Spoileriffic Harry Potter Post

If you plan to read Half-Blood Prince at any point, don't read this post until you do.

So, there are a lot of unanswered, but suggestive, questions left at the end of the book. These are just my assorted harebrained theories, so take them with a large shaker of salt.

Who is R.A.B.? The likeliest (if not the only) answer is Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother. He was a reluctant member of the Death Eaters, killed by Voldemort some fifteen years earlier for an unspecified betrayal. It fits the note: the author knows that he will be dead soon, and he must have been a Death Eater to address Voldemort as the Dark Lord.

And there is a small scene in Phoenix where the kids discover an un-openable locket while cleaning out the Black family mansion. Where is it now? There are four main possibilities: it was thrown out in the trash, Kreacher has it, it's still in the house, or Mundungus Fletcher stole it. Look for this to be resolved early on in Book Seven.

As for Snape, did he really betray Dumbledore? Personally, I think not. I can think of no other way to interpret their final scene but that Dumbledore was asking Snape to finish him - indeed, he was already dying from the poison. And he makes his plea before Snape has said a word, before he would have had any reason to suspect he was betrayed rather than saved. They can read one another's mind if they choose, don't forget.

Which would also explain why Dumbledore paralyzed Harry, to prevent him from extracting an instant and ill-considered revenge. Even as Harry chases Snape, Snape is still trying to teach him, to prepare him for his eventual battle. Look for some sort of... redemption, eventually, if not reconciliation.

So why did Dumbledore trust Snape so absolutely, anyway? He never told anyone, but if I had to guess, I'd say he had an Unbreakable Vow of his own with Snape. The exact details we can only guess at, but personally, I suspect that Snape swore to protect Harry Potter. Lily Potter's only child, don't forget, and it's strongly implied that she's the only person he ever really cared about.

Last but certainly not least, where (and what) are the Horcruxes? There's a good chance that the last one is Harry himself. Dumbledore himself says that Voldemort had one left to create when he went to kill the Potters, reserving them for particularly satisfying murders. He would have had little chance during his years of disembodiment, so if there really are seven, then there must have been a terrible accident...

It would explain a great deal - how Harry has his powers, can read his mind, speak Parseltongue, not to mention the prophesy. The only way that Harry will ever be able to kill Voldemort for good is by sacrificing himself in the process. Which, I admit, wouldn't be the most satisfying ending in the world, but hardly an unexpected one.

Those were just the Big Questions, I'll get to some of the small ones later after I've had a chance to refresh my memory...