The Marauders – A Tragedy

Remus John Lupin. Top of the class. Prefect. Werewolf. 

The last word sticks doesn’t it? Remus has always been a fascinating character because he is a good person. A trusted friend. A wonderful classmate. However, how can he truly believe that he’s good if he’s reminded by the constant idea that he’s destined to be what he’s seen as: a werewolf? Because no, surely he can’t be a kind and caring person––deep down, he’s a monster. It’s what the textbooks say, so it must be true. It’s what everyone will see. Maybe that’s why Remus is shocked when a boy with long, messy hair and a wide smile walks into his train carriage. And maybe it’s why Remus can barely move a muscle when the boy holds his hand out and says: “Hiya, first year at Hogwarts too?” Maybe it’s why Remus decided at that moment that he will never tell anyone about his lycanthropy, if it means being treated like a normal person. But eventually, he trusts the long-haired boy, the kid with round glasses, and the mousy haired one that always looked confused. And when the time comes, he sighs a breath of relief when they find out about his affliction, rather than run away from the confrontation. Because now he has a tiny sliver of hope. Hope that someone does truly think of him as a person, rather than an animal to speculate at. 

The greatest misfortune of Remus’s life is that he grows up. He grows up and experiences betrayal, becomes an adult, joins the order and is hit by the harsh reality that he’s never not going to be a werewolf. His missions with the order always seem to be with ‘his kind’ and he’s haunted by the constant reminder that he’s not normal. That no matter what, he’ll always be his lycanthropy––or at least, that’s what he sees. Remus had a lot of faith in his friends––tight, unbreakable faith. And even after the prank, he and Sirius seemed to drift back together. The Marauders were known for their undying loyalty to one another. But then they were struck with a harsh reality––even your closest friends can betray you. Life isn’t a happy storybook where you meet your family and stay with them for life. No. Unfortunately, you will be betrayed, you will betray others and at many points feel completely and utterly alone. At the ripe old age of twenty-one, Remus loses every single one of his friends. His only family. Two dead, and another supposedly so. And the long-haired kid from the train––with whom he found something much more than magic––was allegedly a mass murderer, and had betrayed everyone he’d ever cared about. So suddenly, Remus found himself back as a little eleven year old. 

Remus John Lupin. Isolated. ‘Dangerous’. Werewolf.

Sirius Black was never simple. The poor boy constantly had prejudices thrown at him and told to believe everything his abusive parents said––and yet he was as tough as steel. Even as the blue in his eyes faded into a murky grey, he stood by his own firm beliefs. But despite Sirius’s confident demeanour, he was scared. He’s terrified of ending up like his parents, and tries to push away everything that reminds him of his bloodline. The unfortunate truth is that he can’t ever fully escape it. Sirius Orion Black will always have his father’s eyes, his mum’s face, his connection to them. Professors and classmates will always see him and say: “Sirius? You’re Walburga and Orion’s son.”

His school friends will become his only family because along with pushing away his heritage, he lost his little brother too. James, Remus, and Peter will always be the family he chooses and the family he’d put his life on the line for. Alas, the efforts of the boy who’s only ever experienced rejection would always be ignored. Because the second his best friend died, he was put to blame. No one knocked on his door to hug him and give him their condolences. No. The only words said to him on the night of Lily and James Potters’ passing were “a lifetime sentence in Azkaban”. No trial. Nothing. 

Because he was a Black. And that was that. 

Remus and Sirius have always seemed to be like puzzle pieces that fit together. They have such different lives, practically contrasting each other. But they both seem to struggle with the same thing. Identity. Because it shows us something much deeper than how rich you are, whether you’re inflicted with a horrible disease, or if you’re unhappy in your household. It shows us the nature of humans and the soul-crushing need to have an identity. It’s such an important aspect of life to many, knowing who you are…And to be born into a label you’d do anything to change is something that both Remus and Sirius navigate in their stories. 

But does it really matter who you’re defined as, as long as you’re a good person?

James Potter was your classic perfect boy with a perfect life. Good grades. Nice hair. Happy family. Brilliant chaser. I believe people seriously downplay James as a character. Remus is a werewolf. Sirius was abused. Peter betrayed them. But who’s James? Oh, James is just Harry Potter’s dad, he died before the series started. It’s not as though he casted a special charm like Lily did, and saved the wizarding world. 

No. James may not have had any major life traumas as a teenager, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t one of the most important figures in this story. James Fleamont Potter made it his life’s ambition to make this tragic life as enjoyable as possible for his friends. Quoting one of our favourite Marauders stories: “It was James who had an ego the size of a lake, but a heart to match it.”

On the train, James meets a lean, messy-haired boy with sharp features and eyes that should be a bright, electric-blue. Except, to James’s concern, they’re dull, as though life has been sucked out of them. He vows to make those eyes glimmer with excitement one day. The skinny, tired kid in their dorm left his clothes strewn across the floor, but kept his socks folded out of habit. His textbooks were covered in doodles and his face covered in scars. James––fascinated by how someone could be so odd yet grounded––wonders how to bring him out of his shell. Often, James felt like a shared diary of his best friends, or a list of things that made them happy, rather than their brother. Because that happens. You have those friends that are seemingly happy, and always eager to help with anything. 

But that light might just come from a place of darkness. An emptiness they feel that can only be filled by changing the lives of others, because they feel like they can’t change themselves. Yes, James was arrogant. He was rash and annoying and so are many many fifteen year olds. The significant thing is that he grew out of it. He fixed his mistakes and it’s not fair to judge a person based on only half their attributes. James was a strong willed character. He was loyal, so loyal. He got married young, giving his parents a chance to see their little boy happy before they passed. He and Lily raised a wonderful kid in the midst of  war. Perhaps, the greatest tragedy of James and Lily Potters’ life was that it hadn’t even begun. 

Here pops up the unavoidable question – was Peter ever a Marauder? The answer to that is: yes. Yes he was. Why do you think we cared so much when he betrayed them? Why did Sirius escape Azkaban to find him? Why was his betrayal even significant? Well, it’s because you tend to hate an enemy more when they start out a friend. The heartbreak wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t replaced love and trust. Peter was their brother. He held little Harry Potter in his arms, unaware that he’d be the reason the child would be soon orphaned. He had his coffee with too much milk, but hated tea. He never used bookmarks, just hoped to remember his page––and forgot anyway. He talked to the kids in the years below because he remembered how scared he was at their age. He willingly became an illegal animagus for one of his best friends. He was so incredibly generous. He was Peter Pettigrew. He never planned to betray his family. He was wrong. Oh God, so so so wrong. 

That mistake wouldn’t matter if he was never the eleven year old boy they all loved so dearly.

The relationship between the marauders is first and foremost loyal. Remus trusts them not to betray his trust when they find out about his affliction. Sirius trusts his friends to love him when even his own family couldn’t. James trusts them with his life. It’s a relationship built on trust and loyalty…That’s why all the betrayals struck harder than anything else. The prank Sirius played on Snape. Peter’s betrayal, and how it ended with an innocent man being jailed. It’s a punch in the gut to think that Remus probably believed that Sirius was guilty because he’d experienced betrayal from him before. No one expected Black to betray Potter. But Remus never expected Sirius to tell about his lycanthropy either. Peter, a young man with so much potential, lived his life in the cowardly form of a rat. Lily Potter, a fierce, kind, and young character sacrificed her entire future for her one-year-old son––maybe wishing that she could hear James yell “Alright, Evans?” one more time. James Potter, someone who dedicated his life to other people, never got to live for himself. Sirius will always live as part of his family line, as a ‘typical Black’. And Remus…Remus will always live in fear of himself. Remus will see his best friend in a thirteen year old boy called Harry Potter. Remus will listen to little Harry talk about how a mass-murderer called Sirius Black was after him––whom he used to call “Uncle Padfoot”. Remus will see Sirius after twelve years of darkness and only experience two more years with his only family, before needing to part again––likely knowing that his end was coming too.

Maybe one day these kids will reunite with loud laughter and a joking “First year at Hogwarts too?”