Why Didn’t Fred & George Notice Pettigrew On The Marauder’s Map?

The Harry Potter saga is not safe from inconsistencies, mysteries, and plot holes, and one that has bothered fans for years is why Fred and George Weasley never noticed Peter Pettigrew on the Marauder’s Map. The topic of magic and wizards is one of the most popular and beloved ones in the realm of fantasy, and it gained more force in 1997 with the arrival of J.K. Rowling’s debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. That was only the beginning of a series of seven novels chronicling the story of “the boy who lived” and Lord Voldemort, the darkest wizard in the Wizarding World.

The Harry Potter book series became a worldwide phenomenon, so it was almost a natural step for it to make the jump to the big screen. The Harry Potter movies were released between 2001 and 2011, with the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, divided into two movies. While these adaptations were quite loyal to the source material, many events, characters, and elements had to be left out, and the movies also highlighted some mysteries and plot holes from the books. Among those is the one involving the Weasley twins, the Marauder’s Map, and a certain rat that lived with the Weasleys for over a decade.

The Marauder’s Map is a magical map of every corner of Hogwarts, including its secret passages, and which shows the location of every person on the grounds. The map was made in a way that it couldn’t be fooled by animagi, Polyjuice Potions, or invisibility cloaks, so every person appeared with its real name. The map was created by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter during their time at Hogwarts, and was stolen by Fred and George Weasley from Filch’s office many years later. The Weasley twins gave the map to Harry in his third year, and it was Harry who noticed Peter Pettigrew on the map and believed it to be a mistake but was proven wrong when it was revealed that Ron’s pet rat was Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form.

This raised the question of why Fred and George never noticed that there was a man named Peter Pettigrew with Percy (who owned Scabbers first) and Ron, and as this hasn’t been solved by Rowling, fans have come up with their own explanations. Some believe the reason for this is that the Weasleys weren’t aware of Pettigrew’s betrayal and believed Sirius Black was the real bad guy of the story, so with that in mind, Pettigrew’s name would have meant nothing for them, and they might have thought he was another student (though why he would be with Percy and later with Ron doesn’t make sense). Others believe that the twins never even noticed him, as they mentioned to Harry that they didn’t need the map anymore as they already knew the place by heart, so by the time Ron arrived, they didn’t use the map anymore and thus never saw him sleeping with Peter Pettigrew.

Although this makes sense, there’s a big detail playing against it: Percy. When the twins got the map, Percy was studying at Hogwarts, and unless Scabbers slept far from his bed and he didn’t take him with him everywhere, they must have seen him on the map. This might be one of those Harry Potter plot holes that will remain unsolved, so it’s up to fans of the books and movies to decide why Fred and George didn’t notice Peter Pettigrew on the Marauder’s Map.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3276 Articles Published)

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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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