The Fateful Night (VERY long)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 42332

I said:
> IMO, it is much more likely to have been polyjuiced Pettigrew. It 
is   hard for me to understand why Sirius would have wanted to 
take  Harry with him if he was a) overwhelmed with grief for the 
Potters  b) bent on finding Peter and c) knew that Dumbledore 
was taking  personal responsibility for Harry's safety. I find it hard 
to believe that the real Sirius would have argued against 
Dumbledore's orders with Hagrid.>

Jenny:
>>Polyjuiced Pettigrew?  I find that one hard to swallow :-).  I 
imagine that Pettigrew spent all of his time and energy dealing 
with Voldemort, setting the Potters up, and then setting Sirius up 
as well.  I just don't see him sitting down and taking the time to 
make and take Polyjuice Potion on top of that.  Polyjuice Potion 
takes time to take effect and to wear off; Pettigrew was too 
pressed for time to go through all of that.<<

Me: 
Pettigrew wouldn't have had to make up the potion himself.  I 
expect Snape spent a lot of time brewing up cauldronsfull of the 
stuff for Voldemort. All Peter would have had to do was add 
some of Sirius' hair to the ready-made potion and drink it...a 
matter of moments. 

I believe that framing Sirius as the spy was always a part of 
Pettigrew/Voldemort's plan. The secret keeper switch just made 
it easier. Peter could have stolen the motorcycle from wherever 
Sirius had it hidden. Fudge tells he believes there was a  plan  
for (Fake!)Sirius to openly declare his allegiance to Voldemort at 
the time of the Potter's deaths. It would have been part of this 
plan for Sirius to be spotted at the scene of the crime.

 When Voldemort disappeared, Peter was caught short by 
Hagrid's arrival. Peter  needed to get his hands on Harry to prove 
to the other Death Eaters that he didn't set Voldemort up. Sirius 
says something in the shack about that being the only way that 
Pettigrew could have proved that he didn't plot Voldemort's 
downfall. 

Jenny:
>>I can also see Sirius himself arguing with Hagrid because I 
can imagine that, after seeing the Potters' home destroyed and 
Pettigrew nowhere to be found, Sirius would have trouble 
trusting anyone, especially someone coming to him and saying 
"Dumbledore told me to..."  I'd be suspicious as well.  Besides, 
in the end, Sirius did let Hagrid take Harry, right?  He was simply 
reluctant to do so.<<

me:
Presumably Sirius, as part of the Old Crowd, knew that 
Dumbledore would trust Hagrid with his life. Also, we know how 
rough Hagrid can be. I don't think Peter would have had the nerve 
to do more than argue with him. Peter couldn't stick around for 
long or he would have had to drink more potion, which would 
have looked suspicious. Or the real Sirius might have shown up, 
which I think happened, *after* Hagrid and Fake!Sirius left. If the  
the bodies of James and Lily were found  after Hagrid's 
departure, it would explain why McGonagall, who went 
immediately to Privet Drive without waiting for further news, still 
had some hope that J & L weren't dead.

Hei Lun :
>>If Pettigew had really been there with Hagrid, and he wanted to 
take Harry, which I doubt, he could have just AK'ed Hagrid to get 
him out of the way. Pettigew might be much smaller than Hagrid, 
but he's much more magically powerful than Hagrid is.<<

me:

Pettigrew is a coward. He won't fight unless he is cornered, and, 
as Sirius says, he wouldn't commit murder unless he was sure 
he had a powerful protector.

I am sure that Harry will find clearing Sirius will not be as simple 
as just showing up with Pettigrew dead or alive, especially if I am 
right and there is still a yet-to-be unmasked traitor/spy among 
the Old Crowd. Sirius might find himself facing renewed 
suspicion, which is why I think all this is relevant.

Pippin