Character
Name: Remus John Lupin
Fandom: Harry Potter
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Time Period: Deathly Hallows, specifically the August of 1997.
Wing Color: Light Grey
History:
This link covers his canon history. The following is largely my own conjecture, based on the facts we do know.
On March 10th, 1959, John Walker and Rhea Lupin had a baby boy. The Muggle teacher and Saint Mungo's Healer lived in a small cottage on the outskirts of a small city, their haven from all the bigotry, turmoil and desperation of the world. It seemed a fine place to raise a child.
They couldn't remove themselves entirely, of course; it wasn't who they were. Rhea did the most she could for her patients, and John for his students.
When he returned home one day with a young girl in tow, pale and trembling, Rhea welcomed her. John, the eternal researcher, had recognised the signs of werewolf after their first full moon, and his wife confirmed it. She was one of the few Healers who would treat them.
Muggle werewolves were talked of even less than wizards; ignored by the magical world, classed as murderers and madmen by their own. It was only natural that John would fight for his lonely student when no one else would. He and his wife stood up to both the Ministry who scorned her and the pack who wanted her, one of the fiercest in the world.
Eventually, they won. Emily's parents were finally told, protection was finally given, and she would live as normal a life as she could.
Their son paid the price. Fenrir Greyback considered the children he turned his own, and decided to steal the Lupin boy in turn; Remus was not taken, but he was bitten, only five years old.
Months later, they moved away. Remus was growing older, after all, and it was such a small cottage.
They lived even more quietly than before, in an isolated place shrouded in mist and vines. They didn't expect to be bothered again, but some risks needn't be taken.
Emily, thirteen now, would visit sometimes. She would learn and laugh and teach, and counsel their son as much as she could. She became something of a surrogate sister to Remus.
Remus went to his father's new school, for a time, and though he did well enough in classes, he never connected with the other children; he was the strange, sickly boy, who kept too many secrets and listened too closely. When the staff began to ask too many questions, his father began to teach him at home.
In 1970, Remus was surprisingly accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, thought Remus deserved a magical education, and made arrangements to keep he and his fellow classmates safe.
He met James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew on the Hogwarts Express, and all were sorted into Gryffindor, the house of courage. They became the Marauders, infamous pranksters made worse by their brilliance.
Eventually, despite himself, Remus let these friends grow close enough to discover his secret - and, miraculously, they did not abandon him as he'd feared. In fact, by their fifth year, they'd become Animagi - animal shape-shifters - to keep him company on the full moon. James was a stag, Sirius a dog, and Peter a rat. To each other, they came to be known as Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail.
Each struggled - Remus with his condition, Sirius with his heritage, Peter with low expectations, James with himself - and did it together.
As the boys went through school, a war was brewing. A dark, powerful wizard was rising to power, using ancient prejudice to split and dominate the Wizarding World.
As the boys went through school, a war was brewing. A dark, powerful wizard was rising to power, using ancient prejudice to split and dominate the Wizarding World. By his Seventh and final years, Remus knew he'd need to fight to preserve the good in his world. The best way to do this would be to become an Auror - a dark Wizard catcher.
Remus knew he was barred from the position, purely because of what he was, but his Head of House had encouraged him years ago to stay the course; that the Order of the Phoenix, a covert group created by Dumbledore to oppose Voldemort, would make use of his skills even if the Ministry of Magic would not.
He became a combatant, a researcher, and above all a spy among fellow werewolves. For three years he had a difficult, bloody, but worthwhile purpose; he and the Marauders and James' wife Lily, all fighting for a better world. Even losing his parents in the war, devastating as it was, only fuelled his fervour.
Two years in, James and Lily had a son, a beautiful little boy with James' hair and Lily's eyes. Remus treasured the time he had with the family before they were forced to go into hiding; little Harry was prophesised to defeat Voldemort.
Everyone, including Remus, thought Sirius was their Secret Keeper. When they were betrayed, when Voldemort was defeated while he orphaned Harry, he was thought to murder Peter and a dozen others when the latter confronted him, and sent to Azkaban for a life sentence.
Remus was left utterly alone.
He remained that way for decades, struggling simply to get by; existing, more than living. He'd given up on being an activist, though he helped other werewolves in smaller ways, when he could. He kept on only because he believed he ought to.
Then, in 1993, Sirius Black became the first prisoner ever to escape from Azkaban, and Remus became the first werewolf ever to teach at Hogwarts.
Becoming a teacher was an old dream, thought long discarded, and he was just as masterful at this as he was as a spy, for many of the same reasons - calm, firmness, patience, insight. Later, he would use those skills to help his regained friend, and to fight again in the war against Voldemort.
Personality: Remus is a very reserved person. He values control a great deal - he loses it completely once a month, when he transforms, and so does his best to wield it at all other times.
This doesn't mean he doesn't care. He cherishes his family and friends, is passionate about learning, and is willing to fight and die for what he believes in. That's the situation he was thrust into as soon as he left school, and he rose to it - not merely to prove himself, as he'd always longed to do, but to fight for a better world. His sense of fairness and compassion wouldn't allow anything else, and it has not waned with time.
There were those in the original Order of the Phoenix who did not entirely accept him, nor trust him, but he did his best to take it in stride. After all, there were three people who knew him for who he was, and still cared for him unconditionally. There was a leader who'd given him a chance when no other would have. He'd been granted so much, he could live with the rest.
At school, they were the Marauders, brilliant pranksters of Hogwarts. Remus hid his mischevious streak well, and was often the diplomat. He didn't always agree with what his friends did, but they accepted him, and that meant the world; he couldn't risk that. Besides, he knew they would mature - and they did. They would fight the War together. They made a very effective team there, as well.
When one betrayed the rest, Remus found himself wishing he had died with James and Lily (and, he thought, Peter). It left him despondent and hollow, and he had no idea how to cope with it, with the core of his world left raw and shattered. He survived, though, struggling and studying and supporting others like him in the small ways he could; he never lost his yearn for knowledge, nor his kindness.
He faced this again when he lost Sirius a second time, and again when Dumbledore was slain. This time, at least, he still had a war to fight, and he'd made new connections despite himself. By the time Dumbledore died, Nymphadora Tonks had made her affections quite clear, and though he resisted at first, certain he would bring her more harm than good, by the new year they were married.
He still questions that choice; at heart, he's very insecure, after years of being worn down by the fear and mistrust of werewolves, having lost his closest friends and never refilling those holes in his life. Tonks insists that she can handle it all, that she loves him unconditionally - and though he now believes her, for the most part, he still wonders. Still wonders if she'd be much better off without him.
That's what it comes down to, really - what's best for other people.
Strengths: Remus may not look it, but he's a powerful wizard. He excelled in his studies, and had to hone his skills in a frenzied, horrific war; he began to train for it before even leaving school, and kept it up after the war ended. He is a fast, efficient, determined dueller. In the battle of the Department of Mysteries, the first full on fight of the Second War, he was the only one left standing unscathed. If he is harmed, he can tolerate quite a lot of pain and keep going.
He's also a proficient researcher; he knows and understands more magic than most, and is always learning more; he can wield a ball of flame in his hand with no wand nor words, for example. This aids him as both a combatant and a teacher.
Remus is a compassionate man, able to understand and comfort many kinds of people; he's very determined when it comes to fighting for a cause; he's a superb teacher and a fiercely loyal friend.
Weaknesses: Remus' transformations take a great deal out of him, leaving him too exhausted to resume his life for several days, and weakening him several days beforehand. Without Wolfsbane nor Animagi, the wolf turns on itself, leaving him badly wounded. He has very faint scars on his face, and more obvious scars marring the rest of his body. Both the strain of it and stress has left him looking prematurely aged.
His greatest emotional weakness is that he likes to be liked. He let the Marauders get away with quite a lot - pranks that were too dangerous, mocking that was too harsh - simply because he was terrified of losing them. People who accept him are a precious minority. He withheld important information from Dumbledore because he so greatly feared the man's disapproval.
He resigned as a professor at Hogwarts both because he was so terrified of hurting someone - it's his greatest fear - and because he was weary of fighting the discrimination he'd faced for so long. He doesn't believe he's worth the battle, really; he's heard for decades how terrible he is. That's also why he avoided romance for so long - he isn't worth the risk.
A man stirred in the soft grass, only now reaching consciousness. His exposed skin was pale and strewn with scars; the hair that fell into his face was light brown and streaked with grey. When his eyes fluttered open, they were revealed to be a dim blue.
An instant later he was on his feet, ignoring the strain of his tired muscles, the strange ache between his shoulder blades. He observed his surroundings with quick, sharp glances as he turned in a tight circle. One hand reached for a wand that wasn't there, and his eyes widened with panic, though only for a moment.
As he moved his head he caught a glimpse of - grey feathers? He reached behind him, feeling the shape of a wing. Confusion and outrage warred on his features, and he gave a sharp shake of his head. He needed to focus - but first…
"Dora?"
The call was hoarse, anxious, and his brow furrowed with further worry when he received no answer. Was she unconscious? Was she taken somewhere else? Was she safe at her mother's house?
Was she - no, now wasn't the time to consider that possibility. He needed to assess his situation properly, and to do that he needed to find who had done this. Who had taken him from a excellently protected dwelling and dropped him into the middle of a forest and transfigured useless wings to his back.
It wasn't a pleasant prospect without a wand, but he wasn't entirely defenseless. After a moment's concentration he conjured of ball of fire in his hand (fainter than usual, and he attributed that to whatever had knocked him out) and started through the trees, his movements quiet and slow.
He was going to end whatever game they were playing with him, in one way or another.