“All The Young Dudes” is a popular song from the 70s originally written by David Bowie; it was recorded and released as a single by Mott the Hoople. Now the name has gained more popularity as a 188 chapter and 500,000 words Harry Potter fan-fiction. 

Although the story was published from March 2017 to November 2018 on a fanfiction website (AO3) by the author under the username mskingbean89, it gained popularity among Harry Potter fans in late December 2020 when it was being posted all around social media platforms mainly Tik Tok. Fans picked up the story fairly quickly and soon it became a “must-read” if you were a Harry Potter fan. 

The story follows Remus Lupin through his years at Hogwarts and continues into his later life. The story covers 27 years’ worth of time. Most of the story is ‘canon complement’ which means it aligns with the original Harry Potter series, but it also does have some changes in the storyline. 

Remus, unlike in the original Harry Potter series, is an orphan who is kept at an all-boys home in England. Remus is also portrayed as homosexual in the book, discovering his sexuality throughout the years. He takes part in a few different relationships including one with Sirius Black who is another one of the four marauders. 

“This is the kind of representation we needed in the original series and didn’t get. There are so many characters that could have represented the LGBTQ+ community in the books and movies.” Lizzie Kelly, a student at Roxbury High School and fan of Harry Potter says.

Why is representation like this important? “This kind of representation that All The Young Dudes provides is what should have been in the original books. It’s nice to be able to relate and see yourself in a character, and I think that’s especially important for the young kids that read Harry Potter.” Kayce Caron, a Harry Potter fanatic says. 

Grant Chapman is a character that was not in the original Harry Potter series, but one written by the author of All The Young Dudes. He plays a major role in Remus’ later life, including them dating at one point. Grant stole the hearts of many of the readers, and some even consider him their favorite Harry Potter character now. 

“I thought Grant was a cool character, I really liked him” Kate McDougal, a student at Roxbury High School and All The Young Dudes fan says. I really do believe anyone that reads the story would agree with her as well. 

When asked who their favorite character in All The Young Dudes is, many different answers came back, with all different reasons, but the most popular character was James Potter. “James Potter is definitely my favorite character,” a source who prefers to remain anonymous says. Then why do so many Harry Potter fans still consider him a villain? 

“I don’t think James is a villain. Everything he did was pretty much harmless or to help out his friends. Yes, he did make fun of people (specifically Snape), but he also always provided a home for his friends who weren’t in a situation as good as his,” Claire Silfies an All The Young Dudes fan and a student says. Everyone will have different opinions, but most fans of All The Young Dudes will always argue James’ side of the story even in canon Harry Potter. 

Even though many will argue the original Harry Potter series is so iconic nothing will ever compare to it, many believe All The Young Dudes will continue to grow and gain more popularity as more things are posted about it. So if you have some free time and are curious about Remus Lupin’s years at Hogwarts from a very original perspective, give the book a read!

Works Cited

Hampton, Rachelle. All the Young Dudes fanfic: The Harry Potter story about Remus and Sirius taking over TikTok., 27 November 2021, https://slate.com/culture/2021/11/all-the-young-dudes-harry-potter-fanfic-wolfstar-tiktok.html. Accessed 22 December 2021.

“All the Young Dudes by MsKingBean89.” Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57014502-all-the-young-dudes. Accessed 22 December 2021.