Lupin Tonks fanfic analysis-Werewolves Are Not Popular Dinner Guests

 Werewolves Are Not Popular Dinner Guests

Chapter title- In which a wolf, like in so many muggle fairy tales is foiled again

Lupin thought he didn't ask much from life because he could not even get a peaceful evening reading the newspaper and enjoying a hot cup of tea. He wanted to keep himself miserable because he could easily have joined the children in their antics but he refused to. And, he was missing Sirius. He did not really want to indulge in their activities though he loved to watch them. He thought his involvement would not have mattered much in Ron and Hermione's heated argument when deep down he wanted to participate. Life hadn't offered him much joy and company but now when it did with open arms, he was refusing and complaining about it too. He didn't want to be miserable in the first place but now that he is used to being so, he doesn't want not to be miserable again. Yet, he could feel the cool breeze float him all this company felt pleasant to him, its just he didn't yet know if he was entitled to have this company or not. It shows that Lupin needed more time to adjust to normal life again, rushing matters was not going to help. 

Just as Lupin is adjusting to this newfound pleasant feeling, a purple head appears. It shows that she is an impish thing and a vivid contrast to the pleasant cool wind of the parlour. She also appears suddenly as a whirlwind in his peaceful life which is just adapting to find joy in cool breeze. 

She says in a suspiciously cheerful voice and calls her to the kitchen. It has many levels of meaning. Her voice is suspicious because he knows she is going to ask for something that would make him uncomfortable. But, he would never be uncomfortable doing whatever she asked him to do, at least not deep down, it would only rejuvenate him. But, he needs time to let good things into his life, and letting them in so suddenly is hard for him. He looks worried about his own reaction to the best thing in his life but Tonks is adamant. She says that it would not be that bad but just a mild torture. Here, it is a joke because being invited to a dinner party is no torture. Tonks wants him to be happy with him which is why she calls him of all people to light up the mood in that dinner. She knows that no matter how grim the mood is with all the old people around, he can always make her happy and she can in return make him happy too. 

Remus cannot copy Tonks reassurance because he can feel no reassurance, whatever Tonks has in store for him is not going to be a very happy or easy thing. The children laugh because they don't understand why he should be so grim about something that his best friend, Tonks, asks him to do. 

His face looked like a Jack-o-Lantern. It refers to Halloween and dark creatures because Lupin is a werewolf. It also refers to having a lot of light within, light enough to light up the whole Halloween darkness. Yet, the Lantern has an awkward face so Lupin feels ecstatic even if Tonks has mild torture in store for him, he knows that he is going to love it. Still, he can't show it completely with the smile on his face because he is not yet ready to accept his lover into his life. 

Even so, he went to the kitchen with her where she had called him, and sat at the table ready to oblige despite feeling so unsure. Tonks is very casual because she is leaning on the sink and making Remus do things like this is routine to her. 

Tonks considers Lupin her best friend yet she hesitates to ask him for something that she herself wouldn't like to give to anyone. That is why she is asking in a very serious tone of voice, she still wonders if she can just ask him for anything because she doesn't think she ever gave him anything but he did give her a lot she thinks. So, she is asking if she has any right to ask Remus to go to a place where she herself would not like to go, just to keep her company. Tonks cares a lot for Lupin and does not take his kind and humble nature for granted. 

Lupin still does not understand that this friend Tonks is talking about is him, all her compliments are for him. That is the reason he considers his answer and clears his throat. After all, no matter how huge a favor Tonks asks from him, he will say yes without hesitation. 

Tonks does not understand that he did not realize that he is the friend she is talking about. So, she shifts uncomfortably, she does think that the favor is in the human sacrifice category. But, she does not want him to refuse but cannot bring herself to lie either. So, she says that it falls between the two categories. Remus shrugs and dismisses because he still does not think that Tonks is going to call him a friend and compliment him this way. Still, he non-commitally wants to know what the favor is. 

Lupin interrupts Tonks the moment she tries to push her point about a dinner party. Lupin cannot think of himself as a normal individual, all he can think of is his lycanthropy. Even something as simple as a dinner party hosted by his parents stirs that thought in him. Maybe he is bitter that his parents could never host a dinner party because of his condition. But, he tries to emphasize it in her mind again because reminding her of his condition will push her away. He can feel that she is warm toward him and fears that someday his condition will drive her away from him. So, better remind her now to push her away so that he does not get a well-deserved heartbreak someday for loving her. 

Tonks is not interested to know whether the man she loves has lycanthropy or not, she waves her hand impatiently. She does not want to be interrupted and does not want to hear the story of silverware. Maybe she didn't even realize what he was saying. She just came to the point of seeing where it all was going with all her ambiguity. When she said the word 'old, crusty friends', then Lupin had no problem relating that snide remark with himself. 

How Lupin can relate the unflattering remarks to himself but thinks nothing of the highly flattering ones she first made speaks of Lupin's self-perception. She is happy that he took the cue so fast and understood that she was actually inviting him to the party. After all, he was fidgeting so much and so nervous to ask this favour from him. Yet, she does not want to call him old and crusty because she does not think of him that way. Instead, she calls him a 'fountain of youth'. And, she does not order him to come but says please with such emphasis because she wants his company when she knows that the party is going to bore her. Tonks really wants him there so she presses how Hestia and Emmeline failed her and how Kingsley was a little bugger. Tonks wouldn't have asked Hestia or Emmeline that desperately. She wants her Remus there so much and she has checked that it is not a full moon, she won't take a no for an answer from her own Remus though she can bear rejection from Hestia and Emmeline. It also shows how Tonks has very few friends outside the order. She could have asked some of her auror friends for it. But, the order is the world to Tonks and Remus Lupin, its prominent member, is something she wants a lot. 

Lupin found it hard to accept the invitation, to accept so many scornful eyes to bash the werewolf. He would have preferred death and saying no to his Dora is out of question, so he must find a suitable excuse. Tonks has read his mind, she has double-checked that he has got nothing to do and knows his routine full well. 

Tonks is offended that he is looking like he is trying to avoid this invitation. 'And, don't pretend you have somewhere to go, Remus.' The word, 'Remus' shows that she is not ordering him around, rather, she is just offended. 

Lupin did not like to be called a bore for playing something as intellectual as chess, he does not want Tonks to call him a bore when he has called himself crusty and old before. So, he is indignant. He finds challenging and intellectual things like playing chess so interesting and tries to say good things about himself. So, he says that he is close to beating Ron but admits that the estimate is a little biased which means he won't brag, not even in front of the woman of his dreams. He is a humble and respectable man of integrity. So, he shifts the topic to helping young Ginny Weasley with potions homework, it is boring but necessary so maybe this is a good excuse. Besides, this is also a way to say bad things about Severus, he could have dragged McGonagall or Flitwick's name too, but he wants to drag only Severus. We know from the Prisoner of Azkaban that Lupin admitted that he was not much of a potion brewer himself. So, hard potions homework would look a horrible thing to him. Lupin can easily associate horrible things with Snape out of all Hogwarts professors. 

Yet, he feels guilty for having lied even if it is a harmless lie and does not even count insulting Snape or spreading rumors about him. He realizes that he was an awful liar but even in a bad thing like lying, he considers himself not as good as James and Sirius. He needed to lie to her, nevertheless, and couldn't help but congratulate himself for pulling a lie out of thin air. 

Ginny showed up right at that moment and Remus could not even communicate this lie to her. She was happy that her homework was over and had come to celebrate and treat herself to some pudding. Ginny notices how unusual their reactions got when she said such a casual thing that had got nothing to do with them. She asks through a bit of birthday cake which means she feels so awkward that now she cannot even treat herself properly. Tonks is smiling joyously because now Lupin cannot refuse her. Lupin's face is buried in his hands, he is ashamed of being caught lying like this. 

Tonks is happy that now Ginny has become her accomplice in this, albeit inadvertently. Lupin now was caught lying red-handed and that too to the love of his life and in front of the youngest Weasley whom he had taught. The only way to preserve his dignity was to nod his head in agreement. And, he nodded from behind his hand, it was the only way to keep Tonks from blurting out to Ginny that the Professor she so much looked up to was using her name to worm his way out of trouble. 

And, his earlier lie was exposed too when Ginny said that Lupin was beaten by Ron in chess all the time. This shows that Lupin would spend time playing chess because it kept him in his comfort zone. Losing to Ron was not as bad as being despised by a room full of people. 

Title analysis- In which a wolf, like in so many muggle fairy tales is foiled again

Muggle fairy tales always foil the wolf. The wolf lies and at the end, he has to meet his sticky little end. The same thing happens to our favorite werewolf professor, Remus Lupin here. He lies to get away from going to Tonks's dinner party but Ginny foils him and now his only choice is to go. 

But, the irony of it all makes Lupin more endearing to the readers. The adorable way in which he lies with a lot of guilt and desperation yet gets red-faced when caught red-handed shows us the kind of lovely wolf we are dealing with here. 

Yes, Remus Lupin is a werewolf, and who can deny it? But, who made him a werewolf? The hatred of the world around him which he cannot bring himself to hate so he directs it towards his own self and makes himself miserable. 

Chapter title- In which the previously mentioned wolf expresses surprise over numerous issues

Lupin does not even react to Kreacher calling him shabby-looking nor does he give it a second thought. All he can think of is to convince himself that he does not want to go and spend time with Tonks. Tonks isn't watching him now, Kreacher isn't going to show interest in his affairs, Ron is a child and too engrossed in chess, and Lupin has just himself to convince. He doesn't want to feel the relief from being spared another massive defeat in chess by his former student. 

Lupin wants to know if he can express his surprise or not so he gauges Kreacher's mood. And, Kreacher is only a lowly house-elf. This shows that Lupin cares for anyone and everyone even if that is the one who betrayed them. But, that doesn't mean that he likes Kreacher calling him names, so he doesn't want to get burnt. Yet, he will not compare the house elf to something destructive like the fiendfyre, he compared even the filthy little vermin-like elf to the sun itself, the giver of life. That is the kindness of our favorite werewolf in all literature. Then, he cannot think of Tonks when he thinks of Kreacher despite all his kindness. This is the reason why he wonders that Mrs. Black told him something, because how could he think of his real sunshine, Tonks while looking at Kreacher. 

Kreacher calls Lupin filthy half-breed and his Tonks filthy half-blood, both sound so familiar. It means even Kreacher who hates them all has unwittingly felt the love and the bond of friendship between the two. 

Fred said something funny to voice his annoyance. Lupin the marauder did not let himself feel annoyed or voice his annoyance because he thought it was normal to be treated like a filthy half-breed but Fred cannot take it. He respects his professor and stands for him even if it is in a humorous way. Fred wonders why Lupin did not retort. But, the Moony of Marauders map had said similar insulting but humorous things about Severus Snape. It shows how the years have been harsh on Moony and he now is so broken. Fred is a Weasley and a pureblood and has grown up with all kinds of wizarding world's prejudices against the werewolves but even he finds it offensive, so it is extremely offensive, yet Lupin does not want to stand up for himself. 

Lupin had talked to Kreacher in a vague and impersonal manner. It means he never took anything that Kreacher had to say very seriously. Since Kreacher represents the wizarding world's prejudice, it applies to all people who treated him badly for his condition. But, this also means that Lupin is ready to give his kindness and civility without expecting it back most of the time. He is being vague and impersonal while reacting to such personal insults, our favorite werewolf has mastered the self-destructive art of blocking out emotions. Arguing with Kreacher is a pity and Lupin pities that Sirius had nothing better to do than that. He himself could not be a normal person yet he wanted  Sirius to act like a normal person like playing accordion or something. So, that is a glimpse into the werewolf's mind, he does not say go hunting or gambling or stealing or predating women, he thinks of playing accordion as a suitable occupation to do when one is bored. It shows that Lupin is more human than Sirius.  

Kreacher can remind Lupin of his best friend, Sirius, but not his sunshine, Tonks. It again shows how Tonks is happy and bubbly but Sirius was morose and stinking of dementors and hopelessness and Azkaban all the while. 

Ron's knight had beaten Lupin's queen but he had paid no attention to it. This shows that he lost so often because he was not really interested in the game. He played only because he needed something to pass his time staying in his comfort zone. He said alright Kreacher as if Kreacher had not just mortally offended him and turned back to the chess board. So, Lupin is used to overlooking these things. And, he turns to someone who is liking him though he does not like the game much. He mutters about knights then makes a silly move and after that, he loses. Ron is engrossed in the game and does not notice what his favorite professor is saying. 

Hermione is courteous when she says, 'have a nice time'. Lupin could have just waved her goodbye but he said 'don't worry' as if he is genuinely worried about whether he really could have a good time or not. 

The children discussed why he looked that sad and Ron believed that it was because he had lost in chess again. They cannot yet see how their bookish professor could be in love with the clumsy auror. They do not make fun of him but rather praise his perseverance. And, Ron was the underdog of the family, even the intellectual professor losing to such a friend or brother does not ruin the reputation of the professor in their eyes. 

Lupin cannot help but feel miserable for some reason. He does not like chess nor is he interested in the game itself. Yet, it is another excuse for him to feel miserable that he lost to Ron. The image of the Gryffindor common room scared him at the chessboard and flattered him so he did not like losing either. It further stresses how he did things he did not particularly like at Grimmauld Place. So, there is a reason why he does end up arriving at Tonks' place and is ready to enter. He knows he is going to like to be with Tonks, the obnoxious part are the people down there. 

He does take notice of the beauty of Tonks' place but he does not feel like he could belong there. So, his mind reverts back to chess and Ron where at least he is sure that he can belong forever without being despised. 

Despite all this, Tonks' voice is the magnet that draws him out of all his reverie. He abandons all his miserable thoughts and turns to her. She holds an irresistible power over him. He notices how her hair is not longer pink or purple, rather, it is brown and she looks too formal in her sleek black robes as if she were mourning. Of course, she is glum because of these old, crusty guests running around her home and she was waiting for her best friend and lover to show up. So, she pipes up behind him just as she arrives. And, he starts a pleasant and playful banter the moment he starts speaking. 

And, Tonks shows him Percy Weasley and his girlfriend, Penelope. She isn't happy with them at her place because she uses the word, 'unfortunate' which means the younger couple were more insufferable than the 'old and crusty' guys. They are younger than Tonks and far younger that her friend and lover, Remus. Yet, it is his company she seeks. It stresses Lupin's youthfulness which remains unharmed in his personality despite his age compared to Percy's awful tastes. Percy is laughing at this old warlock's jokes and his laughter is not real compared to Remus who is very sincere and very real. So, Tonks did not go seeking his company. And, how can Penelope be so nervous when her boyfriend is laughing so much is a mystery to Tonks. Lupin always cheered her up, he did not make her nervous. This again shows that Lupin-Tonks are better as a couple than Percy-Penelope despite the unfavorable age difference of the former. 

Lupin joked with indignation why she did not show him the common humanity of not having asked him to come and join her at the party. He also playfully pointed out that he was a werewolf so getting around so many people who were prejudiced against him was as bad as forcing the Weasleys to meet Percy. However, he is not complaining because he too is happy to be with Tonks despite everything. He is happy to be of some use to her. Tonks gets unhappy because she thought that at least the man she loved may be loved her back and would enjoy her company as much as she enjoyed his. But, she could not see why Lupin did not want to come, that it was not her he was trying to avoid, it was the people and their prejudice. 

Tonks begs his pardon because she did not want to bother him, she respected and loved him as her best friend even if he did not return her feelings for him. Even as Percy Weasley draws his girlfriend away from Lupin who was trying to say hello, Tonks does not realize what is wrong yet and she still thinks that it is the crusty, old people who bore Lupin as much as they bore her. But, Lupin turns his back to the Pompous Percy and his shallow ways. He turns to his lover instead and is more concerned about making her happy and comfortable again. After all, he is the one who made her sad for complaining, even playfully, about being invited to the party. 

Lupin says that he has been too far worse parties compared to which these old folks were no bother at all. But, he tries to make her laugh by reminding her of a party at Sirius's. But, they both decide to backtrack and speak of something happier. So, here is a couple always concerned about each other more than themselves and fitting perfectly together. Even Lupin realized that Tonks though much younger to him was much grown up too and was far better company than Ron. It was not like he did not like Ron but being with Ron meant doing something that drained him, something like playing chess which he wasn't a big fan of. But, being with his Tonks gave him new life and yes, he was a big fan of her to boot. 

Mrs Tonks calls them both and is happy to see Remus with her. She says that they cannot hide behind the punch bowl forever. Lupin has his own reasons to hide, and Tonks has her own but in the end, both are hiding and hiding together enjoying each other's company. Being called together is what makes Tonks shudder. But, Lupin despite all his clever shrewdness cannot decipher it. He wonders why she shuddered and brought up a lot of meaningless meanings behind her shuddering. 

People are prejudiced and they don't want to come closer to him anymore. They are giving him a wide berth because Percy has spread the word about his condition. But, when Tonks, oblivious of all this, is ready to accompany him, be seen in the crowd with him, and his talking to him about something casual as though nothing ever happened then he no longer feels like a cursed dark creature, he feels like Moses. That is the effect she has on him. 

Tonks doesn't like the gossipy Cookie because gossiping isn't what she does. Andromeda does not care whether Lupin is a werewolf or not, she publically throws her arms around him and is happy to see him again at her place. She introduces him to everyone without hesitation. Tonks gave him a different reason for why Cookie will be unhappy to meet him but Lupin knew better when Cookie responded in an offhand way to his civility. Lupin decided not to be too civil and disappoint her by saying that he would be at dinner too. 

Lupin is interested in whatever interests Tonks, even PK. He decided to hold back his civility towards Cookie but not his friendship towards Tonks. Lupin found it interesting to follow his best friend and lover while she searched for the little menace called PK. He decided that it would be great to see Tonks' innocence. 

Chapter title: Things with TOnks are not what Lupin is used to, her party and her company drive him into an unknown territory and he expresses a surprise, a pleasant kind of surprise. 

Chapter - In which a young woman rethinks the direction of her life and the wolf grapples with chronic unemployment and non-existent rent. 

Dawlish and Lupin bump into each other and avoid each other completely. Lupin stalks off because Dawlish is a blind supporter of the ministry. Dawlish later ends up torturing and imprisoning muggle-borns so he definitely was prejudiced towards Lupin. Tonks followed Lupin and wondered whether being an auror was the best profession. Dawlish and Lupin were both his seniors, Dawlish at the ministry and Lupin at the Order. She wondered which one was the best because Lupin was better than Dawlish both as a person and personally to her. Since Tonks' father was a muggle-born and she was working for the Order too, Dawlish and Tonks couldn't exactly like each other. But, Lupin and Tonks loved each other. Then her thoughts shift to Mad-Eye, her mentor, who is also in the Order and he had warmed up to her since she had joined the Order. So, the readers realize here that Tonks did not love Lupin for being a prominent Order member alone because there is something about him she loves and wants all the time. So, her cherished profession does not give her the kind of joy that being something like Lupin's wife would give. 

She further thinks that Moody at least had emotions, unlike Dawlish who had none. She compares him to Professor Binns, the History Professor and the ghost at Hogwarts, and realizes that his silence is like Dawlish's cacophony, none adds meanings to her life. At least Moody has added meaning to her life and Lupin immensely so and held much more potential to do so. And, Lupin had wandered off leaving her alone with Dawlish to listen to a rubbish story about some dark wizard in Italy when Lucius Malfoy was closer home and jumping in and out of the Ministry. 

And, her boredom and inability to fit in even extended to her mother's choice of hair color who wasn't a bigot and didn't hate Lupin. She could no longer relate to the seniors in her auror office or at home. She realized that she belonged somewhere else and her Remus was somewhere else. She compared her situation to those girls who had to bear their feet getting deformed. Tonks is feeling like if she puts up for too long to live as a junior under these people then she could deform and no longer remain happy, they were not her type, Lupin was. 

Tonks cursed Lupin to have an awful time because he had left her there with Dawlish and other boring people when she had invited him over to give her company. She wished she too could run away from Dawlish without having any obligation, she wished she too could be like Remus, and even being unemployed and a werewolf held its appeal for her. If she could not have these things then at least she could have Remus for a company that had these things, free from pressure to put up with unsavory people because of the profession. 

Andromeda is trying to find Remus but she can't so she asks Tonks. She is expecting her daughter to be with him. Tonks is still furious for not having him for company and not being able to find him among the sea of heads is not helping matters either. So, she curses him for getting lost despite being a werewolf. She finds his wolfish nature an asset and wolfish powers coveted. Andromeda knows that her daughter should not shout out this werewolf thing though she herself doesn't mind. It shows that Andromeda has allowed herself to be deformed which her daughter so detests. She keeps her daughter from shouting these things aloud though she is well aware that the whole room knows it already. 

Despite not seeing eye-to-eye with her mother about hairstyles and talking out loud about werewolf things, she still sees sense and realizes why Lupin left her for the privacy of her father's library. She still talks about his wolfish powers as if they were some gifts like sniffing collars to know what people had for their breakfasts. Andromeda realizes why Lupin was not enjoying the party and feels discomfort for letting her guest feel so bad. So, Tonks hastily changes the topic and tells her mum to forget all about it. She says that he would return when he felt hungry and immediately regretted it because he did not particularly want to come to the party or enjoy food. Then, cursed herself for treating him like a greedy bloodhound. She was so sad that she invited him and put him through this trouble that she did not even notice him enter the room with the accursed PK. 

Even while talking to Prudence, Lupin can't help but notice how she does not like her name, and that reminds him of his Nymphadora who hated her first name too. But, he does not call her Nymphadora in front of others, it is a private banter that he wants to enjoy with his best friend. Even Prudence, a child, can imagine that Lupin is Tonks' boyfriend, that Tonks invited him over to the party, because the nosy child can easily see that Lupin is like Tonks, both don't fit in. 

Tonks thinks being unemployed is cool if one gets to be Remus Lupin but Lupin does not think so as is revealed in his conversations with PK. The little girl's mother shows up and gives a disapproving look. She does not like her daughter in the company of a werewolf. Lupin hurries to answer the question for PK about why her father left her in his care lest PK cooks up some funny stories and do him in. Tonks had called the girl a menace and now even Lupin knows that she is a menace after hearing about things she had done in school. Lupin does not want Cookie to assume that he was planning to lure her daughter out and eat her for dinner that night. 

Tonks still will not stop bantering with him and calling him an awful guest. The point to note here is that she doesn't find her an awful dinner guest because of his condition but because he denied her his company and gave it to PK instead. Why should her own friend eat dinner with PK? This has truly infuriated her. Lupin does not stick up for PK either, he gives his own reasons that he talked to her dad first and ended up having to be in her company. Now that Tonks realizes that Lupin did not willingly sit with PK, her attention is back to the chopsticks in her hair and she says that those things hurt. It isn't the chopsticks that hurt her, rather, it is the betrayal of her best friend whom she saw sitting with PK, her arch-rival. 

Tonks looked like she had a mast like free ships sailing in the wild sea. The moment Tonks pulls those chopstick things out of her hair, she begins to look more like herself, clumsy, wild, and free to explore new lands. Lupin found it interesting and thought of pointing it out to her, his way of complimenting her, but bit his tongue because he would do nothing to displease her. 

Lupin and Tonks are now talking bad things about PK and Percy. Lupin too thinks that PK can put poison in people's drinks and Tonks loved to make Percy jealous. This act of companionship even when they weren't with each other makes Tonks happy and she develops a strand of hot pink hair. Lupin's grin goes wider. They are made for each other even if Lupin refuses to see it, his grin doesn't.