Remus Lupin is one of the most fascinating characters in the Harry Potter series, having been a werewolf who was conflicted about his place in life. As the best friend of James Potter and Sirius Black, Remus had felt true acceptance during his school days, only for this to be shattered after Voldemort’s intervention.
Remus’ actions as a teenager can be put in a different context, one where they could be considered cowardly. Moreover, his continuing deep-seated insecurities as an adult also led to him making similarly cowardly decisions. Then again, there were also many times where he displayed the bravery and heroics that Gryffindor house is known for and these can’t be understated either.
Coward: His Deliberate Failure At Informing Dumbledore About The Secret Passageways
Many fans have been calling for a spin-off featuring the Marauders group of Remus, James, Peter, and Sirius in order to learn more about them. For now, what’s known is that the group broke most of Hogwarts rules and found ways in and out of the school.
Remus deliberately didn’t tell Dumbledore about these passageways despite believing that Sirius was out to kill Harry and was using the same routes. By his own admission, Remus admitted he was a coward to withhold this information from Dumbledore for fear of being judged. Had Sirius genuinely wanted to kill Harry using these passages, the blame would have been on Remus’s head.
Hero: Being The First True Mentor Harry Had
There’s no doubt that Remus was the most-liked teacher during Harry’s time at Hogwarts due to his ability to connect with the students. Moreover, he was Harry’s first true mentor, as he taught the latter the Patronus charm and was a confidant when he needed one.
At the time, Harry wasn’t as close with Dumbledore and didn’t know Sirius, and Remus was his source for wisdom. Of course, Harry’s use of the Patronus during crucial times in the series comes down to Remus teaching it to him, making Remus responsible for all the lives Harry saved.
Coward: His Attempt At Abandoning His Wife And Child
Remus attacked Harry in Deathly Hallows when the latter outright called him a coward, yet there’s little argument against it. After all, he admitted he wanted to abandon the pregnant Tonks because he didn’t want to face the shame of having a child whose father was a werewolf.
Nobody had forced Remus to marry Tonks, meaning he was responsible for taking care of his family. However, Remus attempted to run away from this responsibility and would have abandoned Tonks had Harry not rebuffed him.
Hero: Never Being Intimidated By Threats From Evil Forces
To Remus’ credit, he did deserve to belong in Gryffindor house since he was a brave man. Characters like Hagrid and Professor McGonagall were noted for their bravery, yet they were terrified of Voldemort’s name. On the other hand, Remus had no fear of such things.
He didn’t have any fear of the Death Eaters either, as he faced Voldemort’s forces head-on each and every time. Even after seeing Voldemort in person during the Battle of the Seven Potters, Remus was willing to face the Dark Lord personally, owing to his heroic nature.
Coward: His Unwillingness To Face Consequences
Remus had the habit of running away from the consequences of things he set in motion. Along with his attempt to abandon his pregnant wife, Remus left his job at Hogwarts when it became common knowledge that he was a werewolf.
He was assured by Dumbledore himself that he wouldn’t be sacked, yet was unwilling to face the music and made it appear as if he’d been sacked rather than fight for his job. He was too ashamed to apologize to Snape for what the Marauders did to him in youth even though Remus knew that Snape resented him for it.
Hero: Going Into Dangerous Situations For The Greater Good
The movies gloss over some of the facts about the Marauders, in that they acted as spies for the Order of the Phoenix at a young age. Remus, despite being a teenager at the time, mingled with suspected Death Eaters to zero in on Voldemort’s plans.
Even more notable was his involvement with werewolves after Voldemort returned, with Remus revealing that he was spending almost all of his time amongst werewolves who were in cahoots with Voldemort to gather information. He didn’t need to do any of it, but it speaks of his character that he chose to do so for the greater good.
Coward: Failing To Stand Up To James And Sirius
This is another thing that Remus outright admitted to being a coward over, as he revealed that he deliberately allowed Sirius and James to be bullies. Dumbledore had appointed Remus as a Prefect mainly in hopes that he would use his authority to keep his friends in check but this ended up backfiring.
In its place, Sirius and James were glad they had a Prefect on their side while they bullied students. Even worse, Remus would be present when the two took their bullying against Snape to extreme levels and chose to do nothing as he was scared his friends would abandon him if he spoke up.
Hero: Being The Only Marauder To Admit To His Mistakes
It’s interesting that out of four Marauders, it was only Remus who actually admitted he was wrong. James and Sirius remained resolute over their “jokes” on students even though it was bullying and the latter even continued ridiculing Snape as an adult.
Peter Pettigrew was obviously too far gone to ever be redeemed, which left Remus as the Marauder who was remorseful. Although he didn’t apologize to the people he hurt, Remus at least turned over a new leaf and never got involved in such behavior again.
Coward: Using James As A Way To Sway Harry’s Thinking
Remus was easily at his worst when he tried to leave Tonks behind, as he also sought to manipulate Harry. As it happened, he used the memory of his deceased best friend by claiming James would want him to abandon his family and accompany Harry in his escape from Voldemort.
Harry instantly saw through this lie and called Remus out on it, telling him his father would never want Remus to leave his pregnant wife to run away with his son. Near the climax of Deathly Hallows, Remus owned up to his mistake and accepted his child, and naming Harry the godfather was his way of acknowledging his earlier cowardly act.
Hero: His Acceptance Of Death
What’s interesting about Remus Lupin is that he was always afraid of the struggles of life and that he never once feared death. It would have been understandable had he chosen to stay behind for the sake of his baby son during the Battle of Hogwarts, yet he went ahead with the fight and lost his life.
Prior to that, Remus was involved in every big-time battle with the Death Eaters, including the Battle in the Ministry and the killing of Dumbledore. He never thought of running to save his own skin because, at the heart of things, Remus had accepted that he would die and wanted to go out by doing something that mattered.
