Remus Lupin: Biography, Kindness and Secrets
The Most Talented of the Marauders
- Born
- March 10, 1960
- Died
- May 2, 1998 — Battle of Hogwarts
- Condition
- Werewolf since childhood
- Patronus
- Wolf
- Marauder Name
- Moony
- Later Life
- Married Tonks; son Teddy — Harry's godson
Remus Lupin is the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Harry ever has, and he lasts exactly one year. A secret forces him out. The books always show him tired, always kind and always afraid he does not deserve what people give him.
Who he is
He was bitten as a child by a werewolf, so every full moon he transforms. Dumbledore let him attend Hogwarts, and his friends James, Sirius and Peter became Animagi to keep him company. Together they were the Marauders, and his nickname was Moony. In Prisoner of Azkaban (ch. 5) he boards the Hogwarts Express tired, in a worn robe, and shares his chocolate with Harry after a dementor attack.
Key moments
- Prisoner of Azkaban, ch. 7: he teaches Harry's class to face a boggart. His own turns into a full moon.
- Prisoner of Azkaban, ch. 12: he teaches Harry the Patronus Charm in extra lessons.
- Prisoner of Azkaban, ch. 18: he tells Harry, Ron and Hermione the truth about the Marauders and about Pettigrew, in the Shrieking Shack.
- Prisoner of Azkaban, ch. 22: he resigns once it is known he is a werewolf.
- Deathly Hallows, ch. 31: he dies in the Battle of Hogwarts, with Tonks. Harry sees them lying side by side.
Relationships
With Harry there is great affection mixed with the guilt of not having looked after him. With Sirius, a friendship that survives twelve years of silence. With Tonks, a love he resists because he thinks himself unworthy. With Dumbledore, deep gratitude. With Snape, tension: Snape brews his Wolfsbane Potion and, at the end of the year, lets the whole school learn what he is (ch. 22).
What almost nobody notices
In Prisoner of Azkaban (ch. 7), Lupin's boggart is a full moon. He does not fear death, or dementors. He fears what turns him, once a month, into what he hates most to be.
And the Marauder's Map the twins give Harry (ch. 10) is signed by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. When Snape confiscates it in ch. 14 and Lupin takes it in his hands, he knows each of those names and says nothing. He is the boy who wrote them, now a teacher, and his secret is still not safe.
If your courage is quieter than loud, the house quiz will tell you. Or read Gryffindor House Explained: What Nobody Tells You.
Content created with AI assistance, reviewed and edited by our editorial team.
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