A Death Eater Who Refuses To Kill?
My response to a Moderator question regarding Rabastan:
What we do need is a really clear reason why Voldemort would allow a Death Eater in his ranks who would refuse an order to kill. We see a Death Eater unwilling to his lord's bidding as disloyal, no matter what other talents he might possess. Would Voldemort have known this about him, or was Rodolphus covering for him by doing the killing himself?
Why would Voldemort accept Rabastan knowing that he can't injure anyone on purpose? Here's what I think.
It isn't as if Rab came to Voldemort wanting to be a Death Eater and wanting to serve. He was threatened into it by Bella telling him if he didn't support her master, she'd kill Rodolphus. So from the beginning, Voldemort knows Rab's reluctant and only there out of loyalty to his brother. Rab has no desire whatever to serve Voldemort or his (as Rab sees it) trumped up cause. Voldemort knows it because Rab has never tried to shield those thoughts from him.
We know from canon that Voldemort used many methods of gaining control over people. He gets what he wants by any means necessary, including using torture, instilling fear, and also using the Imperious curse. If he'd threaten or coerce people into supporting him, he would not necessarily be expecting loyalty, even though he would expect obedience. Voldemort wouldn't have commanded Rab to kill if he knew that Rab couldn't do it and he didn't want to be forced into killing off someone he wanted left alive.
Rabastan cannot raise the intent to harm necessary to work the types of spells that cause harm. Rab is perfectly serious that he is not a Dark Wizard and can't be touched (by which he means 'turned') by Dark Magic. He has the soul of a holy man and would die himself before he'd use his magic to damage another. Rabastan never tried to hide the fact that he can't work some kinds of magic, so Voldemort knew he had these limitations.
There was no cover up involved because while Voldemort may have been power crazed, he certainly wasn't stupid. He would not have assigned Rab to kill knowing he couldn't because Voldemort had other uses for Rabastan. Rab also cooperated in appearing the cooperative Death Eater in exchange for Rodolphus' life. Rabastan was taunted, particularly by Bella, for his 'weaknesses' but Rab saw it as a price he had to pay.
So, why would Voldemort want Rabastan given his limitations? That's easy.
I firmly believe that Voldemort wanted Rabastan in his ranks, and he'd deal with his limitations to keep him there because:
If you have a rallying cry of pureblood superiority would you not want the support of the oldest and purest blood lines behind you? The Lestrange Family is ancient and certainly fits that description. They also have a reputation for noblese oblige. If the Lestrange Family supports something it must be the 'right' cause for 'decent' witches and wizards to take up. Enough pureblood families looked to the Lestrange Family as a model that Voldemort would want to keep Rabastan, as the current head of the Lestrange Family, alive for 'appearance' sake with the other purebloods he wanted to seduce if nothing else. As long as Rab willingly gave the appearance of a cooperative Death Eater in exchange for Rodolphus' life, he could be a poster child for the Voldemort cause.
Do I really think Voldemort would keep him alive for that reason? Oh yeah.
Remember, Voldemort used any means necessary, including using torture, instilling fear, and also using the Imperious curse, to get what he wanted.
Voldemort wanted Rab for his pureblood status, his family's wealth, his family's connections and Rabastan's own connections. He wasn't interested in using Rabastan as a foot soldier or an officer. Rab was a negotiator, gopher, and checkbook, obtaining cooperation, items, and providing funds.
Rabastan, like his father, firmly believed that Voldemort was all about gaining power. They believe (as I do actually) that the superiority agenda is a means to an end for him. Voldemort is a sociopath of the highest order. He could care less about who he steps on as long as he gets to the top and holds the power. Muggles and muggleborns hold the least power in the wizarding world because they lack the powerful connections of the old pureblood families. That is why Voldemort targeted muggles and muggleborns not because he hated them any more than anyone else. It would be silly to rally muggleborn troops if they have no base of influence in the magical world to help him to power. That isn't the case with the purebloods. I contend that Voldemort didn't care a bit about pure blood superiority except for how it would help him rally his troops and help him gain power. (Think how Hitler would rally his citizens against the marginalized of German society.)
Rabastan is a pureblood poster boy for the Voldemort cause. If Rab wouldn't have taken the Dark Mark, Voldemort would have probably tried a spot of Imperious to force the issue.
Finally, I think that Voldemort saw Rabastan as a challenge.
Rabastan Lestrange presented a personal challenge to Voldemort. As a boy, Rab had everything Tom Riddle ever wanted. As a man, Rab could have everything Lord Voldemort thought important. Voldemort might hate Rab, but he would consider it a masterpiece of manipulation to 'turn' him. Voldemort would be amused at seeing the pureblood holy man succumb to the Dark. Voldemort even tried to turn Rab at one point by placing a hex on his face in a fit of rage (that's how Rab received his face scar).
Those are my reasons for Rabastan making it out alive.