Lupin and "Severus" (Was: OFH SNAPE was: Script from JKR's reading)

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 156994


> houyhnhnm:
> 
> But Lupin loses his equanimity *before* he learns anything 
> about the events on the tower, before Harry has said anything.  
> All he knows is that Dumbledore is dead.
> 
> *************
> "Ron--Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny.
> "No!" Lupin looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as 
> though hoping the latter might contradict her, but 
> when Harry did not, Lupin collasped into a chair 
> beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face.  Harry 
> had never seen Lupin lose control; he felt as though 
> he was intruding upon something private, indecent.
> *************

wynnleaf
This, I think (no book here) is the greatest emotion that we see 
anyone exhibit over DD's death, and Lupin doesn't even know at that 
point how it happened.   

> Then Harry tells his story and the next we hear from 
> Lupin, he seems to be back in control:
> "Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," said Lupin, 
> his voice uncharacteristically harsh.  "We always knew that."
> 
> This seems strange to me.  There is no shock, no outraged 
> disbelief, no demand to know what happened.  

wynnleaf
Even more strange considering that since Lupin had been 
participating in the fight, he'd have likely been aware that DD was 
no where in sight around the location where most of the fighting 
occurred. 

Also interesting that unlike others, who find DD's being dead almost 
unbelievable, Lupin believes it right away, without any details.

houyhnhnm
Then when he 
> does learn what happened and that the blame is all on Snape, 
> it is almost as if he is relieved.
> 
> What suggests itself to my mind (and I know it is all just my
> intuitive response; we will not know for sure until book 7) 
> is that Lupin was expecting it (news of Dumbledore's death), 
> for reasons of his own.
> 
> It was Lupin's job to spy on the werewolves.  The presence 
> of Fenrir Grayback was a surprise even to Draco, but was it 
> a complete surprise to Lupin?
> 
> Although there is definitely Something About Lupin, I have 
> difficulty seeing him as ever so evil (whatever that means).  
> For one thing, he seems to be so genuinely distraught over 
> DD's death.  That is hard to reconcile with his being a 
> cold-blooded Voldemort supporter.
> 
> But what if he had found out something about Fenrir's 
> involvement in the plot, but failed to pass the information 
> on to the Order because to do so he would have to have 
> revealed some minor pecadillo or dereliction of duty for 
> which he was ashamed? That would be classic Lupin.
>
wynnleaf
I don't necessarily think we're going to find out that Lupin 
is "ever so evil" in the classic sense of "evil."  But I wouldn't be 
surprised if Lupin's propensity to allow his friends too much 
latitude, and being a sort of enabler to his friends bad behavior in 
school, has gradually put him in the position of becoming caught up 
in the activities of werewolves on LV's side of the war.  I would 
guess that Lupin (if he's guilty of something), is a weak character 
who, although "caring" about his friends in the Order, can't bring 
himself to stop helping his friends on LV's side -- the werewolves.  
Not that Lupin likes Fenrir.  I think his dislike of Fenrir at 
Christmas was genuine.  But I wouldn't be surprised if his primary 
weakness of allowing too much for his friends, already described by 
JKR, has led him to betraying the Order.

I wonder if Lupins great grief is due not solely to pure sorrow, but 
also to great guilt.

wynnleaf, who wonders if Lupin is not "ever so evil," but is 
instead "ever so weak."  Remember Snape's evaluation of Tonk's 
patronus?  The one that looked like a werewolf?  Weak.