[HPforGrownups] Turning to the Dark Side

[JamiDeise at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 20182

In a message dated 6/4/2001 6:48:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
meboriqua at aol.com writes:

<< I am talking 
 about the characters who choose to side with Voldie and his 
 supporters, perform the Cruciatius Curse, turn their noses up at 
 Muggle-borns and so on, which is a drastic thing to do, IMO. >>

Yeah, I think it's pretty drastic too! Since Wormtail is the only character 
we know who has betrayed his friends and gone over to the dark side, let's 
take a look at his characteristics as an example of what it might take. 
According to McGonagall's recollections in PoA, he wasn't very good at magic, 
he openly idolized Lupin, James and Sirius, to the point of following them 
around like a little puppy dog, he was little and fat. Later in PoA, he 
whines that Voldemort was so powerful, he had no choice, he would have killed 
him -- to which Sirius rightly sneered that he should have died rather than 
betray his friends. So what happened in between the time he was a fat little 
puppy dog at Hogwarts, to his ultimate betrayal? Lily and James married and 
had Harry ... Sirius was best man and Harry's godfather. Somehow, the two 
became very important in the fight against Voldemort. Lupin was still tight 
with them as well. 

Perhaps Peter had grown weary of never being good enough as his friends. He 
saw them become powerful, successful, find love ... and slowly his 
hero-worship turned to jealousy and hate. So he decided to trump them the 
only way he could ... proving that he, Peter Pettigrew, smarter than any of 
them ever thought. 

So who among Harry's circle could fall into this trap? I don't think it's 
anyone we know very well at this point. That's why I think it could be 
someone like Colin ... all we really know about him is how much he worships 
Harry. 

Jami