(Wolfbane Potion and) Character Summary: Remus J. Lupin

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 11871

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., heidi <heidi.h.tandy.c92 at a...> wrote:
> First, the confessional part of the email. (snip) But like JKR
> herself, I want to have Professor Remus Lupin teach my child 
> (well, most of the month, at least)

First, the confessional part of the email -- if I could choose 
between having Remus as my (hypothetical) child's teacher or as my 
lover, I'd selfishly choose the latter.
> 
> And I'm not sure that "not being good at potions" is why he 
> couldn't make [Wolfbane Potion] for himnself - maybe it was just a
> cover.

Altho' I am *deeply* comforted by the thought that even the 
intellectual Marauder isn't good at EVERY subject.

There has been much speculation about WHEN the Wolfbane Potion was 
invented -- any time from when Remus left school to the time that 
he started teaching at Hogwarts -- some people seem to think that 
SNAPE invented it between the time that Lupin agreed to replace 
Lockhart and the start of term. 

> If it's called Wolfsbane, then it likely contains that herb,
> which is damaging to werewolves in its freshly grown form, 
> according to folklore.

I haven't been able to figure out whether that is the same folklore 
that claims that wearing a wolfbane flower will cause a person to
turn into a werewolf. I don't know whether the two plants named 
wolfbane are the same plant or different plants with the same name -- 
IIRC the flowers that turn a person into a werewolf are large and 
usually yellow but sometimes white (or is it just that they look 
white in the moonlight?).

Speaking of turning into a werewolf -- we have been told that in the 
JKR world it is transmitted by bite (like rabies). Is lycanthropy 
contagious from the bite of a werewolf while in human form?

Which reminds me: it seems like the fanfic world believes that a 
werewolf is burnt by the touch of silver even when in human form, and 
some have Snape deliberately serving the Potion in a silver cup, from 
spite. I can't remembering finding ANYTHING about werewolves and 
silver in canon.