Would JKR make Lupin evil? (long)

[greg_a126]

No: HPFGUIDX 39741

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "alhewison" <Ali at z...> wrote:
> All the posts about *evil* Lupin have scared me. I can't help 
feeling 
> a bit suspicious of one of favourite characters - that is despite 
all 
> the valiant attempts at *proving* Lupin's innocence. BUT, although 
I 
> cannot back up my argument with canon I doubt whether JKR would 
make 
> Lupin evil.
> 
> JKR has developed a world without racism as we know it - but 
> nevertheless full of prejudice and bigotry. Isn't she using the 
likes 
> of Lupin and the questions of full blood etc to challenge racism, 
> stereotyping etc? JKR has allowed us, the reader to advance beyond 
> Lupin's Wizard counterparts by allowing us - through Harry - to 
trust 
> Lupin. What would she actually be saying to us if Lupin did turn 
out 
> to *be* evil? She would be saying that the WW is right to distrust 
> Lupin - and by inference - we are right to distrust those Lupin 
> represents (be they the mentally ill, the deformed, those of 
> different religions or ethnic backgrounds - but more simply the 
> misunderstood, the different ones).
> 

Here's how I see it.  The WW seems to be a very closed off bunch, 
not to mention extremely old fashioned.  There seems to be a 
spectrum of people w/ their beliefs about Muggles & Muggle-born 
children.  On one side, are people like Voldemort & the Death 
Eaters.  On the other side are people like Albus Dumbledore, the 
Weasleys & the Muggle-borns themselves.  Then the third group, 
somewhere in between, I see represented by Cornelius Fudge, MoM.  
The fact that he is MoM & has been for at least 4 years, implies to 
me that if this isn't the *largest* group, it's certainly powerful.  
In about 3 years, this 3rd group is going to owe their lives to 
the "Mudbloods & Muggle-lovers."  

Remus Lupin isn't just fighting in this upcoming war for himself.  
Remus Lupin is fighting for every other wizard & witch in the world 
who has been bitten by a werewolf & ostrasized from society.  At the 
end of the war, if it turns out that he's turned on the OotP, the 
3rd group's closed minded-views on werewolves are going to have to 
been proven correct.  I for one, don't see JKR doing that.

Second, b/c his name has come up as being *ever so evil*, Sirius 
Black is also not just fighting for himself.  He is also fighting 
for every prisoner who may be in Azkaban unjustly.  The fact that 
the WW was about to give him their very worst punishment w/o even a 
trial implies that their are centuries behind their Muggle 
counterparts in civil rights.  It's going to be up to Sirius in a 
Post-Voldemort's death world to fix that.  If he turns out to be 
evil, the WW & their closed minds turned out to have been right, 
they'll have no motivation to change, & again, I don't see JKR doing 
that.

Arthur Weasley, also fits into this group.  A man who has been 
denied the position of MoM b/c of his love of all things Muggle is 
going to have a major role in saving the WW.  In a post-war 
environment, the Wizards are going to look back & realize that a man 
who loved all things Muggle would've made a much better Minister, 
than a man who took blood lines into account.  

In short, this war is going to force the WW to start reexamining 
some of their old prejudices, but that's only going to happen if the 
above 3 men remain loyal to the "good" side.

Greg