Winky's Failture and Why Slytherins Should Stay

[Ashfae]

No: HPFGUIDX 46949



> From: lucky_kari <lucky_kari at yahoo.ca>
> 
> Winky had failed Crouch. His wife had failed him. As I said before,
> they both killed him. His wife by persuading him to rescue their son.
> Winky by being careless enough to let Bertha Jorkins find out about it. 
	Ah, thank you, I had also forgotten about that. So really, the 
affair at the Quidditch World Cup is the *second* time Winky fails in her 
task.
	Barty Jr. is Winky's responsibility; he is under the Imperius 
Curse, yes, but Winky remains his bodyguard. Her duty is not only to take 
care of him, but to ensure that he remains under control and his existance 
a secret. 

> Winky isn't tragic because she's innocent. She's tragic, because she's
> as messed up as any member of that family. 
> 
	Agreed! Bartemius Crouch Sr. has always struck me as one of the 
most tragic figures in the books thus far. I hope Percy learns something 
from Crouch's mistakes, even if he never knows the full story.


	Regarding Slytherins, and why they haven't been chucked out of
Hogwarts...*raises sleeve to do battle* Slytherins are NOT necessarily
evil, any more than Gryffindors are necessarily good or Ravenclaws
necessarily indifferent to morality. People who end up in Slytherin House
value cunning and ambition above other virtues. People who are excessively
ambitious are more likely to do evil than people who value, say, honesty
or courage. BUT someone who is ambitious is not necessarily evil; witness
Percy and Crouch Sr. The fact that Slytherin has turned out more evil 
wizards than any other makes logical sense, but the solution to this is 
not to get rid of all the Slytherins; that would be a great injustice to 
those who are ambitious but not dark wizards.
	As an example, take Marcus Flint. Is he ambitious? Seems so; you
don't get to be Quidditch Captain by sitting around, particularly in
Slytherin House. Does he break rules in order to achieve his victory? Yes,
or at the very least he bends them a great deal. Do we like him? Aside
from a few particular fangirls, no. Does all this make him evil?  
Certainly not. A few Quidditch fowls are not equivalent to the Cruciatus
Curse.
	Flint is not perhaps the best argument to use, but my point is 
that being an evil dark wizard does not necessarily follow upon being a 
Slytherin. It is just as possible that someone from another house could 
turn out dark; witness Peter Pettigrew. Or for that matter, Ravenclaws, 
who value intelligence above all else; does this mean they value 
intelligence above morality? Hufflepuffs are loyal and hardworking--to 
serve what cause?

	For Slytherins as for everyone else, it's their choices that make 
them who they are. Ambition in and of itself is not an evil trait; it's 
how you act on your ambition that matters.

	*gets off of soapbox*

	Ashfae