Of the many Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows deaths that JK Rowling piled onto the hearts of adoring fans in the Battle of Hogwarts, the most devastating duo death award goes to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Particularly how their hands were just out of reach of each other. Not to mention the deleted scene that shows their joy in seeing each other just before the battle.
That said, some would argue that their relationship wasn’t the best, to begin with. Between the age gap and the perceived toxicity, perhaps they’d have been better off with other people. (Perhaps more alive, too.)Here are the ten people Lupin should have been with, other than Tonks.
Emmeline Vance
Emmeline Vance doesn’t get much time in the saga, but what is known about her constitutes what might have been a healthy relationship with Lupin. She was an incredibly powerful witch, brave and intelligent. As described in chapter 3 of the Order of the Phoenix, she was stately and well-respected. When it was reported that she was murdered by Death Eaters, the Order was devastated.
In that sense, Vance would have carried even more esteem and wizarding experience than Tonks. Given that Vance also would have been around Lupin’s age, it would have been an excellent opportunity to highlight a different member of the Order while still giving Lupin the love he thought he could never have.
Severus Snape
For as much as these two begrudged each other as students, as adults, they are colleagues who, while fraught with tension, trust each other implicitly. It was Snape who supplied the potions that allowed Lupin to survive his year as a professor.
Both Snape and Lupin have a significant dark side. For Snape, he was a Death Eater. For Lupin, he’s a werewolf. Indulging that dark side in a healthy way, through romance, would have helped each of these two grow. Though Snape would have had significant trouble keeping this secret from Voldemort.
Andromeda Black
Yes, also known as Nymphadora’s mother. However, unlike Nymphadora, Andromeda would have been closer to Remus in age while still sharing many of the characteristics of her forward-thinking daughter.
Andromeda already married so poorly by her family’s standards that she was burned off from the Black family tree. Not much would have changed if Remus would have ended up with the mother instead of the daughter.
There also would have been an easy in, as Andromeda and Sirius considered each other to be their only family. Lupin wasn’t far behind, having so little to speak of himself. What this would have meant for Nymphadora’s character, well, that’s uncertain.
Charlie Weasley
Remus always had a special connection to the Weasleys. He could always be found at the Burrow, helping out Arthur, befriending Molly, and in all ways getting involved with their family. It only makes sense, therefore, that he should have ended up in their family.
Charlie, the oldest of the Weasley litter, works with dragons, remained single throughout the saga, and is in that sweet spot of 12-13 years younger than Remus. Same as Tonks. They were also both members of the Order of the Phoenix, building that bond even more. You know what they say, if you can corral a dragon, you can corral a werewolf.
Pandora Lovegood
Not much is known about Luna Lovegood’s mother, other than what we hear from Luna herself. Pandora Lovegood was an extraordinary witch, according to her daughter. She also had a knack for creating her own spells, lending more credence to her abilities as a witch.
As we can see from Xenophilius, she also had a thing for scruffy, unkempt men. It doesn’t get more scruffy or unkempt than a werewolf. But she also had depth for love and compassion, given how Luna and Xenophilius turned out. That depth of character could have melded so well with Remus Lupin, and it would be incredible if Luna had a werewolf father.
Sirius Black
Most of the Harry Potter romances are just childhood friends marrying each other. So why not Sirius and Remus too? They have such great chemistry during their time in the Order of the Phoenix as the last two true marauders and they are always looking out for each other, supporting Harry and, in the end, dying for him.
Lupin and Black would have made an excellent couple because they were essentially already that as the fantastic friends they were. Of course, then Harry would have had to deal with the double death of his two godfathers. Aside from that, though, it’s all a happy, extended family.
Chiara Lobosca
An unfamiliar name for most, Chiara Lobosca was the first female werewolf included in Harry Potter canon thanks to her appearance in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
While Lobosca won’t do much for those that argue against the age gap between Tonks and Lupin, as she was 12-13 years his younger as well, it must be acknowledged that Lobosca and Lupin had much more in common, as well as a deeper history. Both being werewolves, they’d have a lot to talk about. No one would have understood Remus’s plight of being unloved better than someone going through that same plight. The werewolf love should have happened.
Sybill Trelawney
While Professor Trelawney and Professor Lupin had no direct interactions, there was an instance in the Prisoner of Azkaban, chapter 11, when Trelawney notes a hasty retreat from Lupin when she offered to crystal gaze him.
Perhaps Lupin just doesn’t buy into Divination. He wouldn’t be the only one. Or maybe he was just too nervous to speak to the woman he had hidden feelings for. Workplace romances always work out well, right? And unlikely couples make it all the better. This would have been a fun relationship to build around.
Narcissa Black
Safe to say that Narcissa Black had her fair share of character flaws, but in the moments when it mattered most, she showed what mattered most to her—her family. She helped Harry Potter, essentially saving his life, and fled the Death Eater cause as it was falling apart. Lupin is nothing if not a caring man, sticking his neck out for those he deems family, even if he has very little family of his own.
Lupin could have been that last push of good that kept Narcissa from going down the path that she did. It would have created excellent family dynamics between her and Bellatrix, not to mention factoring in Sirius as well. But in the end, it would have allowed both Narcissa and Remus to shine as loving, sympathetic characters, neither of whom come from a place that would lend itself to that end. A werewolf and a Black? Talk about forbidden love.
Lily Evans
Speaking of questionable romances, Lily and James Potter have one of the more dubious of them all. Seen particularly in Snape’s flashbacks, James, and Sirius, for that matter—come off as arrogant, self-righteous bullies that read as rather detestable characters.
As such, Lily was not fond of them in the least and often stood up for Snape when the bullying commenced. Connecting how she ended up marrying James is, yet again, dubious. Lupin though? Not so much. Always much more mature and kind than his fellow marauders, a romance between Lily and Remus would have made much more sense for both.
