Evil!Lupin, InadvertentKiller!Lupin, Dead!Lupin

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 59830

Morgan D. wrote:

>>If I was to dismiss the moralising speech in the HP books, 
maybe I could buy Evil!Lupin or InadvertentKiller!Lupin. But the 
way I see things, I find extremely unlikely that JKR will want to 
throw all the anti-prejudice arguments of PoA in the trash can. Or 
do we expect to see Snape saying at the end of the books, "See? 
I *told* you werewolves can't be trusted", and Dumbledore 
replying, "You're right, Severus. I learned my lesson, I'll never 
allow werewolves to have an education again". That would be a 
dreadful message to victims of AIDS and other diseases, an 
appalling message to minorities of all kinds, and a terrible 
lesson to teach the children, in my humble opinion.<<

I don't think Evil!Lupin would send a bad message  for real life. 
It's always possible to find people who fit a negative stereotype 
all too well, especially if you go out looking for them. As we know 
already, some Slytherins are cruel, some Muggles are 
Dursleyish, etc.  If the bad behavior of one werewolf *is* 
justification for mistrusting all of them, then Snape is right, but I 
think we'll see that he isn't.

I think if Snape makes any such argument, it will be undermined 
especially if  by that time we  have discovered that he is a 
vampire. I think JKR would like to show us that prejudice is not 
only self-defeating but ridiculous.

I don't think JKR believes that werewolves are real (sorry, Grey!) 
She probably isn't  concerned that making Lupin a villain will hurt 
anybody's feelings or foster distrust in the real world. Nor do I 
think JKR intends us to lose all sympathy for Lupin. I think we'll 
be made very conscious of the person he could have been if he 
had not allowed the  hatred he met with to take root inside him. 
That will make the lessons of PoA even more poignant, IMO.

It's the Trio's reactions that are going to carry the moral lesson. 
What counts is not how the WW would react to the revelation of 
Lupin's treachery, but what the Trio do about it. So far, of course, 
we haven't met other werewolves, but it's been made very plain 
that they exist, and are distrusted.  Wouldn't it be a powerful 
statement if the Trio conceal  their knowledge of Lupin's 
treachery so that other werewolves will be shielded from the 
unjust consequences?  We'll be able to see that Ron and 
Hermione ("Don't trust him! He's a werewolf!") have grown. And if 
Lupin's death is  only supposedly heroic, it would still bring 
redemption to his group. 

Pippin