The Problem with Lupin (long) was Re: How Close Are Harry and Lupin?

[vmonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 96923

>From Naama's post--

Nora wrote:

Right. I have to say this - Lupin not telling DD about Sirius being
an Animagus is the weakest part of the PoA plot. I don't think you
can really explain it away from within the story. It's a weak point,
necessary for the plot (because if Lupin had told DD, PoA, not to
mention GoF and OoP, wouldn't have happened). In many mystery novels
there is the problem of the silent heroine (or hero, but it's more
often a heroine). Agatha Christie's novels are rife with them - the
characters are forever keeping silent to nobly shield somebody else,
because they are blackmailed, because they didn't think it relevant,
because they didn't want to be mixed in with police business, etc.
Lupin plays this role in PoA, and like most silent characters, the
reason he didn't speak sooner is, let's face it, improbable: he feels
bad about owning up to mischief he had done as a child?! Especially
after having been through the Voldemort era, fighting on DD's side?
Please.

I've said it several times before, so why not once more? JKR isn't
really very good with mystery plots. It doesn't make sense for Lupin
not to have told DD, in the same way that it doesn't make sense that
Crouch was able to fool DD for ten months. The solutions feel
contrived, even when they are not flat out unreasonble - both in PS
and CoS the revelation that Quirrel and Ginny are possessed by
Voldemort feel flat, of the "the butler did it" type. Except in OoP,
the solution never feels inevitable (the way it does in Agatha
Christie). I prefer this simple (though disappointing) explanation
rather than read against the grain* of Lupin's characterisation.


vmonte responds:

I have to agree with Nora.  There are other problems as well.  For 
example, why doesn't Harry ever ask questions? (See post 93622.)  

Some posters believe that Harry was taught not to ask questions by 
the Dursley's.  But Harry asks the Dursley's questions all the time?! 
Most recently, he asked Petunia (in OOTP) if she was getting 
correspondence from someone in the WW? 

The only way to answer for Harry's lack of curiosity is to 
acknowledge that JKR is not ready to reveal certain information. 
Unfortunately, I think that it's reasonable for Harry to ask, for 
example, what happened to his grandparents?  Would it really take 
Harry 6 or 7 years at Hoggwarts before he becomes curious?