Remus Lupin

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Remus John Lupin
Biographical information
Born	10 March 1960
Died	2 May 1998 (aged 38) Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain
Blood status	Half-blood
Marital status	Married or widowed
Nationality	British or Irish
Also known as	Moony (by Marauders) Romulus (Potterwatch)
Title(s)	Prefect Professor
Physical information
Species	Human (originally) Werewolf
Gender	Male
Height	6'2"
Weight	169 lbs
Hair colour	Light brown flecked with grey
Eye colour	Green
Relationship information
Family members	Lyall Lupin (father) Hope Lupin (née Howell) (mother) † Nymphadora Lupin (née Tonks) (wife) † Edward Lupin (son) Edward Tonks (father-in-law) † Andromeda Tonks (née Black) (mother-in-law) Lupin family Howell family (maternal family) Tonks family (in-laws)
Romances	Nymphadora Lupin (wife) †
Magical characteristics
Boggart	Full moon
Wand	10¼", Cypress, unicorn hair
Patronus	Wolf
Affiliation
Occupation	Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1993–1994)
House	Gryffindor
Loyalty	Lupin family Howell family Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Gryffindor Marauders Order of the Phoenix Advance Guard Tonks family

"I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The Potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform... I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again. Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me."

— Lupin's life as a werewolf

Professor Remus John Lupin, O.M. (First Class), (10 March 1960 – 2 May 1998), also known as Moony, was a half-blood wizard and the only son of Lyall and Hope Lupin (née Howell). He was attacked by werewolf Fenrir Greyback when he was a child, a result of Greyback's revenge against Lyall, leaving Remus afflicted with lycanthropy for life. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1971 to 1978 and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. During his school years he was one of the Marauders, best friends with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. Together, they created the Marauder's Map.

After Hogwarts, Remus and his friends joined the original Order of the Phoenix and fought in the First Wizarding War. However, Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort a week after he was made the couples' Secret Keeper. Thus Remus had lost all of his closest friends in various ways by the end of the First Wizarding War. The loss of his friends devastated him, though he and Sirius Black later rekindled their friendship.

Remus taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts during the 1993–1994 school year. Remus was regarded by students to be the best Defence teacher they have had thus far. He was also a professor of Harry Potter (James' son) whom he taught how to conjure a corporeal Patronus, but resigned after Severus Snape revealed to the public that Remus was a werewolf.

He fought against Death Eaters once more in the Second Wizarding War, during which he lost his friend Sirius. In 1997, Remus married fellow Order member Nymphadora Tonks and had a son, Edward Remus Lupin, of whom he named Harry the godfather. Remus fought at the Battle of Hogwarts on 2 May 1998, during which his wife was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus was also murdered by Death Eater Antonin Dolohov, during the first half of the same battle. His death was possibly avenged by Filius Flitwick.

Remus briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone for Harry, along with James Potter, Lily Potter, and Sirius Black on the same day of his death. After his death, his son was raised by Andromeda Tonks and Harry Potter.

Biography

Early life (1960–1971)

Remus was born on 10 March 1960 to Lyall and Hope Lupin. His father worked at the Ministry of Magic and encountered the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who was being questioned for killing two Muggle children. Lyall was the only one at court to realise that Greyback was a werewolf, as Greyback pretended to be a Muggle tramp. Outraged when Greyback was released, he voiced the opinion that Greyback deserved nothing but death.

This opinion cost the Lupin family dearly, as Greyback decided to revenge himself upon Lyall by targeting his son. As the nearly five-year-old Remus slept peacefully in his bed, Greyback forced his way in through the window. Though Lyall was able to get there in time to drive Greyback off with powerful spells, he was unable to prevent him from completing his evil goal. Remus became infected with lycanthropy and he became a werewolf himself.

His parents took him to various healers and tried their best to make him a normal boy again, but there was no cure for his condition. But Headmaster Albus Dumbledore made special accommodations allowing Remus to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hogwarts years (1971–1978)

"My transformations in those days were — were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits."

— Description of Lupin's transformations

Remus's Sorting in 1971, where he was Sorted into Gryffindor

Remus attended Hogwarts in the 1971–1972 school year and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. To secure his safety, as well as that of his peers, Remus would be brought to the Shrieking Shack once a month for his transformations in order to prevent him from attacking other students. However, this isolation caused him to attack himself out of frustration. This, and the painful monthly transformations, made the villagers of Hogsmeade mistake his screams for that of violent ghosts. Dumbledore, wanting to keep the truth of these noises a secret, encouraged these rumours. Thus, the building was dubbed the Shrieking Shack, which held the reputation for being the most haunted building in Britain.

Remus became the very best of friends with fellow Gryffindors Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. He kept his status as a werewolf a secret from all of the students at Hogwarts, including Sirius, James, and Peter, his fellow Marauders and future Order members. He made up stories to explain his monthly disappearances, such as that his mother was ill and he needed to go home to visit her. He was terrified that they would desert him once they found out what he truly was. However, Sirius, James, and Peter worked out the truth during their second year, and due to their acceptance of who Remus was, and their unusually strong friendship with him, they decided to learn how to become Animagi in order to keep Remus company during his transformations, as a werewolf is only a danger to humans.

The Marauders in their Animagus forms, Lupin as a werewolf, on the far left

By their fifth year, Sirius was able to become a dog, and James was able to become a stag, animals large enough to keep the wolfish Remus in check. Peter, meanwhile, was able to become a rat. Once a month during the full moon, Sirius, James and Peter would sneak out of the castle under James' Invisibility Cloak, transform, get into the Whomping Willow, walk down the tunnel and meet up with Remus in the Shrieking Shack.

Under their influence, Lupin became tame; his body was still a wolf's, but his mind became less so when he was among them. The four of them soon left the Whomping Willow and would roam among the school grounds and Hogsmeade by night. Eventually, this group of friends came to call themselves the Marauders, and Remus's friends nicknamed him "Moony" because of his transformations during every full moon.

Remus was a good student, but also a prankster. He and Peter Pettigrew would sometimes join Sirius and James in detention for mischief-making, though they did not get into as much trouble as their other friends. It's unlikely that any other Hogwarts students ever found out as much about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade as they did and Sirius, James, Remus and Peter used their knowledge of it to write the Marauder's Map and signed it with their nicknames. Unfortunately, it somehow ended up being confiscated by Argus Filch, but was eventually recovered by Fred and George Weasley in the 1989-90 school year.

The Marauders in their final years at Hogwarts

However, Remus's frequent disappearances riled up an unhealthy curiosity in Severus Snape, a Slytherin student whom the Marauders often bullied, in the same year as Remus. Because of Severus' enmity towards Sirius and James, he disliked Remus and Peter by association, making him all the more suspicious. He often followed Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter around in order to see what they were up to and in an effort to have them expelled from Hogwarts.

Sometime in their fifth year, Sirius played a malicious prank on Snape by telling him about the Whomping Willow passageway, hoping that he would be terrified or even get seriously hurt by what he found at the other end. James, who hated Snape, was able to stop Snape and save his life in the nick of time, but Snape still uncovered Remus's secret, seeing him at the end of the passage.

Remus was also a Prefect while he was at Hogwarts, although he had trouble exercising discipline over his dearest friend due to loyalty. He claimed Albus Dumbledore had hoped he could exert control over them as a Prefect. Sirius later told Harry that Remus wasn't an idiot like his friends because he was never cruel to Snape. But Remus admitted that he regretted that he had never stepped in to stop it.

First Wizarding War (1978–1981)

Remus: "...he thought I was the spy, Peter. I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"

Sirius Black: "Forgive me, Remus."

Remus: "Not at all, Padfoot, old friend. And will you forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

Sirius Black: "Of course."

— Reflecting on the First Wizarding War

Remus (far left) during the First Wizarding War

Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, Remus joined the Order of the Phoenix along with Sirius, James, Peter, and Lily Evans, standing up against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Remus failed to find employment following his education because of his affliction as a werewolf. However, James used his wealth to financially support him.

By the height of the war, Remus and Sirius had come to distrust one another, with each suspecting that the other was a spy for the other side. Thus, when a prophecy was made about a child who would have the power to defeat the Dark Lord, and Dumbledore identified infant Harry Potter as a possible target, Remus was not included in the plan to keep the Potters safe, though he was aware that they used the Fidelius Charm. James and Lily Potter wanted to use Sirius as their Secret-Keeper, but Sirius thought that would be too obvious, and thus suggested Peter Pettigrew instead, who would be a nearly unpredictable move, him being known for his "measly empty-headedness." Neither Dumbledore or Lupin knew of this switch.

At the time of Lily and James' death, Lupin was in the north of the country on Order of the Phoenix business when he discovered what had, apparently, happened. This was one of the most traumatic events of Remus's life, especially since, within the next day, he would also be losing his other two best friends. Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban for supposedly murdering Pettigrew and twelve Muggles with one curse.

Between the wars (1981–1994)

Deal with Chiara Lobosca

After Voldemort's first downfall, the Order of the Phoenix disbanded, and members returned to their busy lives with their families. Lupin, however, was left lonely and unhappy — two of his three best friends were dead, one was imprisoned for mass murder, his mother had eventually died too, and he refused to spoil his father's peaceful existence by returning to live with him. Remus was forced to take jobs that were far below his level of ability, always knowing he would have to leave them before his workmates noticed the signs of his lycanthropy. A faint ray of hope came for Remus when he heard of the new invention of the Wolfsbane Potion, which can mitigate the worst effects of lycanthropy, though this was almost immediately dashed when he saw the potion's complexity and expensive ingredients. Potions was not his strongest suit and he had a very low income.

Remus and Chiara

Unable to afford the potion or its ingredients, Lupin attempted to forage for the latter in the Forbidden Forest, where he ran into Hogwarts student Chiara Lobosca. Chiara was also a werewolf, and was willing to give him the potion on a few occasions. They would meet each night for a week before a full moon, during which Chiara would give Lupin a bottle of potion.

During the 1985–1986 school year, Jacob's sibling and Ben Copper witnessed a potion transaction between the two. Upon inquiry, Lobosca admitted that, unbeknownst to Lupin, she was giving him potions made for her since, at that time, the school stock of ingredients was only enough to make a dose for one person and she felt he needed them more than she did. Upon hearing this, Lupin, who had been led to believe that her supply of potion was such that she had plenty to share, initially refused to take it. However, Chiara convinced him that it would do her no good that close to the full moon, while allowing him to experience the full effect. He reluctantly accepted a last potion from her, but then refused in advance to accept any more.

At some point during their dealings, Lupin gave Chiara a photograph of Hogwarts Castle at sunset that James had taken, to remind her that the difficult nights would always pass. She would later give this photo to Jacob's sibling after her friend helped her during her own transformation.

Becoming a professor

"Nothing to worry about. There's a Boggart in there. Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice."

— Remus Lupin teaching third year Defence Against the Dark Arts students about Boggarts

By the early 1990s, Lupin was living in poverty, in a tumbledown, semi-derelict cottage in Yorkshire. Albus Dumbledore tracked Lupin down in the summer of 1993, and offered him the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, replacing the permanently amnesiac Gilderoy Lockhart. Lupin only accepted Dumbledore's proposal when he explained there would be a limitless supply of Wolfsbane Potion, courtesy of Severus Snape, now the Potions Master at the school.

Remus fending off a Dementor that boarded the Hogwarts Express in search of Sirius Black

Lupin travelled to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express. It was here where Remus first directly met Harry Potter. Lupin was apparently sleeping so deeply that he did not notice Hermione's attempt to wake him up to buy some food from the Honeydukes Express, but swiftly awoke to deal with a Dementor who was prowling in their cabin in search for the runaway Sirius. He also conjured Hand-held flames to deal with the darkness produced by the Dementor's presance.

Remus disguised his wolf-shaped Patronus as a vague mist to prevent leaving hints about his afflictions. He then gave everybody within the compartment a piece of chocolate, as a mild remedy for the effects of the Dementor's powers. While doing so he greeted Harry in a casual and friendly fashion.

Although Remus did not receive much enthusiasm from most students' applause during his introduction due to his rather shabby appearance, Harry and his friends were the few who gave their full approval due to the positive first impression he gave them. The students were kept in the dark about his affliction, but the staff were made aware that he was a werewolf. Severus Snape, who had switched sides at the end of the war and became Potions Professor, provided Remus with Wolfsbane Potion, allowing him to retain his human mind during transformations.

Remus Lupin teaching a third year DADA class

Remus taught the class a comprehensive and fascinating curriculum of identifying and sidestepping Dark creatures such as: Hinkypunks, Red Caps, Kappas, Grindylows, Vampires, Werewolves, and Nocturnal beasts. He also taught the class about Boggarts, and how to repel them using the Boggart-Banishing Spell, to great success. Remus had proven himself a skilled teacher, managing to keep the children's' interest in the subject and had shown himself far more competent than his predecessor's vain, useless lessons.

Harry Potter's first lesson on the Patronus Charm

It was during their Boggart class that Harry realised his "greatest fear was fear itself" when his Boggart took on the form of a Dementor. After this, Remus gave Harry private lessons in producing a Patronus as a means to repel Dementors, when it became apparent that he was especially vulnerable to them because, according to Lupin, Harry had "true horrors" in his past that were especially appealing to the Dementors. Incidentally, being a werewolf, Remus's Boggart would take on the form of the full moon. Students who saw this Boggart form mistook it for a crystal ball, except for Hermione Granger, who cleverly deduced that Remus was a werewolf and kept the discovery to herself.

Slytherin students, encouraged by Draco Malfoy, sneered at Remus's shabby clothes and poor appearance, although he seemed to ignore their comments. Regardless, his other students held him in extremely high regard and loved the hands-on style of his classes. He was considered by Harry and his friends to have been their only decent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Lupin in Professor Snape's fireplace, having used Floo Powder to get there

Remus was soon summoned to Snape's office to identify whether a piece of parchment he caught Harry with to be Dark magic. Remus recognised it as the Marauder's Map but tried to pass it off as a product of Zonko's Joke Shop. At the same moment, Ron burst in to back up that claim. After escorting the two boys from Snape's office, Remus told them that he knew what the map was and was more astounded that they did not hand it in, and reprimanded Harry, much to their surprise. He confiscated the map, knowing that it would be too dangerous for Harry to use the secret passages with Sirius on the loose.

Lupin's DADA exam, an obstacle course

For his third years' end of year tests in June, he prepared an unusual exam — an obstacle course out in the grounds in which the students had to: wade across a paddling pool containing a grindylow; cross a series of pot-holes full of Red Caps; cross a marsh while being fed misleading directions by a hinkypunk; and enter a trunk to battle a newly procured boggart. Hermione Granger even commented in her fifth year that Lupin's exam was the only occasion where she and Harry took a Defence exam from a teacher who knew what they were doing (exams were cancelled in second year and Harry was exempt due to his status as a Triwizard Champion in fourth year).

Exposure of Peter Pettigrew

Lupin: "Didn't you ever hear, Ron? The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

Ron Weasley: " Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right —"

Lupin: "Twelve years, in fact. Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

— Lupin exposing Peter Pettigrew as an Animagus

The summer before Remus began his tenure as the Defence professor, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Remus, like the rest of the wizarding world, believed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort and murdered Peter Pettigrew.

Lupin disarming Harry and meeting Sirius Black again after thirteen years

By the end of the school year, however, Remus knew the truth of what had happened and that Pettigrew was still alive, hiding in his Animagus form — Scabbers, the pet rat of Ron Weasley. He was watching the Marauder's Map, expecting Harry and his friends to go down to see Hagrid before Buckbeak's execution and was shocked to see Pettigrew coming out of Hagrid's with them.

Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack

Remus was reunited with his old friend Sirius, and the two resolved to kill Pettigrew for his part in the deaths of James and Lily and in framing Sirius. They were stopped by Harry Potter, who believed it would be better to hand Pettigrew over to the Ministry of Magic to prove Sirius' innocence, and also did not think his father would want Remus and Sirius to become killers.

Werewolf transformation

"There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws."

— Lupin transforming into a werewolf under the moonlight

Remus transforms into a werewolf

However, that night happened to be a full moon, and Remus transformed into a werewolf (having forgotten to take the Wolfsbane Potion). Sirius was forced to turn into his Animagus form to protect Harry, Ron and Hermione from Remus. In the chaos, Pettigrew unfortunately escaped and would later return to his master. After the attempted attack on Harry and Hermione, Remus spent the rest of the night deep in the Forbidden Forest.

Resignation

"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents... They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you... That must never happen again."

— Lupin explaining his resignation to Harry

Harry Potter and Dumbledore seeing Remus off

After the danger had passed, Remus resigned from his position when parents learned that he was a werewolf. His sudden resignation was much to the regret of the majority of the Hogwarts students and staff, who had all grown deeply fond of him. Harry, in particular, begged him earnestly to stay, declaring that he was the best Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher that the students had ever had.

Remus simply shook his head, handed him the Marauder's Map and also returned the Invisibility Cloak that was left at the Shrieking Shack, and told him that it had been a real pleasure teaching him, and that he was perfectly sure that they would soon meet again.

He sent a letter to his successor informing him of what he taught Harry and the others, but it was intercepted.

Second Wizarding War (1995–1998)

"They're trying to discredit him. Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true, he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot — that's the Wizard High Court — and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."

— Remus regarding the Minister's denial of Voldemort's return

Remus as a member of the Order's Advance Guard

When Lord Voldemort returned, Remus rejoined the Order of the Phoenix. He was a member of the Advance Guard that escorted Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive to 12 Grimmauld Place. The Advance Guard also contained: Alastor Moody, Emmeline Vance, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, and Sturgis Podmore. Lupin lived for some time at Sirius' house, but he was not around very often as he was usually sent on many missions for the Order.

Lupin arguing with Harry at 12 Grimmauld Place

During Christmas, Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Lord Voldemort's snake, Nagini. Remus once visited him at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries along with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys. Remus strolled over to the unidentified werewolf and spoke to him for a while, most likely to tell him about lycanthropy and console him over his new condition. He gave Harry (along with Sirius) a set of excellent books enti­tled Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts as a Christmas present. Harry thought these books would be useful. Lupin, along with Tonks, escorted Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley children back to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus to start the new term.

An Order meeting taking place at 12 Grimmauld Place

Remus also accompanied Sirius in conversation with Harry through the fireplace at Grimmauld Place, when Harry used the Floo Powder from the fireplace in Dolores Umbridge's office to talk with Black about his father James and Snape's memory, which he saw in the Pensieve. Lupin, like Sirius, did not hide his indignation when he learned that Snape had stopped teaching Harry the Occlumency.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

"Harry, round up the others and GO!"

— Lupin to Harry Potter during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Remus duelling a Death Eater in the Death Chamber of the Department of Mysteries

On 18 June 1996, Remus participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and defeated a number of Death Eaters including their leader, Lucius Malfoy. He was one of the only three combatants to see the end of the battle unscathed, the others being Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, proving Remus's exceptional skill at duelling.

During this battle, Remus witnessed and was devastated by the death of his last surviving Marauder friend, Sirius, who was pushed through the veil in the Death Chamber by a spell cast by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus barely managed to prevent Harry from diving in after Sirius, who was already lost.

Shortly after the battle and the end of school year, Remus along with Moody, Tonks and Weasleys confronted the Dursleys at King's Cross station over their treatment of Harry.

Underground

Harry Potter: "What have you been up to lately?"

Remus Lupin: "Oh, I've been underground. Almost literally. That's why I haven't been able to write, Harry; sending letters to you would have been something of a giveaway."

Harry Potter: "What do you mean?"

Remus Lupin: "I've been living among my fellows, my equals. Werewolves. Nearly all of them are on Voldemort's side. Dumbledore wanted a spy and here I was... ready-made. I am not complaining; it is necessary work and who can do it better than I? However, it has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing — and sometimes killing — to eat."

— Remus Lupin telling Harry Potter about his secret work with werewolves

Remus and Tonks at The Burrow during the Second Wizarding War

Some weeks later, Remus began working as a spy for the Order, living among fellow werewolves and trying to convince them to join Dumbledore's side. It is said that he volunteered just to keep away from Tonks, as they were both very much in love with each other by this point and he would not risk his child having lycanthropy. But he was difficult to convince them due to the fact that they believed they will have a better life under Voldemort's reign, many were frightened and intimidated by Fenrir Greyback and that Remus showed signs of living among humans.

Weeks later, on Harry's 16th birthday, Remus visited The Burrow with news of Dementor attacks and murder of Igor Karkaroff.

Lupin arguing with Harry, Tonks and Arthur during Christmas at The Burrow

During Christmas at The Burrow, Harry told Remus and Arthur Weasley about the conversation he overheard between Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. Arthur Weasley immediately suggested that Snape was just pretending to help Malfoy, but Lupin severely pointed out that Dumbledore trusted Snape, which "ought to be good enough for all of them". Although Snape exposed Lupin as a werewolf, forcing him to resign his position at Hogwarts, he also kept him healthy by making him a special potion during his monthly transformation.

Lupin neither liked nor disliked Snape — but personal feelings have nothing to do with his decision to trust him. Lupin argued strongly against making judgments based on feelings — even though he, of all people, had strong reasons to dislike Snape personally, he refused to let this affect his conclusions about the man. This pronouncement established him as a foil to James Potter and Sirius, who disliked Snape for petty reasons and treated these feelings as a justification for bullying him.

Battle of the Astronomy Tower

"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur. It is an odd case, possibly unique... We don't know what his behaviour might be like when he awakens..."

— Lupin regarding Bill Weasley's injury from the werewolf Fenrir Greyback after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower

The funeral of Albus Dumbledore that Remus attended with Tonks

The following year, Remus fought bravely again at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower where he narrowly avoided death by a curse from Thorfinn Rowle. Remus was devastated upon hearing about the death of Albus Dumbledore, who had been killed by Severus Snape. However, the aftermath of the battle led to him to accept the love of Nymphadora Tonks, who pointed out that Fleur Delacour still loved Bill Weasley in spite of being attacked and scarred by Fenrir Greyback. The pair attended their former Headmaster's funeral together.

Marriage

" Harry, guess what?" said Tonks from her perch on top of the washing machine, and she wiggled her left hand at him; a ring glittered there."

— Tonks showing Harry her wedding ring after she married Lupin

Lupin with his new pregnant wife

Shortly after Dumbledore's funeral and some days before the Order operation to transport Harry from his relative's home to safety, Remus and Tonks soon married in the north of Scotland with only witnesses from the local tavern. Lupin, same as Tonks, was sad that Harry didn't attend their wedding, because he couldn't leave the Dursleys home, due to Lily's loving sacrifice when she willingly died for her only son. They were forced to marry quietly, given the general prejudice against werewolves.

Lupin standing with Tonks, who was about to tell Harry that she's pregnant

Pius Thicknesse, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had made it an imprisonable offence to create a Portkey near Harry's home, and as he was underage he could be Traced if he Apparated, and hence could not leave to attend without endangering his life. This did not leave Harry nor the Order a lot of options.

Tonks had unexpectedly become pregnant sometime after the wedding and presumably tried to tell Harry before the Battle of the Seven Potters, but was interrupted by "Mad-Eye" Moody.

Battle of the Seven Potters

"Harry, the time for Disarming is past! These people are trying to capture and kill you! At least stun if you aren't prepared to kill!"

— Remus scolds Harry Potter for showing mercy during the sky battle

Lupin, the Order, and Harry Potter's friends preparing to escort Harry to safety

On 27 July 1997, Remus participated in the Order's operation to remove Harry from his home before Lord Voldemort could get to him. Remus acted as the protector of George Weasley, who took Polyjuice Potion to become one of the "seven Potters." The party was ambushed by at least thirty cloaked Death Eaters. George was accidentally struck by Severus Snape, who was trying to aim for a Death Eater, but accidentally stuck George instead with his Sectumsempra curse while George and Remus flew. Lupin was unable to pay Snape back in time, it being all he could do to keep George on the broom, as the latter was losing a copious amount of blood.

Remus making sure that Harry is not an impostor in The Burrow's kitchen after the sky battle

He eventually got the injured George back to The Burrow with the help of Harry to be cleaned up, though George permanently lost an ear. Upon arrival, Remus accosted Harry to prove that Harry was the real Harry. It was later revealed that Snape had sent the spell in an attempt to cut off the hand of a Death Eater aiming at Remus's back, presumably about to kill him. Remus was very anxious about the late arrival of his wife; Tonks had been aggressively pursued by her murderous, cruel aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. When the party mourned the death of fellow order member Alastor Moody, they discussed their betrayal. Harry voiced the opinion that he trusted all of them with his life. Remus urged caution, seeing as Harry's father was killed because he put his trust in the wrong friend.

Wedding of Bill and Fleur

Remus defending The Burrow when Death Eaters attacked

In the next days Remus seemed to become withdrawn and sullen at the news. He awhile attended Harry's birthday party, but left when Rufus Scrimgeour has arrived. Remus and Tonks both later attended the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour shortly afterwards, and bravely defended The Burrow when it came under attack as Voldemort took over the Ministry.

Remus along with Tonks both used a Shield Charm. It is unknown as to whether he escaped, or he was questioned by the intruders, along with the other guests, before being released.

On the run

"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast! And the child — the child...my kind don't usually breed! It will be like me, I am convinced of it! How can I forgive myself when I knowingly risked passing on my own condition to an innocent child?! And if, by some miracle, it is not like me, then it will be better off, a hundred times so, without a father of whom it should always be ashamed!"

— Remus's view of his marriage to Tonks and her pregnancy

Remus visiting the trio in 12 Grimmauld Place, while on the run

Remus suffered great mental anguish as the war escalated when he learned that his wife was pregnant. He even tore out a clump of his own hair in anxiety over the possibility that his child would be born a werewolf. He visited Harry, Ron, and Hermione while they hid out in Grimmauld Place and offered to help with their search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. However, Harry denounced him, calling him a coward for even considering leaving his wife alone while pregnant. Remus got so mad that he flung Harry against the wall with his wand, and left, greatly agitated.

Harry and his friends next heard of Remus on Potterwatch, under the code name "Romulus". Remus made Harry realise that they were still good friends, with his putting forth the opinion that Harry's instincts were good and they were usually right.

Remus eventually came to his senses and reunited with Tonks in time to see his son's birth. They named him Edward Remus "Teddy" Lupin, after Tonks' father, who had recently been murdered by Snatchers after refusing to turn himself in to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Appearing to forgive and forget their earlier disagreement in Grimmauld Place, Remus asked Harry to be Teddy's godfather.

Battle of Hogwarts

Nymphadora Tonks: "Have you seen Remus?"

Aberforth Dumbledore: "He was duelling Dolohov, haven't seen him since!"

— Right before Lupin's death at the hands of Dolohov

Remus and Tonks during the beginning stage of the final battle

Remus was one of the many Order members who answered Neville Longbottom's call to arms on 1 May 1998, shortly before the start of the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Hermione and Ron returned to Hogwarts and Lord Voldemort gathered his army to attack the school in order to capture Harry Potter. He organised and led groups to fight Death Eaters on the school grounds, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley. His wife initially agreed not to participate in the Battle of Hogwarts, instead staying with their infant son, but was ultimately unable to bear leaving her husband to face such danger without her.

Death

The bodies of a deceased Remus and Tonks in the Great Hall

She left Teddy with her mother and raced to Hogwarts, where she was informed that Remus was last seen duelling Death Eater Antonin Dolohov. Dolohov murdered Remus, who was no longer in prime fighting condition, due to months of protective and concealment charms in order to keep his wife and son safe from possible attacks. He was killed during the first half of the battle along with many others. These others included Tonks, his wife, who was murdered by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange. Lupin's death was avenged by Filius Flitwick who defeated or possibly killed Dolohov.

Post-mortem

"I am sorry too... Sorry I will never know him... but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand."

— Lupin's parting words to Harry Potter

During the brief pause in the battle, Remus and Tonks' bodies were laid out beside each other in the Great Hall. The nature of Remus's death was not revealed, but his body was described as peaceful-looking, implying that he was struck with either a Killing Curse or Dolohov's own curse; both are known to leave no visible marks on the outer body.

A resurrected Remus talking with Harry in the Forbidden Forest

However, Remus still had an important part to play in the war. When Harry proceeded to the Death Eater camp to be struck down by Lord Voldemort, he first activated the Resurrection Stone, bringing back the spirits of his parents, Sirius, and Remus; Remus expressed the hope that Harry would care for his son, lamenting that he would never know him, but also found comfort in the fact that his son would know and understand why he died: he was trying to make a world in which his son could live a happier life.

Remus Lupin was posthumously awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, the first werewolf ever to have been accorded this honour. The example of his life and death played an important role in lifting the stigma on werewolves among the wizarding society.

During the Calamity in the late 2010s or early 2020s, Harry was inspired by his experience with Remus Lupin to arrange a training course which was attended by all Statute of Secrecy Task Force members. The training course needed to be completed without a wand as spells flew towards the task force members, helping to teach them better tactical awareness and mobility.

Physical appearance

"The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with grey."

— Description of Lupin's outward appearance

Remus Lupin, age 36

Remus was described as having a pale face with premature lines, and light brown hair that, as he progressed through his thirties, became more and more grey. The lines on his face and his greying hair were the results of the great deal of stress his body underwent with each full moon. His clothing is consistently shabby and patched, presumably because of his inability to find a decently-paid job due to his status as a werewolf.

In 1993, he sported a thin moustache, and from 1995 until his death, he sported more of a rough beard. He had scars cutting across his face and given Remus's comments on werewolf inflicted injuries being cursed wounds that are unlikely to fully heal after Fenrir Greyback's attack on Bill Weasley, it is possible he had more scars from his self-inflicted injuries during his transformations. In death, however, finally free of his lycanthropy, the flaws of his appearance were rectified, just like his friend Sirius Black; his spirit was described as "younger, less shabby, and his hair was thicker and darker."

He was also quite tall, standing six feet, two inches tall. His height was not often mentioned, but is notable as his height corresponded roughly to the full length of a wolf's body from nose to tail. His 169 pound weight also corresponded to his wolfish dimensions.

In his werewolf form, he was a large beast with grey fur, and the only differences between his appearance and that of a true wolf being his shorter snout, more human eyes, and tufted tail.

Personality and traits

"None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go."

— Lupin bravely confronting a Dementor on the Hogwarts Express

Remus was compassionate, intelligent, tolerant, levelheaded, peaceful, selfless, brave, kind, and good-natured. Despite having suffered a great deal of prejudice in his life due to his lycanthropy, he managed to retain an ability to see the good in almost everybody and was extremely forgiving. Remus also had an excellent sense of humour. When he was a student at school he was also part of the Marauders. However, unlike his friends, he never partook in bullying. He hence could be described as the most mature and responsible one of the group. He even became a prefect in his fifth year. Also he was able to, or at least would try to maintain civil conversation with those he did not get along well with.

Remus demonstrating his flair for the subject he teaches by adding the element of music to a lesson

Remus was unusually perceptive, with an uncanny ability to guess the thoughts of those around him. This is especially clear in his conversations with Harry Potter, such as his intuiting that Harry was afraid that he thought he couldn't handle working with the boggart. He was a gifted teacher, with a rare flair for his subject and a profound understanding of his pupils. He was, as ever, drawn to the underdog, and Neville Longbottom especially benefited from his wisdom and encouragement. His perceptive nature is a rather ironic trait, given that wolves are rather intuitive and astute judges of character and communicate primarily through body language, a skill that Remus was extremely developed and talented at.

"There are worse things to lose than control."

— Lupin reciprocating the altruism and compassion shown by Chiara Lobasca

Remus standing anxiously in the Shrieking Shack

True to being a Gryffindor, Lupin was quite courageous. Nonetheless, he suffered deep-seated feelings of shame and fear of rejection which, in certain situations, led him to consider backing down. His greatest weakness was that, in his desperate longing to belong and be liked, he was neither as brave or honest as he should have been at times. Remus once claimed that he was cowardly, because he was unable to bring himself to tell Dumbledore that James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were Animagi, as it would have meant that he had betrayed Dumbledore's trust, which meant everything to him.

His love for James and Sirius also led him to not do anything to stop their bullying other students, a most notable example being when Snape was constantly bullied by his friends, but Remus was terrified of losing them and therefore did nothing to stop the bullying, something that he later admits to regret. Perhaps the most critical example of this was his temptation to join Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger on Dumbledore's mission and abandon his wife and unborn son because he was afraid that her family would be ashamed of him being a werewolf. However, ultimately he came to his senses.

He also was known to dislike the form of his Patronus as it took the shape of a wolf. Lupin was disgusted by all things wolfish as they reminded him of his condition, and due to this has been known to deliberately cast a non-corporeal Patronus, particularly when in the company of others, for fear it would give him away as a werewolf. The irony of this is that his desires to belong and be liked are that wolves are social animals, and often act in the interests of their pack, much like Remus's self-sacrificing nature, making him rather wolf-like even in his human form. In many ways, he represented the best parts of wolves, including his intelligence, adaptability, nurturing instincts, and his fierce desire to protect his loved ones.

Remus's very fitting boggart form

His Boggart was a full moon, reflecting on his terror of transforming into his werewolf form near humans. It also showed his immense hatred and shame over his condition.

Remus's nurturing instincts were incredibly wolfish. Due to his position being that of a moderator, teacher, and nurturer, Remus fit the wolf pack position of the "nanny" or sergeant, looking after and teaching younger wolves — in this case his students and younger Order members, and keeping his friends in line, albeit with limited success at times.

In contrast to Sirius' more competitive and combative nature, Remus was far more peaceful, reserved, and prone to negotiation despite his nature as a werewolf. This is symbolic of how dogs often tend to fight for dominance versus the more pragmatic and somewhat democratic nature of wolves in a pack who organise themselves peacefully unless threatened. However, Remus was by no means weak and marched into battle against Voldemort's soldiers like a true warrior. Remus referred to Voldemort by name, unafraid of the Dark Lord or his loyal Death Eaters.

Remus at Bill and Fleur's Wedding talking to Harry Potter

After losing James, Sirius and Lily and all hope of reconciliation with Pettigrew gone, Remus had every reason to succumb to depression and despondency. However, he retained his appreciation for the good people existing in his life and continued to draw strength from them.

Lupin also must have been likely sceptical about Divination, as Professor Trelawney stated that he positively fled when she offered to crystal gaze him (on another hand he could be merely afraid of what kind of things she could see, as his lycanthropy).

Magical abilities and skills

• Magical mastery: Remus Lupin was an accomplished and skilful wizard, with extensive knowledge of Dark creatures. He also possessed the ability to properly impart practical and theoretical skills of defensive magic to others. Remus was capable of conjuring a corporeal wolf Patronus (a mark of superior magical ability). He also proved to be a skilful duellist, surviving numerous battles. However, by his own admission, Potions was not his strong suit.

"There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames."

— Lupin using a nonverbal flame spell

Lupin conjuring a non-corporeal Patronus

• Charms: Remus was shown to have been talented in charms from a young age: as teenagers, he and his fellow Marauders (James, Sirius, and Peter) managed to create the magically complex Marauder's Map with the Homonculous Charm, the magic of which endured even long after the deaths of all four Marauders. He was also able to cast a corporeal Patronus (form of a wolf), which is regarded as a very advanced piece of magic as well as a sign of superior magical ability. The fact that he was even able to decide whether he wanted his Patronus to be corporeal or not was also a testament to his extraordinary talent in charms. He was capable of casting numerous other enchantments, such as the Boggart-Banishing Spell, Seize and pull charm, Pack Charm, Freezing Spell, Freezing Charm, Shield Charm, General Counter-Spell, Bandaging Charm, Disarming Charm, Projectile Jinx, Mobilicorpus, Knockback Jinx, Water-heating spell and even producing Hand-held flames, for example.

"You're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"

— Harry Potter regarding Remus's skills

Lupin repelling his boggart with Riddikulus

• Defence Against the Dark Arts: In 1993, Remus took the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Considered by most of his pupils to be the best teacher they had had in the subject, he was very knowledgeable on the subject of Dark creatures and how to handle them, as shown how he expertly taught this to Harry Potter and his classmates during their third year. During his classes, he taught students about Red Caps, Grindylows, Kappas, Vampires, Werewolves, Nocturnal beasts and Boggarts (and how to repel them using the Boggart-Banishing Spell), showing him to have had excellent knowledge of such fiendish creatures and the necessary defence against them. Known to have displayed a rare flair for his own subject, he would also have been very proficient on the subject of counter-curses and defensive spell-work, and, being a very proficient duellist, might very well have helped some of his older students become accomplished in combative magic themselves. He also taught Harry Potter the highly advanced Patronus Charm to defend himself against Dementors, which he himself must have mastered at a relatively young age, at least when he joined the first Order of the Phoenix. Remus's Patronus took the form of a wolf, a reflection of his condition, but he could disguise it into a non-corporeal form to hide that fact.

• Wandless and non-verbal magic: While on the Hogwarts Express in 1993, Remus conjured fire (possibly Bluebell Flames) without using a wand and non-verbally. He could also open locks and chests and relight candles with just the wave of his hand. When Remus and Harry had a heated argument in 1997, Remus struck him with a silent Knockback Jinx so quickly that Harry barely had time to reach for his own wand. These were a testament to Remus being a truly powerful wizard, as both wandless and non-verbal magic are very difficult.

• Teaching skills: Despite his lack of previous teaching experience and poor lifestyle, Remus nevertheless proved to be a very skilled and talented teacher when he was briefly the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. This was because his lessons were more practical rather than theoretical and he had a profound understanding of his students, which motivated even Neville Longbottom to improve. He was an enthusiastic teacher, inspiring students to take part and was very fair. Unlike the two teachers before him, he actually had a desire to teach students. As a result of his effective teaching methods, almost everyone (except some of the Slytherin students) regarded him as the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher ever in the school despite his poor and shabby appearance and the revelation that he was a werewolf. His teaching skills were also effective enough to keep the Slytherin students and other wrongdoers under control even though they were critical of his poor and shabby appearance.

"So Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away..."

— Lupin's use of the Patronus Charm on a Dementor

"Ferula." Bandages spun up Ron's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint."

— Remus bandaging Ron Weasley's leg

• Healing magic: In the spring of 1994, Remus effectively used the Bandaging Charm to bandage and splint broken bones on Ron, whose leg had been broken, showing him to have been skilled in the art of medical magic and with the casting of healing spells. He did note that he wasn't nearly as skilled at healing as Poppy Pomfrey.

Remus and Sirius performing the Animagus reversal spell on Pettigrew

• Transfiguration: Remus, along with Sirius, was able to perform Untransfiguration to force Peter to change into his human form (Peter's Animagus form was a rat). He was also able to perform conjuration, which is an incredibly advanced form of Transfiguration. in 1994, he once conjured chains to bind Peter to Ron. This shows he was highly proficient in this notably very difficult and complicated branch of magic.

• Duelling: Remus was a highly talented duellist. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he was the only fighter besides Albus Dumbledore and his pupil, Harry, who was not wounded, killed, or incapacitated. He was seen duelling Lucius Malfoy (the leader of the Death Eaters) in order to defend Harry and Neville from him and was able to emerge unscathed. He also came out of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower unscathed, where he likely defeated at least one unknown Death Eater and survived against Thorfinn Rowle while the latter was trying to kill him. He later survived the Battle of the Seven Potters despite his having to support an injured George Weasley while fighting and flying during the conflict. Remus was also willing to personally fight the exceptionally skilled Severus Snape after the latter injured George Weasley, though he opted instead to get himself and George to safety. He also offered to accompany the trio on their mission, expressing confidence in his ability to protect them against any threats they might face. Remus was ultimately killed in a duel during the Battle of Hogwarts with Antonin Dolohov.

• Flying: Remus was chosen to lead the Advance Guard when they escorted Harry from 4 Privet Drive in 1995, and he was able to evade and duel Death Eaters while supporting an injured George during the Battle of the Seven Potters in 1997.

• Apparition: Being an accomplished wizard, Remus was capable of Apparating successfully. In 1997, he Apparated to 12 Grimmauld Place to escape the Death Eaters from reaching him, allowing him to escape potential capture.

Possessions

Remus's wand-10 and 1/4, cypress, contains unicorn hair core

• Wand: Like the vast majority of witches and wizards, it could be said that Remus's wand was most likely purchased at the age of eleven from Ollivanders, and was counted among his most valued possessions. His wand was 10¼", Cypress wood, and with unicorn hair core.
• Cottage: In 1993, Remus lived alone in a cottage in Yorkshire, England. Albus Dumbledore tracked him to this cottage and offered him the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
• Walking stick: Remus used a walking stick after 1993 to facilitate his weakened state, induced by lycanthropy.

Relationships

Family

The extent of Remus's relationship with his family is unknown, aside from how adored he was by his parents. During Remus's youth, his father offended Fenrir Greyback, causing Greyback to attack Remus, when he was merely four years old. Mr and Mrs Lupin are known to have been concerned over Remus being a werewolf, believing that this condition meant their son would be unable to attend Hogwarts. However, this was proven untrue.

Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks: "I don't care either, I don't care! I've told you a million times [...] "

Remus: "And I've told you a million times, that I am too old for you, too poor....too dangerous...."

Molly Weasley: "I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus."

Remus: "I am not being ridiculous. Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."

Arthur Weasley: "But she wants you. And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so."

— Tonks, Arthur, and Molly try to convince Remus to be with Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks, his wife and mother of his son

Remus and Tonks came to know each other as members of the Order of the Phoenix during the Second Wizarding War. Remus, so often melancholy and lonely, was first amused, then impressed, then seriously smitten by the witch. He had never fallen in love before. If it had happened in peacetime, Remus would have simply taken himself off to a new place and a new job, so that he did not have to endure the pain of watching Tonks fall in love with a handsome, young wizard in the Auror Office (which was what he expected to happen). However, this was war; they were both needed in the Order of the Phoenix, and nobody knew what the next day would bring. Remus felt justified in remaining exactly where he was, keeping his feelings to himself but secretly rejoicing every time somebody paired him with Tonks on some overnight mission.

It had never occurred to Remus that Tonks could return his feelings because he had become so used to considering himself unclean and unworthy. One night when they lay in hiding outside a known Death Eater's house, after a year of increasingly warm friendship, Tonks made an idle remark about one of their fellow Order members ("He's still handsome, isn't he, even after Azkaban?"). Before he could stop himself, Remus had replied bitterly that he supposed she had fallen for his old friend ("He always got the women."). At this, Tonks replied: "You'd know perfectly well who I've fallen for, if you weren't too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice."

Nymphadora Tonks with husband, Remus Lupin

Remus's immediate response was a happiness he had never experienced in his life, but this was extinguished almost at once by a sense of crushing duty. He had always known that he could not marry and run the risk of passing on his painful, shameful condition. Wiser than Remus, she was sure that he loved her, but that he was refusing to admit it out of mistaken nobility. However, he avoided working with her, barely talked to her, and started volunteering for the most dangerous missions. Tonks became desperately unhappy, convinced not only that the man she loved would never willingly spend time with her again, but also that he might walk to his death rather than admit his feelings.

Inspired by Fleur Delacour's protestation of enduring love for Bill Weasley, who had been savaged by Greyback, Tonks made a brave, public declaration of her feelings for Remus, who was forced to admit the strength of his love for her. In spite of continuing misgivings that he was acting selfishly, Remus married Tonks quietly in the north of Scotland, with witnesses taken from the local wizarding tavern. He continued to fear that the stigma attached to him would infect his wife and wished for no fanfare around their union. He swung constantly between elation that he was married to the woman of his dreams and terror of what he might have brought upon them both. When she became pregnant, Remus was not delighted by this, he was in fact scared that he might be passing his condition on to an innocent child. He even attempted to abandon his pregnant wife and unborn child, but was stopped by Harry Potter. Realising the importance of staying with his family above all else, he returned to Tonks, bitterly ashamed.

Lupin and Tonks were both murdered in the Battle of Hogwarts in May 1998, leaving their son behind in the care of his maternal grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, and his godfather, Harry Potter. Teddy was raised by Andromeda, but would spend a great deal of time with the Potter and Weasley families growing up. Teddy was a Metamorphmagus, like his mother.

Teddy Lupin

"Yes, yes, she's had the baby!"

— Remus joyfully announces the birth of his son

Teddy Lupin, his son and only child

Remus's son was born in 1998. Remus and his wife named him Edward, Teddy for short, after her father Ted Tonks. At one point, Remus nearly abandoned his wife and unborn son, mostly out of premature shame, guilt, and the fear that his lycanthropy would be passed on and that he'd made outcasts out of Nymphadora and their child. Rather than wanting to face his impending fatherhood, he intended to help Harry, Ron, and Hermione with their mission of destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes (though he was actually unaware of what their "mission" entailed). Harry was, however, upset with the development and got into a rather heated argument with Remus that ultimately convinced him that the best course of action would be to support his family. He returned to his wife shortly thereafter.

Teddy was eventually born and despite his earlier fears and insecurities about being a father, Remus expressed joy at his son's birth and asked Harry to be Teddy's godfather. Sadly, Remus and his wife were murdered at the Battle of Hogwarts, leaving Teddy an orphan when he was between two weeks and one month old. When Remus appeared again through the Resurrection Stone, he was rather devastated knowing that Teddy would have to grow up without either of his parents, but found some solace in knowing that Teddy would be living in a better world. Teddy was raised by his maternal grandmother, but he spent significant time with his godfather's family and the Weasleys.

Marauders

"For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth...and they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

— Remus regarding his friends

Remus with his best friends; James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew

As a Hogwarts student, Remus became good friends with fellow Gryffindors James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. In their second year, Remus's friends figured out that he was a werewolf; instead of shunning him, as many in the wizarding world would have, they learned how to become Animagi by their fifth year to accompany Remus on his monthly transformations, preventing him from hurting himself. Because he was grateful to his friends, Remus cut them a lot of slack; despite being dismayed by their bullying of Severus Snape, he did not attempt to stop them. Though he was his house's prefect, Remus had difficulty trying to curb his friends' mischievous behaviour. However, Remus was not without a mischief-making streak himself, contributing to the invention of the Marauder's Map.

At some point, after Remus and his friends had all become members of the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius came to distrust Remus, fearing he might be a spy; the reasons for this are unknown. Sirius' distrust ensured that Remus was unaware when James and Lily changed their Secret-Keeper from Sirius to Peter, and thus he believed that Sirius had betrayed them when they were murdered by Lord Voldemort. The two reclaimed their friendship after Sirius escaped from Azkaban in 1993, and Remus learned the truth. They planned to kill their traitorous former friend Peter, but were stopped by Harry Potter. Remus and Sirius both became close to their late friend's son, and Remus was devastated when Sirius was killed in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

The ending of the three Marauders who had stayed true to their friendship to the very end — James, Sirius, and Remus — was bittersweet: they all lost their lives to the two wizarding wars but were likely reunited in the afterlife.

Severus Snape

Remus Lupin: "It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore's judgement. I do; therefore, I trust Severus."

Harry Potter: "But Dumbledore can make mistakes. He says it himself. And you — do you honestly like Snape?"

Remus Lupin: "I neither like nor dislike Severus... We shall never be bosom friends, perhaps; after all that happened between James and Sirius and Severus, there is too much bitterness there. But I do not forget that during the year I taught at Hogwarts, Severus made the Wolfsbane Potion for me every month, made it perfectly, so that I did not have to suffer as I usually do at the full moon... I must be grateful."

— Remus and Harry Potter on the former's relationship with Snape

Severus Snape, his former classmate and colleague

Severus Snape, a Slytherin student in Remus's year, shared a strong enmity with Remus's close friends James Potter and Sirius Black, who outright bullied Snape on occasion. Although not friendly with Snape, Remus never behaved cruelly to him. It is possible that he may have subtly identified with or sympathised with the lonely, isolated Snape, seeing a reflection of himself and how he would have been treated if he hadn't found the protection of his friends. Later in life, he said that he deeply regretted not having done anything to stop the bullying.

At some point in their fifth year, Snape saw Madam Pomfrey leading Remus to the passageway on the full moon; Sirius thought it would be entertaining to inform Snape of how to freeze the Whomping Willow. Snape tried to do so, but was stopped by James before he could reach the Shrieking Shack, where Remus had transformed. Albus Dumbledore forbade Snape from revealing Remus's condition to anyone, and Snape deeply resented being put in James' debt and suspected that Remus might have been in on the dangerous prank.

As adults, Remus and Snape were civil to one another, although barely so on the latter's part. Remus claimed that he neither liked nor disliked Snape; of course they would never be bosom friends, after all that happened in their school days, but he also never forgot that Snape dutifully made him the Wolfsbane Potion, and made it perfectly every time so that he would not have to suffer at the full moon as he usually did. (Also, Snape secretly saved Lupin's life in Battle over Little Whinging). Snape, on the other hand, barely concealed his bitterness in their interactions. He was irked that Remus obtained the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, which he had always wanted for himself. He suspected that Remus was helping Sirius get into the castle and tried to convince Dumbledore to stop trusting him. Snape also took to dropping hints that Remus was a werewolf to students, which was understood by at least one of them (Hermione Granger, who kept the discovery to herself). When Remus tried to inform Snape of Sirius' innocence, Snape refused to hear or believe any of it, and was determined to see Remus punished alongside Sirius. When Snape's old enemy escaped re-capture, Snape vindictively exposed Remus's werewolf status, which forced him to resign.

In spite of all this, Remus believed that Snape was loyal to the Order of the Phoenix, encouraging Harry Potter to trust him and to continue his Occlumency lessons. He was shocked and angered when Snape killed Albus Dumbledore, who had been the one to assure other Order members that Snape was trustworthy. During the Battle of the Seven Potters, Snape was one of the Death Eaters who attacked Remus and George Weasley, the latter disguised as Harry by way of Polyjuice Potion. Snape, secretly still loyal to the Order, attempted to save Lupin by aiming a Sectumsempra at a Death Eater who was poised to kill Lupin, but accidentally struck George, who lost an ear. Remus, unusually furious, expressed a desire to have "paid him back in kind", but had to focus on getting himself and George to safety. Although Remus died before it was revealed that Snape was actually on his side the entire time, and had killed Dumbledore on his orders, it seems he found out afterwards and forgave him as he seemed to understand why Harry was walking to his death in the forest.

Lily Evans

"Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was."

— Remus explaining to Harry Potter that he was friends with Lily

Lily Evans, his friend and mother of Harry Potter

Remus met Lily Evans while they were both attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily was not on good terms with two of Remus's dearest friends, James and Sirius, but that did not mean she disliked Remus as well, given that he acted more mature and thoughtful than his friends, and did not participate in their bullying though he did nothing to stop them either.

After Hogwarts, Lily married James Potter. Although Sirius was the best man, Remus probably attended their wedding, too, given his status as one of their dearest friends. They all became members of the Order of the Phoenix, during the First Wizarding War, and fought in several battles together. When Pettigrew betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, resulting in the tragic deaths of James and Lily, Remus was devastated. Later on, he became close to Lily's son, Harry, both as a paternal figure and a mentor. After Lupin was murdered during the Battle of Hogwarts, they were two of the four spirits whom Harry summoned using the Resurrection Stone.

Harry Potter

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry."

— Remus regarding his feelings toward Harry

Harry Potter: former student, good friend, and godfather to his son

Remus met Harry Potter, the son of his late friends James and Lily Potter, for the first time since he was an infant, in 1993 when he saved Harry from Dementors on the Hogwarts Express. Remus was the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during Harry's third year, and quickly became his favourite professor. The two bonded very closely. Remus found Harry to be; intelligent, kind, and an excellent Seeker, and had strong empathy for the pain that he had experienced throughout his life. Seeing him as the devoted, informative, fair and supportive man he is, Harry admired and cared about Remus even after he found out that he was a werewolf.

"If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you've learned... Tell me about your Patronus."

— Lupin's immense pride in Harry and his abilities

Remus also told Harry that the first time he saw him, he recognised him not by his scar, but by his eyes, which so closely resembled Lily's; unlike his predecessors Quirinus Quirrell and Gilderoy Lockhart, Remus did not greet Harry in an awed manner at meeting a living legend, but in a friendly and casual manner. It is suggested that Remus's classes were how Harry discovered his remarkable talent for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He took Harry aside to teach him the Patronus Charm, assisted him in avoiding trouble with Professor Snape, and returned the Marauder's Map to him once he was no longer a professor.

The two met again in the summer of 1995. Remus was part of the group of Order members who transported Harry from Privet Drive to 12 Grimmauld Place. Throughout the years, Remus shared with Harry many stories about his parents and godfather. He comforted Harry over Sirius' death and also offered him advice on other occasions.

Harry Potter: "Just — just to be clear. You want to leave Tonks at her parents' house and come away with us?"

Remus: "She'll be perfectly safe there, they'll look after her. Harry, I'm sure James would have wanted me to stick with you."

Harry Potter: "Well. I'm not. I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually."

— Harry and Remus first and only argument

Remus Lupin protecting Harry Potter when Harry's boggart turns into a Dementor in 1993

The only real disagreement they ever had was when Harry rejected Remus's offer to accompany him and his friends on the quest for Horcruxes. Harry became angry and cutting; he told his former teacher that he was being selfish and irresponsible for leaving his wife and unborn child. Remus responded with uncharacteristic violence and stormed out of the house, taking refuge in a corner of the Leaky Cauldron, where he sat drinking and fuming. However, after a few hours' reflection, Remus was forced to accept that his former-pupil had just taught him a valuable lesson. James and Lily, Remus reflected, had stuck with Harry even unto their own deaths. His own parents had sacrificed their peace and security to keep the family together.

When Remus's son Teddy Lupin was born, he asked that Harry be the boy's godfather, and after Remus's death, Harry played a prominent role in Teddy's life. Remus was one of the spirits that came out of the Resurrection Stone to speak to Harry as he walked to what he believed was his death, indicating the almost familial bond between Remus and Harry. This familial bond can be compared to wolf behaviour, as it is common in wolf packs for the pups to be looked after by all members of the pack, much like how Harry was looked after and tutored by his father's friends, who in a way were part of James' "pack".

In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry wrote in the werewolf section "aren't all bad", showing that Remus being a werewolf did not bother him at all.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger: "Harry! How could you?"

Ron Weasley: "You shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin."

— Hermione and Ron after Harry yells at Remus for leaving his wife

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his former students

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were among the students who were very impressed by Remus's teaching when he was professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts for their third year. Hermione deduced that Remus was a werewolf (which was the actual goal of Severus Snape when he taught a lesson about werevolves as Lupin's substitute) early in the year, but kept this discovery to herself, not even telling her best friends; this is likely because she disapproved of the prejudice against werewolves and knew exposing the truth would hurt Remus. Although Ron initially reacted with fear to the revelation that Remus was a werewolf, he continued to admire and like Remus.

In turn, Remus was fond of Ron and Hermione, and was particularly impressed by the latter's cleverness. Ron and Hermione were shown to be very trusting of Lupin; when he appeared at Grimmauld Place, they lowered their wands as soon as he declared his name, something he reproached them for, "speaking as their former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Also, they both disapproved when Harry yelled at Remus for leaving his wife during her pregnancy, although they did not entirely disagree with Harry's reasoning.

Albus Dumbledore

"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Firstly, Professor Lupin who had kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

— Albus Dumbledore introduces Remus

Albus Dumbledore, his former employer and friend

Albus Dumbledore was considered by many to be the greatest wizard of all time, and Remus Lupin was among his many admirers and staunch supporters. Dumbledore was Remus's Headmaster during his time at Hogwarts. Dumbledore accepted Remus into his school, despite knowing his being a werewolf, as he valued Remus's strength of character and ability, and disregarded the stigma associated with his condition; the headmaster personally approached the Lupin family to invite Remus to school, knowing full well of the circumstances. In fact, it was Dumbledore who, by several special precautions, ensured that Remus's werewolf status was kept secret during his school years, effectively preventing him from being ostracised from his school mates.

"I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course... he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally."

— Lupin's respect for Dumbledore

When Severus Snape found out what Remus truly was due to a cruel prank played on him by Sirius, Dumbledore was the one who swore him to secrecy. On his part, Remus confessed that Dumbledore's trust and exceptional kindness towards him meant everything to him, given that the vast majority of the wizarding world shunned him because of the deep prejudice towards werewolves, and Remus felt guilty for betraying this kindness by allowing his three Marauder friends illegally become Animagi and roaming wild during their schooling years. Despite this, after learning of Sirius's innocence, Dumbledore forgave Remus for his supposed betrayal, understanding his Marauder friends only became Animagi to help Remus in his werewolf form and considered it an extraordinary achievement.

Ginny Weasley: "Ron — Dumbledore's dead."

Remus Lupin: "No!"

— Lupin's loss of control after being informed of Dumbledore's death

Dumbledore was also the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation that Remus joined after graduating from school, and he was trusted with many important missions. Remus was given the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts during the 1993–1994 school year, during which time Dumbledore requested that Snape brew the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus monthly; this, along with providing Remus with a paid job when he was suffering in poverty due to his condition, made Remus respect Dumbledore even more.

Remus and Dumbledore fought alongside one another during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, where they suffered a devastating loss: Sirius, one of their dearest friends, died at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus told Harry Potter on several occasions that he trusted Snape because Dumbledore did so. In 1997, Remus was devastated by Dumbledore's death after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and demonstrated his loyalty and faith to Dumbledore by fighting and where he was assassinated by Antonin Dolohov a very powerful wizard he was avenged by Professor Filius Flitwick, his former teacher.

Weasley family

The Weasley family

Remus was always friendly with the Weasley family. He knew Arthur Weasley since the First Wizarding War, and they became friends again after Dumbledore led the second Order of the Phoenix. Arthur and Remus fought together at the Battle of the Seven Potters, where the latter was paired with Arthur's son, George. He saved George's life, as George would have fallen off his broomstick when he was cursed by Severus Snape. Arthur later thanked him for taking care of his son.

Remus also lived for some time with the Weasley family at 12 Grimmauld Place. There, Remus agreed with Molly not to tell Harry much about the Order of the Phoenix and Voldemort's plans. However, when Sirius argued with Molly, Remus didn't take either side.

Bill and Remus seemed to have been friends, as they fought together in several battles of the Second War; they were also the ones who attempted to find Mad-Eye's dead body after the Battle of the Seven Potters. After the war, Remus and Tonks' son seemed to have a romantic relationship with Bill and Fleur's daughter.

Fred and George Weasley were also friends of Lupin. They were Lupin's students during their fifth year at Hogwarts and they also fought together at the Battle of the Seven Potters. Remus protected George from being killed; however, George's ear was accidentally cut off by Severus Snape. Lupin and the twins also appeared on the underground radio programme Potterwatch and spoke to the wizarding community during the last year of the war. Both Fred and Lupin were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.

He was also friends with Ginny. He first met her at Hogwarts Express, saved her from the Dementors and gave her chocolate and comforted her, and she stated that he was one of her favourite professors at Hogwarts. They fought on the same side at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and survived the battle. After the war, Ginny and the rest of the Potter family shared a close relationship with Teddy Lupin, who came to Ginny and Harry's house for dinner four times a week.

His relationship with Percy was almost unknown. When Lupin was Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Percy most likely thought he was a good teacher. They met each other again during the Battle of Hogwarts, when Percy told his family that he had left the Ministry and wanted to join the Order, though there would hardly have been time for the two to become close.

Hogwarts residents

Ron Weasley: "Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf. Is he mad?"

Remus Lupin: "Some of the staff thought so. He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy —"

— How Lupin gained acceptance as a Hogwarts teacher

Minerva McGonagall, his former head of house and professor

When Lupin was a student at Hogwarts, the professors seemed to like him, especially Minerva McGonagall, who had been his head of house. His professors probably considered Lupin a skilled wizard and a very good student, as he was made a prefect in his fifth year.

When Lupin became a professor, the other professors appeared to like and respect him, with the exception of Severus Snape. They either did not mind that he was a werewolf or did not show it, as they had been informed of his condition. Minerva even made reference to Lupin's evaluations on Harry's Defence Against the Dark Arts skills during a Careers Advice session. Many of them later fought alongside Remus at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Many of the students, including Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and the Weasleys liked him. While others, such as Draco Malfoy and several other Slytherins, disliked and regularly insulted him. Malfoy underestimated Lupin because of his poor-looking appearance. However, Lupin managed to be well-respected (and one of the best-liked professors), as he treated all the students based on their character, and not by their magical abilities, their blood status, or their wealth. When he left Hogwarts, many students continued to regard him as the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher they had.

Order of the Phoenix

The original Order of the Phoenix

Remus had a good relationship with the most of the Order of the Phoenix. In addition to Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, the Marauders, Lily Evans, Nymphadora Tonks, Hermione Granger, the Weasley family, and Minerva McGonagall, he was friends with many of members.

One of his friends through the order was Kingsley Shacklebolt. They fought together in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, and appeared to be close enough. They also appeared on Potterwatch together during the last year of the war.

He was also a friend of Alastor Moody. They fought together in many battles, until Moody was killed by Voldemort in 1997, during the Battle of the Seven Potters. Remus was devastated, as were many other members of the Order.

Remus was one of the many members of the Order of the Phoenix murdered during Second Wizarding War.

Etymology

• The name "Remus" comes from the brothers Romulus and Remus, the legendary brothers who fought to the death over the control of Rome, having been raised by a mother wolf whose cubs had died. Because of this, some fans speculated that Remus had a brother, but "Romulus" is merely the code name used by Lupin for Potterwatch. Remus's intense rivalry with Romulus indicates Lupin's ongoing struggle with his other side, the werewolf.
• "Lupin" is derived from "lupinus", Latin for "wolf-like"; "lupus", or "wolf", being the basic word. Canis l​upus is the scientific name for the wolf - to be described as "lupine" means to "resemble a wolf." Lupin is also the name of an plant with edible seeds. The surname may also be derived from the character of Arsène Lupin, a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise, who was created by French writer Maurice Leblanc in 1905. In Leblanc's novels, Arsène Lupin is often a force for good, while operating on the wrong side of the law. Leblanc's Lupin was said to have later inspired the character of "the Lone Wolf", a jewel thief-turned-private detective in a series of novels written by Louis Joseph Vance, beginning in 1914.

Behind the scenes

Remus Lupin as a young Marauder on Pottermore

Lupin as a LEGO minifigure (1st edition)

Lupin as a LEGO minifigure (2nd edition)

Lupin as a LEGO minifigure (3rd edition)

Lupin (human form) as a POP! Vinyl

Lupin (werewolf form) as a POP! Vinyl

Young Remus Lupin as he appears in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Remus Lupin as he appears in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

• Remus Lupin being a werewolf could have been predicted merely by his name. Remus is from a roman story about two demigod/prince brothers, Remus and, the founder of Rome, Romulus, who were raised by a wolf. Lupin is a take on the Latin word for wolf, lupus.
• Remus Lupin is one of the few teachers who calls students by their first names, not surnames. The only other teachers that are known to do this are the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and the Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Rubeus Hagrid.
• Remus Lupin is the only Marauder to be on anything resembling civil terms with Severus Snape as adults. Sirius and Snape had often argued as adults. Pettigrew was treated with contempt by Snape, going so far into being treated as a house servant at Snape's personal residence at Spinner's End.
• With his marriage to Nymphadora Tonks, Remus became related through his wife to the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Lestranges, the Weasleys, the Potters, the Longbottoms, and other pure-blood families.
• The Marauders write their names on the Marauder's Map in this order: Remus, Peter, Sirius and James. Ironically, this, when reversed, is the order in which they die, James being the first in 1981, Godric's Hollow; Sirius in 1996, Department of Mysteries; Peter in March 1998, Malfoy Manor; Remus in May 1998, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
  • Remus survived the longest out of all the Marauders, beating Wormtail by a few weeks.
• After the Battle of the Seven Potters, 13 people (Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Remus, Tonks and Hagrid) gathered in The Burrow to mourn the death of Alastor Moody. Afterwards, Remus stood up and offered to look for Moody's dead body. Later in the Battle of Hogwarts, Remus was killed by Antonin Dolohov thus making another of Trelawney's predictions come true for the third time (first time on Albus Dumbledore, and second on Sirius Black) : that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die. However, as it is not known when Remus died, it is possible that Fred died before him.
• J. K. Rowling wrote a full-length biography of Remus for Prisoner of Azkaban on Pottermore, which was released in the final instalment of the book, and provided information on his and Nymphadora Tonks's relationship, as well as his youth.
• Remus is portrayed by British actor David Thewlis in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2.
  • Thewlis had originally auditioned for the part of Professor Quirinus Quirrell, but Ian Hart was eventually cast.
  • David Thewlis has said that Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron told him to portray Remus as a "gay junkie".
• In the books, Remus plays a relatively large part in Harry's life after he left Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, in the films, Remus plays a large part in Prisoner of Azkaban, and then his role is drastically reduced. His argument and brief falling out with Harry in Deathly Hallows is cut out, as is his bitterness at being a father. The audience is not made aware of Remus's child until a throwaway line in Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Half-Blood Prince also cuts down his role, eliminating Remus's concerns about being in a relationship with Tonks.
  • David Thewlis was disappointed about his smaller appearances in the films, expressing a desire to be more involved.
• Originally, Remus and Nymphadora were supposed to survive the Battle of Hogwarts, but Rowling eventually killed them off as compensation after sparing Arthur Weasley from the death, as he was originally intended to die in either the fifth book or the seventh book.
• The witch who pushes the lunch trolley, Remus, and Horace Slughorn are the only adults ever to be seen travelling to Hogwarts on the school train in the book series (the latter is never shown on the train in the films). Though the conductor is never shown in the books, he is seen in some of the video game adaptations.
• It was predicted by many fans that Wormtail would kill Remus with his silver hand, as Remus is a werewolf. However, J.K. Rowling mentioned in an interview that, contrary to what is seen in films, in her view werewolves are not affected by silver. Ironically the Marauder that does die by the silver hand is not Lupin, but Wormtail himself.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Remus and Nymphadora were already in a relationship, rather then Remus initially rejecting her feelings since during the Christmas scene at The Burrow she calls him "sweetheart".
• In an earlier draft of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Defence Against the Dark Arts class may have been taught by a woman.
• His name is the inspiration for the wizard rock bands Remus and the Lupins and The Remus Lupins.
• According to StarDate Online's Moon Phase Calculator, Remus's birth date (10 March, 1960), fell two days before a full moon.
• Although Remus provides most of the books' information on the Patronus Charm, his own Patronus was never revealed in any of the books or media associated with the franchise until the release of the final chapters of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on Pottermore. His corporeal Patronus takes the form of a wolf, rather than a werewolf. Despite this, he normally preferred to purposely cast it as a non-corporeal form, as he considered the corporeal form to be too much of a giveaway.
• J. K. Rowling has indirectly stated that, if Remus Lupin were to take a Myers–Briggs Type Indicator assessment, his personality type would be ENFJ.
• The irony of his status as a werewolf and his desire to be liked and belong is that wolves are social animals that tend to live in packs and act in the interests of all, reflecting his selfless and self-sacrificing nature. This, combined with the typically savage side of his werewolf forms presents an almost yin-yang-like inner conflict, with his human form representing the better half of his wolfish personality, such as his intelligence, kindness, adaptability, and desire to defend. All the while his werewolf form represents the more savage aspects of wolves, such as feral wrath, gluttony, and lust.
  • Another bit of irony is in his love of chocolate, as it is poisonous to wolves and other canines.
• In the films Remus is shown to be a fan of jazz music, and owns an antique record player.
• Remus's tendency to nurture those around him, particularly children, is fitting, as wolves' social structure commonly involves all members of the pack looking after and teaching the pups. Yet another instance where Remus lives up to the nobler aspects of his wolfish nature. Rather ironically, he considered himself unfit for parenthood, though this was largely influenced by his fears that any children may inherit his affliction. Despite this, his son, Teddy, did not.
• Lupin was Harry's only Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who was not antagonistic to him. (Not including when Lupin tried attacking him in his werewolf form).
• Remus is also Harry's first Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher not to have been a Ravenclaw when he was attending Hogwarts.
• Robin Williams was interested in playing a few different Harry Potter characters, the biggest one being Lupin. However, given the strict rule of only British and Irish casting for main characters, he was rejected for all roles.
  • Chris Columbus thought he would have made a "brilliant" Lupin, if David Thewlis was not cast.
• Remus is voiced by American actor Kaiser Johnson in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.

Author's comments

J. K. Rowling has stated that Professor Lupin is the kind of teacher she wishes she had while she was a student. He is good-natured, kind, and able to extract the best in everyone — for example, in spotting Neville Longbottom's lack of confidence and helping him to overcome it by teaching him how to defeat the boggart. She has mentioned Lupin as being a personal favourite character.

The fact that Remus is a werewolf and needs to take a potion to avoid hurting people for the rest of his life makes him a symbol of the consequences of prejudice and segregation, as well as society's often negative reaction to the ill and the disabled. Particularly, the author has stated that Remus Lupin's characterisation and history are H.I.V. metaphors (e.g. someone who was infected young and suffered prejudice because of it; terrified of passing the condition on), as well as an exploration into why someone might become embittered as a result of contracting such a condition.

As such, Rowling has also stated that "Lupin's failing is he likes to be liked. That's where he slips up — he's been disliked so often he's always pleased to have friends so cuts them an awful lot of slack." This is why, for instance, despite disapproving of his friends' bullying of Severus Snape, he once tried to stop them but failed and never tried again.

Lupin was killed off in place of Arthur Weasley to remove the last of Harry's father figures in the books, and also to create a parallel between Harry's life and Teddy Lupin's. Rowling felt it was important to show the evils of Voldemort's actions and the devastating nature of war. She says she only decided to kill Remus at the end of the fifth book.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (Nintendo DS version only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Appears as a ghost or a spirit)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter for Kinect (Mentioned and appears on an illustrative photograph)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (In the Book with No Name)
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac