Werewolves - Who we are...
written by Ginevra Mizzoni
An explaining book about werewolves. History, curiosities, habitat, qualities and more. (THIS BOOK CAN BE HELPFUL IN CARING OF MAGICAL CREATURES LESSONS)
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
33
Reads
401
Biography
Chapter 30
Early life (1960-1971)
Remus was born on 10 March, 1960 to Lyall and Hope Lupin. His father worked at the Ministry of Magic and encountered the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who was on trial for killing two children. Lyall was the only one at court to realise that Greyback was a werewolf, as Greyback pretended to be a Muggle tramp. Outraged when Greyback was released, he voiced the opinion that Greyback deserved nothing but death. This opinion cost the Lupin family dearly, as Greyback decided to revenge himself upon Lyall by targeting his son. As the nearly five-year-old Remus slept peacefully in his bed, Greyback forced his way in through the window. Though Lyall was able to get there in time to drive Greyback off with powerful spells, he was unable to prevent him from completing his evil goal. Remus became infected with lycanthropy and he became a werewolf himself.
His parents took him to various healers and tried their best to make him a normal boy, but there was no cure for his condition. But Headmaster Albus Dumbledore made special accommodations allowing Remus to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogwarts years (1971-1978)
"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 attended Hogwarts 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 Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. He kept his status as a werewolf a secret from all of the students at Hogwarts, including Sirius, James, and Peter, his fellow Marauders and future Order members. He 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, Sirius, James, 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, Sirius was able to become a dog, and James was able to become a stag, 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, Sirius, James and Peter would sneak out of the castle under James' 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 Sirius and James 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 Sirius, James, 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 whom the Marauders often bullied, in the same year as Remus. Because of Severus' enmity towards Sirius and James, he disliked Remus and Peter by association, making him all the more suspicious. He often followed Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter around in order to see what they were up to and in an effort to have them expelled.
Sometime in their fifth-year, 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 friend due to loyalty. He claimed Albus Dumbledore had hoped he could exert control over them as a Prefect. Sirius later told 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.[14]
First Wizarding War (1978-1981)
Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, Remus joined the Order of the Phoenix along with Sirius, James, 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 used his wealth to financially support him.
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.
At the time of Lily and James' death, Lupin was in the north of the country on Order of the Phoenix business when he discovered what had, apparently, happened. This was one of the most traumatic events of Remus' life, especially since, within the next day, he would also be losing his other two best friends. Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban for supposedly murdering Pettigrew and twelve Muggles with one curse.
Between the wars (1981-1994)
After Voldemort's first downfall, the Order of the Phoenix disbanded, and members returned to their busy lives with their families. Lupin, however, was left lonely and unhappy — two of his three best friends were dead, one was imprisoned for mass murder, his mother had eventually died too, and he refused to spoil his father's peaceful existence by returning to live with him. Remus was forced to take jobs that were far below his level of ability, always knowing he would have to leave them before his workmates noticed the signs of his lycanthropy. A faint ray of hope came for Remus when he heard of the new invention of the Wolfsbane Potion, which can mitigate the worst effects of lycanthropy, though this was almost immediately dashed when he saw the potion's complexity and expensive ingredients. Potions was not his strongest suit and he has a very low income rate.
While unable to afford the potion nor its ingredients, Lupin thought to search for the latter in the Forbidden Forest, where he ran into Hogwarts student Chiara Lobosca, whom he was able to get the potion from on a few occasions. They would meet each night for a week before a full moon, during which Chiara would give Lupin a bottle of potion. During the 1985–1986 school year, Jacob's sibling and Ben Copper witnessed a potion transaction between the two upon inquiry, Lobosca admitted that, unbeknownst to Lupin, she was giving Lupin potions made for her since the ingredients were only enough to make the dosage for one person and she felt he needed them more than she did. Upon hearing this, Lupin, who had been led to believe that her supply of Wolfsbane Potion was such that she just had plenty to share, reluctantly accepted this last potion from her, but then refused in advance to accept any more.
Becoming a professor
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.
Remus fending off Dementor that boarded the Hogwarts Express in search of Sirius Black
Lupin travelled 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 Hermione'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. The students were kept in the dark about his affliction, but the staff were made aware that he was a werewolf. 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.
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 their Boggart 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.
Slytherin students, encouraged by Draco Malfoy, sneered at Remus' shabby clothes and poor appearance, although he seemed to ignore their comments.[18] 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).
Exposure of 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' innocence, and also did not think his father would want Remus and Sirius to become killers.
"There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin’s head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws."
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 Animagus form to protect Harry, Ron and Hermione from Remus. In the chaos, Pettigrew unfortunately escaped and would later return to his master. After the attempted attack on Harry and Hermione, Remus spent the rest of the night deep in the Forbidden Forest.[11]
Resignation
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 Defence 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 (1995-1998)
When Lord Voldemort returned, Remus rejoined the 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' house, but he was not around very often as he was usually sent on many missions for the Order.
During Christmas, Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Lord Voldemort's snake, Nagini.[23] Remus once visited him at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries along with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys. Remus strolled over to the Unidentified werewolf and spoke to him for a while, most likely to tell him about lycanthropy and console him over his new condition. He gave Harry along with Sirius a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts as a Christmas present. Lupin, along with Tonks, escorted Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley children back to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus to start the new term.
Remus also accompanied Sirius in conversation with Harry through the fireplace at Grimmauld Place, when Harry used the Floo Powder from the fireplace in Dolores Umbridge's office to talk with Black about his father James and Snape's memory, which he saw in the Pensieve. Lupin, like Sirius, did not hide his indignation when he learned that Snape had stopped teaching Harry the Occlumency.
Battle of the Department of Mysteries
18 June 1996, Remus participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries 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. 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 spell cast by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus barely managed to prevent Harry from diving in after Sirius, who was already lost.
Shortly after the battle and the end of school year, Remus along with Moody, Tonks and Weasleys confronted the Dursleys at King's Cross station over their treatment of Harry.
Some weeks later, Remus began working as a spy for the Order, living among fellow werewolves and trying to convince them to join Dumbledore's side. It is said that he volunteered just to keep away from Tonks, as they were both very much in love with each other by this point and he would not risk his child having lycanthropy. Alas, it was difficult to convince them due to the fact that they believed they will have a better life under Voldemort's reign, many were frightened and intimidated by Fenrir Greyback and that Remus showed signs of living among humans.
Weeks later, on Harry's 16th birthday, Remus visited The Burrow with news of Dementor attacks and murder of Igor Karkaroff.
During Christmas at the Burrow, Harry told Remus and Arthur Weasley about the conversation he overheard between Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. Mr Weasley immediately suggested that Snape was just pretending to help Malfoy, but Lupin severely pointed out that Dumbledore trusted Snape, which "ought to be good enough for all of them." Although Snape exposed Lupin as a werewolf, forcing him to resign his position at Hogwarts, he also kept him healthy by making him a special potion during his monthly transformation. Lupin neither liked nor disliked Snape – but personal feelings have nothing to do with his decision to trust him. Lupin argued strongly against making judgments based on feelings – even though he, of all people, had strong reasons to dislike Snape personally, he refused to let this affect his conclusions about the man. This pronouncement established him as a foil to James Potter and Sirius, who disliked Snape for petty reasons and treated these feelings as a justification for bullying him.
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, was devastated upon hearing about the death of Albus Dumbledore, who had been killed by Severus Snape. However, the aftermath of the battle led to him to accept the love of Nymphadora Tonks, who pointed out that Fleur Delacour still loved Bill Weasley in spite of being attacked and scarred by Fenrir Greyback. The pair attended their former Headmaster's funeral together.
Shortly after Dumbledore's funeral and some days before the Order operation to transport Harry from his relative's home to safety, Remus and Tonks soon married in the north of Scotland with only witnesses from the local tavern. Lupin, same as Tonks, was sad that Harry didn't attend their wedding, because he couldn't leave the Dursleys home, due Lily's loving sacrifice when she willingly died for her only son. They were forced to marry quietly, given the general prejudice against werewolves.
Remus, to his surprise, learned that his wife got pregnant some time after the wedding.
Battle of the Seven Potters
27th July 1997, Remus participated in the Order's operation to remove Harry from his home before Lord 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 cloaked Death Eaters.George was accidentally struck by Severus Snape, who was trying to aim for a Death Eater, but accidentally stuck George instead with his Sectumsempra curse while George and Remus flew. Lupin was unable to pay Snape back in time, it being all he could do to keep George on the broom, as the latter was losing a copious amount of blood.
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 fellow order member Alastor Moody, they discussed their betrayal. Harry voiced the opinion that he trusted all of them with his life. Remus urged caution, seeing as Harry's father was killed because he put his trust in the wrong friend.
In the next days Remus seemed to become withdrawn and sullen at the news. He awhile attended Harry's birthday party, but left when Rufus Scrimgeour has arrived. Remus and Tonks both later 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.[31]
Remus along with Tonks both used a Shield Charm. It is unknown as to whether he escaped, or he was questioned by the intruders, along with the other guests, before being released.
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 got so mad that he flung Harry against the wall with his wand, and left, 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's birth. They named him Edward Remus "Teddy" Lupin, after Tonks' father, who had recently been murdered 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 the 1st May, 1998. Harry, Hermione and Ron returned to Hogwarts and Lord Voldemort gathered his army to attack the school in order to capture Harry Potter. 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 murdered Remus, who was no longer in prime fighting condition, due to months of protective and concealment charms in order to keep his wife and son safe from possible attacks. He was murdered in the Main Courtyard during the first half of the battle along with many others, including Tonks, his wife, who was murdered by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange. Lupin's death was avenged by Filius Flitwick who defeated or possibly murdered Dolohov.
Post-mortem
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.
Remus Lupin was posthumously awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, the first werewolf ever to have been accorded this honour. The example of his life and death played an important role in lifting the stigma on werewolves among the wizarding society.
Remus was born on 10 March, 1960 to Lyall and Hope Lupin. His father worked at the Ministry of Magic and encountered the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who was on trial for killing two children. Lyall was the only one at court to realise that Greyback was a werewolf, as Greyback pretended to be a Muggle tramp. Outraged when Greyback was released, he voiced the opinion that Greyback deserved nothing but death. This opinion cost the Lupin family dearly, as Greyback decided to revenge himself upon Lyall by targeting his son. As the nearly five-year-old Remus slept peacefully in his bed, Greyback forced his way in through the window. Though Lyall was able to get there in time to drive Greyback off with powerful spells, he was unable to prevent him from completing his evil goal. Remus became infected with lycanthropy and he became a werewolf himself.
His parents took him to various healers and tried their best to make him a normal boy, but there was no cure for his condition. But Headmaster Albus Dumbledore made special accommodations allowing Remus to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogwarts years (1971-1978)
"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 attended Hogwarts 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 Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. He kept his status as a werewolf a secret from all of the students at Hogwarts, including Sirius, James, and Peter, his fellow Marauders and future Order members. He 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, Sirius, James, 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, Sirius was able to become a dog, and James was able to become a stag, 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, Sirius, James and Peter would sneak out of the castle under James' 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 Sirius and James 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 Sirius, James, 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 whom the Marauders often bullied, in the same year as Remus. Because of Severus' enmity towards Sirius and James, he disliked Remus and Peter by association, making him all the more suspicious. He often followed Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter around in order to see what they were up to and in an effort to have them expelled.
Sometime in their fifth-year, 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 friend due to loyalty. He claimed Albus Dumbledore had hoped he could exert control over them as a Prefect. Sirius later told 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.[14]
First Wizarding War (1978-1981)
Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, Remus joined the Order of the Phoenix along with Sirius, James, 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 used his wealth to financially support him.
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.
At the time of Lily and James' death, Lupin was in the north of the country on Order of the Phoenix business when he discovered what had, apparently, happened. This was one of the most traumatic events of Remus' life, especially since, within the next day, he would also be losing his other two best friends. Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban for supposedly murdering Pettigrew and twelve Muggles with one curse.
Between the wars (1981-1994)
After Voldemort's first downfall, the Order of the Phoenix disbanded, and members returned to their busy lives with their families. Lupin, however, was left lonely and unhappy — two of his three best friends were dead, one was imprisoned for mass murder, his mother had eventually died too, and he refused to spoil his father's peaceful existence by returning to live with him. Remus was forced to take jobs that were far below his level of ability, always knowing he would have to leave them before his workmates noticed the signs of his lycanthropy. A faint ray of hope came for Remus when he heard of the new invention of the Wolfsbane Potion, which can mitigate the worst effects of lycanthropy, though this was almost immediately dashed when he saw the potion's complexity and expensive ingredients. Potions was not his strongest suit and he has a very low income rate.
While unable to afford the potion nor its ingredients, Lupin thought to search for the latter in the Forbidden Forest, where he ran into Hogwarts student Chiara Lobosca, whom he was able to get the potion from on a few occasions. They would meet each night for a week before a full moon, during which Chiara would give Lupin a bottle of potion. During the 1985–1986 school year, Jacob's sibling and Ben Copper witnessed a potion transaction between the two upon inquiry, Lobosca admitted that, unbeknownst to Lupin, she was giving Lupin potions made for her since the ingredients were only enough to make the dosage for one person and she felt he needed them more than she did. Upon hearing this, Lupin, who had been led to believe that her supply of Wolfsbane Potion was such that she just had plenty to share, reluctantly accepted this last potion from her, but then refused in advance to accept any more.
Becoming a professor
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.
Remus fending off Dementor that boarded the Hogwarts Express in search of Sirius Black
Lupin travelled 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 Hermione'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. The students were kept in the dark about his affliction, but the staff were made aware that he was a werewolf. 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.
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 their Boggart 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.
Slytherin students, encouraged by Draco Malfoy, sneered at Remus' shabby clothes and poor appearance, although he seemed to ignore their comments.[18] 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).
Exposure of 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' innocence, and also did not think his father would want Remus and Sirius to become killers.
"There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin’s head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws."
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 Animagus form to protect Harry, Ron and Hermione from Remus. In the chaos, Pettigrew unfortunately escaped and would later return to his master. After the attempted attack on Harry and Hermione, Remus spent the rest of the night deep in the Forbidden Forest.[11]
Resignation
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 Defence 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 (1995-1998)
When Lord Voldemort returned, Remus rejoined the 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' house, but he was not around very often as he was usually sent on many missions for the Order.
During Christmas, Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Lord Voldemort's snake, Nagini.[23] Remus once visited him at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries along with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys. Remus strolled over to the Unidentified werewolf and spoke to him for a while, most likely to tell him about lycanthropy and console him over his new condition. He gave Harry along with Sirius a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts as a Christmas present. Lupin, along with Tonks, escorted Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley children back to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus to start the new term.
Remus also accompanied Sirius in conversation with Harry through the fireplace at Grimmauld Place, when Harry used the Floo Powder from the fireplace in Dolores Umbridge's office to talk with Black about his father James and Snape's memory, which he saw in the Pensieve. Lupin, like Sirius, did not hide his indignation when he learned that Snape had stopped teaching Harry the Occlumency.
Battle of the Department of Mysteries
18 June 1996, Remus participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries 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. 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 spell cast by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus barely managed to prevent Harry from diving in after Sirius, who was already lost.
Shortly after the battle and the end of school year, Remus along with Moody, Tonks and Weasleys confronted the Dursleys at King's Cross station over their treatment of Harry.
Some weeks later, Remus began working as a spy for the Order, living among fellow werewolves and trying to convince them to join Dumbledore's side. It is said that he volunteered just to keep away from Tonks, as they were both very much in love with each other by this point and he would not risk his child having lycanthropy. Alas, it was difficult to convince them due to the fact that they believed they will have a better life under Voldemort's reign, many were frightened and intimidated by Fenrir Greyback and that Remus showed signs of living among humans.
Weeks later, on Harry's 16th birthday, Remus visited The Burrow with news of Dementor attacks and murder of Igor Karkaroff.
During Christmas at the Burrow, Harry told Remus and Arthur Weasley about the conversation he overheard between Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. Mr Weasley immediately suggested that Snape was just pretending to help Malfoy, but Lupin severely pointed out that Dumbledore trusted Snape, which "ought to be good enough for all of them." Although Snape exposed Lupin as a werewolf, forcing him to resign his position at Hogwarts, he also kept him healthy by making him a special potion during his monthly transformation. Lupin neither liked nor disliked Snape – but personal feelings have nothing to do with his decision to trust him. Lupin argued strongly against making judgments based on feelings – even though he, of all people, had strong reasons to dislike Snape personally, he refused to let this affect his conclusions about the man. This pronouncement established him as a foil to James Potter and Sirius, who disliked Snape for petty reasons and treated these feelings as a justification for bullying him.
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, was devastated upon hearing about the death of Albus Dumbledore, who had been killed by Severus Snape. However, the aftermath of the battle led to him to accept the love of Nymphadora Tonks, who pointed out that Fleur Delacour still loved Bill Weasley in spite of being attacked and scarred by Fenrir Greyback. The pair attended their former Headmaster's funeral together.
Shortly after Dumbledore's funeral and some days before the Order operation to transport Harry from his relative's home to safety, Remus and Tonks soon married in the north of Scotland with only witnesses from the local tavern. Lupin, same as Tonks, was sad that Harry didn't attend their wedding, because he couldn't leave the Dursleys home, due Lily's loving sacrifice when she willingly died for her only son. They were forced to marry quietly, given the general prejudice against werewolves.
Remus, to his surprise, learned that his wife got pregnant some time after the wedding.
Battle of the Seven Potters
27th July 1997, Remus participated in the Order's operation to remove Harry from his home before Lord 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 cloaked Death Eaters.George was accidentally struck by Severus Snape, who was trying to aim for a Death Eater, but accidentally stuck George instead with his Sectumsempra curse while George and Remus flew. Lupin was unable to pay Snape back in time, it being all he could do to keep George on the broom, as the latter was losing a copious amount of blood.
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 fellow order member Alastor Moody, they discussed their betrayal. Harry voiced the opinion that he trusted all of them with his life. Remus urged caution, seeing as Harry's father was killed because he put his trust in the wrong friend.
In the next days Remus seemed to become withdrawn and sullen at the news. He awhile attended Harry's birthday party, but left when Rufus Scrimgeour has arrived. Remus and Tonks both later 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.[31]
Remus along with Tonks both used a Shield Charm. It is unknown as to whether he escaped, or he was questioned by the intruders, along with the other guests, before being released.
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 got so mad that he flung Harry against the wall with his wand, and left, 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's birth. They named him Edward Remus "Teddy" Lupin, after Tonks' father, who had recently been murdered 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 the 1st May, 1998. Harry, Hermione and Ron returned to Hogwarts and Lord Voldemort gathered his army to attack the school in order to capture Harry Potter. 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 murdered Remus, who was no longer in prime fighting condition, due to months of protective and concealment charms in order to keep his wife and son safe from possible attacks. He was murdered in the Main Courtyard during the first half of the battle along with many others, including Tonks, his wife, who was murdered by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange. Lupin's death was avenged by Filius Flitwick who defeated or possibly murdered Dolohov.
Post-mortem
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.
Remus Lupin was posthumously awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, the first werewolf ever to have been accorded this honour. The example of his life and death played an important role in lifting the stigma on werewolves among the wizarding society.
