Pettigrew in Gryffindor? (was: Tom-Harry-Choices / Wand-Transformation / Qu

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 54910

I wrote:

>> What makes you think he should have been in Slytherin, out of
>> curiostity?  To me, this actually seems the least likely of houses
to
>> fit his personality.  Slytherin favors those who are extremely
>> ambitious, willing to use any means to get ahead.  Pettigrew,
however,
>> has always remained in others' shadows- first his friends James,
>> Sirius, and Lupin, and later Voldemort.  He's despertate for
>> recognition, but not really the epitome of ambition.

And Grace wrote:

> I think Pettigrew is very obviously a Slytherin. Remaining in the
shadows of
> others doesn't mean that he isn't ambitious.
> He is.  He just uses others to achieve his own goals.  

I disagree wholeheartedly.  :)  I'll counter one bit at a time.

> I think you may be
> viewing Pettigrew's ambition as being toward something material. 
But in the
> majority of the story, Pettigrew's amibition is to stay alive, and
for that
> he is quite ambitious. 

No, I don't consider ambition to be a desire for material items. 
Ambition is generally defined as a strong desire for something,
anything, but I usually associate it with a strong desire for success
and power.  Pettigrew has never demonstrated any strong desire for
either.  He seems to be desperately attempting to keep his head above
water in the mess he's found himself, trying not to be killed by
those
he has betrayed or by the madman he now serves); nothing more, nothing
less.

> And what is it that Voldemort has promised to the Death Eaters
> that draws Pettigrew.  That, we don't know yet but it might be
epitome that
> Pettigrew thinks he needs and causes him to betray and use those who
have
> helped him or have called him "friend."

We don't know that Voldemort promised anything to the Death
Eaters or
Pettigrew.  I personally believe, as Sam mentioned, that Voldemort
discovered Peter to be the weakest and most gullible of those working
for Dumbledore.  Pettigrew has shown himself to be a coward, trembling
and whining before Lupin and Sirius, and begging Harry, Ron, and
Hermione for his life.  I think if Voldemort approached Pettigrew and
gave him a choice between becoming his spy and dying, Pettigrew would
have had no trouble making the decision.  I think he demonstrated
throughout GoF that he doesn't enjoy being on Voldemort's
side, and
doesn't expect much in the way of reward.

> He uses the Weasley family to hide and feed him, he uses them to
gather
> information (from Arthur who seems to talk about his work when he
gets
> home),  

We don't know that he actively sought a family with ties to the
MoM. 
He discovered a few bits of information purely by accident while
hiding from the world.  A truly ambitious individual would have stayed
in rat form a year or two at the most, while waiting for danger to
pass.  After all, he was now in an extremely advantageous position. 
He later showed he could find Voldemort in less than a year.  He was
in the perfect position to bargain for a share of Voldemort's
power,
but instead opted to play the part of the terrified, cowering servant
once more.

> he uses Ron to protect him, he hides out in Hagrid's hut when things
> gets too difficult with Crookshanks.  

Read, runs and hides.

> In the Shrieking Shack, look how he goes about
> begging for his life, trying to find another possible way to use
someone in
> order to spare himself.  

Yes, just look.  Not an act, in my opinion.  He wasn't cunningly
trying to manipulate everyone, he was simply begging for his life.

> He's a mean little Slytherin as far as I can tell.

He's a whiny, spineless, coward.  And I think he needs to be that
way
to make the story believable.  We have enough bad guys filling the
intelligent-evil-madman position.  Pettigrew fills the
possibly-good-deep-down-but-too-scared-to-stand-up-for-his-beliefs
position.  Pettigrew isn't inherently evil, but he chose what is
easy
over what is right.

-Corinth