[HPforGrownups] Cedric and Pettigrew

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 91918

Pippin countered:
>No. We know there was *a* spy for Voldemort well before Peter
>became the Secret Keeper. Sirius  accuses Peter of passing
>information to Voldemort for a year before, but this is never
>confirmed.

Perhaps not the length, but I can't remember any points at which Spy!Peter
is refuted in the books, even in the Shack where Peter is pleading for his
life.

>I put forward an alternate scenario: James, who doesn't want to
>believe that any of his friends are spies, tells ESE!Lupin about
>the secret-keeper switch. Lupin runs along to Voldemort, who
>captures Peter and bullies him into giving up the secret.

How do you see things developing _after_ Voldemort's debacle? If Peter is
still captive (or under Imperio) at this point, he's now free from the spell
(and clearly he's released from captivity). Why not tell the truth? Others
(ever Lucius) who said they were under Imperio were believed. If Voldemort
takes Peter with him, then Peter could have rescued Harry, and once again
told the truth. If Peter _wasn't_ the spy, why should he run for his life,
even if Lupin was also Voldemort's man? He could have cleared up his own
part in the affair quite easily.

Pippin again:
>But Snape was already Dumbledore's agent at that point. "He
>rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort's downfall and turned
>spy for us at great personal risk. " There would have been no
>chance for Snape to return to LV as a spy if he came over the
>night of the Potters' demise.

True. It depends on whether DD is being entirely truthful here or presenting
the best possible case for Snape.

If Snape goes to DD before Voldemort arrives in Godric's Hollow, then the
first part of the statement ("...joined our side before ... downfall") is
entirely accurate. Snape doesn't know the full prophecy and as far as he
knows, Voldemort, successful or not, will leave Godric's Hollow in full
possession of his faculties and knowing that Snape has betrayed him. That
makes the last part of the statement ("great personal risk") also completely
true. The bit about "turned spy" may be a little bit of spin.

To develop my theory a little further. DD doesn't go to Godric's Hollow.
Instead he spends the rest of the night interrogating Snape, who provides a
great deal of useful information, enough to enable the Order to round up the
surviving DEs the following day (which explains where DD has been that day,
and why he hasn't been able to put McGonagall in the picture before they
meet in the evening). But Snape still has his own agenda and a few cards to
play.

> And Dumbledore would have known from Snape's account that
>Peter was the Secret-keeper, for only the secret keeper can give
>the secret away.

It's just possible that DD is careless on that point, believing Sirius still
to be the secret keeper, and Snape doesn't trouble to put him right. A few
hours later, Sirius catches up with Peter and Snape can safely believe the
whole question to be academic anyway.

But I'd have to agree that Lupin's stock is rising as the other traitor in
the Order. If it was Sirius, then I don't think JKR would have killed him
off before he had the chance to do some dirty deeds...

Cheers

Ffred

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