As Harry Potter fans know, J.K. Rowling has never been afraid to hit us square in the feels. Some of the most beloved characters, such as the wise and kindly Albus Dumbledore, lost their lives in super sad circumstances. Perhaps the most tragic tale in the series, however, is that of the Marauders.
This quartet of schoolfriends, led by Harry’s father James Potter, would all eventually die in Harry’s name. Even Peter Pettigrew, who was executed for showing a moment of mercy towards Harry. During their own school days, they are often portrayed as having been as close as the Golden Trio themselves, but their relationships weren’t without major conflict. Here are some reasons why Sirius Black and Remus Lupin may not have been real friends at all.
Sirius Must Always Have Been Afraid Of Lupin
In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban novel, Lupin reminisces about his earlier transformations into a werewolf. While he was at school, the other three Marauders learned to become unregistered Animagi, so they could support and control him in his wolfish state.
According to Lupin, these were happy times for the quartet, but the tremendous danger they were putting themselves in can’t have been lost on any of them. As close as they were to the werewolf, as comfortable as they were with him, they always knew that a simple slip would have been deadly or infectious. Could Sirius and the others ever have truly felt secure in Lupin’s company?
They Both Assumed The Other Was The Spy
Naturally, all relationships have their ups and downs, but one thing that’s always crucial is trust. Without that, you can never be sure where you stand or how somebody might behave in a given scenario.
Why did Lupin believe for so long that Sirius was the traitor who betrayed the Potters to Voldemort? Because he didn’t know that they had changed their Secret Keeper. Why didn’t he know? The group suspected that there was a spy in their midst, and both men believed that it may have been the other. They may have been able to respond to Pettigrew’s actions if they’d been closer and trusted each other.
Lupin Was Supposed To Be a Good Influence On Sirius
Of the four Marauders, it was always James and Sirius who were the closest. Lupin and Pettigrew were welcomed into their midst, but the group revolved around James and the man who would be Best Man at his wedding.
Even among the Marauders, where he felt at home, Lupin was still a bit of an outsider. He was made a prefect, and confides to Harry that he believed Dumbledore made that decision hoping Lupin would be a good influence on his friends. As Harry himself concludes, though, Lupin did absolutely nothing to stop his fellow Marauders’ cruelty to Snape in the memory he sees. What kind of friendship was this?
The Two Men Are Completely Different
Sirius and James were definitely the ringleaders of their group. Their dominant and extroverted personalities contrasted with those of Lupin and Pettigrew, especially the latter, who was in awe of them both.
In the context of the Marauders, then, things seemed relatively harmonious, but their separate friendships were quite different. Where Sirius was the outgoing, rebellious type, Lupin was quiet and reserved, and also seemed to set a fair amount of stock in the rules as a prefect (even if he did have a part in creating the Marauder’s Map). There didn’t seem to be a lot of common ground between them.
They Didn’t Really See Each Other After School
It’s one of the sad truths of growing up. You’re going to lose contact with people. From our closest friends to vague acquaintances, people start getting jobs, getting married, starting families and moving all over the country, or the planet, once school is over.
For Sirius and Remus, life circumstances dictated that they’d barely be able to contact each other at all. After escaping from Azkaban in the third installment of the beloved franchise, Sirius didn’t get the chance to have his name cleared, and was forced to live in isolation. Lupin, too, had private work to do among other werewolves. When Sirius’ Grimmauld Place house became the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, they reunited, but up to that point, they’d had precious little contact.
They Viciously Battled Each Other After Lupin Transformed
Now, to be fair to poor, long-suffering Remus, this was nobody’s fault. After all, if you’re going to pal around with a werewolf, it’s probably inevitable that you’re going to have furious, slathering jaws clamped around your delicate fleshy bits at some point or another. They can’t control themselves, after all.
This was the very reason that Sirius learned to transform himself into a huge black dog and back at will (which, we can probably all agree, is quite a party trick): so he could control and subdue the beast if necessary. However, none of this changes the fact that the battle between the two at the close of Prisoner of Azkaban was a harrowing and almost fatal clash.
Lupin Hated Sirius And James’ Treatment Of Snape
As we learn later in the series, the ever-snarky Severus Snape had good reasons for feeling as bitter and resentful as he did. His childhood was traumatic. At school, the Marauders mercilessly bullied him with cruel jokes and humiliating spells.
While James was at the forefront of this behavior, Lupin never involved himself. Perhaps, if circumstances had been different, he and Snape could have been great friends, as they had similarly lonely and misunderstood upbringings. As it was, though, Lupin simply stood on the sidelines and allowed James and Sirius to taunt Snape, later expressing great regret for this mistake.
Sirius Didn’t Tell Lupin That The Potters Had Changed Their Secret Keeper
Throughout much of Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is convinced that Sirius Black was the traitor who caused his parents’ deaths. He may have been no traitor, but in the end, it was kind of his fault.
As James’ most trusted friend, the Potters appointed him as their Secret Keeper. This was a complex piece of magic which would mean that the Potters could never be found… unless Sirius divulged their location. It was Sirius himself who convinced them to change their Secret Keeper to Pettigrew instead (as Voldemort and his allies would never expect this), which allowed Wormtail to reveal the secret and doom the Potters. As we’ve already discussed, Sirius didn’t tell Remus anything about this crucial change in the plan, which again suggests a strain on their relationship.
We Just Don’t Know Enough About Their Past To Judge Their Relationship
In the movies, several aspects of the Marauders’ story are glossed over. The books have much more time to touch on certain things, such as a detention exercise where Harry is tasked with emptying out old files of Hogwarts students’ past wrongdoings. James’ and Sirius’ names pop up quite frequently, sometimes joined by Pettigrew’s and Lupin’s.
None of the Marauders survive the events of the series, so we’ll never really know anything more about their relationship. Was it James and Sirius and their two hangers-on? Did Sirius and Remus ever spend much time together as a twosome? We’ll never really know, which is another major point that makes us doubt their friendship.
Lupin Believed Sirius Was Guilty
By his own admission, Lupin believed Sirius was guilty of dooming Harry’s parents and committing the mass-murder he was imprisoned for. He believed this throughout Prisoner of Azkaban, only understanding he was innocent when he saw Peter Pettigrew on the Marauder’s Map.
Had there been no red flags surrounding Wormtail until this point? Wouldn’t Lupin have accepted any truth other than this? It’s hard to see where this would have put their friendship.
