- "Remus stuck his tongue under his bottom lip so that his chin bulged, pulling an ugly face. The other boy smirked, slightly, then threw up two fingers at him. Remus almost laughed. "Sirius, what do you think you are doing?! Come here at once." A rather severe looking witch with the same angular eyebrows as the boy stepped into view, yanking her son away from the window."
- — Remus Lupin and Sirius Black meeting in All the Young Dudes[src]
All the Young Dudes is a fan fiction prequel series of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, written by Archive of Our Own (AO3) user MsKingBean89. It was written from March 2017 to November 2018, is over 557,000 words long and contains 188 chapters.[1]
The story begins in the early 1970s and follows Remus Lupin's childhood, his years at Hogwarts, his fight in the First Wizarding War, and the love story between himself and Sirius Black. It ends in summer 1995, around the beginning of the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[1]
Plot summary[]
(Non-canonical details dominate the summary below; read with discretion.)
Remus Lupin, a wizard afflicted with lycanthropy, grew up in difficult circumstances and, at the age of eleven, was accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. On the Hogwarts Express, he met Severus Snape, Lily Evans, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. He became particularly close to James, Sirius, and Peter, forming a group known as the Marauders. Throughout their seven years at Hogwarts, they embarked on numerous adventures, and Remus developed a romantic relationship with Sirius.
After graduating, he and his friends joined the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War. However, following the war's end, Remus struggled to secure stable employment due to his lycanthropy. Meanwhile, Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban, framed for murdering twelve Muggles.
Years later, Remus and Sirius were reunited, and their story intertwined with the events leading to the Second Wizarding War, reaching a pivotal point around 1995. The epilogue shifts perspective to Grant Chapman, as he reflects on Lupin's past while encountering Remus's son, Teddy Lupin.
Titles in the series[]
The series consists of three books:
- Book One: Years 1-4
- Book Two: Years 5-7
- Book Three: 'Til The End
Reception[]
Media response[]
All the Young Dudes received positive reviews upon its release. The Mary Sue writer Benedetta Geddo noted that the story is "a beautifully written story of friends and war and happiness and loss". She also highlighted the its love story between Remus and Sirius, noting that "the queer subtext has always been there" in the original Harry Potter novels. Slate, a magazine, suggested that the story's engrossing nature stems from its detailed world-building beyond J. K. Rowling's creation.[1]
Screen Rant writer Meagan Bojarski listed the story on the site "Most Popular Fanfiction For Each Major Shiplist", adding that "because of its length and depth, many fans consider it a proper book unto itself and accept its information as canon in the greater Harry Potter world". Another Screen Rant writer Liz Hersey wrote that because of Rowling's controversial comments, Harry Potter fan-fiction such as All the Young Dudess becomes "valuable, as it's an artistic space that fans can inhabit without having to grapple with Rowling's involvement" adding that the story "perfectly represents what makes the Harry Potter series so beloved".[1]
Impact[]
The story was listed at number one on AO3's "Top of all Fics" but was eventually replaced. Despite this, the story is the top Harry Potter fan fiction on the site and has become an influence for other stories. It also gained popularity at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. On TikTok, All the Young Dude's hashtag (#ATYD) has over 1.5 billion views. TikTokers often fancast the characters alongside creating memes about the story.[3] Popular fancasts include Andrew Garfield as Remus Lupin, Ben Barnes as Sirius Black and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James Potter. Barnes and Garfield have acknowledged the fancast, with Garfield calling it flattering and a "sweet thought". There have also been memes on social media about MsKingBean89's identity being Taylor Swift.[1][4]
Behind the scenes[]
- The story interweaves music from the 1970s in its chapters, and takes its title from the 1972 song "All the Young Dudes", written by the English singer David Bowie and performed by the English rock band Mott the Hoople.[1]
