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starfishstarHello again, flist friends who love Remus like I do!
I've butted up against a couple of thorny I'm-trying-to-be-canon-compliant-but-canon-is-so-darn-vague questions again, as I forge forward in writing the latter part of my massive R/T fic (yes, it's coming, really!), so I thought I'd call in the experts at being thoughtful on Remus-related questions – i.e., you guys! So feel free to weigh in if you have any thoughts:
Question 1: Once they're back in human form after a full moon, do werewolves retain their memories of what they did while in their wolf form? For whatever reason, I always thought they don't – maybe they have some vague impressions (like how Remus at the end of PoA is able to say definitively that he didn't eat anyone/anything during the night he was loose on the Hogwarts grounds) but not concrete memories. I guess I always assumed being "out of their minds" while transformed meant exactly that – separated from their human mind entirely, not just divorced from their human sense of morality. Then again, Remus reminisces fondly about adventures they had on full moon night, with him transformed and the other three Marauders in their Animagus forms, so maybe he does retain memories, if he's able to talk fondly about those experiences...? The Pottermore info on werewolves is no help; it just says, "While in his or her wolfish form, the werewolf loses entirely its human sense of right or wrong" – but nothing about whether they lose or retain their memory, or other aspects of their mind.
(This is relevant because I have a plot thread in the Remus-with-the-werewolves part of the story where he's stunned to learn that the wild werewolves he's living with are able to retain their memories from their "wolf mind" even once they've returned to human form – the way I've written it, it's a skill that takes a lot of training, and is passed down from werewolf to werewolf, so Remus as a human-raised werewolf never got the chance to learn it from an elder werewolf. But of course all that doesn't work if it's canon that all werewolves can retain their memories.)
Question 2: Are werewolves officially defined as a subset of "humans" or as a separate species? I thought the latter – separate species, not considered "human" – both because the Harry Potter Wiki lists Remus' species as "werewolf" and "human (formerly)" (i.e., if he's a werewolf, then he's no longer technically human) and because I'd thought Remus himself makes statements in the books about himself not being "human." I wouldn't know where to look for those quotes, though – so does that ring any bells for anyone? Also, Pottermore says, "Werewolves have been shunted between the Beast and Being divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for years," which to me implies that they can't be classified as humans, because humans are definitely Beings. Thoughts?
(ETA: This is significant in terms of how the werewolves talk about themselves, since I have them drawing a clear distinction between themselves and humans, and rejecting talking about themselves with terms like "man" or "human." Which I guess they could do even if they are technically humans, but I thought maybe I should try to figure out for sure what they're defined as, in order to make a better-informed decision about this.)
Special bonus question, just for fun: As far as I can tell, it is hard and fast fanon that if the Marauders were a rock band, then unquestionably James would be the lead singer/lead guitarist and Sirius would be the bassist. (I, too, have written a story with that configuration in it!) Is this only because James is presented as sort of the "leader" of the Marauders in canon and the lead singer/guitarist is generally the "leader" of a rock band, and then since bassist seems like the obvious "second" role, that goes to Sirius? Or are there actual character reasons why we think this way – for example, James likes being the center of attention, so he's the singer, and bassists are sexy and dark and mysterious, so that must be Sirius...? Discuss! ;-)
I've butted up against a couple of thorny I'm-trying-to-be-canon-compliant-but-canon-is-so-darn-vague questions again, as I forge forward in writing the latter part of my massive R/T fic (yes, it's coming, really!), so I thought I'd call in the experts at being thoughtful on Remus-related questions – i.e., you guys! So feel free to weigh in if you have any thoughts:
Question 1: Once they're back in human form after a full moon, do werewolves retain their memories of what they did while in their wolf form? For whatever reason, I always thought they don't – maybe they have some vague impressions (like how Remus at the end of PoA is able to say definitively that he didn't eat anyone/anything during the night he was loose on the Hogwarts grounds) but not concrete memories. I guess I always assumed being "out of their minds" while transformed meant exactly that – separated from their human mind entirely, not just divorced from their human sense of morality. Then again, Remus reminisces fondly about adventures they had on full moon night, with him transformed and the other three Marauders in their Animagus forms, so maybe he does retain memories, if he's able to talk fondly about those experiences...? The Pottermore info on werewolves is no help; it just says, "While in his or her wolfish form, the werewolf loses entirely its human sense of right or wrong" – but nothing about whether they lose or retain their memory, or other aspects of their mind.
(This is relevant because I have a plot thread in the Remus-with-the-werewolves part of the story where he's stunned to learn that the wild werewolves he's living with are able to retain their memories from their "wolf mind" even once they've returned to human form – the way I've written it, it's a skill that takes a lot of training, and is passed down from werewolf to werewolf, so Remus as a human-raised werewolf never got the chance to learn it from an elder werewolf. But of course all that doesn't work if it's canon that all werewolves can retain their memories.)
Question 2: Are werewolves officially defined as a subset of "humans" or as a separate species? I thought the latter – separate species, not considered "human" – both because the Harry Potter Wiki lists Remus' species as "werewolf" and "human (formerly)" (i.e., if he's a werewolf, then he's no longer technically human) and because I'd thought Remus himself makes statements in the books about himself not being "human." I wouldn't know where to look for those quotes, though – so does that ring any bells for anyone? Also, Pottermore says, "Werewolves have been shunted between the Beast and Being divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for years," which to me implies that they can't be classified as humans, because humans are definitely Beings. Thoughts?
(ETA: This is significant in terms of how the werewolves talk about themselves, since I have them drawing a clear distinction between themselves and humans, and rejecting talking about themselves with terms like "man" or "human." Which I guess they could do even if they are technically humans, but I thought maybe I should try to figure out for sure what they're defined as, in order to make a better-informed decision about this.)
Special bonus question, just for fun: As far as I can tell, it is hard and fast fanon that if the Marauders were a rock band, then unquestionably James would be the lead singer/lead guitarist and Sirius would be the bassist. (I, too, have written a story with that configuration in it!) Is this only because James is presented as sort of the "leader" of the Marauders in canon and the lead singer/guitarist is generally the "leader" of a rock band, and then since bassist seems like the obvious "second" role, that goes to Sirius? Or are there actual character reasons why we think this way – for example, James likes being the center of attention, so he's the singer, and bassists are sexy and dark and mysterious, so that must be Sirius...? Discuss! ;-)
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no subject
Date: 2014-09-01 04:40 am (UTC)In fanon I think Remus usually doesn't remember his wolf-night experiences, aside from the marauding (but that can easily be explained by Remus hearing about what a great time they had from James and Sirius.)
In other words, I think your rationale - that Remus doesn't really remember wolf memories, but certain werewolves, like Greyback, does, makes sense.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-01 06:38 pm (UTC)Interesting; you know, I think I always assumed "how Remus finds out who bit him" was either directly from his dad (ashamedly finally admitting to Remus, years later, the role he unwittingly played in it by insulting Greyback, and the guilt he's carried around ever since - speaking of which, oh man, what a burden of guilt these Lupins carry with them!) or perhaps through some kind of Ministry record Remus stumbled across. (As opposed to learning the fact from Greyback, directly or indirectly.) But I don't know if I have canonical proof for thinking that!
(Also, shimotsuki has a cool take on that question, in her story "Colours under the Moon" - that Remus doesn't learn who bit him until he accidentally reads about himself in a Ministry file on Greyback, during HBP!)
Mmhm, JKR's frustratingly vague on this whole werewolf memories thing. So I think I'm going to go ahead and keep the bit of my story that relates to this, unless anyone can prove that I shouldn't!
no subject
Date: 2014-09-01 07:02 pm (UTC)It's also definitely plausible that he finds out from his dad, I can't remember if there anything in the Pottermore bio about that?
no subject
Date: 2014-09-01 07:20 pm (UTC)Oh man, oh man. I have so many thoughts about Remus with the werewolf pack – it's what I've been writing for the last, oh gosh, year and a half or so, as I continue my massive R/T fic into the Half-Blood Prince part of the canon timeline... It's starting to get where I really can't wait to share this story with the world, after I've been working on it in my own head for *so* long!