Sectumsempra is Beth and Christina. Theories, questions, and predictions of the Harry Potter books remain the focus here. Sharing your thoughts is welcomed and encouraged!

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*By Kim I.*

**Just wanted to apologize for the long gap in between theories and also thank all the readers and supporters of the site for helping to keep it going while we're busy with school. We appreciate it.**

One thing that struck me as very odd when I re-read HBP was DD's reaction to the potion he drank in the cave. The potion is first described as "emerald green" and emitting a "phosphorescent glow." DD also realizes that it cannot be touched, Vanished, parted, scooped up, siphoned away, Transfigured, Charmed, or "otherwise made to change its nature." When DD begins to drink the potion, at first glance, the potion appears to simply be killing/injuring him, but as he drinks more of the potion, his responses become more interesting. Here I will list out the progression of DD's responses after drinking more and more of the potion (from p. 571-575, US version).

Drink # Response
1-3 turns white, closes eyes, shakes head
4 staggered, fell forward against the basin, twitching face, as if dreaming a horrible nightmare, panting, voice Harry didn't recognize "I don't want...Don't make me...", "...don't like...want to stop..."
5 "No..." "I don't want to...I don't want to...Let me go..." "Make it stop, make it stop"
6 "No, no, no, no, I can't, I can't, don't make me, I don't want to... It's all my fault, all my fault", begins sobbing, "Please make it stop, I know I did wrong, oh please make it stop and I'll never, never again..."
7 cowers, failing hands, "Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, it's all my fault, hurt me instead..."
8 screaming, hammering the ground w/ his fists
9 "Please, please, no…not that, I'll do anything...", "No more, please, no more...", drank like "a child dying of thirst"
10 "I want to die! I want to die! Make it stop, make it stop, I want to die!"
11 "KILL ME!"
12 let out "a great rattling gasp" and "rolled over onto his face"

After finishing the potion, DD starts begging for water. I think that this whole scene is very important. The reader is freaking out at this point because we are so worried about DD, but I think more is hidden here. I propose that the potion acts almost as a memory or recollection of a Death Eater DD has tortured and killed for failing at a task LV assigned to him/her. I also think we see LV using all three Unforgivable Curses against the DE here, as well.

In the beginning (drinks 1-4), there are simply somatic changes we see in DD, he becomes white-faced, and looks ill. This could be the stage when the DE realizes that he/she has failed at the task, and realizes the horror of what will happen to him/her.

From drinks 4-12, however, DD begins to echo exactly what this DE says as Voldemort tortures him/her, perhaps by using the Cruciatus Curse. First, the DE resists what LV is trying to do to him/her as punishment, and pleads for LV to stop hurting him/her.

Then, by drink 6-9, we see that the DE is told that he/she will be forced to commit some heinous act that he/she cannot bear to carry out (maybe killing his/her own family, or someone else very close to the DE). This is where we see the Imperius Curse come into play. We continue to see the DE pleading to not be forced to commit the act he/she is being forced to do.

The final group of drinks, drinks 10-12, is where we see the previous curses becoming unbearable for the DE, and he/she pleads for death. He/she finally pleads for LV to kill him/her, and perhaps this was the intent of LV the whole time, because he does kill the DE.

Okay, so what does this all mean? I think this potion was NOT the original potion in the basin when the elusive R.A.B. retrieved the locket from the cave. I think that the DE in question is indeed, Regulus Black, and he placed this potion, that would make the drinker re-enact the horrors he faced in order to get the locket. Regulus clearly knew that he would be killed by LV for his actions, and he obviously wanted to leave clues for the next wizard(s) that came to retrieve the locket.

I think that the potion was put there by Regulus after he retrieved the real Horcrux, and its purpose is to show the next wizard(s) that came to the cave exactly what his sacrifice was in order to get that Horcrux. I am very interested to know what type of potion was in the basin when Regulus first got to the Horcrux, and exactly how he was able to overcome the horrors within that potion.