Peter again small HPB spoilers was Re: HBP various responses and thoughts

[pippin_999]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Amy Z" <lupinesque at y...> wrote:
> Pippin:
> 
> > No it couldn't. Harry's amazed that anyone could kill thirteen
people with one curse. And he's a third year by that time.
It wasn't ordinary, even for the WW. Even the killing curse only
takes people out one at a time.

Amy:
> Sorry, still don't see why that points to Lupin, or anyone else 
besides Peter.  Surely you don't believe that canard about Peter
being  a poor wizard?  It's a classic setup!<

Pippin:
That's one of Jo's traps, but we should have learned our lesson from
Neville. Just because a wizard is  cleverer or more powerful than
everyone thinks doesn't turn him into Superwiz. What magic have 
we seen Pettigrew do? He stunned Ron and transformed into a rat.
That last was impressive, but it seems the transformation itself isn't
that difficult -- Sirius could do it even in Azkaban. Apparently, the 
hard part is learning to do it all, and we know Peter had a struggle
with that.

He binds Harry to the headstone, but doesn't trust the knots and
has to check them. He cuts them off by hand when freeing Harry.
He lights a fire at the base of a cauldron, a spell even Hagrid can 
manage with a busted wand. 

Everything else happens off screen, even the murder of Cedric.

"Wormtail" did it. But that's an alias. What's the point of an alias,
except to conceal identity? Canon's full of dual names and 
mistaken identities...cough*half-blood Prince*cough.

In HPB, he can't even conjure a tray of drinks, though Dumbledore
does it all the time. 

But say, for the sake of argument, that Peter's a superwizard, not 
only in a class with Sirius but far beyond. Why on earth should he 
let himself be captured by Sirius and Ron alone? A wizard who
can destroy twelve people with a single spell can't overcome a 
wandless emaciated wizard who got beat up by a twelve year old, 
and another twelve year old with a broken leg? Peter couldn't think 
of a way of getting Ron's wand away from him, even with the element
of surprise? Aw, c'mon. And don't tell me Jo had to do it that
way for the story -- there's too many other examples.
  

Why did Vapormort trust himself in his presence when he was 
afraid to  reveal himself to even the  weakest of his other
followers? 

Why should Babymort feel safe taunting him, when they're alone 
in the Riddle house? And what about that taunt, anyway? You're
only here because you're afraid of you're old friends, and that's
why I won't give you permission to leave? Unless at least one
of those old friends gives a hoot about Voldemort's permission,
the taunt makes no sense at all.

Why should Snape think it safe to bully him in HBP?


Pippin