Slytherin's Locket - A prison?, Why did it make it to the cover of the UK Adult Version? Options

[Perseus_Evans]

I know the covers have been discussed, but I wanted to create a topic that focuses on the Locket... so hopefully the mods will bear with me...

There are many factors working into my theories, but first I'll go over what most of us have come to believe:

1. The locket was retrieved from the cave by Regulus Black and ended up in Number 12 Grimmauld Place (please folks let's not debate the identity of RAB, just accept this as an assumption)
2. The circumstances of Regulus' death are unknown
3. Voldemort likes to put elaborate traps surrounding his hiding spots, but he may not want the victims to die directly after successfully retrieving a horcrux
4. When DD found Marvolo's ring, he ended up wearing it, though we've had no direct explanation as to why, but we do know that he almost died in the process, his hand being withered

If you recently read my comments in another thread, I threw out this theory as a half-joke... but now I'm wondering whether I'm right... So here goes:

Regulus found the locket, with Kreacher drinking the potion (causing him to ever forward start talking to himself, after Regulus modified his memory), and then took it back to Grimmauld place to dispose of it. When he escaped the cave's traps he became a bit too confident that the danger had passed, and upon getting home began to examine it to determine the best way to destroy it... And like Dumbledore, he was surprised by the one last line of defense that Voldy had created. A locket has a compartment inside it, that could be expanded like a 7-chambered trunk or the back seat of a Ford Anglia...

I'm saying that Regulus didn't die. That he got sucked into the locket and this has been his prison since his disappearance, and so he never actually rendered the horcrux useless...

The other part of the theory is that unbeknownst to DD or anyone else, that the locket itself was originally Gryffindor's... If you look at my personal profile, I've uploaded the altered cover pic to my profile, if you want to look at it, to show that I think the "S" on the locket was placed there after the original engravings of GG... Which makes it likely to be an object of great power and "something of Gryffindor's"... Not a critical part of my theory, but I thought I'd add it in...

The other point I want to make real quick is that the locket on the US cover that Harry is wearing is certainly the replacement locket from the cave, in case no one has mentioned that before...

Yes I know... Convoluted. But we're less than two months away, and there haven't been many new theories to play with lately...

[Nossist]

Great Theory!

I like the idea, but if the locket were to be destroyed in book 7 would Regulas die aswell?
Maybe Regulas could help harry out after Harry frees him from the locket.
But im pretty sure that in book 6 someone says that regulas was indeed killed and that the death eaters found him, maybe by "killed" they ment he disappeared and was presumed dead...Im not sure.
But, and theres always a but...if voldemort didnt get to Regulas there would only be 3 possibilities
1. Regulas got the locket, and got trapped inside
2. Regulas fear being murdered and went in hiding, while being aided by order of the pheonnx
3. Someone else killed regulas

as for 3 i dont think this is possible. But if regulas went missing it wouldnt hurt voldemort to go check if regulas had indeed claimed the locket. However as far as we know this was not the case. A nice theory but i wouldnt count on it...it would be humourous if Regulas comes out kind of like in jumanji however there are things suggesting against it.

[Hermione@13]

Nice! Obviously looked at at every detail, but somehow I think that's too fantasy-ish. It just doesn't seem the sort of fantasy-almost-science-fiction book I know. Is the prison like a place where you have no human needs, but you're suffering, also? Let me try to tie this in with my theory. If Rosmerta got the locket by being Imperiused(if anybody is wondering i think that she could stand the potion because Neville, in GoF, was able to do all those gymnastics and he's not neccesarily physically fit(lol, physically fit))and got out of the cave. Then it is possible that she was still Imperiused when DD came back. She was ordered to distract DD by telling him about the Mark and waited for Snape and Malfoy to get to her. When they escaped they found the locket because it's possible that she was ordered to observe the locket and tell them of her findings when they came back, but Rosmerta was nowhere in sight and Snape knew the danger of being there because Ministry wizards might be alerted, so they just took the locket and fled. Then Draco, wanting to prove himself, stole the locket Then when Kreacher fled from Sirius' house he stole the locket. Hmmm...it seems sort of awkward and forced. Of course, I have another theory of R.A.B being Rosier, Avery, and Bode, but that one's sort of messed up.

[Perseus_Evans]

Without kindling the RAB debate, I did worry about the length of time in the locket, though it could easily be a stasis trap... meaning that RAB has no idea that they have been trapped. They're kind of frozen in time, kept on ice until Voldy can find out how they knew about the horcrux, who else knows, etc... Voldy doesn't want his opponents to die until he knows what they know.

Ultimately it's a stretch, but not nearly so sci-fi as a time-turner...

Here's the other thing though... JKR picks everything for a reason, and a locket is a particularly interesting choice, because it has that compartment where something is hidden. Maybe it's that Voldy's hidden the piece of his soul and that's it... Maybe not though...

But it made the cover didn't it? Traditionally, every cover has been a significant event or object (particularly true of the UK adult versions)... But this is the only time we've known what the object is prior to reading the book. This is very un-JKR, unless there are significant factors that we don't know about it.

So no matter what, I think there is much more to the locket than the simple "it's a horcrux" explanation.

This post has been edited by Perseus_Evans: May 29 2007, 11:33 AM

[mischief managed]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) OMG!!! Thats an amazing theory... as for me, i though that REgulus got the locket while using creacher... but i never though of a secondary defensive system... It is entirely plausable and a good theory. Besides, Apparently, regulus and serious both have something in common, since they both avoided the dark side as best they could. Perhaps when Harry finds the locket, and opens it (or something) regulus will somehow be freed. Then Harry will once again have his god-father like figure back. Someone to represent serious, someone else who knew about the horcruxes... perhapos knowing enough to help harry find the others. It would bring much more to the book and it would be quite a twist, something JKR would definitely do.

And if the locket were Godrics, then that would be something from 3 of the houses so far as we know.... and then the last unknown horcrux must be from ravenclaws... Yeah, it wouldnt be like voldy to merely collect from 2 or 3 of the houses... Hogwarts was his home, all of hogwarts, not half or a third of it.

neways, im pleased with this theory, if it were true, it could help explain much (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[crmhpfan]

That's a really good theory, actually one of the best I've heard. It does seem a bit far-fetched, but I do think it is possible.

if it were true, it could help explain much biggrin.gif

That's another good point, because if your theory were true, it would make a lot of sense, and piece a lot of the story together.

However, didn't Jo say that there will still be lots of unanswered questions, and though your theory is important to the storyline, I don't think it is entirely necessary for Harry on his quest for the Hocruxes...on second thoughts, seeing as Kreacher is legally Harry's....oh darn you've got me thinking now...but if Harry is Kreacher's master, how could Regulus still be (supposedly) alive? I don't know...maybe....maybe it's all a scam...ok, I'm going to have to come back on this one! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

This post has been edited by crmhpfan: May 31 2007, 04:50 AM

[the_prisoner_of_...]

JKR "said" Regulas was dead....not directly though. Ah how she messed with our minds. I think either Baty or WWW had the quote a while ago but it went something like Q: "Will we hear much about Regulas in future books" JKR: "He's pretty quiet/busy being dead".....or something like that.

But that could still mean he's trapped, not alive, but not dead either. I'll have to look for the exact quote.

[WickedWitchOfThe...]

I think either Baty or WWW had the quote a while ago but it went something like Q: "Will we hear much about Regulas in future books" JKR: "He's pretty quiet/busy being dead".....or something like that.

Here's your quote, Dear! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Cathedral: Will we be hearing anything from Sirius Black's brother, Regulus, in future books?JK Rowling replies -> Well, he's dead, so he's pretty quiet these days.

[Perseus_Evans]

Dang... Leave it to WWW to provide an actual statement from the author that ruins another convoluted theory.

Can't I catch a break? First she says Dumbledore is dead (though how do we know she's not talking about Aberforth, who had done the switching spell with Albus... but that's another tale) and now she debunks my Regulus is in the locket theory... No matter what though, I think we still have enough time to figure out some other theories on why the locket is on the cover.

Maybe my theory that Slytherin stole the locket from Gryffindor will still have merit though...

Next thing you know, she'll tell me she's licensed someone to open a theme park in Orlando... What's that you say? It's already happened? Dang.

[WickedWitchOfThe...]

Sorry, Perseus! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

And please don't mention the theme park. I'm not in the best of moods right now because of it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[baty4potter]

Dang... Leave it to WWW to provide an actual statement from the author that ruins another convoluted theory.

Can't I catch a break? First she says Dumbledore is dead (though how do we know she's not talking about Aberforth, who had done the switching spell with Albus... but that's another tale) and now she debunks my Regulus is in the locket theory... No matter what though, I think we still have enough time to figure out some other theories on why the locket is on the cover.

Maybe my theory that Slytherin stole the locket from Gryffindor will still have merit though...

Next thing you know, she'll tell me she's licensed someone to open a theme park in Orlando... What's that you say? It's already happened? Dang.

Hey Perseus, don't give up on Dumbledore yet, I still think there is more then there appears to be. And again..... In the books the Fat Lady has yet to sing. :~) Oh I can see it all now.... WWW running a good run!! ROFLMTO!!!

[Perseus_Evans]

Well baty, I do still have some residual faith that DD is alive, despite JKR's statement. I mean seriously, if she was ever going to lie, it would be about this, since it would be the biggest twist in the series if DD had faked his death. And if she had left it at all open-ended, most of us would have taken such feedback as confirmation that he's alive, since there's so much evidence out there... thus ruining the big surprise:

Moody is still Barty Crouch Jr!!! Wait... no... that's not it....

I mean Snape is Harry's half-uncle Perseus Evans (still my secret theory...)!!! No... not that one...

Luna is a werewolf? No...

Which theory was it again? Oh yeah... (drumroll)

Dumbledore is still alive!!!

Dang... Wrong thread. Of course... the same thing could have happened in Regulus' case. JKR has never lied directly about the stories before, but maybe she lied about certain wizards being dead, to protect the secrecy of the storyline... Hey, I can still dream.

[baty4potter]

Her Perseus, we can both dream BIG! If you're going to dream it might as well be big. ROFL~~

And I soooooo want to be able to get WWW on a bet. Just for FUN!!!

[the_prisoner_of_...]

*looks around the board* Come on guys Sirius could still be alive......maybe....lil bit (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Woah we are so off topic.

[Nossist]

But that could still mean he's trapped, not alive, but not dead either. I'll have to look for the exact quote.

I just thought of something after reading what you said, and it has to do with what V said in book 4.
He said something very similar, im not sure the exact qoute but something like "i was not alive but i was not dead" im really sorry i dont have the exact qoute.
However he was talking about his horcruxes and what happened when he supposedly died or didnt die.
Anyway i was thinking what if Regulas made a horcrux for himself????? it makes sense well most of it,
"i have found out your secret" - that must mean that he knows about the horcruxes and possibly how to make one, and since hes a death eater it wouldnt be a surprise if hes killed someone.
"i know i will be dead long before you read this" - perfect! he makes a horcrux because he suspects he will be dead.
as for who he killed, we still do not know how Mrs Black died maybe regulas had something to do with it, anyways tell me whaa you think of this.

[datruch0sen1]

Alright this is off topic but I had never even noticed that Harry was wearing the locket on the cover, I know, it sounds tupid of me.

[the_prisoner_of_...]

I just thought of something after reading what you said, and it has to do with what V said in book 4.
He said something very similar, im not sure the exact qoute but something like "i was not alive but i was not dead" im really sorry i dont have the exact qoute.
However he was talking about his horcruxes and what happened when he supposedly died or didnt die.
Anyway i was thinking what if Regulas made a horcrux for himself????? it makes sense well most of it,
"i have found out your secret" - that must mean that he knows about the horcruxes and possibly how to make one, and since hes a death eater it wouldnt be a surprise if hes killed someone.
"i know i will be dead long before you read this" - perfect! he makes a horcrux because he suspects he will be dead.
as for who he killed, we still do not know how Mrs Black died maybe regulas had something to do with it, anyways tell me whaa you think of this.

Whilst I think this seems logical and obviously quite possible, I don't think it is likely. Harry's gonna have enough to deal with destroying 4 Horcruxs' (The part in Voldy, the diary and the ring already being destroyed), I just don't know if JKR can fit it into one book.

[baty4potter]

Whilst I think this seems logical and obviously quite possible, I don't think it is likely. Harry's gonna have enough to deal with destroying 4 Horcruxs' (The part in Voldy, the diary and the ring already being destroyed), I just don't know if JKR can fit it into one book.

We better hope she can fit it into this last book or we're going to be left with a whole lot of unanswered questions, and I don't know about you but I'd be awful annoyed at this.

[Dracusis]

I think Harry wearing the locket on the cover is fairly significant. Why include, or continue to wear, the fake one?

I've also been wondering about the inevitable battle between Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. How's Harry going to stand a chance if his scar keeps hurting so much when he's near Voldermort? Perhaps the locket aids him to this end?

In any case, it seems important as it's featured on both covers. Perhaps the locket holds the key to defeating Voldermort in some way or another. I'm inclined to think that Harry will need some kind of edge in the final battle, be it Voldermort being resurrected with Harry's blood, the locket or something else. At least I will find it difficult to believe, or be satisfied with, Harry destroying Voldermort on magical ability alone.

This post has been edited by Dracusis: Jun 3 2007, 10:15 PM

[Perseus_Evans]

I think he continues to wear the fake locket because it reminds him that DD died trying to get it, and so to never give up the battle or be complacent.... This still assumes it's the fake on the cover, since the only way Harry end up wearing Slytherin's locket is if it's a consequence of trying to destroy it that it must be worn by the person who attempts it (as happened to DD with Marvolo's ring), or it's really Gryffindor's locket, like my theory says...

The locket on the cover still has me wondering of course...

Could it be that this ends up being the last horcrux?

Does the locket itself have powers beyond containing a piece of Voldy?

What's inside the locket (because as a locket that has yet to be opened, it MUST have something inside it)?

Will it be more or less a way of reminding Voldy about love, since his mother pawned the locket for a song, just to make sure she could bear her child?

Will Harry use the locket as a bargaining tool in the end... or maybe he wears it knowing that Voldy would be less likely to try to kill him knowing that he might also destroy a horcrux? (in this case, Voldy would be desperately afraid that it's the last horcrux, I think)

No matter what, we have 47 days to figure it out... Come on people!!! Times running out!!! All theories must be hashed out before then. I would think these boards would be buzzin...