The magical world of Harry Potter is crammed with twists and turns. From the very starting of the franchise, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) are thrust right into a world the place little is because it appears. Their first battle in opposition to evil introduced in regards to the twist that it wasn’t Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) after the Sorcerer’s Stone, however somewhat Professor Quirrell (Ian Hart). Then, within the Chamber of Secrets and techniques movie, they face many twists, just like the reveal that it was Ginny (Bonnie Wright) opening the chamber (with Voldemort’s assist) and that Professor Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) was a whole and utter fraud, by no means residing out the fantastical adventures he made his residing writing about. Later, there’s the reveal that Professor Moody (Brendan Gleeson) had been impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant) all through Goblet of Hearth. Nevertheless, one of the best twist in your complete collection, in our humble opinion, is the reality about Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Right here’s why.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, after we are first made conscious of Peter’s existence, we be taught that he was greatest buddies with James Potter and Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) — and, later we be taught, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) — after they attended Hogwarts and have been in Gryffindor collectively. Peter adopted the others round, the weakest of the bunch, at the very least in line with Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) as she recounts the story of Peter and Sirius’ lives on the Three Broomsticks within the third movie. Whereas hiding underneath his invisibility cloak, Harry additionally overhears that Peter was killed across the identical time as his mother and father by none aside from Sirius Black, the person despatched to Azkaban for supposedly giving Lord Voldemort the Potters’ location and obliterating Peter, forsaking solely one among Peter’s fingers. For over a decade, Peter was presumed lifeless, heralded by some for his devotion to the Potters and dropping his life to guard his good friend. In the meantime, Sirius was essentially the most notorious and hated villain except for Voldemort himself within the wizarding group. Nevertheless, because the movie progresses, we be taught this isn’t really the reality.
When Sirius manages to collect Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Remus on the Shrieking Shack, the darkish fact is lastly revealed. Peter was by no means lifeless — he lower off his personal finger in order that others can be satisfied of his destiny. He was the one — the “good friend” — who betrayed the Potters. When the Potters have been compelled into hiding in Godric’s Hole, they needed to identify somebody to be their Secret Keeper, as in the one one that knew their location and will reveal it to others (who then might discover the Potters after they have been magically unable to earlier than). At first, Sirius was designated because the Secret Keeper however was satisfied to switch the duty to Peter. Then, when Voldemort killed the Potters and Peter was presumed lifeless, Sirius was framed for all of Peter’s crimes. However, worst of all, Peter had used his animagus skills that he developed along with his buddies — to assist Remus when he was a werewolf throughout the full moon — to fake to be a rat for the earlier twelve years and escape detection. Not simply any rat, although — he was really Ron’s longtime pet rat Scabbers. This reveal makes your complete scenario worse (and makes all of it really feel a bit dirtier, realizing the Weasleys unknowingly housed a assassin for over a decade).
One might argue that the Snape twist in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Half 2, the place the reality of his killing Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and love for Lily Evans is revealed, is one of the best. It’s undoubtedly shut and is probably going essentially the most memorable twist within the story. However, the reveal of Peter being a rat — bodily and figuratively — provides a complete different layer to the betrayal that took the Potters’ lives and set their son on this horrific, tragic journey to defeat essentially the most horrible wizard of all time. They positioned their belief within the mistaken particular person, betrayed by somebody who had been their good friend for years. It not solely makes the betrayal stronger and extra devastating, particularly for Sirius and Remus who had to deal with what their good friend did, however reveals how compelling and forceful Voldemort might be to even flip somebody’s greatest good friend in opposition to them. It’s the right counter to Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship, too, because it’s immediately clear they might, and will, by no means do one thing like that to at least one one other.
Moreover, it’s the primary main time (of many to come back) that the characters aren’t who they appear. With each Quirrell and Lockhart, it was painfully apparent that there was one thing off with each characters, so their tales in the end didn’t maintain as a lot weight as a “twist” within the story. There was no purpose to doubt Sirius’ guilt of the crimes he was convicted for early on. He appeared even guiltier on account of his escape. In the meantime, the trajectory of Peter’s story and the reality about what he did was totally surprising. It’s the type of twist the place there aren’t many clues constructing as much as it, as we see with the opposite twists within the collection, however nonetheless manages to make excellent sense and alter your complete story in such a significant approach. Peter was such an surprising evil in comparison with the likes of Voldemort and the Malfoys — somebody who wouldn’t be anticipated to hitch the ranks of the Dying Eaters. He was a villain not like some other. He’s, in some methods, the entire reverse of Snape, however this twist works higher as we really feel nothing for Peter versus the long-building emotions of disdain, hatred, or one thing else for Snape on account of his fixed bullying of Harry through the years. The reveal about Peter modified your complete story on a basic stage, making it a darker, extra tragic, and extra heartbreaking story than it had been because the starting, organising the darkness for the remainder of the collection.