First of all, I need to apologize for my absence. From Blaster worms to personal health issues, and always school, I have been very busy... but never fear; there are many Quibbler theories to be shared!

As you can see, my theory this week is Sibyl Trelawney's secret admiration for Remus Lupin. I would like to thank Madeline for helping me out with this one.

Trelawney is surprisingly one of my favorite characters. We find out in Order of the Phoenix that she is actually very important to the septology through her prophecies. But the first time we meet her is in Prisoner of Azkaban.

At this time, she is described as insect-like with oversized glasses that magnify the size of her eyes. Rowling describes her literally as a "large glittering insect." This makes me laugh. I can see her as a melodramatic character that fans love to hate. She is just hilarious, but one has to wonder what her story is. Is she married? Does she believe in everything that she "sees?" We know that in Order of the Phoenix she lives in the Hogwarts Castle. This is not surprising to fans, but raises questions on her personal life. As animated and just plain flamboyant as she is, it's a pretty sure guess that she is unmarried.

Back in Prisoner of Azkaban, chapter eleven has a lot of support for this theory. In it, Trelawney descends from the North Tower in what turns out to be a very rare occasion. Why, you ask? Well, Lupin is supposed to be there, of course. I am talking about the Christmas Dinner. Further, she enters wearing a sequined dress. Sequins? Obviously, she was trying to make an impression on someone, and, knowing her personality, it was probably to make a loverly impression on Lupin. Also, there is much emphasis on the fact that it makes her look even more insect-like (specifically like a dragonfly). Next, as she sits down, she immediately ignores a question from McGonagall to ask specifically where Lupin is. This is fine, but she has never seemed overly inquisitive about a specific person before. Clearly she has a deep-seeded interest in our favorite werewolf.

Which brings me to my next point. In chapter three of Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts class to the teacher's lounge to practice getting rid of a boggart (a kind of noisy thing that lives in dressers). The students each take turns practicing. You see, the boggart changes into whatever the person facing it most fears. It is then up to the person to yell a spell. At that time, the boggart changes into something funny and eventually fades. The thing that makes this interesting is that when Lupin faces the boggart, it changes into a floating slivery orb. Okay, this is fine...seems like a moon. And, we find out later that it was a moon because he is werewolf and all. It makes sense. But could it mean something else?

Trelawney admits at the Christmas dinner that she offered to crystal gaze for Lupin, at which he "absolutely fled." Nothing wrong with this, I suppose, if Lupin had something to hide...like being a werewolf? But, later in the book, Dumbledore makes it clear that the entire staff already knew about that. So, what would make Lupin flee? Not wanting to break Trelawney's heart, maybe? So, could this orb be a crystal ball? Is Lupin actually scared of Trelawney because she is obsessed with him? Could be...

Even if it was a moon or orb or whatever, Lupin's boggart turns into a cockroach. Okay, that is fine...kind of funny. But maybe this was a poke at Trelawney for the fact that she looks like a bug. Hmmm....

So, there is the Quibbler theory of the week. If you find any evidence, please feel free to use the Feedback Form and let us know! We like Feedback! Thank you again to everyone who gave feedback from the first Quibbler. It was so great to hear from all of you and all of your theories!

Next week's topic: The secret life of Luna Lovegood (my new favorite character!)

09/16/2003

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