[HPforGrownups] Snape and what it means to be a Slytherin was Re: We live stereotypes

[Kelly Grosskreutz]

No: HPFGUIDX 57663

Koticzka wrote:

> Well, he is saving Harry's live in HP1 and protecting him after the
> fatal Quddich match - hanging around Gryffs Trio all the time. This
> is woay I liked this greasy git. Snape I mean. Too noble to be Slyth?

On the contrary, I see Snape as the ultimate Slytherin.  Let's revisit some
of the traits of the House.  From the Sorting Hat in PS/SS p. 118 US
Hardcover, "Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends."  From
CoS p. 333 US Hardcover, "[Harry] happen to have many qualities Salazar
Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students.  His own very rare gift,
Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination - a certain disregard for
rules."  And from GoF p. 177 US Hardcover, "And power-hungry Slytherin loved
those of great ambition."

Ok, let's forget about the Parseltongue bit, since 99.9% of all Slytherins
don't possess this ability.  What are we left with from what's above?
Cunning, willing to do anything to achieve the desired outcome, resourceful,
determined, not afraid to break rules, power-hungry, and ambitious  This is
Snape in spades.  Personally, I think that if Snape was not this way, he
would be dead by now, because it is these traits that allowed him to survive
his defection during the last war with Voldemort.  We have seen how
resourceful and determined Snape can be (all the different people he follows
to figure out what's going on with them).  As much as Snape goes on about
breaking rules, he sure isn't afraid to do so himself when he sees a benefit
to it (following Lupin, for example).  We have somewhat seen that he is
willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals (I see threatening Harry
with the Veritaserum as part of this).  This leaves us with cunning,
power-hungry, and ambitious.  I think the latter two things are part of the
reason he joined the DE's to begin with, and it's the cunning that kept him
alive when he decided to part ways with them.

I'd just like to point out, for the record, that nowhere in this description
is a requirement that all Slytherins be pure-blooded and prejudiced against
Muggle-borns.  Salazar Slytherin's personal preferences aside, I think those
are things that got tacked onto the House later on, maybe by some Slytherins
who made the House what they wanted it to be.  I'm not saying Salazar
would've approved, but I don't think those were requirements to get in.
Snape again being an example, I have not seen him treat Muggle-borns any
differently than purebloods.  IMO, Hermione gets the crap she does from him
because she is so smart, is a Gryffindor, and is Harry's friend.  I've never
perceived any of it coming because of her bloodline.  And when Colin comes
in to get Harry for picture-taking from Potions in GoF, Snape doesn't give
Colin a hard time.  What he says in that scene is about Harry, not about
Colin.  So, until I see evidence to the contrary, I don't see Snape as
having that prejudice.  As for his bloodline, it's easy to assume he's a
pureblood, but we really don't know.  We do know of one not-so-pureblood
that got into Slytherin, but I don't know if Riddle counts since he is
Slytherin's heir.

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