Peter Pettigrew



"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort!"

- Remus Lupin to Pettigrew, in the Shrieking Shack

Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, was a friend of James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black.

Early life
Peter was assigned to the Gryffindor House. He became friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black.

He, James and Sirius soon discovered Remus to be a werewolf. However, they didn't abandon Remus. They found a way to accompany Remus when he was transformed. They spent three years to discover how to become Animagi, but they succeeded. Peter was able to transform into a rat. He was therefore nicknamed Wormtail.

Betrayal
Pettigrew was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but he was working as a double agent for Lord Voldemort. He was appointed the Secret-Keeper for James and Lily Potter, but he betrayed them. Lord Voldemort now knew the location of the Potters.

Apart from Lily and James, Sirius was the only one to know Pettigrew was their Secret-Keeper. He wanted revenge upon him. However, when Sirius closed in on him, Pettigrew screamed Sirius had betrayed the Potters for everyone to hear. He blew up the street with his wand, killing twelve Muggles. He cut off his finger to set up a terrible murder, and transformed into a rat. Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban.

Scabbers
Peter went into hiding as Scabbers the rat, coming into the possession of Percy Weasley and, later, Ron Weasley. It was clear Scabbers was an extraordinary rat: he was unusually old for a rat of his species, which had a life expectancy of 3 years, the Weasley family owned it for 12 years.

In 1993 Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Scabbers began to thin and go bald. Ron thought this is due to Hermione's pet cat Crookshanks constantly harrassing it.

In June 1994, Pettigrew was unmasked by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Sirius had recognised Pettigrew in a picture in the Daily Prophet: the rat missed a toe. In an act of mercy, Harry Potter spared his life when there was an opportunity to kill Pettigrew, and though Harry agreed in handing Pettigrew over to the Dementors, this created a bond between Harry and Pettigrew.

This, however, didn't go as planned. Due the full moon, Remus Lupin transformed in a werewolf. Peter took his chance: he transformed and fled.

The servant rejoins his master
After his escape from capture at Hogwarts Pettigrew returned to the service of Lord Voldemort. He milked venom from the snake Nagini. This venom made Lord Voldemort stronger and provided him with a body, though it was rudimentary.

Peter also had an important role in the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. He performed the ritual to restore Lord Voldemort's body. In this ritual, he reluctantly sacrificed his hand.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

- Peter Pettigrew

Neglection
Pettigrew was later assigned to "assist" Severus Snape &mdash; which Snape interpreted as Pettigrew being his servant.

Later, he is stationed in Malfoy Manor. He also took the role of servant there.

Death
In Deathly Hallows, Peter Pettigrew gives Harry mercy after Harry reminds Pettigrew of the life debt he owes him. It is at that moment that the silver hand turns on Pettigrew and kills him.

Betrayal
Pettigrew's stunning betrayal of James and Lily is the most powerful of a number betrayals, great and small, intentional and unintentional, that weave their way through the Harry Potter books. In the exploration of trust and friendship, Pettigrew's role stands in sharp contrast to that of other characters who are killed or seriously injured as a consequence of their stand against Voldemort. And yet, it is the death of Lily Potter, betrayed by one of her husband's best friends and her own former schoolmate, that seals Harry with the power to thwart Voldemort, making Pettigrew's role one of the most pivotal in the entire tale.

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