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

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 119157


Potioncat wrote :
"The fact that Slytherin won the cup for 7 years in a row, tells me 
that there is more to them than we see now. The cup is based on 
points, awarded by teachers and by doing well in Quidditch. Certainly
Slytherins didn't trick teachers into giving them points, and
certainly if McGonagall thought Slytherins were cheating at Quidditch
she would have done something about it."

Del replies :
I agree, but... Where did they get those points ?

Academics ? I doubt it. On one hand, we are never presented with an
obviously intelligent and hard-working Slytherin (in the current
generation, that is -- Snape was probably just that in his time).
Draco seems to be a good enough student, but he's nowhere on a par
with Hermione, nor with students such as Percy Weasley or Ernie
McMillan. On the other hand, the only truly stupid students we've met
are all Slytherin : Crabbe and Goyle, of course, but also Montague and
Flint. So I seriously doubt Slytherin got all those points from their
academic results.

There's also the Quidditch Cup. But from what we've seen so far ,the
Slytherin team didn't win because they were exceptionally good, but
because they were exceptionally *brutal*. I'm not saying that
Slytherin ever was a bad team, but I don't think it was ever
particularly better than the other teams. IMO, sheer strength and a
willingness to use it seem to have been the reasons why Slytherin kept
winning all those years.

So it seems like Slytherin was winning the House Cup because they
managed to win the Quidditch Cup, which they won because they were the
most brutal players on the field.

This does *not* look good. As usual where Slytherin is concerned.

Potioncat wrote :
" Harry's relationship with Slytherins is strained for two reasons,
Draco and Snape. But his relationship with members of other houses
isn't all roses either. He's had disagreements and misunderstandings
with those students too."

Del replies :
I agree, but unfortunately it's not just Harry who has troubles
getting along with Slytherin. *All* the Houses despise Slytherin !
Remember how all of them cheered when Gryffindor won over Slytherin in
PS/SS ? And this attitude remained consistent all throughout the four
following years. *Nobody* likes the Slytherins, not just Harry.

Potioncat wrote : 
" I think JKR is tricking us into believing the sterotypes about 
Slytherin, and will pull the rug from under us later on."

Del replies :
I hope, I hope, I hope !!

Potioncat wrote :
"I still maintain that ambition and cunning are not vices. Although 
ambition could drive a person in the wrong direction."

Del replies :
Fred and George are rather ambitious (and show quite some cunning
too), and many people have pointed out that Hermione displays quite a
lot of cunning sometimes. So obviously JKR doesn't consider those
qualities to be evil in and of themselves, though she does show,
through Fudge, Crouch and Percy, that ambition must be kept in check.

For that matter, most Slytherins don't seem to be really ambitious or
cunning. Crabbe and Goyle are neither. Pansy doesn't seem to be
cunning and she's only relatively ambitious (she's happy leading her
own gang, while being led herself by Draco). Even Draco, the current
most visible representative of Slytherin, seems only moderately
ambitious and cunning (unlike his father, who is both very ambitious
and very cunning). And as far as I can see, Draco is still the most
ambitious and the most cunning of all the current Slytherins.

I'm not really going anywhere with this. I guess I'm just still not
satisfied with the description of Slytherin House as it is. It looks
more like a garbage can than anything else to me.

Del