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

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 57011

Kelly quoted my factual mistake:

> 
>      "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)



Yes, they DID stand for Cedric. I mistakenly thought some, including 
Draco and his cronies, had not. Instead, "many" of the Slyths refused 
to stand for Harry.

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.

Again, since we still have evidence of the entire Slyth team cheating 
at Quidditch, some of them sarcastically putting down Harry for 
losing points, and some of them making snake faces at him after the 
Parselmouth thing, I still maintain that we have a trend, rather than 
a stereotype.

And, although I realize that this is not meant to be the story of the 
Slyths, the fact that no other Slyth steps in to rein in Draco as he 
gets more and more outrageous tells me that they either tacitly agree 
or are too cowardly to say anything. Either way, I'm not inclined to 
regard them favorably.

As for the "people are just people" lessons, well, I hope the Slyths 
have front-row seats for those lessons. 

It was old Salazar who left behind a giant, Muggle-killing snake 
because he didn't want anyone but purebloods attending school. And 
those lessons have carried down in prominent Slytherins -- Riddle, 
the Malfoys -- since then. Their very password is "pureblood" in CoS.

People ARE just people. And people who loudly call for the death of 
Muggle-borns and Muggle-lovers are people who are slimeballs.

Darrin
-- Sometimes good is good and bad is bad.