Pettigrew/Scabbers: coward or mole?

[uncmark]

No: HPFGUIDX 35658

My niece asked me a question about Pettigrew/Scabbers that I thought 
I'd pass on to the group.

Why didn't Pettigrew support Voldemort in SSt or ChofS? I would think 
even a semi-skilled animagus would have made a crucial difference 
tipping the balence of the battle to evil.

I suggested that Scabbers was a coward more than an undercover mole 
agent. Despite saying he was waiting for LV to come back, he must 
have heard Voldemort discussed by HRH in SSt. He must have heard LV 
siscussed at the Burrow in the summer between 1st & 2nd year. And as 
a DE, he should have recognized all the references to Tom Riddle in 
ChofS.

I have a theory about Scabbers. Being an unregistered animagus, 
Pettigrew was probably not as highly skilled as say McGonagall. There 
are probably all types of spells to consider when transfiguring. 
Would Scabbers keep his human mind or take on rattish urges?

I remember they have shapechanging magicians in Piers Anthony's Xanth 
series and a danger of shapechanging was that the instincts of the 
animal would overcome the magician (a magician morphed into a dragon 
would feel 'dragonish' and have the urge to eat people)

Could Pettigrew's mind have suffered from so long a period as a rat? 
Ron complained that Scabbers spent most of his time sleeping. Is this 
a rat behavior or just a lazy magician?

Also consider a teenager who most likely wasn't of the highest moral 
integrity. Pettigrew could morph into an animal who could spy 
unobserved on just about anyone. Want to bet he wandered through the 
girls' shower or into the teachers' offices to cheat on tests? 

Uncmark