Professor Lupin Character Analysis in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry, Ron, and Hermione first meet Professor Lupin on the Hogwarts Express. He's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and though he's not very old, he's going gray, appears somewhat ill, and wears very shabby robes. However, he soon impresses the Gryffindor students when dementors search the train and he repels them and distributes chocolate, which is an antidote. This makes it clear to students and staff alike that Lupin is a competent teacher. During his lessons he makes sure to encourage less confident students like Neville, while also rewarding Hermione for her vast knowledge. Harry notices several strange things, however, including that Snape appears to loathe Lupin and that Lupin is regularly ill. Lupin begins to take on the role of a mentor to Harry when Harry asks for help in learning to fight dementors. Harry's trust in Lupin grows quickly, especially when Lupin tells Harry the truth about why he does certain things and when he covers for Harry when he's caught in Hogsmeade with the Marauder's Map. During one of Lupin's illnesses, Snape substitutes for his class and assigns an essay on werewolves. Hermione is the only one to complete it and to realize that Lupin is a werewolf. In the Shrieking Shack, Lupin finally shares that Dumbledore allowed him to come to Hogwarts as a student and built the Shrieking Shack so that he had a safe place to transform. Lupin was friends with James, Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew, and the three turned themselves into Animagi so they could keep Lupin company during his transformation. Their adventures around the school gave them the information to write the Marauder's Map. Though Lupin admits that his friends' sacrifice made his transformations bearable, he also recognizes that they were naïve and selfish and didn't fully consider what could've gone wrong. Snape's hatred of Lupin means that, after Black escapes, Snape takes his frustrations out on Lupin by letting slip that he's a werewolf. As werewolves are shunned in wizarding society, Lupin is forced to resign. However, he gives Harry back the Marauder's Map that he previously confiscated before he leaves.

Professor Lupin Quotes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban quotes below are all either spoken by Professor Lupin or refer to Professor Lupin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

"Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

Related Characters: Professor Snape (speaker), Hermione Granger, Professor Lupin, Neville Longbottom

Page Number and Citation: 132

Explanation and Analysis:

"Why didn't you let me fight it? said Harry abruptly.

Lupin raised his eyebrows.

"I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," he said, sounding surprised.

Harry, who had expected Lupin to deny that he'd done any such thing, was taken aback.

Related Characters: Harry Potter (speaker), Professor Lupin (speaker), Voldemort

Page Number and Citation: 155

Explanation and Analysis:

"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between--"

"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on--"

"Silence!" snarled Snape.

Related Characters: Professor Snape (speaker), Parvati Patil (speaker), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor Lupin

Page Number and Citation: 171

Explanation and Analysis:

"Well, isn't it obvious?" said Hermione, with a look of maddening superiority.

"If you don't want to tell us, don't," snapped Ron.

"Fine," said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off.

"She doesn't know," said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. "She's just trying to get us to talk to her again."

Related Characters: Ron Weasley (speaker), Hermione Granger (speaker), Harry Potter, Professor Lupin

Page Number and Citation: 236

Explanation and Analysis:

"I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth...

"And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

Related Characters: Professor Lupin (speaker), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Sirius Black, Scabbers/Peter Pettigrew, James Potter

Page Number and Citation: 354

Explanation and Analysis:

"That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"

"A thought that still haunts me," said Lupin heavily. "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless--carried away with our own cleverness."

Related Characters: Hermione Granger (speaker), Professor Lupin (speaker), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, Scabbers/Peter Pettigrew, James Potter

Page Number and Citation: 355

Explanation and Analysis:

"But if--if there was a mistake--"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Related Characters: Hermione Granger (speaker), Professor Snape (speaker), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Professor Lupin, Sirius Black, Scabbers/Peter Pettigrew

Page Number and Citation: 360

Explanation and Analysis:

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple...so brilliant...he cut if off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself--and sped down into the sewer with the other rats..."

Related Characters: Professor Lupin (speaker), Sirius Black (speaker), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Professor Lupin, Scabbers/Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Lily Potter

Page Number and Citation: 363

Explanation and Analysis:

Professor Lupin Character Timeline in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The timeline below shows where the character Professor Lupin appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...asleep. He looks ill and exhausted. Hermione reads his case, which reads that he's Professor Lupin—presumably, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry shares what he overheard and what... (full context)

...and Hermione raises her voice when Ron shoves Crookshanks away. They go silent when Professor Lupin stirs, but he stays asleep. Crookshanks finally settles in an empty seat and watches Ron... (full context)

...to leave, but runs into Ginny on her way out. As they argue, they hear Lupin tell them to be quiet. Lupin conjures a handful of flames, tells the students to... (full context)

Before Lupin reaches the door, a towering, cloaked figure opens it. Harry sees that it has a... (full context)

Harry asks what happened, and Ron explains that Harry started having a fit. Professor Lupin approached the dementor and when it didn't move, he shot something silvery out of his... (full context)

...out of the carriage, Malfoy maliciously asks if Harry actually fainted. He stops, however, when Lupin asks if there's a problem. (full context)

Responsibility, Morality, and Time Theme Icon

...Pomfrey says that he at least needs chocolate and is thrilled when she hears that Lupin already gave Harry some. With this, McGonagall excuses Harry. He waits a few minutes until... (full context)

...or Invisibility Cloaks, and that they don't understand pleading or excuses. Then, Dumbledore introduces Professor Lupin. Ron notices that as the school applauds for Lupin, Professor Snape looks at Lupin with... (full context)

...Gryffindors sit in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with quills and parchment ready. Lupin arrives, announces a practical lesson, and leads the class towards the staffroom. They run into... (full context)

Lupin leads the class to a wardrobe and explains that there's a boggart inside. Hermione defines... (full context)

Lupin asks the rest of the class to think of what scares them the most and... (full context)

...door and then wanders around the castle. He decides to visit Hedwig when he hears Lupin call his name. When Lupin ascertains that Harry is the only student not in Hogsmeade,... (full context)

Lupin asks Harry if there's something wrong, so Harry asks why he wasn't allowed to fight... (full context)

Snape knocks on the door and lets himself in. He gives Lupin a smoking goblet, tells him to drink it now, and Harry notices a strange look... (full context)

...Hogsmeade adventure. Hermione and Ron are aghast when Harry tells them about the potion that Lupin drank, and they wonder if Snape is trying to poison him. During the Halloween feast,... (full context)

Snape greets Harry instead of Lupin, docks points from Gryffindor for Harry's lateness, and explains that Lupin is ill. He tells... (full context)

...Ron throws a crocodile heart at him and Snape takes 50 points from Gryffindor. Fortunately, Lupin is back to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, though he looks ill still. As... (full context)

Lupin asks Harry to stay after class. He offers condolences for Harry's broomstick and sighs that... (full context)

Lupin awkwardly almost touches Harry's shoulder and then curtly says that the dementors are getting angry... (full context)

...sits, looking as though she expects something to go wrong. She and McGonagall heatedly discuss Lupin's absence and Trelawney's "inner eye," but Dumbledore stops them by saying that Lupin is ill... (full context)

...Harry his life line is very short. After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry asks Lupin if they can start their anti-dementor lessons. Lupin asks Harry to meet him Thursday evening.... (full context)

On Thursday evening, Harry meets Lupin in the History of Magic classroom. Lupin brings a suitcase containing a boggart. Harry tries... (full context)

Harry jerks back awake on the floor, apologizes, and accepts Lupin's proffered Chocolate Frog. As he eats it, he mutters that he heard Lily and Voldemort... (full context)

...insists on trying again and settles on the memory of learning he was a wizard. Lupin opens the case, Harry shouts the incantation, and though he still hears Lily screaming, it's... (full context)

...to refuse to give Harry the Firebolt. To make things worse, the dementor lessons with Lupin stall and Harry's Patronus never gets distinct. After four weeks, Lupin tells Harry that for... (full context)

The team descends upon Harry and then the crowd engulfs them. Harry hears Lupin beside him complimenting him on his Patronus. When Harry says he didn't feel anything, Lupin... (full context)

...Neville appears. Neville invites Harry to play a game and work on their essays for Lupin, but Snape interrupts. His eyes flick to the witch statue as he sends both boys... (full context)

...to reveal its secrets. Words appear on the map, all insulting Snape's appearance. Snape summons Lupin through the fireplace and Lupin climbs out. He inspects the map and says it likely... (full context)

Lupin cheerfully takes back the map and tells Harry and Ron to follow him. In the... (full context)

Lupin's exam is their second to last, and it entails an outdoor obstacle course that asks... (full context)

Lupin bursts through the door, takes in the scene, and disarms Harry and Hermione. Then, he... (full context)

Ron whimpers and Lupin starts towards him, but Ron gasps for Lupin to get away from him. Hermione says... (full context)

Lupin says that when Harry, Ron, and Hermione left Hagrid's, he saw that a fourth person... (full context)

After a moment of silence Ron says that Black and Lupin are crazy, and Harry points out that Black killed Peter Pettigrew twelve years ago. Black... (full context)

...that Pettigrew can't be an Animagus because the Ministry keeps a register and would've known. Lupin laughs and tells Hermione that she's right, but there were once three unregistered Animagi at... (full context)

Lupin says that his transformations were awful, but he had three friends—Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and... (full context)

Hermione interjects that what they did was extremely dangerous. Lupin heavily says she's right; there were several times when he nearly bit someone. He feels... (full context)

...the Invisibility Cloak. He explains that he took a goblet of the Wolfsbane Potion to Lupin's office, where he found the Marauder's Map. Snape says that it's evidence that Lupin has... (full context)

Harry points out that Lupin could've killed him many times over the school year. When Snape refuses to listen, Harry... (full context)

Lupin tells Harry that it's time to provide proof that his story is true. Black asks... (full context)

Lupin notes that Scabbers looks awful now, and he and Ron argue about whether Scabbers's health... (full context)

...persuaded them to make Peter their Secret Keeper, not knowing Peter was working with Voldemort. Lupin cuts him off and says that they can prove this by making Peter show himself.... (full context)

...not from him. He suggests they'll be displeased to learn that Pettigrew is alive, and Lupin asks why an innocent man would spend twelve years as a rat. Pettigrew tries to... (full context)

At this, Pettigrew falls to his knees and pleads with Black and Lupin. They decide to kill Pettigrew together, so Pettigrew turns to Ron. Ron, however, looks revolted.... (full context)

...their way towards the castle in the dark, the clouds shift. Snape's body runs into Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who all stop suddenly. Lupin goes rigid and starts to shake. Sirius... (full context)

Lupin and Sirius rip at each other violently and Harry only stops watching when Hermione screams.... (full context)

...but he stops them. He reminds them that there's no proof of Sirius's innocence, and Lupin's testimony will count for little given that he's a werewolf. Dumbledore says that he believes... (full context)

...Dumbledore walks Macnair, Fudge, and the Committee member back to the castle and minutes later, Lupin lets himself into the tree. Harry suggests that he could go grab the Invisibility Cloak... (full context)

...Hagrid finds them to tell them the good news about Buckbeak. Hagrid also shares that Lupin is a werewolf and just resigned. Harry runs to Lupin's office and knocks on the... (full context)

Lupin asks Harry to tell him about his Patronus and confirms that James's Animagus form was... (full context)

Harry flops down in Lupin's chair and says that what he did didn't make any difference since Pettigrew escaped. Dumbledore... (full context)

...job at the Ministry. Harry, however, feels awful. His entire class is sad to see Lupin go, and he fixates on Trelawney's prediction. He also hates that he has to go... (full context)