that fact by decorating his bedroom in “Slytherin colors of emerald and silver”, as well as painting the Black crest and motto over his bed (Deathly Hallows, ‘Kreacher’s Tale’, pp. Upon entering Hogwarts, he is Sorted into Slytherin (“‘I was head of Slytherin… I got brother Regulus when he came along’” Horace Slughorn to Harry Potter, Half Blood Prince, British First Edition, ‘Horace Slughorn’, pp. Regulus conforms to his family’s wishes in every way – he is the son that Sirius never was and never wanted to be: “‘ was a much better son’” (Sirius Black to Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, ‘The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black’, pp. At the height of Voldemort’s first rise to power, Regulus deals him an incredibly heavy blow by stealing a portion of his soul without him even noticing, yet this costs him his life. According to Quidditch through the Ages, Seekers are often able to “ victory from the jaws of defeat”, and are also “the players who receive the worst injuries” (2009, London, pp. Regulus spends his whole (albeit short) life conforming to his family’s expectations, and it is only at the last minute that he proves his worth and turns against Voldemort. The role of the Seeker in a game of Quidditch is to wait patiently until the right moment to catch the elusive Golden Snitch, which requires great skill and regularly guarantees a win for the successful Seeker’s team. Much of Regulus’ character can be inferred from the simple observation made by Harry that he was a Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team (“‘He played Seeker’… ‘He’s sitting in the middle of the front row, that’s where the Seeker ’” ( Deathly Hallows, ‘Kreacher’s Tale’, British First Edition, pp. This occurs roughly one year after Regulus joined the Death Eaters, and Regulus died aged just 18. It is later illuminated that Regulus became disillusioned by Voldemort’s lust for power and began to seek a way to bring him down, which he eventually achieves by stealing one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes with the help of his devoted house-elf, Kreacher, although it costs him his life. 104), which pleased his parents and showed his devotion to furthering the pure-blood cause. Regulus upholds the traditional Black family values with such enthusiasm that he joined the Death Eaters at age 16 (“‘Stupid idiot … he joined the Death Eaters’” Sirius Black to Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, ‘The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black’, pp. According to Order of the Phoenix, Regulus parroted the Black family’s beliefs in the importance of pure blood and the dark arts (“‘My parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal… my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them’” Sirius Black to Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, British First Edition, ‘The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black’, pp. Regulus Arcturus Black is originally introduced in the series as a younger son who ultimately fails in his childhood ambitions to serve his family and Voldemort. In this essay, the characters of Regulus and Narcissa are examined to form a picture of what led to their decisions to betray Voldemort and how they were in a position to be able to achieve this. However, it was this conformity that allowed them to ultimately ensure Voldemort’s downfall. Sirius and Andromeda both rejected the Black doctrine to join the anti-Voldemort movement, whereas Regulus and Narcissa did not. Abstract: While at first glance Sirius Black and Andromeda Tonks appear to be the most admirable of the Black cousins, it can be argued that Regulus and Narcissa achieved more for their cause than their relatives who spurned the Black family.
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