[Just a comment about Lupin's malady.

[Lissa Hess]

No: HPFGUIDX 108457

vmorte:

>It seems hard to believe that Lupin hasn't at least bit/killed one
>person in all his life. Who was making the potion for him before he
>began working at Hogwarts? Or did he just make sure that he was
>locked up somewhere while he was sick? Is there a hospital or clinic
>these people can go to when they need help?
>
>What happened to his parents? Why did Sirius feel that Lupin could
>not be trusted (before the Godric's Hollow attack)? Did Lupin ever
>wake up with blood on his face/hands?
>
>Or worse, will Lupin attack or kill someone in the next 2 books? Will
>one of the children become a great potions master (better than Snape)
>and find a cure for Lupin's illness? How about Neville?
>
>Who bit Lupin as a child anyway? I'm very curious about his family.
>Is he the half-blood prince as some suggest?

Lissa:

I don't know that he's ever bitten anyone, but hundreds of fanfics out 
there have him locking himself up in his apartment or some such scenario 
before the transformation.  Now I -know- fanfics are ever-so-reliable 
barometers of canon, but I think that one is probably dead on.  The kind of 
person Lupin is (defends her werewolf to the end) is not going to let 
himself go wreaking havoc on the countryside if he can help it.  He's way 
too conscientious.

As far as his parents go, I've kind of assumed they're dead- or not 
terribly wealthy.  I assume that just because of his rather tattered 
state.  Either that or they aren't that important in Lupin's life as 
relates to the wizarding wars.

I have a theory that Lupin will never be cured.  Of course, part of this is 
because I think the poor guy is going to DIE, but more because of what 
Lupin is meant to represent.  The lycanthropy (do you have any idea how 
annoying that word is to spell) has been likened to a disease/handicap so 
many times, and by JKR herself, and JKR likes a certain amount of 
realism.  Sure, he's a werewolf, and sure there's magic, but I think that 
there are some things that just can't be cured, and the people who must 
cope with them have to accept that and make a life.  Besides, who has time 
to research curing werewolfs when Voldie's on the loose?

Of course, since I've already accepted that Wormtail's gonna kill off my 
beloved werewolf anyway, I do tend to be fatalistic about this.

Unless the werewolf that bit Lupin as a child is going to make a 
reappearance, we may have already heard everything we're going to hear 
about his bite.  He mentions he was careless, but to me that more sets the 
stage for him falling in with the likes of James, Sirius, and Peter than 
anything else (pointing out that Lupin DOES have a lighter, more 
mischievous and daring side).  We're getting down to the wire, and unless 
that werewolf is coming back to us, I can't see wasting print on that 
mystery when there's so many others to be solved.

The trust thing... oh, I have TONS of ideas about that.

1.) How long did Sirius actually suspect Lupin?  That would be my first 
question.  They'd known there was a spy in the Order, and it was someone 
close to James and Lily.  But coming to the conclusion that it was Lupin 
had to have been very painful for Sirius.  He also may have had a wider 
circle of suspects that kept getting killed off until he was forced in the 
last week or so to narrow it down to Peter or Lupin.  ("Fabian Prewett is 
the spy, I know it.  SHOOT!  He just killed, and Voldie's still following 
the Potters.  Guess it wasn't him.")

2.) Did Sirius actually say anything?  I'm inclined to think no.  In the 
Shrieking Shack scene in PoA, Lupin has to confirm that Sirius thought he 
was the spy.  He also brushes it off pretty quickly.  Now, I know Lupin is 
overly forgiving, but if he's been nursing a grudge about Sirius thinking 
he was the spy for 12 years, he's not going to be so quick to forgive.  But 
when the real spy is standing right there, and Sirius says "yeah I did 
think it was you", that's a little easier to cope with.

3.) Is it reasonable for Sirius to suspect Lupin as the spy?  TOTALLY.  One 
of Voldie's strategies that we keep hearing about is to recruit creatures 
that the WW denies rights to.  (Goblins, giants, etc.)  You have narrowed 
it down to two people: Peter, a full blood (I assume, if he was a DE), 
rather talentless, unexceptional wizard, and Lupin, a werewolf who is 
extremely talented an unable to get work no matter how hard he tries 
because the WW is so dead set against him.  You only have a few days to 
figure it out.  And Lupin is acting odd.  (More on that in idea 4.)  Eenie, 
meenie, miney... yeah.  Lupin makes more sense.

4.) WAS Lupin acting odd?  Now, me, I believe Lupin and Sirius totally had 
something going on, which actually makes it much easier for Sirius to 
suspect Lupin, especially if they were having trouble in their relationship 
for any reason at all.  But let's go beyond that.  Hogwarts was an unusual 
time in Lupin's life, and wonderful, but Dumbledore did something extremely 
cruel: he gave Lupin hope.  Lupin got an education, Dumbledore treated him 
like he had a chance, and he made three wonderful friends.  Then he went 
out into the world and discovered that despite his talent, Dumbledore and 
his friends really WERE the exceptions, not the rule.  Then there's James 
marrying Lily and starting a family- something I don't see Lupin ever doing 
even if he and Sirius weren't together, because I can't see himself 
"burdening" a wife and child with that sort of stigma.  (Yeah, I don't 
think he and Sirius were being overly open about their relationship, 
either.  Add into that whole friction in the relationship sort of 
thing.)  But anyway, as he was coming out of school, the poor guy had to 
have been had to be dealing with crushed hopes, and that had to have been 
really hard.  I can see where he'd start getting moody and acting oddly, 
causing Sirius to suspect him of being the spy, because Sirius DOESN'T 
really understand what Lupin's going through.  Add in that Peter's probably 
sowing some seeds of mistrust there....

I also love the suggestion that Lupin's the one who took the picture of 
Lily, James, and Sirius.  That just made me smile.

I admit I'm totally biased, but I think a lot of it does make sense.

And I agree.  No time turners!

Liss