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

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 119160


> 
> 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.
>
snip big time

> 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.
> 

Potioncat:
Yes!  That's it entirely.  Given the description of Slytherin 
traits, we should see a very different House!  We should be see 
talented students working hard and doing what they need to do to be 
successful. Some of course would be cheating to get good marks and 
some would be studying. Not everyone would be bright, but everyone 
should be driven to succeed within their abilities. There should be 
the Debating Club captain, the Junior Ministry of Magic Club, the 
Young Witches Association officers, all the right "looks good on a 
resume" activities. Of course, Harry doesn't belong to any of those 
clubs either, so maybe he never runs into that sort of Slytherin.

So has JKR made a mistake?  Or does she she see ambition 
differently?  

Back to points, Slytherin still gets high points (even before 
Umbridge) Where are they coming from if Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy are 
the typical students? 

You made a point of the Slytherin team being a brutal team, not a 
good team.  But it isn't winning the cup either. Who knows what 
previous teams were like?

I remember being in school eons ago and the three local high schools 
all had sterotypes.  One was full of dull, stupid farmers. (With a 
big strong football team...not much on strategy) One had 
untrustworthy, rich city slickers with a well equiped football team, 
excelling at cheating and of course there was my high school...fine, 
outstanding individuals we were with a team that played hard and 
fair.

Sound familiar?

Potioncat