Peter's rat form

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 105559

Jen wrote:
If JKR tells me Pettigrew turns into a rat when he transforms, then
we find out he ratted out his friends, that's enough information for
me to (snip) wonder why they never suspected Pettigrew was the spy? 
 
Catlady responded:
They probably assumed that Peter's rat form reflected the reality of
rats rather than the metaphor of rats. Pets rats (so I have been
assured by people who keep them) are clean and intelligent and
friendly and loving.<snip>

Carol adds:

Good point. Also, both Percy and Ron cared enough for scruffy, fat,
lazy Scabbers to keep him as a pet. Ron, at least, clearly loved him.
Of course, neither of them knew he was an animagus, but if Scabbers
wasn't repugnant to the Weasley children, it's unlikely that Wormtail
(whose nickname is only descriptive of a rat's naked tail) was
repugnant to his fellow Marauders. (They weren't thinking of the
metaphorical implications of "worm," either, I'm sure--and it's a safe
bet that they hadn't read LOTR and didn't associate Wormtail with
Grima Wormtongue, as I can't help doing!)

Carol, who knows that "worm" in "Wormtongue" means "snake," but sees
that as more applicable to PP than the earthworm of "Wormtail," anyway