Summary
Undoubtedly, Peter Pettigrew is one of the most-hated characters in the entireHarry Potterfranchise. He is renowned for his infamous betrayal of the Potter family – a despicable act which led to the deaths of both James and Lily Potter during the First Wizarding War. Although the slimy character wasclose friends with Jamesduring their time together at Hogwarts, Pettigrew ultimately abandoned his friends to join the dark side. In order to prove his loyalty to Voldemort, Pettigrew was obligated to hand over the Potters’ hiding location, otherwise he would be killed.
Prior to this, James and Lily had mistakenly appointed Pettigrew to be their Secret-Keeper – a mistake which would cost them their lives. As James and Lily’s Secret-Keeper, Pettigrew was entrusted with the information of the Potters’ hiding location in Godric’s Hollow. He had not even been Secret-Keeper for a week when he handed the information over to Voldemort. Although this fateful event kick-started the entireHarry Potterfranchise, there are many questions surrounding Pettigrew’s betrayal – what exactly is a Secret-Keeper, and why did James and Lily entrust Peter with this crucial role?
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What is a Secret-Keeper?
In theHarry Potteruniverse, a Secret-Keeper is a witch or wizard who has been appointed to conceal a specific secret. to appoint an individual as one’s Secret-Keeper, the Fidelius Charm must be used.
The Fidelius Charm is an incredibly powerful spell, which is used specifically to conceal secrets. After successfully casting the charm, the Secret-Keeper will have the secret concealed within their soul, making it impossible to find. Due to the power of the Fidelius Charm, the secret cannot be unwillingly extracted from the Secret-Keeper viablack-mail or torture. The secret can only be revealed if the Secret-Keeper voluntarily passed it on – something which was typically unheard of. The secret will remain undisclosed as long as the Secret-Keeper refuses to divulge the information. In the circumstance that the Secret-Keeper dies, the secret will be passed on to everyone else who is aware of the secret – a risky consequence which heightens the chance of a betrayal.
Due to the context surrounding the Fidelius Charm, a Secret-Keeper must only be appointed if they are truly trustworthy – so why did James and Lily specifically choose Peter Pettigrew to be their Secret-Keeper, and why did the pair need a Secret-Keeper in the first place?
Why did the Potters need a Secret-Keeper?
AsHarry Potterfans will know, the infamous Prophecy is the basis of the entire Harry Potter franchise. The Prophecy revealed that a boy, born at the end of July 1980, would have the power to defeat Voldemort. As the Prophecy infamously declared: “Neither can live while the other survives”. The description of the boy matched Harry Potter, causing him to become Voldemort’s target. Because of this, the Potter familywere forced to go into hiding.
The Potters needed a Secret-Keeper to conceal their whereabouts from the Dark Lord. By using the Fidelius Charm, their whereabouts would be concealed. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to divulge the information, the couple would remain safe in Godric’s Hollow. However, due to Pettigrew’s fateful betrayal, Voldemort was able to track down the Potter family, leaving fans wondering why the couple selected Peter Pettigrew for this crucial role.
Why did the Potters choose Peter Pettigrew to be their Secret-Keeper?
It’s widely known that Harry’s parents were surrounded by a group of loving and dedicated friends, as seen via their roles inthe Order of the Phoenix. Fans have often wondered why they chose Peter for the role, rather than somebody more trustworthy, specifically why not Sirius Black?
Although James and Peter were friends during their years at Hogwarts, Pettigrew’s shady character has always been in the spotlight. Due to his cunning nature and hunger for power,Pettigrew was almost sorted into Slytherinwhen he arrived at Hogwarts. Although the character was initially content to function as James and Sirius’ follower, his desire for power ultimately overruled his good-natured conscience, drawing Pettigrew to the dark side.
It’s important to note that Pettigrew was frequently underestimated by his friends. Although he was part of the Marauders, he was often looked down upon and pushed to the side – something which aggravated Pettigrew’s power-hungry self. By perceiving Peter to be a weak member of the group, James and Lily never would’ve considered their ‘friend’ to be capable of betrayal. Pettigrew’s weak image was a crucial reason why he was chosen as the Secret-Keeper.
Although fans have often questioned why Sirius wasn’t chosen for the role, he was actually James and Lily’s first choice. As revealed inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Potters had initially chosen Sirius to be their Secret-Keeper – a seemingly logical decision. However, before the Fidelius Charm was cast, Sirius expressed his doubts concerning the Potters’ decision. Sirius argued that he was a blatant choice for the role and stated that Voldemort was already suspicious of him. Although Voldemort would’ve been unable to extract the secret unwillingly from Sirius, if the Dark Lord killed him whilst he was the Potters’ Secret-Keeper, then everybody who knew the Potters’ whereabouts would’ve all become Secret-Keepers. As previously mentioned, this is extremely risky and was likely something that Sirius was looking to avoid. Instead, Sirius suggested that Pettigrew should take his place –something which haunted Siriusfor the rest of his life.
InHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius expresses his fury at Pettigrew’s betrayal following his suggestion. During the pair’s confrontation, Sirius yells: “Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it… I thought it was the perfect plan… a bluff… Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they’d use a weak, talentless thing like you”.
AsHarry Potterfans will know,Pettigrew proceeded to blame his betrayal on Siriusand faked his own death. Because of this, it was initially assumed that Sirius had been the Potters’ Secret-Keeper and had been working as a double agent for Voldemort.
Some fans have wondered why Sirius did not suggest Remus Lupin for the role. However, at the time, Lupin was under suspicion for being a double agent, ruling him out of the selection.
The Potters had plenty of options when selecting their Secret-Keeper. Even Albus Dumbledore offered to take on the role, but the pair decided to follow the trusted advice of their friend. Sirius never could’ve expected that Pettigrew would betray the Potters, believing him to be far too weak-natured. Additionally, Pettigrew had beena friend of James and Siriusfor many years, so it was truly shocking that he was capable of betraying his friends’ trust. By suggesting Pettigrew to take his place as Secret-Keeper, Sirius believed in the best of people – a quality which would’ve quickly vanished following Pettigrew’s betrayal.
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