Peter Pettigrew - Questions and Commentary

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 101194

Jenni:
> 1. How did "Scabbers" end up in the hands of the Weasley family?  
> 
>   The books indicate that it belonged to Percy before Ron got it, 
> but that doesn't seem to jive with him having been with the family 
> for 12 years, if you assume that "School Pets" aren't acquired 
until 
> age 11.  After all, Percy is only, what, four or five years older 
> than Ron (I don't have my books handy and I can't remember if he 
was 
> in 5th or 6th year in PS/SS).  

Jen: Hi Jenni! Welcome. 

I've always imagined Peter knew the Weasleys or at least knew OF 
them, and he specifically chose them for his hiding place. The 
Weasleys at that time offered a refuge from the War--they lived in 
the country, were not members of the Order, and Arthur didn't have 
any real power at the MOM. And, most ironic, this was a Gryffindor 
family. It also doesn't appear Voldemort was targeting them in any 
way.

Also, I'm not sure Sirius was right, that Pettigrew was merely 
waiting for the right moment to give Harry to LV. I think he was 
trying to save his own skin! 

Now that we know the Prewitt brothers were probably Molly's 
brothers, Wormtail's role in all this is even more disturbing. If he 
was passing information to Voldemort for a year prior to the deaths 
of the Potters, did he also betray the Prewitt brothers?

Jenni:
>   And it's not like he only betrayed Lily and James after 
suffering 
> through extreme torture.  No, he made a conscious decision to run 
to 
> V. with the information that would betray two of the people he'd 
> been friends with throughout school, and *then* he actually went 
out 
> of his way to frame a third.  He didn't have to frame Sirius -- he 
> could have done the same disappearing trick but made it look like 
V. 
> had done him in, so people might think he only cracked after being 
> tortured.


Jen: He had to frame Sirius, though, because Sirius was the one 
person who knew what happened and also knew he was an Animagus. 
Sirius would vow to find Peter if it was the last thing he did. 
Peter wouldn't have the same sense of security if he knew Sirius was 
out there, hunting him down as Padfoot.