Lupin’s condition was a metaphor (Picture: Warner Bros.)

In one of her new ebooks, released on September 6, JK Rowling has explained the truth behind Remus Lupin’s condition.

The author detailed that Remus’ being part werewolf was a metaphor for ‘illnesses that carry a stigma’.

She swrote: ‘Lupin’s condition of lycanthropy was a metaphor for those illnesses that carry a stigma, like HIV and AIDS.

‘All kinds of superstitions seem to surround blood-borne conditions, probably due to taboos surrounding blood itself. The wizarding community is as prone to hysteria and prejudice as the Muggle one, and the character of Lupin gave me a chance to examine those attitudes.’




The excerpt appears in Short Stories From Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship, And Dangerous Hobbies on Pottermore, which also explains how Lupin became part werewolf.

He was bitten as a child by a man/werewolf who wanted revenge on Remus’ dad.

After that he wasn’t allowed to play with other children for fear they would find out, and he alienated himself from society. If his condition was discovered, his parents would uproot their family and move.

There’s more than meets the eye to Remus Lupin (Picture: Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images)

That was until Albus Dumbledore showed up and invited him to attend Hogwarts. There he made great friends in James Potter and Sirius Black, and had a very happy life with a wife and child.

Sadly, he didn’t make it to the end of the Harry Potter series, despite being one of JK’s ‘favourite’ characters, but he most definitely died a hero’s death.

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