schmirius | (no subject)

me: sirius seems dangerous but he's not, exactly; lupin seems safe but he's not, exactly

@byelawliet: you n a i l e d it in your comment and now i'm reeling and i need more critical discussion gsjkgnk

SURE YEAH I PASSINGLY LIKE TALKING ABOUT PRISONER OF AZKABAN

Sirius and Lupin have almost exactly opposite introductions: Sirius is, off-screen, the most monstrous human that you could possibly imagine. What we know to be evil by this point in the series (dark wizardry, ruthlessness, lack of compassion), he takes one step further (personal face-to-face murder of thirteen people, so little remorse that he in fact just laughs afterwards). Lupin, on the other hand, shows up in person and protects Harry and, even rarer, is kind to him.

Sirius hovers on the periphery of the narrative: he’s definitely around Hogwarts, but he rarely shows up, except when he bursts in, violently, to do Harry harm. (it transpires this is actually a steadfast and loyal act.) Lupin, in contrast, is a constant in Harry’s life, a figure he can depend on – except when he disappears. (it transpires that this is violent.)

Sirius, a man, is the most inhuman man. Lupin, a man, is the most human man, but it turns out he is a beast. But the beast is human. Sirius is a beast, but not in the way you think. His beast is also human.

they meet in the middle at the Shrieking Shack, both figuratively (human/beast) and literally, in the narrative. Neither of them is wholly man nor beast.

The Shrieking Shack is the turning point, and like, the most liminal setting to exist. Here are the reversals and the reveals: Lupin says with an odd shiver passing over his face that he is a werewolf. Sirius appears in person and speaks for himself and all the terrible things he’s done mean something fairly human and noble. Lupin owns up to being selfish and not as morally correct as Harry has been thinking. Sirius turns out to be almost entirely selfless and way, way more morally correct than you could have hoped. Both of them are still intense and kind of Wrong in the ways that they do the things they do.

it makes 100% sense to me that people misremember Sirius as having hidden in the Shack all year as opposed to the Forest where he actually hid! but here are the facts: Sirius lives away from society, in the wild. Lupin lives in the center of society, in the castle. The Shack is both inside society, a dwelling in Hogsmeade; plus entirely outside, on the periphery of the village and spoken of by the villagers as this Other thing full of screaming non-people and echoes of unquiet souls. The Shack is the place that belongs to both of them.