[HPforGrownups] Re: DADA , Snape and Slytherin

[Yis M Koslowitz]

No: HPFGUIDX 24291



> Which brings us to a question that is heavy on my mind.  Is Draco 
> Malfoy evil, or merely the product of poor examples in his mother 
> and 
> father?  How about Snape and the whole Slytherin gang?  I am sure 
> this has been discussed before on the group, but I am asking 
> specifically what qualifies one as an evil wizard, or a potentially 
> evil wizard.
> 
> Obviously it is something in the character of the person before they 
> 
> reach Hogwarts, because the Sorting Hat seems to sort the prideful, 
> ambitious, snobby and hateful people into Slytherin.  But are these 
> the only evils? Cornelius Fudge is going to do terrible damage in 
> the 
> next book IMO and I doubt that he is a Slytherin alum.  His 
> blindness 
> to the real danger, and his complacency with easy answers are just 
> as 
> dangerous as the active plotting of Malfoy, sr.
> 
> I agree with Steve about the purpose of the school to be to train 
> character as much as talent (see my prior post Re:  Magical Talent 
> and Wands Part Two).  The challenge comes in admitting that teaching 
> 
> right and wrong means that we voluntarily choose NOT to do things we 
> 
> are perfectly capable of doing.  Good people voluntarily restrain 
> themselves.

> 
> As a result Dumbledore observes in chapter two that Voldy has 
> "powers 
> I never had", but Minerva immediately replies "that's only because 
> you are to noble to use them".  The difference between Voldy and 
> Dumbledore, then, is Dumbledore's sense of restraint.

> So, my question is where do Slytherins learn restraint?

The Sorting Hat tells Harry he would have done well in Slytherin.
Dumbledore says Harry has certain superficial similarities to Voldy. JKR
clearly is talking towards voilition and choice. There's a certain
personality type that would do well in Slytherin, but they can do as
Harry did and say "NOT SLYTHERIN" 
Or, once in Slytherin, they can become disgusted with cheating, etc. and
go another way. 
Also, Slytherin House is huge. But we see there are not that many actual
powerful Death Eaters. So a lot do learn restraint, or at least live just
barely on this side of the law. Think of all the Slytherin grads of every
year for so many years, yet not all become Death Eaters. That's not to
say that a lot of them don't grow up to get jobs on Knockturn Alley, they
probably do. But they aren't overtly evil in the Malfoy sense. Maybe they
do a little Muggle baiting on the side, etc. But they are not totally
evil. 
And I still think Draco is redeemable and probably will have a moment of
choice in the end. Crabbe and Goyle are just ignorant, and ignorance is a
breeding ground for hate. 
 
Robyn