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Sep 22, 2021 · Peter Pettigrew's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 was different from the book; here's why the seventh film changed the scene from J.K. Rowling’s novel.
- Overview
- Biography
- Physical appearance
- Personality and traits
"And you understood Wormtail too... you knew there was a bit of regret there, somewhere..."
— Harry Potter regarding Peter's regret for having betrayed his friends
Peter Pettigrew, O.M. (First Class), (c. 1959/1960 – March 1998), usually referred to as Wormtail or Scabbers was a wizard who began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1971 and was sorted into Gryffindor House after the Sorting Hat pondered over which house he belonged in for over five minutes, making him a true Hatstall. During his years at Hogwarts, he became one of the Marauders; he was best friends with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin, and together they created the Marauder's Map.
During the First Wizarding War, Peter was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but became a spy when he was coerced into joining Lord Voldemort. He was made Secret-Keeper for the Potters when they went into hiding with the use of the Fidelius Charm, and betrayed James, his wife Lily, and their son Harry to Lord Voldemort. After Voldemort's fall, he faked his own death and framed Sirius for betraying James and Lily, as well as for his own murder and those of the twelve Muggles he killed during his escape.
Peter spent twelve years living in his Animagus form as the Weasley family's pet rat, Scabbers. However, his identity was exposed by Sirius and Remus in 1994, and Pettigrew, with nowhere else to go, sought protection in returning to the service of Lord Voldemort, whom he found in the forests of Albania.
Pettigrew played a key role in Voldemort's rebirth and continued to serve him during the Second Wizarding War. In the spring of 1998, during a skirmish at Malfoy Manor, in a moment of rare mercy, he hesitated to strangle Harry. The silver hand Lord Voldemort had given Pettigrew interpreted his hesitation as weakness and/or disloyalty, and strangled him to death, saving Harry and finally finding redemption for his treason, despite his reputation remained tarnished as many remained dubious of the evidence of his innate bravery.
Early life (1959/1960–1971)
Peter Pettigrew was born around 1959/1960. His mother was a witch, and his father's blood status was unknown.
Hogwarts years (1971–1978)
Peter Pettigrew: "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail, but I couldn't think what else —" James Potter: "How thick are you, Wormtail? You run round with a werewolf once a month —" — Peter's lack of intelligence compared to his friends Pettigrew began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1971. During his Sorting Ceremony, the Sorting Hat wavered between placing him in Slytherin or Gryffindor. After a deliberation of more than five minutes (making Pettigrew a Hatstall), the Hat decided to sort him into Gryffindor. He soon became friends with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin, fellow Gryffindors he idolised for their popularity and talents. Pettigrew took part in James's and Sirius's bullying of Severus Snape, a Slytherin boy in the same year as the Marauders. He, James, and Sirius soon discovered Remus Lupin to be a werewolf, but they did not abandon him as many other wizards would have. Instead, they spent years learning how to become Animagi so that they could accompany Remus during his transformations. Pettigrew's Animagus form was a rat, from which his nickname "Wormtail" was derived. The four friends called themselves the Marauders and designed a map to navigate Hogwarts. Pettigrew's rat form helped him slip through the Whomping Willow's branches and immobilise the tree in order to let himself and the Marauders enter the Shrieking Shack. Professor Minerva McGonagall described Pettigrew as a "stupid and foolish boy" who hero-worshipped Sirius and James. She also stated that Pettigrew was a less than average student and was not capable of fighting with Sirius. She was somewhat harsh with him during their years of student-teacher relationship.
Legacy
Despite Pettigrew living his life full of cowardice, opportunism and betrayal, the Sorting Hat had always considered its choice of sorting him into Gryffindor as correct. The Hat took Pettigrew's hesitation to kill Harry as evidence of his innate bravery, which many remained doubtful of. Harry, while disliking Pettigrew for his despicable cowardice and betrayal, nevertheless felt some pity for the way he had to die, and was perhaps one of the few to accept Pettigrew's subtle regret of his life choices.
"He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colourless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes."
— Pettigrew's physical appearance after having reverted to his human form after many years
Pettigrew was an extremely short man (no taller than Harry when he was thirteen or Hermione when she was fourteen years old) with grubby skin, small watery eyes, and a pointed nose, all of which were lingering attributes of his animagus rat form; he even spoke in a squeaky voice that is another lingering attribute of his rat form. In his youth, his hair was mousy brown, but by his mid-thirties, it had thinned, lost a lot of its colour, and acquired a large bald patch.
He was also described as "fat" in his youth, but when forced to return to his human form in the Shrieking Shack, he looked as though he lost plenty of weight in a short time, mostly due to his stress of fearing Sirius's wrath. The stress he endured also apparently caused him to appear middle-aged by his mid-thirties. In 1981, he cut off his right index finger as part of a ploy to fake his own death, which is reflected in his "Scabbers" form, and, fourteen years later, he cut off his entire right hand at the request of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort used magic to give Pettigrew a shining silver, glove-like replacement. As a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm.
Peter Pettigrew: "He's come to try and kill me again! He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too… You've got to help me, Remus..."
Remus Lupin: "No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out."
— Peter's cowardice and weakness
Peter Pettigrew was characterised by weakness. Despite having been Sorted into Gryffindor, he was not especially brave, possibly proving that the Hat saw potential in him rather than any actual inborn courage, potential that he never lived up to. The Sorting Hat may have mistaken his adoration of James and Sirius for steadfastness, or sensed in him a desire to surround himself with respected individuals and believed that he would make a compatible friend to a Gryffindor; Pettigrew clearly looked up to strong, courageous people and it is possible that the Sorting Hat put him there because he wished to absorb that quality.
Pettigrew was a Hatstall, being considered between Gryffindor and Slytherin by the Sorting Hat, though the hat ultimately decided that it made the right choice to this day, citing the manner in which Pettigrew died as (what some would call dubious) evidence.
In his youth, he latched onto James Potter and Sirius Black, more talented and popular students, idolising them and living vicariously through their accomplishments, as well as joining them in bullying other students, such as Severus Snape. Due to the huge difference in terms of talent, bravery, and popularity, Peter was more of a hanger-on than an equal. However, the three Marauders did love Peter as a friend and brother, which made the eventual betrayal of James especially bitter.
Pettigrew was the surname of a wizarding family of unknown blood status. Peter Pettigrew — a wizard who betrayed the Order of the Phoenix for the Death Eaters. Mrs Pettigrew — Peter's mother. The surname Pettigrew likely began as a nickname for a short person, from the Old French petit, "small," and cru, "growth." Peter Pettigrew was notable for his short stature, standing only a little ...
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Once a dear friend to the Potters, Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, earned himself the title of the biggest traitor in the Harry Potter series. After he betrayed James, Lily, and Harry ...
Sep 19, 2023 · Published Sep 19, 2023. Peter Pettigrew was murdered by his silvery hand in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a moment that Voldemort himself had foreshadowed. Summary. Wormtail's death in the Harry Potter books was a deserved fate for his betrayal, foreshadowed throughout the series.
- Senior Core Features Writer
Peter Pettigrew, O.M. (Third Class), (c. 1960 – March, 1998), also known by his nickname "Wormtail," [9] was a wizard and son of Mr and Mrs Pettigrew. He began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1971 and was sorted into Gryffindor House after the Sorting Hat pondered over...
Peter Pettigrew. As a student at Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew had been best friends with fellow Gryffindors James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. As young wizards, they discovered how to transform into Animagi, and Peter made use of his rat-form when he disappeared from the wizarding world after the murder of James and his wife, Lily Potter.
