Rats at Hogwarts (was Cedric and Pettigrew)

[drjuliehoward]

No: HPFGUIDX 91910

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Jo Hill <jojobinks1983 at y...> 
wrote:
> Carol wrote:
> > And he would have made the exception twice, once 
> > for Percy as a first-year (he would have acquired 
> > Scabbers when he was about five) and again for Ron 
> > as a first-year (Percy gave Scabbers to Ron after 
> > he was rewarded for becoming a prefect by being 
> > given his own owl, Hermes).
>  
> Hi, it just occurred to me, why didn't Dumbledore twig that 
Scabbers was getting on a bit, it must have been nine years old! Was 
he a magic rat- <snip> Jo

Which brings me to a few questions:
(1) Have we ever found out just where Percy got the rat?  (I 
remember a string of posts on this earlier.)
(2) Did DD know about the marauders being animagi?
(3) If "yes" do you suppose he had a hunch that Scabbers was 
actually PP and allowed him in Hogwarts to keep an eye on him?  I'm 
not suggesting he knew about PP being the secret keeper/traitor and 
Sirius beig innocent.  I'm just speculating that DD recognized 
PP/Scabbers, wondered why he was in rat form and in this form for 
sooooo long, and chose to keep him around to watch.  DD doesn't act 
hasty, nor does he disclose all he ponders.  
(4) For that matter, could he have found PP/rat and gave it to Percy 
for precisely that reason?  He knew Percy would go to Hogwarts as 
would all other Weasleys.  When Ron got prefect, he wondered what 
kind of "gift" he would receive because his older brothers did 
(stated in post above).  Given that canon evidence, another Weasley 
tradition would very likely being passing down clothes, robes, 
books, and pets.  So, DD could anticipate that whichever Weasley had 
PP/rat, it would be at Hogwarts, thus motivating him to give it 
(anonymously?) as a pet.

Just some thoughts.