Crouch Sr and Peter (WAS Humor -- the Train Stomp )

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 34579

Elkins wrote (about Crouch Sr.):

>But all the same, it still seems
> to me that stripping your no-account, good-for-nothing, disgrace-to-
> the-family-name offspring of all personal volition, rendering him
> completely invisible, denying him all human contact, and keeping him
> locked in your kitchen is...well, that isn't exactly *mercy,* is it?

I have to admit that being imprisoned for over a decade by your dad 
and a house elf isn't exactly a walk on the beach.  But I also didn't 
hear Crouch Jr. complaining about it.  He didn't exactly decline to 
switch places with his sick mother.  No, he was happy to get out of 
Azkaban (where he was reliving all of his unhappy memories) to live 
with dear old dad (where he could, uh, relive a lot of unhappy 
memories).  He traded a foul cell in prison for cushy surroundings at 
daddy's house, a comfy bed, three squares, endless talk shows on 
daytime television, and the occasional trip to the QWC.  That's not 
that bad.

Besides, Crouch Jr. should be *thanking* his dad for bailing him out 
of Azkaban.  Crouch Sr. risked what was left of his tattered 
reputation to sneak Crouch Jr. out of Azkaban.  And how does Crouch 
Jr. repay the favor?  By killing his dad.  

::shakes off mental image of Crouch Sr. imploring, "I do and do and 
do for you, and this is the thanks I get?"::

Elkins again (on Peter's talent for sniveling):

> But on this topic, I've always wondered why Peter didn't take that 
> approach with Sirius in the first place.  He already knows that 
> Voldemort has mysteriously vanished, and he may even already know
> that the other DEs are starting to mutter things about him having
> betrayed their master to his doom.  So wouldn't you think that it 
> would make more sense, from a strategic standpoint, to try to get 
> back in with the winning side while the getting's good, rather than
> going into hiding for thirteen years?

I can only think of two reasons why Peter wouldn't try this.  First, 
it could simply be that he is dedicated to the Dark Lord, as Sirius 
suggests in the Shrieking Shack.  Peter was just biding his time, 
waiting for a chance to help his master, so being a rat for 12 years 
would probably provide a better vantage point than Azkaban.  Somehow, 
I doubt it. (Does anyone else think Peter transformed just now and 
then, just for a thrill, and raided the Weasley's refrigerator at 
night?  Maybe he threw wild parties at the Burrow when the Weasleys 
were on holiday.)  

Better, I think, is that Peter probably knew that Sirius wasn't going 
to buy any nonsense about the Imperius Curse, and Sirius wasn't going 
to turn Peter in to MoM, either.  (For instance, perhaps the Imperius 
Curse won't work for the secretkeeper, or perhaps Sirius knew Peter 
knows how to throw off the Imperius Curse or something).  No, Sirius 
was going to put an end to Peter once and for all, right there in 
front of a bunch of wide-eyed muggles.  I kind of respect Sirius for 
this.  Sorry, it's true.

Elkins again:

> Do you think Sirius really would have killed him right there on the
> street if he'd burst into tears and choked out some sob story about
> how the evil Death Eaters tortured him horribly, and hard as he 
tried 
> he just couldn't withstand them, and so he betrayed Lily and James, 
> and now he'll never forgive himself for being such a useless, 
> hopeless, impotent wretch, and would Sirius just kill him now, 
> please, quickly, and put him out of his guilt-racked misery?
> 

Uh, the only question in my mind would be the depth of the crater on 
the spot where Peter was standing.

No, there's no question in my mind that Sirius would have made short 
work of Peter.  The tougher question is whether Lupin would have done 
the same thing had he cornered Peter in the street.  I'm not so sure.

Elkins again (about Peter and Voldemort):

>I think 
> [Peter's] headed for empty nest syndrome ("My little Baby Who Must 
>Not Be 
> Named, all grown up, doesn't need me anymore...").  

::snerk::  Peter reminds me more of an abused spouse. Voldemort has 
told Peter that Peter is weak and incompetent so often that Peter 
believes it now.  (Apparently, Sirius was also not shy about sharing 
that assessment with Peter, too).  It's a rather sick pattern, isn't 
it?  Voldemort insults Peter, then rewards him with something (silver 
hand).  Peter hangs around for the next insult.  Spooky.

Cindy (who is learning that she is developing quite a thing for hot-
headed, cold-blooded men)