Peter Pettigrew

Peter Pettigrew presents one of the wizarding world’s most shocking examples of betrayal and cowardice. Sorted into Gryffindor during his Hogwarts years, he became the fourth member of the notorious Marauders alongside James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. Despite his house’s reputation for bravery, Pettigrew consistently demonstrated weakness and a desperate need for protection from stronger personalities.

His most devastating act occurred during the First Wizarding War when he secretly defected from the Order of the Phoenix to serve Voldemort as a Death Eater. As the Potters’ Secret-Keeper, he betrayed their location to the Dark Lord, directly causing their deaths and baby Harry’s orphaning. When Sirius Black confronted him about this treachery, Pettigrew faked his own death by cutting off his finger and transforming into his rat Animagus form, allowing Black to be wrongly imprisoned for his crimes.

For twelve years, he lived disguised as Scabbers, the Weasley family’s pet rat, remaining close to the wizarding world whilst presumed dead. His deception finally unravelled when Sirius and Lupin exposed him in the Shrieking Shack. Though he briefly showed gratitude when Harry spared his life, Pettigrew continued serving Voldemort, even sacrificing his own hand to restore his master’s body.

His cowardly nature ultimately proved fatal when the silver hand Voldemort gave him turned against him for showing a moment’s hesitation in killing Harry Potter, strangling him to death during the Battle of Hogwarts.