Is Remus Lupin an Occlumens/Legilimens?

[piasharn]

To prepare myself whenever a new Harry Potter book draws close to publication, I reread the entire series from start to finish. There are two reasons I do this. The first and most obvious is to refresh my memory on what has happened and what questions we are left with at the end. The second is to look for clues, hints, and little tidbits that I may have missed the first time around.

By going from one book to the next without stopping, this also allows me to get a clearer picture of the characters' (particularly Harry's) states of mind. Doing this meant that I was not nearly as annoyed at Harry's temper in OotP as many fans. We had four years to digest the stress of the Triwizard Tournament, the death of Cedric, and the resurrection of Voldemort in between books four and five. Harry only had a month, and I think many people forgot this fact. They forgot that Harry had been under considerable stress his entire fourth year, and were thus unprepared for the anger and frustration that he expressed in OotP.

But I digress. This essay isn't about Harry or his emotions. It's about some rather interesting things surrounding a certain Professor Remus J. Lupin that, in light of Snape's explanations of Occlumency/Legilimency, have made me come to suspect that my favorite lycanthrope may be more than what he appears.

The first inkling I got was in the following passage of book five (all quotes are from the U.S. editions of the books, FYI):

"I told you to empty yourself of emotion!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm finding that hard at the moment," Harry snarled.

"Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily -- weak people, in other words -- they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with ease, Potter!"

It was the reference to emotional control that caught my immediate attention. You see, one thing that I find very interesting about Remus is the control that he has over himself. (Barring what happens on the full moon, of course.) His tight reign on his emotions (or at least the ones that he expresses) is what first made me wonder if he had Occlumency abilities. It seemed as though he would be a natural.

There are numerous references throughout the series that Snape appears to have the ability to read minds. While I understand that Legilimency is very different from Mind Reading, there are still some similarities, and I often wonder if those passages were meant to be hints at Snape's mental powers. As I was rereading PoA not too long ago, I was startled to find similar situations involving Remus.

"...I suppose [the dementors] were the reason you fell?"

"Yes," said Harry. He hesitated, then asked the question he had to ask burst from him before he could stop himself. "Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just --?"

It has nothing to do with weakness," said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry's mind.

There are several passages similar to this. However, I'll admit that this is not the best piece of evidence. It may simply be that Remus is sensitive to the emotions of those around him and is able to come to the correct conclusion without any use of Legilimency. Given his personality, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if this was the case.

What really sparked my interest, though, was what occurred in Ch. 17 of PoA. (My favorite chapter of my favorite novel, for what it matters.)

Lupin caught [the wands] all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.

...

"But then...," Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "...why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" -- Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "-- unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"

Whoa. Where to start?

First off, the whole staring-at-Sirius bit. Admittedly, the two of them spend a lot of time just looking at each other. (This was one of the items that made me wonder about the exact nature of the relationship between the two, but others have covered that topic much more eloquently than I could.) However, remember that eye contact is often necessary for Legilimency to work. (Harry and Voldemort non withstanding.)

The "...staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind..." part hardly needs an explanation. Once again, note the reference to Mind Reading.

That line, "...as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see..." also strikes me as being key. After all, when a Legilimens breaks past a person's mental barriers, they literally see the memories played out before them like scenes from a movie. Perhaps Remus really was seeing something that none of the others could observe.

His actions in this scene also bear looking into. He knew that Peter was in the Shrieking Shack, yet when Sirius points out his location, what is his first response? Does he go over there, snatch the rat away from Ron, and force him to show himself to prove what Sirius claims? No, he grabs Sirius, pulls him to his feet, and hugs him.

I'll admit, I think that Remus was troubled by the whole Sirius-was-the-spy thing, that he doubted it over the years. After all, he knew Sirius. He knew how much he loved James, how much he rejected his family's pure-blood mania, how he fought against Voldemort. The idea that Sirius was really working against his friends must have been highly contradictory to what he knew of him. Of course, there wasn't anything Remus could do. All of the evidence pointed towards Sirius being guilty, and even Dumbledore gave testimony to the Ministry of Magic that Sirius had been the Secret Keeper. I can imagine the whole issue gnawing at his psyche for those 12 long years. That still doesn't explain his complete and utter trust at this moment, though.

Anyhow, it's also interesting to note that Remus appears to know exactly what happened in that moment without Sirius saying a word. That, along with the eye contact, the Mind Reading reference, and Remus' absolute trust that Sirius was innocent really makes me suspect that Legilimency may have been involved.

I'm not done yet, though. As soon as I sorted out this theory, two problems presented themselves, and I had to puzzle them out as well.

First off, if Remus is a Legilimens, how is it that he even doubted Sirius in the first place? If he could read his thoughts and emotions, wouldn't he have known all along that Sirius was not the spy, and that Peter had been made the real Secret Keeper?

Well, I suppose Sirius could have been an Occlumens, and thus was able to block his mind. Possible, but not probable, as Sirius just doesn't seem to have the self control that is so necessary.

There is also the possibility that it is a skill that Remus learned during those lost years after James and Lily's deaths and his appointment as DADA professor. He didn't have the ability at the time, so he wasn't able to use it then.

Finally, it may simply be that Sirius and Remus were not around each other enough during the end of the first war. Location and eye contact are necessary, and if the two were separated frequently while working for the Order, Remus may simply have never had an opportunity to use his ability.

The second, and more glaring, problem concerns Harry's Occlumency lessons in OotP. Harry hates Snape. Snape hates Harry. Harry likes Remus. Remus likes Harry. Remus is an excellent teacher. If Remus really is an Occlumens/Legilimens, the wouldn't it have made more sense to have him teach Harry? The lessons would have gone much more smoothly, that's for sure.

The main problem with having Remus teach Harry Occlumency lies in finding a way to get the two of them together to have a lesson. Merely apparating onto the grounds is impossible, after all, and we certainly can't forget that Umbridge was having all fires other than her own watched for floo activity. Given her hatred of half-breeds, I think it's safe to assume that she would never allow Remus on campus for any reason, and certainly not to give Harry lessons.

Also, we don't know exactly what Remus was doing for the Order in OotP. (He wasn't recruiting new members or trying to warn people about Voldemort's return, that's certain.) Whatever it is, it appears to keep him busy for lengthy periods of time. It may be that Dumbledore was trying to use his resources in the most efficient method possible. He had an Occlumens already on campus, after all. He may also have had other motivations. Namely, trying to force Snape and Harry to get along. Or at least realize that they're on the same side.

All in all, we can't be sure until the 16th. Will Harry's Occlumency lessons continue? And since Umbridge has been kicked out and Dumbledore's reputation restored, will Snape be his professor in this subject, or will it be handed over to Remus. (If he is an Occlumens/Legilimens, that is.) Part of me wants this to be so, merely so that I can have more Remus to read about, although I think Harry deserves a good teacher for a change. (Not that Snape lacks the abilities or the intelligence. But he's such an ass.)

Comments

[lyria.livejournal.com]

Have I mentioned that I love reading these entries from you?

This is something I considered briefly, but filed away for the reasons you pointed out as "problems" with the theory (particularly, why wouldn't Remus teach him if he was so good).

My idea: Snape is a very, very Occlumens, and Remus is a very, very good Legilimens. Having someone that Harry hates teaching him would make it easier for him to learn resistence. (If he were learning from Remus, he would be far too comfortable. Thus making it harder for him to use the power in a stressful situation.) The argument against that is all throughout Book Three, though.

I didn't remember that quote from PoA. Thanks for highlighting it.

Anyway, I have plenty of theories, but I think I like reading other people's more. ^_^

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks!

"Having someone that Harry hates teaching him would make it easier for him to learn resistence. (If he were learning from Remus, he would be far too comfortable. Thus making it harder for him to use the power in a stressful situation.)"

That's not a bad theory either. Of course, Dumbledore may have had multiple reasons for choosing Snape. His motivations are often rather murky, so it's difficult to say at this point.

"The argument against that is all throughout Book Three, though."

Although part of Remus' teaching method is to expose Harry to more stressful situations. (Such as using a boggart during the Patronus lessons rather than just teaching Harry the charm without having to worry about him fainting every few minutes.) And Harry certainly learned "accio" better once he was under the stress of having to deal with a dragon.

Something else I just though of is that Dumbledore may have been afraid that Remus would let information slip. During OotP, he seems to want to tell Harry at least some of what's going on. That first night at Grimmauld Place, he clearly stood in favor of giving him more info. Also, the Christmas present of DADA books appears to indicate that he approves of the DA. Thus, like Sirius, he might have "accidentally" told Harry something that Dumbledore didn't want him to know.

Or he may have given away information unintentionally. If, like you theorized, Snape is much better at Occlumecy than Remus, then it's less likely that Harry would see anything in Snape's mind that he shouldn't.

In any case, you've given me some more ideas to pour over. (At least until Saturday... Eeee! Can't wait! ^^)

[sakuraigirl.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooh, that's a really well thought out theory. I certainly wouldn't complain about more Remus in book 6 though, hee. :) I can't wait!!!!

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

Thanks! If I spent half the time on my schoolwork that I do on HP... ^^;;

Wouldn't it be lovely if Remus could be Harry's professor again? We'd see so much more of him to squeal over. Now let's just hope that he survives the book!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Here from the Snitch :)

Nice essay!

I've always been very fond of the Lupin the Legilimens theory, and I use it in my post-Hogwarts-to-1981 fic. So I can answer exactly why (at least, in my mind) Remus doesn't use Legilimency on Sirius to discover the truth.

As to suspecting Sirius as the spy pre-Halloween, I think Remus just doesn't. I've always interpretted Remus's plea for forgivness to mean Azkaban and beyond. But even saying that he DOES suspect Sirius before that... would he necessarily use it?

In PS/SS, Minerva comments that DD has powers that Voldemort has, but he's too noble to use them. Makes you wonder about the nature of Legilimency, doesn't it? Does Remus WANT to use it if he doesn't have to?

But then, does Dumbledore. Yeah. Why DOESN'T Dumbledore use it to figure out who's the spy?

I think the answer lies in Snape's explanation of Legilimency, and how the mind is not a book to be opened and read at will. Not only do you have to find the right memories and thoughts, but you have to know what you're interpretting as well. Occlumency can be learned, which makes me wonder if a person could do it without truly being trained. Could you deliberately meet a legilimens' eyes and think about your lunch, thus giving them a completely "false reading"? So I think Dumbledore- and Remus, if he tried it on Sirius (and moreso, since Remus was less experienced) was seeing so much confusion and fear and everything else that he couldn't make sense of what he saw.

And once Sirius was in Azkaban? Easy. If you looked in Sirius's mind then, what would you see? GUILT. LOTS of guilt. Sirius isn't totally wrong that he's at fault for the Potters' deaths, and the guilt haunts him terribly. So if Dumbledore or Remus tried to use Legilimency on Sirius then, they would see guilt, but not know how to interpret it correctly.

I suspect that Dumbledore won't hand over HArry's teaching to Remus, but rather take it on himself. (After all, he owes Harry SOMETHING.) I draw this conclusion from DD's regret at the end of OotP, and from the cover ;) Which is too bad, because I'd love more Remus, too! :P~~~~ But even if we're right about Remus being a Legilimens, DD is more powerful and more capable of it, so... he would be the better teacher. I guess. ::Sigh:: ;)

2 more days! :)

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

Nice theories, both of you. And they both make sense in their own ways.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how very little we know about the potential and capabilities of wizards. We know Dumbledore is "the greatest sorcerer" - according to Harry and Minerva, but we have no idea the extent of or even details of his abilities. When we see witchcraft being used, we see things like pineapples tapdancing, tortoises being turned into teapots, a few household charms like scourgify and whatever Molly uses to cook, summoning and banishing charms, jelly legs and leg locker curses, full body binds, stunning spells and the Unforgiveables. If you think about all of the things we use electricity and technological inventions for, we're only seeing a tiny portion of a wizard's eventual capabilities (which makes it even more absurd for a death eater to use a jelly legs curse on Neville!).

Snape uses a wand to cry "legilimens!" when he has the lessons with Harry. Why? We never see Remus or Dumbledore do this. Obviously some wizards are stronger than others, but it's very interesting to note the utter reliability wizards have on wands to channel/perform/control their magic. Because legilimency and occlumency, to me, seem to be a magic that would go beyond needing a wand by their very nature. And would a wizard who was the focus of a legilimens know his mind was being scrutinized? Harry felt Snape in there quite blatantly, as Snape was very aware when Harry broke into his mind. Yet all those times when Harry felt like DD or Remus was reading his mind, there's no sense of 'intrusion'. What does that mean?

Don't mind me. I think of lots and lots of things like this all the time. And there are no actual answers either, only theories and hypotheses. I know JKR said we'd have all the backstory we need by the end of Book 7, but I know that I'll always have more questions than she'll be able to answer. And I'm sure I'm not alone. :)

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

"(which makes it even more absurd for a death eater to use a jelly legs curse on Neville"

I've wondered about that myself. The Death Eaters, being Voldemort's inner circle, are undoubtably skilled and/or powerful wizards. You'd think they'd use something that a fith year isn't going to be able to block.

On the other hand, several of those Death Eaters had just escaped from Azkaban, and long-term exposure to dementors tend to drain a wizard of their powers. Perhaps whoever thew the hex (I can't recall off the top of my head) was unable to use any big spells quite yet.

"Harry felt Snape in there quite blatantly, as Snape was very aware when Harry broke into his mind. Yet all those times when Harry felt like DD or Remus was reading his mind, there's no sense of 'intrusion'. What does that mean?"

Excellent point! I hadn't thought about that. It may be, as lyria pointed out above, that Snape isn't as good at Legilimency as Occlumency, thus his use of the power was cruder and more noticable.

Or not. Perhaps book six will answer some of these questions.

"I know JKR said we'd have all the backstory we need by the end of Book 7, but I know that I'll always have more questions than she'll be able to answer. And I'm sure I'm not alone. :)"

You're certainly not. I don't think I'll be satisfied until I have piles of useless trivia facts. Especially with characters like Remus.

[jimwise.livejournal.com]

Sorry to just but in.. but I just had a random thought or two. :o)

And would a wizard who was the focus of a legilimens know his mind was being scrutinized? Harry felt Snape in there quite blatantly, as Snape was very aware when Harry broke into his mind. Yet all those times when Harry felt like DD or Remus was reading his mind, there's no sense of 'intrusion'. What does that mean?

That's a great question.. I haven't read OotP in ages, but didn't Snape (or maybe Dumbledore..) admit that he was being forceful? Perhaps even unnecessarily so? The memories Snape dredged up were often from Harry's childhood, things buried semi-deep. It might be possible that, for a very accomplished Legilmens, only a slight amount of power and 'intrusion' is necessary to get to something more on the surface of the mind?

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

"But then, does Dumbledore. Yeah. Why DOESN'T Dumbledore use it to figure out who's the spy?"

Good question. I've been thinking about that a bit, and I think I may have an idea.

When a Legilimens sees a person's memories, I wonder if they are able to control which memories they see. The memories that Snape pulled out of Harry seemed to be fairly random. If a person can't control which memories they see, then it could take years to simply sift through one person's mind in hopes of finding evidence that s/he was the spy.

Perhaps this is why Dumbledore (and Remus, if he is a Legilimens) simply never used it on the Order members. It was simply too time consuming, especially with members scattered around to fight the Death Eaters.

"I suspect that Dumbledore won't hand over HArry's teaching to Remus, but rather take it on himself."

You're probably right. Still, a girl can hope. ^_^

[jimwise.livejournal.com]

Wow! This was a highly interesting essay! (here from daily snitch, ps.)

The answer to your first problem seems very easy. But then again, it's been a while since I've read the first couple books. From my memory, it seemed like the whole Secret-Keeper - Halloween 1981 ordeal happened very fast. Sirius at the last minute made Peter the Secret Keeper. Sirius was thrown into Azkaban immediately without a trial, and all the like. How on earth would Remus have been able to even see Sirius at the time?

And before you had even brought up the idea of Remus as Harry's teacher, I had thought of it. However, I'm sure, if Remus turns out to be a Legilmens, JK didn't make him Harry's teacher simply due to practicality. Dumbledore's managing a whole chess set. He needs Remus in the field.. Snape is already there.. Dumbledore has always had to make choices that perhaps weren't the best, but were just necessary at the time. Who knows..

Speaking of Dumbledore though.. Have you ever noticed the slight similarities in how JK portrays Remus and Dumbledore sometimes? In their descriptions.. Remus is hardly ever mentioned in text without some sort of description as to how old he looks for a young man. How you can practically see the weight of the world in his eyes. Dumbledore is mentioned like that sometimes too; ableit, because he IS a very old man. But their eyes.. both often described as being saddened, through so much knowledge of the world, and the weight of that knowledge. Perhaps this is because they are both very powerful Legilmens?

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

"From my memory, it seemed like the whole Secret-Keeper - Halloween 1981 ordeal happened very fast."

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of Remus knowing that Sirius wasn't the spy, rather than not knowing he was the Secret Keeper. I appologize if that wasn't quite clear.

"But their eyes.. both often described as being saddened, through so much knowledge of the world, and the weight of that knowledge. Perhaps this is because they are both very powerful Legilmens?"

Hmmm... that is rather interesting. I hadn't noticed it before. Now if JKR would deign to tell us the color of Remus' eyes... ^_-

[jimwise.livejournal.com]

Ugh, sorry. I did mention that my memories of OotP were rusty! :o) I forgot that they had already known that there was a spy within their circle. So don't worry, you were more than clear. :o)

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

I've thought about this more than once. It seems very reasonable for the reasons you mention.

As to why he didn't believe it for twelve years, there's an even simpler explanation--before it occurred, Remus would have had no reason to use Legilmancy on Sirius, and after it occurred, Sirius was whisked off to Azkaban, and he never saw him again!

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I suppose we'll find out tomorrow, eh? (Can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait!)

[ex-jynx84.livejournal.com]

daaaaaamn! you're on to something, detective sharn!

and thank you thank you for being the only other person who wasn't annoyed by angsty harry. I can't tell you how impressed I was with JKR's characterization of harry in book 6. taking in all that you mentioned, we also have to understand how emotionally stunted harry has to be considering he was brought up in a cupboard by a family who hated him. how would he have learned to control his anger if all he had as a model during his formative years was vernon dursely? plus, 15 is an angsty age. I was delighted that JKR took the risk of making her beloved main character such a dick. top-fucking-notch.
can't wait to here what you think of HBP. happy reading!

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

"and thank you thank you for being the only other person who wasn't annoyed by angsty harry."

I tend to get frustrated with how adolescence is romanticized in fiction/comics/etcetera. People often refer to those years as the best of your life, but they seem to forget the rollercoaster hormones, the drama, the senseless anger, the angst, the acne. They forget that teenagers are self-centered and overemotional. So, like you, I not only didn't mind angry!Harry, I thought that it was good characterization on JKR's part.

Hell, I tend to be a laid-back, go-with-the-flow type of person. (LJ entries non withstanding, as this is my place to vent.) However, I think dealing with Umbridge would, in and of itself, have driven me over the edge.

P.S. That icon never fails to make me smile, no matter how many times I see it.