Quick Scoop

Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, was a former friend of James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin who betrayed the Potters to Voldemort and later became a Death Eater. He ultimately died in Deathly Hallows when the silver hand Voldemort gave him strangled him after Pettigrew hesitated to kill Harry at Malfoy Manor.

What happened to him

  • He betrayed the Potters in 1981, helping set up the events that led to James and Lily’s deaths.
  • He faked his own death by killing twelve Muggles, cutting off his finger, and transforming into a rat to escape.
  • He lived in hiding for years as Ron Weasley’s pet rat, Scabbers, before being exposed.
  • In the final book, his moment of hesitation counted as disloyalty in Voldemort’s eyes, and the enchanted hand killed him.

Why people talk about him

A lot of fan discussion focuses on whether Pettigrew was purely evil or mostly driven by fear and survival instincts. Some readers see him as a cowardly opportunist who always backed the strongest side, while others view him as a tragic, weak person who made terrible choices to stay alive.

Bottom line

If you mean the Harry Potter character, Peter Pettigrew’s story ends in betrayal, hiding, and then death at Voldemort’s own hand. If you want, I can also give you the full timeline of Peter Pettigrew’s life in 5 bullet points.