Heartbreaking Reason Why Lupin’s Werewolf Looked So Bizarre in Harry Potter

Werewolves are not the rarest or most powerful of all the magical creatures in Harry Potter, but they are certainly one of the most brutal. The origins of lycanthropy are not described in either the canon or the adaptations, except that it is transmitted when werewolf saliva is mixed with human blood.

Remus Lupin is the most famous werewolf in Harry Potter lore. The book Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies tells about Lupin's childhood, his parents and how he became a werewolf.

This happened on the day of his fifth birthday, and he had to avoid society ever since. Lupin's family moved from town to town, leaving the new place as soon as his "strange behavior" was noticed.

In the wizarding world, all werewolves had to register. At the same time, the revelation of the secret could put them in danger, for the magical community has a history of contempt and even aggression toward werewolves.

The author herself admitted that lycanthropy in Harry Potter is a metaphor for the stigmatized diseases:

“Lupin’s condition of lycanthropy was a metaphor for those illnesses that carry a stigma, like HIV and AIDS. […] 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.”

And because lycanthropy is not some kind of a superpower like in Twilight, but an incurable disease, Lupin in the form of a werewolf did not look like a big fluffy wolf breathing power, but a strange creature, something between a man and a wolf.

His whole appearance was to show the audience what kind of inner struggle was going on inside Lupin or any other wizard with lycanthropy. Remus suffered from his disease, it literally corroded him from the inside and this process was reflected in his body.

Lupin became a hostage to his illness and an outcast from society because of something he could not control or change.

Source: Wizarding World