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

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 119113


Alla wrote :
" Are we supposed to IMAGINE for example that there is a good
Slytherin, if Jo does not show us one?"

Del replies :
If there's indeed a good Slytherin, then none of the DA knows him. He
would have been a very useful addition to the DA, especially after the
creation of the IQ, as he could have tried to spy on them in the
Slytherin common room.

Alla wrote :
"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."

Del replies :
I can go even further than that, and argue that putting them in a
separate House is the best way to ensure that they will NOT get help.
They don't have the examples of "better" kids around them in their own
House, and when they do interact with those better kids, it's in an
atmosphere of *competition*, of *rivalry*, which is the best way to
ensure that they will NOT want to emulate those better students.

For example : Ron and Harry can learn about working hard on their
exams from Hermione, because they spend their evenings with her.
Draco, on the other hand, is jealous of Hermione because she is better
than he is, but he can't learn from her how to obtain the same kind of
results because he never interacts with her in that way.

Another example : in PS/SS, Harry is allowed to join the Quidditch
team, even though he's a first-year. This smacks of favouritism right
from the beginning of the year. But let's say some Slytherins decide
that it's not favouritism, it's just... (Hm. It's just what,
exactly?). And then comes the end of the year. Slytherin has worked
hard and they are in the lead. And then out of nowhere comes a shower
of points for Gryffindor, all of them related to Harry Potter. Sure,
some recognition was due to Harry and the others, but did DD have to
give them just enough points to beat Slytherin ? Once again it smacks
of favouritism. Considering that the Slytherin kids are supposed to be
ambitious and that many of them seem to have shaky morals, what is
that kind of attitude from the school staff supposed to teach them ??

Del