Peter Pettigrew

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Peter Pettigrew
Biographical information
Born	c. 1960
Died	March 1998 (aged 38) Malfoy Manor
Blood status	Most likely Half-blood or Pure-blood
Also known as	Wormtail Scabbers Wormy
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Colourless (formerly mousy brown), balding
Eye colour	Watery blue
Skin colour	White
Family information
Family members	Mrs. Pettigrew (mother) Enid Pettigrew (possibly)
Magical characteristics
Animagus	Rat (unregistered)
Wand	Chestnut, 9¼", dragon heartstring
Affiliation
House	Gryffindor
Loyalty	The Marauders (betrayed) Order of the Phoenix (formerly) Order of Merlin (retracted) Percy Weasley (as Scabbers, formerly) Ron Weasley (as Scabbers, formerly) Death Eaters Lord Voldemort Pettigrew family

"Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go."

— Lord Voldemort to Pettigrew

Peter Pettigrew (c. 1960 - March 1998), also known as Wormtail, was a wizard and son of Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew. He began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1971 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. During his years at Hogwarts, he became one of the Marauders; he was best friends with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, and together they created the Marauder's Map. During the First Wizarding War, Peter became member of the Order of the Phoenix but defected, joining the Death Eaters out of fear, and he betrayed James, his wife Lily and their son, Harry to Lord Voldemort. After the Dark Lord's fall, he faked his own death and blamed Sirius for the betrayal of James and Lily, as well as the murder of Pettigrew and twelve muggles Pettigrew killed during his escape. Peter spent years living in his Animagus form as the Weasley familys' pet rat, Scabbers. However, his identity was exposed by Sirius and Remus in 1994 and Pettigrew, without having anywhere else to go, searched for his master and found him.

Pettigrew played a key role in Voldemort's rebirth and continued to serve him during the Second Wizarding War. In the spring of 1998, during the Battle of Malfoy Manor, he possibly regretted for betraying his friends and, in a moment of rare mercy, he hesitated to strangle Harry Potter when the latter reminded him of a life debt. Pettigrew was subsequently strangled to death by the silver hand that Lord Voldemort had given to him.

Biography

Early Life

Peter was born around 1960. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew. It is most likely that his parents were magical, as his mother was part of the Wizarding world.

Hogwarts Years

Peter Pettigrew as a teenager.

"Hero-worshiped Black and Potter. Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him... Stupid boy... Foolish boy..."

— Minerva McGonagall on Pettigrew

Pettigrew began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1971 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. He soon became friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black, fellow Gryffindors who he idolised for their popularity and talent. Pettigrew took part in James and Sirius' bullying of Severus Snape, a Slytherin boy in the same year of the Marauders. However, Pettigrew would not bully Snape if he was not sure that James and Sirius would protect him if Snape attemped to harm him.

He, James, and Sirius soon discovered Remus to be a werewolf, but they did not abandon him as many other wizards would have. Instead, they spent years learning how to become Animagi so that they could accompany Remus during his transformations. Pettigrew's Animagus form was a rat, from which was derived his nickname "Wormtail." The four friends called themselves the Marauders and designed a map to navigate Hogwarts. Pettigrew's rat form helped him slip through the Whomping Willow's branches and immobilise the tree, in order to let himself and the Marauders enter the Shrieking Shack.

Professor Minerva McGonagall described Pettigrew as a "stupid and foolish boy" who hero-worshiped Sirius and James. She also stated that Pettigrew was a less than average student and was not capable fighting with Sirius.

First Wizarding War

Order of the Phoenix membership and betrayal

Peter and the original Order of the Phoenix.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort!"

— Remus Lupin to Pettigrew, in the Shrieking Shack

After graduating from Hogwarts, Pettigrew and his friends joined the Order of the Phoenix and fought against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. At some point, however, Pettigrew began working as a double agent for Voldemort, out of pure fear and the belief that nothing could be gained from opposing him. Despite being considered a low-ranking soldier for his cowardice and general lack of talent, Pettigrew was given the Dark Mark and was accepted into the ranks of the Death Eaters. In an attempt at misdirection, he was then appointed Secret-Keeper for James and Lily Potter when they went into hiding after a prophecy had been made about their infant son, Harry, being the one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord. On Halloween night 1981, Pettigrew betrayed his friends, and Voldemort killed the Potters, but was defeated when his Killing Curse rebounded off Harry, destroying his physical form. Upon arriving at the wreckage of the Potters' house, Pettigrew deduced what had happened and took Voldemort's wand, which was left among the rubble, in fear that the Ministry would discover his treason through inspecting it and hid it in an undisclosed location.

Apart from James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black was the only person who knew that Pettigrew had been their Secret-Keeper, as it had been his idea. Furious and devastated, Sirius pursued Pettigrew, wanting to avenge his friends. When he closed in on him, Pettigrew screamed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters for everyone to hear and then blew up the street, killing twelve Muggles by detonating the street with a Blasting Curse, which created as much as a crater with the pipes showing, and then faking his own death by cutting off a finger and leaving it behind as he transformed into a rat and fled. Sirius was arrested for being a Death Eater, killing Pettigrew and the Muggles, and betraying the Potters and was imprisoned in Azkaban without a trial. The surviving Muggles who witnessed the event had their memories erased and was given an excuse by the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee that a gas-leak occurred.

Pettigrew was unjustly awarded the Order of Merlin for his confrontation with Sirius, which, along with the finger that they recovered, were posthumously given to his mother.

Between the wars

As Scabbers

Pettigrew as Scabbers.

Fred: "Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-colour for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly. One swallow – he probably didn't feel a thing."

Ron: "He bit Goyle for us once! Remember, Harry?"

Fred: "His finest hour. Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory ..."

— Fred comforts Ron on the perceived death of Scabbers.

Pettigrew went into hiding as Scabbers the rat, hoping to avoid Lord Voldemort's other supporters. As Voldemort had met his downfall on Peter's instructions, the Death Eaters suspected him a traitor. Looking for a wizarding family to take him in, he came into the possession of Percy Weasley and, later, Ron Weasley. It was clear Scabbers was an extraordinary rat; he was unusually old for a rat of his species, which had a life expectancy of three years, yet the Weasley family owned him for twelve years. The reason he chose to be adopted by a wizard family was that he could keep track of the news in the Wizarding world and could rejoin his master should he return to power. Positioned as he was, he could also bring Harry Potter as a welcome-back gift, so no Death Eater would dare claim him a traitor. Ron thought Scabbers was useless, but showed his love for Scabbers as he became quite upset when he thought Scabbers had been eaten by Hermione Granger's cat, Crookshanks.

Pettigrew being transformed into his original human form.

Exposure

In 1993, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban after seeing a picture of Pettigrew's rat form in a Daily Prophet article about the Weasley family's trip to Egypt. Soon, Scabbers began to thin and go bald. Ron thought this was due to Hermione Granger's pet cat Crookshanks' near constant harassment, while Harry simply thought Scabbers was nearing the end of his lifespan. In fact, he was being affected by the fear that Sirius would find him and finally avenge the Potters. Eventually, Pettigrew faked his death yet again framing Crookshanks, which led Ron and Hermione's friendship to nearly shatter, until he was discovered hiding in Hagrid's hut.

Pettigrew cornered in the Shrieking Shack.

That same year, Remus Lupin, who had been unaware of Pettigrew's duplicity and believed him to be dead, began teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He began to suspect the truth when he saw Peter's name appear on the Marauder's Map, a charmed parchment created by him and his friends that came into Harry's possession. On June 6, 1994, Scabbers was found hiding in Hagrid's hut. When Ron attempted to bring him back to the castle, Scabbers tried to escape, but was caught by Ron in the shadow of the Whomping Willow. There, Ron and Pettigrew were dragged to the Shrieking Shack by Sirius Black followed immediately by Ron's friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. After heated discussion and the arrival Professors Lupin and Snape, Pettigrew was unmasked by Sirius and Remus. First, he tried to pin all the blame on Sirius. When the truth came out and all the evidence was against him, he tried to plea for mercy from each person in the Shack (other than the unconscious Snape). Regardless, all of them were disgusted by his cowardice, and the fact that he would dare ask them for mercy after deceiving them in so many ways infuriated them even more. Remus and Sirius planned to kill their old friend Pettigrew, but Harry intervened after Pettigrew claimed that Harry's father never would have killed him. This mixed with Harry's own belief that his father would not want his best friends to become killers led him to be merciful. Although Harry wanted to hand Pettigrew over to the Dementors and use him to clear Sirius's name at last, this created a life debt between Harry and Pettigrew.

Pettigrew is discovered

The plan was upset, though, when the full moon rose, and Lupin transformed into a werewolf, forcing Sirius to take on his Animagus form, that of a dog, to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Pettigrew took advantage of the chaos, cursing Ron with Lupin's wand, transforming into his rat form, and fleeing.

Second Wizarding War

The Servant Rejoins His Master

Peter Pettigrew holding Voldemort's rudimentary body.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

— Pettigrew performing the ritual for Lord Voldemort's rebirth

After his escape from capture at Hogwarts, Pettigrew had no choice but to rejoin his master, or Sirius and Remus would surely kill him. He went to retrieve Voldemort's wand, then traveled to Albania where he learned from the rats there of a place in the forest where the creatures feared to travel. They said a dark shadow (Voldemort) took over the animals and killed them.

On his way to his master, Peter ran into Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry witch who was on holiday in Albania, while foolishly stopping at an inn for food. Although she recognised him, Pettigrew was able to lure her into the forest and overpower her, and hand her to the Dark Lord. Under torture, Jorkins gave them information that helped Voldemort make plans for an attack on Harry Potter including information on the Triwizard Tournament and the location of a faithful Death Eater.

Pettigrew milked venom from Voldemort's snake familiar Nagini to strengthen him and provide him with a rudimentary body. He carried Voldemort's weak, small body on the long journey back to Britain, where they took up temporary residence in the Riddle House outside of Little Hangleton. Voldemort called Peter by his Marauder name, "Wormtail". Over time, Pettigrew tried unsuccessfully to convince Voldemort to use a wizard other than Harry Potter to rebuild his body, but Voldemort saw this as an attempt at desertion and claimed that Pettigrew was regretting ever returning to him in the first place. Voldemort noted how Pettigrew always flinched when he set eyes upon him and shuddered when touching him, which he believed further enforced Pettigrew's weariness at nursing Voldemort. As such, Pettigrew failed to escape his master's clutches.

Peter Pettigrew at Snape's home with Narcissa and Bellatrix.

For his next assignment, Pettigrew was sent with Barty Crouch Jr., the faithful Death Eater Jorkins had mentioned, to capture former Auror Alastor Moody who was set to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While Crouch became Moody's double and set off in his place to Hogwarts, Pettigrew was assigned to watch over the imperiused Barty Crouch Sr. Pettigrew neglected his duty, with the result that Crouch escaped and nearly sabotaged the plan. However, he was intercepted by Crouch Jr. Pettigrew was then subjected to punishment through the Cruciatus Curse.

He also had an important role in the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. When Harry Potter was delivered to the Little Hangleton Graveyard per Voldemort's plot, Pettigrew killed Cedric Diggory on his orders and performed the ritual to restore Voldemort to a physical body, reluctantly sacrificing his hand. As a reward for his assistance, Voldemort replaced the hand with a silver one.

Pettigrew was later assigned to "assist" Severus Snape, but Snape treated Pettigrew as a servant. Pettigrew was at Severus Snape's home when Narcissa Malfoy and her sister

Peter as the "assistant" of Severus Snape.

Bellatrix Lestrange made the Unbreakable Vow with Severus Snape. He did not, however, hear its contents as he had been ordered out of the room.

Skirmish at Malfoy Manor and Death

"You're going to kill me? After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!"

— Harry Potter as Pettigrew attempts to strangle him

In the summer of 1997, Pettigrew was staying at Malfoy Manor, the headquarters of the Death Eaters. He acted as jailer for those imprisoned there. Around Easter of 1998, at the height of the Second Wizarding War, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were brought to the Manor by a group of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback. Bellatrix Lestrange isolated Hermione for interrogation and torture as to how the trio obtained Godric Gryffindor's Sword which she thought secure in her Gringotts vault. When they heard a noise from the dungeon below, Pettigrew was sent to investigate.

The noise they had heard was the House-elf Dobby apparating away with some of the prisoners in the cellar. When he opened the door, he was tackled by Ron and Harry who had freed themselves of their restraints. He began to strangle Harry, but Harry reminded him that he owed him a life debt. When Pettigrew hesitated, his brief moment of mercy caused his silver hand to turn on him, strangling and killing him, despite Harry and Ron's best efforts to restrain it.

Physical Appearance

Pettigrew was an extremely short man (no taller than Harry or Hermione when they were about thirteen or fourteen years old) with small, watery eyes, and a pointed nose. In his youth, his hair was mousy brown, but by his mid-thirties, it had thinned out, lost its colour, and acquired a large bald patch. He was also described as "fat" in his youth, but when forced to return to his human form in the Shrieking Shack, he looked as though he lost plenty of weight in a short time, mostly due to his stress of fearing Sirius' wrath. Pettigrew spoke with a squeaky voice. In 1981, he cut off the index finger of his right hand as part of a ploy to fake his own death, and, fourteen years later, he severed his entire right hand at the request of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort used magic to give Pettigrew a shining silver, glove-like replacement.

Personality and Traits

Peter as a teenager with his friends.

Peter: "You don’t understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"

Sirius: "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

— Pettigrew and Sirius in 1994

Peter Pettigrew was characterised by weakness. Although he was sorted into Gryffindor, he did not appear to be very brave. In his youth, he latched onto James Potter and Sirius Black, more talented and popular students, idolising them and seeming to live vicariously through their accomplishments — as well as their occasional bullying of others such as Severus Snape. Pettigrew allies himself with the strongest and apparently winning side that would accept him, thus leading him to becoming a Death Eater when the opportunity came.

Pettigrew betrayed his closest friends to Lord Voldemort when his life was threatened, showing an incredible level of both disloyalty and cowardice. Even Voldemort seemed to disdain him for the latter and treated him as nothing more than a lowly household servant, as did the other Death Eaters. When Lord Voldemort first came to him, Peter defected from the Order of the Phoenix and became a Death Eater out of fear, and when Voldemort fell, Peter neither attempt to find him, nor tried to kill Harry Potter under Albus Dumbledore's watchful eye, until he was sure Voldemort would be revived to protect him. When cornered by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, Peter begged for mercy without shame, despite having used and betrayed everyone there.

"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter."

— Sirius Black to Peter Pettigrew

Pettigrew was also greedy and ambitious, as he joined the Marauders in order to acquire fame and glory. He expected that, if he turned Harry Potter in to the Death Eaters, he would be rewarded instead of punished. He had the same expectations with Bertha Jorkins, expecting Voldemort to reward him for capturing a Ministry of Magic employee, despite not knowing her uses. Pettigrew also thought that by severing his hand for reviving Voldemort, he would be rewarded.

Peter Pettigrew headshot.

However, in spite of others claiming that Pettigrew was a "weak, talentless thing," he was at least cunning enough to escape Sirius after Voldemort's first defeat, frame his former friend for his crimes, and fake his own death while killing twelve people with a single curse, living for years in his Animagus form. He also manipulated Bertha Jorkins to accompany him and he brought her to Lord Voldemort, despite not knowing what use she could be. Ironically, Pettigrew's cunning, ambitious nature, disregard for rules (illegally becoming an Animagus and causing mischief with the Marauders), and becoming a Dark Wizard, would make him more suitable as a Slytherin. Pettigrew was also willing to sever parts of his body to serve his purposes, such as his finger to fake his death, and his hand to revive Voldemort. This self-mutilation may be one of the few moments that Pettigrew shows the bravery of a Gryffindor, though he may just be desperate and was left with no other options at those moments.

Pettigrew also showed a "tiny, merciful impulse" when he hesitated to kill Harry Potter when reminded of his Life debt in 1998, though he swiftly tried "to undo that moment of weakness," unsuccessfully and to his death. Harry later reflected on how this showed "a bit of regret" on Pettigrew's part.

Magical abilities and skills

Despite Professor McGonagall claiming Pettigrew to be a less than average student, he showed great magical skills and strategies hidden behind his cowardice and weakness.

Peter Pettigrew transformation into a rat.

• Animagus Transformation: With the help of his friends, Peter became an Animagus at age 15 and could transform himself into a rat. Peter needed all the help in order to be successful.
• Blasting Curse: In 1981, he used a very powerful blasting curse which blew up a street and killed 12 Muggles simultaneously.
• Killing Curse: He was able to use the Killing Curse under his master's orders.
• Wand mastery: He was able to use the Killing Curse, as well as conjure ropes, levitate objects, and light a fire, to their full effects with his master's wand, which he had not won allegiance.
• Potioneer: He was a skilled Potioneer. In 1994 and 1995, he brewed several complex Dark potions to help Voldemort to regain a body.
• Nonverbal magic: As an adult, Peter was able to perform magic, such as conjuration, nonverbally. During his escape, he nonverbally Stunned both Ron and Crookshanks before fleeing.
• Silver Hand: After Peter severed his right hand to revive Voldemort to his physical body, he was given a new silver glove-like hand that has strength superior to that of his former hand. This hand is impervious to the Revulsion Jinx, and possibly other spells. This hand was also designed to strangle its owner for any signs of treason or weakness, which is what led to Pettigrew's demise.

Relationships

Parents

Pettigrew's relationship with his parents is unknown, but is mentioned that, after Pettigrew's fake death, the Order of Merlin gave Mrs. Pettigrew her son's finger; the biggest part of Peter that was found. It is unknown if his parents knew about his fake death, or if they thought that their son was dead.

The Marauders

The Marauders

During his seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Peter has came to admire James Potter and Sirius Black for their high popularity and intellect. Peter then proceeded to ask them to be their friends. They accepted him, but in a slightly patronising way. Regardless, they were good friends in school. When their fourth friend, Remus Lupin, was discovered to be a werewolf, the three others became Animagi illegally to accompany him. The four of them eventually came to be known as the Marauders.

While James, Sirius, and Remus respected Peter as a true friend and were willing to die for him, Peter himself stuck with them only to leech off their accomplishments and fame, and due to his lack of bravery, would not die for them anyway. When Lord Voldemort approached him, Peter immediately defected from the Order of the Phoenix and joined the Death Eaters out of fear for his own life. Peter then betrayed James and Lily Potter, who entrusted him to be their Secret-Keeper, framing Sirius for the crime and earning the latter twelve years in Azkaban before he escaped.

Sirius had convinced James to use Pettigrew as Secret-Keeper in what he believed to be a brilliant gambit. This was proven to be a mistake that Sirius would regret for the rest of his life. When Sirius learned the truth, he became obsessed with killing Peter for whom he had lost absolutely all respect, going as far as calling him a "weak, talentless thing," in retribution. When Pettigrew begged for mercy, Sirius kicked him away, claiming that there was enough filth on his robes without him touching them. When this treachery was uncovered by Sirius and Remus, they showed no mercy and tried to kill Peter for what he did, only stopped at Harry's request.

Severus Snape

Severus Snape

While they were students at Hogwarts, Pettigrew, along with the other Marauders, enjoyed bullying Severus Snape. Pettigrew only did so, because he had the other three backing him up, knowing that they would protect him from Snape. Snape, in turn, despised Pettigrew almost as much as he did the other three.

When Snape found out that Pettigrew was the one who betrayed his beloved Lily Evans to Lord Voldemort, Snape's extreme loathing towards Sirius, who he originally thought was the traitor, turned towards Pettigrew instead. Coupled with the early days of bullying, Snape purposely misinterpreted that when Voldemort assigned Pettigrew to assist Snape, treated him as a lowly household servant instead and enjoyed humiliating and abusing Pettigrew.

Pettigrew, in turn, hated Snape for such a maltreatment, but did little about it except complain, as it was under the Dark Lord's orders that Pettigrew must "assist" Snape. However, the true reason is that Pettigrew fears Snape for being a much more powerful and intimidating wizard than he and did not dare to challenge him physically, especially since his former friends, the Marauders, were no longer protecting him as they used to in Hogwarts.

Lily Evans

Lily Evans.

Peter first met Lily Evans during the Sorting ceremony at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were both sorted into Gryffindor house. During their years at Hogwarts, Pettigrew bullied Severus Snape, along with James and Sirius. Lily was very angry and defended Snape. Pettigrew knew that James liked Lily and that he wanted to date her. Eventually, James and Lily got married. Peter became a member of the Order of the Phoenix at the same time with Lily. They were all friends during the First Wizarding War, but Lily noted that Peter was nervous when he saw them for the last time. He betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, and then he became a Death Eater. In fact, Pettigrew did that out of fear, because he wanted to save his own skin.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter

When Harry Potter first heard of the false tale of Peter Pettigrew challenging the traitor Sirius Black, Harry felt empathy for Pettigrew for his bravery and compared him to Neville Longbottom. Also, Harry thought that Hermione and Crookshanks should take responsibility for Scabbers' supposed death. However, when he learned the truth and discovered Pettigrew's elaborate deception, Harry became hateful and disgusted with Pettigrew's treasonous nature.

However, Harry could not stand to see his father's two best friends become murderers and requested that Pettigrew be sent to Azkaban instead. This formed a life debt between the two, despite Harry not wanting it at all. When this was repaid in the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, it cost Pettigrew his own life for his small impulse of mercy, and Harry could not help but feel some sympathy for Pettigrew.

Despite begging Harry to save his life, a year later, Pettigrew met Harry again in the Little Hangleton Graveyard. Pettigrew tied Harry to Tom Riddle Sr.'s grave and then cut Harry's arm to take his blood in order to restore Voldemort to his former glory.

Ron Weasley

Ronald Weasley with Peter Pettigrew disguised as Scabbers

When Pettigrew was hiding from the authority as "Scabbers" the rat, he came into the possession of Percy Weasley, who eventually handed him down to his younger brother, Ron.

Throughout his ownership of Scabbers, Ron was not especially fond of him at first blush. However, in certain situations, such as when Scabbers bit Gregory Goyle's knuckle, Ron showed affections for the rat. When Scabbers faked his death and framed Crookshanks the cat, Ron was so devastated that he nearly ended his friendship with Hermione Granger.

When Ron discovered Scabbers to be hiding in Rubeus Hagrid's hut, he was overjoyed. However, Scabbers, in fear of the wrathful Sirius Black, tried repeatedly to flee, but was prevented by Ron's grasp. Ron absolutely refused to believe Sirius and Remus Lupin when they explained Scabbers' true identity, until he saw with his own eyes that Scabbers was the traitorous Peter Pettigrew. Ron took this as a personal insult and was too disgusted to respond to Pettigrew's pleas.

Four years later, when Pettigrew was being strangled by his own silver hand, Ron tried to save him with a Revulsion Jinx, but failed. When Pettigrew died, Ron was a little sad, but ran to rescue Hermione.

Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger first met Pettigrew, as Scabbers, in 1991. In 1993, Hermione was angry, because Ron thought that Crookshanks, her cat, had eaten Scabbers. However, they all learned the truth in 1994, when Pettigrew was exposed; Hermione learned that Pettigrew was the wizard who betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort. Pettigrew was afraid of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and knew that they wanted to kill him, in order to avenge James and Lily. Pettigrew then begged Ron, to tell them stop; Ron was disgusted by Pettigrew's cowardice. So was Harry, when Pettigrew begged him to let him leave. So, Pettigrew begged Hermione, who was afraid and shocked, by grabbing fistfuls of her robes and flattering her by calling her "sweet" and "clever". The last time Pettigrew saw Hermione was in 1998, during the Battle of Malfoy Manor. Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, while Pettigrew went downstairs to see if the prisoners had escaped. Pettigrew then was killed by his silver hand made by Voldemort. She learned about his death after the battle.

Lord Voldemort

Lord Voldemort

During the First Wizarding War, Lord Voldemort, knowing of Pettigrew's cowardice and affiliation with the Order of the Phoenix, approached and coerced him into serving the Death Eaters. Although Pettigrew gave many pieces of valuable information about the Order, such as Sirius Black being an unregistered Animagus, Voldemort still treated him with disdain for his extreme cowardice.

When Voldemort met his first downfall at the suggestion of Pettigrew who gave up the location of James and Lily Potter, Pettigrew did not try to find his master, instead biding his time until he could turn Harry Potter in to avoid being accused of treason. When his duplicity was uncovered, Pettigrew had no choice but return to a damaged Voldemort, but regretted that decision, as he tried to escape several times. Regardless, Voldemort rewarded Pettigrew with a new silver hand for providing his own in sacrifice.

However, Voldemort still neither trusted nor respected Pettigrew and enchanted the hand to strangle the man for any attempts of treason. Also, he treated Pettigrew as a lowly servant and assigned him to serve other Death Eaters as such. Throughout his services, Pettigrew was addressed as "Wormtail" by Voldemort in an offensive way.

Despite his loyalty to Voldemort, Pettigrew hesitated to kill Harry Potter because of the life debt he owed him. The silver hand Voldemort had given him turned on Pettigrew himself and strangled him to death for displaying this one merciful impulse.

Death Eaters

File:250px-Death eaters worldcup.jpg

The Death Eaters

The Death Eaters resented Pettigrew, because it was based on his information that Voldemort met his first downfall at Godric's Hollow. The ones who were imprisoned at Azkaban screamed in their sleep that Pettigrew was a traitor. According to Sirius Black, if any of the Death Eaters who evaded imprisonment got wind that Pettigrew was still alive, they would try to kill him. It was this reason that Pettigrew disguised himself as Scabbers for twelve years, to hide himself from their wrath.

When Pettigrew returned to the service of the Dark Lord, he was assigned to serve his colleagues, such as Severus Snape and the Malfoy family, as a lowly household servant. Both of them treated him in a lowly manner and, similar to Voldemort, called him "Wormtail" offensively.

Pettigrew also respected the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister Narcissa Malfoy and seemed very happy when he saw them at Severus Snape's house in 1996, although he might simply be flattering.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore's relationship with Peter when the latter attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is unknown. They might have had a friendship, as they both became members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. After Pettigrew's betrayal, Dumbledore thought Sirius Black was the guilty party and that Sirius killed Peter. However, he learned the truth in 1994. He also learned that Harry Potter had saved his life. Dumbledore told Harry that Pettigrew would remember it. He did indeed, in 1998, during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, Pettigrew was killed by his own silver hand for remembering the life debt.

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall, his Head of House.

Minerva McGonagall was Pettigrew's Transfiguration professor and head of House, as he was sorted into Gryffindor House. McGonagall thought that Pettigrew "hero-worshiped" James Potter and Sirius Black, that he was a "stupid" and "foolish" boy, and that she was somewhat harsh with him during their time together as student and teacher. However, she seemed sad while talking about Pettigrew's "death." McGonagall also thought Pettigrew was very brave, as he stood up to Sirius Black, who was considered a Dark Wizard, and regretted how she was so harsh towards him decades ago. They were both comrades in the Order of the Phoenix, which further fueled her sympathy towards him. It is unknown how she reacted when she learned that Pettigrew was alive and that he was the wizard who betrayed Lily and James, but since then they became enemies on different sides.

Author's Comments

J. K. Rowling has explained Pettigrew's switch of allegiance by saying that he "out of cowardice will stand in the shadow of the strongest person." She also said that James Potter and Sirius Black allowed Pettigrew to be their friend "in a slightly patronising way" and that he ended up being a better wizard and better at hiding secrets than they ever knew.

Etymology

Peter is a name in the Bible, and on the morning of Christ's crucifixion, denied Christ. In the Bible he is often called, 'The Betrayer'. Hence why Rowling called him Peter. Also, the name "Pettigrew" could be derived from the French word "petit" ("small") and the English word "grew", hence "grew small".

Behind the scenes

• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin said that Wormtail "needed all the help that he could get" while describing how he, Sirius, and James became Animagi. However, he was able to perform the Avada Kedavra curse in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which the fake Moody said takes a powerful bit of magic. In addition, the curse he used to kill the Muggles (which Sirius was framed for) caused an explosion that "made a crater so deep that it cracked the sewer below."
• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry notices that Peter is missing an index finger, while in the film adaptation he is missing a ring finger.
• Wormtail is portrayed by Timothy Spall in the movies starting with the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. His film portrayal makes him appear much older than his canonical age of thirty-three or thirty-four years. It is possible that living as a rat took a toll on his health and made him appear older than he really was. Despite this, he still cuts off his right hand in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
• Wormtail is similar to Grima Wormtongue from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, seeing as how they have similar names and are both the most pathetic servants of the villain(s).
• Wormtail also shows a strange connection with the Redwall character of the same name. Though Wormtail is a very minor character, he is a rat and is reported in the book to have lost a finger.
• It was predicted by many fans that Wormtail would kill Remus Lupin with his silver hand, as Remus is a werewolf. However, J.K. Rowling subsequently mentioned in an interview that, contrary to what is seen in movies, in her view werewolves are not affected by silver. However the Marauder that does die by the silver hand is not Lupin, but Wormtail himself.
• Many fans (and a prediction book) predicted that Wormtail would have some part to play in the destruction of Voldemort (because of his life debt), such as telling Harry how to destroy the Horcrux inside him without dying himself.
• Wormtail appears in all seven Harry Potter books, although his appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is in the Pensieve rather than in person, and he only appears in his Animagus form in the first two books.
• Wormtail has also appeared in all six of the produced films so far. He will most likely appear in the seventh film.
• Wormtail is the only known Death Eater that was not in Slytherin. Ironically he was in Gryffindor, something odd considering his cowardice.
• Ironically, Wormtail's cunning, ambitious nature, disregard for rules, and becoming a Dark Wizard, would make him more suitable as a Slytherin, as the direct opposite of a Gryffindor.
• Interestingly, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, despite his being a Death Eater, he bites Gregory Goyle, the son of another Death Eater, on the knuckle during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's first formal meeting with Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
• As a contemporary of Lily Evans, Peter was also taught Potions by Horace Slughorn.
• J. K. Rowling has said that no Death Eater except Severus Snape could conjure a Patronus. However, she also said that members of the Order of the Phoenix used their Patronus to communicate. It is unknown if Peter could cast the spell.
• Peter may be named for Joanne K. Rowling´s father, Peter Rowling.
• In an earlier draft of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Peter taught Defence Against the Dark Arts and possibly impersonated Alastor Moody instead of Barty Crouch Jr..
• Timothy Spall has also been in two other movies with Alan Rickman that are not from the Harry Potter series. They both were in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and also Alice in Wonderland. Timothy Spall has also been in the same movies with Helena Bohnam Carter.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First identified as Peter Pettigrew)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (voice can be heard)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)