Slytherin House again. Was: Re: Problem with OotP? (was: Pampering)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 119043


> > Carol responds:
> > Neither am I. and the Sorting Hat, which seems to have a 
 conscience,probably wouldn't put children in Slytherin if it 
thought  that placement would make them evil.
> 
> Alla:
> 
> The question is why then? We are trying to find compelling 
reason  for the existence of Slytherin House and honestly, I don't 
see one  right now. It is a given that majority of Slytherin students 
becomes  DE. Not only Slytherins become DE, but Slytherins do.

Pippin:
Whoa! There are somewhere between 70 and 250 Slytherins 
enroled at Hogwarts, and we know of less than ten who became 
DE's. That's hardly a majority. 

 If, as JKR has said, children are basically good unless they are 
very damaged, then there is nothing inherently evil about the 
Slytherin children. Their moral development suffers because the 
notion that magical races are  inherently noble discourages 
them from thinking they need moral guidance, especially from 
'lesser' types. 

The Slytherins  are there, IMO, so JKR can demonstrate why, if 
children are basically good, they *need* moral guidance -- 
because those damaged individuals like Voldemort will 
otherwise lead them astray. On the WW level, they are there 
because the Slytherin parents wouldn't have it any other way. 


Alla:
> There should be a reason why the House with racist ideology 
exists for 1000 years.<

Pippin:
 Binns says that Slytherin thought magical learning should be 
kept in all magical families. He didn't say all *wizard*
families...it could be that Slytherin was actually more open to 
half-breeds, provided their ancestors on both sides  were 
magical, than the other founders were. Harry thinks some 
Slytherins look like they are part troll, and there is a joke about 
Goyle being a troll in FBAWTFT.

Pippin