Pettigrew/Wormtail (was Transitions, etc Will the Real...)

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 167858


>
> > JW:
> > While we do not know how WT first became a DE/servant, in PoA WT 
> tells 
> > Sirius that he gave the Potters hideout info to LV under extreme 
> threat.
> > To paraphrase:
> > WT: You do not know what LV is capable of.  What was I to do?
> > Sirius: You were supposed to die, as we would have done for you.  
> But 
> > you spied for LV for a year before you gave the Potters to LV.
> > 
> 
> zgirnius:
> It is not quite that simple. According to Sirius, Peter spied for 
> Voldemort for about a year.
> 
> > Sirius, PoA:
> > "DON'T LIE!" bellowed Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO 
HIM 
> FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
> 
> zgirnius:
> I could see Peter getting forced into spying by Voldemort. But if 
he 
> was doing it against his will, why on earth did he agree to be 
James 
> and Lily's Secret Keeper? And why did he never seek help, over the 
> course of that year? Simple and immediate fear for his life does 
not 
> explain it.

Julie:
Peter Pettigrew is the most difficult character in HP to
understand, IMO. And I don't know if it's because JKR has
just plugged him into the plot in whatever way she needed
him to serve it best, or if there is an explanation for his
apparent character inconsistencies.

Peter's own argument is that he was too afraid of LV *not*
to spy for him. But as you say, it doesn't make sense that
he would agree to be the Potters' secret-keeper if it was
only fear that motivated him. That request is between him,
Sirius, and the Potters. He can refuse it on some grounds
or other without LV ever knowing about it. So why doesn't
he?

Even more, why does he go straight to LV when he escapes
the Shrieking Shack in POA? LV is still Vapor!mort, and 
without someone to help him regain a physical body he
is not a major threat to anyone--especially not to 
Peter, who as Scabbers would know about LV's lack of
success retrieving the Philosopher's Stone and Quirrel's
ignonimous fate, thus can easily avoid the same fate.
(Though it's not relevant to this post, just *where*
did Vapor!mort go when Quirrel died anyway? Did he 
just float his way out of Hogwarts to Albania, or did
he possess an owl or something?)

Anyway, how can we reconcile Peter seeking out
Vapor!mort and deliberately helping him regain his
strength and physical body with a Peter who acts
*only* out of fear? To me, the Peter in GOF is 
acting with deliberate malice toward the WW, having
ignored the clear opportunity to disappear into a 
sewer somewhere as Scabbers and never be seen again.
He WANTS LV to regain his power, whether because he's
sick of hiding as a rat and can only be himself again
with LV's protection, or he acted from the beginning out
of something besides fear (perhaps he secretly loved
Lily and hated James for winning her heart?). I don't
know what Peter's motive was, but it had to be more
than simple fear for his life. 

One of the biggest mysteries of the books has been 
*Snape's* motivations for his actions, both good and
bad, and it's pretty certain that we will learn the
truth about those motivations in DH. But Peter's
motivations are as big a mystery, and I hope we do 
get some explanation, because we really need one if
Peter isn't just going to remain this contradictory
character who acts only to serve the plot.

Julie