Just Another Book About Harry Potter Ships

Wolfstar (Remus/Sirius)

SHIP NAMES: Wolfstar, Moonfoot, Moonstar, Puppyshipping, Remus/Sirius, R/S, RL/SB, The One True Way, H.M.S. Wolfstar, H.M.S. Furries

THOUGHTS: I used to have conflicted feelings about Wolfstar, given that I'd read convincing fan essays both for and against it, and I agreed with some of the points that both sides had made. So, here are some of the pros and cons that I found with respect to this ship, and then I think you'll understand why I initially struggled to decide where exactly I fell in regards to it!

SOME REASONS TO SHIP IT:

- Even after twelve years of suspecting each other to be traitorous, it takes only a single look for them to communicate and know that they're both telling the truth in book three. A single look, and Remus goes from thinking Sirius might be a murderer to being ready to murder someone with him! Furthermore, Remus and Sirius are consistently able to communicate like this, with nothing but looks and touches, across the series. Nobody else has been shown to be able to communicate in that way except the two of them.

- The infamous Forty Line Stare: in OOTP, Remus only has eyes for Sirius for forty lines of text during a heated argument between Sirius and Molly. He literally does not look away from Sirius the entire time. Although this is the most famous instance, they often only have eyes for each other.

- Remus is the only one who seems to be able to keep Sirius in check. For example, when Sirius yelled at Molly in book five, he only stopped when Remus demanded, "Sirius, sit DOWN." Sirius obeyed him immediately. He doesn't listen to anyone else like that.

- In connection to the point above, Sirius seems to think very highly of Remus. For example, Sirius says that all of the Marauders were idiots, but then says, "Well, Moony not so much..." and describes Remus as the "smart" and "good" one. Sirius's best friend was James, but he doesn't mind admitting that James was an idiot and a jerk, while he defends Remus from any negative accusations (even if they are true).

- Remus and Sirius give Harry a joint gift for Christmas as if they're a single entity. Platonic friends don't usually give joint gifts! I realize that this could be because Remus doesn't have very much money, but Remus could've pooled money or gifts with literally anybody else; it didn't have to be Sirius. At the very least, it shows that they both feel fatherly towards Harry, even if they don't know how to express it, because neither of them really grew up (y'all can fight me on this, but it's definitely canon that they were both emotionally immature, stunted, flawed men).

- Remus stays with Sirius throughout the fifth book even as everyone else leaves. Seriously, everyone else is on Order duty, but Remus is specifically said to be with Sirius. I understand that they're old friends, but this is just another bit that could be used to justify shipping them.

- Their traits balance each other out: Sirius is wild, rebellious, and impulsive, while Remus is more quiet, laidback, and controlled. Remus can reign Sirius's worst impulses in, while Sirius can help Remus loosen up and actually live his life. Beyond that, they're also both broken and traumatized. Neither is made for a picture-perfect, fluffy relationship, and together, they could heal and have someone in their corner who understands intimately what it's like to be broken.

- Remus is absolutely distraught by Sirius's death, and so his attempt to move on, plus his cold feet when it comes to being with Tonks (who is Sirius's cousin, remember...), could be explained as him trying to deal with his grief, albeit in a very, very unhealthy way (but as I've said before, Remus is not an emotionally healthy individual, so it fits his character well).

- Other more speculative/subjective/symbolic things that could add to the appeal:

~ ~ ~ We all know that Sirius became an Animagus for Remus, as did James and Peter, but out of the three of them, Sirius's Animagus form is the most compatible with a transformed werewolf. A dog is a much better companion for a wolf/werewolf than a stag or a rat.