Nitwit? - Remus John Lupin

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 167940


> wynnleaf
> This doesn't necessarily mean that Lupin would therefore be
> Evil!Lupin.  I could also see Lupin as being Weak!Lupin (as Snape
> perhaps meant in his comment regarding Tonk's patronus) – a person 
who
> would betray the Order and Harry while trying to protect another 
set
> of friends, perhaps among the werewolves.  


wynnleaf
I thought I'd add some more to my last post.  

While Pippin could (if desired) add a great deal to the Evil!Lupin 
theories, there are also some really excellent literary aspects 
toward having Lupin betray the Order or Harry in DH.

If Lupin turns out to betray the Order, *and* if Snape turns out to 
have been loyal, look what a perfect set of echoes, parallels, 
juxtapositions, etc. would have been set up:

1.  Harry trusts Lupin, who proves untrustworthy.  Harry distrusts 
Snape, who proves trustworthy.

2.  Harry likes Lupin, who is nice, but betrays Harry.  Harry hates 
Snape, who is very unpleasant, but is loyal.

3.  Both are from the Marauder era.  Both characters have their 
stories rooted in the same past.  Both characters *may* connect to 
what JKR has called the "whole story" (I presume she means the story 
on which Harry's story is built) which all of her 10-15 copies of 
the first chapter of PS/SS could reveal.  

4.  Lupin and Snape are closely connected over many years through 
the animosity in school between Snape and the Marauders, the 
werewolf prank, and whatever regrets they may have over the Potter's 
deaths.  Slight possibility they may have had some care for Lily in 
common.

5.  Both are spies.  One spy is thought a traitor, but in fact is 
loyal.  One spy is thought loyal, but betrays the Order.

6.  Both are professors (or have been).  The nice teacher, the one 
who is pleasant and a great teacher, is nevertheless untrustworthy 
and will risk his student's lives for his own benefit.  The 
mean,insulting, and ugly teacher is nevertheless trustworthy and 
will risk his life for the benefit of (among others) his students.

7.  One man is willing to place many lives at risk for the sake of 
keeping the goodwill of others.  The other man is willing to lose 
the goodwill of all in order to risk his own life to help them.

8.  One man does what is "easy" and makes decisions to keep people 
happy with him.  The other does what is hard and makes decisions 
that do not benefit him much at all.

9.  The Gryffindor turns out to be untrustworthy.  The Slytherin 
turns out to be trustworthy.

10.  Harry's applecart is overturned for the final time, in such a 
strong way that he must finally put aside his preconceptions. This 
would be a strong enough turn of events that readers would also have 
to see many of the preconceptions overturned.

Hey, it may not happen.  I could be *totally* off.  But *if* JKR 
decided to have Lupin betray the Order (even if in moments of 
weakness rather than pure evil), and *if* Snape turns out to be 
loyal, then these parallels, echoes, and juxtapositions will be 
there.  And they can make excellent literature.

wynnleaf