[HPforGrownups] Slytherin's behavior at the GoF final feast (was Re: Dumbledore's awarding of points PS/SS)

[Kelly Grosskreutz]

No: HPFGUIDX 56983

Darrin
>
> The Slytherin Quiddtich team are all portrayed as cheaters and other
> Slytherins, though unnamed, applaud Harry sarcastically after he
> loses points, refuse to stand to honor Cedric Diggory, and make snake
> faces in GoF after Harry is revealed to be a Parslemouth.
>
> At some point, it stops being a stereotype and starts being a trend.

Kelly (me)

Forgive me if I quote for a short bit from GoF.

     "There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said
Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person,
who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying
our feast with us.  I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your
glasses, to Cedric Diggory."
     They did it, *all* of them; the benches scraped as *everyone* in the
Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling
voice, "Cedric Diggory."  (p. 721 U.S. edition)

Dumbledore proceeds to tell the students that Cedric was killed by Voldemort
and that the MoM didn't want him to tell the students that.

>From p. 722 U. S. edition:  Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall
was turned toward Dumbledore now...or almost every face.  Over at the
Slytherin table, Harry saw Draco Malfoy muttering something to Crabbe and
Goyle.

Dumbledore proceeds to honor Harry.  From p. 723 U. S. edition:  Nearly
everyone in the Great Hall followed suit.  They murmured his name, as they
had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him.  But through a gap in the standing
figures, Harry saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other
Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched.

This is how I interpret these passages.  First we have Cedric's toast.
Since everyone was said to be standing for this toast (I added all the
emphases), from this I conclude that Draco and his cronies stood for this
one.  If they didn't, I would think this would have been mentioned.  The
second passage, we see three Slytherins, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, start to
talk amongst themselves.  After all, it is only at this point that they hear
that Voldemort was involved with this death.  Nothing is said about the
other Slytherins.  In the third passage, the three aforementioned Slytherins
are now joined by some of their number in not standing for the toast to
Harry.  This could be because these people personally can't stand Harry,
because Draco's conversation has made it down to them and they have DE ties
as well, or for reasons as myriad as the people themselves.

The point here is that the Slytherins *did* stand to honor Cedric.  Even if
Cedric wasn't from their house, I never got the impression that they hated
him.  After all, they created the Support Cedric Diggory badges.  Sure, that
was mainly to get at Harry, but they were still backing Cedric, which had to
have generated *some* feelings of good will on their part.  Not to mention
that a boy they knew to some extent, that attended their school, and that
everyone expected to survive the Tournament is now dead.  We really only see
the Slytherins (not counting the main three) be contrary to the rest of the
school when it comes to Harry, and it's already been established that many
in that House hate him.  And even at this point, it is never said that *all*
of the Slytherins remained in their seats, just some of them.  Which just
goes to support the whole "All Slytherins are bad" statement as being a
stereotype.  I as well am hoping that the stereotypes each House has of the
other are broken down and the students made to realize that, when it comes
down to it, people are just people.