The immensely complex Homorphus Charm

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 94038

David wrote:

> > Of course, if Voldemort turns out to have a tame werewolf that 
> he  can use to frame Lupin, then Homorphus may become 
> relevant.

Pippin, in her gadfly animagus form, wrote:

> Or if Lupin himself is Voldemort's tame werewolf...and to keep 
> this from being a one-liner, it's possible that homorphus only 
> restores the human shape, as the wolfsbane potion only allows 
> the werewolf to keep his human mind. 

I did think of that (ESE!Lupin), but considered it less plausible in 
this context because of the element of surprise: the Homorphus Charm 
is performed, and... voila! it's the werewolf we always knew.

For Homorphus to be an effective plot device, I felt it requires 
that the obvious werewolf be not the one unmasked - if ESE!Lupin is 
acting in his wolf form, Homorphus only comes in if it has already 
been established that another werewolf is around and acting 
suspiciously in other ways - perhaps the one from St Mungo's?

But doubtless there are other twists I haven't thought of, involving 
Polyjuice, Imperius, and Apparition combined with Homorphus.  Could 
Lupin take Polyjuice and then transform and allow himself (under 
Wolfsbane) to be Homorphus-ed back into the form of the Polyjuicee?

Interesting if the effect of Homorphus is permanent mental damage as 
the price of permanent (or even temporary) physical restoration - 
that would put it alongside the Dementor's Kiss in the wizarding 
penal panoply.

David