A day in the life of: Peter “Wormtail” Pettigrew

The Gryffindor that got away
Date: 3rd of March 1975 Time: 23:43

In a shadowed corner on the fifth floor at Hogwarts – school of witchcraft and wizardry you could hear heavy huffs and puffs. Which in itself was quite unusual as Hogwarts was a boarding school for 11 to 17 year old witches and wizards and aforementioned wizard and witches should all be in their dormitories after 10 o’clock. What was even more unusual was that if one were to take a closer look at the shadowed corner on the fifth floor one would see that the shadowed corner was actually empty. Well not really, it looked empty though. The reason as to why huffs and puffs could be heard in an empty corner on the fifth floor was quite simple. Peter Pettigrew had stolen, well not stolen more like borrowed without permission his best friends, James Potters, invisibility cloak. Why, one might ask? It, like everything else about this event was quite simple.

The day had begun like almost every other Monday. The marauders, after a late night of prank planning, over slept and woke up after breakfast had been served so they quietly snuck out of the common room under James’s invisibility cloak intending to go to the kitchen. They snuck out, not because James was afraid of Lily Evans’s wrath but because they felt like it, that’s all. As was said before, they left the common room, quietly, with the intention of going to the kitchen. Once out of the common room and the threat of an angry Lily Evans (really who’d have thought she didn’t like her hair lime green?) had been overcome they took of the cloak and left for the kitchen. But fate decided to have some fun and put a pack of 7th year Slytherins in their way. Unfortunately for the fourth year Gryffindors, these Slytherins had just lost 50 house points thanks to the Gryffindor head of house Minerva McGonagall and where looking for revenge.

So, it was quite understandable that they were angry and looking for revenge. Unfortunately for little Peter Pettigrew his friends noticed the Slytherins before him and, assuming that Peter had also seen them, ran. Fast. To say that Peter was shocked when he literally walked into a big Slytherin would be an understatement.

“Well, well, look what we’ve got. It’s a lone little lion.” Rabastan Lestrange, the leader of the group, sneered. “What should we do with him?”

“Flush him down Moaning Myrtles toilet.” Evan Rosier said and smirked.

“Lock him in a brooms cupboard.” A boy Peter didn’t recognize suggested. Apparently the Slytherins are just full of ideas today, Peter thought snidely, darting his eyes around looking for escape. Unfortunately for the Slytherins Peters rescue came in the form of Professor Flitwick just as one of them, Avery Peter thought his name was, pulled out his wand ready to hex Peter.

“Ten points from Slytherin!” The small professor squeaked. “Now go to class.”

“Thanks professor. “ Peter said grinning once the 7th years left and ran away beginning his search for his friends.

And so Peter went to the kitchens, hoping his friends were still eating.

“Mr. Pettigrew sir.” Bibby the house elf squealed once Peter entered through the giggling portrait.

“Hi Bibby, are the others here?” He asked, glancing across the room as if his friends were hiding behind one of the stoves. Knowing Sirius he just might do that. He absentmindedly accepted a muffin from one of the house elves as he searched the room with his eyes.

“Oh no sir, they has just left, sir. They be saying they have professor… McGoggles they say and leave with newly baked cookies!”

“Okay, thanks.” Peter said, chuckling from Sirius’ newest nickname for their head of house, and turned to leave, taking some chocolate chip cookies from a platter fresh from the oven.

Peter realized that if Bibby was right, and he was pretty sure she was, about the whereabouts of his friends, then he was late for Transfiguration and being late to McGonagalls class was never good. To skip, or not to skip? If he went to class now he’d get detention tonight meaning he wouldn’t have time for the homework due tomorrow but if he didn’t go he’d still get detention but not this night unless McGonagall tracked him down, which she never bothered to do.

He heard Sirius’ voice in his head, repeating an advice he’d given him months earlier; procrastinate Peter, always procrastinate! Taking his friends advice he decided to skip class and go to Hogsmeade instead. Surely James wouldn’t mind Peter borrowing his Invisibility cloak, but then again, what could James do? James was in class and Peter wasn’t. And really, hadn’t both James and Sirius always encouraged him to enjoy every second of not having classes, and to take every opportunity to break school rules?

And with that, Peter ran to the dorms to get James’ cloak, skilfully avoiding teachers and Slytherins and was on his way to Hogsmeade.

While Peter enjoyed himself in Hogsmeade, a pack of nasty Slytherins, in fact, the same nasty Slytherins that had, just this very morning, lost 60 house points because of Gryffindors, sat in History of Magic plotting revenge on the Gryffindor that got away.

When Peter had spent a large amount of galleons on chocolate and pranks he went back to Hogwarts, stuffing the Invisibility cloak in his pocket before he entered the castle as he’d been in Hogsmeade all day and classes were over. He headed to the Gryffindor tower, intending on leaving his purchases in the dorm and hoping to find his friends. While Peter did not know this, it was only because of bad timing that he missed his friends. As he came around a corner on the left side of the portrait, his friends went to the right side, and disappeared behind the other corner. And since Peter had long since stopped listening to the Fat Lady he did not hear her pointing out that his friends had just left and if he ran, he’d be able to catch them.

And thus, Peter left the dorms alone, with no sign of his friends. But fate did not seem done with him yet, as around the corner came Peeves the poltergeist. While the poltergeist did indeed like Peter and his three missing friend, even that could not stop him from pranking them just like he pranked every other student (and most teachers) and normally the Marauders appreciated their fellow prankster this was not one of those times. And when Peeves sent walking armours and flying water balloons after Peter, Peter did not like it one bit and he especially did not like that he had to run away from aforementioned walking and flying objects. And when he had to run all the way to the Owlery, he was not amused.

Poor little Peter Pettigrew. Today did not look like a good day for him. When the armours finally stopped following him and all water balloons had exploded (most of them when hitting him leaving him wet and cold) he was left alone, wet and cold at the bottom of the Owlery. But soon enough Peter found himself wishing he was still alone as the same 7th year Slytherins that he’d encountered that morning came down the stairs, smirking at the sight of the wet 4th year. As he prepared to run away, he slipped on a puddle on the floor that had formed when one of the water balloons barely missed him. As he fell on his arse, a forgotten dungbomb flew from his pocket and landed in Rosiers face. Terrified of the now furious Slytherins he stood up and ran as fast as he could, with the Slytherins closely on his heels. Thankfully they left Avery behind, who now smelled so bad he’d be stuck in his dorm room for two days showering so often he nearly finished Hogwarts water supplies.

And so, another chase began. But unfortunately for the Slytherins, Peter was a Marauder and knew the castle better than any other student. After running for a while he simply disappeared through a wall it seemed to the Slytherins who came around the corner only seconds after Peter went through a secret passageway the Marauders had recently discovered. The Slytherins, disappointed and furious, went to the Great Hall for dinner while Peter, knowing it would be most unwise to go anywhere near those Slytherins, went to the kitchens again where he ate so much the house elves where afraid he’d eat all of their food as he was quite hungry, having only eaten a muffin and some cookies today. Of course he’d had a bit of chocolate and the various sweets that the Honeyduke offered up for tasting but that didn’t count.

Date: 3rd of March 1974 Time: 21:56

Tired after a day of adventure Peter planned on going to his dorm and sleep, but like so many other plans that day, he did not get to do that. When he’d left the kitchens he went up a staircase that would lead him to the Gryffindor Tower but that particular staircase decided on moving as soon as Peter stepped on it. And what was even worse was that when the staircase finally came to halt the Slytherins Peter had spent all day escaping stood at the landing. And this time, they did not give Peter the opportunity to go through a hidden passageway. They had been plotting revenge all day and they would not let him escape this time. Peter ran for what seemed like hours, finding hiding places where he could rest for a moment before the Slytherins found him again, around the whole castle, down to the dungeons and all the way up to the Astronomy tower. How ironic that the onetime Peter needed the teachers they were nowhere to be found. Finally though, he found a shadowed corner on the fifth floor and remembered the Invisibility cloak he had borrowed this very morning and there, in the shadowed corner Peter hid under the cloak, huffing and puffing until he heard the Slytherins walk by him, heading down to the dungeons, giving up on their search. Too exhausted after his eventful day to move Peter fell asleep there, under the cloak where he would stay until the next morning, when he would wake up, too late for his class.