Chapter Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban Ch 19: The Servant of Lord Voldemort

[rtbthw_mom]

No: HPFGUIDX 190638





> > 
> > 4. "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN
> > BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
> >  Do you believe this? Do you think it reasonable that Peter did not, regardless of your answer to the first part?
> 
> Nikkalmati
> 
> Well, yes.  Courage, after all, is the mark of a Gryffindor.  Loyalty is also a important virtue in the books and I am sure all of the Mauraders would have died rather than betray even little Peter.  It was the principle of the thing.  No, I don't think Peter acted reasonaably unless saving his own skin at any cost is reasonable.  He became a willing participant and a loyal follower of LV over the course of time whatever his initial reasons.  He was a traitor and did a good job of it.
> 
> Nikkalmati

Pat

There has been a lot of time spent here looking for the "good" Slytherin but I think that Peter is one of the few (only?) examples of a "bad" Gryffindor.  More than most, I think he is all about putting himself first - isn't that what Phineas Nigellus says about Slyths? Saving his own skin before anything else. How did Peter ever get into Gryffindor in the first place? Did we ever see anything brave in his actions? I don't recall anything - perhaps there was something while they were at school, but as an adult, I'm not seeing it. 

Back to the question, why didn't Peter die for his friends the way they would have for him? I suggest that, like Nikkalmati, I think his friends simply assumed that he was as anti-Voldemort as they were. He was the hanger-on, not the one out there expressing opinions loudly, but as he didn't disagree, they thought he was with them. When Voldie came to call (and probably crucio), he easily switched loyalties, as Sirius pointed out. But if he was never really converted, for lack of a better word, to Dumbledore's side, then he would have been "easy pickins" for the next big bully.

Pat



> 
> > 8. "Sirius says Peter passed information to Voldemort for a year. Why do you think Peter did this? 
> 
> Nikkalmati
> 
> 
> I think Peter was genuinely afraid and directly threatened by LV at some point.  He became a convert too because he spied for a long period and then helped LV to return.  He had a tendency to attach himself to power to advance himself; he became convinced that LV was the coming thing and he did not want to be left out.  He must have believed LV's philosophy too.  He doesn't seem to have any genuine feelings for anyone in the books.
> 
> Nikkalmati  
> >
>

Pat

I don't feel too bad just saying "I agree" to this; it's better than repeating what I said above! But I agree.

Pat
surprised by her sudden strong negative feelings about Wormtail