Hermione was prepared to hate Peter Pettigrew immediately. She wanted to look at him and see the vile rat right there at the surface, only looking out for himself. Instead, she saw a sweet-looking, pudgy boy with a nervous face and adoration perpetually shining in his eyes. His grip was sweaty, and Hermione surreptitiously wiped her hand off on her robes once he let go. She mustered a smile for him, which Pettigrew returned. Perhaps she should reserve judgement, in this instance. She wondered what it was that transformed that boy into the traitorous man he would become, and whether she could change things.