Remus Lupin: A Biography
written by Bobby Drake
Hello there! Matthew Lupin here! Today I am going to tell you all about the life of my father, Remus John Lupin.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
19
Reads
2,151
Becoming a Professor
Chapter 5
By the early 1990s, Lupin was living in poverty, in a tumbledown, semi-derelict cottage in Yorkshire. Albus Dumbledore tracked Lupin down in the summer of 1993, and offered him the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, replacing the permanently amnesiac Gilderoy Lockhart. Lupin only accepted Dumbledore's proposal when he explained there would be a limitless supply of Wolfsbane Potion, courtesy of Severus Snape, now the Potions Master at the school.
Lupin arrived to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express. It was here where Remus first directly met Harry Potter. Lupin was apparently sleeping so deeply that he did not notice Harry's attempt to wake him up to buy some food from the Honeydukes Express, but swiftly awoke to deal with a Dementor who was prowling in their cabin in search for the runaway Sirius. Remus disguised his wolf-shaped Patronus as a vague mist to prevent leaving hints about his afflictions. He then gave everybody within the compartment a piece of chocolate, as a mild relief from the Dementor's effects. While doing so he greeted Harry in a casual and friendly fashion. Although Remus did not receive much enthusiasm from most students' applause during his introduction due to his rather shabby appearance, Harry and his friends were the few who gave their full approval due to the positive first impression he gave them.
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 and fascinating curriculum of identifying and sidestepping Dark creatures such as Hinkypunks, Red Caps, Kappas, Grindylows, Vampires, Werewolves and Nocturnal beasts. He also taught the class about Boggarts, and how to repel them using the Boggart-Banishing Spell, to great success. Remus had proven himself a skilled teacher, managing to keep the children's' interest in the subject and had shown himself far more competent than his predecessor's vain, useless lessons. 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, when it became apparent that he was especially vulnerable to them because, according to Lupin, Harry had "true horrors" in his past that were especially appealing to the 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 Dark magic. Remus recognised 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 told them that he knew what the map was and was more astounded that they did not hand it in, and reprimanded Harry, much to their surprise. He confiscated the map, knowing that it would 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 pot-holes full of Red Caps; cross a marsh while being fed misleading directions by a hinkypunk; and 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)
Lupin arrived to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express. It was here where Remus first directly met Harry Potter. Lupin was apparently sleeping so deeply that he did not notice Harry's attempt to wake him up to buy some food from the Honeydukes Express, but swiftly awoke to deal with a Dementor who was prowling in their cabin in search for the runaway Sirius. Remus disguised his wolf-shaped Patronus as a vague mist to prevent leaving hints about his afflictions. He then gave everybody within the compartment a piece of chocolate, as a mild relief from the Dementor's effects. While doing so he greeted Harry in a casual and friendly fashion. Although Remus did not receive much enthusiasm from most students' applause during his introduction due to his rather shabby appearance, Harry and his friends were the few who gave their full approval due to the positive first impression he gave them.
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 and fascinating curriculum of identifying and sidestepping Dark creatures such as Hinkypunks, Red Caps, Kappas, Grindylows, Vampires, Werewolves and Nocturnal beasts. He also taught the class about Boggarts, and how to repel them using the Boggart-Banishing Spell, to great success. Remus had proven himself a skilled teacher, managing to keep the children's' interest in the subject and had shown himself far more competent than his predecessor's vain, useless lessons. 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, when it became apparent that he was especially vulnerable to them because, according to Lupin, Harry had "true horrors" in his past that were especially appealing to the 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 Dark magic. Remus recognised 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 told them that he knew what the map was and was more astounded that they did not hand it in, and reprimanded Harry, much to their surprise. He confiscated the map, knowing that it would 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 pot-holes full of Red Caps; cross a marsh while being fed misleading directions by a hinkypunk; and 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)
