Remus Lupin

"You're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"

- Harry Potter to Remus Lupin

Professor Remus John Lupin (March 10, 1960 – May 2, 1998), also known as Moony, was a half-blood wizard, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, and later a werewolf. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor house. During his school years, he was one of the Marauders; he was the best of 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 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 a teacher of Harry Potter, James's son, whom he taught how to make 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 1998, 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. Remus was also killed by Death Eater Antonin Dolohov during the same battle in 1998. Remus briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone for Harry, along with James, Lily, and Sirius in 1998.

Early life
Remus was born on March 10, 1960 to Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. Remus was bitten by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback after his father insulted Greyback, thus becoming a werewolf himself. His parents did everything that they could in order to try to find a cure for him, but all of their attempts to do so failed. Although he and his parents were unsure of the safety of allowing him to attend school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 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 to Harry Potter

Remus attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. To secure his safety as well as that of his peers, a shanty was built outside of Hogsmeade. This shanty had no natural entrances. There was only a secret passage leading to it from under the Whomping Willow, on Hogwarts' grounds. Remus was brought to the structure 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. Thus, the building was dubbed the Shrieking Shack and attained the reputation for being the most haunted building in Britain. Dumbledore encouraged this rumour to keep people from investigating the noises.

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. 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, Sirius was able to become a dog, and Peter 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. The four of them soon left the Whomping Willow and would roam among the school grounds and Hogsmeade by night. They called themselves the Marauders, and Remus' friends nicknamed him "Moony" because of his transformations during every full moon.

Remus was a good student and a prankster, and he and Peter would sometimes join James and Sirius in detention for mischief-making, though they did not get into as much trouble as their other friends. No other Hogwarts student 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. It was eventually confiscated by Argus Filch.



However, Remus' frequent disappearances riled up an unhealthy curiosity in Severus Snape, a Slytherin student in the same year as Remus, who shared an enmity with James and Sirius, and hated Remus and Peter by association. Severus followed James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter around in order to see what they were up to and in an effort to get all of them expelled. In their sixth year, Sirius played a malicious prank against 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 was able to stop Snape and save his life in the nick of time, but Snape still uncovered Remus' secret. Dumbledore subsequently swore Snape to secrecy, but Snape teased Remus cruelly from that point on.

Remus was also a prefect while he was at Hogwarts, although he had trouble exercising discipline over his dearest friends. Sirius once said that Remus did not participate in the bullying of 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. However, James Potter 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." Not even Dumbledore or Remus knew of the 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 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.

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 (1) wade across a paddling pool containing a grindylow, (2) cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, (3) cross a marsh while being fed misleading directions by a hinkypunk, and (4) 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. 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.

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

After the danger had passed, Remus resigned from his position when parents learned that he was a werewolf. His resignation was much to the regret 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 the students had ever had. Remus simply shook his head, handed him the Marauder's Map that he had confiscated earlier on, and told him that it had been a real pleasure teaching him, and that he was perfectly sure that they would meet again.

In Harry's 3rd year (in Prisoner of Azkaban, 1993 to 1994) there is an inconsistency in the timing of Remus's transformations to wolf: they happen at full moon: one is mentioned just after Halloween (31 October 1993); and another at Christmas (25 December 1993) as the reason why he could not attend Christmas dinner; that combination of full moon dates in the same year is astronomically impossible, as a is about 29.5 days.

Second Wizarding War


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 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 knowledge of magic. During this battle, Remus was devastated by the death of his 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.



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 prejudice against werewolves.

Battle over Little Whinging
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 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 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 were both able to attend the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour shortly afterward and bravely defend the Burrow when it came under attack as Voldemort took over the Ministry.

Potterwatch
Remus suffered great mental anguish as the war escalated when he learned that his wife was pregnant. Remus 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. Harry ran him off, 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 friends 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. He was ecstatic over the birth of his son, but the family's happiness wouldn't last long.

Battle of Hogwarts and death
Remus was one of the many Order members who answered Neville Longbottom's call to arms on May 2nd, 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 Death Eater Antonin Dolohov. Dolohov killed Remus, and Tonks was murdered by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange around the same time.

Post-mortem
During the brief pause in the battle, Remus and Tonks' 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 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 souls of his parents, Sirius, and Remus; Remus expressed the hope that Harry would care for his son, lamenting that he would never know him.

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 the films he sports a moustache, although this was never mentioned in the books. The movie also depicts him with scars cutting across his face, which is also not stated in the books. However, 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 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, gentle, 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, and 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' Boggart is the full moon, indicating that his greatest fears revolve around his transformations into a werewolf, whether it is the painful transformations themselves, or the possibility that he could one day harm, infect, or even kill those around him, especially those he cared about, and wake up the next day knowing that it was his own doing.

Magical abilities and skills
Remus was a very talented and powerful wizard: Defence Against the Dark Arts Master: 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 inferred that his particular specialty 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. It is not stated what form his own patronus takes.

Nonverbal and wandless magic expert: While on the Hogwarts Express in 1993, Remus conjured fire, (possibly Bluebell Flames) without using a wand and nonverbally. He could also open locks and chests and relight candles with 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 nonverbal magic are very difficult, indicating Remus' magical power and skill.

Master Duelist: 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. He also came out of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Battle over Little Whinging unscathed, even though he had to support an injured George Weasley while fighting and flying during the latter conflict. Remus was defeated in a duel during the Battle of Hogwarts with Dolohov, a highly skilled and dangerous Death Eater who had previously defeated very talented wizards such as Alastor Moody and the Prewett brothers.

Charms expert: 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.

Flying skills: 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 over Little Whinging.

Family
The extent of Remus' relationship with his family is unknown. Mr. Lupin had offended Fenrir Greyback, causing Greyback to attack Remus. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin are known to have been concerned over his being a werewolf, believing that this condition meant that their son would be unable to attend Hogwarts. However, this was proven untrue. It is possible that his parents were deceased before the events of the Second Wizarding War.

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. Since he was so grateful to have his friends, Remus cut them a lot of slack, for instance, despite being dismayed by their bullying of Severus Snape, he did not attempt to stop them. Even 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.

Once they were all 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.

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, Remus did not participate in the bullying, but also did nothing to stop it, 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 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. 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 get Dumbledore to stop trusting him. Snape also took to dropping hints that Remus was a werewolf to students, which at least one, Hermione Granger, figured out, though she kept the discovery to herself. This mistrust and dislike turned into vindictive fury when Remus tried to tell Snape that Sirius was innocent of the crimes he had been convicted of, launching an argument and Snape being eager 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 over Little Whinging, Snape was one of the Death Eaters who attacked Remus and George Weasley, who was disguised as Harry by way of Polyjuice Potion. Snape, secretly still loyal to the Order, attempted to save Lupin, aiming a Sectumsempra at a Death Eater who was about 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.

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 Remus' friends, James and Sirius, but that did not mean she disliked Remus too. Remus and Lily were both made prefects during their fifth years, and they were friendly towards each other. After Hogwarts, Lily married James Potter. Although Sirius was the best man, Remus attended their wedding, too. They all became members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, and fought in several battles as well. When Pettigrew betrayed the Potters to Voldemort and James and Lily died, Remus was devastated. He became close with Lily's son, Harry, like a father, or a mentor. When Lupin was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, the four people that appeared from the Resurrection Stone were Remus, Lily, James, and Sirius.

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 him from Dementors on the Hogwarts Express. Remus was the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during Harry's third year as well as his favourite professor. Remus found Harry to be smart, kind, and an excellent Seeker, and Harry admired and cared about Remus even after he found out that he was a werewolf. He also told Harry that the first time he saw him, he recognised him, not by his scar, but by his eyes, because they resembled Lily's so incredibly much. 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 to pick up Harry from Privet Drive. Throughout the years, Remus also 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 temporarily leaving his wife for fear of their future child becoming a werewolf as he was. Harry noted that he had never seen Remus so angry before, but later they 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 his 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, and at some point, Tonks fell in love with him. He initially rejected the idea of a relationship, claiming he was too old, too poor, and too dangerous for her, despite reciprocating her feelings. After several attempts to convince him otherwise, Tonks became depressed — as a result, her metamorphic abilities suffered and her Patronus changed. Tonks declared her feelings publicly 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 in April of 1998, naming Harry Potter his godfather. However, Lupin and Tonks both died in the Battle of Hogwarts in May 1998, leaving their son behind in the care of his grandmother, Andromeda Tonks — an incident eerily similar to Neville Longbottom, who was brought up by his grandmother as his parents were driven to insanity by Death Eaters (coincidentally lead by Andromeda's sister and Tonks's murderer, Bellatrix Lestrange). Teddy would also spend a great deal of time with the Potter and Weasley families growing up. Teddy was a Metamorphmagus, like his mother. His hair was described as tufty and once it turned turquoise, a bright fluorescent just 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, of whom she had a high opinion. Although Ron initially reacted with fear to the revelation that Remus was a werewolf (due to the previously mentioned reason, see above), he continued to admire and like Remus afterwards. 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 temporarily leaving his wife in a panic about 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 as the greatest wizard of all time. One of the people who believed it was Remus. Dumbledore was Remus' headmaster during the latter's time at Hogwarts; Dumbledore accepted Lupin into his school, although he knew Lupin was a werewolf. This might have been because Dumbledore was a good judge of character and could see Lupin was a very good person. Dumbledore was also the one who founded and led the Order of the Phoenix and trusted Lupin with many important missions. In 1993, Remus accepted Dumbledore's offer to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Dumbledore also trusted Lupin, despite the fact he was a werewolf, and he told Snape to give Lupin the Wolfsbane Potion. Remus and Dumbledore fought alongside during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, where they saw Sirius Black die at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus told Harry Potter that he trusted Snape because Dumbledore did so. In 1997, Remus was devastated by Dumbledore's death after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, shouting: NO!. Remus fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, showing his faith to Dumbledore.

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 over Little Whinging, where he was paired with George. He saved George's life as George could have fallen off his broomstick, when he was cursed by Severus Snape. Arthur later thanked him for caring about 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. They also agreed that Harry was young; however, when Sirius argued with Molly, Remus didn't defend anyone.

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 over Little Whinging. 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 over Little Whinging. 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. She started to like him, and 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. When Remus had a son, Ginny was very happy. After the war, Ginny and Teddy became very friendly; he 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.

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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. Another professor at Lupin's time was Filius Flitwick, the charms professor. These professors possibly thought Lupin was a gifted wizard, and a very good person. They also made him a prefect in his fifth year.

When Lupin became a professor, the other professors seemed to like him. They also respected him, except for Severus Snape. They either did not care about the fact that he was a werewolf or did not show it as they were informed of his condition. However, some of them fought at the Battle of Hogwarts along with Remus.

Many of the students, including Harry, Hermione, Neville Longbottom, and the Weasleys, liked him, while other, such as Draco Malfoy, and several other Slytherins, disliked him and liked to insult 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 by their personality 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 members of the Order of the Phoenix. Except Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, the Marauders, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Nymphadora Tonks, Hermione Granger, the Weasley family and Minerva McGonagall, who were already mentioned, he was friends with many other 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, but Moody was killed by Voldemort in 1997, during the Battle over Little Whinging. 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....

Many members of the Order of the Phoenix were killed during the wars. Remus was one of them.

Teddy Lupin
Remus' son was born by Nymphadora Tonks in 1998. They 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 helped to convince 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 in their adulthood, and of whom Romulus became the founder of Rome, who were cared for 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. Being named after one of the fighting brothers could also represent Lupin fighting against his other half (the werewolf side of him).
 * "Lupin" is derived from "lupus(a)", Latin for "wolf". Lupin thus means "wolflike" 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."
 * It has also been speculated that his name comes from two Monty Python's Flying Circus skits: a repeated one involving "Professor R.J. Gumby", and one involving "Dennis Moore, the Lupin Thief".

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 he 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. 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, Remus never attempted to stop it.

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.

Behind the scenes

 * In the film adaptation of the books, Remus is portrayed by David Thewlis. Thewlis had originally auditioned for the part of Professor Quirinus Quirrell, but Ian Hart was eventually cast.Lupin.gif
 * In the original draft of the seventh book, Remus survived the Battle of Hogwarts. But 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 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.
 * 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 pureblood 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 movies, 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', it appears that Remus and Nymphadora are already in a relationship thus omitting Lupin's concerns and Tonks's altered powers. Consequently, some key scenes featuring Remus and Tonks are not featured, which means that there may be certain problems in the production of the new films.
 * Lupin managed to last the longest out of all the Marauders, beating Wormtail by some pages in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * 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 band Remus and the Lupins as well as The Remus Lupins.
 * According to StarDate Online's Moon Phase Calculator, Remus' birthdate (March 10, 1960), fell on a full moon.

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 I
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Notes and references
Remus Lupin Remus Lupin Remus John Lupin Римус Люпин Remus Lupin