Why Pettigrew's hand? - Wizards obligations

[Wanda Sherratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 28731

I'm wondering about that bond between Harry and Peter now, too. Is 
this just a matter of honour between wizards, or is it stronger than 
that?  If it's the latter, then Peter really betrayed Harry when he 
handed him over to Voldemort in GoF, since that was his chance to 
repay him for saving his life.  Will there be some consequences to 
that?  I'm wondering if something bad happens to a wizard who doesn't 
honour that obligation - perhaps his powers will be forfeited, and 
Voldemort might be weakened because he now shares Peter's nature in 
some way.  This reminds me a bit of "Little Big Man", where the hero 
saves his enemy's life, and then his enemy is unable to kill him, 
because if he doesn't repay the debt he will be punished in the 
afterworld.  Once he saves Little Big Man's life in return, they're 
even, and the next time he meets him he can kill him without worrying 
about the consequences.

I have to think there is more to it than just decent behaviour - Snape 
seems to be troubled by his obligation to James even after the 
latter's death, and acts as though he's bound to honour the debt even 
into the next generation.  There must be some strong motivation for 
Snape to do something so obviously unpleasant - would something happen 
to him if he acted otherwise?  It's the sort of thing that wouldn't 
surprise me with him, like when he told Harry that James only saved 
his life because he would have been expelled otherwise.  "It's nothing 
to do with you, you little twerp, I couldn't care less if you dropped 
dead, but if I don't watch out for you I'll find myself in Wizard's 
Hell forever, so I'm stuck."

Wanda

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Susanne Schmid <pigwidgeon37 at y...> wrote:
> 
(SNIP)
> It would be interesting, though, to know more about the bond that, 
according to Dumbledore, has been established between Pettigrew and 
Harry in PoA, when Harry saved his life: Is it an emotional bond or 
something concrete? If it is the latter, some of it might have been 
passed on to Voldemort by way of his servant's flesh. And the 
consequences might be quite disastrous for old Voldie...
> Susanna/pigwidgeon37