Unfortunate!Peter

[Barry Arrowsmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 118201

I'm often accused of thinking the worst of everybody in the books. 
Well, at least that way I never feel let down when somebody 
'trustworthy' does the dirty. But just for a change I'm changing my 
viewpoint. It's to fulfill a sort of promise I made a few days ago. I'm 
arguing that somebody almost universally accepted as being ESE is on 
the side of the angels.
Trouble is, I think this'll be as unpopular as my character 
assassinations. You just can't win....

Not a popular lad, is Peter. Not with the characters in the books and 
not with the fans. Most of both groups are of the opinion that he 
should be veiled, ringing a hand-bell and crying "Unclean, unclean..." 
as he stumbles down the road to  perdition.

Maybe so, but it's always worthwhile to have a sniff around some of the 
more obvious characterisations, just in case there's something tucked 
away behind the facade. And anyway, I enjoy ferreting out motives, why 
so-and-so ended up like he has, what drives him. It's Peter's turn.

A major problem is that there's so little in canon that is objective 
and untainted by the opinions or prejudices of others. Still, we'll see 
what we can do with what we have.

The earliest images we have of him are in the Pensieve memory. It is 
not a comfortable picture. Although generally classed as one of the 
Marauders, he's obviously the odd one out. To James he's an 
appreciative audience, ready to admire and perhaps hero worship 
whenever James feels like putting on a performance. To  Sirius he's a 
nothing, a hanger-on to be belittled; to Lupin - what? We don't really 
know, Lupin acts as if he wasn't there.

So why did they spend so much time and trouble encouraging him to 
master the Animagus spell? Why did they tolerate him, what did they 
need him for? "Ah," some will say "it's because as a rat he could 
immobilise the Whomping Willow, that's why."
"Oh, yes," says I "and how did they know he'd be a rat?" Because they 
couldn't know, not in advance. Besides, I'm not so sure that the tree 
was all that massive then and even in PoA Harry et al manage quite 
nicely with a broken branch. Peter  was not essential, yet they 
persisted for years. Why?

Next in the timeline (or previously - we're not sure when it happened)  
is a  non-appearance. There's no sign of Peter in the so-called Prank. 
Was he an observer or was he absent? Absent, probably. I  can't see 
someone as supposedly timid as Peter not doing the brown-trouser trick 
when Sirius sent Snape off to  Lupin's lair.

Though on second thoughts, there is a place for him in that episode. 
Who told DD? I doubt Sevvy was calm and collected enough to gather his 
robes around him, stalk off to his House-master and request an 
interview with the Dumbledore about a hidden werewolf. He'd be ready to 
shout it from the roof-tops, tell anyone who'd listen - but he didn't. 
I'd think that only the timely arrival of someone like DD would prevent 
that. So, it's either his much-vaunted omniscience (which seems very 
patchy at other times, you must admit) or somebody told him. Could very 
well have been Peter.

If so, then maybe we have a role for Peter. James and Sirius - 
tear-aways; Lupin - made a prefect to try and keep them in check 
(unsuccessfully); Peter - informer; he tells DD just what they're up  
to. You don't really believe DD didn't know about them being animagi, 
do you?  Perhaps Peter is getting some basic training in spying.

Then there's Moody's photograph. There's Peter, sitting between James 
and Lily. Lots of fans have wondered about this; is it significant? Was 
there unrequited affection (or even requited affection) between 
James/Peter or between Lily/Peter? Why are James and Lily sitting 
apart? Not being romantically inclined I've never read much into it, 
but believe you me, others have.

And so  to Godric's Hollow, the key to the entire HP saga IMO.
We know what we've been told by Sirius, we know what most, or some  of 
the characters believe. Peter passed info to Voldy for a year, was made 
SK, betrayed the Potters, was cornered by Sirius, killed thirteen 
Muggles, turned into Scabbers and escaped down a drain. All very 
convenient. All very logical. For some.
Me, I think it's much more interesting than the bare bones suggest and 
I've lost count of the number of posts written on the subject, so I'll 
not go into the details again.

There's just  a couple of points I want to consider on the GH episode:
1. I  think there's a hole in the SK set-up. Remember in OoP Harry is 
given the GP address (presumably written by DD) - it is not addressed 
to him and once he has read it, Moody  burns it. This leaves one with 
the impression that *anyone* reading that slip of paper could find 
No.12 GP. This makes tying down who knew what and when about GH much 
more iffy. For a start, it'd wouldn't be necessary to have a meeting to 
pass on the address, nor would the SK know if an address slip hadn't 
been burned but had been passed on to someone who was not a friend of 
the Potters.

2. Scabbers vanishes into the sewers. Right. Then what? Where does he 
go? Who does he see? Want a suggestion?
OK - Dumbledore. Neither the  DEs nor the MoM people believe he's 
alive. Who's left? DD. It's maybe my memory, but unlike just about all 
the adults in the books I  can't remember DD ever saying or hinting or 
commenting in PoA that he believed Peter was dead. If I'm wrong I'm 
sure someone will correct me.

One of the FAQs that crops up regularly is Scabbers' association with 
the Weasleys. How long has he been there, along with musing on how a 
long-lived non-magical rat was accepted as a pet at Hogwarts for years 
and no-one so much as blinked. What was Peter likely to know about the 
Weasleys? Damn all, I should think. Neither Molly nor Arthur appear on 
Moody's photograph and so probably weren't in the Order in the first 
Voldy War, and they were at school years before him and their kids were 
years after him.

Then there's the general acceptance of Peter spending 12 years as a rat 
  and never, so far as we can tell, having a tea-break and stretching 
his legs. Add to this the fact that at the Shrieking Shack it took two 
wizards wielding  two wands simultaneously to switch him back to human 
form and I begin to suspect that Peter has been spelled. He might not 
even be in animagus form at all, he could have been transfigured. And 
who's the Transfiguration Supremo? DD. Would being transfigured count  
as being chained?

There's not much evidence (before SS) that Scabbers shows any sign of 
human intelligence -  except perhaps once, when he bites Goyle. That is 
interesting in itself - why would a Voldy supporter go out of his way 
to attack a Slytherin? But to all intents and purposes he acts just as 
a rat should. If he was in animagus form I'd have thought Crookshannks 
would have forced him out of it. Being chewed up as moggy appetiser is 
just as bad and much more immediate than being chased by DEs.

Another oddity; when Scabbers runs away (when Ron thinks Crookshanks 
has eaten him), where does he hide? Hagrid's Hut. Hagrid has given me 
pause to wonder over the years. I've never been quite sure how deep in 
DD's confidence he is. Just how much does he know, just how many little 
errands has he run for DD? This is the wizard  who states "..nobody 
went bad 'cept they was Slytherin" yet rubbishes Black (a Gryffindor) 
for betraying James and Lily. Does not compute. Now if Harry could 
corner Hagrid and start asking some pointed questions we might get to 
the bottom of this.

No, I think DD placed Scabbers with the Weasleys. It was a large enough 
family that sooner or later Scabbers would turn up at Hogwarts while 
Harry was there. And Harry is important, both to DD and to Peter.

A few weeks ago I complained that the description of Peter's escape 
after the SS debacle had been cut short. we're told he ran away - but 
not the direction. The natural assumption is that it'd be towards the 
Forest. But it'd be a turn up for the books if he hadn't, if he'd run 
towards the school instead. I'm sure DD would have been fascinated by 
what he could tell him.

Peter is supposed to be weak, pathetic, ineffectual.  Now  compare him 
to the big, brave DEs. They cower before Voldy. Peter disagrees with 
him, tries to get him to change his mind about using Harry Potter for 
his scheme while they're at the Riddle House.

I think Peter works for DD - and probably has for a long time.

A few days ago I wrote pointing out that Peter had never been 
'chained', that he could leave at any time. I also hinted that there 
might be an alternative explanation. Ready?

I think Peter is/has been paying penance, with the encouragement of DD, 
for some act of foolishness, naivety or stupidity that contributed to 
the deaths of the Potters. He's DD's eyes and ears in the Voldy camp 
and maybe the final safety net if Harry gets  into  a really sticky 
spot. Forget all this 'life debt' guff (a phrase invented by fans 
incidentally and not in canon). Peter will eventually help Harry and/or 
turn on Voldy for reasons that have little to do with the Shrieking 
Shack episode. He may already have done so.

Remember the graveyard, the bit where Harry escapes? Do you really 
think that one unaimed Impedimenta! spell thrown over his shoulder 
could have discommoded that many DEs, spread in a circle, all at once?

"Ah," you'll say, "but he killed Cedric. He must be ESE"
Did he? Read the passage again. The cloaked figure (Peter) is carrying 
something in his arms (plural). It's only after Cedric has  been killed 
that he puts down the bundle (Voldy) and lights his wand. And he's 
scared, trembling so much he can hardly tie knots in a rope. It's been 
proposed in the past that there was someone else in that graveyard - 
the most common suspects being Sirius, Lupin or Bagman. What is sure is 
that the passage does not say that the AK came from Peter.

You'll  all disagree, of course. Goody. Can't have outbreaks of 
unanimity spoiling the fun.

As a final indicator there's his name,  and we all appreciate how JKR 
likes fitting names to characters. Pettigrew - small of stature, 
nothing special there; but Peter - the rock, that's something else.

Kneasy