Werewolves at Hogwarts: Who decides, who stays silent, and who acts?
He found that nearly all those he managed to study and question had been wizards before being bitten. He also learned from the werewolves that Muggles ‘taste’ different to wizards and that they are much more likely to die of their wounds, whereas witches and wizards survive to become werewolves.
While in his or her wolfish form, the werewolf loses entirely its human sense of right or wrong.
The werewolf, however, targets humans almost exclusively and poses very little danger to any other creature.
Werewolves generally reproduce by attacking non-werewolves.
Although tragic tales are told of victims who beg to be allowed to die rather than to live on as werewolves.
(Werewolf, Wizard World, Original writing by J. K. Rowling)
What decision did Headmaster Dumbledore make?
“But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn’t come to school…”
As J. K. Rowling herself establishes, werewolves pose a severe and specific danger to humans, with consequences that are often lifelong and, in some cases, so devastating that victims beg to be allowed to die.
And yet, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, knowingly allowed a werewolf to study - alongside children, without informing either the students or their parents that such a danger existed in their immediate environment.
Moreover, Dumbledore’s lax oversight allowed that danger to materialise in reality.
Lupin states: "Well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night."
When Hermione asks, “Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you’d given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?” Lupin replies, “A thought that still haunts me,” and admits that “There were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards.”
And when someone did learn the werewolf’s secret and nearly died because of it, “he was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody.”
Yes — this is how Dumbledore chose to be “sympathetic”: at the cost of other students’ safety and wellbeing, at the cost of repeated near-disasters, and by silencing one of the students after he had almost been killed. Nor was this an isolated decision, the same disregard was shown again when Dumbledore placed that werewolf in charge of students as a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. That DADA teacher then forgot to take his potion, leaving the danger hanging over the school like a Sword of Damocles.
Some members of the staff knew and what did they do?
[ “You’re the cleverest witch of your age I’ve ever met, Hermione.”
“I’m not,” Hermione whispered. “If I’d been a bit cleverer, I’d have told everyone what you are!”
“But they already know,” said Lupin. “At least, the staff do.”
“Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf,” Ron gasped. “Is he mad?”
“Some of the staff thought so,” said Lupin. “He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I’m trustworthy —”
“AND HE WAS WRONG!” Harry yelled. ]
Some of them knew, but canon provides no evidence that they intervened or took any concrete action to mitigate the danger. If anyone can point to a passage that shows otherwise, I genuinely welcome the citation.
But one person did what he could, within the limits of his position: the much-maligned Potions professor
[ “You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss —”
Harry watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn’t covered.
“— werewolves,” said Snape.]
Snape taught the students about werewolves - knowledge necessary given the risks already present at Hogwarts.
[ The door opened, and in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of Harry, his black eyes narrowing.
“Ah, Severus,” said Lupin, smiling. “Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?”
Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry and Lupin.
“I was just showing Harry my Grindylow,” said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.
“Fascinating,” said Snape, without looking at it. “You should drink that directly, Lupin.”
“Yes, Yes, I will,” said Lupin.
“I made an entire cauldronful,” Snape continued. “If you need more.”
“I should probably have some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus.”
“Not at all,” said Snape, but there was a look in his eye Harry didn’t like. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.
Harry looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled.
“Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me,” he said. “I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex.” He picked up the goblet and sniffed it.]
[ “I doubt,” said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney’s conversation, “that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you’ve made the potion for him again?”
“Yes, Headmaster,” said Snape. ]
[ “You’re wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?” he said, his eyes glittering. “I’ve just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did…lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight.”]
Snape brewed the potion, carried it to Lupin’s office, reminded him to drink it, and when he forgot to take it, no member of the staff intervened, except Snape. At this point, the only thing missing was spoon-feeding and softly singing folk songs to coax Lupin into swallowing it.
Snape was not only a Potions professor and Head of Slytherin, but also served as a temporary DADA instructor — and now, it seems, to act as a caretaker as well.
_________________________
Thank you for your tireless and ultimately futile attempts to tear Snape down. By quoting Chapter 17 of Book 3 for me, you kindly handed me the key to writing an entire meta defending him. That single excerpt was more than enough.
Ironically, your efforts to discredit Snape have only helped highlight yet another of his strengths—and given Snape fans even more reason to appreciate him. The harder you try to push him down, the more material you provide for lifting him up. One claim from you, ten counterpoints from canon.
So, genuinely, your contribution has been noted.
dededos
turnnoffyourmind
origamiaround
snowghoul
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
areudirty
