Nitwit? - Remus John Lupin

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 167996

Neri:
> The problem is that Snape makes in the Shrieking Shack several
comments that smell of anti-werewolf bigotry: 
*(snip)*
If it will be found that Snape was correct in his suspicions in the
Shrieking Shack, JKR will appear as endorsing his bigotry.

Ceridwen:
Snape repeats and repeats the word here.  He assigns an essay on 
werewolves.  There is no doubt in people's minds that Remus is a 
werewolf.

That the constant drum of attention is brought by a character who, by 
all appearances, is a bigot against werewolves merely makes the 
reader file it away as bigotry, nothing more.  So, if there is a 
surprise in DH regarding Remus and the werewolves, or Remus's 
betrayal based on that point, we've had this glaringly blatant clue 
staring us in the face since PoA, but no one picked up on it because 
of the messenger.  The surprise is complete in the moment, though the 
clues will be easy enough to spot during re-reads.

Snape hammering on the 'werewolf' theme rather than Remus is a 
werewolf, would set up the entire group wooing that Voldemort is 
doing.  Werewolves as a group have been marginalized.  Remus admits 
that he has personally been marginalized: seen as a werewolf first, 
and lost jobs because of it.  Remus has been sent to spy on his 
peers, others who have been marginalized.  Would his weakness, of 
wanting people to like him enough that he will break rules or hide 
important information, cause trouble for Harry in DH?  We don't know.

Could it?  Yes.  By holding back, by not stepping up, by concealing 
things, Remus can influence outcomes.  He probably won't admit to 
seeing that he did wrong, which played out at his leaving in PoA.  
He'll feel the weight of his condition pressing down on him, and 
blame it, as he's always done.  Werewolves don't usually have 
friends: he has friends so he had better be grateful and not carry 
out his prefect duties with them.

Will this play out in DH?  We don't know.  JKR likes Lupin.  She 
would have him as her daughter's teacher.  But, many of the failings 
in the Real World are caused by people who don't stand up for what is 
right.  Lupin's weakness is that he won't if the wrong thing is done 
by his friends.  There are a lot of messages she can send with Remus 
Lupin and his situation.  I think she'll choose the one that makes 
for the best story.

Ceridwen.