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

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 119105


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. 

Alla:

Hmm, good point, but I think that the students which we know kinda 
meant to be the representatives of the Houses. Are we supposed to 
IMAGINE for example that there is a good Slytherin, if Jo does not 
show us one?

And all Slytherin grown-ups whom we saw int he books, did become DE, 
unless Iforgot somebody.


Pippin:
 
> 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:

Well, OK, you are basically saying that those children with potential 
to "go bad" so to speak are grouped in Slytherin to give him help and 
to stop them from doing bad. My point and Del's point was that we 
don't see anybody helping them out at all. I guess you can argue that 
Snape counsels them somehow in the Dungeons, but IMO Snape is so 
damaged himself that he cannot help those kids effectively. JMO, of 
course.