Could Lupin come back? Will Harry want to come back?

[jwcpgh]

No: HPFGUIDX 83620

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "greatlit2003" <hieya at h...> 
wrote:
<snip>There is a terrible irony in this situation, that Lupin is 
> working tirelessly to protect a society that wouldn't shed a tear 
if he died. So, I wonder, who is the most terrible monster in 
Harry's world? Is it Voldemort, or the society which he seeks to 
dominate? Why is Lupin so willing to fight one monster, but willing 
to just accept the other? 
> 
> What is the key difference between the two monsters that makes it 
> acceptable for Lupin to resign from his position, but makes it 
> unacceptable for Harry to run away from Hogwarts? They are both 
> dangerous to their friends. Why should Harry come back to 
Hogwarts, but not Lupin?
> 

Laura:

A few thoughts:

LV is dangerous to *everyone* who opposes him.  Harry may be at the 
top of his list but that doesn't mean others aren't endangered as 
well.  The threat Harry poses to others is an indirect one-he's 
dangerous because he has an extremely dangerous enemy, not because 
of anything inherent about him.  If LV were gone or if LV decided 
that the prophecy referred to someone else after all, Harry would no 
longer present a danger to anyone (well, you know what I mean-it 
would be good if they boy would chill a bit).  

Remus, on the other hand, is a danger to everyone around him but 
only for a brief period each month and only if he doesn't take his 
potion.  There's some ambiguity about whether there's a cure for 
lycanthropy, but if there is, Remus hasn't gotten it.  He's 
dangerous in a physical way, in the sense of being infectious, 
during the full moon.  YOu might argue that Remus is less dangerous 
to his friends than to others because they know what to expect from 
him.

Many post have suggested that there is fundamentally no difference 
between the two monsters you posit, greatlit.  LV can come to power 
because there are powerful forces in the WW who are content to let 
that happen.  So in other words, LV is a dramatic emblem of the ills 
of the WW-its pureblood fixation, its seekers after power for the 
sake of power, its contempt for muggles and magical non-humans and 
so forth.  In fighting one you fight the other; LV is just the more 
urgent problem.

What are Remus's choices?  He can give in to his lycanthropy and 
live as a werewolf, either as a loner or with the baddies.   Or he 
can do what he can to bring about change in his society so that he 
can live as full a life as possible given his condition.  Remus has 
made the choice to have hope rather than give in to despair and 
bitterness.  For that reason he chooses to fight for the survival of 
the society he knows, with its faults and prejudices.  The bad guys 
have it easy-they can win by killing off their opponents.  It's the 
side of morality, compassion and mutual respect that has a real 
battle to fight, because it has to win over one person at a time.  

Laura, who would love to see Remus back teaching at Hogwarts