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

[Kelly Grosskreutz]

No: HPFGUIDX 57025

>Kelly (me) wrote:
>
> 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.
>
Darrin replied:

> 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.
>
Ok, on this I will agree:  many students in Slytherin hate Harry Potter.
Hating one person does not necessarily mean they are evil.  But, for the
sake of argument, let's just say that all of the Slytherins who have done
these things against Harry and/or didn't stand to toast Harry at the feast
are the future generation of DE's.  Well, then are you going to say all
those students who *did* toast Harry are bad people as well?  Let's say the
same people who drank to Harry also never stopped their fellow Slytherins
from taunting Harry in the halls (can't really control the Quidditch team on
the field).  To me, that *still* does not make them bad.  Maybe they are
afraid of Draco.  After all, many in the wizarding world seem to be afraid
of Lucius.  The Malfoy family has a reputation for not being messed with.
These kids might have a reason for not wanting to cross a Malfoy.  The
smaller ones could be afraid of being beaten up by Crabbe and Goyle.  Then
again, some of these kids might just feel it's not their place to interfere.
To me, these kids could be found guilty of not stopping some of the stuff
that's been going on.  Put them in the same boat as many of the WW adults,
then.  This, however, does not tell me these kids are therefore rotten to
the core.  I actually think it telling that some of the Slytherins *did*
stand and drink to Harry, in spite of what Draco and the others did.

 > 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.

I agree with you.  But there is no proof that the kids cited above are
guilty of this, either.

I have severe problems believing that 25% of a student body is automatically
geared to be evil just because of what House they're placed in.  To
automatically believe that of every single last child simply because s/he
bears the name Slytherin is evil itself.

Kelly Grosskreutz
http://www.idcnet.com/~ivanova