Importance of Pettigrew?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 171779

Bart: 
<snip>
> This means that, if JKR has her psychology right, and I believe she 
> does, at some point Morty is going to push Pete a little too far,
> and Pete is going to recover his self-respect, if only for long 
> enough to help Harry.

Jen:  JKR does weave realistic psychological underpinnings for her 
characters, meaning some will inevitably be motivated by their 
greatest weakness instead of strength.  Peter doesn't appear to be a 
character in line to recover his self-respect so much as one who 
might repay his life-debt out of the belief that Harry has the 
potential to defeat Voldemort.  There are a couple of things Peter 
could learn in the course of DH leading him to such a conclusion, 
undoubtledly discovered via spying and snooping as he's done 
throughout the series in both human and rat form:

1)  Learning the full prophecy and perceiving Harry has some literal 
power that will make him stronger than LV in the end.  Or perhaps 
thinking twice about the potion in the graveyard.  Peter can be very 
shrewd when it comes to his own survival. 

2)  Learning Voldemort's immortality is due to Horcruxes and that 
Harry and his allies have already destroyed several in their quest.

Attempting to side with Harry as the more powerful of the two could 
lead to fulfilling the life debt as easily as noble motives; at 
least, Dumbledore doesn't discount that possibility in his 
explanation from how I read it.


Jen