[HPforGrownups] Re: Why did Sirius trust Pettigrew? WAS: Snape investigating Potters' Betrayal

[Philip]

No: HPFGUIDX 186561

> Shelley:
> > I think Peter couldn't have been a Death Eater for very long at all when
that incident happened, and he was pleased as punch to be a very valuable
service to Voldemort. <snip>
> 
> Carol:
> I don't know that he was "pleased as punch." The letter in DH seems to
indicate that he was uncomfortable choosing between himself and his friends
though, of course, the choice was inevitable given who he was. And I'm not
sure that he was a Death Eater then. A Dark Mark would have been a bit of a
giveaway if Dumbledore decided to examine Order members' arms looking for a
traitor. But Sirius says in the Shrieking Shack that Wormtail had been
passing information on the Order to Voldemort for nearly a year before the
Potters were killed (which makes it odd that he didn't reveal that
information before Dumbledore suggested the Fidelius Charm) and Wormtail
doesn't deny the charge. At any rate, we first see him as an actual Death
Eater in GoF. It's possible that his Dark Mark is still new at that point.
(The narrator says that he goes to his place in the circle of DEs after
receiving his new hand, but maybe he just takes the nearest empty spot.
After all, the scene is from Harry's point of view and he can't possibly
know whether Wormtail has attended any previous DE meetings or not.)

jkoney:
I don't believe he was a DE at the time, because like you said the dark mark
would have given him away.

Sirius said that he was giving away information, but that was because they
suspected there was a spy, not that Peter was the spy. Only afterwards could
Sirius determine that it was Peter giving away the information. If he had
any misgivings about Peter he wouldn't have suggested him for the secret
keeper.

Philip:
Sirius may have learnt it from others in Azkaban. Certainly, like
Dumbledore, Voldemort would have been careful to ensure that Wormtail was
not obviously a Death Eater. I suspect he may have received his mark when he
was able to betray the Potters. This would seem a suitably useful piece of
information worthy of such a position. Also as soon as this happened, his
spying ability was useless. It is of course possible that the reason
Pettigrew murdered Sirius was to ensure his cover was retained - Sirius
would have blown it otherwise.