[HPforGrownups] a cure for werewolfs?

[Amanda Lewanski]

No: HPFGUIDX 14326

Rena wrote:

> I am in the middle of re-reading the Chamber of Secrets and noticed
> that Lockhart says, "he performed the immensely complex Homorphus
> Charm" and the werewolf turned back into a man, thus "delievered them
> [the villagers] from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."

I interpreted this to mean that the Charm was complex because it could
combat a curse as strong as lycanthropy, and force the werewolf to
change into human form off-schedule. It forces him back into human, and
thus reveals who the werewolf is, so the villagers could then take
action (whatever that action would be) against that individual. [For
surely werewolves who are terrorizing villages attempt to do so while
keeping their human identities incognito, yes?]

However, the charm is only a one-time forced shape-change. It doesn't
remove or cure or break the curse of lycanthropy. If there's a full moon
the next night, you got yourself a wolf (presumably in a cage by this
point), unless you perform the charm again.

> Yet, in Prisoner of Azkaban, we learn that there is no cure for
> werewolfs. Snape is brewing a potion, which obviously on he can do, to
> reduce the severity of the transformation to a mere wolf who will curl
> up and sleep.

Right. I think this is no more than the truth. Snape can make this
recently developed potion, so Lupin is able to take a teaching position.



> This makes me wonder, is who is right? Is there a cure for werewolfs?

No. Because (a) I think we can trust the sources as presented, and (b)
Lupin's character is tragic because there is no cure. If there were a
cure, well, he'd get it and just be a way cool teacher, with much less
impact to the plot and the reader.

--Amanda


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