Peter Pettigrew is one of the villains of the Harry Potter series. He was at school with Harry’s parents and was one of the four Marauders, “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs”. That’s Remus, Peter, Sirius and James. The boys are all very good at their magic and learn to turn into animagi- shapeshifters - to help Remus Lupin when he turns into a wolf once a month.
We never find out how Peter - Wormtail - became friends with the others, but it led to James and Lily, Harry Potter’s parents, being killed by the evil Voldemort and cost Sirius Black several years in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. It would also be interesting to find out how Peter became a member of the Gryffindor house, which is supposed to be for “the brave of heart” when he is such a coward. I have a theory, based on reading all the novels - and seeing the play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child - that in the end, the students are sorted by the Sorting Hat into the house they want to belong to. So, Peter wanted to be in Gryffindor for whatever reason. Maybe because that’s where he’d get protection from bullies, but it seems he was happy to hang out with bullies who were not having a go at him. If you’re familiar with the series you will know what I mean. Harry’s heroic Dad and his buddies were bullies in their time.
He first appears in human form in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. That’s the story in which Sirius Black, the innocent man who had been locked up in a horrific prison guarded by the terrifying Dementors, escapes - and he is not at all happy. Before this book, Peter was hiding out in the form of a rat. He had been living as Scabbers, a pet with the Weasley family, kept by Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley. It’s not until this book that it occurs to anyone to wonder how a rat could live so long.
When Voldemort was after James and Lily Potter, to get at their child, Harry, Sirius offered to be their Secret Keeper, using a charm called the Fidelius charm, which would ensure that the enemy couldn’t find them unless the Secret Keeper told him. Unfortunately, Sirius got the bright idea of switching Secret Keeper from himself to Peter, thinking that Voldemort would still be looking for him instead of such an unlikely person as Peter. By this time, though, Peter was working for Voldemort.
He not only passes the information on, but transfers the blame to Sirius, and blows up a dozen Muggles, leaving behind a finger for the wizards to find.
So, Peter is awarded a posthumous bravery award while Sirius goes to prison.
After being exposed in Prisoner of Azkaban, Peter goes to his master, who doesn’t yet have a real body, and helps him get one in Goblet Of Fire.
If he is ever sorry, it’s not for what he has done, it’s for being stuck with Voldemort.
But there is a scene which I suspect the author pinched from Lord Of The Rings. In LOTR, Gandalf has a chat with Frodo, saying that he will one day be glad he didn’t harm Gollum, who snatches the Ring at the Cracks of Doom and ends up dead instead of Frodo. Harry has a similar conversation with Dumbledore, who tells him he will one day be glad he spared Peter, who was about to be killed by Sirius and Remus. And so he should be, despite all the dreadful things that happen before this day comes. Peter hesitates just a few seconds when ordered to kill Harry and finds himself choked to death by the silver hand Voldemort gave him. So Harry manages to escape.
Really, nobody misses Peter when he is gone. He’s not a tragic figure, just a coward who, for a while, had the support of three stronger people.
Tomorrow, watch for another Harry Potter villain - Quirinus Quirrell!
1 comment:
I've got to get around some day to watching those Harry Potter movies.
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