How Close Are Harry and Lupin?

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 96782

Tcy wrote:
> I have no doubt that Lupin feels close to Harry.  I also have no 
> doubt that it is currently not reciprocated.  IMO, had Harry not 
> discovered the truth about Sirius, he would have developed a much 
> closer bond with Lupin.  Harry seeks adult (particularly male) 
> role models - replacements for his dad, if you will.  Up to that 
> point (PoA), Harry had looked up to Hagrid and Dumbledore.  Then 
> he found Lupin and would have become much closer to him had Sirius 
> not turned out to be such a perfect (in Harry's eyes) father 
> figure. 

Del :
I disagree. Harry had a whole year to become close to Lupin, and he 
didn't. Inversely, he spent several months hating Sirius, and 
then "fell in love" with him as soon as he learned the truth. It's 
not a matter of time, it's just a matter of gut feelings.

I guess Harry was more attracted to Sirius than to Remus because 
Sirius is much more like Harry than Remus is. Harry is reckless, 
instinctive, he's suffered from persecution and mistrust. Sirius is 
reckless and instinctive as well, and he's just spent 12 years in 
Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. Remus, on the other hand, is 
very calm, very composed, he thinks things through before acting, 
and even though Harry has heard some schoolmates mock him because of 
his poverty, he hasn't seen him suffer from real persecution and 
mistrust. Just like Sirius and James were "like brothers" because 
they were so alike, so were Harry and Sirius.

As for Lupin, I'm sure he loves Harry very much, but I also think he 
suffers from the very same problem Sirius did : he sees too much of 
James in Harry. This attracted Sirius to Harry, but I suspect it 
might on the contrary keep Remus from getting too close to Harry. 
Remus suffered more than words can say when Sirius supposedly 
betrayed James : James and Peter were supposedly killed, and Sirius 
was sent to Azkaban. Remus lost everything in one go. And then, more 
than 10 years later, he comes accross James's son, who looks so much 
like him but who is *not* James himself. It must be hard, and I can 
understand that Remus might prefer not to come too close to Harry.

> Pippin:
> > There's another thing that bothers me. In the Death Chamber, 
> > Lupin grabs Harry, holds on to him when Harry is viciously 
> > fighting to let go, keeps a grip on him even after Harry stops 
> > struggling. But when Bella drops Kingsley and flees "Harry had 
> > already wrenched himself from Lupin's slackened grip."  Why 
> > didn't Lupin hold on tightly enough to keep Harry from going 
> > after Bella? Didn't he realize that's what Harry would do?

Del :
Most probably not. *Sirius* might have realised it, but not Remus. 
Remus would never dream of running after someone so evil and so much 
more powerful than himself, and it doesn't bother me that he didn't 
figure out in time that Harry would be "stupid" enough to do that.

Del, who thinks it's quite significant that Sirius is called Sirius 
throughout the last 2 books, while Remus always remained Lupin. It 
tells a lot about Harry's feelings for both men.