The Case for Slytherin

[rja.carnegie at excite.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19998

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., foxmoth at q... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Ebony Elizabeth Thomas" <ebonyink at h...> 
> wrote:
> > Jami wrote:
> > 
> > "Hagrid did say in PS/SS that every Dark witch and wizard had come out of 
> > that house. Which makes me wonder ... why doesn't Dumbledore just abolish 
> > the house of Slytherin completely? Let the Sorting Hat identify those 
> > Slytherinish students, and boot them out the back door. Why give those with 
> > the propensity toward evil, the tools they need to become better and 
> > stronger wizards and witches?"
> 
> 	I think that Hagrid's statement is not to be taken at face value, 
> even if Sirius does turn out to have been a Slytherin. IMO it is meant 
> to be the mirror image of Salazar Slytherin's belief that  Muggle-borns 
> are untrustworthy. It's Jo's way of showing us that prejudice is 
> something even well-meaning people have to struggle with.

Furthermore, Hagrid's statement may or may not be accurate -
although (now I've found the quote, in Diagon Alley after Harry
meets Draco Malfoy) a get-out may be that he refers to witches 
and wizards who "went bad."  He may consider others to be
"born bad"...?

Before I read GOF - does only Hogwarts, of all the wizard schools
in the world, have a Slytherin House?  Otherwise, were all of the
Death Eaters old school friends of Voldemort's?

Robert Carnegie
Meretricious!