Peter Pettigrew

[greennotebook]

I don't think Peter forgot anything while he was a rat, and certainly not the death of a parent. As for telling Sirius & Remus, when does he talk to them? I'm pretty certain we see all potentional conversations between them in PoA. Sirius & Remus ask him why he did it, and he gave a pretty direct answer-- he was afraid for his own life.

I don't believe there is canon information on Peter's dad, but the fact that his finger was given to his mother does not gaurantee that anything happened to the elder Mr. Pettigrew. Giving remains & a medal to a mother is a very emotionally evocative idea. There's something about the idea of a mother holding her baby that ties in so ironically to a mother holding her dead, adult son. It's entirely possible that McGonagall (I think it was McGonagall telling this part of the story.... maybe Flitwick?), or even JKR herself was aiming for that sentiment.

[Crystal Rose]

I'm trying to write a one-shot about Peter's last thoughts before he died. Any ideas of how he would react/ who he might blame? I was thinking that he would blame Sirius for his death at least in part. Any input/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[greennotebook]

I'm not sure if Pettigrew would stop to think about blame (more on that in a moment) but if he did, there are a lot of targets he'd go to. I think Pettigrew would place a lot of blame on Harry and Ron at first, simply because they're right there and he's dying fighting them. He'd also blame the Malfoys, Bellatrix and Snape because of the degrading position they've put him in, which ultimately turns out to be dangerous as well. He'd blame the other Marauders, Dumbledore, Voldemort and the entire war in general. Peter strikes me as a guy who wants to go about his own business, paying attention to his own needs and wants. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, and he certainly doesn't want to BE hurt, but the war has placed him into lots of big, dangerous, inconvenient situations that ultimately cause him his life.

I'd like to think that ultimately, though, he blames himself, even just a little. In going to Voldemort, I think he betrayed his own character a bit. His impulse to mercy shows that maybe, at least once upon a time, he was a true Marauder.

However, Pettigrew's death is horrifying and quick. He's struggling franticly. His energy is focused on how to get out of danger and save himself. He's not going to be displacing resentment or blame on anyone not immediately involved. That actually seems to be an overarching characteristic of Peter in the books. He's not going to stop and think about things like guilt or blame. He just wants to save himself.

No doubt he does resent the people I mentioned above, but you might want to have him think of that as he walks down to the dungeon rather than when he's actually dying.

[lily meet ginny]

I'm trying to write a one-shot about Peter's last thoughts before he died. Any ideas of how he would react/ who he might blame? I was thinking that he would blame Sirius for his death at least in part. Any input/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I believe that he would be surprised that the gift he received from Voldemort, the symbol of loyalty and power, would turn on him. He might blame himself for showing compassion. Possibly, he might look at the sort of circle he created. Harry kept him from dying at the hand of Sirius Black the last time, a death that would have been quick and painless. Instead, he betrayed his friends yet again and in turn died in a horrific and violent way. Would he blame his friends for not just killing him the first time? Peter does seem like the sort who would pass the blame onto everyone but himself, but whether he would stoop to that level just depends on the sort of Peter you create.

[Sapphire at Dawn]

I'm trying to write a one-shot about Peter's last thoughts before he died. Any ideas of how he would react/ who he might blame? I was thinking that he would blame Sirius for his death at least in part. Any input/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I've actually written a one-shot about this, though it isnt up on here. In truth, it's more about what happens to him after his death, but I think it's the same sort of thing. In it, I don't have him blaming anyone. I have him truly realising the implications of his actions; he sees, when he goes 'on', the families that could have existed if he had resisted Voldemort. He sees his own wife and children, along with those of his friends, and feels incredibly guilty that he denied these children the right to live, something that he cannot forgive himself for. In death, he shows more courage (in a weird way) than he did in life by refusing to run from these visions. Instead, he confronts them because he knows that he truly deserves the torment.

I think that Peter is a really interesting character, one who I have given a lot of thought to. I think that the most important thing that gives a clue to his character and why he betrayed Lily and James is in PoA where he says something along the lines of 'But he would have killed me!' Sirius responds with 'Then you should have died, as we would have done for you!'

Ultimately, I think it was the fear of death that drove him to betrayal and the other terrible things he did. Of course, Voldemort too was scared of death, but he was so much more powerful than Peter he sought to do something about it. In think Peter was getting more and more scared due to the fact that his fellow Order members were dropping like flies around him.

I don’t believe that Peter ever deliberately sought Voldemort out to start passing him information. I think that Voldemort somehow knew his weaknesses and approached him, offering him the sort of protection the Order couldn’t give in exchange for information. I think that Peter wouldn’t be able to refuse this, and although he hated himself for betraying his friends, his fear of death was so strong, he felt he had no choice but to accept.

[majestic_ginny]

I'm trying to write a one-shot about Peter's last thoughts before he died. Any ideas of how he would react/ who he might blame? I was thinking that he would blame Sirius for his death at least in part. Any input/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

This is an interesting thing to think about, actually. Since this is not the Avada Kedavra, I think he'd actually have a moment to stop and think about it all. I was actually writing a one shot about Bellatrix, about her feelings when she died. Anyways...

He'd probably blame almost everyone. He'd blame Snape, for telling Voldemort about the Prophecy. He'd blame Voldemort for choosing Harry over Neville, thus putting him in such a position. He'd blame Sirius for asking James and Lily to choose him as Secret Keeper instead of Sirius. He'd blame James and Lily for agreeing to it. He'd blame Dumbledore for basically the same things. He'd blame Harry for surviving, and thus bringing him to this state. He'd blame Remus for transforming (in PoA) and letting him escape.

Basically he'd blame everyone in genaral. I'm not sure whether he'd blame himself or not, but I think he would He was a Marauder and he betrayed his friends. He's the reason he got such a horrific death, and so he got the same think. Its like, what goes around comes around. Maybe he'd consider something like that?

Also, I kind of agree with Sapphire at Dawn. Maybe he might see visions about what life could really be like if he hadn't gone over to the other side...

Hope that helped!

--Nadia

[Sapphire at Dawn]

I don't think he would have blamed anyone except himself; he's not as evil as pretending that all this was someone else's fault, and I think that's part of what torments him so much. I think that if he blamed other people he wouldn't be so scared of Voldemort or of what he had to do, he'd be free from guilt and be much happier, I think.

No, I think that long before his death he stopped really blaming other people. He might have thought in his deepest moments of dispair that it was all Sirius's or James's or even Dumbledore's fault, but ultimetly, I think he blamed himself.

Here's a question. Do you think that Peter is truly evil, or is he just a victim of his own fears and cowardly ways? Or do you think that is the same thing?

[majestic_ginny]

Here's a question. Do you think that Peter is truly evil, or is he just a victim of his own fears and cowardly ways? Or do you think that is the same thing?

No, Peter is not truly evil. He'd not harm anyone just for fun. He's just not that type. Remember, he was the type of person who used to look up to James and Sirius and Remus. He just wanted to be part of the strong group and all that. I remember that I read somewhere that Peter used to look up at the other three Marauders with admiration. He was the person who'd side with the party which was stronger and could offer him the most.

In HBP, Dumbledore said that among all those who joined Voldemort, some just were the weak looking for protection. Peter was such a person. He wanted to be with the strongest bully in the playground. Voldemort was on the winning side at that time, so Peter joined him. He saw that he could get the most protection from him, and that after Voldemort won, he'd be on the ruling side. He didn't want to be with Dumbledore, who was losing at that time. He was just scared, that's all.

I really think that Peter had some remorse when he saw James and Lily die. He wouldn't just hate them, after all, he was friends with them forever. And he wasn't stone-hearted. Remember, that he hesitated to kill Harry, so he cant be a cold-blooded killer. I really think that he's not evil, and he just killed to be in with Voldy... if he killed, that is.

--Nadia

[Equinox Chick]

I don't think Peter is truly evil. I think he did some evil things, but the way I see it he got caught up in a situation and it escalated.

At Hogwarts he's protected by James and Sirius, on the outside he isn't. I imagine that he got a job as well as fighting for the Order. JK said James, Sirius, Lily and Remus were full time fighters. James had money and he supported Remus. She doesn't say he supported Peter who would have been able to get a job.

Regarding Peter's role in the Marauders - he wouldn't have been there just as a sycophant. Even James would have got annoyed with that eventually. We see Sirius snapping at him, and they wouldn't have tolerated a mere tag a long. Peter has to have more use to them (and likeability) than an appreciative audience. Remember he was totally trusted by Sirius, James and Lily to be Secret - Keeper, so he had to be someone they had total faith in.

Carole

[Sapphire at Dawn]

Quick question, does Peter have the Dark Mark?

Sarah x