Numerous foreshadowing moments and other hints about significant occurrences and revelations may be found in the Harry Potter films, such as the revelation that Scabbers was actually Peter Pettigrew in disguise. J.K. Rowling introduced readers to the Wizarding World in 1997 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book in a series of seven that would follow “the child who lived” and Lord Voldemort, the most evil wizard of them all.
It didn’t take long for the Harry Potter book series to transition to the big picture because it was such a great phenomenon. Between 2001 and 2011, the Harry Potter film series was released, with the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, being split into two films. Through Harry, the audience learnt the fundamentals of the Wizarding World, many of its amazing things, and a vast number of spells, as well as certain witches and wizards who made use of these to their advantage. The story increased the novels’ fan base. Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), a former family friend of Harry’s parents and devoted Voldemort supporter who spent years disguising himself as a rat, is one of them.
During his time at Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew was best friends with Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Sirius Black, making him a member of the Marauders gang. Pettigrew deceived James and Lily Potter, which resulted in their murders, even though he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and a spy for Lord Voldemort. Pettigrew betrayed the Potters by pretending to die and framing Sirius for both of those crimes as well as the murder of twelve Muggles. As a result, Sirius was apprehended and imprisoned in Azkaban. While this came as a surprise to readers and viewers, there were some hints to the “Scabbers twist” in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where it was revealed that Pettigrew had been quite close to Harry for a while because he had been living in his Animagus form as the Weasley’s pet rat, Scabbers.
First, it is stated that Scabbers had lived for an excessively long time, which was highly rare considering that rats generally live for three years, whereas Scabbers had been a resident of the Weasleys for twelve years. The main plot point of Prisoner of Azkaban is Sirius’ escape from Azkaban. Following this, it is noted that Scabbers has been losing weight and developing a beard. This is because Pettigrew has been worrying about Sirius’ escape because he knows he will pursue him (and, of course, it didn’t help that Remus Lupin started teaching at Hogwarts that year). Last but not least, when describing Scabbers, Rowling made sure to point out that he was missing one of his toes. The strongest hint to Scabbers’ true identity was its one toe, which Pettigrew had cut off when he faked his own death and left behind.
Pettigrew, in the guise of Scabbers, once more tricked Ron into thinking Hermione’s cat Crookshanks murdered him by biting himself and leaving blood, but he was actually hiding. Though his end was depicted differently in the films, Pettigrew remained loyal to Voldemort even after his cover was discovered. In the book, he killed Harry by strangling him with his silver hand, but in the film, Dobby attacked him and that was the last time we saw him on screen. When the youngster reminded him of the life debt he owed him, the boy’s hand turned to him and killed him. In the Harry Potter series, it’s simple to miss the hints that reveal Scabbers’ identity on the first watch, but they become much more obvious on the second.
