Good werewolf required (was Re: Help with Lupin's boggart

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 96395

Renee:
>> I  think the text doesn't allow for anyone but Bellatrix to have
fired that last jet of light that sent Sirius through the veil. Harry
is watching the duel and he'd have noticed if the jet hadn't come 
from Bellatrix's wand.

If he'd missed the crucial moment, he'd have been 
 more confused, and less certain it was her: 'SHE KILLED 
SIRIUS! SHE  KILLED HIM - I'LL KILL HER!' And Bellatrix in her 
turn screams  triumphantly when Sirius falls through the veil <<<

Pippin:
But Harry doesn't  observe where the jet came from. He doesn't 
even observe what color it is.  The text only says that he saw the 
second jet of light strike Sirius full in the chest. There's 
precedent in the books for eyewitnesses making a mistake like 
that. A whole street full of people thought they saw Sirius fire at 
those Muggles. And in real life, there's a law school 
demonstration where two actors run into the class and one of 
them shouts "He's got a gun!"  When the students write their 
accounts  of what happened, nobody ever notices that the "gun" 
was a banana.  

Bellatrix screams in triumph, and Harry thinks he 
saw her kill Sirius.  But Lupin was in position between Harry and 
Sirius, because he's able to catch Harry a moment later when he 
springs down the steps to the dais. 

Renee:
>> she also claims the kill: 'What  did you come after me for, 
then? I thought you were here to avenge  my dear cousin?' 
 (quotes from OotP, Ch. 36)<<

Pippin:
Well, if she were aware that Lupin is her ally, that's just what 
she'd do, isn't it? She's not going to say, "Aha! Little do you know, 
little Harry Potter, that I didn't kill your pal Sirius.  Your
esteemed friend Remus Lupin is secretly a Death Eater!"  It's not 
like she can tell Harry whatever she wants because he's 
doomed. She's trying to get the Prophecy because she believes 
he's *not* doomed, that Voldemort can't possibly succeed in 
killing Harry until he knows what the Prophecy says. What's 
more, Voldemort thinks so too. He's not going to be pleased if 
Bella outs his spy prematurely.

> Pippin:
> > On a personal note, I've known people  who experimented 
with lying when they were young and gave it up because they 
weren't  good at it, but I've never known a habitual liar who 
became an honest person. Not to say it never happens, but I 
think it'd be a  miracle. <<
> 
> Renee:
> True enough. But frankly spoken, I don't think JKR hasn't 
thought  through this very clearly when it comes to Lupin. I'm 
convinced  she'll be going for a basically good Lupin who only 
lies when his friendships are being threatened and is later 
willing to admit he  was a coward. (Just like she seems to be 
going for a wise and good  but not perfect Dumbledore despite 
the man's behaviour in OotP.)    <

I'd be surprised if JKR hasn't thought this through. When to be 
open with  the truth and when to approach it "with great caution" 
is one of the major themes of the books.

I don't know about "basically good." It strikes me that  JKR 
believes that being good is not a default state. It takes a 
tremendous amount of effort and above all courage. 
Despite his tremendous wisdom, Dumbledore made a mistake. 
He  believed that he was being less than open with Harry for 
Harry's own good, and once he realized  that this was not the 
case,  he says should have known all along that it was too easy. 
"I should have realized I was too happy to think I did not have to 
do it..." And right then and there, even though he knew it could 
cost him the relationship with Harry that had taken him five years 
to build, he told Harry everything.

As McGonagall says, it's not about truth and lies. Dumbledore, 
Hermione, Lupin and Harry himself  are all very capable of being 
misleading. It's about choosing between what is right and what 
is easy. Lupin *knows*  he's  lying only to make things easy on 
himself,  and he still does it. That's a big difference, IMO.

> Pippin: 
> > All JKR has to do is introduce a genuinely good werewolf
> 
> Renee:
> That would certainly do the job, but...
> 
> Pippin:
> 
> >and I think she has...Luna Lovegood.
> 
> Renee:
> ... I don't think that's very likely. The name is too obvious. I'd 
> be disappointed if she tried to pull of that trick a second time.
> 

Really? When you read OOP the first time did you think, "oh, is 
she another werewolf? Nope, can't be,  too obvious. " I didn't.

Pippin