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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.)
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