Peter Pettigrew

Peter Pettigrew is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels. In the movies, he is played by Timothy Spall.

Related Topics:
Fictional character - Harry Potter - Timothy Spall

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At first, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is told that Peter Pettigrew was a friend of his father (James Potter) who confronted Sirius Black after the latter had betrayed Harry Potter's parents. Sirius Black supposedly cursed Pettigrew, leaving only a finger behind and slaughtering a dozen-odd innocent Muggles at the same time. For this crime, Sirius Black was sent to the wizard prison, Azkaban.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - James Potter - Sirius Black - Harry Potter - Muggle - Azkaban

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the end of that book, however, Sirius and Remus Lupin reveal that Pettigrew is an Animagus who takes the form of a small rat. Called "Wormtail", he had become the secret-keeper for James Potter and his wife Lily Evans when Harry was a baby, in hopes that Lord Voldemort would pursue Sirius Black instead. However, it turns out that Pettigrew always tries to find powerful friends; he betrayed the Potters to Voldemort in order to gain favour. During the confrontation with Sirius on that fateful night, it was actually Pettigrew who blasted the muggles and then transformed himself to escape with the other rats down into the sewers. He left behind a finger, successfully faking his own death and framing Sirius Black for his and the Potters' deaths. Since then, Pettigrew had masqueraded as Scabbers, the pet rat owned at first by Percy Weasley, then by Ron Weasley. It has not been revealed how Peter, as Scabbers, managed to get into the Weasley family.

Related Topics:
Remus Lupin - Animagus - Secret-keeper - James Potter - Lily Evans - Lord Voldemort - Muggle - Percy Weasley - Ron Weasley - Weasley family

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pettigrew later faked his own death a second time, to avoid Crookshanks, who was trying to bring him to Sirius Black. After his capture in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry convinced Sirius and Lupin not to kill Pettigrew. However, Pettigrew managed to escape, and he sought out and rejoined Lord Voldemort. Peter has a life debt to Harry because he stopped Lupin and Sirius from killing Peter. Dumbledore describes this as ancient magic that forms a bond between the two.

Related Topics:
Crookshanks - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pettigrew helped Lord Voldemort in an elaborate scheme to capture Harry. When Harry and Cedric Diggory were transported into the graveyard, they confronted the Death Eater. Pettigrew killed Cedric with the unstoppable killing curse, Avada Kevadra, on Voldemort's orders. He then performed a complicated spell which allowed Voldemort to return to the flesh, sacrificing his own hand in the process. Shortly after his restoration, Voldemort created a silver hand out of thin air and attached it to Pettigrew to replace the hand he had sacrificed in the ritual. The hand is much stronger than Pettigrew's old one.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Cedric Diggory

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pettigrew did not appear in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, except in Snape's memory. He is also seen in a portrait of the original Order of the Phoenix; he was one of the original members of that organisation.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Snape - Order of the Phoenix

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He also makes a brief appearance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange visit Snape, it is revealed that Pettigrew is currently hiding at Snape's home on Voldemort's orders. J.K. Rowling hinted that Pettigrew will make additional appearances in the final novel.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Narcissa Malfoy - Bellatrix Lestrange - Snape - J.K. Rowling

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Peter is one of the few evil wizards who was not from Slytherin House.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The name "Pettigrew" is probably derived from the French word "petit", or small, and "grew." Hence, "grew small."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~