Why Wormtail Was (Unfortunately) One of the Most POWERFUL Wizards in Harry Potter

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we’re discussing Wormtail AKA Peter Pettigrew. Wormtail gets a bad wrap, and has arguably the worst reputation of the entire franchise, with perhaps the exception of Umbridge. No one, not even Wormtail’s allies, held him in a very high regard, and one of the reasons that people looked down on him was that they saw him as submissive and weak. Voldemort and the death eaters disrespected him, never truly giving him the time of day. Wormtail was instrumental in Voldemort’s resurgence, so it’s a testament to Voldemort’s sinister nature, and Wormtail’s submissive nature, that he could disrespect him so openly. At one point, wormtail was sent to Snape’s house to ‘assist’ him, but Snape ended up treating him like his servant, a supreme gesture of disrespect:
Severus Snape: "I was under the impression that the Dark Lord sent you here to assist me."
Peter Pettigrew: "To assist you, yes, but not to serve you drinks and...to clean your house!"
Wormtail was a british pure-blood wizard born in 1959 or 1960, he had pale skin, unhealthy hair that was constantly falling out, and blue eyes. He was a snivelling excuse for a man whose loyalties only lay where there was power, and he did not value friendship or love in the way that most do. Despite serving both sides of the battle at one point or another, neither respected him, and those that Wormtail betrayed hated him because he was, morally, an awful awful person. And while I agree with the sentiment that Wormtail was a despicable person morally, I am not of the impression that he was an untalented wizard. In my opinion, Wormtail is one of the most underrated characters in the franchise, power wise, as if we break everything down - we can see that he was actually able to achieve quite a lot magically.
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[@kelinnaidoo5290]

How ironic is that Wormtail was one of the Mauraders who bullied Snape in school only for him to bullied BY Snape later in life.

[@phase0400]

Peter didnt really bully Snape, it was mostly James and Sirius. Peter just hung around on the sidelines laughing like the general audience than actually do something.

[@paulyb7267]

@@phase0400 Peter did take part in the bullying, but only whenever James or Sirius did it first. Peter wouldn't have dared to bully Snape without the presence of his friends to protect him.

[@junstephen6379]

If Snape is so talented and all. Hr must be excelled in almost everything at school and already shows the sign of powerful wizard since he was young. I do wonder why didnt he fought back the marauders

[@kelinnaidoo5290]

@@junstephen6379 the Marauders were bullies then, they instilled fear in Snape. Plus they worked in groups so Snape was at a disadvantage.

[@zanegale3673]

He did Who do you think sectumsempra was for?

[@doctor_gibbo1392]

He's basically the reverse Snape. Both double agents that fooled everyone. One acted out of cowardice, the other out of bravery.

[@shanz7758]

@Dricce I'd say he acted out of love and a desire for revenge, even more than guilty conscience :p.

[@ashersharol]

@Dricce Yes, he wanted to clear his guilty conscience, but what he did to achieve that was brave. To return to Voldemort knowing he was spying on him all along is the DEFINITION of bravery, knowing he could die in a split second if Voldemort found out his intentions. Killing Dumbledore was actually an act of extreme bravery because it was Dumbledore who sort of saved him from himself and gave him purpose after Lily was murdered. So Dumbledore was almost like a father figure to him all those years. I'm pretty sure JK wanted there to be some parallel between Snape and Wormtail to show that one can transcend the house they're placed in. Snape was brave despite the fact that he was placed in Slytherin and Wormtail was more cunning and yet he was placed in Gryffindor. It is actually quite sad that you don't see the bravery in Snape's character. So instrumental was he in Harry's life that Harry named his son after Snape.

[@wildefice1]

@Dricce Agreed! Let's all not forget how he bullied the students he taught. He lost ALL sympathy with me when we learned he was a bullied kid, and he decides to push it forward by being the 2nd worse teacher outside of Umbridge. God only knows how many innocents he killed in the first Wizarding war, how many he tortured. He is irredeemable

[@ashersharol]

@Dricce You make a compelling argument. It was indeed disgusting behaviour to tell Voldemort the prophecy, but why wouldn't he? He was an ally of Voldemort after all. It's not like he told him out of spite for James and Harry since he didn't know who the prophecy was about until the end. He was just doing what a normal acolyte would do. But driven by guilt or not, what he did subsequently to redeem himself was brave. In other words, a guilty person CAN display acts of bravery. However, the more I think about it the more Snape's actions seems less brave (though brave nonetheless) because if it weren't for Lily's death, he would probably still be a death eater...

[@danielarthur2950]

I just don't like Snape tho still

[@PoolKid75]

I never thought you could make me sympathize with Peter Pettigrew, yet I found his story of being looked down on and thought of as lesser by his group of supposed friends extremely relatable.

[@dirtcache6128]

Sounds like you need better friends bud

[@PoolKid75]

@@dirtcache6128 Obviously.

[@gustavedelior3683]

I think wormtail is what Neville could have become had he not learned to be brave when the pressure was up.

[@hoosurdaddy]

Can’t remember that Neville was bullied, hated or got a dismissive attitude towards him by his classmates. They were quite nice except for a few students from slyrethin but it’s ok to be not loved by everyone

[@andrzejzborowski4920]

Wormtail also had to be highly skilled in occlumency, since no one in the old Order of the Phoenix, not even Dumbledore, Moody, the Longbottoms (aslo very respected aurors) knew he was a spy for Voldemort. It wasn't until Sirius on an unlucky night for the Potters and Voldemort

[@ashersharol]

This doesn't make sense. The only time you have to use Occlumency is if someone is trying to use Legilimency on you...which no one was using on Wormtail.

[@andrzejzborowski4920]

Dumbledore trusted people, but characters like Moody were very suspicious. The Potters knew that someone close to them was spying. Wormtail had to be very careful not to arouse suspicion. Occlumency is not only about closing the mind to penetration. It is also concealing true feelings. Pettigrew had to be a master at this.

[@ashersharol]

@@andrzejzborowski4920 Still doesn't make sense. He wouldn't have to use Occlumency because he wasn't under scrutiny.

[@andrzejzborowski4920]

@@ashersharol It has a deep sense. All spies work under high stress. He was able to reduce it and close his feelings. Moody watched everyone, except maybe Dumbledore, and was oversensitive about spies, dark wizards. Wormtail must have been able to deceive him, Dumbledore, the Longbottoms, the Potters, Black, Lupin and other eminent wizards. Without Occlumency, he wouldn't be able to.

[@ashersharol]

@@andrzejzborowski4920 Okay this is a circular argument. You're repeating yourself, and I'm saying that a rat wouldn't necessarily be under the radar of such people. Again, Occlumency would have been pointless. By the way, we don't even know if Occlumency is possible in Animagus form.

[@SureAce]

I feel that wormtail is the person that doesnt do good in book learning but excells in hands on learning. Similar to people that are your students that struggle in the classroom but goes on to be super good in the trades.

[@hoodedwizard4695]

interesting, I never thought of him as a talented wizard. also please do a Hogwarts legacy walkthrough once the game releases

[@ashersharol]

He isn't. Anyone who says otherwise is deluded.

[@gustavedelior3683]

It stood out to me that he was able to complete the month long Animagus ritual which involves keeping a leaf in your mouth the whole time. Blew up a city block with his hands behind his back with no incantation, killed Cedric, got vordy a new body, and hid in plain sight for years and years. He had so much potential to be great but he was consumed by fear. Wormtail is Neville if Neville never found his bravery.

[@ashersharol]

@@gustavedelior3683 I don't think I share your sentiment that keeping a leaf in one's mouth for a month is anything impressive, neither is killing Cedric, a boy that is more than a generation his junior, neither is brewing a potion that Voldemort instructed him on how to make. The rest are only mildly impressive to me.

[@BjornV1994]

Verbally, Voldemort was indeed quite abusive towards Pettigrew but all things considered, he was given some very important jobs, who with the exception of one, might not be very flashy but still came with a lot of risk and responsibility. During the First Wizarding War, he was one of the most important spies in Voldemorts army, spying on both the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore. After finding his master again between the wars, he was given the high honor to care for his master and play a crucial part in his master's resurrection. In the Second Wizarding War, Voldemort gave him the role of Snape's "Assistent", though Voldemorts "Eyes and Ears" was probably closer to the truth. Snape did mention that Voldemort didn't trust him completely when he rejoined the ranks of the Death Eaters and Pettigrew had been caught spying on Snape a few times, adding these things up, it is clear why Pettigrew was placed with Snape. As for his final job, he was the prison warden in Malfoy Manor, tasked with keeping some high profile prisoners captured for Voldemort. If Voldemort thought Pettigrew to be a mere grunt or be useless otherwise, he could have given his servant more menial tasks but instead, each one of the jobs he did for the organization was often crucial to Voldemorts plans.

[@Alex.2319]

Appreciate your effort to get a good point across, well written 🙏🏼

[@BjornV1994]

@Thisis Gettinboring More like, despite being talked down to by Voldemort (who in all fairness talks down to about everyone after his resurrection), the Dark Lord does entrust Pettigrew with some very important jobs all things considers. Jobs you don't offer to people you think that are worthless. Voldemort was never the genuine complimentary type. If he complimented you, odds are that he was using you for something but the jobs that Pettigrew was given, could all be considered an honor considering their importance. Voldemort rarely honors people with words, but with positions and all positions that Pettigrew ended up with until his death, were positions of high importance to Voldemort, almost vital. That's the point. Voldemort appreciated Pettigrews talents a lot more than he let on.

[@BjornV1994]

@Thisis Gettinboring It aren't positions with prestige or significant power but being chosen by Voldemort himself for those jobs is a privilege (at least for the Death Eaters) and especially with the spy job, it made Pettigrew privy to information other Death Eaters wouldn't have. Again, the jobs weren't flashy or as prestigious as one given to Death Eaters who ended up Ministry officials or Hogwarts Professor but within the Organization, to Voldemort, it was also not grunt work and Pettigrew wasn't so far below Malfoy (before his fall from grace), Snape or Lestrange. Pettigrew was in the inner circle of Death Eaters and held in higher regard by Voldemort than for example: Rowle, Gibbon, Crabbe or Goyle and maybe several others who are mainly used as Voldemorts stormtroopers to be send on missions led by someone else.

[@BjornV1994]

@Thisis Gettinboring Regardless of the circumstances, working for murderous tyrant is terrible in any position. Voldemort whipped everyone publicly if they didn't perform to his expectations and tortured many more for outright failure. Working for Voldemort is a nightmare regardless as you'll never have real power too... But my initial point wasn't really about the benefits for Pettigrew (though I would argue within the organization, he is better off than many others) but more about how Voldemort actually viewed Peter. While he might berate him for being slow and a coward, in the roles he entrusts on the wizard, it is clear that Voldemort recognized a lot more of Pettigrew potential than he often would verbally acknowledge. Voldermort might haven spoken lowly of Pettigrew but clearly he didn't think of him lowly...

[@BjornV1994]

@Thisis Gettinboring A position where your life is as long or as short as your boss can stand you, is a terrible position, regardless of its benefits... And it is only you who pedles the nonsense that Pettigrew gained no benefits from the jobs he performed for Voldemort. Which isn't true, even with the limited knowledge we have about the compensation system of the Death Eater Organization. When Pettigrew sacrificed his hand for Voldemort, he was promised a replacement hand, which he got and was far more powerful than his regular hand. (And if his loyality hadn't swayed for a second, would have served him for years to come). Voldemort also made a point that he rewarded those who served him well and that he kept his promises. There was a reward system within the Death Eater organization and Pettigrew more than likely got his share, even if this was never specified (outside the honor it must have been to serve Voldemort in such roles). Why is this never specified in the series, because it isn't something you can naturally incorporate in a story without an omniscient narrator (Harry Potter didn't had this as everything was viewed from his perspective and I doubt he was interesting in Voldemorts accounting).

[@danielgodfrey4415]

6:15 there's a reason why Ron always "loses" his rat.

[@deserabailey8500]

thats what I was thinking too! like he had to have transformed into a human sometimes esp to prepare voldy's return.

[@patrickhackett7881]

Wormtail could have been sneaking around in rat form. Easier to spy.

[@Jedda678]

I disagree, while he did grow into a more powerful wizard under the supervision of Voldemort. He was never alone in the tasks he performed. From capturing Alastor Moody, creating the potion to bring back Voldemort, and learning to be an Animagus he was under supervision from better and more talented wizards. Yes they did nothing to encourage him, but he needed all the help he could get. Voldemort, motivated Peter through fear. If he flubbed anything, he'd be sure to be tortured by his master without outright being killed until Voldemort had his own body back. As for killing 12 muggles with a single curse, it is never stated how he did it. Only that he blew up a street and left a crater. Likely the curse he used could've hit a gas line which would result in the explosion and killing 12 muggles.

[@ashersharol]

Great points. I agree with each and every one of them. The assertion that Wormtail was a talented wizard is ridiculous in my view. Nothing really substantiates that opinion. As you said, he was always under the supervision of a more skilled wizard. After all, Voldemort forced him to do things at wandpoint (analogous to gunpoint :) ) so he didn't really have a choice .

[@BlackangelKatakuri]

Even a weak wizard can easily kill muggels btw

[@Yattien89]

Proof? Because there is nothing to indicate, as this video states, that he's weaker, or significantly weaker, than the other Marauders, and as the video states, JK herself has said "...he was a better wizard than they knew". This video is presenting things that show he's better than people give him credit for and you disagree without giving anything to counter the evidence provided here. There's nothing to indicate that he wasn't significant in the capture of Mad Eye, creating that potion was likely a feat in itself as potion making, even with instructions, isn't easy (as noted by the fact that following instructions in the potions class still results in failures). And we don't know the situation around the Marauders becoming Animagus. We don't know if he had issues or if he didn't. As stated in the video, the Marauders beat McGonagall learning to be become Animagus, and she had officials helping her, they were learning alone, helping one another. Or as also stated, he was doing Newt level magic, the most advanced transfiguration. Basically, you've watched the video, went lalalala through all the points that back the argument and then denied them just because you don't believe it, without countering it, while the video literally points out everything he's done that prove the point.

[@BlackangelKatakuri]

@@Yattien89 The problem was his lack of self confidence. Without that he could never be at the same level of the other Marauders

[@patrickhackett7881]

@@ashersharol Being an adult wizard, Wormtail was more powerful than the most talented students at Hogwarts (Harry, Hermione, Cedric, Ron, etc.-- probably not the Weasley twins though. Also, many mages cannot even create a decent shield charm and rely on products from a joke shop to protect them. So he is more talemted tgan they are. He is also more talented than most adult wizards because he's willing to utilize the Dark Arts. So what if most wizards can learn the Dark Arts if they are not willing to? For example, if Hermione (very talented) refused to learn Transfiguration, Neville would be better at it than her.

[@BomazXD]

With Pettigrews hand repaying the debt to Harry, for sparing his life in the shack, I think ultimately he knew that he would end his own life. Caught in the conflict of himself because he wanted support of people, to be wanted adored and loved. He grew up in Hogwarts as the runt, yet still was valued by James, Sirius and Remus. So I imagine when he gave the secret out to James he panicked and requested to join Voldemort’s ranks for protection. Voldemort loved to be in power so having a snivelling spy would be beneficial in his uprising. When it backfired and Voldemort was reduced to nothingness, that’s when Pettigrew really became more scared. So much that he didn’t feel for the loss of James and Lily, not for the ‘death’ of Voldemort but for the fact it was not an expected outcome and both sides, looking for answers would point towards him. After this Sirius discovered the truth and Pettigrew created the murder trail on Sirius. From there all he could do was hide in his rat form, finding his first feel of adoration, love and affection from the Weasleys since initially giving up the secret. How sad it was that he could only enjoy it as a creature instead of a human and to be treated like a pet. Fast forward to The shack where Pettigrew is revealed and his fears from when Voldemort fell came back again. But Harry said to spare him for the truth to reprise Sirius, this being the first in a long time that someone sided even only very sparingly towards Pettigrew. After escaping and reuniting with Voldemort unexpectedly, Pettigrew became fearful again as he knew he would have to push on now to help Voldemort as it was the trade for giving out the secret, to be protected by Voldemort. From here, skipping the next few years to back in the shack where he catches Harry now with a new hand that Voldemort has produced, the debt from Harry sparing him had come full circle. Pettigrew knew that the care and kind soul of Harry from his enduring years was stronger than that of Voldemort. That he no longer needed voldemorts support and protection because Harry would take him down. Pettigrew released Harry to pay him back, the hand was made by Voldemort and with it knowing what Pettigrew had seen, caused it to attack him instead of ever giving him the chance to betray Voldemort once and for all. Well that’s my thought anyways

[@yankeenobonagu6411]

wow

[@ianh7525]

Although according the Harry Potter Wiki, the hand was enchanted by Voldemort to choke Wormtail should the latter ever show any weakness towards his master; the silver hand simply interpreted the mere hesitation as weakness, and life debt is also a powerful magical bond.

[@jorgecarbajal8076]

6:43 That actually happened in *1995* at the end of Harry’s fourth year. Anyway, I agree that Wormtail was a fairly skilled wizard despite being looked down upon by his peers.

[@YellowBear-kx1ff]

One can feel sorry for Wormtail. Yes, he’s a coward, but he wanted to be good. We don’t know how he went on to be cowardly, but he didn’t abandon Lupin despite him being a werewolf. Maybe he was kinda brave as a child and maybe the Hat considered Slytherin because he suspected Pettigrew would turn to cowardice.

[@lapisblue1229]

Yea. He did many awful and unforgiving things, but his existence was always sad to me. He knew that he was the friend no one really respected or valued; he was forever the third-wheel. He and Snape have a lot in common. The curse of being unremarkable - especially to those around you - is soul-draining. I even think he would have done better in Slytherin because the cunning, ambitious, and self-preserving would have forced him to develop his own bravery, rather than depending on the bravery of others. Ambition could have forced him to face his insecurities. In Slytherin, he would have been forced resolve the one thing that always eluded him - character.

[@acciomegapint2373]

I get your point but I still cannot relate to the character. I'm am anxious coward but I'd rather die than betray those who trusted me. I'm glad this character exists tho.

[@SuperiorIronman98]

He is a very realistic character, sadly most people would have done the same thing as him

[@ashersharol]

I'm not sure how you concluded that Wormtail "wanted to be good."

[@thetruered3115]

@@ashersharol he concluded that because it’s the truth Peter wanted to be a good person but his fear of being hurt overtook him completely, if he was a bad person he would’ve found joy in hurting people which Peter didn’t I don’t care what people say, peter’s friends never respected him with the exception of Remus, unfortunately Peter never really had his own agenda he liked to follow and he didn’t really know what the word good meant but he never wanted to be looked as bad

[@markyoung4940]

He was somewhat talented, but always with help from others. If I'm not mistaken the curse that killed 12 muggles, was simply a curse to blow a gas line. He got stronger as he got older, but because of the death eaters and Voldemort. And didn't the books mention that wormtail had the most difficult time becoming an animagus out of the marauders.

[@GrimRuler]

The gas line thing was the cover story provided to the muggles by the Ministry of Magic, it was Wormtail's curse that blew the street apart.

[@patrickhackett7881]

It's not because Wormtail was weak in magic. It's because he surrounded himself with even more powerful wizards. Anyway, I think Wormtail was more powerful than Sirius (after twelve years of Azkaban) and possibly Remus (talented but not brilliant).

[@lennartboettcher1223]

No way that worm tail was more powerful than Sirius even after Azkaban and not more powerful than Remus. Sirius and James were described as the most talented at their time during and school, whereas wormtail was awful at everything he did. He had the most difficulties becoming an animagus and even mcgonagall described him as weak

[@patrickhackett7881]

@@lennartboettcher1223 Sirius was out of practice, while Wormtail continued to develop his skills. Sirius was more powerful, but didn't have the experience Wormtail had. But Wormtail was less talented than many perhaps all Order members. Wormtail was probably better than Crabbe Sr., Goyle Sr., Draco (still young, reluctant to commit evil acts, will surpass Pettigrew's level in a few years), and possibly others like the Carrows-- some of the Death Eaters are just untalented violent thugs, and Wormtail is an average wizard. And while Wormtail is less powerful than Lupin, his willingness to use dark arts or take hostages might give him an advantage in a battle. My thesis is not that Wormtail is "powerful." It's that schoolchildrem even prodigies like Harry and Hermione are less skilled at magic than adults with decades of experience, even average to below average wizards like Pettigrew. And that Pettigrew isn't the weakest Death Eater.

[@rabiacerencrac7383]

good point

[@danielgodfrey4415]

Snape didn't respect him because of the years of torment and betrayal of Lilly.

[@evelynvongizycki1017]

You hit the nail on the head. He despised him as he was at fault for exposing lily to the dark lord

[@toshiroyamada2443]

he managed to become an animagus. so he certainly wasn't unskilled in magic. what I want to know is how did they make enough polyjuice potion to last a entire year. you have to drink it every hour, on the hour and it takes 1 month to make it. also why did Voldemort not use the fidelius charm to hide his horcruxs and make himself secrete keeper.

[@dummbobqqqqq]

He got help lol

[@toshiroyamada2443]

@@dummbobqqqqq for the polyhuice ?

[@dummbobqqqqq]

@@toshiroyamada2443 in the entire process

[@ashersharol]

He wasn't unskilled. But he definitely wasn't particularly skilled as people are making him out to be for reasons confusing to me.

[@JamesDavy2009]

Two of its ingredients are especially hard to come by: skin from a boomslang (a snake found in sub-Saharan Africa) and lacewings (one species being the imago form of an antlion).

[@SacristScorn]

mainly speculation but 3 things really strengthens this theory. JK Rowling admission on pettigrew, his ability to become animagus at a young age and lastly the ability to kill 12 people and escape Sirius. We can all be certain even if Pettigrew wasn't the strongest he was a key person in both Voldy and Harry's life.

[@evelynvongizycki1017]

Like another comment or said Hugh always had someone teaching him or supervising. We don’t know if the marauders had to coach him to become an animagus Since both Sirius and James could do it easily as well. He wouldn’t be friends with him if he was a complete dolt even if he was relegated to more of one of the followers rather than the leaders of the group. And also like another, just said he had to learn those dark spells from Voldemort he was not very original and blowing up some Muggles is not a hard thing to do. All he had to do was call some sort of reaction like they said with a gas pipe or some thing and he just simply turned into his Animagus and ran into cover. What he turned out to be was very sneaky and that sneaking is came from self preservation he was not brave or honest or true

[@SacristScorn]

@@evelynvongizycki1017 come on now he had to have some redeeming qualities to be a Gryffindor if not he would have ended up in Hufflepuff 😆

[@TheTopCollecter]

I love your vids they help me understand more of what goes on in the harry potter world thx for making the videos

[@sbh2888]

I always saw Peter as one of those people that are blank and become whoever they need to be to survive/advance. They are around people who love soccer? So now he loves soccer. But when he is no longer around those people, he does not think about soccer twice. It is not an evolution of his personality, but rather that his personality is about reflecting others. When around the Marauders, he sensed he needed to be weak, less threatening. And that’s who he was. When he became Voldemort’s servant, he needed to be someone capable of great harm. In all rolls he is a sycophant and his defense mechanism is to grovel and debase himself-but then be resentful when treated that way. I am extremely curious as to what is home life/backstory is to create such a person. I think we can be certain it wasn’t a loving home. The fact that he is small and weak-that he picks the top of the food chain to befriend, implies an aptitude for survival in a pack. But his friendship and loyalty shift according to his perception of what his best chances are to survive. The only time we see him showing true character is when he tried to help Harry and ended up killed for it. While it is implied by everyone that his magic was weak, I think it is his physical stature, his personality, and his moral compass that are weak. And my theory is that when he shifts to reflect the people he is around (the marauders at first, order of the Pheonix, and finally Voldemort’s servant), his magic reflected those rolls as well.

[@tanishalavri3278]

Your comment is my favorite. This is brilliant analysis on any HP character I have read. Do you have a background in psychology, perhaps? I know some people like wormtail. They're very dangerous in real life, although they appear weak. He makes me think of some men, who willingly lower themselves and submit to women in order to appear soft, nice and non threatening. All the while resenting her for having a stronger personality than his. Also, broke guys who gravitate around richer guys or basic women who gravitate around prettier women. These people are capable of terrible emotional damage on the people they resent. Is that a narcissistic trait?

[@jasonflynn7283]

I can’t be the only one who looks at pettigrew and see a cracked out chuckey cheese mouse 😂

[@nickimontie]

I always wondered why the Mauraders kept him around. He was always the odd one - why him, why did he end up in Gryffendor, etc.

[@alastorclark3492]

I wont say he was a bad wizard as far a skill is concerned he achieved transfiguration at a young age and sucessfully brought voldemort back that cant be an easy potion/spell combo

[@chrismour7635]

I think that Peter is the greatest hero in the Harry Potter franchise. If you follow what he did, you can see that he was killing slowly Voldemort. He sent him to the Potters, he gave him his old wand which was useless against Harry, he even let Ron and Harry 'slip' in the Malfoy manor. He was an extraordinary wizard: animagus, he survived Serius' Black duel and trick everybody that he was dead. Not only that, he knew that Serius would have a bad time in Azkaban, however he survived being an animagus himself. Last but not least, he chose to be a pet rat with the largest known family in the Wizarding world, in order to somehow monitor Hogwards and watch for Harry's return. I bet he knew about the Horcruxes. That's why he waited about a year in order to pass the position of the Potters. He wanted to be sure that Voldemord had to be destroyed by love. Pedigrew was one of the smartest wizards and the bravest.

[@ashersharol]

LOL this is the most deluded post I've ever seen. You must be really naive in real life. Every single one of Wormtail's endeavors was geared towards aiding Voldemort. From his betrayal of the Potters and Sirius to preparing the regeneration potion to killing Cedric (the list goes on).

[@grobanite4ever85]

He killed Cedric in the Goblet of Fire. He had the Potters killed. He is a coward he betrayed Lily and James Potter

[@Chris-ks4sw]

@@ashersharol it's a joke dude. Calm down, you've made a comment on damn near every post on this video. Get a life man, let people believe what they want to.

[@Yattien89]

@@Chris-ks4sw I'd ignore them. One of their posts is basically "you're not good enough to argue with the likes of me". Big headed fool, tbh.

[@ashersharol]

@@Yattien89 Now that was a joke. 😁

[@Huskytabby]

Video idea for you to do: What additional effects do spells have that are not seen in the movies? For instance, what else can the patronus charm do besides ward off dementors?

[@JamesDavy2009]

For one: act as a guide as seen in _Deathly Hallows_ when Snape's Patronus (a doe) led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor.

[@mochablondie]

@@JamesDavy2009 yes! And they can also be used to send messages, like McGonagall 's before the battle of Hogwarts and the message from Kingsley at the wedding

[@AlexM-qz1jt]

James Potter thought highly enough of him to make him his secret keeper. That shows a lot of confidence in his abilities. The argument of "No one would believe that he was secret keeper" argument you might say that James would have does not work as you are in a war. The enemy will try and get their hands on anyone associated with the Potters and try to get information out of them. So James thought enough of Peter to believe he would not get caught, at the very least, or defend them till the end. As a father I would want Dumbledore as my secret keeper or someone I thought of as highly. James trusted him more than he trusted Sirius and James. They all trusted him more than they trusted each other.

[@jdwylde7]

James didn’t do that….I just reread that last night actually. POA. Sirius tells them that he made Peter the secret keeper only because it would be obvious that he would make Sirius his secret keeper. Then he decided to change it in the last minutes to confuse them. Had nothing to do with trusting wormtail more.

[@AlexM-qz1jt]

@@jdwylde7 He also thought that Remus might have been the spy for the Deatheaters. That is why he did not tell him about the change of plans. So he trusted Peter more than Remus or he would have picked a totally random member of the Order of the Phoenix.

[@jdwylde7]

@@AlexM-qz1jt I mean I see the appeal of that theory. I disagree but as these are JK’s creations, only she knows it all.

[@RonniePickeringIsYaDadYaCunt]

you have an error in your title, it says on the most instead of one of the most

[@Blueian742]

Guess you could say he used the wrong *spell*

[@davidkennedy8929]

@@Blueian742 very good 🧙‍♂️

[@cassiemontgomery45]

@@Blueian742 Love that!

[@davidkennedy8929]

You have to wonder what the other three saw in him, he didn’t fit in with their group!

[@Bruced82]

He was quite liked and trusted by them, his betrayal hugely upset Lupin and Sirius. He was sort of an outcast just like them, James was supportive of those, as long as you're not in Slytherin...

[@alexhendrick8288]

Wormtail was included on the maurauder map. I would disagree that he wasn't appreciated by the messers. He was just self indulgent and weak.

[@chubby_deity3143]

I remember a video about the marauders' map and asking why Peter didn't show up on it. I don't recall the details, but if he is that good with magic, could he have created some kind of anti-charm thing so he didn't show up on the Map?

[@chubby_deity3143]

@Thisis Gettinboring if all 4 of them worked together to make the map, then he knows how the Map works, another reason that’s he’s capable of creating some kind of anti-charm.

[@chubby_deity3143]

@Thisis Gettinboring so it seems like we’re saying the same thing, with different words, XD

[@koyaldeuskarchhatre779]

2:50 Pettigrew not taken Siriusly

[@Magepure6749]

This comment is Siriusly underratted 🤣🤣🤣

[@richardbrown2361]

I say the sorting hat "screwed the pooch" when it placed Wormtail in Gryffindor House. Godric Gryffindor valued "bravery, chivalry, and helping others" none of which were traits Peter Pettigrew possessed. He was clearly "ambitious and cunning," traits very much admired by Salazar Slytherin.

[@An6ryMonk3y]

I feel like everyone is great wizard at this point. Every spell or potion is so hard to do or make and only experts can do it but then everyone in story can do it or make it.

[@evelynvongizycki1017]

They were able to get the drop on Moody because Peter transformed himself from a rat And with sporty crouch that was two on one he was a pretty strong death heater it looks like

[@TankredEndures]

I take issue with the numbers on his Dark Blasting Curse. Isn't it canon that he hit a fuel tank at a nearby gas station or something of that nature to enhance the blast? Certainly you could make the case that he displays keen tactical thinking in that moment but if I've remembered correctly you can't count the size of the Blast as a point in his favor regarding his raw magical power, that's just not accurate. That would be like giving full credit to his spell for damages incurred if he used a fire charm in an enclosed room with a bunch of flour in the air, lacking full context.

[@braydenwaldner8478]

@TankredEndurges it has been said before that the whole story of a gas line exploding was made up by the ministry of magic to cover up what really happened so the muggles don’t find out about wizards existing so the whole gas line part was made up so yes Peter did actually do all that damage with just one spell.

[@larryh542]

Was Pettigrew one of those inbred pureblood wizards? It seems to fit with the character. Voldemort was inbred too. Of all of Voldemort's allies, it was Pettigrew that brought him back to life. Would Voldemort ever have been brought to life without Pettigrew?

[@marseldagistani1989]

I thought Tom was a Half-Blood, with an inbred Witch mother and his father being a Muggle

[@mrdr0161]

Voldemort wasn't inbred

[@patrickhackett7881]

@@mrdr0161 He was inbred. Voldemort was so powerful because the addition of new Muggle blood to the Slytherin line fixed the damage. Otherwise, he'd be the son of Merope and Morfin, and probably be magically feeble, ugly, and stupid.

[@mrdr0161]

@@patrickhackett7881 voldemort is not inbred though. His parents aren't related

[@corruptparagon]

I just realized the picture of "young Peter" has a witch in the picture with braces lol, who let that through on the editing floor lol.

[@Ivan-zb2nb]

I find it interesting that Dumbledore left the elder wand so unprotected. Surely he knew that someone, someday, would try to look for it.

[@nikicarrie4071]

He probably knew harry would get it and need it and do what he did

[@lizbaena2012]

Wow! Thanks for this!

[@Philtopy]

You forgot one thing about his animagus transformation: Lupin said that Peter only reached this state with their help and he was too weak to do it on his own.without them he would have died, if I recall it correctly. But you are definetly right in that he is pretty competent at duelling. We also see that on screen. He actually appears to be pretty confident in his spellcasting. And we shouldn’t forget that he also was a Gryffindor. He was potentially a brave man. But he was brave because of fear. If that makes sense? Out of panic he dared to take brave and radical decisions. Morally evil, but brave none the less. Or he convinced the sorting hat to put him into gryffindor and not slytherin.

[@TrueSighted]

His spells were powerful enough in the end, when saving his own skin. But he never seemed to be able to use it unless it was in a passive way, to save his skin. He had great potential, but he had no moral framework to give him strength of character. Thus why he could do strong magic, without a strong mental and moral and emotional framework, he never saw his true potential grow into what it could have become. He was a coward against those things that truly scared him most. And didn't have the strength to muster his courage in the end. A sad, pitiful, pitiable character.

[@bananatheseus4516]

question, are u the same guy who has de mythology explained channel?

[@MegaJesseman]

I hate to admit it, but I actually liked Peter Pettigrew. He made a good villain. And I really liked how surprisingly powerful he was, because it seemed like he was just going to be some weak and feeble wizard, but he is just kicking the crap out of people. I also thought his story was kind of interesting too. Like on the surface he just looks like a sniveling coward who betrayed his friends, because he thought Voldemort was too powerful to be beaten. But when you think about it even though he was a marauder he was essentially looked down and bullied by his so-called friends. Yeah, they were sort of his friends, but it seems more like they just tolerated him and used him as a punching bag for their childish sadism. Don't get me wrong James, Sirius, and Lupin weren't bad people in the end, but they had a lot of growing up to do. They weren't very nice to Peter, so I can honestly see why he wasn't loyal to them. Betray your friends who treated you kindly? Deplorable. Betray a bunch of magical jerks who treated you like dirt? Kind of understandable. Why would he be loyal to anyone but himself when no one treated him like he was worth anything?

[@looweeg4229]

I love all the lore. Where do you ger all those informations? Where did you hear about Uagadou? You like a buttomless well of information on HP lore.

[@elizabethoneill8612]

Sirius Black was a follower of James Potter, and didn't seem to have his own mind or personality, he just seemed to share a brain and personality with James.

[@paulyb7267]

Rubbish. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever in the books to suggest that Sirius was a blind follower of James, but rather that they were both equal in status.

[@ashersharol]

This is a bit blasphemous. Take it down please...and reconsider this concept for the sake of saving your soul from damnation.

[@JokerScribe]

Not really, he was easily held back by any other wizard. He was just extremely sneaky. Hell, even Ron Weasly could hold him back.

[@lalalalallaaalla]

ron is pretty powerful yk

[@invisiblecoconut1533]

You sure you know about Ron? You can’t even spell Weasley right.. Ron is also more powerful than you think

[@rabiacerencrac7383]

If he was one of the most powerful wizards, and he wanted powerful wizards to protect him, why didn't he just protect himself lol

[@cassiemontgomery45]

I knew someone who was quite similar to Peter Pettigrew. This person seems to gravitate to powerful people who treat them badly, and she'll do anything to appease their demands. This individual stood by for years while her young kids were being abused by her husband. When this person was asked why did this her response was "I was brought up to make my marriage work, and besides think of the times 'I'd gotten it from him'". Basically she didn't want to step in and protect her kids from an abuser because he'd abuse her too! Very much a Peter Pettigrew personality! Happy to go along with whatever as long as they're safe!

[@ashersharol]

Fret not, there are many Wormtails walking around in real life.

[@cassiemontgomery45]

@@ashersharol Indeed not and thank heavens for that! That particular woman is the only one I've known in real life.

[@AlexG-uj5on]

It makes you wonder how he was sorted into griffindor

[@nasekiller]

i feel like you are giving him too much credit for some of those things. like the conjuration thing. yes, it is NEWT level magic, but that also means that any student what takes transfiguration in the 6th and 7th year will learn it, so its not like super advanced magic that only a few people learn. it is also probably way easier to conjure up a simple inanimate object like a rope than something complex like an animal. on that note, i might add that draco malfoy is conjuring up a snake in his second year while fighting harry in the dueling club. seemingly without any training, just following an instruction that snape whispered in his ear. there could be different explanations for this, the most likely one is that rowling simply didnt think things through when writing this scene and decided at a later point that conjuration should actually be a really difficult feat. this actually happens quite often, for example does hagrid make an off-hand comment about "flying" to the island where he meets harry for the first time, but there are only 2 other wizards who are known to be able to do this (snape and voldemort), so it really doesnt seem plausible that hagrid with only 3 years of education and the remnants of a broken wand would be able to accomplish this. anyway, i digress. my point is, that rowling probably didnt think that conjuring up ropes would be a difficult thing to do, when she wrote that scene. --- it also seems as if rowling didnt follow much logic when deciding which types of transfiguration should be difficult and which are easy. i think there is a scene in one of the earlier years (2nd or 3rd i think), where the students are supposed to turn a cup in a rat, indicating that this is on the easier side of transfiguration, since it is taught so early. however, disappearing things (forgot how that is called) is only taught in 5th year and conjuring only in the 6th year. but if you think about it, turning anything into a living animal should be really difficult, since animals have a really complicated structure (tons of different cell types that have to be arranged just the right way and each cell has to be made up out of atoms/molecules in just the right way) and a metal cup doesnt even share any atoms with a rat. so it really should be much easier to make a rat disappear, since then you just have to destroy the structure and its always easier to destroy than create structure. also, i dont see how turning a metal cup into a rat should be more difficult than turning thin air into a rat, since in both cases you are turning atoms with a really simple structure into a very complex living being (although i guess air has much lower density, so you would need much more of it volume-wise) but thats just a side note since i already started talking on the topic, lol --- also, the potions for voldemort. we dont know how hard it actually is to brew those potions. possibly the hardest part is coming up with the recipes. also, we do know he had a good instructor in voldemort. and we have evidence that brewing potions isnt that hard as long as you have good instructions and follow them correctly. we see this in the half-blood prince where harry suddenly became the best in the class due to snapes instructions in the potions books, despite only being average at brewing potions before and after that. also, i dont remember him helping barty jr with brewing the potion or overwhelming moody. even if thats a case, it is very possible that barty jr did all the heavy lifting. so yeah, i would assume that he wasnt a terrible wizard, but i dont see much evidence that he was too powerful either.

[@patrickhackett7881]

He is what just about any normal adult wizard would be if they applied themselves somewhat. He was powerful in comparison to teenagers.

[@nasekiller]

@@patrickhackett7881 yeah, exactly. knowing basic NEWT level magic is equivalent to knowing high school level mathematics in the muggle world. no one will think you are a talented mathematician, because you know how to do basic calculus.

[@AJD714]

How was wormtail a gryffindor? Wouldn’t the sorting hat see how bad he could become?

[@YellowBear-kx1ff]

He was in Gryffindor because he valued bravery, which is why he admired James, Sirius and Remus. Mind you, he WAS a Hatstall between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

[@deserabailey8500]

@@YellowBear-kx1ff yes, exactly! I think theres a Harry Potter Theory video on that. :) Also the hat cannot see into the future. There's a vid on that too ;)

[@ashersharol]

@@YellowBear-kx1ff What you value has nothing to do with the house you're sorted into...it's what you ARE.

[@C00Cker]

@@YellowBear-kx1ff slytherin makes even less sense. Slytherin is for those who are ambitious and resourceful, Pettigrew is neither. The only reason for him to be in Slytherin would be because Rowling likes to dump all evil wizards there

[@YellowBear-kx1ff]

@@ashersharol Actually what you value has EVERYTHING to do with your House. Hermione, an intellectual, valued bravery so she was Sorted into Gryffindor.

[@branciatv9068]

8:10 we just going to pretend Gandalf isn’t there

[@mandarstorm]

A cowardly Gryffindor, whether powerful or not doesn't make any sense!

[@grec.]

As i was rereading the books and audiobooks; i was starting to focus on secondary aspects of the story and as i was reading /listening to every Peter's role and interventions in Voldemort's return, i was saying to myself "but wow, how underrated and underappreciated Pettigrew's magic skills are". He was indeed a talented and powerful wizard. He had the disadvantage of being overly insecure and submissive, very prone to be taken advantage of. But overall he was evil in nature. And that was solely on him.

[@crapbag666]

The marauders had a lot of growing up and regretted how they treated him. Hated Pettigrew for betraying them. They never got to see how he made up for what he's done by doing one thing right by harry.

[@macwelch8599]

So powerful, he even fooled Albus Dumbledore

[@antsletjuka6304]

I don't think he was hopeless even st school. He was simply not pushed into showing everything he'd got, instead enjoying staying in shadows of others. Also, I still believe he manipulated Sirius into making that Secret Keeper request

[@thetobi583]

...anyone have any idea how the wizarding world handles mental illness? (ADHD, bipolar, high functioning autism, PTSD, etc). I just asked myself that, and the best I can come up with is "those who DO go insane or act up just get tossed into Azkaban." Is that a thing, or do magic users have their own ways of medicating the mind?

[@dummbobqqqqq]

That video is pure speculation.

[@HarveyMeadowlark]

He was vile, and a coward. But I don’t think it is entirely accurate to call him “mentally weak” more like “emotionally weak”. I can’t imagine spending 12 years in hiding in the body of a rat. That must have been been very tough mentally. And I know, he didn’t have any other choices, but following the logic established in the series, if his conviction had wavered enough he would have been returned to his true, humanoid form

[@diegobromfield]

I'm not sure why HP Theory keeps trying to make us believe Pettigrew was a powerful wizard. He even made a top 5 list that ranked him above Sirius. A list that didn't even have Harry or Hermione. He's not that guy and anyone that reads the books or watch the movies will disagree with him being any kind of top tier powerful wizard.

[@ashersharol]

Well said. I'm still trying to wrap my head around why someone would say he was talented. It's like they have some weird crush on Wormtail and are afraid to say it out loud, resorting to elevate his magical skills to more than what they were. Smh.

[@patrickhackett7881]

Sirius' potential was squandered in Azkaban. He probably would have had to retrain himself in magic to even reach his old level again. Harry and Hermione were still learning magic. Harry didn't have nonverbal magic down and overused Expelliarmus in duels. Hermione was talented but not in life and death situations, though she was getting there. They would have surpassed Wormtail in a couple years.

[@patrickhackett7881]

@@ashersharol Wormtail is not smart, but is fairly good at magic (partly because a lot of adults are not good at magic). Compared to high ranking Death Eaters, Order members, Aurors, and many others Wormtail is not especially powerful.

[@KevinBenecke]

One thing you forgot to mention is while Peter was able to fool everyone, he wasn't able to fool the map. Even as a rat, the map knew who and where he was.

[@blackblade99009]

there is actually a theory that it was petigrew who floated the idea of feeding snape to wolf lupin, which if that is the case, screw petigrew because he would have ruined the lives of two of the people he considered friends. also using the ambushing of a teen child as showing of competence is a bit of a double edged sword, because on a very larger, hagrid sized hand, that means that he would have had issues if he hadn't of killed cedric before he had a chance to figure out what was going on.

[@timothygodwin7575]

But, goblet pf fire takes place in 1994-1995 not 1996?

[@RuneTrips]

He's the most animalistic like Voldemort I guess. Makes sense he's one of the strongest

[@dynastes4938]

To be honest, I only see one indication of particular in Pettigrew: The curse he uses to commit mass murder. Other than that, I do not really feel you have a point. Especially bringing up Cedric to make that point seems actually rather pointless. Pettigrew simply cast an unblockable curse in that instance. Overpowering and kidnapping Moody seems like a bad example, too, because Crouch Junior does that with him - which you mention, but place to little emphasis on, I feel - and there is every indication of Crouch being a very powerful wizard even below the age of 20, before he is sent to Azkaban. Lastly, I do not see much indication of Pettigrew being bullied while at school. Even if the other Marauders looked down on him occasionally, which they certainly did, it is also stated that they would have died for him. He also was a house guest with the Potters even after school. There is no relevant abusiveness to speak of in those relationships and therefore little reason to suspect that this could have prevented him from realizing his full potential. Pettigrew is simply a coward seeking to keep himself alive and well by hiding behind greater people than himself.

[@stephentajblik4448]

Your questions are answered by the happenings. Is wormtail the best or most universal wizard? HELL NO!!!. Was he able to stop any of his? No

[@kimgrod]

I don't agree w/the statement that wormtail separated from the good guys because he wanted to be strong and independent. My opinion is that he was lured to the safety he believed Voldemort could provide. During the first Wizarding war, it seemed Voldy had won ... until he tried to kill Harry. I do agree that wormtail accomplished a lot of difficult magic and if his friends had been supportive he may have flourished during his younger years. McGonagall may have been permitted to become an animagus at age 17. The Marauders didn't ask permission, they illegally became animagi at 15. Barty Crouch Jr received 12 newts when he was at hogwarts, pretty sure he could make his own poly juice potion

[@vortega472]

"A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults" - Don Vito Corleone. So before his time living as a rat - and all good examples of his skill before living as a pet 24/7 - you have to remember as Peter gained more knowledge after this, remember he was not only Ron's "familiar" but also Percy's before, so that means during all this time as Scabbers he technically attended classes and learned or relearned new things how many times? Post the death of the Potters, Wormtail was the ultimate student auditing class and learning a lot of new things.

[@robertdick5106]

It doesn't make sense that he was in griffindoor. He should have been in slitherine

[@ashersharol]

Yeah but you should improve your spelling. It's "Gryffindor" and "Slytherin".

[@Yattien89]

@@ashersharol You could improve your attitude.

[@ashersharol]

@@Yattien89 What's wrong with my attitude? My propensity for telling the truth and correcting people?

[@Osarah96]

Personally, I think that Snape was so hard against worm tail because it was just a little light. Very slight form of punishment in his mind for what he did to Lily (and James)

[@elizabethoneill8612]

The rat form was fitting for peter pettigrew,

[@chad63]

james had it coming, never be a bully

[@paulyb7267]

Peter Pettigrew was (prior to his betrayal) treated like any other friend. Though they accepted him as a friend and included him in their various mischief-making endeavours, it was clear he was considered more of a hanger-on than an equal. Peter was more of a hanger-on than an equal due to the huge difference in terms of talent, bravery, and popularity. Nevertheless however, they were close throughout their time at school. The three Marauders did love Peter as a friend and brother, which made the eventual betrayal of James especially bitter. Nowhere in the books has there ever been a mention about Peter being bullied or mistreated by his friends. The only reason why Peter ever joined the Death Eaters is because he was an opportunist who valued his own life more than the lives of anyone else (including his friends); he would sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than himself and he would latch onto and ally himself with the side that seemed strongest and appeared to be winning (or in Sirius's words, Peter would follow the biggest bully in the playground) so he can be protected and looked after - at school it was with James and Sirius, and then it was later with Voldemort when he appeared to be winning. I wouldn't be surprised if Peter was also involved in the deaths of other Order members such as the McKinnon's, the Bones, the Prewetts, etc.

[@chad63]

@@paulyb7267 dude james was a bully he even bullied snape and i wouldnt be surprised if he bullied peter as well lol

[@paulyb7267]

@@chad63 Shut the hell up about James, he wasn't a shitty person his whole life. James isn't responsible for Snape being a Death Eater, in fact Snape was already prejudiced against muggles before attending Hogwarts. The only difference between James and Snape is that James grew up whereas Snape didn't, something that an obnoxious Snape fan like yourself will NEVER understand. James was a lot more braver and ten times the person than Snape ever was. Also, James never 'took' or 'stole' Lily from Snape, Snape was the one who drove Lily away. Lily CHOSE to be with James, something you Snape apologist/fans are jealous. The one thing I will say about Snape though is he never really changed. Harry aside, he was a jerk to most of his students, look at how he treated Neville, as far as we know Neville’s parents didn’t do anything to him and yet he’s still an ass.

[@chad63]

@@paulyb7267 "wasn't a shitty person his whole life" doesnt justify him as a bully earlier in life lol u shut up james apologist lmao

[@robby95036]

Underrated doesn't mean he was powerful.

[@francisgrizzlysmit4715]

Pettigrew had potential to be more he could have been brave, etc or he would not have been in griffindor, he just never chose to be all he could.

[@patrickhackett7881]

I disagree. I think he was put in Gryffindor because he is not suited to any of the other houses and because he wishes he was brave.

[@johnpaullaizure7330]

8:15 why couldn't he regrow them with some potion? Harry regrew a bone...

[@mrdr0161]

Because the potion skelegrow Harry used is used when your bone disappears, but your limb is still there. You can't regrow an eyeball

[@johnpaullaizure7330]

@@mrdr0161 Yea i guess but it seems much easier to regrow an eyeball than a bone, with science we're already growing human ears on mice

[@manugamer9984]

The way James, Sirius and Remus behaved back at Hogwarts was disgusting: they would’ve been the villains in another story... there were just more evil characters at play here.

[@RaymondBCrisp]

Any wizard that's an animagus is already a cut above average.

[@austinthe710messiah2]

Not powerful enough to escape death, that is for certain.

[@Txepsiyu]

Timothy Spall killed it as Wormtail.

[@QALibrary]

how on earth did he become/end up in Gryffindor

[@brandonslone1025]

Cuz the sorting hat is a crappy judge of character.

[@mrdr0161]

Because he is brave. He became an illegal animagus and spent full moons with a werewolf even though his form was a rat and lupin easily could've accidently killed him. At least sirius and James could defend themselves in their forms. And he also became a spy, you would have to have some serious guts to become a double agent

[@C00Cker]

because he doesn't fit any other house better. Is he book-smart? no, he is kinda dumb Is he loyal to his close ones? no, he is extremely disloyal is he ambitious and resourceful? also no, he just enjoys following powerful people

[@brandonslone1025]

@@C00Cker Maybe they should have a house based on a rat for all the cowardly wizards. The wormtails.

[@kmccartyy12]

Peter required help with almost everything you listed. He needed all the help he could get to become an animagus. He did not solely create the marauders map. He required instructions and guidance to bring voldy back, and was called clumsy while doing it. He didn’t capture moody on his own, if in his mad state Barty Crouch Sr. was correct in saying that Barty Jr. had received 12 OWLs then I feel like it’s safe to say barty was the one who masterminded moodys capture and making the polyjuice potion. The fact that he was able to remain hidden among the order as a spy for a year, and was presumed dead are the only things I’ll give him credit for. His achievements are just him hiding behind others.

[@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets]

3:28 Nah, that's Snape. Wormtail is more like the bully that peaked in high school.

[@paulyb7267]

Peter Pettigrew was (prior to his betrayal) treated like any other friend. Though they accepted him as a friend and included him in their various mischief-making endeavours, it was clear he was considered more of a hanger-on than an equal. Peter was more of a hanger-on than an equal due to the huge difference in terms of talent, bravery, and popularity. Nevertheless however, they were close throughout their time at school. The three Marauders did love Peter as a friend and brother, which made the eventual betrayal of James especially bitter. Nowhere in the books has there ever been a mention about Peter being bullied or mistreated by his friends. The only reason why Peter ever joined the Death Eaters is because he was an opportunist who valued his own life more than the lives of anyone else (including his friends); he would sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than himself and he would latch onto and ally himself with the side that seemed strongest and appeared to be winning (or in Sirius's words, Peter would follow the biggest bully in the playground) so he can be protected and looked after - at school it was with James and Sirius, and then it was later with Voldemort when he appeared to be winning. I wouldn't be surprised if Peter was also involved in the deaths of other Order members such as the McKinnon's, the Bones, the Prewetts, etc.

[@Wildcard0101]

Wormtail was nothing more than a coward he only cared for his own stinking skin, and when in the hell did his friends bully him ? They accepted him as a friend, treated him well and always involved him in everything they did but wormy didn’t even think twice before betraying them

[@patrickhackett7881]

They took him for granted and assumed he'd be up for fighting Death Eaters. That grated on him, and the prospect of being on what he thought was the losing side terrified him.

[@Wildcard0101]

Exactly that’s what terrified him for he was never brave like his friends, but I hate it when people say his friends treated him badly

[@elizabethoneill8612]

I would like to become one, and the form I would take would be one of my little felines or a type of bird, to get the hell away from everyone and everything and just be free, like Dobby the house elf

[@ashersharol]

Well Dobby is a poor example since he can only be free if human's free him. But...I get your point.

[@FWbaracuss]

Of course Snape hated worm tail! He was in Potter's crew and was in love with Lily!

[@patrickhackett7881]

Snape knew by then that Wormtail had betrayed Lily to Voldemort, not Black.

[@FWbaracuss]

@@patrickhackett7881 absolutely. And Snape would have HATED Peter for that very reason

[@skycr7059]

What if Remus Lupin joined the trio on their horcrux hunt?

[@King_of_Blue-Eyes]

He sure was underrated.

[@kaustavvv]

I dont think you should call "Lupin" arrogant jerk, Lupin disliked James and Sirius bullying people sadly never stood up to them fully which he later regretted.

[@raepan2797]

Lol Lupin gleefully took part in making fun of him with the Marauders Map message he didnt gaf

[@_jompbup_5669]

He needed all the help for anything. Couldnt do anything magically impressive. Only look upon stronger people. And Pettigrew wasnt the bullied one in school, he was bullying others with james and sirius. And you say Wormtail is more talented in dark arts than other marauders, how lol. We dont see him doing than like 3 spells and a potion Voldemort guided him to do.

[@patrickhackett7881]

The other Marauders didn't dare to use dark arts. Pettigrew was willing, and had Voldemort and Death Eaters as teachers. Also, Lupin was talented but not brilliant, James is dead, and Sirius was out of practice. It's not bad luck that killed Sirius-- it was duelling with opponents that probably outmatched him. Did he even have friendly duels with Order members in Grimmauld Place, or had he not cast so much as a Disarming Charm since 1981?

[@_jompbup_5669]

@@patrickhackett7881 James being dead isnt rly a valid argument when we compare their power, Lupin wasnt brilliant at dueling but talented in other basic subjects. We didnt have a good look if Sirius was rusty or not since any of the marauders would have 100% lost to Bellatrix since she is definitely atleast top 3 most powerful deatheaters, i would put her right behind Snape since they were both in the closest possible circle around Voldemort and learned dark arts directly from him, Pettigrew however was always seen as a disgusting and slow man and was never rly cared by other deatheaters and his magical skill and knowledge was the same as any a bit below average 7th grade hogwarts student

[@patrickhackett7881]

@@_jompbup_5669 I mean James was probably talented among his peers, not among more experienced adults. Lupin was talented but might not have had as much raw power as the other Marauders. Pettigrew was more talented in Defense than just about any student. He is able to cast powerful nonverbal spells in battle (an advantage). He lacks moral scruples and DADA education at Hogwarts is terrible. Remember how they couldn't do Expelliarmus well in the first DA lesson and how even Hermione had to learn the Shield Charm in a DA lesson? Cedric also said Harry was great at Defense, and in fourth year he really wasn't.

[@_jompbup_5669]

@@patrickhackett7881 well if raw power means dueling. And we really dont see Pettigrew using defencive spells, and nonverbal spells are still learnt at sixth year of hogwarts, most of the students should be able to use decently them for n.e.w.t s. The DADA in hogwarts is interesting subject cuz we know that their 3rd year focused around magical creatures and did it good but otherwise we dont know at all what they should be learning in first, second, fourth, fifth or seventh year since either the teachers are bad because voldemorts curse or we are not told. It would be cool to knoe what they learn seventh year

[@patrickhackett7881]

@@_jompbup_5669 Most students can't use nonverbal spells under pressure-- or Harry would have been casting nonverbal spells all the time in sixth and seventh years. Harry shouts out his spells and is the best duellist in Hogwarts (at least in sixth and seventh years). Yet Wormtail is more proficient than he is in some ways. So that means that only a couple students were probably casting nonverbal spells in combat during the Battle of Hogwarts and one of them was probably Hermione It goes to show that there's an immense talent gap between experienced adults and teenagers. Maybe reliably casting nonverbally takes a lot of practice, so they make the students practice it for the two years before NEWTs. And even at that point, it's still challenging to cast in a battle. But Wormtail has had many more years of practice so he can cast powerful nonverbal spells (like any moderately talented ~37 year old wizard who practices combat magic from time to time).

[@bubbathesauceboss8652]

The one and only rat king

[@RickySpanish12344]

lol he wasn't one of the most powerful. As Sirius pointed out, he wanted to hang out with people more powerful than him for protection.

[@melanezoe]

Well done.

[@deadcell66]

All I keep hearing is Wormtail was very powerful because more powerful wizards kept holding his hand telling him what to do every step of the way

[@thomasgray9148]

He got the drop on black. That's hard in its self.

[@jkrause365]

Missing something? No, I think you covered it. I'm still having a hard time being sympathetic toward Wormtail, however.

[@patrickhackett7881]

I thimk Wormtail might have been okay when he was young-- like he might have not betrayed his friends if things had gone differently but still be a coward. Maybe if he hadn't joined the Order he could figure that if Voldemort wins he could keep his head down and be safe. But I think his friends took it for granted he wanted to be in the Order.

[@Tofusthetics]

Worm tail had to see the mistreatment of snape given their history

[@hunterkiller1440]

He's most powerful because he's secretly Winston Churchill.

[@a.d.clarke4990]

How the hell was he in Gryffindor? 🤔

[@kennybell3784]

For someone that was given tust and betray said trust and spent so much time in hiding as a rat that he pretty much resembled in one in human form is not power. He ran from everything and nothing I've read or watched said otherwise. Umbridge was dispecable yes but at least she was confident about where she stood

[@patrickhackett7881]

Wormtail is powerful, and if he had a more confident he could be a respectable Death Eater. He is despicable but powerful and dangerous when backed into a corner