InsaneJournal

Peter Pettigrew

House/Year: Gryffindor/5th
Blood Status: Full blood
Sexual Orientation: Questionable. While he tries to flirt with girls around James and Sirius to follow them, his adoration for the two borders on fantasy
Marital Status: single
Current Living Situation: 4 roommates at school, mother and father at home
Affiliation: Neutral to start, especially since he prefers to wait in the wings to see what James and Sirius do (or what they can save him from).
Occupation: Student, still sort of following James, Sirius, and Remus while he can.
Worst Fears: Being alone, his mother dying, spiders, cats.
Prefect? Peter? Ha! No.
Quidditch?: Again, no.

Weaknesses and Strengths: Unfortunately, Peter has more weaknesses than strengths, and that alone is a weakness. He's a fast friend and loyal to a fault, but he has the mind that so long as there are others around him to back him up, he can do whatever he wants without having to wait for their approval. The only times he second-guesses that thought process are when he is around James and Sirius. He'll look to them for approval and then continue on if they don't disagree with what he's doing. He does have a mind of his own, but he tends to give in to be accepted. One of Peter's lesser-known strengths is that he can cook, and therefore follow directions to brew potions well. When it comes to following directions, he can do many things well, but if he had to think on his feet for, say, a duel...that's when he would foul up and get into trouble.

Personality: Peter is a very loving, caring individual...with dogs and his mother. He's used to being shoved aside, and since meeting James and Sirius, he has grown to not want the spotlight. He's skittish, nervous at times, and could very well be the A.D.D. poster child were it not for his ability to stare in fascination at things he finds interesting for hours on end. He loves to laugh, be it at a joke or someone slipping in the mud – he's not really picky. He'll get a temper if he's harassed too much, and would resort to fists before pulling out his wand – unless his friends are around or he's reminded that his wand can be more damaging. He tends to be a bit short sighted on situations, seeing only what he has time to see and not the whole picture, and would jump in to defend someone he likes even if they're the ones in the wrong. He's what could be termed "dog loyal," and can often be seen following his friends around as though on an invisible leash, ready for whatever the next adventure might be.

Appearance: He is shorter than most boys of his age, a trait he has his parents to thank for, and well-fed. He might have been a great Quidditch player if he was more inclined to sports, but instead looks like a cuddly little mascot who could stand to lose a bit of weight through exercise. He has curly, light brown hair that is a bit thin in some places and very straw-like and dry. (With no great stretch of the imagination, one could imagine him bald and he would resemble his father a bit too closely.) His nose is pointed and mousy, his eyes are a pale grey, and his freckled complexion isn't the best to look at except when he smiles. When he smiles, his face lights up and his cheeks become rather rosy, so one might think there is hope for him when they see him happy.

General History: Peter was born to Celia and Robert Pettigrew, a middle-aged couple in Muggles' age, but relatively young in wizarding years. Celia doted on her son from birth while Robert worked to support his family, and they wanted to be sure Peter had everything he could want. He was positively spoiled in every way – including the fact that his mother shielded him from every bad thing she could. When Peter cried as a baby, he slept in between Robert and Celia instead of his crib if he could not be rocked to sleep in her arms. When he said he was scared of the dark and his closet, they left lights on, and when that didn't work, he slept in bed right next to his mother or she slept in his bedroom with him. Unfortunately, that left lasting effects on him, and he grew to need a bit of protection as time passed.

One day his father returned from work and sat Peter down to tell him about standing up for himself. He explained in more detail how wizards like them would have to do that in order to survive when other wizards were going to be bullies and push them around. He told Peter that in order to be a strong man one day, he'd have to learn to defend himself, and went into great detail about Godric Gryffindor. Peter was told how size didn't matter because a professor at Hogwarts named Flitwick was smaller than either of them, and he was a master of Charms and general spell work. When his mother confirmed everything his father said, Peter vowed then and there that he was going to be a brave wizard like his dad.

Trying to add to the support of Peter becoming less of a wimp and more of his own man, Robert said he was going to bring Peter a pet to take care of, and that pet he could bring with him to school when he was old enough. Peter looked forward to a toad or an owl of his own, and even had a name for it. When his father brought home a cat, Peter ran behind his mother for protection. He didn't mind cats in picture books or in the window of pet shops, but seeing one in person apparently was another thing entirely. His mother comforted him while his father told him not to be afraid, so Peter thought of ways to not be near it. Without realising it, Celia gave Peter the perfect excuse when she asked if he was allergic to the animal. The little boy said he was and faked a sneeze, hiding behind his mother's robes and covering his face with a scared look. The cat was taken back, and replaced with a dog, which Peter was oddly fond of. The little brown pup would grow, but Peter would always be bigger, and they were almost as inseparable as he and his mother.

Robert continued to try and make Peter more of a braver boy, and Peter did try, but Celia did a better job of coddling him and teaching him how to follow in her footsteps. He was her special helper in the kitchen, her favourite little taste-tester when she made desserts, and her good boy when she cleaned. He watched his mother carefully and saw how she followed his father and needed him for protection. In the end, he wanted to emulate both his mother and father in order to please them both.

Hogwarts History: Robert and Celia were thrilled the day that Peter got his owl about Hogwarts, and they bought him everything he would need for school right away. They told him about the houses, and his father reminded him about Godric Gryffindor while his mother said that even Hufflepuff would be a fine house. He resolved that anything would be good so long as he wasn't in Slytherin. He got on the train, and after switching compartments twice, found Sirius Black and James Potter. The way James went on about Gryffindor confirmed that that house was where Peter wanted to be, and when the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, he told it he didn't want Slytherin, but he wanted to make his parents proud. After a minute or two (and some thoughts about wanting to be as brave as James seemed to be), it told him he was in Gryffindor, and he was happy to see James get in shortly after.

Peter idolised Sirius and James from the moment they became roommates, and he thought Remus reminded him of his mother in a way – though Remus was more of the bookish uncle after a while. He didn't even remember their other dorm mate's name after three years because all that mattered was James and Sirius. Their fun was his fun, and when they said they were trying out for Quidditch, Peter was their personal cheerleader. Even when the two pitted Peter against the other, Peter didn't mind. He was being included and they were the best of friends. It especially helped when they told him that Severus Snape was evil incarnate, because it meant that Peter could be included in the mockery of another person. He wasn't on the receiving end of being bullied, and after a while, he started hating Snape on principle too. (Of course he was practically petrified of the boy when he didn't have James, Sirius, or even Remus around – which wasn't often, but happened enough that he didn't like it – but he was fine when they were by his side.)

He noticed James' interest in Lily, and became hurt as the four of them had become the Marauders, and as far as Peter was concerned, there was no room for a fifth. He hid it when the jokes came about Peter being more than a little tagalong, and instead looked for things to point out about Snape or some other random sod that was the victim of the day. The full moon helped a lot, surprisingly, because then the focus was solely on Remus. Remus was still a friend – more than what's-his-name – and Peter wanted to do more than say he was there if Remus needed him, so when they suggested becoming Animagi, he was all for it. He knew Sirius and James would have to help him, but he would manage, and he did with their help. He didn't even tell his parents about it, partly because it's illegal, and partly because he came to feel independent from them, even just a little. (Though he still abides by their rules and returns to them every summer to be Celia's helper yet again. There are just some parts of him that will never grow up, he thinks.)