Thoughts on Neville//Pettigrew- He's not really *that* Evil!

[aldrea279]

No: HPFGUIDX 40995

Tamara asked:
>>Does anyone else think that Neville may pull at Petigrew later? In 
PoA in Harry's dream after he learned what happened to PP he saw him 
as someone who looked a lot like Neville. Was that a bit of a look 
into the future?>>

Well, if you're going to base things on physical similarities, then I 
guess that means our little Harry will be turning into an evil 
overlord someday.. =P  But I'm going to have to go with this: No, I 
don't think Neville will go traitor.  I think this goes along with 
the whole "It is our choices, not our abilities" line.  Harry could 
very well have turned out like Voldemort-  look at all the 
similiarities between them.  But he doesn't want power, or 
recognization, or immortality.  And he chose not to go after those 
things.  I think Neville does share some similiarities with Peter- 
perhaps the Peter that James, Sirius, and Remus first knew.  But I 
don't think he'll turn out like him.

Laura said:
>>But I don't think the hat made a mistake. I don't think Peter was
evil while he was at Hogwarts. (This of course if just conjecture on
my part. We know nothing about him when he was there, but I can't see
the other marauders being fooled by someone who was evil incarnate.)>>

I have to agree with you there.  I don't think Peter was evil while 
at Hogwarts, either.  We don't really have anything to go on about 
how Peter acted as a kid, just Sirius's little speech about him 
liking big powerful friends.  Now, working off the Nevile/Peter 
parallel, I think Peter's life at Hogwarts was alot like Neville's.  
He was probably picked on and terrorized, as Neville is.  Could it be 
that James stepped in one time when poor Peter was getting picked on 
by some(for the heck of it) big bad Slytherin?  And then perhaps from 
then on Peter took a liking to James, and James(being the kind soul 
he is =) encouraged Peter.  Now Sirius might have thought there was 
something funny about Peter, but he probably grew to trust him.  

Then again, I wouldn't rely too much on Sirius's comment.  Afterall, 
he has had 12 years to feel guilty guilty guilty while sitting around 
in Azkaban for not seeing that Peter was EverSoEvil.  The beauty of 
hindsight, I suppose. =P

Laura:
>>I think that when he was there, he wasn't the perfect Gryffindor as 
he
was weak, but he hadn't hooked up with Voldemort yet. He was
talentless, but he didn't turn to Voldemort until he got out of
school.>>

I don't know if I neccesarily believe Peter just turned to Voldemort 
entirely on his own.  I think he might have been pressured- and the 
guy really goes to peices under pressure.  *goes off to find PoA for 
cannon proof*


"I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and 
James."

<snip>

"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM 
FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He-he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. ""Wh-what was 
there to be gained by refusing him?"


Hmm...that could be Peter just trying to put himself into a better 
light.....OR, it could mean that Peter was acutally pressured into 
the whole thing.(ah, I'm almost defending Pettigrew! What's wrong 
with me?!)  I'm not trying to make him look good!(really, I'm not)  
But I don't think he went running straight to the Dark Side- I think 
he was singled out for a purpose.  Voldemort wanted the Potters 
pretty derned bad, and so it's quite possible he figured they would 
go into hiding- what with, you know, him trying to kill them and 
all.  

Well, he planned ahead by befriending someone whom he knew was close 
to the Potters and also weak: Pettigrew. He got Peter on his side.  
How?  Threats, torture, I don't now.  It doesn't really seem like 
Peter wants to get involved in anything.  He's got nowhere else to go 
at the end of PoA- so he has to return to the only person where he 
might be somewhat welcomed and get himself some power/reward.  

So I think it makes sense for Voldemort to have been the one to snag 
Peter's attention, not the other way around.  Voldemort snagged 
Peter, because he needed someone close to the Potters.  Maybe he gave 
him one of those alleged "Power Boosts", maybe Peter really is an 
ambitious little rat and the promise of being part of Voldemort's 
glory was enough to get him...or maybe Peter is just a lonely little 
soul who wasn't hugged enough as a child and all he really wants is 
some acceptance, damnit!  *pauses* Well, I'm rambling...anyways...

Peter got snared and placed as a spy.  And that whole thing with 
Sirius...hmm...I can picture Voldemort with a circle of DE's around 
him questioining little Peter Pettigrew about the Potters.  He tells 
them about how Sirius was *supposed* to be the Secret-Keeper, but at 
the last minute he himself had been made it. Voldemort is quite 
happy, he has the Potter's SecretKeeper and now he can completely 
surprise attack them.  And no one knows Peter is the Keeper except 
that derned Sirius Black...  At this a DE steps forward.  He has an 
idea, a way to get rid of Sirius Black who could tell that Pettigrew 
is the SecretKeeper, and that's not what they want, they want Black 
to go down for the crime.  Black will go after Peter, Peter will lead 
him to a Muggle street and perform that big BOOM that kills all those 
Muggles...(could it be some sort of Dark Magic spell that ONLY kills 
Muggles? I mean, Black must have been pretty close to Peter and the 
spell didn't kill him). Then Peter can go rat, slip away, and join 
his master.  

But then that whole disembodiement happens and it just ruins the 
whole reunion between Master and Minion. But what is Peter to do? He 
has to get rid of Black, and get himself out of a mess.  So he 
carries on the plan and disappears.  Which makes him all the more 
suspicious to the DE"s...*he* was the one, afterall, that sent 
Voldemort to the Potter's.  

Then he gets unmasked in PoA, and with no one else to turn to(he did 
all the turning to he could in that Shack, IIRC) he goes off to try 
and find Voldemort.

So, there.  Peter really is just a Sniveling Little Rat, and when 
cornered, he *will* squeal.

~Aldrea