Werewolves and Convicts and Slashing, oh my!

Meta
Title:	Werewolves and Convicts and Slashing, oh my!
Creator:	Lyotto
Date(s):	March 2004
Medium:	Online
Fandom:	Harry Potter
Topic:	Slash, Remus/Sirius
External Links:	Lyotto's Harry Potter Slash Article at Dreamnest (archive link)
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"Werewolves and Convicts and Slashing, oh my!" is a 2004 essay by Lyotto about Harry Potter slash with a focus on Remus/Sirius. It was written for the yaoi archive Dreamnest.

Excerpts

I hadn’t really gotten into Harry Potter slash all that much until I joined the Slashers’ Coven. Harry Potter was an amazing series and I could see the glowing slashability, but I really didn’t think too much about it. A possible relationship history between Remus Lupin and Sirius Black in Prisoner of Azkaban, of course, didn’t escape my sight. They embraced like brothers? Well, most exes on awkward terms would hug each other like that, wouldn’t they?

Well, if I’ve learned anything since I boarded the ship at Fiction Alley Park, it’s that the books are riddled with clues and subtext. From their first embrace in Prisoner of Azkaban to Remus staring at Sirius for a good number of lines in Order of the Phoenix, there are tidbits to be found everywhere. One of the favorite lines to quote on the Wolfstar is Remus saying “Sirius, sit down." There are fleeting looks between the two, facts such as their giving Harry a joint gift, and mentions of a school age Sirius ignoring the fact that a girl is “eyeing him hopefully”, too. And it doesn’t end there.

In her most recent interview, J.K. Rowling gave puppyshippers a whole new round of hope. Harry Potter fans have often speculated on the topic of the animagus, a wizard able to turn into an animal. [...] A popular theory was that you chose your own form. Wolfstar fans took the fact that Sirius becomes a dog and used it as a defense, saying that if you chose your own form then choosing to become a dog said something about his relationship with Remus, who would obviously be turning into a wolf. It was a different theory that proved true, however, and it was one that gave the argument of destiny, as she explained that you become whatever animal fits you best. Puppyshippers, of course, cheered at the idea that Remus and Sirius were meant to be together. The animal linked to Sirius’ soul touched the same romantic kink I’d used in my first fic: becoming a dog meant Sirius could mate with Remus in both human and animal form. There’s a solid and beautiful dock for the ship to land on.

There are many more [pairings] that I love, but I’d say the pups take the cake. Hell, if you look at my list of ships, most of them involve at least one of them, if not both. You pick your favorite character, though, and then you go from there. That’s true for all fandoms. But what makes it best is when you can find a sense of community and you aren’t trying to defend your pairing alone. If anything, that sense of community is something Harry Potter slash is good for.

Response

[shoiryu]
Bleah. I hate the "He turns into a dog THEY WERE MEANT 2 BEEEE"! thing. Why can't they just be attracted to each other like any other normal person? (at least as normal as wizards get, away.) There's no real /risk/ a relationship that's "destined OMG".

[aralias]
*looks somewhat guilty* i'm firmly in the "sirius is a dog because he's loyal but also, and mainly, because he's perfect for remus" category. i did the fangirly squeal when confronted with that piece of information because... well that is perfection.