Remus Lupin

"It is the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers."

- Remus Lupin.

Professor Remus John Lupin (10 March, 1960 – 2 May, 1998), also known as Moony, was a half-blood wizard (son of Mr. and Mrs. Lupin), affected with lycanthropy during his childhood. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor house. During his school years, he was one of the Marauders; best friends with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. Together they created the Marauder's Map. After Hogwarts, Remus and his friends joined the Order of the Phoenix and fought in the First Wizarding War. However, Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort, out of fear. Remus lost all of his closest friends in various ways by the end of the First Wizarding War, though he and Sirius Black later reclaimed their friendship.

Remus taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts during the 1993–1994 school year. He was also a teacher of Harry Potter, James's son, whom he taught how to conjure a Patronus, but resigned after Severus Snape revealed to the public that Remus was a werewolf. He fought against the Death Eaters once more in the Second Wizarding War, during which he lost his friend Sirius. In 1997, Remus married fellow Order member Nymphadora Tonks and had a son, Teddy Lupin. Remus fought at the Battle of Hogwarts, during which his wife was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus was also killed by the Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov, during the same battle in 1998. However, he briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone for Harry, along with James, Lily, and Sirius in 1998.

Early life
Remus was born on 10 March, 1960 to Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. Little is known about his life as a human. At an early age, Remus was bitten by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, after his father insulted Greyback, and became a werewolf himself. His parents did everything that they could in order to try to find a cure for him, but there was no cure. Although he and his parents were unsure of the safety of allowing him to attend school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, did not see why he could not attend and encouraged him to become a student.

Hogwarts years
"My transformations in those days were — were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits."

- Remus Lupin describes transformations to Harry Potter in 1993

Remus attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. To secure his safety as well as that of his peers Remus would be brought to the Shrieking Shack once a month for his transformations in order to prevent him from attacking other students. However, this isolation caused him to attack himself out of frustration. This and the painful monthly transformations made the villagers of Hogsmeade mistake his screams for that of violent ghosts. Dumbledore, wanting to keep the truth of these noises a secret, encouraged these rumours. Thus, the building was dubbed the Shrieking Shack, which held the reputation for being the most haunted building in Britain.

Remus became the very best of friends with fellow Gryffindors James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. He kept his status as a werewolf a secret from all of the students at Hogwarts, including James, Sirius, and Peter, and made up stories to explain his monthly disappearances, such as that his mother was ill and he needed to go home to visit her. He was terrified that they would desert him once they found out what he truly was. However, James, Sirius, and Peter worked out the truth during their second year, and due to their acceptance of who Remus was, and their unusually strong friendship with him, they decided to learn how to become Animagi in order to keep Remus company during his transformations, as a werewolf is only a danger to humans. By their fifth year, James was able to become a stag, and Sirius was able to become a dog, animals large enough to keep the wolfish Remus in check. Peter, meanwhile, was able to become a rat. Once a month during the full moon, James, Sirius and Peter would sneak out of the castle under James's Invisibility Cloak, transform, get into the Whomping Willow, walk down the tunnel and meet up with Remus in the Shrieking Shack. Under their influence, Lupin became tame; his body was still a wolf's, but his mind became less so when he was among them. The four of them soon left the Whomping Willow and would roam among the school grounds and Hogsmeade by night. Eventually, this group of friends came to call themselves the Marauders, and Remus' friends nicknamed him "Moony" because of his transformations during every full moon.

Remus was a good student but also a prankster. He and Peter Pettigrew would sometimes join James and Sirius in detention for mischief-making, though they did not get into as much trouble as their other friends. It's unlikely that any other Hogwarts students ever found out as much about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade as they did and James, Sirius, Remus and Peter used their knowledge of it to write the Marauder's Map and signed it with their nicknames. Unfortunately, it somehow ended up being confiscated by Argus Filch, but was eventually recovered by Fred and George Weasley in the 1989-90 school year.



However, Remus' frequent disappearances riled up an unhealthy curiosity in Severus Snape, a Slytherin student in the same year as Remus. Because of Severus' enmity towards James and Sirius, he disliked Remus and Peter by association, making him all the more suspicious. He often followed James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter around in order to see what they were up to and in an effort to have them expelled. Sometime in their early school career, Sirius played a malicious prank on Snape by telling him about the Whomping Willow passageway, hoping that he would be terrified or even get seriously hurt by what he found at the other end. James, who hated Snape, was able to stop Snape and save his life in the nick of time, but Snape still uncovered Remus' secret, seeing him at the end of the passage.

Remus was also a Prefect while he was at Hogwarts, although he had trouble exercising discipline over his dearest friends, he claims Dumbledore hoped he could exert control over them as a Prefect. Sirius later tells Harry that Remus wasn't an idiot like his friends because he was never cruel to Snape. But Remus admitted that he regretted that he had never stepped in to stop it.

First Wizarding War
Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, Remus joined the Order of the Phoenix along with James, Sirius, Peter and Lily Evans, standing up against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Remus failed to find employment following his education because of his affliction as a werewolf. (How people would know instantly of his werewolf status is anybody's guess. It's possible that there is a list of known werewolves available at the Ministry and that employers regularly check for that and other things, sort of like a BCI. It's also possible that he informed employers of this.) However, James used his wealth to financially support him, although it is unknown how he managed after James' death.

By the height of the war, Remus' friend Sirius Black had come to distrust him, suspecting that he might be a spy for the other side. Thus, when a prophecy was made about a child who would have the power to defeat the Dark Lord, and Dumbledore identified infant Harry Potter as a possible target, Remus was not included in the plan to keep the Potters safe, though he was aware that they used the Fidelius Charm. James and Lily Potter wanted to use Sirius as their Secret-Keeper, but Sirius thought that would be too obvious, and thus suggested Peter Pettigrew instead, who would be a nearly unpredictable move, him being known for his "measly empty-headedness." Neither Dumbledore or Lupin knew of this switch.

Between the wars


In 1993, Remus was offered the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, replacing the permanently amnesiac Gilderoy Lockhart. Although the students were kept in the dark about his affliction, the staff were made aware that he was a werewolf. Remus taught the class a comprehensive curriculum of identifying and sidestepping Dark creatures such as hinkypunks and Red Caps. He also taught the class about Boggarts. It was during that class that Harry realised his "greatest fear was fear itself" when his Boggart took on the form of a Dementor. After this, Remus gave Harry private lessons in producing a Patronus as a means to repel Dementors. Incidentally, being a werewolf, Remus' boggart would take on the form of the full moon. Students who saw this boggart form mistook it for a crystal ball, except for Hermione Granger, who cleverly deduced that Remus was a werewolf and kept the discovery to herself.

During his time as a Professor, Severus Snape, who had switched sides at the end of the war and became Potions Professor, provided Remus with Wolfsbane Potion, allowing him to retain his human mind during transformations.

Slytherin students, encouraged by Draco Malfoy, sneered at Remus' shabby clothes and poor appearance, although he seemed to ignore their comments. Regardless, his other students held him in extremely high regard and loved the hands-on style of his classes. He was considered by Harry and his friends to have been their only decent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Remus was soon summoned to Snape's office to identify whether a piece of parchment he caught Harry with to be a Dark Magic. Remus recognized it as the Marauder's Map but tried to pass it off as a product of Zonko's Joke Shop. At the same moment, Ron burst in to back up that claim. After escorting the two boys from Snape's office, Remus tells them that he knows what the map is and is more astounded that they didn't hand it in, much to their surprise. He confiscates the map, knowing that it'd be too dangerous for Harry to use the secret passages with Sirius on the loose.

For his third years' end of year tests in June, he prepared an unusual exam — an obstacle course out in the grounds in which the students had to:


 * Wade across a paddling pool containing a grindylow
 * Cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps
 * Cross a marsh while being fed misleading directions by a hinkypunk
 * Enter a trunk to battle a newly procured boggart. Hermione Granger even commented in her fifth year that Lupin's exam was the only occasion where she and Harry took a Defence exam from a teacher who knew what they were doing (exams were cancelled in second year and Harry was exempt due to his status as a Triwizard Champion in fourth year).

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night James and Lily died..."

- Remus Lupin

The summer before Remus began his tenure as the Defence professor, Sirius Black escaped Azkaban. Remus, like the rest of the wizarding world, had believed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort and murdered Peter Pettigrew.

By the end of the school year, however, Remus knew the truth of what had happened and that Pettigrew was still alive, hiding in his Animagus form — Scabbers, the pet rat of Ron Weasley. He was watching the Marauder's Map, expecting Harry and his friends to go down to see Hagrid before Buckbeak's execution and was shocked to see Pettigrew coming out of Hagrid's with them. Remus was reunited with his old friend Sirius, and the two resolved to kill Pettigrew for his part in the deaths of James and Lily and in framing Sirius. They were stopped by Harry Potter, who believed it would be better to hand Pettigrew over to the Ministry of Magic to prove Sirius's innocence, and also did not think his father would want Remus and Sirius to become killers.

However, that night happened to be a full moon, and Remus transformed into a werewolf, having forgotten to take the Wolfsbane Potion. Sirius was forced to turn into his dog Animagus form to protect Harry, Hermione, Ron and Snape from Remus, and Pettigrew escaped during the chaos.

"Turns out someone let slip the nature of my condition. By tomorrow the owls will start arriving and parents won't want a - well, someone like me teaching their children."

- Lupin, on his voluntary departure from Hogwarts School in 1994.

After the danger had passed, Remus resigned from his position when parents learned that he was a werewolf. His sudden resignation was much to the regret of the majority of the Hogwarts students and staff, who had all grown deeply fond of him. Harry, in particular, begged him earnestly to stay, declaring that he was the best Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher that the students had ever had. Remus simply shook his head, handed him the Marauder's Map and also returned the Invisibility Cloak that was left at the Shrieking Shack, and told him that it had been a real pleasure teaching him, and that he was perfectly sure that they would soon meet again.

He sent a letter to his successor informing him of what he taught Harry and the others, but it was intercepted.

Second Wizarding War
"The last time Voldemort gained power he almost destroyed everything we hold most dear. Now he's returned, and I'm afraid the Minister will do almost anything to avoid facing that terrifying truth."

- Remus during a meeting of the Order.

When Lord Voldemort returned, Remus joined the second Order of the Phoenix. He was a member of the Advance Guard that escorted Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive to 12 Grimmauld Place. Lupin lived for some time at Sirius's house, but he was not around very often as he was usually sent on many missions for the Order.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries
Remus participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996 and defeated a number of Death Eaters including their leader, Lucius Malfoy. He was one of the only three combatants to see the end of the battle unscathed, the others being Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, proving Remus' exceptional skill at duelling and extensive knowledge of magic. Lupin was also the only member of the Order of the Phoenix who participated in the battle, who was not killed, injured, or knocked unconscious. During this battle, Remus witnessed and was devastated by the death of his last surviving Marauder friend, Sirius, who was pushed through the veil in the Death Chamber by a curse cast by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus barely managed to prevent Harry from diving in after Sirius, who was already lost. Later that year, Remus began working as a spy for the Order, living among fellow werewolves and trying to convince them to join Dumbledore's side but, he mentioned it was hard to convince them due to the fact that its not easy to argue with Fenrir Greyback.

Battle of the Astronomy Tower
The following year, Remus fought bravely again at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower where he narrowly avoided death by a curse from Thorfinn Rowle. Remus, upon hearing about the death of Albus Dumbledore, who had been killed by Snape, screamed "NO!" in despair, the first time many had seen him lose control. However, the aftermath of the battle led to him to accept the love of Nymphadora Tonks, who pointed out that Fleur still loved Bill in spite of being attacked and scarred by Greyback. The pair attended their former Headmaster's funeral together and soon married. They were forced to do so quietly, given the general prejudice against werewolves.

Battle of the Seven Potters
In July of 1997, Remus participated in the Order's operation to remove Harry from his home before Voldemort could get to him. Remus acted as the protector of George Weasley, who took Polyjuice Potion to become one of the "seven Potters." The party was ambushed by at least thirty Death Eaters, and George was accidentally struck by Snape's Sectumsempra spell while he and Remus flew. Remus was unable to pay Snape back in time, it being all he could do to keep George on the broom. He eventually got the injured George back to the Burrow to be cleaned up, though George permanently lost an ear. Upon arrival, Remus accosted Harry to prove that Harry was the real Harry. It was later revealed that Snape had sent the spell in an attempt to cut off the hand of a Death Eater aiming at Remus' back, presumably about to kill him. Remus was very anxious about the late arrival of his wife; Tonks had been aggressively pursued by her murderous, cruel aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. When the party mourned the death of Alastor Moody, they discussed their betrayal. Harry voiced the opinion that he trusted all of them with his life. Remus urged caution, seeing that Harry's father was killed, because he put his trust in the wrong friend.

Remus and Tonks both attended the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour shortly afterwards, and bravely defended the Burrow when it came under attack as Voldemort took over the Ministry.

On the run
"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast! And the child - the child...my kind don't usually breed! It will be like me, I am convinced of it! How can I forgive myself when I knowingly risked passing on my own condition to an innocent child?! And if, by some miracle, it is not like me, then it will be better off, a hundred times so, without a father of whom it should always be ashamed!"

- Remus explains why he thinks marrying Nymphadora Tonks was a grave mistake.

Remus suffered great mental anguish as the war escalated when he learned that his wife was pregnant. He even tore out a clump of his own hair in anxiety over the possibility that his child would be born a werewolf. He visited Harry, Ron, and Hermione while they hid out in Grimmauld Place and offered to help with their search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. However, Harry denounced him, calling him a coward for even considering leaving his wife alone while pregnant. Remus left them greatly agitated.

Harry and his friends next heard of Remus on Potterwatch, under the code name Romulus. Remus made Harry realise that they were still good friends, with his putting forth the opinion that Harry's instincts were good and they were usually right.

Remus eventually came to his senses and reunited with Tonks in time to see his son born. They named him Teddy, after Tonks' father, who had recently been killed by Snatchers after refusing to turn himself in to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Appearing to forgive and forget their earlier disagreement in Grimmauld Place, Remus asked Harry to be Teddy's godfather.

Battle of Hogwarts and death
Remus was one of the many Order members who answered Neville Longbottom's call to arms on 2 May, 1998, when Harry, Hermione, and Ron returned to Hogwarts and Lord Voldemort gathered his army to attack the school. He organised and led groups to fight Death Eaters on the school grounds, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley. His wife initially agreed not to participate in the Battle of Hogwarts, instead staying with their infant son, but was ultimately unable to bear leaving her husband to face such danger without her. She left Teddy with her mother and raced to Hogwarts, where she was informed that Remus was last seen duelling the Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov. Dolohov killed Remus in the Main Courtyard as his screams were heard, and Tonks was murdered by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange. Lupin's death was avenged by Filius Flitwick who defeated or possibly killed Dolohov.

Post-mortem
During the brief pause in the battle, Remus and Tonks's bodies were laid out beside each other in the Great Hall. The nature of Remus' death was not revealed, but his body was described as peaceful-looking, implying that he was struck with either a Killing Curse or Dolohov's own curse; both are known to leave no visible marks on the outer body. However, Remus still had an important part to play in the war. When Harry proceeded to the Death Eater camp to be struck down by Lord Voldemort, he first activated the Resurrection Stone, bringing back the spirits of his parents, Sirius, and Remus; Remus expressed the hope that Harry would care for his son, lamenting that he would never know him, but also found comfort in the fact that his son would know and understand why he died: he was trying to make a world in which his son could live a happier life.

Physical appearance
"The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with grey."

- Harry sees Remus for the first time on the Hogwarts Express

Remus is described as having a pale face with premature lines, and light brown hair that, with each book, becomes more and more grey. The lines on his face and his greying hair were the results of the great deal of stress his body underwent with each full moon. His clothing throughout the series is consistently shabby and patched, presumably because of his inability to find a decently-paid job due to his status as a werewolf. In 1993, he sported a thin moustache, and from 1995 until his death, he sports more of a rough beard. He has scars cutting across his face and given Remus' comments on werewolf inflicted injuries being cursed wounds that are unlikely to fully heal after Fenrir Greyback's attack on Bill Weasley, it is possible he bears more scars from his self-inflicted injuries during his transformations. In death, however, the flaws of his appearance were rectified, just like his friend Sirius Black; his spirit was described as "younger, less shabby, and his hair was thicker and darker."

Personality and traits
Remus was very intelligent, calm, tolerant, fair-minded, brave, kind and good-natured. Despite having suffered a great deal of prejudice in his life due to his lycanthropy, he managed to retain an ability to see the good in almost everybody and was extremely forgiving. He also had an excellent sense of humour, and when he was a student at school, was one of the Marauders. However, unlike his friends, he never partook in bullying, being personally against such behaviour (possibly because of the prejudices he suffered as a werewolf), though he also stood by and did nothing to stop it. He hence could be described as the most mature one of the group. He even became a prefect in his fifth year. Also, unlike his friends, he was able to, or at least would try to maintain civil conversation with those he did not get along well with, a notable example being Snape.

Remus was quite perceptive, with an uncanny ability to guess the thoughts of those around him. This is especially clear in his conversations with Harry, such as his understanding that Harry thought Lupin believed him incapable of tackling a boggart.

Though he displayed bravery on many occasions, it seems that Lupin held deep-seated feelings of shame and fear of rejection (possibly stemming from persecution that he experienced beginning from when he was a child) which at times led him to consider backing down. Remus once claimed that he was cowardly, because he was unable to bring himself to tell Dumbledore that James, Sirius and Peter were Animagi, as it would have meant that he had betrayed Dumbledore's trust, which meant everything to him. Perhaps the most critical example of this was his temptation to join Harry, Ron and Hermione on Dumbledore's mission and abandon his wife and unborn son because he was afraid that her family would be ashamed of him being a werewolf. However, ultimately he came to his senses.

His Boggart is a full moon, possibly reflecting on an apparent terror of transforming near humans. This terror may stem from the time where Severus Snape was nearly bitten by him in his werewolf form.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Defence Against the Dark Arts: In 1993, Remus took the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was considered to be the best in this position by many of his students. It has been implied that his particular speciality in Defence is, ironically enough, against Dark Creatures. However, this is based on what he taught the third year students and may not reflect the full range of his knowledge and expertise. He also taught Harry Potter the highly advanced Patronus Charm, which Remus himself must have mastered at a relatively young age, at least when he joined the first Order of the Phoenix.
 * Nonverbal and wandless magic: While on the Hogwarts Express in 1993, Remus conjured fire, (possibly Bluebell Flames) without using a wand and non-verbally. He could also open locks and chests and relight candles with just the wave of his hand. When Remus and Harry had a heated argument in 1997, Remus struck him with a silent spell so quickly that Harry barely had time to reach for his own wand. Both wandless and non-verbal magic are very difficult, indicating Remus' magical power and skill.
 * Duelling: Remus was a highly talented duellist. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he was the only fighter besides Albus Dumbledore and his pupil Harry who was not wounded, killed, or incapacitated and he may have defeated the Death Eaters leader Lucius Malfoy in the process. He also came out of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Battle of the Seven Potters unscathed, even though he had to support an injured George Weasley while fighting and flying during the latter conflict. Remus was able to survive the Battle of the Seven Potters even though he had several Death Eaters attacking him, though it should be noted that during the battle Severus Snape, who was secretly on Remus' side, attempted to protect him from one of the Death Eaters. However, Remus was killed in a duel during the Battle of Hogwarts with Antonin Dolohov, a highly skilled and dangerous Death Eater, who had previously defeated very talented wizards such as Alastor Moody and the Prewett brothers, though chances are he put up an excellent fight.
 * Charms: Remus appears to have been very talented with Charms from a young age, since he, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew managed to create the magically complex Marauders' Map as teenagers.
 * Transfiguration: Remus, along with Sirius Black, was able to use magic to force Peter Pettigrew to change into a human from his Animagus form as a rat.
 * Flying: Remus was a good flyer as seen when he escorted Harry with the rest of the Advance Guard from the Dursley's house. He was a skilled enough flier to be able to evade and duel Death Eaters while supporting an injured George Weasley during the Battle of the Seven Potters.

Family
The extent of Remus' relationship with his family is unknown. During Remus' youth, his father offended Fenrir Greyback, causing Greyback to attack Remus, when he was merely four years old. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin are known to have been concerned over Remus being a werewolf, believing that this condition meant their son would be unable to attend Hogwarts. However, this was proven untrue.

The Marauders
"...apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth...and they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

- Remus on his friends

As a Hogwarts student, Remus became good friends with fellow Gryffindors James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. In their second year, Remus' friends figured out that he was a werewolf; instead of shunning him, as many in the wizarding world would have, they learned how to become Animagi by their fifth years to accompany Remus on his monthly transformations, preventing him from hurting himself. Because he was grateful to his friends, Remus cut them a lot of slack ; despite being dismayed by their bullying of Severus Snape, he did not attempt to stop them. Though he was his house's prefect, Remus had difficulty trying to curb his friends' mischievous behaviour. However, Remus was not without a mischief-making streak himself, contributing to the invention of the Marauder's Map.

At some point, after Remus and his friends had all become members of the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius came to distrust Remus, fearing he might be a spy; the reasons for this are unknown. Sirius' distrust ensured that Remus was unaware when James and Lily changed their Secret-Keeper from Sirius to Peter, and thus he believed that Sirius had betrayed them when they were murdered by Lord Voldemort. The two reclaimed their friendship after Sirius escaped from Azkaban in 1993, and Remus learned the truth. They planned to kill their traitorous former friend Peter, but were stopped by Harry Potter. Remus and Sirius both became close to their late friend's son, and Remus was devastated when Sirius was killed in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

The ending of the three Marauders who had stayed true to their friendship to the very end - James, Sirius, and Remus - was bittersweet: they all lost their lives to the two wizarding wars but were likely reunited in the afterlife,.

Severus Snape
Severus Snape, a Slytherin student in Remus' year, shared a strong enmity with Remus' close friends James Potter and Sirius Black, who outright bullied Snape on occasion. Although not friendly with Snape, it appears Remus was not cruel to Snape. He also did nothing to stop it, however, which was something that he deeply regretted later in his life. On one occasion, for instance, James and Sirius began taunting Snape out of boredom; while Snape's then friend Lily Evans went to his defence, Remus pretended to focus on his textbook, but was frowning and unable to continue reading.

At some point in their fifth year, Snape saw Madam Pomfrey leading Remus to the passageway on the full moon; Sirius thought it would be entertaining to inform Snape of how to freeze the Whomping Willow. Snape tried to do so, but was stopped by James before he could reach the Shrieking Shack, where Remus had transformed. Albus Dumbledore forbade Snape from revealing Remus' condition to anyone, and Snape deeply resented being put in James's debt and suspected that Remus might have been in on the dangerous prank.

As adults, Remus and Snape were civil to one another, although barely so on the latter's part. This had made Remus more or less the only Marauder to do so. Snape was irked that Remus obtained the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, which he had always wanted for himself, in 1993. He brewed Wolfsbane Potion for Remus so that he would be able to keep his mind whenever he transformed, but he suspected that Remus was helping Sirius get into the castle and tried to convince Dumbledore to stop trusting him. Snape also took to dropping hints that Remus was a werewolf to students, which was understood by at least one of them (Hermione Granger, who kept the discovery to herself). When Remus tried to inform Snape of Sirius' innocence, Snape refused to hear or believe any of it, and was determined to see Remus punished alongside Sirius. When Snape's old enemy escaped re-capture, Snape vindictively exposed Remus' werewolf status, which forced him to resign.

In spite of all this, Remus believed that Snape was loyal to the Order of the Phoenix, encouraging Harry Potter to trust him and to continue his Occlumency lessons. He was shocked and angered when Snape killed Albus Dumbledore, who had been the one to assure other Order members that Snape was trustworthy. During the Battle of the Seven Potters, Snape was one of the Death Eaters who attacked Remus and George Weasley, the latter disguised as Harry by way of Polyjuice Potion. Snape, secretly still loyal to the Order, attempted to save Lupin by aiming a Sectumsempra at a Death Eater who was poised to kill Lupin, but accidentally struck George, who lost an ear. Remus, furious, expressed a desire to have "paid him back in kind", but had to focus on getting himself and George to safety. Remus did not live long enough to find out the truth behind Snape's loyalties.

Lily Evans
"Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was."

- Remus tells Harry of Lily's kindness.

Remus met Lily Evans while they were both attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily was not on good terms with two of Remus' dearest friends, James and Sirius, but that did not mean she disliked Remus as well, given that he acted more mature and thoughtful than his friends, and did not participate in their bullying though he did nothing to stop them either. Remus and Lily were both made prefects during their fifth year, and they were friendly towards each other. After Hogwarts, Lily married James Potter. Although Sirius was the best man, Remus probably attended their wedding, too, given his status as one of their dearest friends. They all became members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, and fought in several battles together. When Pettigrew betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, resulting in the tragic deaths of James and Lily, Remus was devastated. Later on, he became close to Lily's son, Harry, both as a paternal figure and a mentor. After Lupin was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, they were two of the four spirits whom Harry summoned.

Harry Potter


Remus met Harry Potter, the son of his late friends James and Lily Potter, for the first time since he was an infant, in 1993 when he saved Harry from Dementors on the Hogwarts Express. Remus was the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during Harry's third year, and quickly became his favourite professor. Remus found Harry to be intelligent, kind, and an excellent Seeker, and Harry admired and cared about Remus even after he found out that he was a werewolf.

"The very first time I saw you Harry, I recognised you immediately. Not by your scar, by your eyes. They're your mother Lily's. Oh yes, I knew her. Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was. Not only was she a singularly gifted witch, she was also an uncommonly kind woman. She had a way of seeing the beauty in others, even, and perhaps most especially, when that person couldn't see it in themselves. Your father, James, however, had a certain, shall we say, talent for trouble. A talent, rumour has it, he passed onto you. You're more like them than you know, Harry. In time you'll come to see just how much."

- Remus telling Harry about how he knew Harry's parents

Remus also told Harry that the first time he saw him, he recognised him not by his scar, but by his eyes, which so closely resembled Lily's. It is suggested that Remus' classes were how Harry discovered his talent for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He took Harry aside to teach him the Patronus Charm, assisted him in avoiding trouble with Professor Snape, and returned the Marauders' Map to him once he was no longer a professor.

The two met again in the summer of 1995 when Remus was part of the group of Order members who transported Harry from Privet Drive to 12 Grimmauld Place. Throughout the years, Remus shared with Harry stories about his parents and godfather. He comforted Harry over Sirius's death and also offered him advice on other occasions. The only time that they ever fought was when Harry was outraged by Remus' intentions to temporarily leaving his pregnant wife for fear of their future child becoming a werewolf as he was, or otherwise ostracised for being the son of a werewolf. Harry noted that he had never seen Remus so angry before, but they later made up, as Remus knew that Harry had only meant well. When Remus' son Teddy Lupin was born, he asked that Harry be the boy's godfather, and after Remus' death Harry played a prominent role in Teddy's life. Remus was one of the spirits that came out of the Resurrection Stone to speak to Harry as he walked to what he believed was his death, indicating the almost familial bond between Remus and Harry.

In Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Harry wrote in the werewolf section "aren't all bad", showing that Remus being a werewolf did not bother him at all.

Nymphadora Tonks


Remus and Nymphadora Tonks came to know each other as members of the Order of the Phoenix during the Second Wizarding War, and at some point, she fell in love with him. Remus initially rejected the idea of a relationship, claiming he was too old, too poor, and too dangerous for Tonks, even though he was in love with her as well. After several attempts to convince him otherwise, Tonks became depressed — and as a result, her metamorphic abilities suffered and her Patronus changed to become a werewolf. Tonks made one last appeal to Remus after Bill Weasley was scarred by werewolf Fenrir Greyback, and Fleur Delacour expressed her love for him regardless. Remus still protested, stating that their cases were not the same, as Bill would not become a full werewolf. However, they eventually began a relationship.

Remus married Tonks in the summer of 1997, and they had a child, Teddy Lupin, named after Tonks' late father shortly after Easter in April of 1998, naming Harry Potter his godfather. Lupin and Tonks both died in the Battle of Hogwarts in May 1998, leaving their son behind in the care of his maternal grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, and his godfather, Harry Potter. Teddy was raised by Andromeda, but would spend a great deal of time with the Potter and Weasley families growing up. Teddy was a Metamorphmagus, like his mother.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley


Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were among the students who were very impressed by Remus' teaching when he was professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts for their third year. Hermione deduced that Remus was a werewolf early in the year, but kept this discovery to herself, not even telling her best friends; this is likely because she disapproved of the prejudice against werewolves and knew exposing the truth would hurt Remus. Although Ron initially reacted with fear to the revelation that Remus was a werewolf, he continued to admire and like Remus. In turn, Remus was fond of Ron and Hermione, and was particularly impressed by the latter's cleverness. Ron and Hermione were shown to be very trusting of Lupin; when he appeared at Grimmauld Place, they lowered their wands as soon as he declared his name, something he reproached them for, "speaking as their former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Also, they both disapproved when Harry yelled at Remus for leaving his wife during her pregnancy, although they did not entirely disagree with Harry's reasoning.

Albus Dumbledore
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Firstly, Professor Lupin who had kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher"

- Albus Dumbledore



Albus Dumbledore was considered by many to be the greatest wizard of all time, and Remus Lupin was among his many admirers and staunch supporters. Dumbledore was Remus' Headmaster during his time at Hogwarts. Dumbledore accepted Remus into his school despite knowing his being a werewolf, as he valued Remus' strength of character and ability, and disregarded the stigma associated with his condition. In fact, it was Dumbledore who, by several special precautions, ensured that Remus' werewolf status was kept secret during his school years, effectively preventing him from being ostracised from his school mates. When Severus Snape found out what Remus truly was due to a cruel prank played on him by Sirius, Dumbledore was the one who swore him to secrecy. On his part, Remus confessed that Dumbledore's trust and exceptional kindness towards him meant everything to him, given that the vast majority of the wizarding world shunned him because of the deep prejudice towards werewolves, and Remus felt guilty for betraying this kindness by allowing his three Marauder friends illegally become Animagi and roaming wild during their schooling years. Dumbledore was also the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation that Remus joined after graduating from school, and he was trusted with many important missions. Remus was given the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts during the 1993–1994 school year, during which time Dumbledore requested that Snape brew the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus monthly; this, along with providing Remus with a paid job when he was suffering in poverty due to his condition, made Remus respect Dumbledore even more. Remus and Dumbledore fought alongside one another during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, where they suffered a devastating loss: Sirius, one of their dearest friends, died at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus told Harry Potter on several occasions that he trusted Snape because Dumbledore did so. In 1997, Remus was devastated by Dumbledore's death after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and demonstrated his loyalty and faith to Dumbledore by fighting and tragically dying in the next year's Battle of Hogwarts.

Weasley family
Remus was always friendly with the Weasley family. He knew Arthur Weasley since the First Wizarding War, and they became friends again after Dumbledore led the second Order of the Phoenix. Arthur and Remus fought together at the Battle of the Seven Potters, where the latter was paired with Arthur's son, George. He saved George's life, as George would have fallen off his broomstick when he was cursed by Severus Snape. Arthur later thanked him for taking care of his son.

Remus also lived for some time with the Weasley family at 12 Grimmauld Place. There, Remus agreed with Molly not to tell Harry much about the Order of the Phoenix and Voldemort's plans. However, when Sirius argued with Molly, Remus didn't take either side.

Bill and Remus seemed to have been friends, as they fought together in several battles of the Second War; they were also the ones who attempted to find Mad-Eye's dead body after the Battle of the Seven Potters. After the war, Remus and Tonks's son seemed to have a romantic relationship with Bill and Fleur's daughter.

Fred and George Weasley were also friends of Lupin. They were Lupin's students during their fifth year at Hogwarts and they also fought together at the Battle of the Seven Potters. Remus protected George from being killed; however, George's ear was accidentally cut off by Severus Snape. Lupin and the twins also appeared on the underground radio program Potterwatch and spoke to the wizarding community during the last year of the war. Both Fred and Lupin were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.

He was also friends with Ginny. He first met her at Hogwarts Express, saved her from the Dementors and gave her chocolate and comforted her, and she stated that he was one of her favourite professors at Hogwarts. They fought on the same side at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and survived the battle. After the war, Ginny and the rest of the Potter family shared a close relationship with Teddy Lupin, who came to Ginny and Harry's house for dinner four times a week.

His relationship with Percy was almost unknown. When Lupin was Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Percy most likely thought he was a good teacher. They met each other again during the Battle of Hogwarts, when Percy told his family that he had left the Ministry and wanted to join the Order, though there would hardly have been time for the two to become close.

Hogwarts residents
When Lupin was a student at Hogwarts, the professors seemed to like him, especially Minerva McGonagall, who had been his head of house. His professors probably considered Lupin a skilled wizard and a very good student, as he was made a prefect in his fifth year.

When Lupin became a professor, the other professors appeared to like and respect him, with the exception of Severus Snape. They either did not mind that he was a werewolf or did not show it, as they had been informed of his condition. Many of them later fought alongside Remus at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Many of the students, including Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and the Weasleys, liked him, while others, such as Draco Malfoy and several other Slytherins, disliked and regularly insulted him. Malfoy underestimated Lupin because of his poor-looking appearance. However, Lupin managed to be well-respected (and one of the best-liked professors), as he treated all the students based on their character, and not by their magical abilities, their blood status, or their wealth. When he left Hogwarts, many students continued to regard him as the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher they had.

Order of the Phoenix members
Remus had a good relationship with the most of the Order of the Phoenix. In addition to Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, the Marauders, Lily Evans, Nymphadora Tonks, Hermione Granger, the Weasley family and Minerva McGonagall, he was friends with many of members.

One of his friends through the order was Kingsley Shacklebolt. They fought together in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, and appeared to be close enough. They also appeared on Potterwatch together during the last year of the war.

He was also a friend of Alastor Moody. They fought together in many battles, until Moody was killed by Voldemort in 1997, during the Battle of the Seven Potters. Remus was devastated, as were many other members of the Order.

He must have been also a friend of Elphias Doge, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, Dedalus Diggle and Mundungus Fletcher, as they were all members of the Advance Guard. It is also possible that he was a friend of Arabella Figg, as Dumbledore once told Sirius Black "to call Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg... the old company...".

Remus was one of the many members of the Order of the Phoenix killed during Second Wizarding War.

Teddy Lupin
Remus' son was born in 1998. Remus and his wife, Nymphadora Tonks, named him Teddy, after Tonks's father. At one point, Remus nearly abandoned his wife and unborn son, mostly out of premature shame, guilt, and the fear that his lycanthropy would be passed on and that he'd made outcasts out of Nymphadora and their child. Rather than wanting to face his impending fatherhood, he intended to help Harry, Ron, and Hermione with their mission of destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes (though he was actually unaware of what their "mission" entailed). Harry was, however, upset with the development and got into a rather heated argument with Remus that ultimately convinced him that the best course of action would be to support his family. He returned to his wife shortly thereafter. Teddy was eventually born and despite his earlier fears and insecurities about being a father, Remus expressed joy at his son's birth and asked Harry to be Teddy's godfather. Sadly, Remus and his wife were killed at the Battle of Hogwarts, leaving Teddy an orphan when he was between two weeks and one month old. When Remus appeared again through the Resurrection Stone, he was rather devastated knowing that Teddy would have to grow up without either of his parents, but found some solace in knowing that Teddy would be living in a better world. Teddy was raised by his maternal grandmother, but he spent significant time with his godfather Harry Potter's family and the Weasleys.

Etymology

 * The name "Remus" comes from the brothers Romulus and Remus, the legendary brothers who fought to the death over the control of Rome, having been raised by wolves. Because of this, some fans speculated that Remus had a brother, but "Romulus" is merely the code name used by Lupin for Potterwatch. Remus's intense rivalry with Romulus indicates Lupin's ongoing struggle with his other side, the werewolf.
 * "Lupin" is derived from "lupus(a)", Latin for "wolf". Lupin thus means "wolf-like" in Latin, and is also the name of a flower. Canis Lupus is the scientific name for wolf. To be described as "lupine" means to "resemble a wolf."

Behind the scenes

 * Remus is portrayed by British actor David Thewlis in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2.
 * Thewlis had originally auditioned for the part of Professor Quirinus Quirrell, but Ian Hart was eventually cast.
 * In the books, Remus plays a relatively large part in Harry's life after he left Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, in the films, Remus plays a large part in Prisoner of Azkaban, and then his role is drastically reduced. His argument and brief falling out with Harry in Deathly Hallows is cut out, as is his bitterness at being a father. The audience is never made aware of Remus' child until a throwaway line in Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Half-Blood Prince also cuts down his role, eliminating Remus's concerns about being in a relationship with Tonks. Overall, Remus is one of the most underused characters in the film series.
 * David Thewlis was disappointed about his smaller appearances in the films, expressing a desire to be more involved.
 * In the original draft of the seventh book, Remus survived the Battle of Hogwarts; however, since J. K. Rowling spared Arthur Weasley from the death he was originally intended to die, Remus was killed in compensation for this. This implies that J. K. Rowling would have to slightly revise the scene where Harry summons the spirits of Sirius, Remus and his parents, possibly summoning Arthur instead of Remus.
 * The Marauders Map write their names in this order: Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James. Ironically, this, when reversed is the order in which they die, James being the first in 1981, Godric's Hollow; Sirius in 1996, Department of Mysteries; Peter in March 1998, Malfoy Manor; Remus in May 1998, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
 * The witch who pushes the lunch trolley, Remus, and Horace Slughorn are the only adults ever to be seen travelling to Hogwarts on the school train in the series. Though the conductor is never shown in the books, he is seen in some of the video game adaptations.NewLupin.png
 * The youngest of Harry Potter's children, Lily Luna, may be named after Remus as well as Luna Lovegood, since his nickname was "Moony" and Luna is Latin for "moon".
 * With his marriage to Nymphadora Tonks, Remus became related through his wife to the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Lestranges, the Weasleys, the Potters, the Longbottoms, and other pure-blood families.
 * It was predicted by many fans that Wormtail would kill Remus with his silver hand, as Remus is a werewolf. However, J.K. Rowling mentioned in an interview that, contrary to what is seen in films, in her view werewolves are not affected by silver. Ironically the Marauder that does die by the silver hand is not Lupin, but Wormtail himself.
 * In the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', Remus and Nymphadora were already in a relationship, rather then Remus initially rejecting her feelings.
 * Lupin managed to last the longest out of all the Marauders, beating Wormtail by some chapters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * After the Battle of the Seven Potters, 13 people (Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks and Hagrid) gathered in The Burrow to mourn the death of Alastor Moody. Afterwards, Lupin stood up and offered to look for Moody's dead body. Later in the Battle of Hogwarts, Lupin was killed by Antonin Dolohov thus making another of Trelawney's predictions came true for the third time (first time on Albus Dumbledore, and second on Sirius Black) : that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die. However, as it is not known when Lupin died, it is possible that Fred died before him.
 * If the above is true, then Remus's death in relation to the prophecy can be compared to Sirius's. When Sirius rose out of his chair, he was arguing with Molly Weasley as a result of his rekless behavior. Sirius's death was caused by his recklessness, as he underestimated and mocked his killer, Bellatrix Lestrange. With Remus Lupin, he got up to volunteer to look with Moody's dead body, showing his respect to the man, and he died fighting Antonin Dolohov, showing his respect to the cause.
 * In an earlier draft of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Defence Against the Dark Arts may have been taught by a woman.
 * His name is the inspiration for the wizard rock bands Remus and the Lupins and The Remus Lupins.
 * According to StarDate Online's Moon Phase Calculator, Remus' birth date (10 March, 1960), fell on a full moon.
 * Remus Lupin is unique among the teachers as he calls students per their names, not surnames. The only other teacher known to do this is Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Coincidentally, both are now deceased.
 * Remus Lupin is the only Marauder to be on anything resembling civil terms with Severus Snape as adults. Sirius and Snape had often argued as adults. Pettigrew was treated with contempt by Snape, going so far into being treated as a house servant at Snape's personal residence at Spinner's End.
 * David Thewlis has said that Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron told him to portray Remus as a "gay junkie".

Author's comments
J. K. Rowling has stated that Professor Lupin is the kind of teacher she wishes she had while she was a student. He is good-natured, kind, and able to extract the best in everyone — for example, in spotting Neville Longbottom's lack of confidence and helping him to overcome it by teaching him how to defeat the boggart.

The fact that Remus is a werewolf and needs to take a potion to avoid hurting people for the rest of his life makes him a symbol of the consequences of prejudice and segregation, as well as society's often negative reaction to the ill and the disabled. Particularly, the author has stated that Remus Lupin's characterisation and history are H.I.V. metaphors (e.g. someone who was infected young and suffered prejudice because of it; terrified of passing the condition on), as well as an exploration into why someone might become embittered as a result of contracting such a condition.

As such, Rowling has also stated that "Lupin's failing is he likes to be liked. That's where he slips up — he's been disliked so often he's always pleased to have friends so cuts them an awful lot of slack." This is why, for instance, despite disapproving of his friends' bullying of Severus Snape, he once tried to stop them but failed and never tried again.

Lupin was killed off in place of Arthur Weasley to remove the last of Harry's father figures in the books, and also to create a parallel between Harry's life and Teddy Lupin's. Rowling felt it was important to show the evils of Voldemort's actions and the devastating nature of war.

Rowling has said that Remus is one of her favourite characters, and that if she could meet any of her characters, she would likely choose him.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets

Notes and references
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