Why Peter Turned Traitor, and Sirius' statement

[Marianna Lvovsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 21960

*Excellent discussions snipped*

I have a problem with percieving Peter as anything
other than completely despicable/not worthy of pity.

There is a big leap between not being a hero, and
spying on your friends for a year, sending a young
family of your best friend to their death, and framing
your other best friend (killing 12 innocent bystanders
in the process) for the murder.

Granted, being on Dumbledore's side is dangerous, but
so it is dangerous being on Voldie's side. Death
Eaters might get you if you work for D, but Aurors
might if you work for V. Dumbledore is easily as
powerful as Voldemort. Peter does not have to do any
active work: as a most drastic option he could have
always left (America) or just sat tight at Hogwarts,
where V could not gain entry. He has been passing info
for a year, so I doubt it was V. catching PP and
threatening life/death on him, because there were
plenty of times in the year he could have told. At the
very least, he could have refused to be Potters'
secret keeper. 

I don't think he did what he did out of fear, he did
it for pure gain ("what was to be gained"). And
leaving aside spying for V. issue, how about the
Sirius frame-up? That is why I consider P truly
worthless. All he has to do is turn into a rat and
dissapear (either before or during confrontation with
Sirius). 

He knows that: 
(a)Even if Sirius were left free there is no chanve he
will be able to find a rat (the only reason he found
PP is because PP got careless, knowing Sirius was in
Azkaban, and he was the only one who knew PP was
alive). 
And (b) Sirius will not be left free: nobody knows
about the secret keeper switch, so everyone will
assume that he betrayed James and Lily. In the panic,
he will get little trial, and his comment about
"switching" if he ever makes it (which he obviously
didn't at the time either because of no trial or being
in shock), will be seen as ludicrous.

So there is no need to frame Sirius, and more
importantly, to kill 12 innocent bystanders. Even if
he felt the need to frame Sirius, still no need to
kill 12 people to do it.  Those 12 people died for
NOTHING. To me, that is the true unforgivable crime,
not the betrayal of the Potters and frame-up of
Sirius, which you could in a twisted logic way
understand, but the causeless and pointless murder of
12 innocent people. (Which made sick even the
so-lacking-in-imagination Fudge).

So I'm afraid to me, PP is always complete scum, that
really deserves Azkaban.

Marsha

P.S. I don't have  aproblem with Sirius' assertion
about "dying for each other." It is clear he was
perfectly ready to die for the Potters. In fact, his
behavior before their death was equivalent to painting
a big target on your chest and yelling "shoot me." 

He said he assumed V will come after him, thinking he
was the secret keeper: everyone knew he was Potter's
best friend and he let it be assumed he was the secret
keeper, as a double protection for the Potters. When V
would come after him, as he certainly would, even if
he wanted to bargain with him he couldn't, since he
didn't have the secret. I think it is very clear what
would happen to a person who V thought had something V
wanted, and did not tell V or dissapointed him in any
way. By pretending to be a secret keeper especially
since he wasn't, he was really doing something pretty
close to suicidal.

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