A Look at Death Eater: Peter Pettigrew

Death Eaters are the people who serve the Dark Lord. They follow his motto of purebloods being the best in life and bare his mark on their arm. One of the most famous Death Eaters of all time is Peter Pettigrew. For the sake of power and saving his own life, he traded in countless friends in return.

Life of Peter Pettigrew
As insignificant as he was earlier in history, not much is known about Peter Pettigrew. He was born sometime between 1958-1959. His childhood is unknown as well as his parents. Although rumor has it that they’ve changed their names and moved after their son’s treachery was exposed. He entered Hogwarts and instantly became friends with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin. They became his idols and shield as they accepted him into their group and protected him from bullies. Earning the nickname the Marauders, this group sought after mischief making and soon became quite popular, Peter included. Pettigrew later became an Animagus with his friends and achieved the ability to change into a rat at will. His nickname was Wormtail.

Yet little did they know that accepting him into their group would soon not only bring them grief and pain in the future but also their deaths. After graduating from Hogwarts, Wormtail was “requested” to become a Death Eater. Too weak to decline, he soon became a spy for the Dark Lord. He then brought on the demise of his two best friends, Lily and James Potter, when he told Voldemort of their whereabouts. When Voldemort was stripped of his powers, he proceeded to place the blame on another on of his best friends Sirius Black by staging his own death. His mother received a Order of Merlin award on his behalf.

For the next 10 years of his life, he lived as a rat in the Weasley household. However, in Harry and Ron’s third year he was discovered and forced to flee for his life. This was a most crucial time as he found Voldemort and proceeded to bring him back to power, which he succeeded. As the war approaches, Pettigrew can now be found to be residing at the home of Severus Black at Spinner’s end.

Analysis of Peter Pettigrew
Peter Pettigrew is described as a very quiet and weak character in his life. His appearance is nothing out of the ordinary to make him stand out. He is described as a small man with a pointy fat-like nose and small watery eyes. He never stood out in his appearance or magical skills. "that fat little boy who who was always tagging after them at Hogwarts." Was how he was remembered as. Therefore he surrounded himself by more powerful people so he can use them. This is shown when faced with the loyalty of his friends or joining the Dark Lord. Pettigrew chose to join the Death Eaters because he believed that he was joining the winning side. However, his plan backfired at the hands of young Harry Potter.

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Sources- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pettigrew, http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/pettigrew.html, Yahoo Images