Remus Lupin

## Personality

Having not had many friends, Remus is quiet and withdrawn, and he also tends to be overly apologetic and accommodating. However, he is also exceedingly kind, and is clearly the sort of boy who wouldn't hurt a fly - except, of course, when he turns into a bloodthirsty beast every month. Especially with the death of his parents, he feels completely alone in the world, and would accept friendship like a lifeline. He is someone who benefits from having stronger personalities around him, someone to stick up for him so that he doesn't let the world walk all over him. And in the event that he can get close to someone, the more he's able to open up and come out of his shell, the more clear it becomes that he's clever and witty and sweet. It just takes some patience. But when he does make friends, he is loyal and has a definite selfless streak - he would do anything to help them. A large part of him feels like a monster, and so the rest of the time he sometimes comes off as overcompensating for sins that aren't his fault. However, despite his difficult life, he continues to believe that there is a fundamental goodness to the world - in part due to the fact that he feels that he has seen more of the world in books than in life. And essentially, at this point, he feels like his own life can really only get better.

**Appearance**. Remus is of average height, certainly on the too thin side when he first arrives at the school, though will with time become rather healthier looking. His eyes have gold rings around them. He wears his hair rather too long and a bit shaggy looking, in a fruitless attempt to draw attention away from the scars on his face. There are more, but the others are in places that can be hidden by clothing.

## Powers

Remus' power is to transform into a wolf--right now, only involuntarily, and only during the full moon. Though the ability is the traditional definition of lycanthropy, it isn't magical or transmitted but instead a complex biological function related to the X gene and impacted by the lunar cycle.

When he transforms he looks like a large wolf, with fur a similar light brown color to Remus' hair. His eyes are also the same amber color. In this form he is stronger than a normal wolf, and also much more aggressive. The transformation itself is painful, and as soon as he is transformed, Remus' conscious mind is gone - he wakes up the next morning as himself with no memory of the night before. During the rest of the month, Remus does not have any special abilities. However, as the full moon grows closer he does feel some changes - craving red meat, having more of a temper (which for him is saying a lot), and a higher sex drive. For the most part he attempts to completely repress these feelings.

In the future, Remus might learn to have more control over the change, including being able to shift at other times, but right now his control is basically zero. There also might be ways for him to keep his mind during the change, either through medical or telepathic means.

## Talents

His mutation does not provide him with any particular abilities or talents outside of the full moon when he transforms. However, he does possess some special skills: he's quite a good cook, as he's been doing it on his own for some time, and he's a very quick reader. He also is a very good hand at first aid, since for the most part he patched himself up after full moons.

## Interests

Remus loves reading (especially historical and fantasy novels) and music (especially old jazz standards). He enjoys cooking, and keeps a journal where he writes a sort of stream of consciousness memoir. He is fascinated by hearing other people's stories, especially those whom he thinks have had more interesting lives than his.

## History

Remus is an only child, born into a family with very little money in the English countryside. He worked small jobs such as paper routes as soon as he was able, and spent much of the rest of his time on school work, or curled up in the public library. His parents both worked long hours and so he was used to being on his own most of the time from a young age, and was always a somewhat lonely child.

Then, one full moon night when Remus was ten years old, he changed. In his bed at night, the pain came first, terrible pain, bones snapping and muscles stretching. His screams brought his parents running into his room, and they saw their son turn into a snarling, bloodthirsty (though thankfully not full grown) wolf. That first night, he badly clawed his mother's face before they got out of the room and barred him in, not knowing what to do. The next morning, Remuswas back in his usual form, covered in gashes and scratches from where the wolf had turned on itself in frustration. His parents were afraid to take him anywhere or tell anyone, and when it didn't happen again they thought it was over - until the next month on the full moon the same thing happened. After that, knowing the pattern, they took precautions. His father made a cage and they locked him in the basement where for the next five years he spent two or three nights a month first with horrible pain and then waking up in the morning covered in bruises and scratches and aching all over. The situation was made even worse by the fact that his parents were afraid of him - his mother refusing to touch him anymore, and his father reacting often violently to any sign of defiance in him, leaving Remus to be meek in his presence.

When Professor Xavier found Remus, his parents were more than eager to send him away. And Remus for his part was happy to go, wanting more than anything to not feel like a burden any longer, though he barely had anything to take with him other than the clothes on his back. He had just turned sixteen.