Uhm navigando in rete ho trovato questo saggio sui puppies,leggetelo.Molto interessante.(Sorry in inglese...sigh sigh sob)
The Case for R/S: Version 2.5
I've written an essay detailing why I believe in Remus/Sirius.
EDIT: This is now the second draft. Not sure yet whether there will be a third, but any changes I make to the original will be put up here within a week and if they're lsignificant I'll change the entry title.
It's now Version 2.5. I've added a quote from one of my fellow shippers, plus a few extra bits here and there.
EDIT (30 July 2004): If you would like to use this essay at your personal website, please feel free. You don't need to ask my permission, though I do ask that you give me credit, or just link back here. Otherwise, let us spread the Puppylove!
!! SPOILERS for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!!
Highlight to read:
*Sigh* Well, I guess that's about it for canon Remus/Sirius. I'm not so stubborn as to keep saying, "Well, it COULD have happened at school!" or whatever. I know when I'm beat.
I'm not going to throw any tantrums or say JKR made the wrong decision; I have always seen Remus and Sirius as friends, first and foremost, and will continue to do so.
Congratulations, Remus/Tonks shippers. I can't quite say I'm happy your ship has been made canon,
but well done nevertheless. I am happy that Remus is getting some love, because he certainly needs it.
I'm leaving this essay up for posterity. Mock at will, or instead see it as my canon-based reasons for continuing to ship Remus/Sirius in fanon. In my mind, they still have potential, unrealised or not, and what is fanfic for if not to explore potential?
Thanks to everyone who left comments on this essay; to all those I converted, I'm terribly sorry for leading you astray. And now I'm off to read HBP again. Ciao.
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The Case For R/S
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One of the things I have always liked about JKR's style is that, in the books, at least, she doesn't spoon-feed her reader. (I won't discuss the interviews at this point. I believe books should be able to stand alone, without the author's commentary, and still be complete.) The plot is always stated outright at the end, but when it comes to her characters, it's up to us to make our own choices. All we get is Harry's opinion; beyond that, we must decide for ourselves how to view characters. Is Draco redeemable? Was Tom Riddle always evil? Could Ron ever betray Harry and Hermione? Could Remus and Sirius be lovers?
All of these questions interest me greatly, but it's the last one I'll be discussing here. Be warned: this essay is both very long and very biased. I ship R/S otherwise known as the 'One True Way', 'Puppy Love', 'HMS Wolfstar' and 'Wow, You Have A Point There!'
JKR is ambiguous on it. We cant prove either way. You can hate this ship or love it, but you can't prove we're not right. Just as we can't prove you aren't.
This will be an analysis of the characters and of the canon we have, followed by a few more general comments. Admittedly, even after OotP, we still don't have much canon of Remus and Sirius together. That saddens me. But I think what we have is enough. Bold will indicate the beginning and end of a quote from the book.
I'll try to be discriminating. I'm not going to go hunting for every single thing they ever say to one another and say "SEE! SEE! THEY'RE IN LOVE!" I shall try to pick quotes that actually demonstrate something so you won't have to wade through an essay of random squealing.
I'm rather hoping it'll convert somebody,
and I'll begin with a bit of a joke.
"And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked towards the Dementor and pulled out his wand," said Hermione. "And he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks...'"
PoA, p67, UK; p85, US
Well. Not yet, at least.
Right. To business. And I'll warn you now, this is long. Sixteen pages in WordPerfect.
I'll start with Remus. Sorry, forgive me, Professor R.J. Lupin, as we are introduced to him. A young man with grey in his hair, shabby robes, a battered suitcase tied with neatly knotted string, and a whole lot of charisma. He can be alert and wary, five seconds after waking up and finding himself in the dark, surrounded by clumsy, anxious teenagers. He can handle Dementors, remaining calm the whole time, and give out chocolate to said teenagers. He can deal with Peeves in a second, and smile about it. He gives Harry a cup of tea. He is, from the beginning, the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Harry has ever had.
But he is also a mysterious character. He smiles a lot, and talks 'mildly' a great deal; he is never openly hostile to anyone, even when they are hostile to him; he trusts Snape enough to drink that potion, even though Snape obviously detests him; and he is very, very evasive.
"Some people reckon " Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, "some people reckon [Snape would] do anything to get the Defence Against the Dark Arts job."
Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face.
"Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you at the feast later."
PoA, p118, UK edition
What does this have to do with Sirius? Nothing. But this scene is very important in terms of characterisation of Remus. From this we can see that, when a subject comes up that he doesn't want to discuss, he evades. He pretends no one said anything. He gets the enquirer away from him at top speed. Remus is a grand master at avoiding sensitive issues, and no wonder.
Onwards and upwards.
"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before ah the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.
"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.
"It seems almost impossible that Black could have entered the castle without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed "
"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didnt reply.
PoA, p124, UK; p166, US
Aha. Intriguing. There's really only one person this could be talking about, isn't there? Remus Lupin, the newly-appointed DADA professor. And Snape seems to think he might have been helping Sirius enter the castle? Now, that is interesting.
Considering what we know, no matter how much Snape hated Remus, I don't see why he would really believe this. Sirius, as far as everyone believes, betrayed two of Remus's best friends and killed another one, leaving him alone for twelve years. Remus ought to hate him.
But I admit I'm stretching here. Snape isn't a particularly good judge of character. This is only me, from my shippy point of view, being optimistic. There's better stuff later. In fact... why, here's something.
"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered. Lupin nodded grimly.
"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep their prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them go mad within weeks."
"But Sirius Black escaped from them," Harry said slowly. "He got away..."
Lupin's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it.
PoA, p140, UK; p188, US
Here's another fact about Remus Lupin: he is very self-controlled. He rarely lets his guard down. His deeper emotions don't often show through. But here, he drops his briefcase at the mere mention of Sirius's name. A strong reaction for him. And he seems to have a habit of doing this sort of thing but more on that later.
Also another titbit for those already converted, but not anything that's going to sway a non-believer it sounds as if he's spent an awful lot of time thinking about the conditions in Azkaban. Don't you think?
Moving on.
"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"
Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Ron kicked him.
"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang..."
[snip]
"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"
PoA, p152, UK
Okay, I know what you're thinking: 'What's she quoting that bit for? That's hardly supporting her ship!'
Oh, but it is. To me, the fact that Remus isn't mentioned once in this little sequence is... very strange, to say the least. We have seen how close he and Sirius were. There's an amazing bond between them. Didn't that merit a mention? Did they only become close after Hogwarts? Why wasn't Remus included in this?
I have a suggestion. The wizarding world seems to be pretty old-fashioned in its views on many things. In the seventies, even in the Muggle world, many homosexuals were very quiet about their orientation. It was becoming more accepted, but not nearly so accepted as it is today. It hadn't been so very long since homosexuality was considered a disease.
So, if Remus and Sirius were a couple at Hogwarts, they would probably have kept it very secret, and so their relationship would have been viewed very differently by outsiders.
But that, too, could perhaps be seen as stretching. So, roll on the next quote.
"Professor Lupin?" [Harry] said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."
Lupin turned very quickly.
"What gives you that idea?" he said sharply.
"Nothing I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts, too..."
Lupin's face relaxed.
"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You'd better get off, Harry, it's getting late."
PoA, p179-180, UK; p242-243, US
Wow. There is so much in this. I'll try to deal with it in an organised way.
Turning 'very quickly', speaking 'sharply'... that's another of those cases where his control slips. Another uncharacteristically emotional reaction. And he keeps doing this. He doesn't do it when James is mentioned just Sirius.
And then, That Line. "I knew him... Or I thought I did." That's horribly sad. Thats bitter. That's blaming himself, not Sirius. That's 'I should have seen', as opposed to 'I'll never understand why I didn't see' (thats what Sirius says to Peter). Remus never says that kind of thing about Peter. It implies something much deeper.
And then the next bit. "You'd better be off, Harry, it's getting late." How's that for a prime example of Remus Lupin's Patented Evasive Manoeuvring? Perfectly sound reasoning, perfectly acceptable thing to say but what he's really saying is, "All right, that's enough, I don't want to talk about this, go away and come back when I've regained control over myself."
Next.
Lupin drank a little more Butterbeer, then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry had given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him."
Harry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black.
"He deserves it," he said suddenly.
"You think so?" said Lupin lightly. "Do you really think anyone deserves that?"
"Yes," said Harry defiantly. "For... for some things..."
PoA, p183, UK; p247, US
Righty-ho. This is another one of those little segments that's jam-packed with stuff, so I'll try my best to be clear.
This time, Remus is the one who brings up the topic of Sirius. Why? He obviously doesn't like it when Harry starts it, so why should he give Harry the opening? I say inconsistency in a character is a sign that something more-than-meets-the-eye is going on. Like Ron suddenly gaining an intense dislike of Krum. Like Harry realising that Cedric doesn't have enough brains to fill an eggcup. Like Hagrid wearing eau de cologne and trying to comb his hair. Like Ginny going quiet, blushing and putting her elbow in the butter dish.
And all of Remus's inconsistency is focused around Sirius.
Then, he speaks 'lightly'. Speaking lightly is something Remus does when he's stepping up his self-restraint. This light, mild, nothing-bothers-me-or-shocks-me-or-gets-beneath-my-skin is his default setting. He uses it in unpleasant, upsetting situations in which he doesn't dare to let his true feelings show up.
And then he asks Harry whether Sirius deserves it. And Harry says yes, defiantly which shows that the answer Remus wanted to hear is 'no'. You can't defy someone and give them what they want at the same time. Remus wanted Harry to say no, and Harry is defiant.
But tell me. Since when is Remus Lupin against capital punishment for the man who betrayed his best friends? He's certainly willing to kill an unarmed Peter Pettigrew, in front of three teenagers, no less. Another inconsistency.
The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.
PoA, p252, UK; p343, US
Wow! I got a high just from writing that. So much action in three sentences! There's just been nearly half a page of stillness, of Harry just standing over Sirius, and suddenly we have this explosion of movement. The description in this paragraph of Sirius and Remus is very physical, very vivid. Remus, 'hurtling', 'face bloodless', 'ready'. In contrast, Sirius, 'crumpled and bleeding'. Interesting bloodless versus bleeding. Of course, I might be reading too much into that.
One thing I do notice is the order of the words. Remus's eyes 'flickered over' Hermione and Ron very quick, very cursory, then 'to' Harry, and finally, as if it's the fulfilment of something, 'to' Sirius. As if it was Sirius he was looking for all along. Am I reading too much into it? Perhaps. But JKR is good at this, so perhaps not.
Lupin caught [the wands] deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black...
PoA, p252, UK; p343, US
Ah, the start of great things. This is the first of many passages where Remus just looks at Sirius. He is described as looking at Sirius more than any other character. This is, to my mind, comparable with Ron, who spends a great deal of his time staring at Hermione.
Indeed, I did a survey. There are about forty-five pages where Remus and Sirius are together (that's in the British copies). During those forty-five pages they look at one another fifteen times. In forty-five pages, Ron and Hermione look at one another nine times and Harry and Hermione look at one another five times - and that's including quotes like "Harry looked at Ron and Hermione". If it were just "Harry / Ron looked at Hermione" the numbers would be even smaller.
Remus and Sirius look at one another so much it could almost be considered abnormal. I like to call it the "I-Can't-Take-My-Eyes-Off-You" syndrome.
Then Lupin spoke, in an odd voice, a voice that shook with some suppressed emotion. "Where is he, Sirius?"
PoA, p252, UK
*Lightning bolt to the forehead* That was when I knew, reading PoA for the first time, that Sirius Black was innocent, and Remus Lupin knew it. A voice that 'shook with some suppressed emotion'? If it were hatred or loathing or disgust or fear, Harry would have known it. The only reason I can think of that Harry wouldn't have been able to identify this suppressed emotion is that it was something that seemed completely out of context at the time. Like when he couldn't work out what he was feeling in OotP, when he was sensing Voldemort's emotions and they didn't tie in to what was happening.
And... Remus Lupin's voice shaking? Am I dreaming? Remus doesn't show that kind of emotion except when he's dealing with Sirius. With everyone else, he's calm and mild and in control. With Sirius, he's explosive. That, my friends, is what we call chemistry.
Funnily enough, it's not in the American version.
And then! The Decider, for me. "Where is he, Sirius?" Sweet mother of Cedric Diggory, what kind of question is that?! Sirius, as far as anyone knows, is a murderer, a Death Eater, a spy, a traitor of the very worst kind. Why not, "Where is he, Black?" in a cold, furious voice? Why not, "All right, Black, hand him over and I won't hurt you"? At this point, Remus doesn't know the circumstances, doesn't know Peter was the Secret Keeper all he knows is that Peter is alive and that he, Harry, Hermione and Ron are all in the Shrieking Shack with a convicted murderer. And he addresses himself to Sirius, calling him by his first name, in a 'voice that shook with some suppressed emotion'. Ye gods. That is an anomaly.
Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand, and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.
"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 " Lupins 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?"
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.
PoA, p252, UK; p344, US
Wow. I dont know about you, but I think the tension in that scene is incredible. There is so much going on beneath the surface. These two people are standing there, and they haven't seen each other for twelve years and even after twelve years, even after all that time, they can still read each other.
Even though, to Harry, Sirius's face is 'expressionless', Remus can see something there that no one else can. He understands, even though he still doesn't know everything. It's like he's looking for a reason to trust Sirius, trying to think of any possible explanation that might make sense. It seems to me that he has a vested interest in believing that Sirius is innocent.
He and Sirius are still staring at each other. They are still absolutely focused on each other. These few lines are about them only; it doesn't matter that Harry and Ron are bewildered.
I don't think it matters how you interpret Sirius and Remus's relationship. This sequence is absolutely mind-blowing.
Moving on.
"Professor Lupin," Harry interrupted loudly, "whats going ?"
But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand. Next moment, he had walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a lover.
PoA, p252, UK edition
*Glares around belligerently* Thats what my copy says, all right?
No, I'm lying. It says 'brother'. *Hangs head in shame*
Anyway. You might be surprised to hear that I don't view The Hug as ship evidence. It's my one favourite scene in the whole series, but I don't think its ship evidence. This entire scene is so charged, and the characters so close to breaking point, that I think Remus would have hugged anyone James, Peter, Lily, Snape, Harry - when placed in that situation with them. Lovers or not.
Thing is, a lot of people cite this as evidence that their relationship is purely fraternal. I don't see why. For one thing, JKR had to write something. If she'd left those last three words off, the sentence would have sounded bare and wouldn't have had the same impact.
And okay, they're embracing like brothers. So? Does that simile then transform every single other interaction between them to a brotherly one? When Hermione looks at Harry as if worried for his sanity in PoA, does that mean that whenever she looks at him she's worried for his sanity, forever and ever, amen?
Perhaps that sounds silly, but think about it. Hermione kisses Harry and Ron on the cheek when they're stressed about something. That's quite a sisterly action, nai? But if it were described as such, would that then make you believe that everything Hermione does to Harry or Ron in future is going to be perfectly sisterly?
Or in general, if someone hugs their ex-boyfriend or -girlfriend in a friendly way, does that mean all their prior romantic behaviour is negated? Or would their friendly hug be automatically counted as romantic because they were once dating? Moreover, would a thirteen-year-old boy watching be able to tell the difference between the hug of two-best-friends and the hug of two-people-who-were-once-in-love?
Sirius and Remus are only described as being like brothers once. Otherwise their behaviour towards one another isn't qualified either way and is therefore still open for interpretation by us, the rabid shippers.
"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend for twelve years, but I am now... let me explain..."
PoA, p253, UK; p345, US
Amazing, isn't it? Twelve years of hatred, bitterness, loneliness... and it's over in seconds. That kind of relationship cannot be dismissed. If it's platonic, it's outstanding. If it's romantic, it's still outstanding. Say what you will about the nature of their love, but they love each other. It cannot be denied.
"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!" He was pointing at Black, who had crossed to the four-poster bed and sunk onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand.
PoA, p254, UK; p346, US
Just another example of how much emotion there is in this scene. But I think it's interesting when Sirius can't deal with something, Remus takes over. He handles it on Sirius's behalf. Even after this long, they're still a team. They still understand each other.
[Harry] pointed at Black, whose face twitched convulsively.
"I meant to," he growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!"
And Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Black lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled with pain as Black's weight fell on his broken leg.
"Sirius, NO!" Lupin yelled, launching himself forwards and dragging Black away from Ron again. "WAIT! You can't do it just like that they need to understand we've got to explain "
"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Black, trying to throw Lupin off, one hand still clawing the air as it tried to reach Scabbers [snip].
"They've got a right to know everything!" Lupin panted, still trying to restrain Black. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"
Black stopped struggling...
PoA, p256, UK; p349-350, US
Again, very physical. When Sirius is being too rash, Remus restrains him and knows what to say to placate him. And Sirius listens. I don't know whether anyone else could have got through to him at this stage, but I do think they would have had some difficulty Sirius was not stable. Harry certainly shows himself of restraining Sirius from drawing his wand on Snape in OotP. Sirius and Remus complement and balance each other beautifully, I think.
"But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry James Potter..."
PoA, p259, UK; p354, US
Why mention Sirius first? It would, perhaps, have been logical to mention James first, as a talisman to help gain Harry's trust.
"All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me..."
PoA, p260-261, UK; p356, US
But is that the only reason? We already know he didn't want Sirius to suffer the Dementor's Kiss. Maybe he really was protecting him.
BANG! Thin, snake-like cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists and ankles; he over-balanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started towards Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.
PoA, p263-264, UK; p359, US
Again, I may be reading too much into this. But Sirius's reaction to this strikes me as very reminiscent of Ron's reactions when Draco insults Hermione.
Lupin was struggling against his bonds. Black bent down quickly and untied him.
PoA, p265-266, UK
*Grins sheepishly* I know it isn't much. It's just a nice moment, I think.
"...It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies I realised what Peter must have done. What I'd done.
His voice broke. He turned away.
"Enough of this," said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice Harry had never heard before. "There's only one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."
PoA, p268, UK; p365, US
Sirius nearly breaks down, and Remus takes over, again. And its Sirius's reaction that spurs him on to put an end to this. To me, that speaks of concern and protectiveness. It's partly Ron's concern for and protectiveness of Hermione that put me on the scent of R/Hr to begin with. I know many H/Hr shippers who have said that one of the main reasons they think Hermione likes Harry is that she is so concerned for his welfare.
In this case it could be platonic, of course. But I like to think it's not.
"Ready, Sirius?" said Lupin.
Black had already retrieved Snape's wand from the bed. He approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.
"Together?" he said quietly.
"I think so," said Lupin...
PoA, p268, UK; p366, US
*Grin* I think so, too.
They say that twice. "Together?" "I think so." Each time, it's Sirius who initiates it, and Remus who gives confirmation. I think, perhaps, it's partly that Sirius wants reassurance. And perhaps it's also a kind of affirmation, a reassertion of their 'togetherness'.
Which is heavily emphasised. When dealing with Sirius and Remus, JKR uses a lot of phrases like 'side by side' and 'shoulder to shoulder' and 'together' and 'in one movement'.
"Well, hello, Peter," said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old schoolfriends around him. "Long time, no see."
PoA, p269, UK; p366, US
Well. That's a world away from "Where is he, Sirius?" in a voice that 'shook with some suppressed emotion'.
"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, and Harry could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you... He tried to kill me, Remus..."
"So we've heard," said Lupin, more coldly.
PoA, p269, UK; p367, US
Peter tries to undermine Remus's trust in Sirius, tries to assert the lie again. Remus's disposition becomes, at once, a great deal chillier.
"I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us... me and Remus... and James..."
PoA, p271, UK; p369, US
"I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start." Compare with "I knew him... Or I thought I did." Remarkably different. Sirius's remark is contemptuous. He turns it into an insult to Peter. Remus's was insulting himself, and it was bitter, never contemptuous. The same general meaning, very different emotions.
Also... "It used to be us... me and Remus... and James..." Me and Remus. Like a unit. Me and Remus... and James. Isn't that rather at odds with what we heard in the Three Broomsticks? Me and Remus vs Black and Potter. But this one is from an insider, as opposed to an outsider. This is how Sirius viewed the bonds. Sirius and Remus... and James. Interesting, no?
"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this... Wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"
PoA, p273, UK; p372, US
Another insider speaks. Peter obviously considered Remus and Sirius's relationship to be that close. In fact, when he's trying to get through to Remus, he pulls the Sirius card, so to speak. There is something between Sirius and Remus people seem to underestimate if they were not part of the clique.
Moreover, he specifically suggests that Sirius would have been the one to tell Remus about a change of plan.
"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.
PoA, p273, UK; p372-373, US
I knew I had to bring this up, or someone else would.
Really, this shows me only two things.
1. There are depths to Remus and Sirius's relationship that Peter didn't see, even when he was one of the gang.
2. Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great.
The atmosphere in the wizarding world during the first war was thick with mistrust. Dumbledore didn't trust Sirius. Sirius didn't trust Remus. Remus didn't trust Sirius. All in all, it was a horrible tangle of doubt and suspicion. But no one suspected Peter. Sirius was right Peter was the perfect bluff. Unfortunately, Voldemort saw and exploited that bluff before anyone else.
I don't believe this demonstrates any peculiar lack of trust in Remus and Sirius's relationship, any more than the Cat-Rat Fight between Ron and Hermione demonstrates any particular flaw to their relationship. The fact is, both fights were over in seconds, all damage repaired, everything returned to its former state. That says more to me about the strength of their bond than anything that happened during the first war.
"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.
"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"
"Of course," said Black, and the ghost of a grin flittered across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"
"Yes, I think so," said Lupin grimly.
PoA, p273, UK; p373, US
*Sigh* Ah. It's beautiful. It warms the cockles of my heart.
"Padfoot, old friend" double reassurance. The use of the old nickname and the friendly, familiar epithet. That is saying, indirectly, "Look. It's just as if nothing ever happened. We'll go back to being the same as we always were."
Sirius recognises it, I think. He smiles properly, for the first time.
And then, another display of solidarity. Another demonstration of their togetherness, using almost exactly the same wording. JKR is trying hard to hammer something home here interpret it as you will.
Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
"You should have realised," said Lupin quietly. "If Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter."
PoA, p275, UK; p374, US
*Kablink* Hang on. No "Do you really think anyone deserves that?" Come on, Remus, you're supposed to be our guide in the unfamiliar territory of Higher Morals and Not Lowering Yourself To Your Enemy's Level.
Aha. Another inconsistency. This one with big red flashing lights on it, IMHO. Remus's elevated moral standards only apply to Sirius.
Black and Lupin were looking at each other. Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands.
PoA, p275, UK; p376, US
This one really doesn't need any annotation.
I think that's it for PoA. After that, Remus transforms, and Sirius is mostly wrapped up with getting rescued. But considering we have only two chapters of Remus-Sirius interaction, there's a heck of a lot. This has reached twelve pages in WordPerfect.
Only one more point to make dog and wolf. Both canines. Interesting, isn't it, that Siriuss Animagus is er physically compatible with the werewolf?
*Smiles* Kidding.
Now. *Cracks knuckles, swings shoulders, makes a pot of tea* Onto OotP.
I loved OotP for R/S. I think it was brilliant. Perfect levels of ambiguity.
Lupin pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. Harry heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open.
OotP, p58, UK; p60, US
Aha. The first titbit. Everyone else has to ring the doorbell if it's just a simple matter of tapping the door with his wand, why can't everyone else do that? It'd save Mrs Black being woken up all the time. I mean, they have Dumbledore as a Secret Keeper; they do not need more security measures. Perhaps they just don't want to be interrupted doing... well... I know what I think they were doing.
Ron, Hermione, Fred and George's heads swivelled from Sirius to Mrs Weasley as though they were following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned Butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin's eyes were fixed on Sirius.
OotP, p84, UK; p88, US
And, forty lines of fierce argument later,
"Personally," said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last...
OotP, p85, UK; p89, US
That is a long time to have your eyes fixed on someone, especially when the action is going on in other places, too. JKR didn't have to write that in. I can't think of any other examples of one character spending so many lines simply looking at another, when there's so much else going on.
"Yes," said Mrs Weasley, her lip curling, "the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you do look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasnt it?"
Sirius started to rise from his chair.
"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry," said Lupin sharply. "Sirius, sit down."
Mrs Weasley's lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white.
OotP, p85-86, UK; p90, US
Remus defends Sirius 'sharply'. 'Sharply' is a word used twice in relation to Remus talking about Sirius. A far cry from his usual mildness.
And when he tells Sirius to sit down, Sirius does it. One word: whipped.
Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs Black's ear-splitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin hurried off to the portrait to restore calm. It was only after he had returned, closing the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, that Sirius spoke.
OotP, p86, UK; p91, US
Well. Not only is Remus undertaking responsibilities usually left to the host rather than the guest; Sirius also waits for him to return.
Perhaps you'll disagree you're entitled but I think they are behaving very decidedly like a couple here.
"No."
It was not Mrs Weasley who spoke this time, but Lupin.
"The Order is comprised only of overage wizards," he said. "Wizards who have left school," he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you... I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough."
Sirius half-shrugged but did not argue.
OotP, p91, UK; p96, US
Whipped.
Sometimes, however, the visitors stayed to help. Tonks joined them for a memorable afternoon in which they found a murderous old ghoul lurking in an upstairs toilet, and Lupin, who was staying in the house with Sirius but who left for long periods to do mysterious work for the Order, helped them repair a grandfather clock...
OotP, p110, UK; p118, US
'Lupin, who was staying in the house with Sirius'. Not 'Lupin, who was staying in the house to be closer to the Order', or 'Lupin, who was staying in the house because he had nowhere else to go', or even just 'Lupin, who was staying in the house'. He is staying in the house with Sirius.
JKR didn't spend three years writing this book to shove in things that didn't matter.
And I don't usually like this argument much, but look. If one of the Pups were female and started living together, what would you assume? What would the whole fandom assume?
In the chapter 'The Woes of Mrs Weasley', Remus and Sirius are never very far apart. Read into that what you will. It could be nothing.
*Skims through about three hundred pages of irrelevancy*
Sirius and Lupin had given Harry a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts, which had superb, moving colour illustrations of all the counter-jinxes and hexes it described.
OotP, p443, UK; p501, US
They're giving joint presents now? Remus hasn't even written to Harry before, let alone bought him presents. But now he's living with Sirius and putting his name on the gifts. Say what you like. As far as I'm concerned, theirloveissocanon.
*Skims another hundred pages*
With another shock of excitement, Harry saw Sirius give James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance that neither James's nor Harry's could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn't seem to have noticed. And two seats along from this girl Harry's stomach gave another pleasurable squirm was Remus Lupin.
OotP, p565, UK; p642, US
I admit that a slow, sly grin crept over my face reading that bit. Sirius, a hormonal fifteen year old boy, ignoring a girl who was eyeing him hopefully? And then, in the next sentence, juxtaposed with this girl, we have Remus. It's almost like an explanation! It's as if JKRs saying, "Yep, a fifteen-year-old boy being completely indifferent to a girl and here's why!"
And has anyone ever heard of a straight man whose hair falls 'with a sort of casual elegance'? Ever?
Harry noticed that his father had a habit of rumpling up his hair as though to keep it from getting too tidy, and he also kept looking over at the girls by the water's edge.
OotP, p568, UK; p645, US
James pays attention to the girls. Why doesn't Sirius?
*Skims fifty pages*
Lupin returned with Sirius at his heels moments later.
"What is it?" said Sirius urgently, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes and dropping to the ground in front of the fire, so that he and Harry were on a level. Lupin knelt down too, looking very concerned.
OotP, p590, UK; p669, US
Uninvited, even though Harry has specifically asked for Sirius, Remus sits down too. Again, this strikes me as very couple-y.
During this scene there are several occasions of them exchanging glances or looking at one another. I won't type them all out. You get the idea.
"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" said Sirius bracingly, "we were all idiots! Well not Moony so much," he said fairly, looking at Lupin.
But Lupin shook his head. "Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?" he said. "Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"
"Yeah, well," said Sirius, "you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes... that was something..."
OotP, p591, UK; p671, US
*Grin* I love that exchange. This is meant to be about Harry, and they're turning it into a little debate amongst themselves. I think it's quite sweet, actually.
And I must add another thing. My friend read this essay and told me to add it in; as a complete romantic novice, I would never have thought of it. Here it is: Sirius makes a sweeping, jovially insulting comment not one that anyone would be offended by, and he includes himself in it too, after all. But then he singles Remus out and excludes him from the insult. My friend says that she has acted in exactly the same way she will invariably make an effort not to say anything vaguely offensive about her girlfriend, even though she is happy to make humorously deprecating remarks about herself and all her friends.
"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!" said Sirius forcefully, and he actually made to stand up, but Lupin wrenched him back down again.
"If anyone's going to tell Snape it will be me!" he said firmly.
OotP, p592, UK; p672, US
Again Remus acts as a balance, a restraint for Sirius's impulsiveness. Physically, they are very comfortable with one another probably more comfortable than Ron and Harry.
*Skims another hundred and fifty pages to the worst scene ever*
"He can't come back, Harry," said Lupin, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry.
OotP, p712, UK; p807, US
*Sniffle* As if this scene weren't bad enough. Remus's voice is breaking? That is the single strongest emotion we've seen from him, ever. For someone as collected as him, it's ground-breaking. He hasn't survived twelve years of isolation by crying his eyes out he is a very strong, very composed person. It must have been really, really awful for him to come that close to losing control.
Lupin turned away from the archway as he spoke. It sounded as though every word was causing him pain.
OotP, p713, UK edition
That is some pain. Bear in mind how restrained he usually is, and bear in mind that at this point, Harry's feeling pretty self-centred (not that I blame him) and probably not very observant of others' emotions. Just exactly how pained does Remus sound? It must be pretty damn bad.
This is what I'm saying. The strongest reactions we ever get from Remus are caused, directly or indirectly, by Sirius. There is something very powerful and very volatile between them. Friendship only? I don't think so.
But you might.
And that's it. That's all we have. We'll never see any more Remus-Sirius interaction, will we? *Wipes eyes* Not unless Harry goes into more Pensieves it wouldn't surprise me. Nosy beggar.
The next time we see Remus is at King's Cross. JKR makes a point of describing him as very threadbare. The impression we get is extremely forlorn, even though he smiles. Remember what I said earlier smiling is Remus's default. That's what he falls back on when he doesn't know how else to cope. He asks Harry to keep in touch I hope Harry does, for more reasons than one.
Which almost concludes my essay. But a few things first. If all this hasn't converted you, here's something to think about: we are never, in five books (three, technically), given any indication of either Remus's or Sirius's sexual orientation. Even with characters such as Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Fudge, Crouch Jr, we get some hint. Dumbledore says he blushes when Pomfrey or McGonagall compliment him, McGonagall giggles when Hagrid kisses her on the cheek, Hagrid gets a crush on Madame Maxime, Fudge has a wife, Crouch Jr dances with Sinistra at the Yule Ball.
Sirius and Remus are major characters. Sirius was, canonically, very attractive, and, canonically, had at least one girl lusting after him. You'd expect there to be some rumours about him playing the field but there aren't. Remus is an absolutely wonderful person who has half the fandom in love with him, including me werewolf or not, you'd expect him to be snapped up double-quick. But he's not. Why? Why has JKR left it so open-ended? She could have sunk this ship in a sentence. She didn't, and now, the odds are that she won't.
Ignipes from Fictionalley made an excellent point, which I will now quote (with permission, of course):
"Reading through the scenes in which Remus and Sirius both appear, something I notice is that we always know when they are looking at or touching each other. Always. Even if Harry is the focal point of the scene, JKR makes a point of telling us when Remus looks at Sirius, when Sirius looks at Remus, when one of them touches the other, even in the most casual way. Now, I can only speak for myself, but in real life, the only times I'm so acutely aware of every touch and glance is when there is a romantic or intimate overtone to the situation, whether I'm one of the people or watching others interact. That's a level of detail that's hard to write by accident. The only time I would write something with that level of tactile and visual detail is when I intended it to be interpreted as intimacy. And because I don't live in JKR's head, that interpretation is what I find most natural."
As a final point, I have been accused of lacking in imagination for pairing Remus and Sirius. "You're only shipping them because there aren't any women mentioned in canon, and you can't be bothered to create OCs!" my critics cry.
Well, believe that if you must, but allow me to say this: I am not afraid to write OCs. I don't know any other R/S shippers who are afraid to write OCs. I've been writing original novels since long before I discovered fanfiction, and I haven't lost the ability just yet; in my time in fandom, I've not only written Remus/Sirius, I've written Remus/OFC, Remus/OMC and Remus-Sirius friendship fics. I chose R/S as my OTP because I believe in it, and that is all. If you wish to accuse me of being unimaginative, I will gladly send you samples of my writing which prove otherwise.
In conclusion I haven't proved anything. I can't prove anything. There is nothing in canon that I can point to and say, "There, that proves they're in love." It could well be that they're just very close friends who have been extremely lonely for twelve years and are clinging to any companionship they can get.
I should also say that I love Remus and Sirius's friendship. I don't think an element of romance detracts from it. I certainly would not think of dismissing their closeness as a product of lust, attraction and physical intimacy. They are friends. They are best friends. That is the sort of friendship that the series is about the friendship that can suffer twelve years of adversity and come out the other side as strong as it ever was.
I will also say that the fact that there is passion between Sirius and Remus doesn't mean they're lovers. They're both passionate people. Between two passionate people, there will certainly be fireworks. It depends on the type.
That there is a profound, unbreakable connection between them is undeniable. How you see it is up to you.
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